The Family "Museum"

I love family history-things! :D For the past couple of days, Anna and I have been at my Grandmama and Grandaddy' house, helping Grandaddy clean after their church's VBS. During the in-between-times, Grandmama showed us a ton of family "artifacts". ;) We saw a dress from the `40's that my Great-Great-Grandmother had made, still in perfect condition. And then we were shown a bunch of sweet paintings that had hung in her house. They were not rich, so they are not originals, but framed prints. There is one great gorgeous one of the singer Jenny Lind, and then a few others. Also a huge framed print of some famous Revolutionary War painting. These things were really fun to see, but my favorites were the papers and photographs, and the stories that went along with them! My great-great-great-grandfather was a city jailer in Norfolk, Virginia. One night the prisoners broke out, and were about to shoot him, but one said, 'Don't shoot him- he was nice to me." So they locked him in a closet instead! :P It was all over the papers, and there are pictures of him, just as Grandmama has always described him; bowler hat, glasses, smart cane, and dapper suit. From what I hear, Great-great-great-grandfather was a bit of a dandy! :D
We were shown pictures of relatives, some unmarked. It was rather funny to see the "bathing suits" of the day, because they look like ruffly pillow-cases! :) Just like any other story there was some tragedy mixed up in the bunch. The lovely Gertie, with the most delicious dimples in her cheeks, traveled for years to try to recover from her tuberculosis, but ended up dying of it. Previously, her husband was killed by a cargo hook in a riot! :O One uncle, a police officer, was kicked by a drunken woman and died of blood poisoning! :( Rather gruesome ways of dying! But then there were some sweet stories to go along with the sadness! My Great-great-grandmother married one Gates brother, and they had my Great-grandmother. But only two years later, that Gates brother died. A couple of years later my Great-great-grandmother married the other Gates brother, and they had two more children and lived happily ever after! :) I love stories like that! :) And then there were pictures of the most deliciously adorable babies, and we aren't even sure who they are! Anyway, this may not be interesting to anyone but myself, but I just LOVE family history! The little oddities that surface when rummaging through attics, and the secrets lying on the pages of long-forgotten papers...it's enthralling! I got a peep at my Great-great-grandmother's marriage certificates! On one of them, the clerk had not finished the year! All it said was "September (something or another), 190-". He probably just forgot to finish it! But it is much more funny to imagine something about that clerk. Maybe it was a quiet wedding, and he had had a little too much of a nip at the champagne provided for the wedding party! During the ceremony, the pastor' droning voice lulled him to sleep over his pen. A few minutes later with a loud"ahem!" the clerk woke to the gruff pastor, and the loving couple watching him anxiously. With an incoherent mumble, and a rough rubbing of his suspiciously rosy nose, the clerk took up his pen again, and, not being quite himself, could not remember the year, and so skipped it, and quickly finished the certificate, hoping no one would notice. There! I have incriminated the poor clerk of over 100 years agone! Justice comes someday! ;D Hey! Wouldn't it be fun if each family could have a sort of family museum, where all the treasures were displayed? It would be so much the better to be able to enjoy and learn about the things from people who knew the owners of them, than to wait till they've all died off, and everything is merely speculation! :) Just an idea! -Rachel

Squeaky Clean On The Wrong Day

So...We are doing Saturday chores today, (Friday) so that tomorrow we can leave on time for the ball!!!!! We are super excited! Poor Abby wasn't feeling well yesterday or this morning. You could also pray for our van- there is some noise that could be something trivial, or something really bad, and so Dad is taking it in today. If it is the bad thing, then we can't fit all the people we were going to bring, (from several other families) and that would complicate matters alot. Anyway....so just to give you all an idea of what preparing for church in this household of 21 is like, here is what we do:

Dust all furniture, bookcases, bar, etc.
Organize all bookshelves
Clean all bathrooms
Clean out fridge
Sweep and organize pantry
Sweep, organize, and mop laundry room
Mop kitchen and hardwood floor (where needed on the latter)
Wipe all walls and baseboards for dirt
Clean all glass doors and where needed on front windows
Wash kitchen garbage cans
Set up lost and found
Bring down hymnals
Set up serving utensils
Wipe all counters super well
Declutter all downstairs
Clean and vacuum all bedrooms
Vacuum all carpeted areas downstairs
Set up plates, cups, and utensils
Make multiple gallons of iced tea
And anything else that needs doing! :)

The power went out mysteriously while I was writing this, but thank goodness that most of this was already saved! I have begun a new story. Shh...*ducks while Sarah throws something at my head* I promise I'll finish Riverly Manor, and then I shall publicly swear that I shall never write another mystery!!!!!!! :[ But even Sir Walter Scott worked on two books at a time! He set them up on stands, and paced around. Then, when he had an idea for one, he'd race over, pen it down, and set to pacing again. I'm not that bad! But I will not let you, (Sarah) read this till it is finished. Then I will deliver it to your lap in all the golden glory of a peace offering, and let you read it. Hmph! :) I can't help myself in a writing fit! All right. I had better get going! I can't wait to see all of you guys at the ball! (Meredith, Elliott, Oliver, Abigail, Shaina, Hannah, Leanna, Melissa, Micah, Beth-Nell...."allva" you guys! :) -Rachel

My Vision Forum Story: Version One

Hi! Just in case anyone wanted to read this, here is the story I was going to put into the Vision Forum contest, but decided not to since Mama said it was too commonplace. I still think it a good fairytale story though! -Rachel

"The Rescue of Dalriaden"

By Rachel Heffington

Once upon a time a far age ago there was a kingdom called Dalriaden. The people of Dalriaden were ruled by a wise and faithful king. Such a happy land was this! Noblemen and peasants lived peaceably together and worked the fruitful soil. But one day a shadow fell across Dalriaden's purple moor. Distant murmurings entered the mouths of the people, and vague thoughts of fear and discontent crowded the gentry's mind. One by one they were blinded, until the evil had consumed everything up to the very gates of King Undell's palace. News of a dragon who darkened the people's mind with his venomous breath and presence filtered through the dales and into the village. The king watched in consternation as this dreaded evil gripped the hearts of his countrymen. It seemed the dragon was fast approaching and his influence had already damaged the minds of the Dalriadens. But King Undell was too wise to act hastily and without thought. Instead, the king waited, consulting his only daughter as to what the best course of action could be. King Undell had bestowed a gift upon this maiden when she was yet a babe in arms. He had named her Minetta, which means "faithful defender" and from a very early age she had been her father's most loyal supporter, upholding his name wherever she went. Now, in the day of trouble this same Princess Minetta and her father stayed in the castle to plan how to defend the kingdom of Dalriaden. The two spent their days praying for wisdom and valor, that they might be strong and loyal to light and truth in this age of evil.

Finally, the day dawned when not a ray of sunlight could penetrate the clouds of smoke and poisonous gasses that choked the sky. For the monster that was the cause of this terror and calamity was drawing ever closer-Groth- a hideously scaled dragon who hated light from any source but his own fiery breath, and who sought to destroy any good that clung to the land of Dalriaden. King Undell sent his last faithful footman to scour the deserted city for anyone, man or boy, who would raise a sword against the creature. The page returned with a single young man, a peasant, who had not yet succumbed to Groth's evil designs. This lad, Oberon, offered King Undell his service, and if it came to such a measure, his life. The king and Princess Minetta rejoiced to see one man untouched by the evil of Groth, and together the king, the footman, and Oberon guarded the castle walls. As evening closed upon Dalriaden, nothing could be seen save a glow, as of some great furnace, where Groth slept. Oberon entered the great castle hall and bowed to Princess Minetta and her father. "Your majesty!" he began, "The great monster Groth sleeps at your gate this night. Long have you waited for such a time as this. With your permission I will slay the beast!"

The king pondered Oberon's offer. "I cannot allow you to attempt such a dangerous task alone! I shall accompany you to the place where Groth slumbers!"

And so saying, King Undell took up his sword and followed Oberon from the hall with a last kiss for his daughter.

An ordinary maiden would have wept at this point, but, Princess Minetta, faithful defender that she was, fell on her knees in supplication to the Father above, and remained there through the night.

Meanwhile….

King Undell and Oberon scaled the wall of the palace grounds and slipped unnoticed through the shadows. Rounding the final corner of the wall, they came upon the dragon Groth. He lay stretched full length upon the cobblestones. His back and tail were plated with shining scales so bright, that each of his fiery breaths dazzled in them, echoed back a thousand times brighter. But Groth was not asleep. Such a dastardly creature as he was too cunning for such a foolish measure.

As King Undell raised his sword to slay the monster, Groth turned and thrashed his spear-like tail, pinning the king against the wall. He hissed menacingly and his snake-like tongue fluttered with poisonous breath over shining needles of teeth. As Groth raised his horned head in preparation to eat his prey, Oberon leapt from the darkness and thrust his sword through Groth's unprotected throat. With a last furious and flaming breath, the monster's life ebbed away and he slipped into the land of darkness.

A week later a grand celebration was being held. With the dragon Groth's death, Dalriaden had been loosed from the blinding evil and the people were once again free.

This afternoon they congregated by the lake to witness a memorable ceremony:

King Undell, clad in his royal garments led Princess Minetta to the lakeside. How beautiful she looked with a wreath of rosebuds in her golden hair and a smile upon her lips! Then, King Undell summoned Oberon to his side. Taking the Sword that had slain the Dragon he touched each of the lad's broad shoulders and proclaimed in a strong voice, "I dub you Lord Oberon, Prince of Dalriaden!" Then, beckoning to the blushing princess he gave her hand to Oberon in marriage saying, "I bestow upon you, beloved daughter, the title of Lady Minetta Oberon, faithful defender of your father's, and now your husband's honor!"

As he said this, the king placed a golden crown upon each of their heads and the two sealed their union with a kiss.

So from that time on, they ruled together, and Dalriaden was henceforth a kingdom of light and truth.

The End

Bemoanings of an Authoress

Greetings all you fair followers! I am here to bemoan my lot- actually, to tell you something that is sort of exciting and quite a pain. I am entering a story in the Vision Forum contest. In this contest you must tell the "true" story of the cover of the magazine. It has a princess, a king, a knight, and a dragon on it. When I saw this, I thought, "Wow! This should be easy!" because I am constantly writing things, and this shouldn't be any big deal. Well, I have just recently discovered that I am a long-winded creative person. It is painful for me to try to cram a story into no more than 1200 words! Ahhhhhhh!!! So I wrote the story and it was well told. Until Mama pointed out quite gently but pointedly, that my story-line was very unoriginal. It was, in fact, precisely what you would expect seeing the picture. She's right. And my creative streak has been stunted by the late nights and crazy schedule recently. I haven't a scrap of courage large enough to try to rewrite the story right now. Or at least keep it short and sweet. Thinking that the bracing cold air would freshen my perspective, I paced up and down outside for a half-hour at least, but to no avail. I had ideas, but they would all take far more than 1200 words. What's more, they were all traditionally fairy-tale-ish, or else improbable. By the end of the time out there, I had only succeeded in discouraging myself and scaring Daisy Sofia (the goat) out of her wits by coming up and saying in a flat monotone: "Hello goat." (And perhaps it was also scared by my white shawl or something.)
Anyway, I am determined to rewrite this to Mama's (and my own) satisfaction, but I'll just hope and pray for that all-illusive inspiration that I am sorely lacking. After all, when a 1000 $ prize is at stake, I had better listen to wise council. So there you have it- Aren't authors known for being moody? (I despise moodiness in myself so I am determined that this fit shan't last! :) Well, wish me well!
-Rachel

"Enter Bo-Peep!"

Okay! I know Sarah hasn't written since Thanksgiving and I have, but I'm sure she'll trump this later today. The problem is, she likes to sleep in sometimes, and I don't as much so I have more time. We are sick so we're not going to go to church today. Neither are the Wilsons. 7 of `em down with the same thing. :(

But I thought I'd tell about a present I am making for someone for Christmas. I am not sure who it will be for though... probably Gracie, though I want to send it to the Fuhrmann kids. I love writing stories and sending them to children! I have a little line of books I make for Abby called the Bramblewood Hedge tales. (Little did I know when I began that there was already a published series called "Brambly Hedge". I assure you, the name was my own entirely!)

Anyway, they are about various and sundry small animals, and usually are based off of something I saw and wanted to make a story about. I love assigning them quaint names like the cardinal "Admiral Popepeak" or the mockingbird "Col. Matthew Mockah" and then the red squirrel named "Rumpleton Derrydock" and then the quail named "Mistress Quakergarb"! It is loads of fun!

I admit. I've read too much Beatrix Potter and Old Mother West Wind in my day, and this week:) Anyhow, we accidently brought home one of the Wilson's cats in the load of hay Dad bought! I'm so glad that it didn't jump out on the way! The younger girls discovered her when they got home! Last winter we had a stray cat that we affectionately called "Miss Muffet". So it stands to reason that for the little while we are in possession of this kitty, she needs a name too. Since Sarah was reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time and couldn't be bothered with other literary things, I took it upon myself to name this lovely pussy. If I were any sort of a bloggie person I would have a picture of her, but it is cold, our camera is tempermental, and I don't feel like leaving this spot to go find her and make her pose. Nevertheless, please meet Little Bo-Peep! She is a very elegant puss and doesn't seem extremely shy.

So immediately after putting Abby to bed last night, I decided that Bo-Peep needed a story of her own. I wrote one about her life before she came here, and her ride over, and how she met Miss Cricket, (my black cat) and all that is left to be done is to nicely illustrate it. I haven't the time for watercolor paintings for it like I did for "The Twinkletoes' Harvest" so I have decided that I shall slide by with pen and ink drawings for now. (The only thing is that Bo-Peep has such a lovely tumbleweed-tabby coat and a white bib that it would look so very sweet done as a watercolor.) But with Daniel's big shebang in 6 days and me wanting to keep progress on the book, I will just do the quickest route.

By the way, "The Twinkletoes' Harvest" is a Bramblewood Hedge story about a family of meadow-mice that I did for Abby last year. Here is an illustration from it! -Rachel