Thoughts From Yesteryear: Luxurious Food Isn't Everything!

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. ~ Proverbs 15:17 

Psst . . .

I've added a section in the sidebar called "Specials at Keeping Home". Here you'll find any current specials at my online shop that relate to the month's theme in some way. And maybe some that don't.

You'll also find special deals just for readers of The Hope Chest. There's one there now. Shh. Don't tell anybody. *grin* Actually, go ahead and tell as many people as you want to, just send them here to get the coupon code, okay?

The Hope Chest Binder

A little tour of my hope chest binder. Here's the front cover.

  

Each section has a title page.

In one section I have several wardrobe pages, including page protectors with catalog clippings of clothing I like. These are for inspiration.

 

This section also includes a wardrobe inventory, which I have yet to finish.

And that's all for now. I'm not sharing more because the binder is based on a book I'm writing and I'm not ready to share those things yet. I do hope to add a few more things next month (and take some pictures to share) in keeping with next month's theme. 

Wordless Wednesday: Amazing Snow!

What I've Been Doing Instead of Working On . . .

. . . my first Regency Gown.

 

Fitted sheet and pillowcase 

  

Baby blanket and two scarves. 

 

Baby blanket, four scarves, and two bags.

 

Pillowcase 

  

Shower curtain. 

 

See? I have an excuse!

Thoughts from Yesteryear: Be Careful Who You Marry!

If a man purchases a house, he inquires about its situation, whether he can secure a perfect title, the cost of the property, and whether it is adapted to his needs; yet a man and woman unite their interests in marriage without serious reflection as to whether they are adapted to each other, or whether their union will prove a blessing or a curse. Surely more foresight and good judgment should be used in such a choice than in a business transaction.

~ The Real Home, pages 18-19. Mrs. Vesta J. Farnsworth. 

Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, CA, 1923.

Recent Projects: GIft bags

A couple of little gift bags I made recently from Kwik Sew 3404 ~ not that you necessarily must have a commercial pattern to make a simple little gift bag, but I am working on making shop samples from this pattern. This was the easiest of all the projects so a good first!   

Wordless Wednesday: Daylily "Big Kiss"

 

Photo from Laurel Hill Nursery, LLC. Used by permission. 

Don't Marry That Guy If . . .

. . . you wouldn't want him for a roommate.

. . . you wouldn't want him for a neighbor.

. . . you wouldn't want to be his sister.

. . . you wouldn't want to be his mother.

. . . you wouldn't want to be his daughter.

. . . you wouldn't want him for a co-worker.

. . . you wouldn't want to work for him.

. . . you wouldn't want him for a nurse.

. . . you wouldn't want to be dependent on him.

Thoughts from Yesteryear: The Decision to Marry

A man uses great care in selecting a partner in business. If he wishes to purchase a jewel, he takes more time to examine the gem than the casket that contains it. A partnership in business can easily be dissolved. A precious stone may be exchanged or sold. But how much more care is necessary in selecting a companion for life, one concerned not in business only, but in every relation and interest as long as both shall live!

~ The Real Home, page 18. Mrs. Vesta J. Farnsworth. 

Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, CA, 1923.

What Is a Hope Chest?

A hope chest is a storage chest in which an unmarried woman stores items for her future "hoped for" marriage. The items may be made by herself, given to her, or purchased. Parents may also start hope chests for their daughters.

A hope chest is not so much an object as it is the purpose for which an object is used. If a woman is saving items for her future marriage, she has a hope chest even if she does not have a literal chest to store things in.

A chest, wooden or otherwise, is not a hope chest unless it serves this purpose. It either needs to have been a hope chest (such as your grandmother's), be a hope chest now (such as yours or your daughter's), or be reserved to become a hope chest in the future, in order to be accurately called a hope chest. Otherwise it's just a chest. *



* A woman hoping to be a mother or a grandmother may also have a "hope chest" of sorts for the storage of items for hoped for babies.

Wordless Wednesday: Daylily "Forever Loving You"

Photo from Laurel Hill Nursery, LLC. Used by permission.  

Womanhood Challenge of the Month: Read the Bible!

If you have never read the entire Bible, I challenge you to do so starting this month. If you have read it before, read it again!

• You don't have to read it entirely through in a year. I personally don't like that way of doing it because I want time to absorb what I'm reading and benefit from it. I can't do that on four chapters a day! 
• But if four chapters a day suits you, go for it. Many people like to read three chapters from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament each day. Remember that you only need to read an average of four chapters each day. You could read fewer on some days and more on others. 
• Straight through from Genesis to Revelation isn't the only way to read it, although it's a good way if you're just getting to know the Bible. I've heard of a lot of people getting bogged down (usually in Leviticus!) so it might not be the best way for you. 
• You could read a portion from the OT and one from the NT each day.
• Read the books in chronological order. The books of the Bible aren't in the order they were written. They're grouped in categories like history, prophecies, the gospels, the epistles, etc. If you can figure out the historical context of each (or get a chronological Bible) you can read them in order, which may be especially helpful if you're new to Biblical chronology. 
• Another way to read the Bible is book by book in any order you please. Just take your pick, read it, and check it off in the front of your Bible (if it has a list of the books). You don't even have to read each book in its entirety before switching to another one. Maybe you feel like Genesis one day, John the next, and then the Psalms. No problem, as long as you have a way of keeping track of which chapters you've read!

However you choose to read the Bible, just read it!

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God [and that means you too] may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

                                                     ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Romantic Fabric Collections

For your browsing pleasure!

I like to window shop fabrics, particularly full collections of coordinating fabrics (I'd like to do more than window shop, but . . . .). I used to do it before our dial-up connection slowed down to near-sloth speed. No more.

I did, however, put together a list of collections that those of you with reasonable speed can enjoy! I had to be content with the main page of each one ~ no looking at each fabric for me (that would take all day and all night!).

Cottage Romance (Maywood Studio)

Return to Romance (Maywood Studio)

Sweet Love (Maywood Studio)

Sent With Love (Moda)

With Love (In the Beginning)

Thoughts from Yesteryear: Set an Inviting Table

The dining table should be inviting at every meal. Such a table is not necessarily a luxurious table. Tables set with inexpensive dishes may be charming

~ Your Home and You: Unit Course In Home Economics. 

Page 296. Carlotta C. Greer. Allyn and Bacon, 1944.

Recent Projects: The Apron

This apron is Kwik Sew 3480. It's a Kwik Start pattern ~ especially designed for beginners.
 

More pictures and information in my sample gallery!

Scripture of the Month: February 2010

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  ~ James 1:5 

So, what does wisdom have to do with Love and Romance (this month's theme)? A lot!

You need wisdom.

You lack wisdom (no matter how wise you are).

Handling love and romance foolishly (and foolishly is the opposite of wisely) will cause you a lot of discomfort, embarassment, regret, pain, guilt (both the feelings and the actual condition of guilt), sorrow, heartbreak, difficulty, etc., and even if you don't care, it will hurt someone else (and God).

Ask.

And then when it is given (and it surely will if you believe), take it.


P.S.: Read the book of Proverbs. :-)
 
~~~~~
How can you apply this Scripture of the month to your life this February, whether along the lines of this month's theme or not?

Shaped Breads Step-by-step

I made my breads using my regular whole wheat bread recipe. Any yeast bread recipe should work. Actually the boxes for these pans say you can bake cakes in them too. So, probably just about anything would work!

Heart shaped baking pan.

 

Preparing the dough. I used half what I would have used for a loaf. I was just guessing because it had been a long time since I used these pans. Just experiment! If you put in too little you won't get a full loaf but it will still be usable. If you put in too much it will spill out one or both ends. The extras won't be pretty but they are still edible!

Roll the dough into a thin loaf. The roll needs to be smaller than the innermost points of the pan. This flower pan was easy but the star (see below) was a tighter fit. I had to roll it out to a much thinner roll. I sprayed the pans and both caps with cooking spray.

The bread in the pans!

Capped and ready to rise. Keep them upright. This is especially important if you underfill them. After rising, place them upright on a baking sheet. You may need to lower your oven rack so they will fit in the oven. The pans are easier to stand up on a baking sheet than on an oven rack. Also, if a pan falls over (which it may well do if it's too full and the dough pushes out the bottom), you won't have dough running out onto your oven rack.

Although, I don't suppose dough actually "runs" does it? What does it do? Well, anyway, you don't want it to come in direct contact with your oven rack.

Sometimes even if you don't overfill the pan it will ooze out the bottom a bit. A tight fitting cap on the bottom is helpful (I've found that some caps fit tighter than others ~ I'm not sure if that's the case with all such pans).

Also make sure the pan starts out standing perfectly upright in it's bottom cap. If it still overflows you might be able to prop the pan against the side of the oven. If that won't work, just bake it lying down. Bake slightly less than you would bake loaves, then check for doneness. Remember that the sides of the loaves will not be browned.

 

Above: this oozed out the bottom just a tiny bit!

Below: The bottom sliced off. 

When you remove loaves from the pans, place them upright on a cooling rack. If the bottom is uneven (like my star loaf) slice the end off so it will stand up. 

 

The finished product! Cute breads ready for spreads or sandwich fillings. 

Wordless Wednesday: Totally Sweet Dog

Isn't That Cute: Shaped Breads

First of all, I'm not a food photographer nor do I have a food photographer so please bear with my less-than-perfect photos!

Did you know you can make bread in heart and other shapes? These are perfect for mini sandwiches. Or, spread them with your favorite spread for a tasty appetizer.  

 

Look for shaped loaves among baking equipment. You might have to go to a specialty store. Mine (which really belong to my aunt) look like this.

Little sandwiches. 

I don't know how I managed to cut off part of the heart (and it was part of the show) without even realizing I did so. Told you I'm not a food photographer!

More samples! 

 

I learned how to apply a filling neatly. Use a teaspoon to spoon the filling into the center of the bread, then gently spread, or flatten, it out to the edges. This technique helps to prevent dropping bits of filling on the plate or smearing it on the edges of the slice of bread. 

  

Garnish each slice to make them look more "festive". I used dried herbs (because I didn't have anything else!). Dried herbs make a very quick garnish.

If you're using a spread, rather than a filling, start with a generous portion on your knife or spoon. Don't ever let it come in contact with the bread and you won't pick up any crumbs.

 

 

Tomorrow, look for my shaped breads step-by-step post.

My First Regency Gown: Week Four

The late installment . . .  .

This week I worked on my first bodice muslin. The purposes of this muslin were to see where the bottom of the bodice fell on me and to see where the neckline would be.

First picture: trying to put together the back and side back pieces. I had trouble easing, as you can see.

These are the two pieces.

 

I'm not sure how the ends are supposed to fit together on the upper side of both pieces. Normally a pattern would have dots to match on corners like this. This pattern doesn't, and I think it should.

It's close, here, but not perfect. It could be a cutting or tracing error. I'll check those. I still have at least one more muslin to make, so I didn't try to fix this.

Here's the problem end. I don't think it's supposed to look like that.

You can see here how the pieces don't quite line up.

But, hey, it was close enough for this fitting!

Taking pictures of oneself in the mirror is more challenging than it looks. :-)

 

Conclusion? It's definitely too low and wide for my liking so I'll be trying the high neckline supplement next. The bodice is also too short. It doesn't completely cover me, even though my cup size is barely A! I am very tall, though, so that is probably why. Since I want a lower, more modern Empire waistline, I may need to lengthen the bodice as much as three inches. 

This Month's Theme: February 2010

This month at The Hope Chest . . .

This month's theme is (so original!) Love and Romance. Why waste a good opportunity? :-)

Join me throughout February for thematic thoughts from many years ago (Thoughts from Yesteryear), challenges, ideas, fun posts, serious posts, and more.