A little bit of brightness

A bit of brightness from Sophia Hawthorne that we didn't have a chance to include in The House of the Seven Gables issue of The Storybook Home Journal (just sent out,) was a portion of a letter Sophia wrote while husband, Nathaniel,was at commencement exercises at Bowdoin College in Maine.
At the time children Una, Julian, and Rose were ages 9,6, and 15 months, respectively. The children were attempting to come up with ideas to cheer home upon his return:

Concord, Mass. 1852
August 30th, Monday.

This morning at 1/2 past 8 my husband went to Boston on his way to Brunswick to attend the Commencement of his Alma Mater. It was & is a sullen cold rainstorm, & at this moment (9 o'clock evening) seems no nearer fair weather than when the light of all our seeing went away. Una was very pensive for a great while--but soon she & Julian began to wonder how it would seem to Papa when he got back if they should never tease one another, never frown nor fret, always mind when spoken to--if Papa should hear only lovely tones & see only pleasant faces--and all this joined to baby's angel talk & angel smiles, thought Una, would make Papa think he was in heaven with us--"Or," said Julian, "not with us but with some other children!"

We also lacked room in the Journal for the image, above, of the beginner-level-yet-expert-looking crochet edging whose pattern is featured in The Hearth article. We show it, here, transforming a simple kitchen mantle valance into a family heirloom.

Tags: 2010, Beauty and home, Hand crafts, Home quotes