Housework.....

I have been so busy the last several nights, what with my church's Christmas play coming up. It finally took place yesterday (Sunday 13), & it turned out beautifully. I hope to be able to post photos soon, but I have to get them from my brother's camera, since I was so involved with directing & taking part in the production that I never had time for photos.

So, now that it is over & life is going back to normal for a few weeks before we begin auditions for the Easter production, I have some housework that needs to be done. While I was doing a few odd & end chores I began thinking about house dresses or work dresses as they are sometimes known. Below I have compiled a few pictures of house dresses from different time periods.



A 1770-1785 workdress & th color combination is very striking.

1799, I could easily imagine myself doing housework in this dress, sans shawl.

A wonderful adaptions of Jane Austen's novel & I simply love this outfit.

1798-1800, a dress that I personally would wear for very messy tasks.

Late 1830s to early 1840s workdress.



A simply georgeous 1860s pinner apron.
1860s cotton plaid workdress.

A very serviceable 1890s apron & the ruffles on the sleeves are fabulous.

A quite basic, but still beautiful 1930s housedress.


Simple, but pretty 1940s shirtwaist dress, a common housedress staple.

Don't you just love the ruffles on the sides of this 1940s housedress?

I personally enjoy most housework & sometimes I am not sure why. Perhaps it is the sense of accomplishment that I feel when I have completed a task. But for whatever reason, I feel blessed that God has seen fit to give me such a satisfaction in such simple things.

God bless to all in your homemaking endeavors,
Sarah.

Many Apologies.....

It has been a month since I last posted anything, but I have been so busy that I haven't even had much time for being on the computer, much less for writing a blog post. I will try in the future to be more constant with my posts, but during the holiday season, I am always so busy, what with Thanksgiving (by the by Happy Quite Belated Thanksgiving!), numerous Christmas parties, making presents for family & friends (which I hope to post photos of), sewing costumes for the upcoming Christmas play at church (which I am helping direct), & teaching American Sign Language to my church group for the Christmas program, I have been a little short on time for anything else.

I recently watched "The Thin Man" starring two of my many favorite 30s-40s actors/actresses, William Powell & Myrna Loy. It is the first in a series of films that are simply fabulous, from the dry satirical humor to the gorgeous clothes, to the plots that keep you guessing, they are a must see. As I was watching the particular film which was made & set in 1934, I had the desire to rummage through my stash of 1930s fashions. Below are just a few of the wonderful creations as well as several photos of William & Myrna:







The above three photos are of William Powell, Myrna Loy, & the terrier that played Asta in the Thin Man series. Below are some of the lovely clothes from the period.













I hope everyone has a wonderful week & that the above photos will inspire you to break out a new project or an abandoned one & enjoy yourself while sewing.

God bless,
Sarah

A New Month

Well its hard to believe that November is already here & Christmas is soon to be upon us. I have been very busy since my last post, working on several sewing projects, a new recipe, & the upcoming church Christmas play. I am in the process of teaching my sign language students a special song for our program that will be done with blacklighting. They are all learning rather quickly, especially considering most have never signed before this. I am also choreographing a dance, helping direct the play, & have a speaking part in it as well. I hope many people will come out to see it, since our group has put so much hard work into it.

Even though the play should turn out wonderfully, it will be, I think, a very difficult Christmas, since my aunt died only several weeks ago. It will be especially hard for my Grandfather, whom my aunt lived with & helped care for. We will all miss her & our Christmas program we are dedicating to her this year. I hope that everyone out there will cherish every moment & memory they have with their loved ones, for we never know when it will be the last.

I apologize for making the post such a melancholy one. On a more cheerful note, I thought I might post a picture of two adorable kittens.



God bless to everyone,
Sarah

Apple Pie

Last night my Mother wanted me to make an apple pie for my Grandfather, which for me is another very fall dessert. I was going to take a picture this morning, but before I could get one taken, the pie was completely gone. I can say that it was very delicious, since my family was nice enough to save me a slice. I thought I would post the recipe that I used.

Sarah's Fall Apple Pie:
10 fresh apples, peeled & sliced, length wise
2 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground Jamaican allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tbsps brown sugar
1/4 tsp stevia

Crust: (for 9" pie pan)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 pinch salt
1 tsp baking soda or powder
3/4 to 1 cup warm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil, optional

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all filling ingredients first to allow the flavors to mix together & let sit. Mix all dry ingredients for crust first, then the water & oil(?). Roll the dough out, then lightly oil the pan, if you didn't add oil to the crust batter. Press the dough into the pan, then place in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, depending upon how brown you want your inner crust to be. After browning inner layer of crust, remove & pour in apple filling, then place top layer of crust over the apples, crimping sides when done. Place back in oven for 40-55 minutes, depending again on how brown you want your crust. When pie is baked to satisfaction, let set for a short while, then serve with favorite topping or on its own merit.

Although I didn't get any photos of my pie, I found one that looked just about as delicious as my pie.





I hope you enjoy it as much as my family & I did.
God bless,
Sarah Grace

Autumn Thoughts

I think autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. The beauty of the leaves turning colors on the trees. The sound of the leaves crackling a wonderful harmony beneath your feet. The sight of the birds flying south in pursuit of warm & toasty resting place. The hot apple cider with its rich spicy aroma. The sweet taste of the maple syrup from the mighty maple trees. The taste of pumpkin pie & turkey that reminds me of family, both here & gone. All these things are what fall means to me.



I went looking at photos of the beauty of fall & found some wonderful images of what I think of when someone says autumn to me & I thank the Lord that He gave us eyes to see the beauty that is around us.

Hello To All

Hello to everyone. As you can see this is my first post on my first blog, so please bear with me. I have wanted to start a blog for a long time, but have never had the courage to do so before. Now I am ready to give it a go & see what happens.
God bless,
Sarah