And a deal is reached!
Stay tuned for future developments!
A Purchase Offer is Made…
January 31st, 2008Of Potatoes, Onions, and Sleep Talking
January 31st, 2008I was preparing dinner one evening, – boiling a pot of potatoes to be exact – when Kerrianne came over and peered over the stove to see what I was up to.
“Oh look!” she cried excitedly “Onions!”
“No Kerrianne,” I corrected her, “Those are potatoes.” I couldn’t let her grow up ignorant concerning the difference between potatoes and onions now, could I? 
All two-year-olds should know such things.
Kerrianne gave a quick “oooh!”, then scurried off into the living room. For the moment, I thought nothing of our little conversation…until later.
Fast forward to that night: Everyone in the household are in bed…the Willi children warm and cozy on their bunks, all fast asleep – all except one, that is.
Walter tossed and turned in his bunk. (poor guy couldn’t get to sleep I suppose) The room was completely dark and silent around him, and then suddenly he heard a voice from the other bunk;
“No Kerrianne, those are potatoes.”
Walter raised his eyebrows; was that Kasie’s voice? “Kasie,” he called softly, trying not to wake the others, “Were you sleep talking?”
I sat up in bed, my own voice having disturbed my slumber. “What?” I asked groggily.
“You just spoke in your sleep!”
Now I was getting a little excited – I haven’t talked in my sleep for ages! “What did I say?”
“‘No Kerrianne, those are potatoes.’”
I giggled, and told Walter what I had dreamt prior to my sleep talking. “I was preparing dinner – boiling a pot of potatoes to be exact – when Kerrianne peered over the stove…”
___________________________
Talk about weird! I dreamed exactly what had taken place that very day, and then repeated what I had told Kerrianne…in my sleep! That’s a bit creepy when you think about it. 
Weirdness. Complete weirdness. Has this ever happened to anybody else?
-Kasie
P.S. Yes, for those who were unaware of this, I have been known among my family as the only one to sleep talk. I’ve never had anything as zany as this happen to me before though!
Gentlemen’s Attire Throughout History
January 29th, 2008Well, here it finally gentlemen! Would I ever go back on my word? I hope this shall inspire y’all to expand your costume wardrobes; or begin one if that is the case By the way ladies I’ll have you know that the gentleman’s costume is far from boring.
I realized that my last post on this subject was a montage of pictures quite out of order. A little different this time. Here are my pictures and the outline/explanation/discussion is below.
A Couple of Polls
January 27th, 2008{democracy:4}
{democracy:5}
Trips to Tennessee
January 26th, 2008I’ve been meaning for a long time now to chronicle a basic example of our trips to Tennessee, but I keep forgetting to take pictures! (I tend to be somewhat of a forgetful person I’m afraid) Well, I’m happy to say that this week I’ve been a faithful photographer, or family journalist or whatever you wish to call it, as you will soon see from the many pictures I snapped.
On this particular trip to Tennessee, our main focus was going back a second time to the properties that stood out the most to us. We prayed that morning that God would narrow down our possibilities, and shut or close doors for us so our list of decisions/choices wouldn’t be so broad. Well, He did just that for us, in ways that I never imagined! It always seems to happen that way, doesn’t it?
There’s one piece of land in particular that we’ve taken a liking to; a six acre section of pasture land on __________ Road. No final decision has been made at this point; it remains a possibility. Though I can’t help but wonder, will this be our home, or will this be where we live? It’s all in God’s hands: He knows our future!
As usual, we had fun in the car with Mr. Dan, and even got to talk a little with him about spiritual matters; a very light conversation, but it’s a beginning nonetheless. On our return journey to Virginia we got stuck in traffic for two hours! (Apparently there was a tractor trailer accident on Route 81) The police blocked off the interstate for five miles – it was so strange to see 81 completely dark and empty! That was an adventure too.
Enough talk for now however – take a look at the pictures!
!["art" I have a tendency to fiddle with the camera](http://blog.thewilli.com/wp-content/gallery/trips-to-tennessee/p1090470.jpg ""art" I have a tendency to fiddle with the camera")
![more "art"](http://blog.thewilli.com/wp-content/gallery/trips-to-tennessee/p1090474.jpg "more "art"")
The Search Goes On
January 24th, 2008I threw this together from yesterday’s trip to TN. Hope you enjoy it!
[flashvideo filename=/wp-content/videos/property_0001.flv /]
[download high quality WMV file]
We looked at a couple of additional properties (one of which had an absolutely unbeatable mountain view), but I didn’t put it in because of time constraints.
- Walter
Old-Fashioned Elegance
January 23rd, 2008Old-fashioned elegance. Doesn’t that phrase feel like a soothing piece of music just floated by you? Or a cool wind breathing beauty and refreshment? Or you just stroked a luxurious rich piece of velvet? It is all that and more. It is an encouragement to modern maidens to remember past days. To grasp what our fore mothers held dear. Virtue, purity, modesty, and inner beauty. In truth, tis a balm of ointment upon our scarred modern society…
OK, before I go go off on a poetic side path, I’m going to share with you a quote that I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. (Courtesy of Eras of Elegance) Read it thoroughly for it is quite a gem.
Dressing gracefully begins with developing inner beauty, which consists primarily of a gentle and quiet spirit. A woman of noble character exudes natural beauty that cannot be captured by merely donning a fancy gown. Externally, she is dressed modestly and elegantly.
Historic fashions offer modern women a sense of romance and elegance. Ladies of the past wore lace-trimmed petticoats, fine fabrics, proper gloves and hats. While one does not want to appear as if she is dressing for a costume party (nor do we want to break the bank), every lady can borrow some vintage elements to create a historical flair. The Regency, Victorian and Edwardian periods in particular provide some beautiful ideas…
As I’m sure is quite evident to those who know me, I love costumes and clothes of bye gone days! I simply adore the feminine and modest styles that our fore-mothers wore every single day. Imagine that! Washing your dirty laundry in a dress! That’s is reason aprons were invented girls.
As I mention before in Sewing Bug, I am planning to sew at least one dress from my favorite periods. I have a futuristic goal in mind of a possible seamstress business, but while I’m getting that started I benefit from such fantastic costumes! Other than the eras mentioned in Sewing Bug, I really like Edwardian (Anne of Green Gables), Pioneer/Wild West, and many of the Scandinavian or Dutch costumes are nice as well. Some great resources for researching historic dresses are Sense and Sensibility and Eras of Elegance.
And to the gentlemen readers who have in all likelihood yawned after the first paragraph, my sincere apologies. I know this is, to borrow the colloquialism, a “girly” post. But do not despair! Soon I shall explore and research costumes for gentlemen. So cheer up and take heart!
Enjoy these photos of old-fashioned elegance!
![Bennets: "Yours, I believe?".jpg](http://blog.thewilli.com/wp-content/gallery/historic-dresses/dresses.jpg "Bennets: "Yours, I believe?".jpg")
![The painting "Godspeed".jpg](http://blog.thewilli.com/wp-content/gallery/historic-dresses/godspeed.jpg "The painting "Godspeed".jpg")
![A painting called "The Accolade".jpg](http://blog.thewilli.com/wp-content/gallery/historic-dresses/the-accolade.jpg "A painting called "The Accolade".jpg")
Sewing Bug!
January 20th, 2008 Ahh….. sewing…. the art of combing fabrics…the sound of the machine humming a busy tune… looking forward to a new outfit for my wardrobe… this is what comes to mind when I think of sewing! How I love this time of year winter-early spring when I catch the sewing bug.
(Note: I wrote this two weeks ago, and since then I obtained materials for about 4 outfits! Consider this as Part One of a long string of sewing posts
When we were at Wal-mart rummaging through the after Christmas clearance items, I noticed that all the Simplicity patters were on sale. The light bulb went on and I decided to get a pattern while it was cheap. In no time at all I was thumbing through the pattern books in the awesome costume section.
Long before we moved South I had planned to make at least one costume from my favorite periods, Colonial, Regency, Victorian, and Medievil. However with the hustle and bustle of de-cluttering and packing away my sewing plans were place on the shelf. Or more correctly, box. Since our play, Pride and Prejudice in October,
and the costumes from Jamestown
I had Colonial and Regency eras covered!
I finally settled on a simple pattern that could double as Civil War or Pioneer dress, depending on whether I wear a hoop skirt or not. There were some cooler Scarlett O’Hara type dresses, however I wanted a more versatile pattern that would work with a petticoat or a modest-sized hoop.
The examples are just to give you an idea of how it’s going to look. I’m going to sew the bottom right dress because it has more trim and buttons, and ingenious removable long sleeves! I chose the dark green satin as well to trim because it adds such elegance to the plain cotton
So what do you think? I know I can’t wait to step into the world of Little Women Stay tuned for progress reports. And (gentlemen, please refrain from groaning) yes, more sewing posts!
Be Anxious For Nothing
January 19th, 2008“Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
~Philippians 4:6
How hard it is during certain times of our life not to be anxious, but instead to put all trust in God! One simple act of surrendering everything to Him is so much easier said than done.
____________________________
So maybe you’ve guessed it by now from the title, the picture, the scripture etc… I’m a little anxious. I’m not too frazzled so as to cause me to be overly worried about what lies ahead on my path, but just enough to make me realize I’m not putting all my trust in God.
Let’s face it. It’s been two months since we’ve moved in with Jason and Karlyn, and we’re still not settled in Tennessee. We are progressing in small, step-by-step procedures, but still, nothing is definite, our options are kept open; and we’re not yet settled. I begin to feel rather restless in a way, anxious to move, to be settled in our new home and not living in a world of ‘in between.’ (and perhaps looking forward too much to having our own kitchen again.) People at church are starting to wonder when we’re going to get ‘the ball rolling’; I’m starting to wonder as well. Isn’t it about time Lord? Hasn’t it been long enough? Shouldn’t things get moving?
Don’t take me wrong here, I’m not at all discontent with my present situation. Believe me, I’m really enjoying this opportunity to spend time with my family! It’s just that every now and then I become…well…anxious.
To be honest, I expected it to be like this when we moved from New York to Virginia. I knew we would be here for a few months at least before finding a home in Tennessee, and I knew it would be hard. Perhaps God revealed to me part of His plan to prepare me for this, I don’t know, but I knew for sure that it wouldn’t always be easy. I knew there would be times of anxiousness and worry.
Kind of like now, maybe?
Guess I need to read Philippians 4:6 again! “Be anxious for nothing” Nothing, eh? I suppose that includes things like moving, housing and job situations…
Whenever these times come in which I begin to feel anxious, I open my Bible and spend time with who Lord who comforts me.
“Commit thy ways unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
~Psalm 37:5
“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”
~Psalm 62:8
What an encouragement and comfort these scriptures are to me! I am so thankful to the Lord for speaking to me through these scriptures. What a wondrous thing to know that He knows all my comings and goings!
So, how are you doing with putting your trust in God? Are you feeling anxious about what lies around the bend? Remember that the Lord knows the very number of hairs on your head, and if He knows that, then you can have faith and confidence in Him that He’s got everything even remotely concerning your life in control!
Trust in the Lord. Do not be anxious. I’ll be learning right alongside of you!
-Kasie
- Camille and Family
- Lady Abigail
- The Discher Family
- The Nisbett Family
- The Thomas Family
- Valiant For Truth
Some New Features
January 20th, 2008This is just a quick little note to bring to your attention a few new features of TheWilli.com – features that I hope will enhance the overall user experience
First off, I’ve installed a handy little plugin that allows you subscribe to comments via email. Considering the conversational tendency of some of our readers (see New Year’s Eve for an extreme example), this might be helpful. To subscribe, simply check the box when you make a new comment! The blog will then email you follow-up comments to the email address that you entered.
Note: This is not a license to start filling the comments with useless babble – I have a delete button, and I’m not afraid to use it!
Secondly, we now have a “post popularity” system. It determines how popular each of the posts are by # of comments, # of permalink views, # of feed views, # of pingbacks, and many other factors. Each post is given a percentage, which tells you how popular that post in comparison to the highest rated post. It’s going to take several weeks for the program to accumulate click data and such, but for now, the list on the sidebar will have to do.
What does this new “post popularity” mean for you? Nothing! It’s just something that I thought was really cool.
God bless, and have a geek (uh, I mean great) week!
Walter
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