The Victorian Letter Writers Guild

Good morning! Welcome to the Homemaking Party!

Today I'm sharing my newest site with you, The Victorian Letter Writers Guild.  I know many of my readers, like me, are fascinated by the Victorian era. Their senses of modesty, decency, and order required them to live in a way many of us desire to emulate today. If you enjoy handwritten correspondence with like-minded people, The Victorian Letter Writers Guild may be for you!

Some of the subjects I feature on the blog include, 

• Creative ideas for designing extra-special correspondence
• Mail art techniques
• Historical information regarding letter writing, Victorians, etiquette, and more
• Quarterly pen friend exchanges
• Writing-related swaps and giveaways

I'm currently hosting a Summer Pen Friend Exchange. If you'd like to be matched up with a pen pal handpicked for you, submit an application and I'll find a Guild member just right for you to correspond with. 

Also, be sure to check out my article on 5 Things I Didn't Know About Wax Seals.

Thanks for stopping by The Homemaking Party! I hope you're having a great week!

Our First Few Days Out West

Well, after a blessed but exhausting three-day car trip, the kids and I have made it safely to Oregon and Jamie is safe back in Arkansas. We sure miss Daddy---is it fall yet???

We stayed in Colorado our first night and the second night we stopped off in Salt Lake to see my brother's family. Here's all the Bourrie cousins---little Sammy is my sweet nephew---the littlest one on Lynzie's lap!

The next day we stopped in our hometown, Baker City, Oregon, to visit with Jamie's family. Here's some of the Coller cousins. Cousin Bekka is on the end next to Lynzie.

We said goodbye to Daddy in Baker City and his family drove him to the airport in Boise.

Here are some pretty scenes near the Oregon/Idaho border.

Friends in Arkansas hear I'm from Oregon and they think lush greenery. There's a lot more lush greenery in Northwest Arkansas than there is in Eastern Oregon!

Oregon definitely has Arkansas beat on interesting geography though!

This is Farewell Bend State Park where Jamie and I were baptized shortly after we were married. Farewell Bend was the last stop on the Oregon Trail along the Snake River. Travelers rested here and watered and grazed their animals before the trail turned north through more rugged country. Some pioneers continued toward the Baker Valley (where we grew up)---some continued on in other directions.

After saying goodbye to Jamie, we headed to Pendleton---about 90 minutes from Baker City. The kids have been enjoying several fun things here at Grandma's so far. Michael has been busy chopping wood and even made a fire for roasting s'mores Sunday night.

Grandma's house has always been such a comfortable place to relax and feel cozy and safe. The older kids are enjoying reliving experiences they had with her when they were younger and the littles are loving making new memories!

Thank you for hosting us, Mom!

A {Very Extended} Summer Break in Oregon

My family visiting me in the hospital on Easter Sunday.

Hello friends! I've been MIA a couple weeks because....I had an appendectomy!!!! Can you believe it? Ouch! Yep, two weeks ago I was in extreme pain and knew something was wrong. It took them four days to decide to do a second scan and by then my appendix had burst and things were not good! Thankfully, I'm home recovering well now.

Ironically, the day before I got sick, Jamie and I had decided on a plan for our unexpected need to move out of this house. {If you've not been following, our landlord is selling the house---this is the second time this has happened in 9 months...} We decided to step up our game and get ready to buy our own house that no landlord can sell out from under us! Our plan was for me to take the kids and head to my mom's in Oregon for the summer while he stays here with friends---leaving us very little living expenses and a whole bunch of $$ to save toward our home. This was a great plan...until I got sick.

It's still the plan---but it's been so humbling to sit here in bed while my husband and kids literally do everything it takes to get our family ready to move out. From packing to hauling to cleaning to shopping, they've done all the things I normally do during the day, as well as during a move. I'm so thankful---they're doing a great job!

So, next week at this time, we will be preparing to head out to Oregon! I'm looking forward to the time spent with family and friends...this might turn into more of a travel blog for the summer as I share with you all the Pacific NW fun! Still, it's going to be really hard to be away from Jamie all summer. Please pray for us!