Marriage Advice from 1946

When going through my grandmother's things in July we came across this precious letter sent to my Gram by her aunt a week before she was to marry my grandfather. I loved both the style it was written in, the delicate stationery, and the frank practicality of some of it. It must've been special to my Gram to have been kept for so long. The advice seems timeless to me.

May 23rd '46

Dear Ruth and Ivan,

By the time this reaches you, you will be enjoying your last week of freedom. After the 31st you will be under heavy obligations one to the other. It works both ways. I have not lived 83 yrs without learning something about men and women. None are perfect so you will do well not to expect too much.

I've been wondering for days what I could say that might be useful to you in the future but I seem to be up against a stone wall. Every couple has to meet their own problems. I hope yours will be few and far between.

Forgive freely. There may come a time when you will appreciate the same considerations.

Needless to say I would love to witness your marriage but distance forbids. I'll be thinking of you.

God bless you. Much love and the -best- of good wishes for your future happiness.

I am enclosing a copy of Edgar Guest's poem on marriage. It covers a lot. Again much love.

Aunt Frances

Happy Marriage by Edgar Guest

A man who has a mind to hold
His home secure against the cold,
and free from bitter speech and word,
will ask no Judge that he be heard.

The wife who makes her home a place
Of safety, happiness, and grace,
And keeps the children round her knee,
Will ask no Judge to set her free.

Where two unite with heart and soul
To make the home a common goal
Where, in contentment, loved ones dwell,
They'll bear both joy and sorrow well.

When home is first in thought and pride,
and is not lightly thrust aside,
and faith is high and love is sure,
Fear not! that marriage will endure.

Homeschool Kickoff Party

A few of our local homeschooling families got together recently for a kick-off party. The kids enjoy the pool, even though it was pretty durn chilly for August! Here are a few pictures:

Weight Loss Report

I have now lost 26 pounds since December! Just wanted to share my happy news. :)

New School Year

After being inspired by Stephanie Nielson's annual Back-to-School feast and theme, I decided to employ a theme for our own school year. I picked Let Love Lead You. I made a theme card for each member of the family, and included a personal note on the back. I think they turned out really cute, and I am happy to have an easy catch phrase for what I urge the kids about so often.

Jonas Brothers Concert

Last weekend we had an unexpected surprise when we found out about some Jonas Brothers concert tickets that could be had relatively cheaply. I hadn't even been aware that the Jo Bros were going to be in our area, but having a 13 year old JoBro fan in the house, I knew it was an opportunity too cool to miss.

I took my daughter and 11 year old son, and had fun taking pics of their faces at key moments. These were taken as the Jonas Brothers were about to show up on stage, and the S-C-R-E-A-m photo was, of course, when she finally saw them. It was really cute to see how excited she was. (I even screamed! The excitement was contagious.)

Summer Dance

Our church had a fun dance night earlier this month. It was an oldies theme, so we had a fun photo booth as well! Thought you all might enjoy seeing some of the pictures from it.

Me and my hubby:

Twistin' the night away:

A friend and I got the Dancing Queens awards, and trust me, we earned it!

Horrible true confessions:

Minutes ago my husband came downstairs to ask when I was coming to bed, and ended up telling me that he has been concerned about something for 18 years and has finally decided to mention it. (!!!) He said he would like to buy me some new bras because very often it is easy to see my nipples. Awesome. Nice to let me go around with THAT booger hanging out of my nose for nearly two decades without saying anything! Ugh. I do not think it is about the bras, seeing as how I have had quite a few different ones in 18 years. I guess maybe some different shirts, except the way he makes it sound is like no shirt can hold back my mighty nipples. Oh brother. Now I can feel self conscious about THAT while trying to figure out how to solve this problem. Awesome.