Dear Reader,

A very merry day to you today! Thank you so much for coming to visit again, and for all your kind comments. We have "met" so wonderful friends from all around the world. As Anne Shirley said, "I'm beginning to think that kindred spirits are not so rare after all."

We are very glad that we had our sunny days earlier this week, for it is raining now, and rain is forecast for the remainder of the week. At least we will not be tempted to overdo it in the garden today, and our sunburns will have a chance to heal.

On Tuesday we went and picked the cottonwood buds we told you about, and realized that it takes an awful lot of buds to make anything out of them! We picked what seemed like a lot, but when we got them home and separated them from the twigs to which they were attached, we only had about 1/3 cup for making oil. They certainly smell heavenly, though! We hope that the oil will smell just as good.

Have you ever noticed how wonderful poplar and cottonwood leaves smell, when they are just opening up? They rank right up there with line-dried laundry!

The Collectors (My mum came to help)

(What's AnnaMarie running from? A bee in her bonnet?)

Cottonwood buds weren't the only things gathered!

Poor Frankie was excited to go on an outing, but . . .

...Fell asleep before we arrived, and missed the whole thing!

Speaking of smelling good, we disliked the thoughts of our lovely Christmas fir tree being burned up with the weeds, so we harvested as many needles as we could to use for making pillows. We also were fortunate enough to find lots of cattail fluff at the river where the cottonwoods were, for stuffing the fir needle pillows.

Harvesting fir needles by the burn barrel.

We have been enjoying reading "Anne of Green Gables" together (The second time for me, the first time for the girls), revisiting our favorite "poor little orphan girl" and her domestic adventures. We love all the little housekeeping hints that are thrown in among the story, as Marilla is teaching Anne how to be "proper".

We'll share some with you here:
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
"Now, Anne, I noticed last night that you threw your clothes all about the floor when you took them off. That is a very untidy habit, and I can't allow it at all. As soon as you take off any article of clothing fold it neatly and place it on the chair."

"Yes, you may wash the dishes. Take plenty of hot water, and be sure you dry them well."

"Breakfast is waiting. Wash your face and comb your hair. Leave the window up and turn your bedclothes back over the foot of the bed. Be as smart as you can."

"You haven't scalded the dish-cloth in clean hot water as I told you to do."

"You've got to keep your wits about you in cooking and not stop in the middle of things to let your thoughts rove all over creation. Now, get your patchwork and have your square done before tea-time."
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Such good advice! I wish I'd had a "Marilla" to teach me the right way to do things when I was young!

Thanks again for popping by, and may you have a blessed day. Till next time!

Love,

Marqueta

Tip-Sharing Tuesday: Fresh Air and Sunshine

Dear Reader,

Greetings and welcome to our home this fine day (At least we hope that it is fine where you are!). It might actually reach 60 degrees today, and was in the 50s yesterday without gale-force (or so they seem) winds, rain, sleet, hail, or snow!

We spent the majority of yesterday outside doing yardwork, and consequently have been reminded of muscles that we forgot we have, as they have been speaking to us since, in quite unhappy tones. An aching body is a small price to pay, however, when we were out in the fresh air and sunshine, and we believe our body was truly grateful to be given something to do.

We put in a bed of "Chinese Fragrant Lettuce" and "Celtuce", which is an interesting plant, to be eaten both in leafy stage and after it bolts, hence "Cel" for celery and "tuce" for lettuce. We ordered the seeds from Horizon Herbs, out of Oregon, who are the herb suppliers for "Herb Pharm" herbal extracts. We hope the seeds will grow well for us, as we consume a large amount of greens around here. If they do not, however, we shall be fortified with plenty of wild greens growing around, such as dock, plaintain, dandelions, wild lettuce, and lamb's quarters.

AnnaMarie has been playing "Easter Bunny", and decorated the goose eggs our neighbhors gave us, as well as the mantel-shelf in the parlor. She shows great promise as an interior designer, and we are so blessed to have her developing her God-given talents in our home.




We are grateful to have received this link from Marilyn Moll, the Urban Homemaker, which has lesson plans for studying the Passion Week as a family. What a wonderful resource!

Tasha has begun a nature club, with Frankie, Evangeline, and herself as the only members at present. She says that they had to say these words to belong: "I (Name) will stay true to the Nature Club as long as I can. Nature Bature, rock bock, plant bant, nature bature." She says "Nature is so amazing!", and the purpose of her club is so that Frankie and Evangeline will love nature when they grow up.

Here are some photos of the Club hard at work/play:

"Okay, Frankie, this is how you navigate a small gulley."

"We're going to have to have a really big pot, to make..."

Stone Soup!"

Today we are going to scout about for some cottonwood buds, which if we can find, we'll infuse in olive oil to make a dressing for wounds and chest colds. How very fascinating to learn all the uses of common plants and trees that are all around us!

We also want to make a willow wigwam out of 6' tall saplings, arranged in a circle and tied together at the their tops, for the children to play in this summer. We got the idea from our wonderful English "neighbors", who have been weaving willow fences and making structures for hundreds of years. Here is a lovely site dedicated to the craft. Doesn't it look like fun?

We must leave you now, and get on preparing a place to plant our peas and all-blue potatoes that have been sprouted for over a month now (hopefully they'll grow!), but we pray the Lord's blessings upon you and your family, in whatever circumstance you may encounter.

Love,

Marqueta

p.s. Don't forget, if the weather be fine where you are, to throw open all windows and doors, if possible, for a good airing. Taking out one's bedding, especially the pillows and quilts that are less-frequently washed, sanitizes and deodorizes them. And, did you know that sunshine is essential to good digestion? Try to get as much as possible, without getting TOO much and burning your little nose!

***********************************

I Meant To Do My Work Today

Richard Le Gallienne

I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.

And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand--
So what could I do but laugh and go?

Stepping Heavenward

Dear Reader,

A good Monday morning to you! As we celebrate the last week of the Savior's life this week, may we make the most of each passing day.

I have been reading Elizabeth Prentiss' "Stepping Heavenward" for the third time, weeping over passages that speak deeply to my heart, and resolving to live, as the main character in the book, entirely for the Lord. I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to lead a more Christ-like life. It is not a book to be merely read, but to be savored, passage by passage. My copy has almost more underlined words than not! It is told from the unusual perspective of being a private journal of the innermost thoughts and feelings of Katherine Mortimer Elliott, as she grows and matures in her Christian walk. It was first published in 1869, and has enjoyed many numerous translations and editions ever since. At the height of its popularity, ladies were said to buy two copies, one for themselves (kept next to the Bible), and one to lend to others.


May I recommend it to you, if you do not already own it? There are many copies floating around the internet, for as little as $3 on Ebay. I am sure you would not be disappointed in it, at any price. It especially speaks to anyone who has lost a child or parent through death, and who suffers through poverty and privations.


Here are some of my favorite lines from this wonderful book:

"This is the testimony of all the good books, sermons, hymns, and memoirs I read--that God's ways are infinitely perfect; that we are to love Him for what He is and therefore equally as much when He afflicts as when He prospers us; that there is no real happiness but in doing and suffering His will; and that this life is but a scene of probation through which we pass to the real life above."

"After all, one must take life as it comes; its homely details are so mixed up with its sweet charities and loves and friendships that one is forced to believe that God has joined them together and does not will that they should be put asunder."

"Let us look on the bright side of life and believe that God means us to be always ascending, always getting nearer to Himself, always learning something new about Him, always loving Him better and better."

"You forget the good one may gain by living with uncongenial, tempting persons. First such people do good by the very self-denial and self-control their mere presence demands. Then, their making one's home less homelike and perfect than it would be in their absence may help to render our real home in heaven more attractive."

May our prayers echo that of Elizabeth Prentiss, offering "More Love to Thee, O Christ; More Love to Thee!"

Love,

Marqueta

Of Hats and Birds

Welcome, Dear Reader, to our Merry Hearts Cottage today!

Do you like my new blog banner? I decided to change "An Old-Fashioned Look at Homemaking" to "An Old-Fashioned Life", since I haven't quite kept to my original plan of sharing all the wonderful antique articles and book excerpts I was going to in the beginning! I try, really I do! So the blog will remain the same, although the description has changed.

I want my husband to know how grateful I am for his taking time to make the banners, etc. that he has on my two blogs. Providence knows I'm not quite computer literate enough for such things!

With Easter drawing nigh, the Mad Hatter bug has bitten us again. The symptoms include thrift-shop trips for old hats and trim, followed by floors and tables littered with the afore-mentioned items, in various stages of dismantling and re-mantling. So far we've managed to finish just one, which is for our dear Audrey:



We were going for a sort of Cynthia Kilpatrick from Wives and Daughters; what think you of it? Audrey seems to like it well enough!

The snow has brought a blessing of birds to our home: We had visits from goldfinches, house finches, mountain and black-capped chickadees, house sparrows, and pink-sided juncos, all at the same time! They seemed to be saying, "If we'd known it was going to snow again, we'd have stayed South!". They unfortunately were as camera-shy as our ring-necked pheasant, flying away as soon as the scary camera came toward the window!

Here's the best shot we could manage.

Perhaps this face in the window is another reason the birds were flighty?

Speaking of birds, our Chicken Noodle has been a useful amendment to the home beauty parlor.

While we have indulged in creating millinery confections, Frankie and Evangeline have been memorizing even more the entire operetta, "The Pirates of Penzance." Frankie begs to watch "With Cat-Like Tread" (The name of one of the songs) several times a day.

Future modiste Evangeline studies the costumes from "The Pirates of Penzance".

We recently received an order from an Idaho herbal company we just discovered, called From the Forest. They sell herbal extracts and tinctures for a very reasonable price, along with some lovely Idaho-made soaps made with pine extracts. We bought a mushroom tincture for AnnaMarie, which is reputed to assist the body in creating its own insulin. We shall see how it works! The balsam fir hydrosol and balsam and pine essential oils are wonderful for staving off the "end-of-winter blahs". A few drops in the bath create a feeling of peace, like camping in the woods.


Thank you again for coming to call, and may you enjoy a blessed Sabbath day!

Love,

Marqueta

**********************************

"Honor the healing power of Nature." ~Hippocrates

"Never think that God's delays are God's denials." ~Button

"There is as much difference between genuine patience and sullen endurance as between the smile of love and malicious gnashing of teeth." ~W. S. Plummer

Nearer, My God, to Thee: Remembering the Titanic

Dear Reader,

We welcome you to our humble cottage today! Having good company makes us forget that Lady Spring has forgotten us!

On Monday, Mr. Graham and the oldest girls (along with Grandma Graham) visited the Museum of Idaho to see the "Titanic Artifact Exhibit", which was very fascinating and educational. The museum was set up so as to mimic the experience of actually being on board the ship, from handing out boarding passes with actual passenger names on them, to finding out at the end whether "you" lived or died in the wreck. There was even a replica "iceburg", which one could touch to see how long one would survive in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic.



We have always felt an attraction to the story of this ship (Perhaps because it sank on our birthday?). To us, the voyage of the Titanic is a very real lesson on "Pride goeth before a fall", as well as, "It is better to be safe than sorry." Also, "Cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh" comes to mind. What a sad thing, that so many lives could have been saved if it not for vanity. But also, within the story of such a mortal disaster, is the gallantry of the men and boys who willingly gave up their lives that others could live. What a more Christlike lesson could be taught, than to point to those men and boys, and teach our boys to be willing to do the same in a similar situation. Also, the touching account of the band members who went down with the ship, playing hymns such as "Nearer, My God, To Thee", to cheer those around them. What a marvelous testimony of the power of sacred music, and the need for faith in the Lord to help us when we feel utterly helpless.



We know that nothing happens without a purpose; that the Lord could have prevented this disaster from happening, had it been His will. Perhaps He wanted to preserve a bit of the elegant last Age of Chivalry, before feminism took hold on our culture's hearts, through this great loss of lives. Perhaps He wished to show that human wealth and strength cannot save us; only He has power to save.

May we all ponder on His Providence in our daily lives, especially those things which seem so tragic to us. What are the lessons He would have us learn through them today?

Love,

Marqueta

"Many brave things were done that night but none more brave than by those few men playing minute after minute as the ship settled quietly lower and lower in the sea...the music they played serving alike as their own immortal requiem and their right to be recorded on the rulls of undying fame."
-Lawrence Beesley, Titanic Survivor

"When day broke, I saw the ice I had steamed through during the night. I shuddered, and could only think that some other hand than mine was on that helm during the night."
-Captain Arthur H. Rostron, Commander of Carpathia

"My mother had a premonition from the very word 'GO.' She knew there was something to be afraid of and the only thing that she felt strongly about was that to say a ship was unsinkable was flying in the face of God. Those were her words."
-Eva Hart, Titanic Survivor