Miss Jocelyn: A Lady of Grace

by Lady Jess

I am very pleased to introduce you to our March 2009 Girl of Grace, Miss Jocelyn. It has been such a blessing to me to have become friends with Miss Jocelyn since we started GGM. She has been an inspiration to me and I am thankful to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for bringing our families to have such a sweet friendship.

Lady Jess: Could you please tell me how you decided to raise goats?
Miss Jocelyn: When I was about fourteen I decided I'd really like to get some goats to raise for dairy and to start my own business with lotions, soaps, and cheeses. I cannot recall what suddenly made me want goats, but I suddenly wanted to start really living a country lifestyle and figured goats was as good as any place to start. I decided to get Nubian goats because of the way they looked. I had not even counted for that they were also one of the best breed for diary. Anglo-Nubians are also called the "lop-eared Goat" for obvious reasons. They have a long "roman" nose and floppy-ears. They are also one of the largest breeds.

I began looking around online and in the paper in early May to see if any were for sale at a reasonable price. I found several but I think Father Sir decided a definite "yes" when they were only a mile or two down the road from us. After that we had about a week to put up fencing for them and clean out the stalls. I was so excited and nervous about getting the goats. It was a very strange thought to me having our own livestock because it was just something we'd never done before. They arrived as the first on the Dixon Homestead: Chloe and Heidi. It was a joy every morning and night to go down and take of them.

It's been three-years now since we bought them and both Chloe and Heidi have had three kids, and their kids have all had kids as well. We thought about raising the bucks for meat but ended up selling them instead. We currently have nine goats, six does and three bucks. I've really enjoyed having the goats, though we've had a few snags here and there, and they been a really joy for me. I looking down there, especially in the summer, seeing them lounging in the sun or eating the fallen apples.

Lady Jess: What is your favourite thing to study?
Miss Jocelyn: I think the subject I most enjoy studying is history, which in turn also means the Bible. I cannot ever recall not enjoying studying history, learning about the things of the past, and knowing how they impacted the future. I've been blessed to be put into a position where education isn't something of uniform but something that I can enjoy while furthering my knowledge of the world and God. I know Mother Dear has said many times that there was no opportunity for her, in school, to enjoy or really know history. It was just something she was expected and had to do. More specifically my favourite subject to study in history is the Medieval times, the reign of Queen Elizabeth the I, 1800's England, and that of pioneer life in the 1800s.

Lady Jess: What inspired you to start making graphics and building blogs?
Miss Jocelyn: I've always been an artistic child and designing graphics is just an extension of that. I love being able to express things in graphics and photos. When I started blogging I didn't even know how to read any HTML or CSS. I was so frustrating trying to put in an image and stat code in my template, thinking that anything else was beyond my intelligence. As the months went on and I saw other sites with beautiful designs I determined myself to learn. Mother Dear really was the one who started figuring out the coding, but I guess I just caught on quickly and
advanced my knowledge of coding as best I could from online help and books. For about two years I was just designing templates for fun or to help someone out. Then this past year I decided to set up a business site where people can order custom graphics, and it was also a way for me to help those in need. As created beings with traits of our Maker there is just something inside of us that makes want to beautify the world with our creations, even if they only be graphics.

Lady Jess: What kinds of things would you like to learn how to cook that you have never done before?
Miss Jocelyn: Well, I think I would really like to learn more about cooking authentic Mexican food. Father Sir was born and raised in New Mexico so he knows what real Mexican food tastes like and I would love to learn how to properly prepare it, though I was taught how to make enchiladas and Spanish rice from my mother who was taught by Father Sir's mother and grandmother. Other than that I think European food would be something to learn how to cook. Whenever I get the chance I love to watch cooking-shows where you not only get to see how to prepare certain foods but history and reasoning behind the dish. Food is an art so it does take training, and what can be a more welcome homemaking trait than to know how to cook good food?

Lady Jess: How has having a large family brought you all closer together?
Miss Jocelyn: We've not always had a large family, really, I mean while growing up we had only five children until I was twelve when Issac, our sixth, was born. So during those years I had a lot of church-friends whom I spent time with, but it wasn't until we went through many hardships with churches that we started to come together as a family. After that my sisters became my best friends and so did my mother. I've especially enjoyed the closeness I have with her, and because we do not have many outside friends, close, we are able to truly be best friends and to
learn and encourage one another. Knowing that your family will always be your family and having so many people of all different ages has not only brought us closer together, but closer to what the Lord has in store for us. Being in a large family as also given me great opportunity to prepare myself for, not only all ages and people, but how to handle situations from all stages of life. Many time people don't get to learn how to get along, to raise young ones, or to just work through the tough times until they're already grown up, married, with kids, and at a loss of what to do. I've been able to explore childhood at all aspects, including the knowledge of knowing how a three-old acts just as I did when I was three, though I will say boys are a bit different than girls! My little siblings, especially my princess LucyLillie, bring so much smiles and laughter into our lives.

Lady Jess: What is a few of your favourite things about homeschooling?
Miss Jocelyn: I used to be a very disciplined person. I remember at age eleven getting up at early hours to begin my schoolwork for the fun of it, but as I got older and was allowed to stay up later my schedule slowly waned. Being homeschooled, not on anyone's schedule, has been a big blessing for not only sleeping hours but in every area of our lives. Another thing I love about homeschooling is the opportunity to be able to learn and advance my knowledge in subjects and fields that best suit my future. Not being constrained by someone else's standards.

Lady Jess: What is your favourite home keeping thing that you've learned?
Miss Jocelyn: I don't think there is one thing I could name, but perhaps the skill of managing. You can learn all other arts of homemaking, such as launder, cooking, sewing etc, but the key of all that is managing. You have to manage time, finances, and tasks. Otherwise the home will fall apart from lack of care.

Lady Jess: I know you do gardening, what is your most favourite fruit or vegetable that you grow in your garden?
Miss Jocelyn: Tomatoes. I love tomatoes. It's been many a dreary months since the last of our tomatoes from the freezer ran out. I don't like tomatoes by themselves, but make a soup, dip, sandwich, dish, or roast them is simply irresistible. I we're planning on growing a great deal this year so we can stock up on them and I'm looking forward to having a bigger garden than we've ever had - with lots of tomatoes!

Lady Jess: How old were you when you began to write so deeply for the Lord on your blog?
Miss Jocelyn: Nearly sixteen I think. Before that it was just a here and there article on the Bible and quotes. The Lord placed something on my heart that I needed to use my readership for His glory, and from then on no matter how confrontational or "judgmental" I may have sounded I wrote what the Lord placed on my heart. It's hard sometimes to contain the passion I have for sharing what He's placed on my heart because it seems that the Body has fallen so far away from what is truly holy and cannot understand it. I have many topics I would love to speak my mind about, but the Lord has not led me to write or share those things on my blog. Once I gave my blog to the Lord he took it to new heights and made it something I never thought it would be.

Lady Jess: You wrote on your blog about how the Lord spoke to you about your then favorite film LOTR, can you describe how the Lord brought you through that and what kind of battle the flesh attempted to attack you with and how you overcame that?
Miss Jocelyn: Giving up Lord of the Rings was, honestly, easier than I would have ever thought. "Favourite film" is an understatement of how involved I was with LOTR. I not only prided myself in knowing the histories and facts, but also how to understand some of the Elven language. Since I was eleven (six-years) this was, though I didn't realize it, an idol in my life. The years before I was convicted of this sin of idolatry and sorcery I was growing spiritually but still spending more time in my "LOTR-Bible" than I was in the Word of God. When the Spirit finally hit me with an article written by a former-witch about the subtle witchcraft laced within the entire series I was so distraught by what I had slowly allowed in my life. I pondered and chewed on it for weeks so confused at what had been done. Looking back, about five-six months before this I had really just dropped having anything to do with LOTR and I think the Lord was preparing me for this so when the time came it wasn't so hard to let go. Through much prayer and meditation I decided to search out what the Word of God had to say about things contained in the series, and that made my decision. Sometimes it's easier not to think about it, just do. There was yet a harder decision to make... to sell my collection or burn it. In the end I figured that if I shouldn't read it no one else should either, and I certainly didn't want to make a profit on something that the Lord had convicted me was evil. It could also be seen as a way of "getting what I get" for having such abominations before my eyes, above the Lord. If the Spirit is being allowed to work in your life things that are unGodly won't be hard to overcome.

Lady Jess: Many of us know that you take hits from people when you blog about your standard of living. Many girls become fearful of that happening to them and it causes them to be quiet about their beliefs. What can you tell them to help encourage them to stand for what they believe in?
Miss Jocelyn: The best way to show people what and why you believe in something is by living it out, even online. You don't have to write an article directly about your beliefs to stand for them. You just have to make it known that you are striving to live a Godly life and nothing, not the weight of this world or remarks of others, will drag you down. Use the Word of God like a two-edge sword, to defend your beliefs and to cut down Satan's lies. Keep a positive look on trials and tribulations you face because the Lord is always in control and He has allowed you to go through them for a purpose.

Lady Jess: After you graduate, is there a subject(s) you are considering studying in depth on for your college level homeschooling?
Miss Jocelyn: I don't know that it would be on a "college-level" but I would like to finish the math and algebra I have now and then perhaps study more of it for teaching my own children. I would also like to get into publishing my writings that will take a great deal of study, finances, and business-dealings.

Lady Jess: We know you have a desire to homeschool your own family one day, in what areas does your mom train you as a future homeschooling mom?
Miss Jocelyn: I think the best thing she's taught me is how to work with different ages and personalities. Sometimes some kids are more advanced, have more patience, or are just apt to learning while some will take a little longer, and to be successful in training children you really have to know how to look at a person and determine what is best at that particular time. We've changed our schooling methods around several times so it has given me a broader knowledge of how or what is best for each family and what different ways to incorporate school if you don't just use the classical method. The most important thing I've been taught is in everything, schooling or not, to meditate and heed the Word of God. The Bible says the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and wisdom is what we are trying to gain through our education so what better place to start!

Lady Jess: You have been such an encouragement to me over the past years that I've known you. Do you often have girls write to you for encouragement?
Miss Jocelyn: Yes, I get my fair share of emails from ladies and I am always happy to encourage them in their walk with the Lord, no matter the area. Sometimes I write directly to them and/or sometimes their questions lead me to write up an article for my blog to encourage anyone who may be wondering the same thing. It is such a blessing to know that the Lord is using me to be a source of encouragement to other young ladies. I always try to encourage them to seek their parents counsel, study the Word, and to pray fervently for whatever they're facing. There are times when I'm at a loss of what to say, but the Lord will use you if you let Him. There are also times where ladies have no other support, other than what they find online, and it is so important to always be encouraging others to trust fully in the Lord because things of this world will never be steady. I try to check in on friends as often as I can too, just to let them know that I was thinking and praying about them. I am also blessed with emails of encouragement from readers to me here and there.

Well now you can see why Miss Jocelyn has been a gift from God in my life. Miss Jocelyn thank you so much for sharing your life with us this month. We look forward to reading what God lays upon your heart to publish. I have no doubt it will be astounding! May the Lord Jesus Christ be with you always in everything you do and write.

Lady Jess is a teen lady who is homeschooled along with her siblings. She assists her mother in teaching her younger siblings, is an interpreter in her church's deaf ministry, sings in two local choirs, and is in training to be a homeschooling parent herself one day.

Portfolio de Couturier: The First American Flag

Portfolio de Couturier: The First American Flag…

I have always enjoyed the story of Betsy Ross and the honor bestowed upon her to sew the first American Flag. She was a loyal Patriot to her country and I can imagine her surprise when General George Washington, along with Governor Morris asked her to make the first of our beautiful flags.

... Sewing the American Flag…

What kinds of fabrics would Betsy have used?

It is said that Betsy Ross was an upholsterer. Now an upholsterer specialized in covering chairs and other furniture of the times with heavy and durable fabrics. Therefore the fabrics Betsy could have most likely used would have been linens and heavy silks. Everything would have been hand sewn and assembled with the utmost care to get the design correct.

Imagine if you will her excitement in making the flag, and perhaps her nervousness when she had to present it to the founders of our country.

Upon seeing the flag that Betsy created; she was asked to make the rest of the flags for the American naval fleet. After this, The Congress then commissioned her to make all of our government’s flags.

Did you know that Betsy was able to cut a five pointed start with one snip of the scissors?

As the story goes, at first General Washington originally drew the stars on our flag with 6 points; instead of five because he assumed they would be easier to cut. However, Betsy soon demonstrated that a five pointed start could be cut easily with a single snip, thus the 5 pointed stars still remain on our beloved flag.

Betsy’s Battle flag

by Minna Irving

*****
From dusk till dawn the livelong night

She kept the tallow dips alight,

And fast her nimble fingers flew
To sew the stars upon the blue.
With weary eyes and aching head

She stitched the stripes of white and red,
And when the day came up the stair
Complete across a carven chair
Hung Betsy's battle-flag.
Like shadows in the evening gray
The Continentals filed away,
With broken boots and ragged coats,
But hoarse defiance in their throats;
They bore the marks of want and cold,
And some were lame and some were old,
And some with wounds untended bled,
But floating bravely overhead
Was Betsy's battle-flag.

When fell the battle's leaden rain,
The soldier hushed his moans of pain
And raised his dying head to see

King George's troopers turn and flee.

Their charging column reeled and broke,

And vanished in the rolling smoke,

Before the glory of the stars,

the snowy stripes, and scarlet bars

Of Betsy's battle-flag.

The simple stone of Betsy Ross

Is covered now with mould and moss,

But still her deathless banner flies,

And keeps the color of the skies.

A nation thrills, a nation bleeds,

A nation follows where it leads,

And every man is proud to yield

His life upon a crimson field

For Betsy's battle-flag!

Did you know that July 25th is Threading the Needle Day?

On July 4th, 1776 the founders of our country signed the Deceleration of Independence that declared our country a free nation under God. Many man and women have given their lives and dedication to keep our country free.Remember to pray for our soldiers who are serving in Iraq and all over the world.

Sincerely,
Miss Brielle

Portfolio de La Vie: Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross is one of the most-well known ladies in history, but not too much is known about her except that she was the first to sew an American flag with the stars and stripes.


On January 1st, 1752 Elizabeth (Betsy) Griscom was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the 8th child out of 17, and was brought up in a household with strict discipline rules of Society. Being in such a large family plain, sensible dresses were a given, and Betsy was good at making her clothes having learned how to sew from her great-aunt Sarah.

Betsy attended a Quaker school, and after she finish her father apprenticed her to an upholsterer named William Webster. While working for the upholsterer, Betsy fell in love with a young man and fellow worker John Ross, who was the son of an assistant rector at a Episcopal Church of Christ.

Because Betsy and John were of different denominations, Betsy was voted out of Quaker meetings and the couple had to elope. They did so in 1773 when Betsy was only 21, marrying at Hugg's Tavern in New Jersey.

Because of the marriage Betsy was forced to split from her family and the Quaker congregation. The young couple decided to join the Christ Church and start their own upholstery business to make a way in life.

When the American Revolutionary War broke out it affected the Rosses and they were financially weakened because the fabrics they depended on became scare and there was no business. John decided to join the Pennsylvania Militia and was then seriously injured by an ammo explosion just before the war was about to end in mid-January of 1776. He soon died afterward and was buried in Christ Church cemetery. Betsy continued on with the upholstery business by herself.

Only supported by 18th century affidavits and family oral history shows accounts of the widowed Betsy Ross meeting with George Washington, George Ross, and Robert Morris at her small upholstery business where it's said to have been the birth of the first American flag, complete with stars and stripes. It's been said that these

men met there in silence because the men protested that these new [five-pointed] stars would be unfamiliar and difficult for seamstresses to make, she folded a piece of paper, made a single scissor snip, and revealed a perfect five-pointed star.

After John's death, Betsy joined a group called the "Fighting Quakers", who were quite nontraditional and support the war effort. In 1777, June, Betsy remarried to a sea-captain named Joesph Ashburn in Philadelphia.

During the war the Ashburn's house was occupied and used by British soldiers, of course, forcibly when they controlled the city in 1777. Betsy nursed both American and British soliders after the Battles of Germantown.

Several years later Betsy was notified by her husband's old friend, John Claypoole, that her husband was dead. Betsy then married Claypoole and the couple had five daughters together. However, an unfortunate event kept being repeated in Betsy's life as Claypoole died after 20 years of ill health. Widowing her once again. She kept working at her upholstery business, which included the making of United States until 1827. Betsy then retired and moved in with her married daughter, Susannah Satterwaite, who continued with her mother's business. Betsy died at the age of 84 in 1836, and her body is buried at the Free Quaker burial ground on South 5th Street. However, 20years later her remains were reburied in the Mount Moriah Cemetery in Cobbs Creek Park, a section of Philadelphia. In 1975 in preparation for the United States Bicentennial celebration the city ordered that Ross' remains be moved to the Betsy Ross House courtyard. The workers found no remains under her tombstone though, but bones were found in the family plot and were deemed to be her's. Her remains are now at the Betsy Ross House for tourists to see.

Portfolio de Couturier: Handkerchiefs & Helen Keller

Portfolio de Couturier: The Handkerchief.
This little item has been around for hundreds of years; even dating back to the days of the Pharaohs in Egypt…I’m sure many Egyptian ladies had fine linen handkerchief to use. Handkerchiefs were considered a necessity for any young lady whether you were just a little girl, or the most distinguished queen….no matter what time period, century or year… handkerchiefs have been used and enjoyed by many people all over the world.

We have most often seen them tucked into ladies ridicules (purses), sleeve cuffs or perhaps dropped in hopes that a suitor would retrieve it for her. Handkerchiefs were a place for young ladies to practice their needle work and lace making…and it also allowed girls to be creative in use of colors and laces.

Perhaps you have read the story by Beatrix Potter titled “The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle”. In that story a little girl name Luci, has lost 3 of her pocket-handkins and is looking for them everywhere, of course Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle; being the kind hedgehog she is, has found Luci’s pocket handkins and cleaned and pressed them for her.
It was common for little girls to be losing their handkerchiefs or pocket-handkins, as Luci called them, because they were simply tucked in an apron pocket or pinafore…thus, it is quite easy for them to fall out while playing.

Why do you think carrying fancy lace edged handkerchiefs have gone out of fashion?
They are still very useful to have tucked into a purse or pocket…and are a fun way to practice sewing with lace and maybe trying your hand at embroidery.

If you would like to make your own dainty handkerchief I have included some instructions of how to make a simple one edged with lace. You can embellish them however you choose… perhaps with a small daisy in the corner, or your initials, but don’t forget you are not limited to just a white pocket-handkin…why not try one in a soft mint green? Or edge it with a pretty pink lace… The possibilities are endless.

List of Supplies you will need:

- Sewing machine or needle and thread
- Sewing pins
- Fabric cutting scissors
- Iron (ask an adult for help if needed)
- Fabric cut in a square, about 12in x 12in
- Lace or trim (enough to go around the edge of your handkerchief)
- Thread to match lace
- An iron on embroidery pattern (optional)
- Embroidery thread (optional)
- Embroidery hoop (needed if you are going to do any embroidery)


What kind of fabrics will work best?
I like to use a nice cotton or linen fabric for making handkerchiefs because then it washes easily, but you can certainly try using another kind of fabric that you like.

Step 1. Cut your fabric to the desired size, and iron it smooth.

Step 2. Thread your machine or needle with thread that matches the lace or trim you would like to use.

Step 3. Iron the edge of your handkerchief down in a small hem, about ¼ of an inch. Once you have the hem ironed all the way around, do the same thing again by turning down the hem you just did. This will create a nicer hem without any raw edges showing.

Step 4. Pin the hem in place.

Step 5. Sewing all the way around, close to the edge of the hem, but not be careful not to go off of the hem, you want to stay right on the edge of it. (If you are sewing it by hand, simply stitch all the way around as you would on a machine)

Step 6. Once you have finished sewing your hem, trim all your loose threads and iron your handkerchief again.

Step 7. Next, start to pin your lace your trim around the edge. Be sure to either take a fold at the corners of your trim or lace to ensure it goes around the corner nicely. Don’t just pull it to fit, otherwise you will end up with rounded corner handkerchief.
Carefully sewing your lace onto the edge but be careful to not get any of your lace stuck underneath of where you are sewing on the stitch line.

Step 8. You now have a lovely new handkerchief that looks nice the way it is or you can dress it up even further with some embroidery or other decoration.

Miss Brielle


Portfolio de La Vie: Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27th, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Helen Keller is widely known for being an deaf-blind American author, activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf- blind person to graduate from a college.

Helen's father was a former officer of the Confederate Army, and her mother was the cousin of Robert E. Lee. The Keller family lived at their estate called Ivy Green, but they had immigrated to America from Germany and one source claims that Helen's father was also of Swiss descent.

Helen Keller was not born blind or deaf, but when she was thirteen months old she was no longer responding to motion or sound. The doctors said that she had "an acute congestion of the stomach and the brain, which could have actually been scarlet fever or meningitis. After the illness was gone, Helen was left with the loss of two of her senses. She had one friend with whom she communicated. The daughter of the household cook, six-year-old Martha Washington, helped Helen create different signs so she could communicate in some way, and by age seven the two girls had come up with over sixty different home signs. In later years a Soviet blind-deaf psychologist Meshcheryakov said that the time Martha had spent helping Helen was a crucial part of her later developments.

In 1886 when Helen was six-years-old, her mother read Charles Dickens's American Notes, where he wrote about the successful education of another deafblind girl, Laura Bridgman, and was inspired to seek out help for Helen. She sent out Helen and her father to go to a Dr. J. Julian Chisolm, an eye, nose, and throat specialist in Baltimore, for advice. He advise them to go to Alexander Graham Bell, who worked with deaf children at the time. He pointed them in the direction of the Perkins Institute for the Blind, which was the same school where Bridgman went.

It was there that the school chose a teacher, and former student, to go tutor Helen. Anne Sullivan, herself was visually impaired and very young at the age of twenty. This was the beginning of a forty-nine year long relationship between the two.

Helen, being disabled, was very spoiled by her family and the house-workers, so Anne had a lot to do before she could even really start teaching Helen. Anne asked Mr. Keller if she could isolate Helen from the family and house-workers by moving into the little house that sat in the Keller's garden. Anne dearly loved the little girl and was to love her like her own. It took a lot of effort to put up with spoiled Helen, but one day they had a break through when Anne ran cold water over Helen's hand and then gave her the water sign in the palm of her hand. It was then that Helen made the connection with the signs that Anne was doing into her palm and the objects that she encountered everyday.

When Helen was ten she was made aware of the story of a deaf-blind Norwegian girl who learned to speak, and Helen was to do the same. Anne taught Helen how to speaking using the Tadoma method, which was when you touched the lips and throats of others as they spoke. This was in addition to the finger spelling that Anne did in Helen's palm. Helen also learned to read Braille, but this remarkable girl not only learned it in English, but also in French, German, Greek, and Latin.

Helen was 18 when she started attending the Royal Institute for the Blind, and later in 1894 she and Anne moved to New York City to attend the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf and Horace Mann School for the Deaf. Afterwards Helen and Anne went back to Massachusetts, where Helen enrolled in the Cambridge School for Young Ladies before she went to Radcliffe College in 1900. Mark Twain admired the young woman and introduced her to Henry Huttleton Rogers, who with his wife paid for Helen's college education. When Helen graduated from Radcliffe in 1904 at the age of 24 with a manga cuma laude she became the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

The following year Anne married a John Macy, and when her health started failing in 1914, Polly Thompson was hired to keep house for Helen. She was young, from Scotland, and didn't have any experience with deaf or blind people. She did progress though, and worked as a secretary later on. When Anne died in 1903 Helen and Polly, close and constant companions, moved to Connecticut. They both went traveling worldwide, raising funds for the blind, but in 1957 Polly had a stroke and never full recovered, and died in 1960. The nurse who had taken care of Polly, Winnie Corbally, would now be Helen's new companion... for the rest of her life.

Helen was a world famous speaker and activist, especially for those with disabilities a mist other numerous causes. Helen Keller had a wide variety of acquaintances such as Alexander Graham Bell, Charlie Chaplin, and Mark Twain. She also met every US President from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon B. Johnson.

Helen was an author from the young age of seven when she wrote 'The Frost King'. Though it was said to be a copy of 'The Frost Fairies' by Margaret Canby, which Helen had read but suffered from cryptomnesia and was hidden in her subconscious. When Helen was 23 she published her biography entitled The Story Of My Life in 1903, with the help of Anne and her husband. She also wrote "The World I Live In" in 1908, trying to give people a glimpse into her life and how she felt. "Out of the Dark" was a series that Helen wrote about Socialism, published 1913. Also Helen wrote "Light in my Darkness", which was previously called "My Religion" and acted as a spiritual biography of dear Helen's life.

In 1961 Helen had a series of strokes and spend the rest of her life in her home. Three years later on September 14, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Helen the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the United States highest civilian honours. The next year Helen Keller was elected to the Women's Hall of Fame at the New York World Fair.

On June 1st, 1968 Helen passed away in her sleep, just twenty-six days before her eighty-eighth birthday at her home, Arcan Ridge, in Connecticut. She was given a memorial service at the Nation Cathedral in Washington, DC and her ashes were placed next to her dear friends, Anne Sullivian and Polly Thompson.

Her life is an example that anything is possible with God, and believing is not seeing.

During Helen's childhood she may have worn a bonnets to keep from the sun when outside. Aprons also were very ideal for keeping one's day dress clean, and though we don't see too many girls wearing bonnets or aprons, that doesn't mean they aren't practi Blessed Designs has made it possible for GGM to give you the chance to win a Apron/Bonnet Sewing Pattern.

Portfolio de Couturier: Pioneer Days

Portfolio de Couturier: Pioneer Days
The year was 1848 and New Territory was added to the United States of America…Oregon Territory. This new territory included the areas we now know as the states of Oregon, Montana, Washington and Idaho, but then it was one large area of land that was opened up for settlers and pioneers.

The opportunity to settle in the new land had many people excited about the possibility it could hold. People looking for new farmland, timber and a chance for a new life could find it in the Oregon Territory.

The journey was hard and long, taking at least 4 months to reach your destination. Wagons were small, thus requiring people to pack only what they would need…nothing more. With little space to pack more then just your necessities, women were required to leave their fancy hoop skirts and crinolines behind. Some ladies made working gowns and aprons to take with them, while other insisted on bringing along their costly silks and satins.

A new life in Oregon meant making do with what you had and also learning new ways to sew garments. Without access to ready made gowns, silk fabrics and dress shops ladies on the frontier learned to make their own fabrics.

One of the most important items a pioneer lady or girl could own was the Sunbonnet.
With the hot sun, and harsh weather conditions the sunbonnet was their do it all fashion accessory. Some of the early sunbonnet styles were made with casing in the brim of the sunbonnet, so that wooden slats could be inserted into it to hold the brim of the bonnet out to shield the face.

Many styles of the Sunbonnets were made, fancy versions for church and social occasions, sturdy homespun bonnets for doing farm chores and warm wool bonnets for the harsh and cold winters on the prairie.

Straw bonnets were popular because straw was so readably available. Girls and ladies found braiding bonnets to be an enjoyable pastime and it also gave them something to do when walking those long dusty trails on the way to Oregon.



What did Girls and Ladies in Pioneer Days wear?

Many of the garments that girls and ladies wore were made to be practical and wear well. Aprons and pinafores were a must when working or doing chores in the kitchen. Dresses were simple styles with long full skirts and long sleeves that could be rolled up for working or fancier sleeve styles were made for Sunday Dresses.

The styles for fancy dresses or Sunday Dresses were kept relatively simple in design, perhaps accented with hand made lace or some pretty pieces of silk on the neckline or sleeves. For winter time, girls and ladies wore warm wool coats and knitted or crocheted scarves, shawls and hats or bonnets.

A Petticoat was a must have item in any girls or ladies wardrobe. Made of a pretty white cotton or linen a lady always tried her best to keep them snowy white even on the dusty prairie. Petticoats were also a place that girls could practice their lace making skills and embroidery work. Girls and ladies would often have a couple petticoats, one for everyday, another for Sunday best and finally a heavy flannel or wool on for winter. If you wanted to look especially stylish you could layer on more then one petticoat for a full skirted effect.

Pioneer girls and ladies would wear jewelry to dress up many of their outfits. Pins, Cameos and brooches of all kinds were popular to wear on blouses, dresses and shawls.
Earrings or earbobs, as they were called in the 1800’s, necklaces, lockets and bracelets were still worn just as they are today. Ladies were also fond of wearing pin watches; these were delicate little watch faces attached to a pin and were put on upside down so that the wearer could reach down and look at the face of the watch and it would be the right side to her.


Fun Fashion Facts:
Pioneer Ladies learned to make their own fabrics with homespun fibers and colored the cloth with home made dyes. Vegetables were the most popular items used for dying colors as well as store bought pigments.
Interested in trying your hand at a little Pioneer Fabric Dyeing?

I would recommend starting with tea dying. This process is quite easy and requires little supplies….here is recipe to get your started. Tea Dying gives fabrics an aged or antiqued appearance and looks great on a variety of things.

--- Pioneer Tea Dying ---

What fabrics to dye: Cottons, linens, flannel, denim and cotton lace.

Ideas of what to dye: Fabric, skirts, blouses, curtains, quilts…etc.

What kind of Tea to use: I have found that Regular Lipton teas works the best, but any kind of regular tea (not herbs, or berry) will do just fine.
The more tea you have in the kettle, the darker the tea dye will be.

---Tea Dying Recipe---

You will need about 5 to 8 bags of tea per batch
Large cooking kettle or pot
Wooden spoon or stirring spoon

Fill the kettle with water until about half full or full enough to submerge your fabric completely. (Do not put fabric in yet) Put on Medium heat and let simmer.

Open your tea bags and remove the little paper tags from the ends of the strings. Next put all your tea bags into the kettle and let them steep for about 5min or until the water looks like a big pot of tea. Turn the stove heat to medium low. Remove the tea bags and place your fabric into the water, stir with the spoon and continue to stir your fabric until desired color is reached.

Once you are pleased with the color, rinse your fabric in cold water…wring it out then put it on the clothesline (or in the dryer works too). You now have a custom tea dyed fabric!

Sincerely,
Miss Brielle

Portfolio de La Vie : Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born in 1867 on February 7th near the town of Pepin, Wisconsin. She was born to Charles and Caroline Ingalls, and her father's parental grandmother was from the famed family of Delano, who was descendants of the Mayflower passenger Richard Warren. Laura had one older sister, Mary Amelia, who became blinded after having scarlet fever. Laura also had a younger sister Caroline Celestia, whom they called Carrie. She also had a young brother, Charles, who died at the age of nine months, and then a sister named Grace Pearl.

You may already know quite a bit about Laura Ingalls because you grew up watching or reading "Little House" books. My older sister and I did. It was one of my sister's favourite TV series, and one worth watching. Laura Ingalls lived a truly remarkable life as a pioneer. When Laura was still a young girl her father bought a homestead on what was called the Indian Territory, but only after two years of living in Independence, Kansas, the Ingalls family moved back to their home in the "Big Woods".

When Pa got restless in the Big Woods, he moved the family, various times, to Walnut Grove, Minnesota, South Troy, Minnesota, and Burr Oak, Iowa. The family finally settled down in De Smet, Dakota Territory on a homestead claim, and the next spring Pa got a job working on the railroad in 1879. From the winter of 1879 to 1880 the Ingalls watched De Smet rise from the prairie plains. The next winter, as Laura recorded in her book The Long Winter, was one of the worst winters in the Dakotas. When everything was settled for the Ingalls Laura began to attend the school, and there she met another homesteader Almanzo Wilder.

When Laura was fifteen she took a position as a teacher, and over the next three years she managed her time so she could teach and attend school herself in De Smet. Laura never really said if she liked teaching or not, but she had felt it was her responsibility to earn wages to help her family. On August 25th, 1885, Laura quit her teaching and married Almanzo, who had accomplished a degree of prosperity on his homestead claim, because the rain had been in his favour. Laura went with Almanzo to his new claim and determined to help him make it a success. In 1886 on December 5th, Laura gave birth to her first child, Rose Wilder, and then three years later; Laura gave birth to an unnamed son, who died soon after his birth.

For the first few years of the Wilder's marriage, there were many trails for which they had to face, including the complications of the bout of diphtheria that Almanzo had, which left him partially paralyzed. Though he did recover, he had to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. This and many other roadblocks led to a series of disasters in the Wilder's life. Those include the death of their son, the destruction of their home and barn, which caught fire, and they were unable to earn a living from the 320 acres of prairie land on which they owned. These trails are recorded in The First Four Years, which was a manuscript that was found after the death of Rose Wilder Lane, and was published in 1971.

In 1890, the Wilders went from their home in South Dakota to spend a year with Almanzo's parents in Minnesota, on their prosperous farm, before they went to live, briefly, in Westville, Florida. They went to Florida, thinking it would improve Almanzo's health, but it only wilted Laura, who was used to the dry plains, and not the heat and humidity. So in 1892, the Wilder's soon returned to De Smet and purchased a small house. The Wilder's got special permission to put Rose, who was precocious, which means she was unusually advanced or mature in development, in the school. Almanzo took a job as a day laborer and Laura as a seamstress so they could save up enough money to start a farm again.


In 1894, the couple moved for the finally time to Mansfield, Missouri, using their savings to place a payment on a piece of undelvopled land, which they named Rock Ridge Farm. It began as 40 acres of thickly-wooded stone-covered hillside, with a windowless cabin, but over the next 20 years the Wilder's turned it into to a 200 acre prosperous poultry, dairy, and fruit farm. They also replaced the little cabin with an impressive and unique ten-room farmhouse, complete with outbuildings. The Wilder's acquired financial security very slowly. The only income Almanzo brought was from selling wagonloads of firewood at 50 cents, which was the result of backbreaking work that worked towards the clearing of trees and the stones from land that eventually evolved into fertile fields and pastures. The apple trees that were there took seven years to bare fruit. Unfortunately the Wilder's were barely able to make it on their new farmland, and decided to move to Mansfield in the late 1890s and rent a small house. Almanzo then took a job as an oil salesman and general delivery man. Laura took on boarders and served meals at the local railroads. Any free time the couple had was spent improving the farm and looking to a better future.

During this period in the Wilder's life, Almanzo's parents came for a visit and presented Almanzo and Laura with a gift. The deed to the house they were renting, which was a boost for them so that they could eventually sell the Mansfield house and move back Rocky Ridge permanently and expanded their land. The house they had built there still stands today and is a testament to their labors. Laura was always involved in various clubs and associations, which was recognized as an authority in poultry farming and country living. Because of this, Laura was invited to speak in front of groups around the region. She also followed Roses as she developed a writing career, which also inspired her to write herself. She was given the opportunity to submit an article to the Missouri Ruralist in 1911, which led her to a permanent position as a columnist as well as an editor with the publication.

When Laura's "Little House" series began to receive notoriety the Wilder's wealth was stabilized, but even before then Laura's writing and working at a Farm Loan Association was enough for the family to live on and put them into the middle class. Rose encouraged her mother to use her writing career in national magazines, she as she had done. Laura was unsure of herself, and didn't want to go from something like the Missouri Ruralist to these well-known magazines. When she submitted anything it was heavily edited by Rose and placed through Rose's connections. For much of the 1920s and 1930s Rose's career continued to flourish and so she stayed with her parents at Rocky Ridge.

As Almanzo was in his 70s, help was hired to take care of the remaining farm work, which Almanzo could no longer manage. Everything seemed to be going well for the Wilder's, until the Stock Market crashed in 1929 and wiped out their investments. Rose was faced with the very gloomy choice of having to sell enough writing to maintain financial responsibility. Almanzo and Laura became dependent of Rose.

Laura, in 1930, asked Rose's opinion about writing a biographical manuscript about her childhood of the pioneer days. She wanted to preserve her life's story, especially now that with the Great Depression and the death her mother in 1924 and her sister Mary in 1928. She hoped that it would not only help her keep the memories of her life on record, but also bring in some income for her and Almanzo.

Much controversy surrounds how much of a part Rose played in the writing and publishing of her Mother's "Little House" series. Some think she was only there for support, while others think that Roses took Laura's manuscripts and turned them into the stories we have today. No one is certain. Though two of Rose's most successful novels, Let the Hurricane Roar (1932) and Free Land (1938), were written up during the time the "Little House" books were have many confused. Rose didn't take interest in writing "juvenile" books as she called them, but still it's not certain what part she had in the writing of the series.

At any rate the "Little House" series has remained one of the most loved stories of all times and is still being printed today. We have a few of the "Little House" series books around our house and at one time or another we've had them all from the library here. They truly are a treasure. The series has also been translated into many languages. By the mid-1930s the series had reached the earnings the Wilder couple had made over the past 50 years of marriage. Various honours and huge amounts of fan mail was given to Laura for this series. Her name received top billing on the covers of magazines where her fiction articles appeared.

In the late 1930s Rose left Rocky Ridge farm and established a home in Harlingen, Texas, and also in Connecticut. During these years Almanzo and Laura were often at home by themselves at the farm. Most of the surrounding property was sold, but them kept some to farm animals and tend to their flower and vegetable gardens. Almost daily carloads of fans would stop by to meet "Laura". The Wilder's lived independently without any financial worries until Almanzo died in 1949, at the age of 92. Laura was very grieved by the death of her beloved, but determined to live at Rocky Ridge, despite Rose's request for her mother to come live with her. During the next eight years Laura lived alone, and was looked after by a circle of friends and neighbors, most found it hard to believe that this was "Laura Ingalls Wilder". During these years Laura continued to correspond with many of her editors, fans, and friends.


Throughout the 1950s Rose came to spend the winters with her mother, and once Laura went with Rose to Connecticut by airplane. When Rose came to visit for Thanksgiving in 1956, she found her mother, who was now at the age of 89, very ill from undiagnosed diabetes and a weak heart. Several weeks at the hospital seemed to do Laura good and she was able to return home after Christmas. However she was old and very ill, and her health only declined. She had always remarked that she wanted to live until she was ninety as "Almanzo had", and she succeeded for three days after her ninetieth birthday, Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder died in her sleep at her beloved Mansfield home.

Rose left Mansfield for good shortly after Mother's death, but she did donate Rocky Ridge Farm and most all it's contents to the Laura Ingalls Wilder-Rose Wilder Lane Home Association, which continues to received thousands of annual visitors and is considered a National Historic Landmark.

In 2006 Laura was honoured on the Missouri Walk of Farm, and an Ingalls' cousin Reverend David Ingalls accepted the star in her place. The start is located in Marshfield, Missouri.

Miss Joy

Please allow me to introduce to you Miss Joy, an eighteen-year-old young lady, who is currently living in Connecticut with her family. Miss Joy is one of my dearest friends that I have had the pleasure getting to know over the blogworld. I have never met Miss Joy in person, but she is a great encouragement to me in many things and I always love hearing from her.

GGM: Tell me about your childhood and family, and where you grew up?
Miss Joy: My Dad has been a pastor since before I was born, so we moved around quite a lot when I was really little.
When I was four we moved back to CT where most of our extended family lived. Every Sunday ever since I can remember we have gone to my Grandparent's house for the afternoon. I have been very blessed in having Christian parents, Grandparents, and Great-Grandparents to look up to and admire. I have been homeschooled all my life, and we never had many friends, so I have been able to enjoy friendships with my siblings and with my Grandparents in a very special way.
My Dad always likes to try new things, so my siblings and I always had something interesting to learn about and see, from honey bees, to making maple syrup, to collecting yellow jackets and hornets for a medical lab. When I was about fifteen, God brought my parents to a greater understanding of Biblical gender roles and they started encouraging me and my sisters in Biblical femininity. At first it was hard to adjust to, as I had planned on being medical doctor, but after much prayer and many talks with my parents, I started to understand the beauty of godly womanhood. For a short time my Dad worked as a Chaplin at a private Christian school, but after a while felt that God was calling him to start a church.
He left the school, and in the years that followed we were able to see God providing for our needs in ways that we never would have imagined possible. A bill would come in, we would pray about it, and soon after we would receive the exact amount of money we needed to pay it. We never even had a late payment. And it really strengthened my faith to see how God provided for us even when it seemed impossible.

This is Joy with her family L to R: Dad P, Joy, Josiah, Kay, Amy, and Mom P.

GGM: How many siblings do you have? And what is something special about each of them?
Miss Joy: I have three siblings, two sisters and a brother. I share a room with Amy who is almost seventeen. She is gifted at interacting with people, and is very good with small children. She is also an excellent writer. Josiah, twelve, is really good at building things, and likes to figure out how things are made. Kay, ten, is gifted with working with children. She loves to laugh, and is fun to spend time with. The four of us spend a lot of time together and it amazes me how I will often learn things about them that I never knew before.

GGM: What is one of your fondest memories?
Miss Joy: When I was really young my Great-Grandma, who was a writer, would make up stories to tell us. I remember sitting with her on the couch and laughing with her about a rabbit who always worried about everything.

GGM: What are some girly things you do with your mother and sisters?
Miss Joy: We will sometimes plan a special tea, where we dress up and use fancy teacups. We also enjoy making supper together, which can be really fun.

GGM: How do you spend father-daughter time with your dad? What things to do you together?
Miss Joy: My Dad takes one of us out to lunch each week, so I get a special time with just him once a month. In the summer we like to bring our lunch on a picnic, or go for a hike after. I always have a wonderful time visiting with him. Also, in September I go with him all day several times a week to help with our family business. It is fun to spend that much time with him.

GGM: What activities do you enjoy?
Miss Joy: I enjoy hiking, swimming, bike riding, reading, sewing, writing, and doing crafts. On our family day we will often go for a hike or a bike ride and it's so much fun to do it as a family.

GGM: Your favorite dish or meal to make and serve is...
Miss Joy: One of my favorites is the Macaroni and Cheese Casserole that my Mom made up.

GGM: You are a graduated homeschool student. Please tell me what the benefits were about homeschooling and what you liked most about it.
Miss Joy: One of the biggest benefits was being taught constantly by example to follow, and trust in, the Lord. Another benefit was being able to learn about what I was interested in, and not feel that learning was a burden. I was free to learn at my own pace, and it also gave me an opportunity to learn to enjoy being with my family.

GGM: Now that you are done with your academic studies, what do you think the Lord has for your life? And what are you doing with your time now? I know you strongly believe in Biblical womanhood.
Miss Joy: I believe and hope that I will someday be a wife and a mother, and I am currently learning more about nutrition and health through a home study course. Even if I never get married and have children, I will be able to use what I'm learning for the rest of my life. I am spending more time helping my Mom now that I have graduated, and am enjoying getting to know her better. I know that no matter what the Lord has in store for me, that He wants me to be a godly woman, and that is my greatest ambition.

GGM: Who would you say has been your biggest influence and inspiration?
Miss Joy: My Mother has definitely had the most influence on me, and inspires and encourages me every day as I see that it is possible to be a godly woman and to enjoy it. My Grandmother, who I spend a lot of time with, has also influenced me and inspired me with her close walk with the Lord.

GGM: Please share which passage of the Bible has been a great encouragement to you.
Miss Joy: Philippians 4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." These verses have helped me so much when I was anxious about anything. Especially the reminder to present my requests to God with thanksgiving.

GGM: What advice do you have for other young ladies seeking to be pure in heart and follow the Lord?
Miss Joy: I would say that the most important thing that you can do is to read your Bible regularly and pray. What we fill our minds with determines what kind of person we will be. If you have hidden God's word in your heart, He will bring it to your mind when you need it.

Thank you Miss Joy for taking the time to answer my questions and sharing your heart with us. I know the Lord has some wonderful plans for you and I pray that His hand will always guide and protect you as you walk in His ways. If you'd like to visit Miss Joy at her blog and say hello, you may go here: Through Jesus We Can Live For Eternity.


Blessings to you as you Grow in the Grace of our Lord!