the prep:
i have been so enjoying my 1840s sewing, that i wanted to make mia's dress from that period also.
my inspiriation came from two dresses i found in research, one from "Godey's Lady's Book" 1841, and one from "English Childrens' Costume" 1840. Both were made of white linen, and had ruching on the skirt. so i made mia's dress from white linen too. the bodice and sleeves were also inspired by my favorite sewing book, "The Workwomans Guide" 1838. It was a joy to make to make, and heavy when it got wet in the baptisimal font..
the day:
baptized by daddy
afterwards
we took mia out for lunch afterwards, and gave her her first official scripture set, a blue quad with her name engraved. she was incredibly nervous for today and absolutley beautiful! it's very hard to put into words waht a day like today means. i cried happy tears. mia was born shortly after tashi was baptized, and i remember thinking, 8 more whole years until we have another baptism. 8 years? 8 years that have flown past.
today is also prom (we wouldn't have chosen both to fall on the same day, but the scheduling of both events was out of our hands), and lexi's whole prom group joined us at the baptism. two in the group aren't members of our church, but were good sports and came along. lexi gave a wonderful impromptu talk on the Holy Ghost (bishop had a busy week, and forgot to assign speakers). tashi gave a lovely prayer. gracie was reverant for the first half, and then did her best to be the most disruptive child in history. but it was a beautiful day all around.
the morning of february 4th was cold, very cold, about 12 degrees F, cold enough to postpone the re-enactment of the nauvoo exodus from 8:00 (when we showed up) to 9:30 in hopes that it would be a little warmer.
a little warmer......
that is a great idea....if only the early saints could have postponed their exodus..... it didn't feel right to me to be able to postpone ours.
in spite of our late start, it was a day we will remember. we began by enjoying hot chocolate and tasty treats the the family living center, then headed out into the elements. we had three small children (7 years, 4 years, & 20 months) bundled with layers and layers of long johns, jackets, and coats. and we were all cold. very cold. when it was all over, 1 1/2 hours later, we got into our car, equipped with heater, drove home in warmth, relaxed in our (warm) home, ate yummy (warm) food, and i even crawled into my cozy (warm) bed and fell asleep for 3 hours! (whew! that 1 1/2 hours in a cold wagon was exhausting!)
in contrast, our forebears left with children bundled against the cold, but no high tech coat or glove insulation, no cars with heaters, no yummy food or easy way of heating it up, no warm cozy beds, no way to escape the elements, no hope for warmth at all until spring/summer, and no hope for warm homes and cozy beds until they reached their destination and built them. something like 17 women gave birth on the banks of the mississippi that first night. the temperatures dropped to 30 below within the week. incredible. unbelievable. i can't even begin to imagine giving birth in that kind of cold, and trying to keep the baby warm. it makes me want to cry. and i did shed tears as i tried to keep gracie (who didn't want to keep her mittens on, but then cried & cried because her hands were so cold) warm, and i tried to imagine knowing that we wouldn't be warm again for months. it is not a wonder that so many died. it is rather a miracle that so many lived. i asked mia & noah (when they were complaining about the cold) how they would feel if they couldn't go home and get warm. mia said with her typical bluntness, "i would want to die." and i agreed. honestly. at the time, we were very near the memorial buit for those who died crossing the plains. it was a very poignant experience, and reminds me of this poignant experience, which i relived on a jog yesterday morning.
the temple looking down on horses & wagons waiting to depart
wagons ready to roll
re-enactors passing the seveties hall on parley street (the trail of tears/hope)
oxen watching the wagons pass, near the seventies hall
at the frozen mississippi
hyrum (a friend), mia, and gracie waiting to begin. they are wearing cards (you can see hyrum's) that say "remember, oh remember" and have names and information representing people who left nauvoo on the first day of the exodus.
this is what the ground looked like where there wasn't pavement....corn husks frozen into the mud. bleak & unfriendly.
after taking tashi's no-brace birthday photos, we drove around on the flats (she did the driving...it's a challenge to get her required driving hours in at this time of year with icy roads)....and i asked her to pull over every time i saw a good vantage point for a photo, and snapped photos of the temple in the snow, then experimented with editing them.
from partridge street:
from knight street: the setting sunlight glinting off the eastern windows was irresistable
the lowering sun behind joseph & hyrum over the mississippi, from wells street:
from knight street, near bluff street:
from bluff street:
which are your favorites?
my replication of the national flag presented by the relief society to joseph smith at the laying of the cornerstone of the nauvoo temple, april 1841.
red, off-white, and blue silk twill. hand stitched (no sewing machines in 1841). each red and white strip is 6 feet long and takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours to hand stitch with a felled seam. i love how hand stitching creates a dimpled texture and fabric. and in this silk, creates even more motion as the light refelcts on the tiny hills and valleys.
the flag is commissioned by artist and friend michael bedard, who is featured in this meridian magazine article. the third photo down shows him working on the painting that will feature this flag.
i have thouroughly enjoyed the research for this project, particulary that done at the daughters of the utah pioneers museum last month. we are striving for historical accuracy, and i love a challenge, especially if it involves history.
i walked down parley to the mississippi today (3 mile round trip) and it was a breathtaking sight. the river has melted and huge chunks of ice have been thrown up on the shore.
the waterfowl were ecstatic.
when i turned around to walk home, there was the temple on the hill.
not as beautiful in the winter without snow, but it unexpectedly gave me a thrill.
we've been here for almost 6 months, but the beauty and wonder of living here haven't worn off yet. i keep falling in love with nauvoo over and over again.
yesterday was the first sunday, and my turn to give the relief society lesson of our presidency's choice. i felt strongly that it should given on sister beck's talk at the general relief society meeting on sept 27: so powerful, so important, not popular (she dares to say what many are reluctant to hear), but a landmark talk. i love it.
"We rejoice in the knowledge that you are going about doing good, as the
Savior did. You are doing a magnificent work. Yet we feel impressed to
say that there is more to be done. We have sought inspiration from the
Lord to know how to assist the priesthood in building up the kingdom of
God on the earth. It is time for Relief Society to fulfill its purpose
as never before. To move forward and achieve what the Lord desires, we
must clearly understand the purpose of Relief Society."
Julie B Beck, 2008
“there is a power in this organization that has not yet been fully exercised to strengthen the homes of Zion and build the Kingdom of God—nor will it until both the sisters and the priesthood catch the vision of Relief Society"Spencer W Kimball, 1976
"We can do the work of the Lord in His way when we seek, receive,
and act on personal revelation. Without personal revelation, we cannot
succeed. If we heed personal revelation, we cannot fail. The prophet
Nephi instructs us that the Holy Ghost will show us “all things what
[we] should do.” It was prophesied that in the latter days the Lord would pour out His Spirit upon His handmaids.
This will happen as we allow ourselves to be still enough and quiet
enough to listen to the voice of the Spirit. Elder Neal A. Maxwell
taught us that receiving revelation for our calling and in our personal
lives “requires serious mental effort on our part. . . . Revelation is
not a matter of pushing buttons, but of pushing ourselves, often aided
by fasting, scripture study, and personal pondering.“Most
of all, revelation requires us to have a sufficient degree of personal
righteousness, so that on occasion revelation may come to the
righteous, unsolicited.”
Julie B beck, 2008
we awoke on sunday morning to our first snow in nauvoo, and a power outage. so we started our first fire in the fireplace, and decorated our tree while snow fell quietly outside. our church meetings don't start until 2:00 (!), and so we had a wonderfully cozy morning at home.
some of my favorite antiques are gathered 'round the tree... 1850's princess feather quilt and 1890s nine-patch snowball baby quilt on the quilt rack, green baby cradle full of christmas books, and 1890s red & white drunkards path quilt wrapped around the tree. this year's tree is our all-time favorite, we all agree. it's warm glow lights up the house and almost takes me by surprise every time i come up or down stairs or walk in the room. the tree itself was my christmas present last year.
tashi took this photo of the tree in the foreground, and snowfall through the window.
and we enjoyed the "little people" thanksgiving set so much....
that we got the nativity set, complete with the inn, the stable, and the wise men. the kids are loving it, and i am too.
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