Pictures

After we had Thanksgiving dinner, Mom, Shannon and I decided to go for a walk in the woods. We live near the Live Oaks National Park. It is a beautiful area to walk. We left as soon as we had taken the dishes into the kitchen. (I think we were worried that that "sleepy enzyme" from the turkey might take effect.)

While we were there, I used the oportunity to take some pictures of the shirt I had finished the day before.

Here is the front:

And the back:

When we went to England this summer, I bought some buttons at the Button Queen, a little shop in England. I was waiting for the perfect project to put them on. When I started this blouse, I knew it was the one. So here is one of the buttons from London:

I finished the blouse and then realized it was way too low. So I used some blue fabric and lace that a friend gave me for Christmas one year. (Thank you, Amy! I'll let you know what I do with the rest of it.:-)
I had also been working on a petticoat off and on for a few months and finally got that done too. I bought a new sewing machine when we got back from England and tried out one of the embroidery stitches on the hem. I love the way it turned out, and it really does help to keep me warmer.

After the walk we went home, cleaned up dinner, and the sleepiness kicked in.

Tiffany

Thanksgiving

We decided to have a quiet Thanksgiving this year at home, just the family. Shannon and I loved this. We planned out the menu (we had forgotten the mashed potatoes and gravy and the sweet potatoes, but Dad reminded us:-) and were ready for the day.

We had decided to have dinner mid-afternoon. So in the morning we (or I should say Dad) did some preliminary Christmas decorating and Shannon and I sewed or knitting while we watched parts of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We then saw part of the dog show before it was time to start dinner. (The turkey had already started roasting.)

My specialty is the Creamed Corn. It is basically a custard with corn kernals in it. So I got started on that. I'm wearing one of my favorite aprons. It's the Sense and Sensibility Edwardian apron pattern here: http://www.sensibility.com/pattern/edwardian.htm

Shannon and I planned a rather unusual appetizer. We saw a recipe for a pumpkin desert in a magazine. We wanted to make it for Thanksgiving, but already had the desert planned. So we changed the pumpkin desert to a pumpkin appetizer. Everyone was satisfied with this arrangement. :-)

Then the feast began. Unfortunately the turkey picture is a little blurry, but trust me, even Dad said it was the prettiest turkey he had ever seen.



The mashed potatoes and gravy.

The baked corn.

The sweet potatoes.

And the biscuits.

Things I'm thankful for:

My Saviour

My Family

My Church

My Friends

So many other things, situations, and people that the Lord has blessed me with.

Tiffany

Sunset

Amazing examples of God's awesomeness.

Tiffany

SAICFF

My mother, sister, and I went to the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival this past October. It was held (rather obviously) in San Antonio, Texas. We visited the city's wonderful boardwalk many times that weekend and even got lost on it once! :-)

When Mom and I went to the boardwalk last year, we had seen some gorgeous flowers, but didn't get any pictures. Well, the same bush was blooming this year and I finally got my pictures!

What a refreshing weekend! I have said before that one of my loves is Christian Filmmaking. It was so wonderful to be in a place where so many others shared the same feelings.

And think of it! It was a place where you were the odd one out if you didn't where a skirt! That was a new and encouraging experience for me. One day I even dressed in my Regency dress and hardly got a second glance, well, at the festival that is. When we went to the boardwalk, there were one or two.

We were also able to meet "old friends" from the Sense and Sensibility board. We had planned to have dinner at a park and everyone dress up historically. Unfortunately we were a few minutes late and missed the main group, but as we were trying to figure out what to do, another girl from the board showed up. We wandered around with her looking for them. A kind man then asked us if we were looking for the "S&Sers". We replied yes and he pointed us in the right direction. It was so neat to meet everyone!

There were so many wonderful films presented this year. The Photographer was one of my favorites. I found out about it first through the Sense and Sensibility board back around April/May. The sisters of the young man who made it were on the forum and were talking about it. Then I went to Masterworks and one of the girls there that I knew from two years ago mentioned that she had worked for a film doing makeup/coaching/whatever that was going to be entered into a contest. By comparing when she told me about the plot and what I already knew from the board, we discovered that she had worked on the same movie! So when I got back to a computer, I U2Ued the girl on the board and we "met." So after waiting all summer, I was finally able to see the film. It was amazing! Everything was so meticulously thought out an prepared. At the end, I thought, This is the kind of Christian movie I've been waiting for.

Another amazing film in the competition was The Monstrous Regiment of Women. This was a documentary about what feminism has done to women, particularly in this present day and age. It is truly heartbreaking to see the lies that women have bought. I would highly recommend this documentary for adults. Because of all the themes it deals with, I would not recommend it for children (they show actual footage of an abortion, which we fast forward), but I do think it's important that women today, especially young women know what feminism has done to our culture.

We also were able to see the world premiere of The Return of the Daughters. What an inspirational and convicting documentary. I have already shared that I am a "stay-at-home daughter" and this really encouraged in what I am doing now and challenged me to do more. The documentary shows the lives of five young ladies who have chosen not to follow the world's path, but to follow God's directives for young ladies. They are all stay-at-home daughters who help their fathers, their families, and their community. I would also recommend getting this DVD if you are interested in knowing how and why these girls chose to stay home.

After a long weekend fully of exciting new meetings (the people from the S&S board, and others) and some wonderful old reunions (we got to see the Chanceys again and the Keens, it was so good to be able to all-too-briefly catch up.) we were tired, but ready for the twelve hour drive home.

I thank and praise the Lord that we were able to spend such a wonderful, inspiring, convicting, encouraging, friendly weekend with others who are like-minded.

Tiffany

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