Monday's Memories: Jane's Room

Here we are in Jane's room.

The entrance is directly to the left of the bed.  She shared this room with her sister, Cassandra, and the bed is like one their father bought for them when they lived in Steventon.  They don't know if they had this bed when they lived here in Chawton.

This is a view of the other side of the room.  They had the closet fitted to hold their chamber pot and basin of water.  They probably didn't install the lights.  Kidding.

the kind of people that enjoy a good Jane Austen read

I was just thinking as I was editing these pictures how amazing the scope of one life can be.  Jane Austen never had a lot of money, was never widely known or recognized outside of her family circle and friends.  But 100 years after her death, the Prime Minister of England is reading and enjoying her work, and movie after movie is adapted from her novels, and people fall in love with her characters every day.  I find it encouraging that though your life's work might only be enjoyed by a few during your lifetime, you never know what may happen long after you are gone.

Don't you think she often sat in that window seat?

a lace collar worked on by Jane

I love this picture.  I love the beautiful wood floors.

I really loved everything about this house.  I'd like to make mine just like it.

Picture time by Jane's window

I'm afraid we took a lot of these.

Her room was at the back of the cottage and looked out over the yard and...

the bakehouse.

a prayer written by Jane Austen

This was something I'd never heard of or seen before that day.

Look at that beautiful ceiling.

And look who else wanted a picture by Jane's window.

I love the man who quotes Mr. Darcy...

"That is the material point."

and Mr. Woodhouse...

"Marriage is so disrupting to one's social circle."

and Miss Bates...

"What a happy porker it must have come from!"

and Marianne quoting Shakespeare...

"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds..."

and took me to England to Jane Austen's house.

Friday's Flashback: Doo-dads from Downstairs

Today's flashback includes a random assortment of Jane Austen and family belongings.  It was an unexpected surprise to see so many of their things.

It was a definite reminder that she lived and breathed and was a real person just like me.

It's easy for people like her to simply exist in my imagination, 

but it made her much more real to walk through the rooms where she lived.

Hilarious...if you're familiar with Jane's views on the Prince Regent

(remember the self-indulgent guy from Brighton on Day 2?)

It's always funny when a prince tells you that a historical novel about his family would

be very interesting to the public just now.

I don't know if you can see the card well, but the silver teapot is believed to belong

to Jane's sister, Cassandra.  It is dated 1832 with the Austen family crest.

Maybe I should have someone design a family crest for us.

a closer look at the spoons from Godmersham Park, Edward's home

the sliverware used by the Austen women at Chawton

I think this drawing is so beautiful.  

It's Godmersham Park, the estate of Jane's brother, Edward, he inherited from the Knight family.  It's very "happily situated."

Stay tuned for next week...we're going into Jane's room.

Afternoon Play

It's been a busy week around these parts, but we did start the week with a trip to the playground, and that's always a win with my kids...unless I make them eat their lunch before they play, that is.

It's a tough life.

But it got better.

Lately when I have moments with James like that, I remind myself that Ella used to behave that way, and now she's the soul of reasonableness.  Sometimes.

I love those kids.

The bumpy slide!  Oh, my!

They're getting married!!

Isn't it fortunate that they started dating the same month 

KJ bought me a camera?

I think so.

I'm so excited about their marriage.

Monday's Memories: The Front Room

For your viewing pleasure I have a short video (and I do mean short) that gives you a glimpse into the outside of Jane's house and Chawton's High Street, as well as the few pictures we took in the front room (parlor?) of Chawton Cottage.  At the end of the video, KJ does a quick sweep of the room so look fast!

At Jane's House from KJ Pugh on Vimeo.

A Changed Heart

Saturdays are proving to be kind of busy around our house, but I wanted to join Leslie again with where I found delight in God's Word this week.  I've been reading in 1 Samuel this past week, and I've yet to find the actual word delight, but I have come upon words like it in Hannah's song after the LORD had answered her prayer and given her a son.

My heart exults in the LORD;

my strength is exalted in the LORD...

I rejoice in your salvation.

- 1 Samuel 2:1 -

The truth that I most rejoiced in this week was God's power over the human heart as it was illustrated in God's calling of Saul to be king.  Samuel prophesied at God's command that Saul would join a group of prophets coming down from the high place:  "Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man."  I love that God has power to turn us into new creations, to change our hearts.  Of course God's word to Samuel came to pass.  When Saul turned to leave Samuel "...God gave him another heart."  I think those are beautiful words.

The end of Saul's story is sad, with God's Spirit leaving him because of his disobedience, but it makes me all the more grateful for Jesus' words, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth..." (John 14:16-17a). 

Brother-Sister Love

KJ took Ella to get her hair cut on Thursday afternoon.  She's been saying her hair was too long for a while now, and it really was.  It's been an entire year since her last haircut, so it was time.  I would have been happy with a trim, but she wanted it short again and came home with a cut similar to mine.  Twins.

She's a beauty.  And getting so grown-up.

Ella's photo shoot quickly turned into an Ella and James affair, because James loves his sister and wants to be where she is, doing what she's doing.  This is good and fun but can also be trying since he can't always do everything Ella does.  Thankfully, pictures are something they can do together, and being with Ella kept James still a little longer than normal.

They have so much fun together.  It's such a joy to watch them play.

I can do what you do!

I didn't direct Ella to kiss James.  I think she just instinctively knows 

what to do for a photo shoot. 

Ella asked for a kiss but looks nervous, probably because James-kisses

tend to be a little on the wet side.  When will the drool be gone??

Watching these two kids love and play together

has made my heart so happy in the past few weeks.