Sorry I am so late in posting this. I thought I would be able to do it on sunday or on monday, but hence it was the Lord's will. My family and I went early saturday morning to gettysburg, PA to pick up some fabric, buttons, trim, etc. for our winter coats and some other things we intend to make for our civil war reenacting attire. Then we went on to our friends the Yerger's house to have dinner and then we went to a civil war dance demostration with them and our friend Lindsey as well. It was a great time. I only danced with girls and my dad, but it was so much fun, I loved it and learned a lot! Then we stayed for church on sunday at the yerger's house and then did not get home till 6 or 7 that night. So its been a while since I have had time to blog.

On monday morning my computer was hit by a virus. It was horrible!!! It was a virus that discises itself as a virus protection program and I did not know that it had hit my computer until it said it was infected with it!!! My dad was able to fix it by that evening after a few hours of getting rid of it!! I am so thankful for my dad's computer expertise or else I would have lost all of my pictures I am posting from the trip to England!!! And I would have lost the rest of our families pictures. As I am the one that takes pictures in our family on my own camera, all the pictures get dumped onto my laptop. Eventually I think I will try and put them on photobucket. Maybe over thanksgiving next week. WOW I can't believe thanksgiving is next week!!

So here I am after a great deals of things going on, I have also been sewing a civil war coat called a Paletote for myself monday, tuesday, and I will be tonight trying to finish it. So its been busy in the school, sewing, and organizing, and piano and singing department. I sang the solo last friday night also in my choir's performance at a local nursing home. The people at the nursing home really enjoyed it and I enjoyed singing for them even though it was like an oven temperature wise in there! lol

I also helped my sister re-arrange her room totally yesterday afternoon and it looks great and she can find things now. We even hung up an embroidered wall hanging that her best friend Jennifer had sewn for her for christmas last year. It says"She worketh willingly with her hands." from Proverbs 31 and that is a complete description of my sister. She sews and gives and works with hands for the Lord all the time. She loves the way it looks in her room. An antique sewing machine from her great grandmother is in the corner. Its vintage, but electrical and in a wooden cabinet. Its an old singer and looks great with a dried vase of flowers and a picture of our family and her latest knitting project on top. I am going to vacuum it for her today. She never vacuums, so it needs it! :) My grandparents are coming monday for thanksgiving and will be there until the 10th of december I believe. So we needed it look good for their arrival, since my grandmother will be sleeping in there I believe.

So after all that today my sister and I were in our chemistry class with some other homeschoolers and a friend of ours in the class has Lime's deseise and she fainted during class. All the other kids did not notice except me since I sit in front of her and I checked if she was still breathing and my teacher administered her meds not until after she was conscious. My sister sugguested making the meds which were tablets crushed and then mixed in water. My teacher gave it to her and she felt a lot better. But God is good and she is better now and was ok. It was a scare for me as I had never been in a situation like that before. So please pray for her as she has a tough time with her glucose levels going down and up and then it makes her faint. Pray for good health and no more fainting for her over the holidays!

Well I am sorry I am talking so much. But here are the Bath extension photos.

Our first stop on the way to Beth was Jane Austen's house!!! I was so excited as was Beth and the rest of our group!

we have arrived!

that is the outside and inside of the kitchen and thats Matt and Jennie Chancey looking inside.

"What a happy thought a closet with shelves!!" -Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice

this is the closet in Jane Austen and her sister Kassandra's room. I did not know she had a sister until I visited her house and we watched a video they show to visitors about her family and life.

Here is myself on the left and Cassie one of the young ladies who also went on the trip examining a dress that is in Kassandra and Jane's room. It is reproduction from the era. The bed I am thinking it not original either.

Another repro gown.

I loved the quilt!

Another bed room.

The writing desk in the parlor.

This is the parlor I believe, some of the other ladies on our trip were able to play the piano which is from the early 1800's and I also got to play it! It was beautiful!

The window in the gift shop next to the house.

Don't you love the flowers trailing up the side of the house!

We had to take some pictures in the lovely garden outside the house.

Next we all headed down to Jane's church to see her grave and memorial after lunch.

The Cathedral was stunning inside and out!

Jane Austen's memorial

Katrina and Jennie take pictures of the memorial to Jane Austen.

Jane's grave stone was in the floor of the cathedral that was where she went to church.

I will post the Jane Austen festival next in the Bath!

In Christ,

Rebecca

Well today I was reading from the book Daughtars of Destiny by Noelle Wheeler and I read about Lady Jane Grey. When my sister and I were in London we got to go to Tower Hill where She was beheaded. Now she was not like King Henry the 8th many wives. She was not murdered just because she was not cared for, she was murdered for her faith.

Jane was born in 1537 and near Leicester in her father's mansion of Bradgate near Leicester and we actually don't know her exact birthday. She was the eldest sister of 3 and her sister's names were May and Katherine. She was only 17 years of age when she was beheaded. She was strong in her faith, she was grounded in the truth of her Savior Jesus Christ. She was also a diligent pupil.

Here is a quote by Tennyson about her. "Seventeen- and knew eight languages- in music peerless-her needle perfect, and her learning beyond the churhmen; yet so meek, so modest, so wife-like humble to the trivial boy mismatched with her for policy! I have heard she would not take a last farewell to him; she feared it might unman him for his end. She could not be unmanned-no, nor outwomaned. Seventeen- a rose; rose never blew that equairled such a bud?"

In the end she was married to Lord Guilford Dudley, Jane only reigned along with her husband 9 days, Guilford's father had died and so the couple had been recently married and were only king and queen nine days. Although, the reasoning for her being beheaded along with her new husband was because Mary and Elizabeth wanted the throne and were therefore, being sentenced to death for high treason and were found guilty. They were removed to the tower after being found guilty for high treason. She wrote on her wall in the tower in latin this,which is in english,

" Believe not, man, in care's despite,
that thou from others' ills art free
The cross that now I suffer might
To-morrow haply fall on thee.

"Endless all malice, if our God is nigh;
Fruitless all pains, if He His help deny,
Patient I pass these gloomy hours away,
And wait the morning of eternal day."

She was strong, she was going to face death, but she did not say that death was bad here in this, she said I will face eternal day! She would be in eternity with her Savior!

Her husband was beheaded first, when they brought her out after he was dead, she saw his coffin there. And she said this to him," Oh Guilford! Guilford! death is not so bitter that you have tasted, and that I shall soon taste, as to make my flesh tremble- it is nothing compared to the feast that you and I shall this day partake in heaven."

She said this knowing that enduring that pain was nothing, it was felt like nothing for she would partake of the feast with her Lord in heaven that day and it was worth it! She could endure it. She prayed a prayer before she went out to the block.

When she laid her head on the block, this is what she said," Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit." This was February 12th, 1554.

Jane Grey was only seventeen, but she was grounded in her faith and her God was with her. I just can't imagine if I had to do that. I can't imagine knowing so much at such a young age, but I can imagine loving my Savior this much. I thought that her testimony as told my this book really was so encouraging and refreshing! I was able to walk where she walked in England and in the London Art Gallery I saw a portrait portraying her beheading before she was beheaded. She was blind folded and ready.

Just a side note the portrait is not grusome, she is still alive. I think its beautiful actually. When I was in england, I was taken aback by it and it even said in the description in the gallery that she died for her faith in the Lord and that she did not believe in the Catholic church, but was reforming as this was around the reformation.

Here is the portrait. http://images.easyart.com/i/prints/rw/en_easyart/lg/3/0/The-Execution-of-Lady-Jane-Grey--1833-Paul-Delaroche-300521.jpg

On a lighter note, I just loved her story so I posted it to encourage. Here are some pictures of my boots that are brown that I got at the thrift store on thursday for only 10 dollars!

Here they are! I love love love these brown boots! They are quite comfy and brown! I wanted brown and I got it! they will be so practical all winter and fall. They go with just about anything! A great wardrobe staple!

This skirt I am wearing a bohemian skirt I made this past summer using a tiered skirt tutorial that Shannon made over at her blog. ---->http://thoughtsandthimbles.blogspot.com/

My shirt is a Ann Taylor loft shirt I got for free actually! I do not shop at the Ann taylor loft store. I pick up sweaters and jackets that are that brand used at thrift stores and this one was free from friend's from church. My tee shirt underneath is one I have had for a long time. Can't remember the brand. And there you have it todays outfit. It was comfy to rake the yard with my dad and sister and pretty.

A better detail of the pattern on the skirt.

I had this fabric for about 2 or 3 years and I did some stash busting during the summer and made it using the skirt tutorial Shannon put togeather. It was easy for me considering I am not that great of a seamstress. No pattern, just measuring tape and photos on her blog to help me was great!

I will post more about a wool skirt I bought and I fixed to fit myself I got last week. A denim shirt dress I am using as a trech coat type thing and how I use scarves quite a lot to make an outfit complete. And how I got a white sweater and its warm and goes with everything. And the best part all of these options are thrifted! Love the thrift store!

God bless,

Rebecca