Documentation for my yoked bodice CW dress

Hello everyone!

I am so busy today that I thought I would leave you with this photo giving documentation for the yoked bodice style that I wear for my work dress at civil war reenactments. This style was not very popular or fashion forward for 1860-1865 for young teens, but I found a photo on ebay of a girl about my age it looks to be wearing the yoked style. I plan on making a belt similar to the one she is wearing in the wetplate soon.
You can see pictures of my version of the dress made by my sister, over at my her blog

here.

I will be posting a tutorial tomorrow about my Molly inspired hair style. So until then! Cherrio!

In Christ,

Rebecca

My music studies

Hello everyone!



I have been saying for so long that I would post videos of the peices I have been playing for piano and voice, as music is my passion and is what I use to worship the Lord often. Here is a piano peice called "Romance sana paroles" or in english " Romance without words". It was composed by Gabriel Faure. I love this peice, I do not play it perfectly, but I think its so pretty and has been a challenging peice for me. I love playing it! enjoy watching.

I will Lord willing post some more of me playing the piano as well as singing in the near future.

In Christ,
Rebecca

1915 inspired hair style

Hello everyone!

This past week I watched the movie Anne the Continuing Story, I had heard good and bad about this movie. I love the books as well as the first 2 movie adaptions. This was my first time watching the third in many years. I was not pleased with some of the movie, but really happy Anne and Gilbert get married and the costumes were gorgoeus!

I was inspired by Anne's hair in this movie adaption. So I tried something out for my own hair. I did it differently in the back so you could see my curls and I did part it on the side. The next day I tried another style that I also made up and liked it too. I wore this with my 1910 skirt with a yellow sweater and locket and my brown 1915 looking heels and I was set! I will take a picture when I wear the outfit again tomorrow. I will try and do my hair again too.

Here is my version.

I was quite happy with it and I just love my hair up when I have time. Its out of my way and is quite cool when you are running around doing errands, around the house getting things accomplished. More pictures coming soon later this week. I have a lot of school work and a reenactment to get ready for on wednesday, so I will probably not be posting till thursday.

God bless and may your week be productive and for His glory!

These two verses were the proverbs I focused on this past week and the preacher at a church my family attended yesterday even talked about them!

Proverbs 13:3 " Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens his lips wide comes to ruin."

Proverbs 12 " The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be forced to labor."

I knew the Lord was speaking directly to me. I need to be productive and diligent and not slothful and speak wisdom and not foolishness. Hope that encourages you all to live for Him, not just sitting around waiting for Jesus to come back, but being diligent in all we do till that day.

In Christ,

Rebecca

My outfit for today

Hello everyone!

I thought I would share with you all another frugal outfit/ thrift store find and a beautiful peice of clothing made by my dear sister. I am wearing this today for church, cooking and baking, which we did this morning for sunday dinner. We are having some friends who are moving over along with some other friends. So this was a practical and comfy outfit for the day.

The sweater is 100% merino wool and it was only I think $4.00 at a thrift store about 2 years ago when I purchased it. I love it and I wear it with this skirt throughout the winter and fall.

I also wear this 1950's skirt made by my dear sister with 2 different white blouses I have aquired from the thrift store and my sister's closet in the summer and spring. :) I also have two white jackets/blazers that look nice with this as well as a black sweater. I love the 1950's look and circle skirts are my favorite type of skirt to wear for modern wear. I love the bold floral print, which we found in PA at a quilting and fabric store that is run by amish and menonite ladies. I love this store and they have great sales and high quality cotten fabrics. This one was on sale and Beth bought it to make me this skirt for my 18th birthday last year. The belt is the same white belt I purchased at the thrift store that I have worn in previous post, that was only $1.00 at the thrift store. I wear it with so many outfits, you just can't go wrong with it!

The shoes are a black pair I have had for about 5-6 years that were purchased the DSW Shoe wearhouse, they are expensive sometimes, but these were on sale and I am thinking only around $30.00, which is expensive for me. But I have gotten alot of use out of them and will be using them for many years to come. I use them for regency and civil war reenacting as well. I want to get period dance slippers for both sometime, but theses will have to do for now. My skirts are so long you do not see them really anyway even when dancing.

God bless and I hope you all have a refreshing and beautiful Sunday in the Lord's house.

In Christ,
Rebecca

Last Part 3 of The Secret of A Happy Day

Hello everyone!

Due to busyness and a long day yesterday I did not get this post in, so here it is today.

The Secret of A Happy Day
By Frances Ridley Havergal

" Just to trust, yet to ask
Guidance still;
Take the training or the task
As He will.
Just to take the joy or pain
As he lends it;
Just to take the loss or gain
As he sends it
He who formed thee for his praise
Will not miss the gracious aim;
So to-day, and all they days
Shall be molded for the same.

Just to leave in His dear hand
Little things;
All we cannot understand,
All that stings.
Just to let Him take the care
Sorely pressing,
Finding all we let him bear
Changed to blessing.
This is all! and yet the way
marked by Him who loves thee best;
Secret of a happy day,
Secret of his promised rest."

Quoted from the book, "Poems With the Power To Strengthen The Soul"
Compiled by James Mudge


Ladies, here are the two verses from proverbs that I am focusing on today.

"Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens it wide his lips come to ruin."
Proverbs 13:3

"The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be forced to labor." Proverbs

My tongue and how I spend my time each day have been two things that I really need to correct.
But only through Him who saves can I do so!

In Christ,
Rebecca

A Day of Mixed Emotions

Today was not the day I expected it to be, now I am not one to preach or tell people on the internet my spiritual and physical troubles and triumphs! But the Lord really gripped me today, He turned a not so great day into a day of true learning, not book learning or being able to do something on my own entirely. But a day of learning it is only through Him I can do anything and thats the only way I can be diligent and not slothful and kind and not angry.

Before dinner this evening, I had gotten angry with my father, he was innocent, just asking if I needed help with my chemistry, and I let it all out. I did not think before I spoke and I was not the good christian girl you may think I am. It pains me to tell you all this, but I feel the Lord wants me to use this experience to help others. Therefore, I will tell you all though it pains me, but at the same time it is joy. Before dinner when I was helping my mother with setting the table daddy came down to the table. I leaned over on his shoulder and said,"Daddy I am so sorry!!" He just kissed me and in his silence and his big hug I knew he had already forgiven me. You see I had been feeling horrible and beating myself up about it upstairs after the inncident happened, but I did not want to say I was sorry for I knew how horrible I had been. I realized that it was the christian thing to do and was loving others to say I was sorry and ask for my fathers forgiveness. Realizing our fault and knowing we are forgiven is an amazing thing!

During dinner I truly burst into tears because I felt so horrible about the horrible example I had been of godly character. I just cried and cried. My family knew that I was horrified about my blowing up at my father, it seems after an incident I always beat myself up. My sister then said, " Becca ask for forgiveness from the Lord." I knew he had already forgiven me, but I did and I felt at peace.

But it was not until after dinner that I really felt weight of my faults lifted from myself. I was talking with Beth after it all had happened and she said, " You know Proverbs has a lot of verses about your tongue." I said to her," Oh I know that, I even have some of them hanging on my wall in my room." She said," But you can't really see them, since the letters are so small, and you have to stand there and read them." It made me think why have I not read these verses and put them on index cards to memorize before. I have been memorizing some psalms that were very important to me, but memorizing the proverbs had not popped into my mind before. I immediately started reading a whole bunch of verses about the tongue and wrote them down on index cards. I came across one particular verse that really broke my heart and the Lord spoke to me through.

" Anxiety in a mans heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad." Proverbs 12:25

I realized that was why I had lashed out! My anger was because of anxiety! I have been frankly scared and been thinking the past few days about the future, not knowing it and how how will I ever become a better person or how will I get everything accomplished in the next few months! I had been anxious and worrrying about things that can not be done by myself alone, which my sister reminded me. She said," Becca you can't do it all alone!" I said "you are right, I can't!" I realized this and I am so grateful to the Lord for pointing it out even louder! I had realized this on monday, I had not yet taken it to heart, without him I can do nothing!

Well its getting late, I better sign off, but God bless you and may you become diligent, not anxious or worrying, or wrathful, but joyous and fulfilled only through Christ our Savior!

In Christ,
Rebecca

Part 2 The Secret of a Happy Day

Today I awoke to the birds singing and celtic woman playing from my ipod dock. I did not want to get up as it was earlier than usual for me because of a spanish class I needed to attend. Then I remembered all the things I had to do today and that I needed to do it all for the Lord and I was ready to get up! I read this last night and it really encouraged me! I have been thinking a lot lately about how the Lord has blessed me with both spiritual and physical food supply. I have His Word and His Spirit to guide me and I have cloths and food. What more should I be asking for! When there are so many children and people who don't have that. I have been pondering ways to share that spiritual food with others this week.

Psalm 63:1-8

"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,

and in your shadow of your wings I will sing for joy!!

My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me! "

I have been thinking about how the Lord has feed me spiritually in hard times and good times, how He has made me joyful, singing for joy the past few days for being in Him. One song has stuck out to me Abide in Me! I want to abide in my Savior and I want to help show others how the Lord can be like their food and be their help. I want to be a witness where I am for the Lord now.

Its funny! The next part of the poem really is about being joyful and being glad in the Lord! Which is what I have been reading about in my Bible study and in the book I just finished yesterday called "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper. I have seen a theme from the Lord, saying don't just be luke warm, live for me and know that I will provide, and tell others of the hope that is in you.

2nd half of "The Secret of a Happy Day"
by Frances Ridley Havergal

" Just to ask Him what to do
All the day,
And to make you quick and true
to obey.
Just to know the needed grace
He bestoweth,
Every bar of time and place
Overfloweth.
Just to take the orders straight
From the Master's own command.
Blessed day! when thus we wait
Always at our Sovereign's hand.

Just to recollect his love,
Always true;
Always shining from above,
Always new.
Just to recognize its light;
All-enfolding.
Just to claim its present might;
All-upholding.
Just to know it as thine own,
Is not this enough alone
For the glaness of the day?"

From the book entitled

"Poems With Power To Strengthen The Soul"

-compiled by James Mudge

I will be posting the third and last 2 stanzas of this poem tomorrow.

God bless and have a blessed day hearing our Lord!

In Christ,
Rebecca

The Secret of A Happy Day

The Secret of A Happy Day

by Frances Ridley Havergal

"Just to let thy Father do

What He will;
Just to know thta he is true

And be still.

Just to follow hour by hour
As He leadeth;
Just to draw the moment's power
As it needeth.
Just to trust Him, this is all!

Then the day will surely be
Peaceful, whatso'er befall,
Bright and blessed, calm and free.

Just to let Him speak to thee
Through his word,
Watching that his voice may be
Clearly heard.
Just to tell Him every thing
As it rises,
And at once to him to bring
All suprises.
Just to listen, and to stay
Where you cannot miss His voice,
This is all! and thus to-day,
Communing, you shall rejoice."

From the book entitled,

" Poems with Power To Stengthen The Soul" compiled by James Mudge.
Only the first 2 stanzas of the poem.

I will post the rest over the next few days.

In Christ,

Rebecca

Heros are not just soldiers in a war on earth..........

They are men who do all to the glory of God, sacrificing their lives just as Christ did for His Church.

I found a little book of poems about chivalry and heros in God's eyes today! I was so happy to come across this book in our family library we had forgotten about. Its entitled "Poems with Power To Strengthen the Soul" compiled by James Mudge. I can't believe we forgot about thid treasure. It is from 1902 and is in the public domain, so I will be copying a lot of these poems to give out to young men and ladies in our civil war reenacting group. I think the young men and women in the leadership roles in our group would be able to use these poems to encouragement all the young men and women to be chivalrous and be heros not of the worlds standards but of the Lords.

Here is one poem that stuck out to me from the chapter that is all poems about Heroism.

God's Heros
by Edward Hartley Dewart

" Not on the gory field of fame
Their noble deeds were done;
Not in the sound of earth's acclaim
Their fadeless crowns were won.
Not from the palaces of kings,
Nor fortune's sunny clime,
Came the great souls, whose life-work
flings
Luster o'er earth and time.

For truth with tireless zeal they sought;
In joyless paths they trod-
Heedless of praise or blame they wrought,
And left the rest to God.
The lowliest sphere was not disdained;
Where love could soothe or save,
They went, by fearless faith sustained,
Nor knew their deeds were brave.

The foes with which they waged their strife
Where passion, self, and sin;
The victories that laureled life
Were fought and won within.
Not names in gold emblazoned here,
And great and good confessed,
In Heaven's immortal scroll appear
As noblest and as best.

No sculptured stone in stately temple
Proclaims their rugged lot;
Like Him who was their great example,
This vain world knew them not.
But though their names no poet wove
In deathless song or story,
Their record is inscribed above;
Their wreaths are crowns of glory."

I thought this was exactly a great picture biblical manhood! It does not matter if the world recodnices your victories, but that you do the victory for Christ alone.
He is the one we want to be recodniced by in our victories.

May we all strive to be men and women winning battles for the Lord; not needing to be recodniced by the world, but only by Christ alone.

In Christ,
Rebecca

All photos curtosy of Lindsey Weberg and from the October 2009 ACCS event.

Civil War doll

Ladies and Gents!

For the past week my family and I have been snowed in! So I decided to work on a period doll for civil war reenacting, which my family does all year round. My sister and I wanted a doll that we could show to children and teens, and adult specators that would be period. I used Elizabeth Stuart Clarke's pattern and it was so easy to use and I was able to hand sew this project completely. I plan to use this doll and my sister's doll for demonstration purposes of the period undergarments and period toys. We will then have something that is a hands-on activity for another childrens event we are helping with for the girls. We are excited to almost have our dolls done except their faces and a few more garments!

Here she is in her underthings. I made a corset, chemise and a petticoat. I plan to make her one more white petticoat and a work petticoat soon. Oh and don't worry she will have a face and hair painted on her before the next event, I just need to practice on paper before I put her actual face on! :)

The back of the corset is below. It was fun making tiny corset!! I sewed it by hand out of a double layer of muslin, because I thought that the real type of fabric of a corset would be too bulky for such a small one. My sister used cotten twill for my own corset.

I decided to name my doll Rosette by the way! :)

A friend of mine said her name should start with the first letter of mine name Rebecca, so her name is Rosette in keeping with an R name.

Here is my doll and her brown work/everyday dress. I made the plaid dress out of some 100% cotten fabric from Joannes. I just love the way this fabric is so simple, but I dressed it up with puff sleeves and gauging at the waste and the sleeves are also on the bias. My sister wants to make my new dress just like Rosettes except, a front closure and a different fabric.

The dress closes in the back, typically most dresses closed in the front for lower class women of the 1860's, because they did not have servants to help them with their closure. So they it was impractical to have a back closure, unless you were wealthy enough to have servants to help you close your dress. So Rosette has a back closure, but my sister, mother, and I all have front closing dresses, as we are the middle class for our reenacting.

Well this is Rosettes wardrobe so far. I also plan to make her a party dress soon.

God bless and stay warm everyone!

In Christ,

Rebecca

More jean skirts and other options

Hey Ladies and Gents!
I found recently found this lovely site and I love their cloths! Now I am not muslim or islamic, but I believe they have one thing right on this site: femininity is not compromised when it comes to modesty.

Their clothing is not frumpy, but beautiful and feminine, while still being modest. I will not be buying a hijab or a long dress, but I hope to buy these pants in navy sometime in the future. And this skirt in brown is beautiful! Its expensive and I have a brown skirt, so I won't be buying, but its beautiful! Of course, this denim skirt is gorgeous I think as well! With all the small panels, instead of one big peice of fabric you could easily make something similar with a small peice of denim or if you had peices of denim that were not wide enough for one peice in the back and one large peice in the front. You could peice it! An idea for all you seamstresses! I might try it sometime! :) Well I hope this helps you ladies out there looking for ready made practical, feminine, and modest clothing. God bless and I will be posting some pictures of my own jean skirts and other skirts that I wear soon.

And please let me know if the links are working or not, as my friend Jenn informed me they were not. No wonder no one posted saying anything! :)

In Christ,Rebecca

Newest book for the Rebelution

Hey Ladies and Gents!!
Its coming!!!!

I was so excited yesterday to see that Brett and Alex Harris are coming out with their new book called Start Here in 5 weeks!!! I read their first book called Do Hard Things a few years ago when it first came out and I was inspired and challenged spiritually in my life and in things that I do daily to do it all for the glory of God in many new ways! Seriously when I made a list of things that were hard that I knew God wanted me to do it was so hard to do them at first! But I have completed those 5 things and now I have new and even bigger challenges coming my way. Thank you Brett and Alex for doing what God called you to do to do the hard thing of writing this book. God used it to change my life in many areas.

Here is their website and you can read more about their new book.
Have a blessed day and do all to His glory!
In Christ,Rebecca

Sewing, inspiration, and memories

I thought I would post some pictures from my sister and I's visit with Mrs. Need last spring. She is a wonderful godly woman and taught us a lot in regards to sewing, gardening, and more. Visiting a lovely home of some members from the Needs church. She had wonderful antique quilts on the beds!

Oh the rooms were so inviting and just the way I would make my home! it was refreshing! Memories of sewing in the dining room on a sunny day, while the cows grazed in the pasture at the Needs home.

In the evening, playing the piano for hours and singing.

Going to some friends from the Needs church home and seeing their wonderful cozy rooms!

I just wanted to live here!

The pasture was glorious! The Lord's handy work is amazing! This was from the window in the dining room. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Need for your hospitality last spring and your open arms Mrs. Need helping Beth and I learn much in sewing and all. In keeping with Titus 2 Mrs. Need taught us much the two times we visited her at her home for a litle more than a week each time. We learned how to make slip covers for couches and chairs, gardening, sewing, and much more spiritually! It was filled with laughs, crying, and prayer and I am so thankful for her giving heart and that it is filled with Christ!

I was going through pictures and came across these and remembered how good the Needs were to my sister and I. They are like family. Mrs. Needs blog is here. Miss you Mrs. Need!

In Christ,

Rebecca

Denim At Its Best

Hello Ladies and Gents!

Well I bet many of you have seen the classic long denim skirts that many homeschooled ladies and even ladies not in the homeschool circles wear. Its just a classic look, but sometimes it can be frumpy. You know what I mean not really flattering and just baggy looking and not so feminine even if it is a skirt. Well I want to change that and so do these companies.

I have made myself one jean skirt, which I will post pictures of sometime soon that is right at my new. I drafted it myself two summers ago and sewed it up out of light weight denim. Well, my sister and I did not have a machine a few years ago when I sewed this skirt that could go through really thick denim. So we thought lets look on the internet and see what denim skirts are out there that are stylish and feminine. Here are a few that I own and wear lots! And some that are new that I just love!

I just found this lovely skirt over at Christa Taylor' s online store. I have not purchases anything from Christa yet, but I love her cloths. My sister, mother, and I have bought many skirts from this lovely site called New Creation Women's Apparel as well. We adore this site! The customer service is wonderful and they are fast with shipping. Of course their skirts are high quality and feminine and so very adorable! We love this site!

They have some new denim that I would love to purchase. this skirt is adorable I think and comes in summer and thicker weight denim.


My mother and I each have this feminine skirt and love it!

This is on my list for purchasing! I love fuller skirts that are easier to move in and can be worn just about anywhere, even mountain climbing or hiking no problem.

This new skirt is also quite pretty with the flare at the bottom! I love full skirts! Can you tell?!!

I own this skirt and I always get compliments on it! People actually ask me if I did not embroidery knowing that I sew and am crafty and I politely tell them that I bought it from New Creation.

I also own this skirt and you may remember me wearing with my purple wrap top for WIFD here.

My sister owns this skirt and she wears it with just about any top or sweater and it always look very chic. She has worn this to stack the wood pile, church, everyday, or even hiking. Its very practical and she owns it in a lighter blue denim, not purple denim.

Well I will try and post some pictures of myself in my jeans skirts this week, showing that they can be chic and don't have to be frumpy.

In Christ,

Rebecca

New Favorite website!!!

Hello everyone!
The other day I was on the Sense and Sensibility forum and I was looking a young ladies signature on there. Her name is Ginny and this is what I found. It is a compliation of resources for historical clothing!! I thought how wonderful and useful ,as well as fun to look through! I am so glad she had this list and I came across the Smithsonian womens collection womens dresses collection half way through the list of websites!!! I was so excited and I showed my sister all the wonderful gowns that apparently are in the smithsonians collection! Even some of them are on display in the smithsonian american history museum, which is only 30 minutes on the metro or by car from our house!! My mother said that we will have to make a trip to see them as well as the declaration of independence in the National Archives! I am so excited about this trip hopefully by the end of this month or in march!

Here is my favorite gown of them all! I really want to do the 1770-1785 gown like the one pictured here. !!! It is gorgeous and it would be a dream for me to make this gown or for my sister to make it for me someday!! I just adore the light blue silk over the red silk!!! Oh its just gorgeous I think and I have always wanted to do colonial! This is the era I am studying in government currently and it would be just lovely to own a gown or even go and see this gown to study as well! eep!!

I also adore this dress! The bonnet is also exquisite! I am going to be possibly making a 1860's fashion bonnet soon with some other ladies from my reenacting group. But we shall see. I would love to have an excuse to reenact the 1850's as well as the 1770's!

Well do check out their collection online and if you can do go and check them out in person at the smithsonian! Its free and its great for study! Of course they do not have all 30,000 peices that are in their collection on display, but many of these dresses are! *sighs*

Well have a lovely day everyone and keep warm!
In Christ,Rebecca

What About me?

Hey everyone!

I was so pleased to read this wonderful article that I think is long over due over at Visionary Daughters. I think that I am very much guilty of coveting other girls family situations as well as judging girls who are not in the same situaton I am in. I can relate to the Botkin sisters, having girls of different backgrounds in my life, those who are in christian families I have to say are more so in my life than girls without christian parents. But I am working on that and so is my family with mentoring and ministering to the unreached. But please read this article even if you are that girl who does not have "perfect" family! I know that I don't! Even read this article if you do live in a christian home, because you could learn a lot about what you might need to change in regards to relating to unreached girls who are in totally different situations than yourselves.

Visionary Daughters blog -the article is called What About Me? I think that I really needed to hear this article now and a few years ago when there book came out I really needed this, but I know its for a reason that I have changed without this article. I found out for myself that I needed to change and be content with my family situation and be thankful I lived in a christian home with the parents that I have. I am so thankful now for my christian parents, now I know how to respond to their guidance and their help in a more loving and Christ like manner because the Lord changed my heart. I am still not perfect, but I am working on it, now that I see the problem.

Have a lovely Lord's Day everyone!

In Christ,
Rebecca

Explanation on my civil war paletote

Hello ladies and gents!

I have had many people asking me what pattern I used for my civil war paletote and my sister has completed an explanation on how I made the pattern with her help. I actually used 2 different patterns and had to size them down significantly. It is not that complicated to do yourself though. Head over to my sisters blog here to find out the secret! :)

God bless,

Rebecca

My antique treasure

Hello everyone!

Here is my promised post about something vintage or from the thrift store I have found each week. Here is my antique/vintage post! I love finding old stuff for good prices and used items for free! here is my freebie antique dresser my mother and I found while going on a walk in our little town last summer. I was so suprised to find this treasure! It is used obviously and our neighbors down the street were just throwing it out, so I rescued this peice! Its my favorite peice of furniture besides my hope chest in my room! I love the curved top of the dresser! its such a nice touch I think!

It even has the same curved lines on the bottom as well! :)

The drawers are even curved! I thought this peice had so much character and charm I just could not leave it there to be taken to the dump or another person's home! :)So here it sits beneath the one window in my room as the snow keeps falling outside. I keep my civil war hats, my regency bonnet, and my cloche hat on top of my hat box, with my vintage fur muff inside. I also keep a box for my jewelry and a little plate to keep jewelry I am currently going to wear. And of course some photos of family and friends and my dried flowers from my parents for my 18th birthday last year I had my favorite yellow roses. I dried them to remember.

Have a great day! we have about 25 inches of snow here! And the snow is still coming down!

In Christ,

Rebecca

Haiti updates

Today I was looking Mr. Philips blog and at this The livesay family blog and I smiled as I heard about miracle after miracle that is happening in Haiti! Praise the Lord for healing of the soul and body.

In Christ,
Rebecca

My 2010 reading list

Hello everyone!

I have been drowned in piles of school work this past week and I have been getting reading in here and there to keep myself sain. I have not had much time for blog posts or much sewing. But I have been practicing piano an hour and a half each day! My voice is also back and I plan to start my singing studies again today. I thought I would share with you all what I have been reading lately to tide you all over until I have another sewing or music post ready. All these books I highly recommend and are appropriate I believe for gals and guys ages 13 and up. Of course with the permission of their parents for reading them. :)

I just finished Little Women by Louisa May Alcott WHen the darkness will not lift by John Piper back in January, as well as by John Piper. Both were very good reads and very different in content and all obviously! But I throughly enjoyed both! I received the one by John Piper for christmas from a dear friend and Little Women is also from our family library, which we picked up at a used book sale. My version is not the same as the link I gave you and its a hardback edition.

I have been reading my ESV Bible of course, I received the ESV study Bible for Christmas and I just love it! Its a great tool for studying the Word more in depth. I also use my regular ESV translation as well. You can purchase both of these off of Amazon.

My small esv bible , which I have had for about 7 years is this one from amazon.

And the ESV study Bible is great! Mine was not this expensive, they must have racked up the price for the leather bound. I love this ESV Bible for in-depth study of the Word. Its great with all the foot notes, extra maps, concordance, etc.

Here are some books I have been enjoying in my spare time.

I bought this book back in December, but since I am so busy I still have not finished it. But I plan to finish it before the month of February is over. It is called Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper! I highly recommend this book! It has a wonderful message any christian that is new to the faith or has been walking with the Lord for a while should hear!

I think this book should be owned by every christian or every christian family! Its a great resource for those tough questions, which sometimes are not so easy to understand about manhood and womanhood. Since the world and even some of the church today have a distorted view of what it means to be a man or woman biblically this book is a great way to understand what that means Biblically and not by the worlds idea of masculinity and femininity. I highly recommend this book! I have read only through the intro and chapters 1 and 2 of part one! But I have learned a lot and I have also been reminded of a lot! So definately add Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by Piper and Grudem to your reading list if you have not read it yet!

I also have 4 chapters left before I finish Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen! I love this book and I would recommend it for ages 16 and up only because for younger girls it could make them discontent and I think more mature gals should read it. Its a romance novel, but its also about character and maturity in the lives of Marianne and Elinor Dashwood who are sisters. Jane Austen is brilliant and I would recommend the movie also for older gals and their parents and guys to watch. I would recommend the 1995 version though, its my favorite with Kate Winslet as Marianne, but the new one is also good, but I think not as good a representation of Marianne. She seems to be more immature and silly in the newer one than she really is to me in the book or 1995 version. So I like the older one better. I would recommend it as my favorite Austen book so far, but I have only read S&S and Pride and Prejudice and I have a feeling I will love Persuasion, which I plan to read next.

The last book I have been reading is the Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques. I do like book and it is well written, I would recommend this book for boys and girls 12 and older. It may be a little scarey or too hard a read for younger boys and girls. But the story so far is delightful, funny, and mysterious. Amazon does carry this book for Kindle, but not in paper book form. I bought mine at Barnes and Nobles many years ago and never read it until now. There are 2 others in the series, this is the first installment. great book! very adventurous!

I have also been listening to The United States at War- The American Revolution audio series by George C. Scott and I have been enjoying it even though it is for my Worldviews of the Western World course I am doing for school. I love learning about history and I have gotten lots of notes, new ideas, learned much, and gotten lots of hand sewing on a civil war quilt done while listening to this series. I love learning while sewing! :) Amazon does not have this, but here is the website for my Worldviews course and you can buy it there.

Books I plan to read in March are What is Reformed Theology? R.C. Sproul, I have read the first chapter and a little bit of some of the other chapters and it is quite good. It gives a good idea to me what reformed theology is, because I had been wondering what it is as I have some friends and know some families who are reformed. I want to know for sure if I am reformed etc.

I also will be starting Persuasion by Jane Austen. Now my version of Persuasion as well as all jane Austen's other works are all in one big volume my family bought at a used book sale many years ago. So the books I am linking to on amazon are not the copies I own. So be weary of versions that may be abridged! I despise abridged books!!

I will also probably still be reading Biblical manhood and womanhood by piper, because its so long and is a lot of information. :)

I am not sure what else besides that, but I have lots of books under read on my shelf that I will probably read as well.

I hope you all have a lovely day! I plan to get more worldviews done, listening to that audio series, as well as reading many government documents. I also have chemistry and practicing spanish to do. I also plan to work on a plaid bias skirt that I cut out but have not finished today. We are supposed to be getting 2 feet of snow again between today and tomorrow. So its perfect being snowed in to get things accomplished. I sister and I are still sad because some friends of ours will not be coming up like they were supposed to on sunday for the super bowl! But we will still have to enjoy ourselves without them. Also probably we won't be able to visit a new church that we wanted to visit Sunday either. But we will have to wait till next weekend.

have a great day and stay warm!

In Christ,
Rebecca

We will become whiter than snow....

When we are cleansed from our sins by Jesus Christ! WOW we will be whiter than snow when we are saved from our sins! that really hit me and I wanted to share that with you all! we are whiter than snow!

We received about 5 inches of snow and we are supposed to get more this coming weekend!

I am always in awe of the beauty and genius the Lord puts into His creation.

"Walk about Zion, go around her,

number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels,

that you may tell this generation that this is God, our God forever and ever;

He will guide us forever."

Psalm 48:11-14 " I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;

I will counsel you with my eye upon you." -Psalm 32:8

" Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;

cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice

to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refruse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." -Isaiah 1:16-20

May God bless you all! keep warm!

In Christ,

Rebecca