Well, everyday has been very eventful. Rachel and I love our positions as house keepers! The meals continue to be marvelous. Last month Rachel and I filled in for the activities director.  We started that morning with “Light and Lively” exercises in the living room. Several of the residence participated. Next, Rachel read a story from Chicken Soup for the Soul. Next we read trivia questions from a senior’s trivia book. All of the questions were relevant to years gone by. Everyone really enjoyed that, including Rachel and I. There was a great deal of laughing as everyone tried to answer the questions. These were my kind of trivia questions as most of them pertained to old music and movies. After trivia it was time for lunch. When we are housekeepers, Rachel and I eat down stairs in the kitchen or, in good weather, outdoors; however, as activities directors, we were invited to join the residence and the rest of the staff in the dinning room. I was a little nervous but there was something very special about sharing a meal with the residence in the ornate dining room. Everyone sits at a long dark wood table that is festively decorated for the season. There are two fireplaces, one on either end of the room. The walls are white with dark wood paneling topped with a china rail that wraps itself around the room. There are blue and white plates displayed on the rail. There are two large windows, on either side of one of the fireplaces, that over look the street and the stone wall that encompasses the mansion across the way.

       After lunch we met with a group of residence, back in the dining room, for a game of UNO. That was a lot of fun and we ended up playing three rounds. I cannot begin to describe how much fun Rachel and I had. I’ll never forget it. I just hope we are called upon as activities directors again.

       Last month Rachel and I were also invited to join the residents on a “Fall Foliage” bus trip to B_____. The morning was kind of rainy but no one seemed to mind. Everyone was amazed at all of the beauty God had created. There was singing in the bus, jokes, and laughing.

        The more time I spend with the residents the more I grow to love each one. The residents at the manor house feel like family to Rachel, Mom, and I. Every morning I look forward to seeing them. They all have wonderful senses of humor! Rachel and I have so much fun cleaning and everyday there is filled with laughter. I really enjoy being at the manor house. Where else can you work and listen to Dean Martin? I look forward to Christmas time there.

       Now for the other part of my life, The Scarlet Thread. Business is picking up; the Lord has truly been blessing us! My older sister has been very busy sewing for our business. She is an amazing seamstress. We have added a few new items so take a look if you get a chance. We hope to add some more soon. Between the manor house and The Scarlet Thread, I keep very busy. Busy is good. J

“Father to the fatherless, defender of widows- this is God, whose dwelling is Holy. God places the lonely in families…” Psalm 68:5-6a

Gratefully-

Miss Mavourneen

       I am disappointed I haven’t written in such a long time. My life has changed drastically in the last month and I haven’t had the heart or opportunity to write. My mother, sisters, and I have undergone a great deal of heartache. I won’t go into detail but I will say we have found it necessary to rely on our Father in heaven even more. One of the big changes for my mother, sisters, and I has been our new employment opportunities. Mom recently was accepted for a position at a retirement home. Mom has a background in nursing and is an aide at her new job. My twin sister, Rachel, and I have been hoping to find jobs to help with the financial situation in our home. We prayed a position might open up where our mother was working and all of a sudden one did! Out of the blue the housekeeper gave her two weeks notice. On top of that, rather than hiring just one housekeeper, they wanted two. Rachel and I were immediately hired. We work four days a week for five hours, in the mornings. The retirement home is actually a huge, historical home. It is on a quiet street across from another historical mansion. Rachel and I are responsible for keeping the manor house immaculate from the root cellar to the side walk that runs in front of the house and everything in between.

       Today Rachel and I cleaned one of my favorite rooms, the library. I’ll admit I’m not really an avid reader. It’s just this room is so cozy and interesting. It looks just like a library from an old movie except smaller. Tomorrow Rachel and I will be cleaning the porches. The front porch is huge as it wraps around a great deal of the building. The porch is enclosed with large windows. Last week, as we swept the sidewalks, we saw a horse drawn carriage at the historical mansion across the road.

       Now, this is my favorite part of the job…lunch. There is a chef there that prepares all the meals for the residence and employees. He is amazing! I cannot begin to express how good the food is. I literally look forward to lunch everyday. The grounds there are lovely so Rachel and I take our lunches outside.

       The residence, at the manor house, are so sweet. Now that Rachel and I are better familiar with our jobs, we hope to spend more time talking with them.

       Amongst all the difficulties that have arisen in our lives I still feel close to the heart of God.

“Your goodness is so great! You have stored up great blessings for those who honor You. You have done so much for those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.” Psalm 31:19

Bye now,

Miss Mavourneen

       My mother, sisters, and I spent this morning picking strawberries at a local farm. This is the second year we have done this and I think it is turning into quite the tradition. My sisters and I have planted strawberry plants in our own garden but they never seem to yield more than a few berries. Our raspberry bush, on the other hand, looks like it will do very well for us this year. When we returned home from berry picking, the girls and I set to making strawberry jam. We enjoyed sitting on the front porch, hulling the berries. When it came to actually making the jam, we had a few minor reservations. We made jam last year but we were still a little nervous, hoping we were doing everything correctly. My sisters and I took our positions and set to work. While making the jam, we couldn’t help remembering Meg’s jam dilemma in Little Woman. I am happy to announce, our berries did not encounter the same tragic end as Meg’s did; all of our jars sealed and look beautiful.

       I have to say, the joy of cooking isn’t the same without the aid of an attractive apron. My two sisters and I each have our own aprons, sewn from decidedly different patterns and prints. Each apron can easily be matched to its owner. My mother’s apron is more than an apron; I hardly see her without it. Mom’s apron is full length and criss-crosses in the back. Mom not only uses this apron for cooking, but for house work and gardening. The aprons large pockets are a perfect place for keeping clothes pins handy. I am the only woman in the family whose apron does not have pockets, and I feel at a loss. I have been considering sewing myself an apron like my mother’s. To see a couple of our apron styles you can visit our website at www.TaylorsScarletThread.com Mom’s apron isn’t on our website yet but it should be coming in the fall.

       As I write this, it is quite late. My cat Claude, and my sisters cat, Tess, are sprawled out on the floor fast asleep. They are so cute and looking at them is making me tired. They are brother and sister and are two years old. These two have a lot of character and are usually causing trouble. It is nice to see them together and so peaceful.

       I look forward to tomorrow. What makes summer so wonderful are the little surprises, like strawberries, making each day special. I’ll admit,  I don’t always see the unique gifts given to us by the Lord, but when I do, I realize how truly blessed I am.

“Many, O Lord my God are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.”     Psalm 40:5

Good night then- Miss Mavoureen

       What a beautiful day. What made it all the more beautiful, were the thoughtful welcomes I read in my “guest book” on xanga. Thank you.

I am enjoying the beauty and life that abounds in summer. For months I have noticed a sort of cocoon on the wood frame of our fence. Everyday I would look at it and wonder what it must house; always hoping it wasn’t a spider. I have been watching this cocoon for so long and there never seemed to be any life attached to it. I began to think it was nothing more than a mold or fungus. Finally, this morning as I looked at the fence, I noticed close to fifty little bugs. It wasn’t a fungus after all; it was a nest of praying mantises. I had never seen such a thing before. They were so small but still had their arms in the distinct position of prayer. They were like a little army, all facing the same direction as they clung to the wooden casement, beside their nest.

       Since my sisters and I were small, we have always esteemed the praying mantis as a rare, special, sort of insect; how surprising it was to see so many! I was very blessed to see this new life God created. That nest had seemed so dormant; I had given up on it. Little did I know out of it would come something so special.

1Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."

- Miss Mavourneen