Dear Friends,

Thank you for coming by our cottage today; we have the heater going and a pot of tea, just for you!

As unbelievable as it seems after such a hot summer, we are going to have freezing temperatures here in Missouri. Time to bring in the houseplants from their summer vacation outside!

 

Just a few days ago, we were enjoying the beautiful blue skies of Indian Summer~ Perfect for an at-home picnic (note the blanket on the lawn). 

We also enjoyed hiking at Cave Spring Monument in Kansas City, which is part of the Santa Fe Trail. We are amazed at the history which is all around in this area!

We have also been helping out at our favorite thrift store, and rescuing cast-off linens and dolls (we named this lady Marie Antoinette, while she waits for a new elastic to re-attach her head)~

Today we made baked tortilla chips by cutting corn tortillas into wedges, coating them with oil, then baking int he oven at 350 tll crisp. They're so much better than store-bought!

(They of course met with approval of the kitchen clean-up crew, but that's not saying much!)

We painted a picture of Mrs. Dashwood, to which we are going to add the words "Calm. We must be calm." as a reminder to not rush throughout our day~




And we found a lovely blue fascinator to add to our vintage collection of hats~

And last, but not least, may we introduce you to Fatty Bolger, our resident ground hog, who loves sunflowers as much as we do! He has proven himself a dynamo at squeezing under shed doors and removing the lids off of chicken feed buckets, even with "heavy" bricks on top! But he is so cute, we can't get too mad at him, can we?

We hope that this week brings many blessings to you, our dear friends. Your comments and friendship mean so much to us!

Love,

Marqueta

"I am Content" by John Burroughs

Dear Friends,

Sometimes we come across a poem or quote that says the things we are feeling so much better than we can, such as this gem by John Burroughs. It seems so appropriate for this gorgeous time of year! Enjoy~

"The longer I live the more my mind dwells upon the beauty and wonder of the world. . . . .

I have loved the feel of the grass under my feet, and the sound of the running streams by my side. The hum of the wind in the tree-tops has always been good music to me, and the face of the fields has often comforted me more than the faces of men.

I am in love with this world; by my constitution I have nestled lovingly in it. It has been home. It has been my point of outlook into the universe. I have not bruised myself against it, nor tried to use it ignobly.

I have tilled its soil, I have gathered its harvests, I have waited upon its seasons, and always have I reaped what I have sown.

While I delved I did not lose sight of the sky overhead. While I gathered its bread and meat for my body, I did not neglect to gather its bread and meat for my soul.

I have climbed its mountains, roamed its forests, sailed its waters, crossed its deserts, felt the sting of its frosts, the oppression of its heats, the drench of its rains, the fury of its winds, and always have beauty and joy waited upon my goings and comings."


Love and blessings,

Marqueta

Goodbye September

White Snake Root blossoms

These are blooming everywhere, and are quite pretty!

We have heard that they are medicinal and that they are poisonous, so we won't be experimenting with them until we know more information~

Dear Friends,

How nice to see you today! We've been enjoying perfect Indian Summer weather, with amazing blue skies and golden sunshine. The leaves are just starting to turn, and we had to cut down our poke plants today, which had fallen over from growing so quickly in such a short amount of time.

Autumn is the perfect time to dress in layers again, and no outfit is complete without a pin made by our blog "twin" Lynn.

We're still getting a few tomatoes here and there, and we're letting the last of the green beans go to seed, so we'll have a supply for next year's garden.

A funny tomato with red-shouldered hawk for size comparison~

The small dolls are holding a Princess Charm School, which we hear is going to run for the next four years(!). The October issue of AnnaMarie's "Apron Pockets"  magazine is in the process of completion, and Audrey is deciding if she should make a magazine called "Forever Sisters" or "Better Birds and Photos."  Tasha is still the Nature Bature president, and we hope that she will be putting out an autumn issue soon!

 Does anyone know what these two items are? We found them lately at the thrift store, and we're pretty sure they're not bed warmers, with their short handles!

We've begun the process of thinning things out and packing everything we won't need for a while, showing the Lord that we're ready whenever He wants to show us our new home! Having just moved last year, we are amazed at how much "stuff" we've accumulated since then!

We are looking forward to spending a whole weekend together with Mister Graham, watching our church's General Conference via the internet. As it only happens twice a year, it is a special time of reflecting on our spiritual progress between conferences.

May you all have a wonderful weekend, however you may spend it!

Love,

Marqueta

Welcome Home Girls

Dear Friends,

A wonderful Wednesday to you! We are happy to report that Audrey and Tasha made it home safely from their trip out West, and that they had a lovely time.

They brought home lots of pictures of wide-open spaces~

And whimsical clouds

They visited our beloved Wolverine Canyon in Idaho~

~And our baby Victoria's grave~

We hope that the whole family will be able to visit, too, but are very grateful that Grandma and Grandpa Graham took two of us to visit our old stomping grounds! Thank the Lord for the ties that bind.

Love,

Marqueta

p.s. We hope you forgive us if we don't leave a comment on your blogs; we have been reading them, but our computer freezes up when we go to comment. Hopefully we'll have a nice new system soon!

Sweet September

One of many Charlottes to be seen this September~

Dear Friends,

A merry day to you! We hope that we didn't scare anyone with our last post; we'll be blogging away as long as we are able. :) Our computer seems to be helping us to be more old-fashioned by running reeeeeally slooooowly, so we may be posting less frequently, but this blog has become a lovely place to log our family's many adventures in domestic felicity, as well as a vehicle for finding kindred friends, all around the world. Quite miraculous, when you stop to think about it!

Audrey and Tasha have been visiting family in Utah and Idaho for the past two weeks, and we have truly felt the absence of their presence in many ways. Each person in our lives has such an impact, and we feel so blessed to have the children and friends that enrich them.

We have been busy cleaning out our basement and packing things away to show the Lord that are ready to move just a soon as He points us in the right direction. We have also made a tied baby quilt for a friend at church with a little one on the way.
Everyone was willing to lend a helping hand!

AnnaMarie learns that teaching Frankie how to use a needle can be hazardous to the fingers!

 

What is it about making a quilt that gets little children so excited? I remember the thrill of hiding underneath the frame with my cousins when my mother and aunts had a quilt on, and I see that same excitement in my children's eyes when we start pinning the layers and put them on.

We have been enjoying the golden sunshine of late (although today we actually have a heater going, it's so cool!), and the long shadows of evening~



Evangeline has been practicing being a mommy some day~

And Rebecca is showing great signs of being a wonderful homemaker, too!

We've been finding new and unusual treasures at the thrift store~

And practicing painting in watercolors. Here is the first person I ever painted in watercolor, and I had to cheat and finish her in pencil, to get everything blended well enough (she still needs a bit of work). She started off as a Regency girl, but ended up Amish somehow. :)

We have been enjoying a little book about quilts that our friend Evelyn sent us a while back called "Cloth and Comfort," by Roderick Kiracofe, and a storybook about quilts called "The Patchwork Quilt," by Valerie Flournoy, which came with the book on tape.  They both us feel grateful that we grew up with a heritage of making beautiful items by hand, which are also useful and a blessing to others. Whenever we find an old piece of handiwork, even though we did not know its maker, we feel that same connection of love, and treasure it in our home. May we all be blessed to feel the love of one another as we give our love to those around us, each day of our lives.

Love,

Marqueta