Hearts Full of Joy

in progress

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.

new-ness

i love january's fresh new feeling. i love change and new-ness. and i love bright sunny january days, which have been abounding. we've had amazingly mild weather after our snow and ice storms cleared away. the squirrels seem to be enjoying it too. (is it their mating season???) our yard is filled with silly, giddy squirrels chasing each other around the tree tops and across the lawn. yesterday we counted eight at one time. with no leaves on the trees it is easy to watch their antics, and they put on quite a show.

i am a picky reader...i want to read books that are:
interesting & thought provoking
well written
uplifting & edifying
captivating
and....
clean

i find it increasingly difficult to find books that meet these criteria. (couldn't jane austin have written more?) but it feels so good when i do. i just finished "the five people you meet in heaven", and loved it.

two new books that i am enjoying are:
"quilts & women of the mormon migrations"

i bought this at the daughters of the utah pioneers museum when i was in uath. i love all things to do with antique quilts and history...but still, i am impressed with this book beyond what i expected.

"fashions & costumes from godey's  lady's book" (the vogue magazine of the 1800s)

this is my newest passion....recreating 1800s fashions. i will be posting more on this soon.

and i am currently reading about eight other books....i like it that way.

here's a fun new thing that a great friend who is full of helpful provident living info taught me:

 

sprouting green onions! did you know that you can cut them down to the last 2 inches or so of the bulbs, put them in water, and grow them again? this is one week into our experiment. she says we can expect to get 3 or 4 cuttings from them.

i've exercised every day since i've been home from utah (starting dec 19th), except sundays, and christmas & new year's days. and i've done yoga on most of those days. it FEELS SO GOOD!!! when i'm in an exercising groove i can't imagine why i wouldn't want to exercise. when i'm out of the groove, i can't imagine getting back in. in june, i posted this, hoping that moving wouldn't throw off my fitness groove. well it did throw it off, and my new calling didn't help. time to get it together again.

christmas in old nauvoo

our weekend of "christmas in old nauvoo" is in full swing, and we are loving it!
last night we were treated to a fireside by our friend kim & her son who are descendants of joseph & emma - wonderful! i cried, and cried, (typical of me..tears flow easily, especially where emma is concerned) and hearing three of kim's songs arranged so beautifully on guitar, violins, and bass was amazing. she told the story of the smith family from the martyrdom onwards and emphasized the importance of unity, love, forgiveness and healing in families - excellent!
today brock and i are helping with "breakfast with emma" and a dinner with the pratts and others, both at the nauvoo house.
tomorrow the christmas walk, lexi sings at the tree lighting, baptisms at the temple & gingerbread houses with the rodenbergs, family photos by gloria, and more.

two days later, i'm adding photos of the dinner show rehearsal:

my drunkard's path quilt came out from under our tree to add to the nauvoo house decor.

 

princess feather & nine-patch snowball quilts were there too.

thanksgiving

this may be the cutest toy ever....i love getting educationl and meaningful toys for my kids that are fun too. i got a great deal on this mayflower & thanksgiving feast set, and the three youngest LOVE it! without having any desire to promote a toy company, let me share that my last three toy purchases (gracie's doll house, noah's castle, and now this) have been from fisher price, and all have been toys that the three youngest have enjoyed playing with together ( 2 girls & a boy, ranging from 1 to 7) quite remarkable, and it makes me happy.

i hope it helps them to gain a better understanding of and appreciation for thanksgiving. i do love thanksgiving, and i hope they will too. there are so many reasons to love thanksgiving: history, food, family, friends, but most importantly the concept of gratitude.

brock & i were assigned to speak in church last sunday. the first time i have spoken in english to an english congregation in at least 8 years. so lucky that we were asked to speak about thanksgiving and gratitude.

have you noticed that it is impossible to feel proud or sad or angry while feeling grateful? it's great therapy. the lord knows that it makes us happy and humble, and that is why he asks us to do it.

i talked about that, and other things, and also about this:

on oct 3, 1863, abraham lincoln called for a national day of thanksgiving on the 4th thursday of november.

two and a half years into the civil war, with no end in sight (another year and a half of fighting left). such a dark time in u.s. history, and this is what lincoln had to say:

"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union."

i absolutely adore lincoln, and am continually amazed by his insight, intelligence, wisdom, and courage. i cannot deny that i the spirit of the lord flowing through his writings. and i am inspired that he called for a day of thanksgiving (which had not consistently been practiced up to this time), giving credit to god for so many blessings, when things were so very bleak. 

(not exactly what i said in my talk, but what i really feel)

i am fighting off a cold and feel heavy, thick, and mushy.....hope this post makes sense.

geneology

here is a fun website to spend some time on, also introduced to me by my friend kim:

nauvoopageantcousins.org

through it i have discovered  that i have common ancestors with joseph smith, brigham young, wilford woodruff, parley p pratt, heber c kimball, eliza r snow, and many others. brock also has common ancestors, different from mine, with all of the above plus emma hale smith, mary fielding smith, elijah fordam, and others.

plus, i have found more than one family connection to most of the above, because although they didn't know it at the time, they were all related to each other. so our children are related to most of the above in more than one way.

so far all of my connections have come through my great grandfather roland woodruff fish, and all of brock's have come through his great grandfather david fisk stout.

type in your name and your parents' names, and it will show you early saints that you are related to, and just how you are connected, from the common ancestor on down to you. i thought that i knew quite a bit about my ancestry, but this is all new to me.

i have felt my ancestors with me here in nauvoo, something i hadn't anticipated, and i am grateful.

emma

i was treated to an early preview of this book by my new friend kimberly, who is a 2nd great grandaughter of jospeh & emma smith. i have loved getting to know kim, and hearing her stories of her family, her conversion, and her feelings & impressions of joseph & emma.

this book will be available for purchase sometime soon, and I highly recommend it, especially if you love church history and emma smith, as i do. it has yummy looking recipes from emma, (i plan to try them soon) handed down through her family, and more importantly, recollections, memories, feelings, and experiences of her descendants. i haven't finished it yet, but am thoroughly enjoying it.

i have very deep & tender feelings for emma, and frequently weep when i think of her losses. living in nauvoo, being a relief society deep desire to learn more about her and understand her better.

lake erie

we made a stop at fairport harbor, where early saints had landed on their journey to kirtland. the weather was so nice we could have swam if we had planned accordingly. it was very lovely, with scenic lighthouses, warm crisp air, blue water, happy gulls, and clean sand.

this might be my favorite!

and here is a fun photo from a potty stop we made in spurgis, michigan ....amish shopping at walmart....

road trip to kirtland, ohio

we took last minute advantage of a free four day weekend, fabulous fall weather, and lower gas prices,  and threw the kids in the car after school on thursday and started driving east. we realized with reluctance that our 4 day weekend was really only 2, because we had stake conference. undaunted we traveled on. we crossed illinois, indiana, and most of ohio, savored kirtland, and made it back home again with a few detours, all in less than 48 1/2 hours - just in time for saturday evening conference. and it was worth it! the leaves were just changing. this weekend will be amazing. but we were still able to enjoy beautiful colors, and even better weather. the ohio turnpike was breathtaking. kirtland was compelling and inspiring. we loved it all, and felt to praise god for his blessings.

poignant

on monday for family home evening brock wanted to go to the old nauvoo burial grounds "before the weather gets too cold". it is just up the road from us, just past my regular turn-around point when i jog, but we still hadn't visited it yet. as we were crunching through the leaves, a gusty wind began to blow, and huge acorns were dropping from the trees with a regular consistency. it suddenly felt like a very appropriate moment in time to be there. much more so than if we had visited in the summer. it was poignant and touching, particularly because most of the people buried there were children.

at the entrance to the grounds there is part of a letter from phoebe woodruff to her husband wilford in england, telling him of the death of their daughter on July 17, 1840, 3 days after her second birthday, quoted:

"My dear Wilford, what will be your feelings when I say that yesterday i was called to witness the departure of our little Sarah Emma from this world. Yes, she is gone. The relentless hand of death has snatched her from my embrace. Ah, but she was too lovely, too kind, too affectionate to stay in this wicked world. Often when I have looked upon her, I have wondered how I could bear to lose her, especially with my dear companion absent from me.... Yes Wilford, we have one little angel in heaven, and I feel certain that her spirit has visited you before now."

i felt her loss, and the losses of so many others, and wept, and it took me quite some time to recover.

 

for mary:

currently reading & enjoying:

Nauvoo: a Place of Peace, a People of Promise
By Glen Leonard
a very detailed account of the church in nauvoo, reasearched for 20 years. thought provoking and deep.

Emma's Nauvoo
By Ronald E. Romig
written by an RLDS (now Community of Christ) historian. it tells the story of emma smith after the exodus, through letters and recollections of others. interesting, although not extremely well put together.

The Five Love Languages
By Gary Chapman
a birthday gift from my mom, for HER birthday. she wants all of her children and their spouses to read it as a gift to her. i have long wanted to read it, and i am loving it. EXCELLENT marriage book. it is also helpful for parenting and other loving relationships. (the author has written more books focusing on children, teens, etc).

The Mother's Book
By Mrs. Child, author of "the Frugal Housewife," "Evenings in New England," etc.
1831
this was a find i made in Joseph smith's red brick store on monday. (it is a reprint, and not the original.) I am thoroughly enjoying reading the advice on mothering that was new and revolutionary in 1831. and i agree with much of it. what a treasure! i love history, especially this era, the early 1800s. and i love motherhood, so this is a delightful book for me to read.

The Workwoman's Guide:
By a Lady
1838
this was my ultimate find in the red brick store. (i was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful collection of items from the past that are for sale in the red brick store). i'm so excited! this book shows in highly detailed drawings and explanations how to make all types of clothing and household linens, baskets, bonnets, draperies, etc for a household in the early 1800s. i love it, i love it, i love it! oh, the section on baby's clothing and linens! i want to make them all - so precious. so beautiful. i want to photograph the illustrations for you, but alas, no camera lens as of yet *sigh*. i will post more about this book later. i won't be able to resist.

i suppose, or rather am quite sure, that i am odd. very few people would find many of these books, especially the last two, at all interesting, and they are my two favorite. i have always loved the past, and longed for it's simplicity. longed for a better understanding of those who lived before. i dislike the word "trendy" very much. to me it has very negative connotation. and i am continually surprised to find it used in ways that people perceive as positive. i strive to avoid trendiness. my first college major was history, my degree is in clothing and textiles, and those are two of my great loves. and hence my love of antique quilts, and most things antique. this last book is a blending of my favorite things, and makes me very happy. this week i also unpacked some beloved textile books from my university days that i haven't seen for 13 years or so (yes, we are still unpacking). they have been in storage, awaiting retrieval. one of my favorites is "history of costume". i love to turn through its pages. i would love to do some work in this area. and i'm living in a great place to do it. i just need to discover what it will be.