This morning I couldn't find any matching mittens to give to Emmie, (she likes the knitted ones that are sort of thin) I did find 2 blue mittens, the only trouble being one was striped, the other was plain. I took The mittens to Emmie expecting her to get upset that I was going to make her look like a dork for having mismatched gloves, (7 is a very weird age where you get very worried about looks, all of a sudden she has opinions about everything she wears and not all of it is in good taste.) But instead of an argument I had this little moment with her.......

She was eating her cereal and I came up behind her and slipped her sweatshirt on and she gave me one hand for a glove, then the other and only when she went back to eating did she notice they didn't match.

E. "Why don't my gloves match?"
M. "Because I couldn't find matching gloves."
E. (in a super excited voice)"I'm going to have German gloves?"
M. "Exactly"
E. "Awesome!!!"

that was it..... I had girded myself up for a fight, expecting that I would need to explain about the cold, how she could take them off before anyone at school saw her, etc. I was even prepared to pull out "You have to wear them because I said so!" if necessary. Typically whenever we have dressed Isaac in Landsknecht we have tended to do mismatching hose just to add to his outlandish look and somewhere along the way Emmie has decided that the next natural progression is to modern gloves. I'll take it.

I found this today accidentally and now I want to stab people. This sort of thing made me want to go out and get a job just so I could never be accidentally associated with these people.

Here is a random article that blames syphilis for codpieces coming into vogue, sometimes I just don't know what to say.

Here is another article that makes me want to play spot the bad research and inaccuracies, we should see how many we can count, I'm sure there's a drinking game in there somewhere (at least there would be if I drank.)

These are from the 16th century in Hungry, here is my google translator link and if that doesn't work, here is the original in Hungarian.

We had a wonderful time at Jamestown, the food was fantastic and seeing lots of friends was great too. I primarily just walked around with the kids again, although I was able to give attack_laurel a bit of a break in the governors house a few times. (I really don't know how she does it for as long as she does, it is very tiring to talk to people so much on a continuous loop of information.) She had set out a very beautiful table of food that was constantly a source of ohs and awes.

Paul roasted a rabbit on the spit that was amazing, he had a tremendous amount of patience, but that is sort of how he is, if you give him a task he will keep going until someone says stop. The ribs, rabbit, Turkish pot of meat, and cheese pie were my favorite things we ate, all beautifully prepared over the fire and in the oven.

The kids had a wonderful time. They loved sitting by the fire (on the second day I had to tell Isaac that he was no longer allowed to help anyone with the fire because he is a little budding pyromaniac,) meeting and playing with people, and they loved the food. Emmie sat with me in the Governors house a few times, and she kept interjecting some of the information that she had heard either attack_laurel , or me give to other groups. They were so exhausted that they both fell asleep at 7:00 last night and slept for over 12 hours.

We only got a few pictures, but I think that our clothes turned out nicely.
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Paul is home safe and sound, The kids are healthy and happy, and we are finally done with the remodel. There has been a lot that happened to us this year, and for good or bad it has all caused us to be who we are. We are thankful that we have had the chance to stretch ourselves and come out with a good outlook and a smile.

We are off to Jamestown for turkey day and Friday, I hope everyone's travels or the lack there of are a success.

Oh! and I am also thankful for all of you. I feel I wasn't the most cheery this year and everyone put up with a very stressed out me.

I have been sewing a lot lately, well I guess I always sew a lot, but it's been fun sewing recently. I picked up my (attack_laurel pattern,) coif again for the first time since I went to Italy last Nov. (I literally traced it as Paul was calling me to leave for the airport.) I worked on it a little on the flight, and a couple of times during the conference during lulls, but haven't touched it since because we came home and found out straight away about the deployment and PCS, thus starting "The Lost Year" we just had. Anyway, there is only a bit done on it, but I did work on it Monday night for a bit while halowenslut was over and sewing, and then last night I took it to FP. I think the big difference is that I put it in a big, hand quilter's hoop, so now I can work on it while seeing the whole design and it's a little more out and about. (Paul is going to make me some slate frames, it just hasn't happened yet*) Anyway, while the coif is embroidery not sewing, I still count it as falling in the fun sewing category since I am not really an embroiderer. I have also been working on an outfit for Paul to wear to Jamestown for foods and feasts (we will be celebrating Thanksgiving at Jamestown this year.) I have put myself in the position of the outfit taking longer then I thought because I decided to embellish it more then I really should have, and now I keep procrastinating finishing it (I should not be embroidering, so obviously that is all I want to do.) I am going to be making Emmie a new outfit because she needs a wool one, but the scale on that is so small it doesn't take more then a couple of days at most. So anyway I need to get my act together because I am down to a week at this point to finish his pants, then draft and make a doublet, hand sew a butt load of button holes, and then do Emmie's dress. I really need a better arrangement for what I wear, but it's not going to happen in the time I have left.

I am enjoying the house soooooo much. It is so nice to be in a clean, finished, efficient, house. I love actually feeling like doing things, and being able to get out and see people etc. The last year just sucked for me in a way I feel incapable of expressing; we definitely grew a lot this last year but the growing pains were awful. We keep calling it "The Lost Year," because we feel like we just didn't get one. Between the deployment, the move, the remodel, our loss of Courtney, etc. we have been left wanting a do-over since last Nov. This year we are determined to put up Christmas decorations, and live without the cloud of stress that hung over us all through last year.


*see The Lost Year

I have come to the conclusion that I am not too sure about the way information is spread on facebook. I thinks that it has gotten to the point where we know too much too soon about some situations because there is almost this anonymous feeling of shouting something in a private room without realizing that everyone you know can hear you from there. I have heard about friends breaking up, or dating someone new through a little blip in their change in relationship status, I found out my cousin was engaged through facebook, and I have heard of hospitalizations through it. I know it has gotten to the stage where is is easier then making lots of phone calls to let people know what is happening, but it feels very impersonal too at a point. My cousins in England keep having drunk partying pictures uploaded and tagged with their names so I can see them, if it were not for facebook I guess I would never see that side of them? It's not that I don't want to share in the joy of my friends and family, but sometimes I am just not ready to know everything out of real context.

My alarm didn't go off, so I woke up at 7:30 instead of 6:45, I jumped out of bed and rushed to Emmie's room only to find she wasn't there, then to Isaac's room, and it looked like he wasn't there, so I wondered if Paul took them and turned off my alarm to let me sleep after my headache - I decided to double check Isaac because his comforter was a bit of a pile. He was indeed in the little pile, so I wake him up quickly and start calling for Emmie. "I'm on the stairs studying my spelling words!" comes the response. Emmie was fully dressed (including her coat and backpack) sitting on the stairs double checking her words for her test today.

Anyway, I managed to get them to school fed and with packed lunches by 8:10, but seriously the fact that my 7 y/o has her act together better then me this morning...........not my finest hour.

 I am too busy to do any real posts right now, we have the house warming in less then three weeks and Paul's Parents come into town in about 2 weeks, so I am a chicken with my head cut off right now. We are going out of town this week for 3 days, (we should technically not be taking the time off,) but Paul and I only get a 10th anniversary once and then the following day is Isaac's 9th birthday. Isaac was rather put out recently that his birthday is the day after our anniversary. I think it's the first time he's had to explain to the kids at school that no, mom wasn't pregnant at her wedding it was a year later. 

Anyway, I was just emailed a copy of the pictures that were taken of us at the AFA diner, so I thought I would post them here instead of a real post. I love my hubby in uniform!

 I don't think I can even express my pleasure over them being back! I love having them home, but this summer has been a tough one with the remodel and all. They both looked cute and happy as they headed out the door into the rain, with only one umbrella between them. (They can't walk straight when sharing the umbrella, who ever isn't holding the umbrella usually crab-walks the other into flowerbeds, the middle of the street, etc.) 


as a side note, I did not send a note with them refusing to allow them to listen to the President's speech. I only mention it because I thought it was really lame when the school called telling me I had that option. I don't  care what political affiliation anyone is (I tend to not get publicly political ever because I like to think certain things are personal) BUT, refusing to even listen to what someone else  has to say EVEN if they may have a differing opinion is just plain rude. The only reason I would not allow my children to listen to something is if they were going to swear, have sexual content, advocate for drug use, or show violence. Since I doubt that either a Republican or Democratic President would do that I am open to listening to what the POTUS has to say. I plan to listen to the speech myself, I also plan to have a discussion with my children afterwords about what I felt had value and merrit, and also about what (although I seriously doubt there will be anything) I personally didn't agree with, and allow them to form their own opinions. For goodness sakes people, it's the President, not the Democrat's president, not the Republican President, OUR president for the next 4 years at least. 


Edit: here is a link to the speech, it's actually a very lovely, well written and inspirational speech that I am proud my children will be hearing, I hope they take it to heart. 

 I love getting packages in the mail! Even if I ordered and paid for them they are like getting a present. One of the packages I got today had three pairs of shoes in it, the kids and I are now the proud owners lachet shoes from a really great cobbler in England!

We spent quite a bit of money on them (well compared to what I would usually spend on children's shoes,) but they are so cute. now if I can just get clothes for Jamestown done for more then just Isaac we can possibly have a place to wear them.

   We didn't do anything we were meant to do today, no cleaning, no painting, nothing on the list (well we did go to the Goodwill and donate some stuff) but Paul kidnapped me today for a day of antiquing and it was lovely! 

I got 3 beautiful pieces of costume jewelry that are enameled and set with colored stones, (I am super excited about them,) there are 2 brooches and a necklace; the brooches are just waiting for it to be sweater season again because they are gonna be just too cute on a cardigan. We also got one copper jelly mold for the kitchen and an oak, clover leaf side table for the library, (which by the way, looks just fabu in there.) Paul got some tools and a few books (one in French that is a huge dictionary of period tools for almost every trade you can think of)   

I got the cutest vintage green and cream floral, phenolic resin buttons (think bakelite but different) that were a steal at 6 for $1.50, I want to turn them into cute hairpins for Emmie.

Anyway, my batteries feel charged, I feel ready to go again, and all it took was a little retail therapy.

 attack_laurel  there is a picture of you in the Stitch magazine that Tricia mentioned on the Plymouth blog! (And it has your name and everything!) You can only get it in England or on-line, but I bet your Mum would pick up a couple of copies for you!!! 

 We have built all the bases of the bookshelves in the library, tonight we are fixing them into the walls and then doing all the finish work. I am so excited by how it’s looking in there, not to mention the fact that once it’s finished we can finally unpack all our books.  I am so close to running out of steam right now, we just have so much to do to get done with this renovation. I know in theory we could slow down, but I always have a sense of urgency because we only have a certain period of time in a house before we will move again, and everyday we live in it unfinished is a day less that I will have to just BE in my home with my family.

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So anyway, Paul just got home, so I am going to go kiss and help him work in the library!

  Is it bad that I have about a bajillion and one things to do between now and January, and the only thing I feel like doing right now is staring on the kid's 12th night stuff, which doesn't even make the list until November?

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I have other things I need to get done sewing wise, but Paul is giving me a long suffering “can we go to bed?” look, so I guess I will have to catch up later.  

Anyway, I will be good, I will not start on 12^th night yet, and I will get all of the other things I need to get done, done first…………..maybe.   

 Place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not. Things you have done during your lifetime:
( MEME )

(x) Been White Water Rafting
(x ) Written a book or screen play
(X) Been in love
( ) Put a foot in the Oval office
( ) Hitchhiked
( ) Joined the Mile High Club (creepy, so uh no)
(X) Snorkeled
( X) Seen a person on fire (A stunt show in Disneyworld)
( x) Ridden a Segway (in Disney world)

 Paul brought 4 of the giant plastic totes of fabric up from the garage to my sewing room this morning before going to work. (There are 4-6 more of them in the garage still.) Um……..I have only gone through 2.5 of them and with what was already unpacked into my sewing room I am too full for anymore fabric.

 

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 Anyway, we finished the wood flooring in the sewing room last night, now we only have the master bedroom to do and the entire second floor other then the master bath (which we are not redoing) will have been redone. As of September 1^st we are buying the wood to finish the first floor and then by October 1^st we will be done with the most major bits of the remodel. I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, and then maybe I will have time to turn all that lovely fabric into something rather then just looking at it despairingly.     

 pinkleader  Emmie has had me thinking of you today. I taught her how to fingerloop braid while we were at Jamestown volunteer training back in Feb. but I haven't done anything with her since then. Today, she decided she wanted to make her stuffed kitty a collar and herself a matching friendship bracelet, so she got out some yarn and went right back to 3 and 5 strand braiding! So my Emmie is all dressed in Pink looking like a mini Jen doing her fingerloop braiding.

Does anyone know if fingerloop braiding is an approved activity for her to do while volunteering at Jamestown? She has taught Isaac how to do it already, and it seems to be something she likes to talk about, and I know it is the right time period for Jamestown, but I have no idea if it is approved or not.  

Emmie has recently gotten so funny - she makes me laugh everyday and is so sweet!

 While Paul and I work on flooring, she will bring us a tray of drinks and fruit leather, (last night we were out of fruit leather so she brought applesauce cups.) The little tray always has 4 drinks 3 of which are chock full of ice with a little bit of pop, and one that has a couple of pieces of ice and a lot of pop, guess which one is already *called* as hers? She folds little paper towels into napkins, and puts a blanket down so we can all picnic right where we are doing the flooring. We HAVE to stop what we are doing and sit for a few minutes very formally eating and complimenting her on her delightful snack. She usually gets Paul and Isaac Root beer, but she always gets caffeine free diet Pepsi for both of us girls.

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Emmie has always loved her daddy and I was usually quite secondary in her world. I think having him be gone made her still idolize his every move but also appreciate me a little more, which I love!