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

Well I have finally realized that I have not posted the pictures from my sister and I's trip to London and Bath England this past September! We had a wonderful time touring with Jennie Chancey and all of our new friends from the Sense and Sensibility patterns forum. Jennie has great patterns and we loved getting to meet her! I have told you all before that we go and help out Jennie's mom Mrs. Need quite a lot since she lives in West Virginia only 2 hours from us. So we wanted to meet the daughtar we had practically met on the internet and talked to her mom, but not her yet. we also were quite interested in studying antique clothing and going to the Jane Austen festival! It was a dream and I still can't belive it really happened! So here is the story of my adventures with my best friend Beth my sister in England.

We were picked up in the London airport by our tour guide named Nigel! Yes Nigel! He had a great accent and was very wonderful at telling all of London's history on our tour we took around the city in our bus excuse me I mean Coach!

Then we stopped off at the hotel to get all of bags and stuff in our rooms. We were a group of 25 so here is all of us in the hotel!

You can see Beth next to me in the blue scarf, she has red hair and I have brown hair. My new best friend Ana is right there in the front with the tan bag. I had not met her yet here! But she is such a dear and we call each other at least once a week if possible now! She lives in Alabama.

We also stopped off at Buckingham palace to take a look. We did not get tickets in time online to take a tour but this was fine for me. I was so glad to see many other things while we were there. We were in London 7 days and you can only do so much in so little time.

Then we went and saw the Church called St. Pauls it was beautiful!

Then we were aloud to have free time. So Bethany and I went with our new friend Sarah Arnold on the tube(metro in plane english right?) to the tour of London were I know its unpleasant many people were beheaded. It ended up at we ate lunch sitting next to the tours and never went inside that day because we talked for hours with Sarah getting to know her and she told us her testimony of finding Jesus. It was wonderful.

Beth and I in front of the walled city and the tour of London is inside. We did don't worry go and see it and the Crown jewels our last day in London with Sarah and Ana.

We got some sandwhiches and we were set to talk and talk. We were tired and jet lagged so this was great to take a rest and just go and tour the tour our last day instead, which was a free day so we had the time.

Eating lunch in front of the tour. Beth took all pics by the way, she was there.

Here she is with Sarah in front of this ginormous you know those time thingys! lol

They call trash litter or rubbish in England! lol Just had to add that.

And no this is not the London bridge! Its the other one that gets mistaken for being the London bridge. Unfortunately I did not get a pic of the London bridge. Oh well. Don't remember the name of this one either. lol

This is the Big Ben and its actually not a clock, its a bell tour by the way!

The next day was friday and we toured the Globe where shakespeare's plays were done way back when with the rest of our group. It was wonderful! On wednesday we got to see the play As You Like It. I was not permitted to take pictures unfortunately during the play. But here is the Globe tour.

Waiting to take our tour in the museum building, no this is not the Globe itself.

The door to the inside of the Globe was huge!

It was huge and beautiful!

We all walked up the stairs to get a view from the balcony where in Shakespeares time all of the richer people would have been. All of the poor people would have been standing in front of the stage. We stood for the play on wednesday night, except for Jennie and Matt and a few of the ladies in our group. Obviously Jennie being pregnant did not want to stand. But it was great for all the rest of us to be scushed! No I mean to be able to be right next to the actors, we had a great view and could hear easily. No mics mind you! All just there voices!

Our tour guide was Kitty who is in the black and white and the white hat. She had a great knowledge of the times of Shakespeare and was very informative.

We were right down there in front of the stairs wednesday night for the play!!

My sister Bethany is in the front row with the red hair. I am in the back with the curly brown hair and blue shirt and grey sweater on the far left.

They had a model of the Globe in the museum.

We saw on the time line in the Shakespeare museum next to the Globe, that they had the Geneva Bible on the time line! Thought that was cool!

Of course I was thrilled to see all the period instruments of the time!!!

Next our group was given a costume try on of some of the clothes from their shakespeare production of one of the plays. All I know is this costume is for Cecilia, not sure what play its from. But Courtney from our group was used as the person who got to try on the clothes!!

Putting on the skirt and tying it to the corset.

All done!

Isn't she beautiful!

Lol here is some of our group trying to figure out how to get to somewhere! I am not sure which day or where we were trying to go! But the bus map was confusing! lol

Still trying to figure it out! lol I think we might have been trying to go to a market that day.

On sunday we were going to go to Westminster Abby for church in the morning before we went to the Tab, but we were late and could not go inside the Priest would not let us come in! But it was beautiful to look at the outside.

We did go to Westminster Cathedral for the last 20 minutes for so of the service.

I don't have a whole thing of that church unfortunately.

But we did go to the whole service at the Tabernacle, it was a reformed church and everyone was so friendly and it was great! I enjoyed it and the sermon and music were so encouraging!

The outside of the Tabernacle was beautiful, but I can't find a picture of the outside! This is the church Spurgeon went to so that is why it was so significant! They remodeled the inside unfortunately in the 70's!! So the outside is old, but not the inside.

We got pictures of the group of us outside the Raphael Light exhibit. We did not want to stand in line for 3 hours to go in, so we went to get ice cream instead and then hit the London art gallery and portrait galleries.

We also went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and that was one of the high lights for both Beth and I in London besides new friends and the London museum where we got actually look at and study antique garments that were not in cases on tables and on manicans up close. I am not aloud to post pics of those garments unfortunately for copy right reasons.

Here is a beautiful regency gown that was in the V&A! Love it! the embroidery was wonderful!

For some reason my computer is not letting me upload more pictures. I will try later to upload for clothing and more of our adventures in England. Don't worry you will get the whole story!

God bless,

Rebecca

I put this picture at the top by accident, but I love this picture of my sister Beth and my dad with her. She made his outfit and her own, she is quite the seimtress, I sew some due to her patience as a teacher.

Here are the photos from the Gettysburg 4th of July reenactment 2009 that my mother, father, sister, and I attended along with our friends from the ACCS reenacting group. here is the ACCS website www.underonebanner.com

Here is the camp, we hung out here with the Wilcox's and the union band that they are apart of. Here I think my mom in the pink dress, Bethany's creation and my dad are talking with friends.

Mom in the pink and Dad with the plaid pants eating.

I love this picture of my dad with his smart outfit made by Beth.

Here our friend Caleigh is teaching my parents how to do the civil war style waltz. My dad insisted he learn to dance with all three of his ladies!

I love thsi one of my mom and dad both in sink togeather!

Dad has big eye about something.

The sunset of starting in this photo.

And the happy couple for the world to see there wonderful attire made by Beth.

And here dancing with Beth, I did all the photos, so there are none of me with Dad.

This one and the one of Beth looking up at the Dad are my favorites!

Here they are in the barn at the real dance!

During the day, making sure we drink enough water!!

Lunch is served!

We were all going to the Wilcox's wedding renewal.

Beth lost here hat in the process! lol

My good friend Lindsey took this photo of Beth and I on our picnic on friday. The reenactment was a whole weekend. We got up there thursday and came back sunday night.

Bethany and some of the girls ready to go on the picnic!

We head off to the picnic!

Our picnic before we had to move due to the live morter rounds they were going to fire for the battle! We did not want to be in the middle of war zone! literally! No real bullets, but still dangerous.

Beth and Caleigh sewing away, while Hannah in the pink is relaxing! lol

Lindsey caught me like a dear in the headlights in this photo! lol

Abby Caleigh's little sister was just waking up from her nap.

my Dad with Timmy! too cute! Dad's hat was little too big for him. lol

The wedding renewal of Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox.

A very happy bride and a proud groom!

There I posted some of the many pictures from the event. I will probably post more in the future from this event, but for now here is a little taste of the 1860's life.

In Christ and for his covenants,

Rebecca