Vintage Retro Wardrobe Additions – My Mother’s Closet

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My Mother's Closet, Retro Clothing, shoes, The simple life

As I’ve hit my 30’s, I really have a preference for classic clothing from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. I know it’s not possible to buy original pieces all the time and wear them, so I’m settling for the next best thing: the resurgence of these styles in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. When visiting my mom recently, she let me raid her closet. When in high school, I’d see some of her retro outfits (that weren’t really that old when I was in high school) and I’d be like, “gross mom why do you have that still?” She’d always reply with, “One day you’ll think this is really cool and you’ll want to wear it too”. Well – that day has totally arrived. We played dress up for an hour with me trying on all sorts of her old clothing and shoes. It was a really great way to spend the afternoon with my mom.

I’ve decided to write a series of posts about these different articles of clothing to inspire others to bring back some goodies from the past.

Outfit 1 

 

Vintage/Retro Items:

• Grey hounds-tooth skirt
• Black/taupe heels

Modern Items:

• Purple sweater
• Dark grey herringbone tights

Why I love this skirt: great length and keeps me warm!

My summer skirts are just that – summery. The fabrics are light and airy and the colors are bright; but these skirts are anything but warm. I start wearing long underwear/leggings in Oct and I’m always cold all winter. Summer skirts do nothing to help me retain heat. I’ve been on the look out for nice, wool skirts that come to or just below my knees and are lined and have a nice waist band that actually fits. (I have large hips but a tiny waist and I don’t like when skirts are snug around my hips and gaping at the waist). I’m not willing to pay $100+ for a wool skirt, so I’m really glad my mom gave me this one!

This skirt was sewn by my mom to match a grey wool blazer. The skirt has a little bit of a stretchy/elastic waistband on the back half and closes with two hooks and eyes. The rest of the waistband is straight. There are also pockets!! It is made of 4 gores and has two tiny pleats/tucks on either side of the center of the skirt. It is not lined, but I wear a slip with all my skirts. I also really like the way it drapes.

To me it is very reminiscent of the skirt styles from the 50s. I was a little worried when wearing it to school that one of my students would be all, “hey where’s the poodle for your skirt?” Except I’m thinking one of two things: 1) no one knows what a poodle skirt is anymore or 2) it didn’t look as poodle-skirt-ish as I thought.

The shoes were also a great find in her closet. They have a low enough heel that my arches did not get sore. Apparently dress shoes from the 80s had squishier insides? Why did they stop making heels that way? I love the two tone shoes and the little ties on them. My mom kept her clothing and shoes in excellent condition and I’m so glad she did.

All around, I’m excited to wear this skirt again and to see what other sweaters I can pair it with!

 

 

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Pony and a Photo Shoot

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19th century clothing, historic clothing, Historic Clothing Photo Shoot with pony, Miss F's Dress 1815, Regency, side saddle, The simple life

Though I should be posting about my trip to Europe in chronological order, I’m actually beginning at the end with a photo shoot at my friend’s house. She owns a wonderful farm, writes fabulous stories, and is living her dream. Check out her blog. I met my dear friend at Camp Anna Behrens. She was a counselor in training and I was a camper. Soon after, she was a counselor and I was the one in training. We shared several summers together that turned into a life long friendship. She was gracious enough to spend a few hours with me last week, teaching me to ride side saddle and taking photos of me dressed in my (sister’s) Napoleonic dress, riding her horse (the best horse ever). Below are the best photos from the bunch she took. I couldn’t decide on “old timey color,” black and white or sepia….so they are all mixed.

 

It was a huge challenge to keep the horse still and smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See…can’t decide which version I like more….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year of the Re-read

Tags

Books, reading, The simple life, Year of the Reread

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to reread more books. I keep reading new ones because I want to read more new books by Sarah Dunant or Fitzgerald. However, we all know that you discover so much the second, third, or fourth time you read a book. Thus far in my life there are two books that I have consistently reread (and up to this point, I’m not a huge rereader).

First book was from my youthful summers on the shores of Lake Superior. In one of the tourist shops on either Mackinac Island or at Fort Michilimackinac, I discovered the book Traders in Time. It was the first time travel book that seemed plausible to me. Two siblings are playing in the woods; one gets hit on the head or falls out of a tree or something and gets transported back to the time of the fur trappers and traders in the Great Lakes regions. Awesome! I think I read this book almost every summer. Sadly, I have not read it since high school I think.

The other book I’ve read about once every 5 or 6 years is The Great Gatsby. Like all high school kids, I read it in American Lit. Then I read it in college just for the heck of it. Then I read it again when I was teaching it a few years ago. I LOVE THIS BOOK. It is my all time favorite. I love it so much, I even bought this shirt. And then I bought one for my sister too. Seriously I love it that much. Fitzgerald is a genius. I love the movie as well. Also genius.

Anyway. I made a group on facebook for this year long challenge. It’s called “Year of the Re-read.”

If you follow me and you’d be interested in joining the group, check it out. Group.

There are some ground rules.
1. No book bashing. No hating on people just because they love a certain book.
2. Read for at least 10 min every day.
3. Try to keep track of when you start and finish the book. (Hard copy in a journal or join goodreads.com and friend us on there too).
4. Each month, take a picture of the book you read and add it to that month’s photo album. For each book include the following information:
– First time you read the book:
– Why you decided to reread it:
– How long it took you to reread it:
– New insights, epiphanies, and/or overall reactions/feelings about the book the second time around:
– Recommend it for others:
5. Post general awesomeness on this page to get people reading!

We hope you join us!!!!

Little House Addition – Part 1: Planning

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House addition, The simple life

Perhaps I’m a bit optimistic and naive. Owning a home is swell. Getting to build an addition to the home is even better!!! We’ve been in our house just three years. I fell in love with the old historical charm; Mr. H adored the giant yard. It was our compromise. Lovingly he has put up with slanty floors (they’re not that slanty IMHO), a broken sump pump, a chimney that was good when we bought it, a shifty furnace, an old hot water heater, and a host of other things that accompany old houses. I’ve lived in old houses my entire life and actually my house is the oldest one I’ve ever lived in with – according to the previous owner – the first part (a log cabin) built in 1843 (why that date I have no idea) and the second part built in 1911. The 1911 part has similar details to my parents’ home, built in 1915.

Our house is very cozy. I love the bright yellow walls in the living room. The exposed logs of the cabin part are tres rustic chic. The house is built exactly on the NSEW axis so we get fabulous sunlight in our big east/west windows in the living/entryway.

We are truly “green” people: buying an old house that was already available. I know there is a huge tiny house trend right now too. I get it. Live within your means. Don’t go to extremes because you can. My parents are large proponents of buying a house within your financial means when you are first married and make do until you can afford to either add on or move again. (The first house my parents bought was a cute 1920’s-2 bedroom-1 bath at 1500 square ft. Within a few years of owning it, my dad built a fabulous library with floor to ceiling book shelves and cathedral ceilings. However, with two growing daughters, sharing a bedroom through the teen years was really not an option. When I was 13, we moved clear across the state to a house of 2,000 square ft). So I think I’ve followed their advice pretty well. However, even with just two of us, (having kids is still up in the air for us), the house is cramped. Maybe I have too large of a historical clothing collection. Nope. Definitely not the issue. Maybe it’s our every growing book collection? Nope. Not that. Maybe it’s…..yeah. We are definitely *not* tiny house people.

My dad, an awesome architect, measured the house this fall and drew up the blueprint of the house as it is.

Here they are!

 

 

Over Christmas break, we spent a few hours drawing possible additions. Now my pinterest board “Remodel” is added to daily.

My dad and I made a list of requirements:

1. New kitchen w/ lots of built in storage, especially a pantry, and more windows

2. Laundry room w/ a built-in folding table and more storage

3. Bigger-ish closets in bedrooms

4. Two new bedrooms

5. Built in bookshelves anywhere that seems awesome

6. Decent sized windows

Our main goal is to keep the addition looking a lot like the 1911 part in style/dimensions/feel. I really want it to be seamless when you travel from one part of the house to the next. This also means mimicking baseboard and trim styles.

Who knows how long this series of posts will be!!! But the wheels are turning as we move into 2015!!!

Ordinary Courage — A First Person Immersion Event — Part 3: Reflection and Evaluation

Tags

18th century, 1st Person Immersion, The simple life

First, if any living historian/reenactor (or whatever you call yourself) wants to take this hobby to the next level, this is definitely it. But I think it works best when you are really comfortable with the people you experience this with and have worked together at previous events. Because I knew everyone and felt comfortable, it wasn’t that odd to jump into this new role.

The group’s goal was simple: recreate a time period and specific event to the best of our ability using only what the people in the 18th century would have had.

If you want to skip ahead to what I learned about women in the 18th century, scroll to the bold heading near the end.

To return to my list of what I prepared for and expected….

The temps: I’m not sure if this counts as cheating or not, but the building technically had heat. We kept the thermostat low so the heat was not blasting. The inside temp was cooler than I prefer in a building, but it was dry and warmer than outside, so I really couldn’t complain. The socks I borrowed from my friend kept me warm. Early in the morning, I was even warm enough to just throw on a light cotton bedgown while I prepped food and cleaned, so that was nice.

Because I was cold the first night I got there, I slept in my shift and stays and one wool petticoat. I was warm, but I don’t like how rigid my body is when I sleep in stays. I can’t imagine it’s good for me. And when it’s cold, I like to curl in to a little ball and I don’t really have that option when I wear stays. The second night, I definitely had to take them off, but I was really cold in just a cotton shift and a wool petticoat, so I borrowed a big wool hunting frock thing and buttoned it up around my chin – finally warm!! We did have about 5 or 6 wool blankets on the bed, which was awesome.

Sanitation: My friends brought their wash stand and we had soap! Hurray! I could wash my face. I think my face actually looked better after using cold water to wash my face with. So every night now I use cool water even if I’m cold and want to warm up. Using an outhouse with vents that let in cold air is just plain cold. I was reading something about sanitation in 18th cent London and all I can say is that I’m glad I don’t have to poo in a hole I dig myself and bury it. That would be terrible. And I don’t want to use moss to wipe my bum either. Gross.

On to the good expectations. All of those were met. It’s exactly what I expected. Oh and I ate the most delicious smoked ham hock I have ever tasted. Holy crap. I like ham. But wow. We just sliced this meat right off the hock and popped it in our mouths.

For sewing….I did not finish the wool shortgown – yet again. I started to attach the lining to the fashion fabric and the wool and worsted wool are so spongy that they would not fold nicely and the lighting was bad so I made about five horrific looking stitches and decided I just did not have the patience. It was not worth it to me. I did, however, finish my large-ish linen carrying bag. I’m not sure that there’s a technical 18th cent term for it. But I put all my larger clothing items and extra fabric for sewing projects in it. Hurray! I would still like some wooden boxes though because I just feel like that will contain my items better than 5 different bags. But I did get to wear one item that I had not worn yet: my fancy embroidered mitts!!!! I thought when we visited our friends on the hill that it would be an appropriate and not overly flashy way to dress up my outfit.

Now on to the important part: what I learned about myself, life and women in the 18th century from just 48 hours.

I did not go in with any preconceived notions because I did not want to try and predict anything. I did have several epiphanies throughout the weekend, which I feel are rather significant.

The first epiphany occurred when I noticed the weather. The freezing rain Fri night resulted in an unpleasant situation Saturday morning: wet firewood. How is one supposed to cook?! I have no idea. If you did not have leftovers from the night before or something that could be eaten cold (like raw fruit or veggies already in storage, you were screwed and went hungry I suppose). Well the firewood situation resulted in one of the women leaving the house and attempting to get to her car to drive somewhere to search for wood. She slipped on the ice and fell. I realized several things as a result. 1) Had these injuries been more severe, without proper medical care in the 18th cent, loss of life from something simple could be detrimental to the stability of the family. 2) Even a small weather event like icy roads and paths makes day to day activities dangerous and the shoes they wore then are not as sturdy/grippy/warm as ours. Furthermore, if you were not wealthy enough to own a good pair of shoes, then what? 3) If the weather prevented you from venturing outside, you had to stay inside just to keep warm and not die. Don’t get me wrong, I’m perfectly content with a snow day here and there or staying home to relax after a busy day. But if the domestic sphere was your entire life already, no wonder women got bored with sewing, embroidering, and caring for children. Additionally, we did not see the sun for these two days. You have wet firewood, minimal food supplies, icy roads, no sun and you’re forced to be indoors for three months. Good God. Thankfully, the building we were in is sturdy and warm. What kind of an existence would you lead if you were not that lucky? It makes sense why someone like Charlotte in Pride and Prejudice didn’t care if she loved the man; marrying someone who could provide for her was a big deal.

This leads to the other fascinating realization. With our scenario, I was married, but had returned to live with my parents because my husband had been gone for so long that they wanted me close by. Not seeing your husband and not knowing if he’s alive or well because of lack of communication in the postal service and military must have been horrible. Everyone kept asking me, “where is your husband madam” all weekend and I kept saying, “I don’t know. He hasn’t written me.” And the fourth or fifth time I said it, it kind of sunk in. What if he’s dead? What will I do? Will my parents let me continue living with them? I really better pull my weight so they don’t throw me out. (Hello: the 21st century called – your husband is alive and well and you have a lovely house). Emotionally though, I had been very caught up in the situation that was playing out before me. Furthermore, this lead me to display my emotions on my face more easily than I had realized. It wasn’t that I wasn’t having a good time. I was. It was utterly amazing. However, I was in and out of the soldiers’ room for various reasons and every time I curtsied to the corporal and explained my reason for being there, I had a frown on my face. Finally, he called me out on it. Initially, I put on a stoney face to make sure I didn’t bust out laughing, but as the day went on and I became absorbed in my character’s station in life, I was mad that these random strange men had entered our house and my parents let them live with us and I was mad that these men were alive and well in the war, yet I had not heard from my husband. Life wasn’t fair. Hence the frown.

From there, another interesting scenario played out that we were not quite expecting. The eldest Miss Irwin took a fancy to the soldier Joseph Plumb Martin. In the text we used as the basis for this experiment, she was gossipy and flirtatious. So she took it the extra step and thought, hey given these aspects of the woman I’m portraying, would it not seem plausible that she might try to hook up with this soldier to improve her station in life. Well, the man playing my father got caught up in this scenario and purposely left his mitts at the Irwin’s house so the soldier, Joseph, had a reason to go back and talk to the young lady. This was such an interesting turn of events that it really sent a bustle through our little house. We all wanted to call on the neighbors to see how the two potential love birds were getting along. Then when I was at their house visiting, after the soldiers left, Miss I. and I continued to plot about ways we could get her together with this dashing young man. It was really, truly the highlight of our day. Again to reference Jane Austen, no wonder she wrote an entire book about hooking people up with a mate. This was exciting business!!! Today, I see kids holding hands all the time in the halls. There is no social protocol for dating except, don’t make out in the halls because that’s gross. But in the 18th century there were so many rules about not being alone and not touching and how to be a lady/gentleman, it made the wait worth it. There were several times when Miss I and I would fall into fits of giggles over the prospect of her marrying this young man. I guess, nothing really changes from century to century. However, these soldiers who just happened to show up on our doorstep provided us with a huge diversion from our daily humdrum life. This little scenario was definitely the best part of the weekend.

Lastly, I didn’t realize this until I wrote my other post. I was in charge of taking pictures on our end of the property. Whenever I had a free moment, I quickly snapped pics of the soldiers or my “family” and then just slipped the camera back into my pocket. I tried to get a lot of action shots to capture the essence of people’s every day lives. Anyway, when I was putting together my previous post written in first person, I added pictures to go along with it. I took well over 100 pictures and the ones that made it in to the previous post were mainly domestic life pictures. I have so many great shots of the soldiers doing stuff, but technically, I wasn’t hanging out with the soldiers that weekend because I “didn’t know them.” I realized how small the domestic sphere really was. I might have interacted with the soldiers to bring them food or help them with something, but other than that, I was to stick to my part of the house and them theirs. I really wanted to post more pictures of what the soldiers were doing, but they didn’t fit into my narrative at all. So weird!

Overall, this was a fabulous experience. I’m ready to do it again, but in warmer weather. I wholly support 1st person immersion events and everyone should try it at least once, just to see what it’s like. I get that it’s not for everyone, but the more you can throw yourself into an authentic experience, the more appreciation you have for the little things – like Charmin Ultra soft super strong toilet paper and instant running hot water.

An 18th century selfie…

Ordinary Courage – A 1st person immersion event – Part 1: Expectations and Preparations

Tags

18th century, living history, reenacting, The simple life

I have not been involved in reenacting/living history or historical sewing for as long as some people, but I’ve thrown myself pretty well in to the progressive side of it. For example, I feel I may have indicated in a past entry or two that I can’t not hand sew now if I’m making a garment for the 18th and early 19th century. And now any item that I consider buying must follow period correct specifications. It’s become some what of a mission w/ a little bit of obsession thrown in for good measure.

Anyway, this weekend, I’m attending a first person 48 hr immersion event. It is a small group of people who have decided we will act out/recreate a chapter from the memoirs of Joseph Plumb Martin. Although we are in Illinois, the historic site is Milltown, Pennsylvania. The soldiers are off foraging and doing “man things” all weekend while the ladies will be, well, doing “woman things.”

Over the past week, I’ve been mulling over everything that needs to get done and then I realized that my thoughts fell into three separate categories:

I. Expectations – bad/good and II. Preparations

I. Expectations – bad/troublesome

I’m starting with the not so great first. It’s odd, but I tend to stress over new events. I’m mostly gung-ho excited, but then there is this brief, “what if?” that washes over me and makes me anxious to the point of making my stomach do flips and/or my skin breaking out (not cool).

Freezing Temperatures

Because this particular event is near the end of November and I live in the Midwest, I’m mostly worried about freezing. I’ve been to two other cold weather events. I survived and actually I think they acclimated my body to dealing with colder weather. However, I had the option of wearing long underwear. But this weekend is the most progressive/hard core authentic it can get i.e. zero modern anything. I’m pushing myself to the extreme and going to see how it goes. If my upper thighs freeze, it is what it is. Sucks to suck.

And I keep telling myself, if they can do it, so can I. It’s not the end of the world. We are in a stone building. I have no reason to really go outside unless I’m cooking or using the outhouse. Therefore, I think it will give me a good feeling for what it really was like to be a woman and be stuck inside all day. If this is what I am to learn, I only wish I could be doing this for a week or more because that could give me a better gauge of whether or not I could hack it.

Lack of sanitation/running water

Well you’re going to learn way more about me than you probably cared to know. In the past few years, I’ve become a tad OCD about sanitation. I have to wash my hands a lot especially during food prep. Not having this luxury makes me a tad queasy. Though we will have a wash stand, but no running water. Aaaaaahhh!!! Outhouses don’t bother me though. I just want warm water to wash my hands.

II. Expectations – good/excited for

Tasty food 

We always have the most delicious food at events. I love it. I crave it when I’m at home in the winter. I have never been disappointed in anything I’ve tried – even oysters – and I don’t eat a lot of seafood (except fresh Lake Superior Whitefish).

Seeing all my dear friends

I think many of us will agree that awesome friends keep us in the hobby. My living history friends have become some of my nearest and dearest friends since I’ve become involved in the hobby. I love having a hobby that brings together like-minded people.

First Person 

For the majority of events that I’m at, we are in first person. Occasionally we’ll slip into 3rd person depending on the conversation, but 99% of the time, we are awesomely in character. This weekend gives me another opportunity to expand my repertoire and really become someone from that time period.

I will portray the daughter of one of the other ladies who is attending. We’ve been going back and forth over the weekend about what my name should be. Right now it’s between Ella Rose and Abigail. I, however, don’t particularly like Abigail currently because I just finished watching The Crucible and the character of Abigail annoys me (I have some friends named Abby and I don’t hate them, so no offense if anyone who reads this has that name). I also wanted to choose a name that was in my family, but we are Polish and the people we are portraying this weekend are German Pennsylvanians I believe…so, that’s not really working out.

Time away from technology 

It’s rather ironic that as I type this on my laptop to post on the internet while I watch Mr. H play video games, I’m excited about getting away from all of it for two days. I am constantly bombarded with emails all day long – upwards of 50 per day. It’s too much. Why can’t you just call me? OR walk down the hall and tell me to my face? I will admit that I love connecting with historical sewers and living historians on facebook and reading their blogs because it is a wealth of information. Truly having so much research/advice at our fingertips does wonders for improving your knowledge. However, the day to day realities of living in a digital world is so exhausting that at the end of the day, I just want to be outside or in a cozy room talking face to face with people who matter to me. My phone will be shut off Fri night around 8 p.m. once I text Mr. H that I have safely arrived at the site. I won’t turn it back on until I sit in my car to head home and I call Mr. H to tell him I’m leaving.

Historic buildings

My dad is an architect. The majority of my family’s library are books about architecture, interior decorating, and home repair. My preferred lazy reading was pulling the book, A Field Guide to American Houses off the shelf and memorizing the various architectural subtleties between an Italianate and a Second Empire so when we drove around through old neighborhoods I could point out the differences. Therefore, the fact that I get to stay overnight and live in a building from the 1830s is beyond a dream. (I currently live in an old home). But this historic building is somehow different. We get to stay there and come together as a family and it’s just amazing. And besides, a solid stone house is way better than a tent in wind/rain/snow.

III. Preparations

Sewing

Two weeks ago I found out about this event. I didn’t think much of it. Suddenly over the weekend I have to make/acquire all of these items. I had put off finishing my new wool jacket/short gown because I figured I was done for the season and why rush? Well, now I am rushing. Though I won’t stress myself out over it because if I don’t have to go outside, I won’t. The lining is mostly sewed together, but it does not help that I’m taking 45 min to write this entry when I should be sewing.

I also decided over the weekend that I should finally get around to making myself some linen bags to carry my stuff in. I’m saving my money to buy a portmanteau and have a friend make some wooden boxes for me. But hey, why not sew a giant rectangle by hand in a few days because you don’t have a million other things to do – right?

Paring down the fluff

You tend to acquire a lot of stuff with this hobby. And for some events, even though it is only two days, you think, yep I need ALL of my stuff. All 10 petticoats, both jackets, a cloak (even though the forecast is 70+), and five different colored stockings (because one pair might get wet or a friend may need to borrow some). For this event, I literally only need what I can carry – literally in one to two loads – and only my warmest clothes. That’s it. And this brings me to my next point.

Realizing what you don’t have

When you acquire a lot of stuff, and then you go to the extreme (weather or immersion), you realize quickly what you don’t have. For me? Zero period correct wool blankets or coverlets, mittens, hat, scarf, wool stockings. How do I not have this stuff?! Luckily, my other friends have extras and are helping me out. Sweet.

Reading

An immersion event taken from a particular chapter of a memoir or diary requires that you read said chapter and become fairly knowledgeable about the people, places, and time period. Reading takes a bit of time to digest (take notes, memorize, reread) and I can’t very well read and sew at the same time. Grrrr. But learning new stuff is fun!

The lady in charge also gave us some things to consider:

“To get yourself in the period, research happenings in Pennsylvania in November 1777. What battles have already happened. How is the war going? Who is winning? Think about your own situation such as how long you have lived in Milltown? There is a back and forth concerning the name of the town. Some call it Milltown and others want to call it Downingsville. Think about what you would be doing during the day and be engaged in the activity. Cleaning chores, sewing in the morning, knitting in the afternoon. Visiting neighbors if you think it safe. What is your family history? How long have you lived in the colonies? Where is your family from? How many children do you have, those of us who are married? What might your future plans be? Moving west into Ohio country or Kentucky country? What about Indians? What if the British come back? Where are your foods hidden?”

Leaving for the weekend before a major holiday

I have company arriving on Wed afternoon. I will be gone all weekend. Mr. H will be tidying by his lonesome. I’ve already cleaned a fair amount last weekend (dusting, vacuuming, etc) and when I return I will just need to tidy and put away all my period clothing/stuff before everyone arrives. Being out of town can be stressful before people arrive, but I’m determined to make it work!

 

Only a few more days to go! I can’t wait to see what this new experience will bring. The next post will be a first person (from the viewpoint of my character) account of the weekend, with a follow-up reflection of did the event meet/exceed my expectations.

 

 

 

Frenchmen’s Frolic – The Ox Bow Tavern will serve you now…

Tags

18th century, living history, Ox Bow Tavern, reenacting, The simple life

There’s nothing like staying in a historic building for a weekend and making it your home. It’s the best. While I don’t mind tent camping (and I am extremely grateful to every man who has set up a tent for me at events), I much prefer sturdy walls that keep out large raccoons and the cold air. Macktown, in Rockton, IL is a glorious little site along the Rock River. The weekend before the event, we cleaned the entire building so that we could live in it. Part of the fun of using this building again is figuring out how to set up the furniture in a way that is comfortable and easy for our guests to use and allows for the workers to move quickly from one room to the other when working/serving.

I think my layout of having the tables kind of form a T-pattern worked. It was snug, that’s for sure, but there was much more room to walk about. There is a rather large cabinet in the kitchen area that is in a very dysfunctional spot and I wish it could be moved. Our other change was at night when everyone joined us Sat evening, we put up two tables in the bedroom – one against the wall and the other in the doorway that leads to the main dining room and had a “bar” window. Mr. B the younger manned the bar and that kept the drinks safe from greedy little hands.

Returning the following weekend, was like going home. It was so odd, yet comforting. Swept floors, clean windows, space upstairs for sleeping. I was ready.

 

I arrived Friday evening and set to work finishing my petticoat that I was to wear the next day. Sewing by candlelight – ah what could be better?!

For two and a half days, the building is transformed into The Ox Bow Tavern. The women slept downstairs and some men upstairs and a few in the tavern area.

Women’s area

We slept two in the bed, and four on the floor. It was cozy.

Saturday morning was bright and cold. I try to get dressed quickly, but it never happens. I’m usually out of bed by 5:45/6 a.m. and then I need help with stays, have to make sure all my petticoats are on in the right order and that they are tied snugly, and then that my fichu and cap are arranged properly/attractively. All the while, men are bustling about getting the fire going, the other cook’s helpers (who somehow get dressed more quickly than me) are prepping food, and “father” is chastising me for being in various states of undress.

Even though we are rushing to start the meal so it’s ready for guests, I love how the sun slowly creeps up over the river as we put the room in order; time stands still for just a bit. Breakfast is porridge and bacon. It’s an Ox Bow staple and favorite by all guests. I’m not sure what would happen if we served anything but that. Our hash is divine as well, but people must have their porridge and meat!

 

There is a frantic mad rush for about an hour as women bustle around the kitchen dishing out porridge and making sure the guests are satisfied. Because of the cool autumn temperatures, everyone wanted to pile into the dining room at once.

Once everyone leaves, it’s time for the tavern staff to eat…

Mr. B the younger finds a spot on the stairs – a fitting spot for his station in life.

And a young recruit and cook sneak morsels in the kitchen.

 

 

 

And clean up….

Mrs. Blodgett instructs B about upcoming tasks to be accomplished.

A clean pile of dishes ready to be put back on the shelves.

 

As the day progressed, the women prepped food for midday meal and the men cooked it. (Nothing like cleaning up from the first meal so you can start the second).

Fun colored carrots and potatoes for the soup!

 

 

 

 

Women bustling about.

 

Making important decisions about which bread to use.

 

Mrs. Blodgett rules the kitchen.

 

Mr. Blodgett rules the fire and cooks oysters, soups, and ducks.

 

 

Throughout the day and well into the night, we welcomed an outstanding musician. My favorite tune is Staten Island.

 

A few men and myself even found time to practice our shooting skills.

Our resident soldier demonstrated proper technique first so the new recruit could hone his skills.

 

Mr. Blodgett then demonstrated for his daughter how best to aim and fire.

I took my turn.

 

After the fun and games it was back to work preparing for evening meal, which was for the family and staff only. We used our fine china!

 

Everyone journeyed back to The Ox Bow for a night of revelry and merriment. We had a full house!

 

 

 

A small group of women congregate in the kitchen to exchange news and gossip.

 

As usual, the family and staff fell in to bed around midnight and slept peacefully until 5:45 the next morning when we awoke to frost on the ground. It was beautiful to watch the sun rise through the fog.

Unfortunately, frosty mornings do not mean water should not be fetched. B was ready and willing to brave the elements.

 

Family and staff gather around the morning fire to receive instructions for the day.

The daily routine was the same as the day before, and the afternoon was warm, allowing a brief respite in the form of a walk, which lead to random leaf collecting.

And this leaf!

 

Goodbye little stone house; you’ve served us well again. We look forward to our next event when we can all come together as a family/staff and provide a superb experience for everyone.

 

220 items – 30 Day Declutter Challenge and a new bag

Tags

30 Day Declutter Challenge, Cleaning house, The simple life

I kind of got behind in the declutter challenge. I may have written this before, but when school starts, everything else gets put on hold. *sigh* Finding items to toss/donate was not a top priority. Sleeping was. As a result, I had to go all the way back to Day 16 and all the way to 25 equaling 220. The husband said I cheated because I counted pieces of paper inside my school bag. I beg to differ. They were all in there. So yeah. Here is what the final collection looked like in the entry way of the house.

 

I stood on the stairs to take this picture.

 

And now I decided that it was finally time for a new school bag. My mom purchased a messenger bag for me when I was 13 from the Army Surplus Store when we still lived in Michigan. I never used it through high school because, well, sorry mom, it wasn’t cool. I pulled it out when I started to student teach and I’ve used it since 2004.

 

 

It’s really rugged, holds tons of papers (see picture above), and has taken a good beating.

 

 

Because I’m sure I carry way too much stuff, the clip thing got kind of janky and started to dig into the fabric. It ripped all the way through and looks ghetto.

 

New bag! I’d found the Timbuk2 bag on a review for a Patagonia bag actually. I really wanted to order online and choose custom colors to express my personality and stuff. But it was just too expensive. There is an REI not too far from me, and red was the best they had.

 

Notice the lack of papers because they all got trashed.

Old and new together.

Days 13 and 14 – 30 Day Declutter Challenge

Tags

30 Day Declutter Challenge, Cleaning house, The simple life

I continue to find and toss/donate much of the same types of items.

Day 13 – The husband even decided to go through his closet. Though he did not have much to donate because he had already sorted through his smaller clothes at the start of the summer because he does that sort of thing at the end of each school year. Me – not so much.

 

 

 

Day 14

Days 8, 9, and 10 for the 30 Day Declutter Challenge

Tags

30 Day Declutter Challenge, Cleaning house, The simple life

I got behind again and now I’m caught up. I can’t seem to find the number of items I need on the day I need them. What’s up with that? It took me three or so days to collect eight and then all of a sudden I have a ton more stuff!

Day 8 – Clothing and body spray

 

 

Day 9 – more clothing, including tank tops of which I have a lot. Seriously. It’s out of control. So I’m donating these and only keeping the ones that I wear on a regular basis. The white thing is a sweater that I’ve had since I was 17. It’s 14 years old. Why did I keep it all this time when I have not worn it in the last five years? Well, it was the first white sweater that I bought on my own that I truly fell in love with. Is that even possible? It was just that perfect fit and I looked great in it. But it stopped fitting me. Now it must go to someone else.

 

 

 

Day 10 – I started packing my “back to school boxes” and I had this huge box that everything from my desk fit in. It was a bit ridiculous. Some of it had to go.