1860's New Year's Party!

Dear friends,

I thought I would share all the fun that our civil war reenacting group had at a party, my sister and her friend planned for christmas, but we postponed it to the 2nd of January. So it turned into a new years get togeather. Everyone sang like the below picture and the next picture, a few of us actually had room to dance in out living room as well! All these pictures were taken by my good friend Lindsey Weberg! Please do not take these pictures without my permission. thanks!

Oh and one guess what we all decided to do for the activities for our party! We all car pooled over to the indoor ice skating rink to skate in period attire!! It was so much fun and we did get a lot of stares, but lots of interest in if we were going to do a show on the ice in the next few hours!!? We politely said no, but we told them about our civil war reenacting group and how we were ringing in the new year with a fun activity. We also got the age old question, " are you amish?!!" We all always laugh at this question, but when we say no people I think feel a little less weirded out, like are actually normal people just in over 100 year old inspired clothing. :)

After ice skating all 60 of us went back to the house, the Stricker house to eat, chat, dance, sing, and do a white elephant gift exchange. This was during the white elephant gift exchange. It was lots of fun and lots of laughts! You can see how many people we had to cram in our house from the bird's eye views! Our kitchen was where all the food was and our kitchen is normally crowded with just the four in our family being in there at once. This kitchen has never been this crowded in the 10 years we have lived here! lol We will definately cram over 60 people in our kitchen again I think! we have about 60 people come to the party. WOW! it was fun though. After the ice skating was over we had everyone come back to our house for refreshments, a white elephant gift exchange, dancing, and singing christmas carols. Oh and of course lots of talking! :) This was a family event, so we had all ages, from 3 years old- parents. It was great to have all the different ages all togeather to celebrate.

And here are some more skating pictures. Mostly the teens and kids skated, while the parents watched. I think they thought that was a little safer. :)

My friend Caleigh and I.

Jennifer, Bethany, Caleigh, we call them the triplets now! :)

We even started doing conga lines! lol I don't know who started it, but we were told to stop after a while, as we had a big crash. No one was hurt, but it started to get dangerous. lol

Our group is the Army of Chivalrous Christian soldiers and the site is in my favorite links in the right side bar. Go and check it out! Everyone who came did not dress up, as we said it was optional, usually everyone at events does dress in sometype of period clothing. It was a blast, we had the old and the new all togeather.

God bless and have a great week!

In Christ,

Rebecca

The Earthquake in Haiti

Today I was suprised and devistated to see news about a fellow blogger Hannah's(http://cultivatinghome.blogspot.com/) friend who's family are missionaries in Haiti. They are alive and helping over there with the devastation. Here is her blog --> http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/

Please be praying that Jesus Christ would be a light in this darkness and what seems like no hope for some. Hopefully the Lord will become the God of many of these people's lives through this disaster!

In Christ,
Rebecca

The Seaside and Spring and Summer are calling!

Oh to have a garden party! I am longing for an outdoors get togeather with friends and family! Its so cold and dreary outside these days without much snow! I wish spring would come soon!

Or in this picture we could get in our carriages and have a sunday drive! :)

Seaside fashions for children and girls from La Mode Illustree 1875. I thought this was just adorable and you can see their outfits very well. I love the bustle era as well and my dream is to have a bustle gown for my wedding dress! *sigh* It would be a modern bustle gown, but with inspiration from the bustle era of course!

The painting "Brighten Front" by Abraham Solomon, he painted it in the year of 1860, this is right up my alley! I love the american civil war styles! And to think to be there near the beach dressed so elegantly! *Sigh*

This painting is called "Westen Sands" by William H. Hopkins and Edmund Havell and it was done in the year 1864. I just love this one, because its so interesting, what is the boy telling the young ladies in the painting and where is it? There are lots of donkeys and goats, hmmm.... Its beautiful with the sand and clouds as well!

Its been so cold these past weeks here in Virginia! I am longing for Spring and summer!! I thought I would never say that as I love bringing out the warm socks, sweaters, coats, mittens, hats and all! But I am wanting to just wear a short sleeve blouse and a light skirt and be bare foot at the beach reading a good book or wading in the water!

These pictures reminded me of this longing for Spring and Summer!

I found all these photos on this website http://www.fashion-era.com/the_victorian_era.htm and this lovely blog again http://goldenagepaintings.blogspot.com/.

Have a lovely day everyone! Now to get school accomplished and I have to practice piano and voice a little before my Mom starts teaching her music students. God bless!

In Christ,

Rebecca

1820's-1910 paintings of women's fashions and landscapes

Hello friends! I thought I would post some painting I found; I just love old paintings! :) I found all these paintings at this lovely blog. http://goldenagepaintings.blogspot.com/ I just love all the paintings she has on there. ( this is not a site for younger girls and boys to view without parents consent.) This painting is called An Interesting Paragraph and it was painted by Henry King. Another painting I posted towards the end of this blog post is called The Letter and is by King as well. This painting reminds me of my sister and I! The girl reading the newspaper looks like me a little with the dark hair and the other has red hair like my sister. I think is what our house would look if we lived in the old days. Of course we would have a spinning wheel! We want to get one someday and learn how to weave the yarn we would spin from it as well!

This painting is called Gathering Firewood and was painted with watercolors by John Henry Mole in 1873. I love the country, small village feel of this painting. It reminds me of England! I am not suprised it is of England!

By Alexander M. Rossi, a oil painting called Forbidden books, painted in 1897. This really makes me want to read a great book after I finish this post! :) Oh tohave a library full of books! I am so blessed to have a library that my parents have been making since I can remember. My mother and my father come home with books every-so-often that we add to our family library. Right now I am going to read Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper and then The Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jaques tonight. Jaques is also the author of Redwall, which I have yet to read. I want to read that next! This painting is by Henry Andrews and is called The Garden Party and it was painted in 1866. I am longing for a party where we can dance with our civil war reenacting friends and this made me really want to start planning! :)

The Letter by Henry King, I think it is from the 1870's! I just loved this painting, I love her outfit, her earrings, hair, and the flower growing in the window as she writes her letter! This makes me want to sit down and journal and write some letters tomorrow! I have some thank you notes to send in the mail, so I will have to do that!

I thought this painting from 1830 called the Itinerant Artist by Charles Bird King was quite interesting. It has all these children and women intently watching as the artist, which I am assuming is supposed to be King painting a new work. The colors and the girl's dresses really captivated me.

This is a painting of Dudley, England painted in 1832, by one of England's finest ever artists -Joseph Mallord William Turner. This painting really captivated me as well! I love the colors and how it is misty and mysterious! Makes me want to be in Italy again!

For all of you that were interested in or participated in the Maid Marion week over at Amanda Beth's website; I found a painting that is supposed to be a version of our very own favorite heroine Maid Marion. http://goldenagepaintings.blogspot.com/2009/11/william-clarke-wontner-maid-marion.html

God bless your week and may we all be pressing on with our ears intently listening for God's will and call for our lives!

In Christ,

Rebecca

The Harvest is Plentiful, but the laborers are few!

I know many of you have probably heard this passage a million times or have already resolved many times to help the poor and needy more this coming year. But the Lord really spoke to me on Sunday during my Bible study, He told me that I was not giving of my possessions and time as much as I should for other people. You could say he was telling me that I am being greedy! Also he has convicted me to keep laboring and harvesting the pletiful harvest. Like the analogy in Matthew, we are to keep telling others about Christ so that they may be harvested and become laborers for the kingdom. Now you may say this sounds like terrible work, no it is joyful work! We are changing peoples lives for eternity!

Luke 12:22-34
Luk 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
Luk 12:14 But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?"
Luk 12:15 And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Luk 12:16 And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully,
Luk 12:17 and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'
Luk 12:18 And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
Luk 12:19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'
Luk 12:20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'
Luk 12:21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
Luk 12:22 And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.
Luk 12:23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
Luk 12:24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
Luk 12:25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
Luk 12:26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?
Luk 12:27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Luk 12:28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
Luk 12:29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.
Luk 12:30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Luk 12:31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
Luk 12:32 "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luk 12:33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
Luk 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The verses that I really think are my focus on helping the needy and serving the Lord through helping others are verses 32-33 "Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heaves that does not fail, where no theif approaches and no moths destroy. For where your treasure is, there will your heart me be also."

I feel that this past year the Lord has helped me to come out of my comfort zone in many areas, I been able to help the poor and needy in ways I could never imagine myself doing before. I was able to be a mentor to younger girls and I was so glad that I could help them in their walks with the Lord and with domestic abilities and been a friend to them. Never before have I had so many prayer requests, never before have I had so many opportunites for the kingdom of the Lord to grow stronger and bigger, never before have I seen so many miracles. This past year has been a fruitful year for the harvest, but the workers are still few and the harvest is bountiful! Ladies please in this new year along with me help the needy and give to the kingdom lasting treasures that cannot be stolen from us or become as dust.

Matthew 9:37-38 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."


We need to pray earnestly that the Lord will bring out more believers to help us gather the harvest, but that we will keep diligently gathering it!

I have said many times that I will start giving my money monthly to different causes such as Compassion child, I have wanted to start helping a child monthly and I have also wanted to start giving to a dollar for a drink. I am a fan of both organizations on facebook and I feel I would love to help both causes.

Now besides helping the needy in other parts of the world, I know we should be helping in our communities as christians. I have done this in a small few ways, such as helping at Crosslink International once a month sorting meds to send out to missionaries in foreign countries to give and use for their medical needs in foreign countries. I have been helping in that small way locally, I feel I can do more.

For right now I think a good way to help locally will be serving my family as I am already doing, helping mentor some younger girls that are friends of ours who are new christians as well as their mom being a new christian. So I feel that serving them and helping them to know God better and to be their friends has helped me grow as well as been a way for me to serve the Lord better and grow myself! This year I want to grow even more! I want this year of 2010 to be another year that I remember seeing fruits and many people coming and being apart of the harvest!

I just wanted to share what the Lord has been telling me that should be a goal for myself spiritually in this new year! Have a blessed week serving Him!


In Christ,

Rebecca

My finished Flannel Nightgown

I used Simplicity 3573 to sew my new flannel night gown! I chose view A, which is the green gown on the far left. I love the way it turned out and it was definately like it says, "an easy pattern". I could have made this in one day if I had more longer periods of time to sew. But I would say I did it in about 3 hours; I did serg everything on the inside and I am a beginner on my sewing skills. I love it and I plan to make the same view A in a light cotten for the summer and spring too. I just have to choose some fabric from the stash or buy a light weight cotten soon. I also plan to make a flannel robe and long sleeve night gown out of the other views. I want to buy some flannel for that; so I have an excuse to buy more fabric! :) Last school year I had cut out this night gown planning to make it for the cold winter months of that year; then I lost the pattern to my disapointment. Now, I found the pattern last week over christmas break and I was able to finish it today! I also was able to serg the inside seams of this night gown! My sister and I received a serger for christmas from our parents and other generous relatives! We are so happy with our Janome serger!

I was so glad to find these 3 large buttons in our button stash! we have probably just about every kind of button you could imagine! Many older women and children of ones who have passed on have given us many sewing stashes of supplies. Buttons tend to be one thing we receive or find a lot of in yard sales, estate sales, thrift stores, and from friends!

I thought giving you the closer up pictures would give a better idea of the bodice, I made the gown bigger for comfort of course! :) I also thought posting pictures of myself in the gown would be better than just putting it on a hanger. Its hard to see how it looks on the hanger on a real person. I thought since this gown looks like a modern dress in the first place, posting this gown would not be inappropriate. Any thoughts are appreciated if this is offensive to anyone.

I love it and I hope it inspires more of you to make feminine modest clothes even for going to bed!

In Christ,

Rebecca

Welcome the New Year with thankfulness!

We have been in the ACCS reenacting group for 1 years now this past october event, we love all our friends there! Here is the website, if any of you are in the Virginia area and want to do civil war reenacting with a christian homeschool group. We love recreating history with friends and family! This was our past 2009 October event, all the ladies got a group picture. http://www.underonebanner.com/

My 18th birthday party last April was a blast, we had a 1950's theme and Bethany made her dress and my dress. Friends of course was the best part of the whole affair!

We went on the Sense and Sensibility trip to London and Bath this past september. It was filled with many wonderful memories and new friends! Bethany and I are in the top picture in Bath at the Jane Austen festival with our friends Sarah and Ana. In the bottom picture we are in London at the fan museum after tea with the whole sense and sensibility group. Mrs. Chancey was a wonderful tour hostess and we were so happy to meet her as well!

This was just some fun remembering some of the events from this past year! There are many more I don't have time to post!

Dear friends! I have been pondering today how the past year has gone by so quickly! I remember when I was about 7 years old and I said along with my sister nodding in agreement ," We will never be 17 and 18 Mommy!" I said,"Mommy we will never be that old for a long time and I can't imagine being as old as my baby sitter Cherie." I remember looking up to her like she was so tall and so much bigger and that I would never be that mature or tall! :) Now I have little girls looking up to me and I am much taller than lots of them! I cannot believe I thought I would never be 18 as it has come quite quickly! The years have gone by and the Lord is still here and He has been with me the whole way! But the last year has been a very life changing time for me! I have realized how many faults I have even more-so than I had in the past. I gave my life to Christ two years ago and I believe the Lord has been changing me over the past year so much! Its been a roller coaster ride I will never forget and it has done me good; even through all the times of depression and lonliness I have experienced I have been able to find joy in my Savior.

Today I read this from Spurgeon's book called "Morning and Evening" and it really sums up what kind of year it has been for me, how the Lord has helped me with my sin and how I have learned to trust His power to lead my life.

" Personality is declared most fully. The sinner must come to Jesus, not to works, ordinances, or doctrins, but to a personal Redeemer, who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree. The bleeding, dying, rising Saviour, is the only star of hope to a sinner. Oh for grace to come now and drink, ere the sun sets upon the year's last day!

No waiting or preparation is so much as hinted at. Drinking represents a reception for which no fitness is required. A fool, a thief, a harlot can drink; and so sinfulness of character is no bar to the invitation to believe in Jesus. We want no golden cup, no bejewelled chalice, in which to convey the water to the thirsty; the mouth of poverty is welcome to stoop down and quaff the flowing flood. Blistered, leprous, filthy lips may touch the stream of divine love; they cannot pollute it, but shall themselves be purified. Jesus is the fount of hope. Dear reader, hear the dear Redeemer's loving voice as He cries to each of us, "If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink." -John 7:37

May we all drink of the fountain of life, that we may be clean from our sins! As I know I am nothing but filthy rags in His sight without my Savior's blood to make me clean!

God bless you all and may this new year be another adventure of learning, making things new, and trusting in His voice alone!

Just for fun I thought I would post Bethany at her spring recital this past year! She has learned so much during this first year of her learning to play the harp! We are so proud of her! I think it is such a beautiful instrument to listen to and it becomes her aubern hair very well don't you think?!
In Christ,
Rebecca