Busy Weekend!

Hubby Home!

After a week in Knoxville, my husband returned home last Friday from his business trip.  It's never fun to be alone while he's away, but I manage to pass the time somehow.  I watched a few movies, went for a drive, and just stayed cool while the world outside sweltered.  I'm glad he's home now, though, and enjoying his company once again, and we had a busy weekend together, as you will see below.  Yay!

Craft Show

Saturday morning, we ventured downtown looking for a place called Gaslight Gallery.  While hubby was gone, I saw an advertisement for a craft and art show that they put on during certain Saturdays in the summer, and I thought it would be a great idea for The Sunflower Tree to get some exposure.  The ad said that interested people needed to go to the gallery to fill out an application, pay for space, and have your work approved for the show.  So I took a bunch of notepads and we finally found the gallery after a bit of a goose chase.  I was told that the stationery should do very well, and was therefore approved!  Most craft shows in Ohio require a vendor's license for tax purposes, which is why I have not pursued this avenue up to this point, but perhaps if I do well here, I'll apply for a license and do some sales that way.  Here's hoping!

My helpers for the craft show

Hog Roast 
Saturday evening, we were invited to a hog roast and party by one of my husband's co-workers.  It was out in the country, there were three houses involved, and it was a great time, despite only knowing about four people of the hundred or so that were there.  It was a hot day, but once the sun went down, it cooled off nicely and we enjoyed live music and a great view of fireworks that were being shot off in a nearby town.  We stayed out later than we were used to, but it was a lot of fun.

E.P. Jones House

The next day, Sunday, there was an open house here in town to raise money for the renovation of a post-Civil War mansion that has been owned for years by a reclusive woman who recently passed away.  She willed the mansion to a friend/neighbor, who is considering renovating and restoring the building and possibly opening it up as a museum or living history site.  I've wanted to see the house ever since we moved here, and so I had to take the opportunity to take the tour through a house that had no air conditioning, despite another 90-degree day.  I headed over there in the early afternoon, and there was a bit of a wait, but it was worth it.  This was an amazing home at one time: amazing plaster and woodwork, three-story spiral stairs with a mural on the third floor ceiling (visible from the first floor), gold leaf details, original gas fixtures that were retro-fitted for electricity, 8 marble fireplaces, 12' ceilings, a third-floor ballroom, wine cellar in the basement...the list goes on and on.  I was able to take a few pictures of the interior before being told not to, and I've posted them below.  As you can see, the house has some problems, but it could be beautiful again!

Gold leaf detail, plaster moulding in the informal parlor

Ceiling detail in the informal parlor

Leaded glass dining room window

Dining room ceiling moulding

Ceiling detail of the formal parlor

Formal parlor ceiling detail

Front of Jones Mansion

Movie Date
We rounded out the busy weekend with the final Harry Potter movie.  The theater was having a $5.00/ticket deal, and we hadn't had the chance to see the movie yet, so we took advantage of the discount prices and finally saw it.  Pretty good, and I think it followed the book well.  I read the books years ago, and have a somewhat vague memory of the story, but I think they did a pretty good job.  Hard to believe that this franchise has been around for over ten years!  It doesn't seem like that long ago.  Time sure does fly!

I have a hard time not getting wrapped up in the events taking place in my own life.  My own little world is so nice and cozy, but when I'm in it, I can't possibly see what plans God has for me that I might be missing!  I'm sure I'm not the only one to fight this, right?  So, despite what excitement, or lack thereof, I might be experiencing, I must try to remember that it's not earthly goals and treasures that I should be focusing on. Philippians 3:12-14 says: "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  That's certainly where my eyes should be!  Where might yours be?

Little Projects

Looking For Something To Do?

The Meticulous Mr. Wooley

Within the past few years, I've taken up knitting and crocheting.  I don't claim to be an expert, or even proficient, at either hobby, but it is certainly a pleasant way to pass an evening while listening to my favorite television shows.  I did a lot of knitting and crocheting a few Christmases back to make gifts--mostly blankets, but I also made a few scarves, and I tried something that is so fun and easy to do called amigurumi.  This is, quite simply, making a cute little plush animal or toy.  I made a wool kitty cat out of the remains of a brown wool skein used to make a scarf for my husband (which sadly has gone missing).  I made the kitty cat and gave it to him, and he aptly named the little cat "Mr. Wooley".  Too cute!  I'd like to make more, and perhaps if I do get around to it I'll list them on the "for sale" page on this blog.  If you would like to see examples of what I'm describing, click here.  There are many other sites out there that offer free amigurumi patterns as well, but I find that these are great examples.  I have so many projects that I would like to start, and I just never seem to find or make time to do it.  Plus, I have a hard time starting something that takes a long time to finish, which is why I have so many started projects and few finished ones!  But that's where these patterns are good.  Depending on your level of skill, these cute little projects might only take two or three hours to finish.  Now, that's what I'm talking about!

The Civil War

Flags of Gettysburg

Some of you know that I recently blew through the documentary "The Civil War" by Ken Burns in three nights while my husband was away on business.  It's one of his favorite documentaries, so I don't know why it took this long for me to see it.  Of course, I didn't really have a strong interest in the Civil War until we took our trip to Gettysburg last fall (to view that blog entry, click here).  I have to say, I really liked the series.  (Side note: it will be airing on PBS starting April 3 at 8 pm in honor of the 150th anniversary of the start of the war).  While still heavily focusing on the slavery aspect of the war, it was very in-depth in portraying aspects of the war as seen from soldiers' and civilians' point-of-views.  There are a total of nine episodes, most running right around an hour in length (with the exception of the first episode), and each one is just as interesting as the one before.  I think that the person I enjoyed listening to most was author Shelby Foote, whose books we own but I have not yet read.  With a smooth, deep Southern drawl, he is shown in more interview segments than any other expert, and he lent a bit of humor to the documentary.  As it went on, I felt more and more like I was really understanding, and almost in a way, experiencing the battles for myself!  Very well done.  Another great aspect of the documentary was the wonderful soundtrack that accompanies the various segments.  This is a collection of common mid-1800s music that fit perfectly.  From the theme song "Ashoken Farewell" to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", to "Lorena" and "Dixie", the songs feel familiar and comfortable regardless of whether you've heard them before or not.  I think I will have to add both the documentary and the soundtrack to my ever-growing list of things that I would like to buy someday.  Summary: If you are ever looking for something to watch one night, cue this one up in Netflix.  You won't be disappointed, and you might even learn something!

There was a common theme in the documentary that pointed to the country's belief in divine providence--both sides believed that God was on their side, and that their side was bound to win because of it.  Many in the North felt that God was with them because they wanted to abolish slavery, and the South believed that God would allow them to win the war because of the many victories they were able to enjoy at the beginning of the war.  Truthfully, God was with them all.  God allowed the war to happen, He allowed for the slavery, He allowed for the abolition of slavery, He allowed the states to become one entity, and He allowed us to slowly, over the course of the next 150 years, to give away our freedom, piece by piece, until we no longer remembered what true freedom really was and is: "¹⁹They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him" (2 Peter 2:19).  But there is freedom in Christ, as long as we accept His gift: "¹It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).  We always have that freedom to look forward to, even when we are slaves to earthly things: material possessions, addictions, debtors, the list can go on and on.  Christ can set us all free when we least deserve it, if we will only let Him!