Of Snow Castles and Pincushions

"Is there any felicity superior to this? I hope so!"

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for stopping by our Merry Hearts Cottage today~It's always nice to have visitors on a cold, blustery day!

Last week's snow is melting off the roof today, but the forecast is calling for -5 degrees tonight, so we'll be bundling up and building up our water supply, in case our pipes freeze again!

We've had several inches of snowfall, which the girls put to good use by creating a snow scene, which they spray painted with food coloring. There was a princess in a tower, a prince, a horse, and a dragon surrounding the castle.


Although the figures quickly became deformed and are now mere shadows of their former selves, the girls had quite an enjoyable time, and spent several hours out in the fresh air.

After Christmas, once the decorations are down, everyone seems to have the urge to make a fresh start of things. Even the small dolls of Bennet Manor put up new paper and carpet in their parlor~Does it not look lovely?




Meanwhile I have been attempting to put to order my sewing and craft supplies, such as embroidery floss~

I thought I would show you this nifty organizer (actually one of several) that my mother made back in the early 1960s~It is simply a piece of cardboard, four inches wide, with "V's" and slits (which hold the tail end) cut into it to hold several skeins of embroidery floss. It is a good way to keep several skeins at hand, without having to search for them.

She even had them grouped by color!

Once we had them organized, of course we wanted to use them, so we started embroidering this pillow case~

And then we thought we could use a new pincushion or two~

The on-the-wall variety~

And the sit-on-a-shelf variety~

This one being by far the most practical, with a built-in needle-holder on top, to prevent losing needles (We have since found some prettier lace, which will replace the lace shown :) ).

We even "pincushioned" this lovely lady, given to us by my mother-in-law~The lady seems to look just a wee bit concerned, however!

Tasha tells me that soon I will only have one pin for each cushion, I'll have so many, and that I should sell some on Etsy! Isn't she droll? :)

Now that we are sufficiently supplied, perhaps we'll move onto doing the pile of mending that has been mysteriously multiplying!

We hope that this new year is getting off to a good start for you, and would like to leave you with this wish from "Mother's Magazine", January 1911~

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A Happy New Year

Good appetite, with a determination that the body shall be well nourished to give strength to the soul;

Grace to let go and power to attain; grace to face facts without resentment and the inevitable with cheer; because the inevitable has a radiant heart though we do not always admire its countenance;

Skill in self-adjustment and submission to God's adjustment;

Self-control which is both self-direction and power through repose;

Repose of body and soul that can be likened only to resting in the arms of God;

Nights separated from the day by the gate of prayer;

A simple faith and trust in the midst of life's complexities.

~Charles Poole Cleaves

Love,

Marqueta