Arise!

The "Mother's Day Proclamation" by Julia Ward Howe was one of the early calls to celebrate Mother's Day in the United States. Written in 1870, Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. The Proclamation was tied to Howe's feminist belie...f that women had a responsibility to shape their societies at the political level.



Arise, then, women of this day!

Arise, all women who have hearts,
Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!

Say firmly:
">
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says: "Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace,
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God.

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And at the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

happy new year!

it is my birthday today.

i promise to do (much) better this year.

at everything.

scenes from the morning...........

bella played in the mud, then both the littles painted....fred painted a "train" (see it??! wow) and bella painted "yellow springs"

mama went to fred's preschool entrance interview/paperwork extravaganza

and ALSO filled out her FAFSA to FINALLY go to "big college"

bastian had a BIG bag of recycling to bring on the way home from school

(the school doesn't have recycling, so bastian collects recycling himself)

all in all a lovely day so far.

breathing new life into a doodle

i took a doodle my husband did, and stitched it...it only took a day! i am VERY excited about this...

Jonathan's New JC Graphics Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000948852924&ref=nf

go ahead, make a friend of him, i don't mind :)

Snowy morning craft....(one small change) cloth napkins and kiddie tablecloths

Have had this children's fabric for quite a while (thought it was going to be curtains...still might someday)...Decided to use it to make tablecloths for the little kiddie table. Gorgeous.

Bought an 80c remnant yesterday and it turned into cloth napkins, which will count as my One Small Change for this month. yay. win win. There are eight of them, so a dime a piece. I will let you know when they are worn out (for a dime!)....Please don't buy paper napkins.

bibs for my neicephew (dunno)

My brother is expecting a baby with his girlfriend. I have received an invitation to the shower, which will take place at the end of this month. I have had quilt pieces cut for several months, but decided I wanted to do more, so I am going to learn how to make little wool felt shoes, and between yesterday and today I made these bibs. they are "Day of the Week Bibs"...The idea came straight out of my head. And here they are. Very vintage, Very unisex, and in my opinion, Very Lovely. Enjoy!

I still have to do one for Saturday yet. Which is your favorite?

the three bears by river frederick jack aged 3

middle sized mama bear.........wee little baby bear............... great big papa bear

bastian's trip to the lego store

Friday night, we had a sleepover party for Sebastian's birthday (which was last week). Two friends stayed overnight and a cousin visited for a few hours in the evening. It was a lovely time. The boys played lots of Guitar Hero, had pizza for supper, cake and icecream, an hilarious toast (to Sebastian's 21st birthday) of sparkling grape juice and watched a couple movies (Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull and Star Wars Revenge of the Sith...which Bastian chose at the library for *free*yay!)

Last I heard they were making jokes about Uranus and giggling and reports have come in that they stayed up until 3 am. (And that none of them are yet interested in girls, so they say...)



After the friends went home yesterday, Bastian and I left for our excursion to the Lego Store in Cincinnati. Though we had Googled and anticipated this trip for well over a month, I got us HORRIBLY lost on the way there AND on the way home. But other than the (wretched) driving experience, which in the end was ok, I guess, because we got to spend quality time alone together, it was a lovely time. It was nice to see Sebastian so happy.



(There was also the horrendous experience of the SHOPPERS and the oozing WEALTH and the drone of CONSUMERISM that stank to high heaven of perfume...but I have sworn to process that offline...if I have the time to get to it...)



Here are some pictures of my gorgeous eleven (!)year old son and one of the best days of his life so far....




He got his birthday money converted to One Dollar bills... that was fun! :)

he first spots the legologo off in the distance....

I wish I could always make him as happy as he was in this moment.....

It was all worth it for this bliss....