Rubber Stamps and Fountain Pens

The stains on my fingers attribute to both, the marks of the edges of a fluer de lis on my palm and a deep black stain on the middle finger of my right hand. But it is worth it, the scratch, scratch of the fine tip of my fountain pen on the paper and the round, old fashioned lines of the fluer de lis stamp and how they add to the envelope. Ahhh... the glories of old fashioned things, of writing and creating and making things. Isn't it loverly?

Speaking of lovely things.... I have been tagged for a book meme. I had been watching it circling through the blogs and longing to be tagged, so when my dear friend Emily was tagged she was sweet enough to save me from my plight. So.. here I am!! Thank you Emily!!

Rules
Link to the person that tagged you, post the rules somewhere in your meme, answer the questions, tag six people in your post, let the tagees know they’ve been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog, let the tagger know your entry is posted.

Who is your all-time favorite author and why?
My goodness!! I simply can't decide!! I love books and words and stories more than particular authors. Let's see..... hmmm... I think an author who I find myself always going back too, loving every book of hers that I read, would be Eloise Jarvis Mcgraw, author of one of my favorites, Mara, Daughter of the Nile, and others such as Sawdust in His Shoes, Moorchild, The Golden Goblet, Moccasin Trail, and The Seventeenth Swap. Besides that, for timeless writing that I never grow weary of, Charles Dickens, L.M. Montgomery, Jane Austen, Alfred Tennyson, Emma Orczy, C.S. Lewis....

Who was your first favorite author and why? Do you still consider him/her to be among your favorites?
My first favorite author??? Hmm.... I read many books as a young girl, but the one I can remember as definitely a favorite, one I began reading at 8 or 10, was Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Little Princess, The Secret Garden, Little Lord Fauntelroy, etc.... I read and re-read those books, my red velvet covered copy of The Secret Garden, my lovely Tasha Tudor illustrated A Little Princess, and the red, linen hardback with its victorian illustrations of little Lord Fauntelroy, his sweet mother, and his surly grandfather.

Who is the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why?
My most recent discovery would be Kathleen Norris, author of Mother, The Foolish Virgin, and Storm House. I keep finding lovely old antique books that she authored and finding myself drawn in, cover to cover. Besides, recent additions to favorites in the last few years would be Agatha Christie, G.K.Chesterton, and Jane Kirkpatrick, one of the only modern authors I read, and a genius with metaphors.

If someone asked you who your favorite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth?

Charles Dickens, G.K. Chesterton, Alfred Tennyson, Agatha Christie, C.S. Lewis, Kathleen Norris.

I tag Kami at contentinthecountry.blogspot.com
Amy and Julia amyandjulia.blogspot.com
Meg at www.strangeverystrangeindeed.blogspot.com
And Abigail at abigailrose.wordpress.com

If there's anyone I've missed, please do let me know!! I'd love to tag you, as I wanted so to be tagged myself.

Mmmmmm..... the end of my book meme. Perhaps I will follow my inward yearnings, brew up a cup of Earl Grey, and take my current book from its place on the table. Mmm... yes. I think I will.:)

Good bye for the present!

Emma

26 Years

Yesterday afternoon, at two'o'clock, my parents left for an anniversary weekend together. They have been married now for 26 years. We are soooo proud of them, and proud to have the privilege of having two such wonderful parents. 26 years ago.... Can you believe it??



And the two became one...



Cary and Bonny Ramsey



June 20th, 1982



Congratulations Mom and Dad!! We love you guys soooooooooo much!!!! The Lord has truly blessed us.


*Photo taken by our brother Sam


That you may be blessed,

Emma and Johanna

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Clare at romanceandtheroses.blogspot.com posted this today. I thought it was such a lovely idea. It is hosted here thesimplewoman.blogspot.com Without further ado... here is mine.



FOR TODAY June 16, 2008...

Outside My Window...

A soft rain is falling on our garden and I can see the Mimosa tree's explosion of pink blossoms peeking in at me through the moist air.

I am thinking...

Of the beauty of life and of God.

I am thankful for...

My family.... what God has and is giving me in them.

From the kitchen...

We had hamburgers tonight, with homemade whole wheat buns, fresh tomatoes and lettuce and onions, and homemade pickles. My little brother had two pickles he liked them so much, and some "Katchup" on his potatoes.

I am wearing...

Clothes still slightly dusty from my morning spent in my Dad's cabinet shop building doors.

I am creating...

So many things in my writing..... A short story called The House with the Crescent Moon in the Doorway... and pushing laboriously through the hardest moments of my novel, Wandrian, a Fairy's Journey.

I am going...

Soon to our third floor to practice the music we are sharing this Wednesday with the Youth at the FIrst Baptist Church of Winnsboro.

I am reading...

The Scandal of Father Brown... by G.K. Chesterton... the kind of book that makes you stay up late at night, trying to finish just one more story.

I am hoping...

To soon have completed the first draft of my novel. It awaits me... longing to be written.

I am hearing...

The echoes of music from my brother's room, where he is studying, and the beginnings of music from the Third Floor above me.

Around the house...

Mom is working on a lovely baby quilt for my new second cousin and Matthew is bubbling with excitement about his new haircut.

One of my favorite things...

The sounds of life that fill my home and the things God is showing me, now, as I ponder... with the rain pouring down outside.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

Work on my book, write some letters, call a dear friend who is newly engaged, make some birthday cards, get a few blog posts finished... all this between working in the garden and the shop.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...



Roses and watermelon... color, fragrance, the simple beauties of life.

Good night, dear friends,

Emma

A Reappearance

Yes....  I figured you all might be wondering where I've been.  The last few days have looked like this....

Monday;  picked and washed blackberries and made 6 1/2 pints of jam....  Picked cucumbers and made dill pickles...  Went to town for Broadway Musical Review practice.

Tuesday;  worked from 8:00 a.m. till 9:00 p.m. in the cabinet shop, sanding panels, organizing parts and building the cabinet doors, while Mom spent the day in the city buying fabric and patterns for our B.M.R. (Broadway Musical Review) costumes.

Wednesday;  Picked green beans from 6:30 a.m. till 11:00 a.m.... snapped and canned them till 11:00 p.m.

Now I'm tired... terribly tired.:)  I think I shall go to bed.

More posts in the making to journal our Missouri Trip, Garden Produce, and Little Tidbits from our Little Loved Ones.

G'night!

Emma

NOTE: Mom stayed up till 3:30 a.m. finishing the 82 quarts of green beans. We had two canners going too! Goodness me!