Uh, Oh

I did it again.

There was a library book sale today. I went. I bought. I have too many books.

But I did find some really neat books. Here are just a few:

These are a few nice hardbacks I got.

These are a couple of poetry books. I love Edna St. Vincent Millay, especially her sonnet 2. The other is Emily Dickinson.

I had seen this book in a consignment shop probably about a year ago, but didn't buy it. I was so excited to see it again. The information inside is amazing! I'm already planning an herb garden for next year!

And finally, my treasures. When I go to any library sale, I always go to the children's table first. It usually hides some hidden treasures. These were the ones for this sale. They all have their original dustjackets that are in remarkable good shape.

So that was my adventure at the library. Now to go find room for them all....

Tiffany

Did I Say Something Wrong?

Last year I taught 3rd grade and 1st year French at the same school my father teaches at. This year, the school lost a lot of students due to moves so they had to combine classes and were not able hire me back.


That brings me to today. I am blessed to be able to stay at home this year along with my younger (but taller:-) sister. However, when I tell other people this, I feel like I’ve said something wrong. Their first response to my telling them, "I’m staying at home this year and Shannon and I are taking care of the house and meals for my mom," is usually something like—"Oh" (as in "Why would you want to do that?") or "Wow, I want you to come stay with me." I think they might be hearing me say "I’m staying at home and slaving all day long just so my mom can work" or some other nonsense of the sort.


I wish people could understand that I love fulfilling this God-given role as a woman at home. In fact, I’m getting to do what I’ve always wanted. From the time I was 5 I have told people that I want to be a wife and a mother. Now I’m getting the best opportunity to prepare for it. I love being at home. I love making the home a place where mom and dad can come home and relax and not have things hanging over them. I love doing/learning these skills now, because I want to be able to do the same thing for my husband one day.


By no means am I laying around all day, reading and eating bon-bons. I do have other responsibilities besides homemaking through the week. I nanny/homeschool two mornings a week. I tutor two days a week, I’ve started a public speaking class for students in the area, and am putting together a Public Speaking Seminar for the school I taught at last year. My days are far from idle, but I love every opportunity I have to serve others for Him.


I sometime feel discouraged because of all the negative responses I get to the fact that I am an "at home daughter." However, the Lord has given me parents and sister who encourages me in my journey to become more like Him in every area of my life.


Tiffany

Dinner

Sometimes it's fun to make a nice dinner for no special reason. Shann and I did that tonight.

After a false start, we successful made steak with yorkshire pudding and peas. It looked like a decidedly English meal and it taste like one too. The whole family enjoyed it.

For desert, I remembered a set of dishes that I bought a while ago at WalMart, so Shannon and I drizzled chocolate syrup on the clear desert plate and then put a slice of cheesecake on it with a sliced strawberry. Mmmmmm.

Shannon and I declared that one day our husbands would be very grateful for us trying new things on our parents. :-)

It was fun taking time to make a good presentation and having everything turn out so well.


Tiffany

Fall

After waiting for weeks, I think Fall might actually have arrived in Florida. We have been sleeping with the windows open at night for the last few nights because the weather has cooled down. And I found this on the tree outside our garage:






This is the lone red leaf in our yard, but hopefully it is showing what is to come.







Today our church had a ladies' knitting day. We all brought projects to work on or learned a new one while we were there. This is the whole group of ladies:










Here is my sister, Shannon, with our friend, Sara working on their projects.

With the cool weather this morning it felt like the perfect day to get out the knitting. I only hope it's here to stay!

Tiffany

Wrap Skirt

One of the message forums I visit had a Week In Feminine Dress. We all took pictures of what we wore through the week and posted them. Someone posted a picture and directions to make this wrap skirt. I fell in love with the concept and had to make one. Here it is:





I used some dollar fabric that I had on hand. I like it, because it looks like a rather thick fabric, but it's actually just a cotton. It's so cool for the hot summers down here.

Tiffany

Feminism

My dad teaches at a Classical Christian School and each year they have a night of recitation. I was helping him choose some poems for his class. I found "If" by Rudyard Kipling for the boys, and was looking for something for the girls. I got "Verses of Virtue" off my shelf and started looking through it. I found some wonderful things about feminism in there and wanted to share them.



The first is by Queen Victoria.

"Queen Victoria on 'Women's Rights"

I am most anxious to enlist everyone who can speak or write to join in checking this mad, wicked folly of "Women's Rights," with all its attendent horrors, on which her poor feeble sex is bent, forgetting every sense of womanly feelings and propriety. Feminists ought to get a good whipping. Were woman to "unsex" themselves by claiming equality with men, they would become the most hateful, heathen and digusting of begins and would surely perish without male protection.

I love peace and quiet, I hate politics and turmoil. We women are not made for governing, and if we are good women, we must dilike these masculine occupations.

Queen Victoria, 1870

And the second is a poem.

"Which Mission is Mother's?"

She's a woman with a mission;
'Tis her heaven-born ambition
To reform the world's condition
You will please to understand.

She's the model of propriety,
A leader of society,
And has a great variety
Of remedies at hand.

Each a sovereign specific
With a title scientific,
For the cure of things morbific
That vexes people sore.

For the swift alleviation
Of the evels of the antion
Is her fore-ordained vocation
On this sublunary shore.

And while thus she's up and coming,
Always hurrying and humming,
And occasionally slumming,
This reformer of renown:

Her neglected little Dicky,
Ragged, dirty, tough, and trickly,
With his fingers soiled and sticky,
Is the terror of the town.

Tid-bits

I read that last one and actually laughed out loud. I have seen that with my own eyes! It's amazing how the author was able to capture it all in that six verse poem.

I was so glad to be able to find those poems (I ended up giving Dad another poem by Doug Philips for the Night of Recitation.) that express so poignantly what would and what did happen when feminists had their way.



Tiffany

"Christianizing" Hollywood

I am very interested in Christians in the performing arts world, specifically film and television. I got my degree in acting because I wanted to help the Hollywood industry change for Christ. However, every time I turn around, I realize that Hollywood isn’t going to change.



When I was at Masterworks Festival this year (a four week camp put together by the Christian Performing Arts Fellowship) we had a Masterclass with Ken Wales who was the executive producer of Christy and more recently Amazing Grace. When I had my private hour with him, I told him my idea for a screenplay. He said he liked it, but if I was ever going to be able to get a producer from Hollywood to make it, I would need to cut out most of the Christianity in it. I felt like I had actually been punched in the stomach. How could a Christian tell me that I needed to “take out most of the Christianity” in my story? Then I realized….he was from Hollywood. Of course that’s what sells in Hollywood. That was his mind set.



Then I just received an e-mail from Regent University (a Christian University in Virginia with a masters degree program in media ) saying that they were to have the executive producer and writer from the show “That 70s Show” in to talk about how Christians are changing those in Hollywood. My first reaction was, “How could the man who writes such a disgusting show as ‘That 70s Show’ claim to be a Christian?” My second, “How could he tell me what the Christians are changing Hollywood?” Then I had the answer….he was from Hollywood. Of course that’s what sells in Hollywood. That was his mind set.



After those two experiences. I am now more excited than ever to go to the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. For those of you who don’t know the SAICFF is a group of Christian filmmakers who enter and show their films every October in San Antonio. These film are decidedly Christian in theme (no cutting out most of the Christianity here) and family friendly. In fact, many of the films are actually made by families. I got the lecture CDs from the festival two years ago (I wasn’t able to attend because I was in school) and Mr. Botkins (one of the speakers) spoke about how we can’t “Christianize” Hollywood. We need to make our own “Hollywood”. I dimly saw before what he meant, but now I completely understand and want even more to be a part of the SAICFF.



Tiffany



Just as a note, I completely agree with the Masterworks Festival and believe that they are really reaching artists for Christ and I am not saying anything against them. I am actually planning to go back next summer. Also Regent University is the best place I have found to be able to get a well rounded truly Christian Masters degree in Acting/Directing/Producing. I am not saying anything against those places in particular, just using them as instances I have seen with my own eyes where we need to change.

Hello and Welcome

I'm so glad you've stopped by. This is a place where I will share my thoughts, observations, and struggles in my attempt to fulfill what I believe is God's high calling for me. There will probably be also a few pictures of my sewing projects. :)

Just a bit about me....I'm 25 years old. Single and living at home with my parents and wonderful sister. I enjoy sewing, reading, and children. I am a stay at home daughter this year and am loving every minute of it. I do teach one public speaking class a week, and do some tutoring and some babysitting/homeschool a few times a week. I do desire to be married and have a family one day and consider this time at home a wonderful preparation for that time.

My goal for this blog is to hopefully encourage other young ladies.

May the Lord bless you,
Tiffany