The End from the Beginning
It's hard to see the end from the beginning, yes? That's why my shrubs crowd each other, why the peonies are entirely shaded by the climbing rose . . . .
When Giles took his first picture, no one saw he'd be spending his eighteenth summer in Manhattan, making a living with a camera.
A Spanish course at home, and a bird guide, and now Felix is planning a year in South America.
Tiny beginnings, but God sees the end before the process even starts.
When I started writing here in 2005 I had no idea I would become so committed to the pleasure of sharing my vision with you all. I have found my creativity sparked every day, and I have loved sharing my projects and finds with you. I thank you all so much for reading.
Now I sense that God has something different for me, and it's time to close up shop here in this little spot I love. Because I trust Him, I am glad to follow Him. His beginnings, His endings, yes?
Now, practically: I'll leave Pleasant View Schoolhouse up indefinitely for your archive-reading pleasure. I'll keep my etsy shop up and running. And before I go I'd like to atone for my abysmal record of responding to questions. Please feel free to submit a Q in the comments and I'll try to do an A before I finish up here.
My dear readers, it's been wonderful!
264 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 264 of 264Ana: Thank you so very much for the pleasant view that your blog provided. It is the first blog I read daily. I pray God's blessings on you and your lovely family. Is there anything special we can pray about? Thank you for modeling Proverbs 31 and keeping the site up.
Carol in MD
Anna, thank you for the beauty and inspiration. Love to you and yours.
Dear Anna,
Your blog is a true masterpiece! Was it here that I read "elegance is restraint"? I'm sure it is hard for you to say goodbye to this beautiful endeavor of yours, and yet there is elegance even in ending. May God continue to bless your beautiful family. I'm sure he will continue to use you in surprising ways. I will truly miss you, and like many others, was surprised at the emotion triggered by this news. Your sharing has always been elegantly restrained, and yet so very generous. Thank you! Rosemary
I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this post. I've been a blog reader ever since the start (via a link from the S&S forum) and your blog has been so inspiring spiritually, and also in femininity, and just a fresh air of simple beauty; even in little things like vintage rick rack, or a bunch of flowers on the table. Echoing several others, you've been a example and I thank you!
Oh, wow, Anna. It's been so lovely peaking into your family. It's given me more than a little inspiration. May God bless you and each member of your family as you continue on your journey.
I am sorry, but you are not allowed to leave. :-) Yours is one of the first blogs I ever read, and I've been reading here steadily for years. In fact *your* steadiness has been an example to me. You were just so consistent, putting up something lovely every day, however simple it needed to be, and that consistency rang of stability. I have been refreshed and inspired by the beauty and simplicity of your posts. You are a wise, wise woman, and you occasionally shared some of that with us in "prosier" than usual posts. I even loved your restraint in that, though. Maybe as a thing is more beautiful when it is framed in space, so is a wise word more impacting when there are quiet spaces around it. And then you filled those spaces with daily goodness and beauty, showing us how your wisdom walked and bore fruit daily life.
Thank you for everything. I suppose I'll let you leave if you must, but I really will miss seeing something new in this lovely place every day. Many blessings to you and your beautiful family, Anna.
God bless,
Susan
Thank you so much for all the time you put into this blog. I have so very much enjoyed reading it. Your's is one of my very favorite blogs to read. Your bold faith, the beautiful photos, the simplicity. I will miss you, but completely understand how God calls us, knows us, needs us, most importantly to follow Him. I know you will continue to have a wonderful adventure with Him in this new season.
Thank you for your family's beautiful photography. Although you have not shared lots on a personal level I think you have still revealed a lot about what is important in your life by what you and yours have photographed and by what you have Not talked about. I will miss your photos but will instead enjoy browsing your archives for reminders of the beauty we have all around us every day.
Best wishes
Jen in Oz
Thank you for a pleasant, delightful place of inspiration and wisdom. We love your French bread recipe, and my orchids are doing much better since I learned from you how to care for them! I would love to see your beautiful words in print!
Please contact me if I can be of any help in getting you some German chocolate Adventskalender!
Love and best wishes to all your family from Germany!
I didn't come to PleasantView because it was a gentle place.
No. I kept returning because of your confidence and strength. There are a lot of pretty photos on the web, but your clear voice tossing out beautiful bits of your unapologetic vision ... that's what I've lost.
That, and your tender intoxication with all things Daisy : )
Questions?:
*Bella coming to your family
*More photos of the Schoolhouse
*How you were raised. What your mother intentionally built into you. More about the suitcase. (Thank you, I've found Keck's book).
*Daisy's days. Is this the way you started with each older child?
*The Christmas trips: philosophy, genesis, execution?
Thank you, Anna. You are a true leader.
deb meyers
how about a full house (indoor) tour? we have friends who bought an old schoolhouse and would like to renovate it to be more livable, and seeing one that's been done for so long and seems to work well for a large family would be wonderful!
thanks, anna. you will be missed.
I will miss you and your blog:) I always read yours first.
Renee
Anna, I have been a long time reader but have never commented. Your writings have been an inspiration and a joy to me. I will so miss my visits. Jean.
I'm so sad, but I'm grateful for all that you have shared, you have inspired me and I wish you and your beautiful family many blessings, Thanks.
I will so miss your blog, but I admire your vision and willingness to follow God.
Thanks for sharing your life with us. I consider myself an accomplished housewife, but I've gained a lot of inspiration from your posts and I'm glad you're leaving the blog up so I can browse through it again (for the third time!).
Also, I had been meaning to email you, but I'll comment here instead: I just finished a quilt that I posted and I would be honored if you would stop by to look. http://thriftathome.blogspot.com/2010/04/kims-quilt-revealed.html
While I miss your blog very much, I want to thank you for the daily bit of loveliness and grace you gave me.
Since I sew from vintage patterns too, I wanted to know if you trace your patterns first and, if you do, how do you trace?
I wish you and your family the best! Thanks again!
I'm going to miss you so much! I love your blog, and I have not read it from the begining yet. I am glad that you have shared your life with us and I will continue to read and reread your blog! :)
~Autumn
Oh dear...your blog was on my daily-to-check list. Your blog was a comfortable, homey place to visit. May God use your new direction to better the lives of those around you, near and far.
I will so very much miss your frequent updates. On many days your blog has been the calm in the midst of my chaotic life. Like many of the other readers have mentioned, I do hope you will check in once in a grand while and let us know how things are going.
Thank you for leaving your blog up, otherwise I would be racing to the store for printer ink...otherwise how will I begin my first quilt? Or make one of Bella's delicious creations?
My question/request is could you share a sketch of your day/week? Or if that is too personal, perhaps a book you recommend on time management and setting priorities? I have a terrible time managing my day and I can scarcely see how you get all that you do done.
Blessing and best wishes for you and your family.
Wow. Count me among those reaching for a tissue right now. I'm an unlikely reader whose life one definitely wouldn't look to as a model of simplicity-domesticity-gentleness and the like, but there's nothing ironic about my regard for PVS. You will be missed.
Best wishes, and I'd like to echo the person who was curious to hear one of your Composer's compositions. Any way to let us do that without compromising your anonymity?
Dear Anna,
It has been a real treat, yes, a real treat since my first view of your blog...the May 11, 2007 entry.
Thank You and God Bless You and Your Family!
Colleen in Iowa
PS. Would you consider an annual Christmas Post? Something akin to a Christmas card?
Anna,
Your blog is one of my favorites. It's classy. Seems as though all privacy has been lost in our media-crazed world but you managed to share with us and at the same time not reveal it all.
Blessings to you.
Amy
I will miss your blog. You are one of only three I read outside of those belonging to people I know. I wish you every joy and happiness, you and your beautiful, talented family.
Rebecca in WI
My daughter and I will very much miss the sense of peace and graciousness you sent into our lives with each blog post. However, we do want you to follow God's leading, and if you are SURE . . . I hope you will give us a good idea of where you are going with your life ??! And maybe, just maybe, once every few months or so you could drop another blog post?! Pretty please?! ;-) God bless your family!!
Dear Anna,
I have been reading your blog since 2005 or 2006 and you've inspired me and given me peace in so many ways. You remind me of the beauty of home life and that there is so much beauty, peacefullness, and satisfaction to be found in it. I don't believe I know anyone quite like you. Because of you I started to read Grace Livingston and have discovered so many other lovely vintage pleasures.
Thank you so much for everything you have done. I hope you will blog once and awhile! I'll never forget you and will come back to you blog archives for inspiration, peace, and beauty!
God Bless you and your lovely family.
I have loved watching you & your children & your wonderful adventures. Especially the thrifty make-overs, vintage style clothing & Bella's prowness in the kitchen. I will miss you & wish you health & success......
I have enjoyed your blog for over a year - since my daughter suggested I look to see Daisy & her cello. I have been hooked since. I will remember you because I make your bread recipe almost every Saturday - though I halved it & use my kitchen aid mixer with dough hook. We eat dinner at church most Sundays & I take a loaf of bread. Everyone loves it. Thanks for sharing. TERRY
I'm so sad to be loosing your lovely blog. Do you have any blogs that you would recommend - sort of like a referral before you go? Thank you for all your past inspirations!!!
Dear Anna,
Oh, I'm so sad to see you go, but I understand. It was your blog that made me first really and seriously consider quitting my job to stay home with my family. Your beautiful life and family that was so peaceful seemed surreal and inconceivable in the midst of my hurried corporate life.
I love your gentle way of just sharing your life without fire and brimstone.
I do believe God used you to help me see the light. I did quit, and I am home with a new baby.
You and your husband seem to know how to cultivate and tease out the gifts and true interests your children have. I would love to learn more about that. How do I help my children find their calling? I would love to hear more about how you homeschool.
May God continue to bless you and your family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your quiet and gentle spirit with us. You truly have made a positive and profound impact in others' lives.
A long time fan,
~ Z.
I've been a lurker for several years and your blog has really blessed me. You'll be missed!
It appears you are very well loved!
My 1st thought was, "oh no", but I understand how life changes and twists and turns.
I have enjoyed your photos and your beautiful children.
Thank you for leaving your archives up!
Lizzie
Wow. Thank you for obeying God. There's been times when I've had to "fast" from your blog. Because I've "eaten" too much. Reading others blogs can make me only pine away for who I wish I was. It's good to remember to let things come and go. I think your obedience will challenge and minister to many. I'll miss checking it daily (sometimes more than once!)
I feel sad too, even though we don't know one another. I can tell you are a woman of Godly wisdom. I actually don't remember how I found your blog, but it has been bookmarked ever since. I'd like to think we'd be friends in real life if we went to the same church or something! I am a fellow thrifter, but my sewing can't compare. I love your style. Thank you for so much inspiration!
So sorry that you have come to this ending - very often your blog is the only bright spot in my day. All the best to you and yours.
I will miss your updates on the family and what you are working on.
Your blog is one of the few that I have continued to read for more than a couple of weeks. I do hope you will update from time to time and if the Lord leads you to new ground that involves the internet, that you will allow those of us that enjoy your blog to follow you along the path.
Blessings,
Anna in IL
I am grieving! Your blog was the first I ever read and inspired me to do my best as a mother and homemaker when my children were very young. The fact that you are a Christian just made it right.
The snapshots into a blessed life.
I am selfishly sad.
OH yes, PS (sorry) your pot roast and coffee cake are wonderful. There are a few recipes in my folder called "Pleasantview......"
oh man. this is similar to how I felt when Susan at High Desert Home stopped bloggin...a sense that I had lost an older, wiser sister! You inspire me to light and loveliness...a life free of anxiety and fear in homeschooling...a life of daily creative freedom and blessing my home with simplicity and beauty. thank you, thank you, thank you.
As with the others, I will miss reading your blog. Your calm, quiet spirit and beautiful ways continue to inspire me. I hand-embroidered a picture of your tulips (with your permission) and tried many of your recipes. I loved looking at pictures of your home in all its loveliness. Daisy's smile, Claire's elegance, Bella's beauty and Giles and Felix's adventures...not to mention your sewing talents and homemaking goodness...thanks for sharing all of it. God bless you in your endeavors.
Since I discovered your blog my mother, sister and I have enjoyed reading about you and your family, and we've been very inspired by your creativity! Thank you so much for sharing a part of your life with all of us. God bless!
Dear Anna,
Thanks for all you have written, you inspired me to blog and to see beauty in my life and to keep living as a Christian family. All the best.
I will miss reading your blog everyday. Thank you for posting the instructions for how to make a circle skirt. I've made several for my daughter, and she loves them!
Anna,
Thank you for your delightful posts over the years~ (not to mention all the great photos!)
What a blessing it has been to come here to this place.
Thank you for sharing.
May God bless you and yours...
I've never commented before, but I just wanted to thank you for your beautiful blog. I know that life is not always beautiful, but I love the simple glimpses of beauty lovingly displayed here. They are so inspiring. You and your family are delightful. I wish you could give me the magic formula as my oldest is just 6 with two youngers beneath him. :) I'd love to give my kids a fraction of what you've given yours. Daily praying for God's grace as I train them up.
God Bless!
Beth
Hi Anna, I had missed this post and hadn't realised you were finishing up. Thank you for the encouragement you've given us to nurture and love our families as women of God. Thank you for taking the time to share your life with strangers. It was lovely to see the things God was doing in your family. Your blog would spur me on after a day at work to make that added bit of effort with my boys. It's reminded me of the wonderful benefits of homeschooling and not working. May God bless you in all your future endeavours. Best wishes, Liz B.
Oh how I will so miss your blog! Thank you so very much for enriching my daily life with such simple beauty, inspiration, elegance and femininity.
May God continue to bless you and your family.
You will be missed. Thank you for all the years you've shared your beautiful family with us. Blessings as you follow where He leads. ox
Anna,
Thank you for sharing your lovely ideas, thoughts, and photographs.
I have been reading for at least a couple of years now. As with so many others, I have been prioritizing my time differently and so I only check in periodically on a couple of favorite blogs these days - yours being one of those! You could always be depended upon for snippets of beauty and peacefulness. Thank you for that.
Also, as a homeschooling family, I have certainly appreciated your stories of success and encouragement.
Best wishes on your new dreams and endeavors!
By the way, I live in Texas now, but grew up in Indiana enjoying sugar cream pie:)
Sandi
Oh sad! I will miss your lovely posts - they were so simple but beautiful and to the point - ones I could dip into quickly between baby demands. You need to do what you need to do though. Thanks for sharing with us all.
oh no! I missed my question writing window! I just read this post- and I have had a question for awhile now- How did you choose your children's blog names?
Anna, I will miss your posts. You always encouraged me and I thank you for that. May God richly bless you and your family.
Kris
I am so sad to see you go. I've only commented a couple of times, but whenever I had time to poke around on the internet, yours was the first blog I visited. Thanks so much, and good luck with whatever is next!
I am truly going to miss my daily fix here at Pleasant View. God bless.
Sweet, precious and always an inspiration to this mother of one last homeschool daughter. Your life has been a time of contemplation as well as focus on what I need to bring back to prayer by way of too much going, going, going. Thank you for your regard for the Kingdom principles that you adhere to: love of children, love of husband and joy in being a wife and mother.
Blessings,
Maria Ricci
What a blessing that because of blogging so many of us were able to come to know you, at least a little. I envy anyone who is your "real life" friend, and I for one, will miss you terribly!
Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so sad.......why are you, uh retiring? :)
you will be sorely missed. thanks for sharing your life with us.. it was a pleasure to view! ~Melissa Smith
You will be missed! Thank you for sharing little snippets of your life! God bless you in your new endeavors!
Oh my. I missed the announcement! I will miss your posts. I loved the Q&A. Thank you for everything.
All the best to you and your lovely family - I'll miss my periodic check-ins, they've been a treat. May God continue to bless and watch over all of you.
I marked your blog because I am a homeschooling mom of six in Pleasant View! But I don't know where your Pleasant View is...
I read it, loved it, and passed it on to a homeschooling piano student of mine who sews so beautifully. I was just going to pass it on to another friend who is looking at interracial adoption...will the archives still be up?
You're a lovely lady, and I wish you all the best. I have loved seeing what your children do with their music (my children are musical, too), especially hearing Bella sing from the Messiah.
Bless you all!
Alice in TN
you will definitely be missed! i will be eagerly anticipating your yearly update.
still missing daily peeks at Pleasantview. You have not been forgotten.
Anna, I have only just recently found your blog and am very sorry that you will no longer be posting.....would love to know what it is that God has for you to do next!!! I pray that he will prompt you to do an occasional update!!! wishing you and yours all the best, and thank you for having shared your lives with us. Carol
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