Poll Results

The results are in…Elizabeth Bennet wins first place with 16 votes, Elinor Dashwood is second with 10, Fanny Price is third with 5, Emma Woodhouse is fourth with 4, Marianne Dashwood and Anne Elliot were tied for fifth with 3 apiece, and dear Catherine Morland is last with a mere 2.

Sincerely,
Miss S.

A 50's Girl at Heart

I admit, I'm a 50's girl. Almost everything from that era appeals to me. The fashions, the cars, the lifestyles…why do I like it so much? I recently made myself a 50's style dress. I plan on making another. I'm drawn to that whole "Housework in heels" look. I like their movies and music. I've been told I would fit in one or two hundred years ago, but I would feel much more at home fifty years ago. What is it about the 50's that intrigues me so much? Is anyone else drawn to an era, or is it just me?

Sincerely,

Miss S.

Long Time No Post ... And Scones!

Umm…sorry. I've been rather busy, with school starting up and the like. I also got the opportunity to work at the Scone Booth at the Western Washington State Fair! My mom would drop me off at the gate at around quarter to four, where I would meet up with two of my friends. We'd walk to the scone booth, sign in, grab an apron, wash our hands, put gloves on, and begin "sconing" at four. For those of you who are unaware as to what a scone is (don't worry, you're not alone, there were probably hundreds of people who came up to the window asking "What's a 'Fisher' Scone?") I shall tell you. A scone is a small-ish sweet biscuit with butter and raspberry jam. 'Fisher' is just the company name.

So here's the way it works. It all begins with a "Just add water" scone mix. The mixers mix it, the dough table kneads it, cuts it, and puts it on a tray, the baker slides a tray into the big oven and when the scones are cooked he slides it out and dumps the scones on the "hot table" where myself and five others butter, jam, and bag the scones in an assembly line manner.

Hot scones still on the tray

We did fun stuff like sculpting the butter when we had a free minute or two. This is a whale that we named Percy.

The hot table. First the butter person pops the scone open and adds butter. They slide the scone to the jammer who spoons a spoonful of jam into it. They then slide the scone to the bagger who puts the scone in the bag and places it on a tray.

Scones in their individual bags

This is our lovely booth

Again, I'm sorry for not posting in a while. At least this time I have an excuse! Until next time…

Sincerely,

Miss S.

A Lady's Heart--Modesty

Modesty is a touchy subject. However, it is a subject that needs desperately to be touched on. Many people equate modesty with looking frumpy and dull. Others think of modesty as a set of legalistic rules. True modesty is neither. True modesty begins with a modest heart. If your heart is truly modest, then a desire to dress modestly will spring forth from that.

Modesty has a lot to do with guardianship. Guarding our bodies, guarding our hearts, and in part, guarding the hearts of our brothers in Christ. We guard our bodies by saving what is intimate only for our husbands (or our future husbands); as opposed to flaunting what we've got. We guard our hearts by acting in a modest manner; as opposed to being flirtatious or beguiling. We guard our brother's hearts by not luring them into thinking impure thoughts; as opposed to being a stumbling block by the way we dress.

This last statement is the one I am going to focus on here. Men--good men--appreciate modesty. In their own words they state:

"For those of you trying to be modest, thank you, thank you, thank you! I certainly notice it and am grateful for it. For those of you who aren't sure about modesty, it is hard enough for us guys as it is; please don't make it harder."

"When a girl dresses modestly, it helps to cut down on temptation drastically. Physical purity for guys is just as hard as emotional purity is for girls. Modesty actually makes a girl more beautiful because it shows where her heart is before God."

"As a Christian guy, modesty is SO attractive. I don't mean attractive in a lustful way, but that to see a girl living out God's standards in her life really is beautiful. And you have no idea just how much you would be helping your Christian brothers by being modest. We're not trying to blame you for our impurity, that's between us and God, but you can do so much to encourage and help us in our battle by being modest."

So what is modesty? It's clear that it isn't merely covering a certain number of square inches, but there surely must be some guidelines. For me, if I feel fidgety or self-conscious in something, if it feels uncomfortably tight or short or low, if it draws to much attention to areas that should not draw attention, I consider it immodest. Each day I stand in front of my full length mirror and say to myself, "If I were a guy seeing a girl wearing this, would I stumble?" I ask this question of myself several times. There have been times when I answered yes, so I changed. My goal is to honor God by not causing my brothers in Christ to stumble in their walk with Him.

You can find several more articles pertaining to modesty here, here, and here.

Some scriptures to read and consider would be 1 Peter 3:3, Proverbs 31:30, and 1 Timothy 2:9.

Sincerely,
Miss S.

Note: All quotes in italics are taken from the Rebelution's Modesty Survey. A resource that I HIGHLY recommend.

A Lady's Heart--A Gentle & Quiet Spirit

"But let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3:4

What does it mean to be gentle? There are different types of gentleness. There is gentleness of speech, and there is gentleness of actions. There is one who gently comforts when someone is sad, and one who gently soothes when someone is angry.

Let us take a moment to look up the word gentle. The Encarta Dictionary describes it as "having a mild and kind nature or manner" and "having a gracious and honorable manner".

It is a very disagreeable thing to see someone who is not gentle. You can almost tell by the tone of their voice that they are harsh or rowdy. For example (I like examples) let's say a little boy is crying. A very obnoxious girl comes up to him and says in a rough voice, "Stop crying you crybaby! Do you know how obnoxious that is?!?" Another girl would come up to him a moment later and tenderly say, "It's all right. You're going to be okay. Will you tell me why you're crying?" You see, the behavior of the first is hostile and unfavorable. On the other hand, the second is gentle and kind.

A gentle voice is a wonderful quality in a girl. In Proverbs 15:1 it says "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Here is a quote from the book Beautiful Girlhood:

"A girl is known by her words. Generally the first impression she makes upon strangers is made by her speech. Some remark falls upon their ears, and they form an opinion of the speaker founded upon the nature of that remark. If she is heard speaking considerately and sympathetically, they think of her as kind and agreeable; but if she is loud and boisterous in her speech, or if her remark is unkind and spiteful, they form the opposite opinion…Every girl should form the habit of speaking in a gentle tone. While she is young the vocal organs can be trained to give out soft tones. Who is it who does not admire a soft and tender tone in a woman's voice? I have always felt sorry for older women who have from childhood spoken in a loud or harsh tone of voice, for it is practically impossible for them to do otherwise now. But girls can have gentle voices if they will."

Other scriptures to read and consider would be Galatians 5:23, Ephesians 4:2, Philippians 4:5, Colossians 3:12, 1 Timothy 6:11, and Titus 3:2.

Stay tuned for the upcoming article on modesty.

Sincerely,
Miss S.