{Helpmeet In Training} A Weekend at LIFT

This past weekend, I was so incredibly blessed with the opportunity to go visit My Man in the ADK at LIFT. For several weeks prior, it was very up-in-the-air whether I would be able to go or not, so I considered the simple fact of being able to visit a huge blessing.

The two short days there turned out to be a bigger blessing that I could have ever imagined. Of course, the biggest blessing was simply being with Stephen again, and getting to do so many wonderful things with him. But the other main thing that I was so humbled by was the deep love that this group of 30 young adults has for each other, and for every one they meet. The welcome his parents and I got when we arrived was astounding. And every time I walked into the same room as the LIFTers, I was immediately cheered and encouraged by their big smiles, joyous laughter, and positive words. 

Saturday morning, his parents and I got up super early and were on the road by 6am. It is about a four hour drive there, and every mile increased my excitement. By the time we arrive around 10, the mix of caffeine and adrenaline in me made me start shaking. The first LIFTer I met was this lovely lady next to me, Lisa. She gave me such a warm welcome, and it was cool getting to talk to her before Stephen showed up.

That very first hug from Stephen again was past description, and I was pretty sure I was never ever ever going to let go of him again. But, of course, I did have to. After having lunch and meeting all the other LIFTers, he and his parents and I went to a nearby antique shop that was right on the Hudson River.

Together again, at last. It felt so good to be able to slip my hand into his.

When we got back to camp, it was time to get ready for dinner. Stephen, of course, had been telling everyone that we were reenactors, and they were all interested in seeing us dressed up. So, I brought down his Confederate uniform and my new organdy dress. It was wonderful seeing him in his uniform again, and getting to wear my new dress for him! Our friend Nate blessed us with a mini  photo shoot once we were all dressed up. I can't wait to see the rest of his pictures!

Meal times with the group were so fun. At every meal, most of the group would be present, and we would all gather around one or two tables, and talk and laugh and joke. There was always so much joy and fun in group, and everybody got along so well. As Stephen said, they really have become family.

In the evening we got to see around camp, and Stephen and I had the chance to play some piano for each other. Hearing him play Moonlight Sonata brought tears to my eyes, because I have missed it so much.

I was blessed to be able to spend the night in one of the girls dorms with three of the girls. I got a chance to talk with two of them before bed, and they were both so sweet and wonderful. Sunday morning, Stephen and I had a chance to do our own Bible study together, something that we had always tried to do here as well. Then we had breakfast, and went to their church in Speculator. The service was wonderful, and I loved being at church again with Stephen.

This beautiful lady, Becca, is one of the girls I shared a room with, and I loved getting to know her. She has such a sweet, quiet, calm spirit.

Sunday afternoon, Stephen had to work housekeeping, and I was thankful to be given permission to be able to work right along side him. It's so cool to be able to enjoy working with him just as much as spending free time with him.

Then, after dinner on Sunday, it was time to leave. It was so hard to leave, not only Stephen, but everyone I met there. I arrived feeling like I didn't belong, and left feeling like I too had found a new family.

A week from today, the entire group is leaving for their two-week mission trip to the Dominican Republic. I'm so excited for Stephen, as he was assigned to work in Physical Therapy; he's going to be so good at that!

I am so incredibly thankful to have had the chance to visit Stephen and meet everybody up there. This has been and will continue to be a fantastic experience for him; and, even though I'm not there, the effects have been oozing out of Stephen into me as well. This has been challenging beyond belief for both of us, but we are both growing and learning so much. What a great God we serve!

{Works WIth Her Hands} AG Fair and Other Updates

Two weekends ago was the Agricultural Fair at the museum, and what a great weekend it turned out to be, despite the thunderstorms on Sunday. I had entered five different things into the Fair, and won blue ribbons on two of them!

The first and best item which I won on was my Double Irish Chain quilt! I worked so hard to finish it in time, and it definitely paid off! Here it is, totally finished, with its fun, multi-fabric binding, too.

The second thing I won a blue ribbon on was the quilted sunbonnet I made over the summer. The only thing, though, is that it was the only item in its category - not much competition :/

Then, I entered some blueberry shrub. Shrub is a popular 19th century drink made with vinegar, fruit, and sugar. It was my first time making shrub, so I don't wonder that I didn't win anything.

And, my roommate and I and a friend of ours all got together before the Fair to make some soap to enter. We didn't actually MAKE soap, with lye and everything, just the melt and pour kits. But it was still the closest I have  come to making soap. Here's the soap I entered - peach,walnut, and oat goats milk soap. No prize, though.

The last thing I entered is actually a present for somebody, so I can't mention it yet. :) But also, no prize.





For the other updates, I've been getting more sewing done on the Double Wedding Ring quilt. So far I've found that working with the curved seams isn't as hard as I was expecting. It's just rather time-consuming, because you have to heavily pin everything, and I'm usually a no-pins kind of gal.

I'm definitely happy with the way it's turning out!

And finally, look how small this number is getting! We're almost halfway. And, I'm so blessed that this weekend I get to go visit My Man with his parents!!! It has been seven weeks since he left.....and I get to be with him again in just four more days.

{Works With Her Hands} Always Doing

Saw this quote recently, and thought it was a good one:

"Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing."    -  Thomas Jefferson

In that spirit, I've been keeping busy with a number of different projects in order to help the time pass between now and December.

So, I've been working more on the Double Irish Chain quilt in order to be able to enter it into the Agricultural Fair at GCVM. (P.S. Want to enter something into the fair? There's still time! Entry time has been extended until September 18th!)

I've also started on the Double Wedding Ring quilt which has been in the planning for over a year and half now. It was actually the very first Double Wedding Ring quilt I saw that made me want to learn how to quilt, and ever since I started quilting I have been determined to someday make one. I've wanted to make one to add to my "hope chest". So, I decided that the 3 1/2 months while Stephen was away was a great time to finally do it.

Fabrics, templates, and instructions: Ready, set, go!

All 1,961 quilt pieces traced and cut out by hand!

A small section (not sewn) laid out on the floor to give an idea of how it will look:

Then, there was some beautiful Prussian Blue organdy that a friend gifted to me for an 1860's dress. As we have the last re-enactment of the season coming up at the end of September, I decided to try to finish it by then. The best part? It's entirely hand sewn. Unfortunately, it's not quite as far as I'd like it to be, but it's coming.

When it's done, it should hopefully look something like this:

And then, I saw a wonderful set of sunflower coasters on Pinterest, and decided that I really should make myself one, because I'm always carrying around a glass of water which is condensing everywhere. Here's mine, complete with a lady bug!

So all that, plus some odds and ends, has been keeping my spare time full lately. On a completely unrelated note, yay for new sweaters!!! My amazing sister surprised me with a giftcard to American Eagle, and I was able to get this piece of loveliness. I was so excited when it arrived on Monday!

And lastly, time IS passing! This chain is getting shorter, and the number is getting smaller!!!

{Works With Her Hands} No More Grocery Bags!

Wegman's grocery bags are great. They can be used for so many different purposes. But using one as a lunch bag, four days a week, May through October, gets a little tiresome. So, when I found myself in need of a knitting project, I decided to knit myself a lunch bag. It took me three or four weeks, and I got to use my new-found cabling skills a lot!

One of the best parts about it - the amazing and ridiculous fabric that I lined it with! So wild and crazy  and polyester-ish that it could never really work for much else, but it is fun on the inside of a bag!

This past Wednesday was the one-week mark till Stephen leaves. In light of that, I decided to go back to little kid traditions and make myself a count-down paper chain. It turns out he'll be gone for 107 days, and 15 weeks. Every chain has the number of days left, and a Bible verse for me to look up.

I'm already looking forward to seeing that chain grow smaller every day!!!

{Helpmeet In Training} Time Flies

This fall, my Love and I will be embarking on a new adventure. He will be attending a semester long leadership course in the Adirondacks through Camp Of The Woods, and I passing the time at home, waiting for him to return. Although I am thankful that it is only one semester, and everybody tries to encourage me by saying that it will pass quickly, it is still 3 1/2 months without my Man.

With his leaving date only a little over a month away, I find my self dreading August. I find myself saddened every time I think of it's approaching nearness. Even when I am with him it is difficult to be cheerful, because I am reminded of how soon we will be apart. And yet, I am reminded of a picture I once drew. In  the corner it reads: "Time flies. Cherish every moment."

I have to remind myself that I should be cheerful BECAUSE we have so little time. When he is gone, I won't want to look back on our time and feel like I wasted it in misery. I'll want to look back and remember all the fun memories.

But the hardest part if that joy and cheerfulness doesn't just happen. I must CHOOSE to be joyful. I like the way Debbie Pearl explains it in her book Created To Be His Helpmeet. We must practice joy the same way we practice the piano. Yes, we will often hit the wrong notes of depression and gloominess and unthankfulness. But, every time we hit a wrong note, we need to correct it. And sooner or later, we'll hit the good notes of joy, happiness, and thankfulness more and more often.

And I want to be that way. I want to cherish each and every moment I have with my Man, because times flies far too quickly.

{Living History} Lain's Mill, Canisteo

It's that wonderful time of year again -- re-enacting season! Last weekend, Stephen and I kicked off our season by attending the Lain's Mill Re-enactment in Canisteo, NY. Our decision to go was rather last minute, but I'm so glad that we did go!

I must admit that, overall, the event was rather unauthentic, or what re-enactors call "farby". It was small, with all of two sutlers (shops). But, the location was beautiful, the battles were fantastic, it was a fun time with friends, and it gave Stephen and I a chance to prepare for Gettysburg in July.

Anyways, enough of my ramblings. Here are some pictures!

Saturday morning:

Our little"kitchen":

The morning battle:

Here come my rebels!

 Stephen's regiment near the end of the second battle, after they had been fighting in the woods:

Sunday morning, with a lake of fog covering the town of Canisteo in the valley:

Cooking breakfast:

Sunday's battle: Pickett's Charge:

Stephen and some of his regiment making it to the fence for hand-to-hand combat:

{Works With Her Hands} Trying Something New

Well, with my few spare scraps of time this week, I thought I'd share two recent projects.

The first was started out of desperation, looking for something to occupy my time during a slow day spent in my least favorite building at the museum. I've always admired cabled knitting patterns, and many people have told me how easy cables were, but I just never got around to it. But I had extra yarn, so Bingo, it was a perfect time to learn. And I think I did pretty well! The only mistake I made was once doing 7 rows instead of 5 rows before doing the turning row again.

I've worked on it more since this picture, and it's getting quite long. I'm going to turn it into a mug cozy.

My second project has been making a vest for My  Man. I had left over fabric from my wool sacque and petticoat, and he had mentioned that it would make a great vest. I had a pattern for a single breasted, collarless vest which I had used and liked. But I wanted this vest to be double breasted with a shawl collar. So, I set to work trying to change my pattern, and here is my mock up:

I'd say I did fairly well! He tried it on and it only needs one small tweak. So, I've got all the fabric I need for it, and I plan on starting the real thing this weekend, with hopes of finishing it before the Gettysburg re-enactment in July!