Museum Visit

We met our Reenactment unit yesterday at the Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for a morning (and part of the afternoon) spent touring the museum. The museum is self-guided with a series of videos to direct you. It was nicely done though you could sure tell you were North of the Mason-Dixon line by the slant of the museum.
I especially enjoyed seeing actual artifacts such as hair from the tail of Little Sorrell, General Lee's riding gloves, Thomas J. Jackson's gauntlet, some of Pickett's hair, and an excellent Medical Display. There were also artifacts belonging to Grant and a good display of firearms, swords, and uniforms.
On the way home we were able to stop at my favorite outlet for lace and trim to get some lace for my Civil War collars and cuffs...woohoo...a fun museum visit AND retail therapy.

FOUND IT!

I just found 2 yards of the fabric at the 6th WalMart we looked at. So now I can finish the dress! lol

Have you seen this fabric?

The Fabric that I've pictured here was some that I bought the other day at the Owings Mills, Maryland Wal-Mart. I just love it and I thought it would make a fantastic Civil War era dress. Well, there wasn't enough of it to make piping, cuffs, nor a 4th skirt panel so I am just heartbroken. I didn't think much of it when I was cutting the bodice out, I just thought I'd go to the next town and grab another piece of it, no big deal. Well, I didn't know at the time that Wal-Mart is discontinuing the fabric in some of it's stores so they haven't been ordering restocks on lots of their fabrics. We checked several stores today (in two states!)and couldn't find any anywhere. Usually you can find the same fabric at stores nationwide, and I am now looking for about 2 yards or more or it. If you have any of this in your stash, or happen to see it in a Wal Mart near you (it was on the $2 a yard pile) please let me know, email me at GatorUA@yahoo.com and we'll work out details. I'm willing to pay you for your trouble and for shipping. Thanks for looking!

I had a fantastic day of "SEX" today!

Now before those of you that found this blog entry through searching for the word "sex" get excited, to those of us aquainted with the fibery addictions such as sewing, spinning, knitting and the like, sex stands for a "Stash Enhancement eXcusrion", and that was exactly what today was all about. It was reenactor appreciation day in Gettysburg so we decided to cross the Mason-Dixon line and go up there. One of my favorite fabric shops, "Needles and Thread" is between Fairfield and Gettysburg, and we stopped there to buy a couple of patterns that I was looking for. Darlene, the owner, carries patterns from many reenactment periods as well as hard to find items such as wool grosgrain ribbon for trims. She also always has a huge selection of period-correct reproduction cotton fabrics for quilting and dressmaking. I fell in love with these, though there are many more waiting for me the next time I come back after I've saved some more hobby money. The one in the foreground will be an evening dress for camp balls/dances, and the other 3 were such beautiful colors and fabrics that they will be day dresses, probably on the fancier side. I do most of my camp dresses from less expensive fabrics that are probably a bit "less" period-correct but they work for getting muddy and dirty out camping with the unit. I got a few bodice patterns I'd wanted for my upcoming fitted bodice class, as well as a beautiful coat pattern that I hadn't seen before. I also got a beautiful ball headpiece made of ribbon and flowers that will go with my existing gowns as well as will go with the fabric I bought today for an evening gown.
We also had the privledge of running into two dear friends, one of which is the commander of artillery for our unit while in the shops of Gettysburg. It was a busy day but a nice one. :)

The "Parkie" Gene is heriditary!

I got home from my trip last night to greet DD (dear daughter) Meg who just flew back from spending time with DD and DSIL Michael in El Paso. And you know what? She was excited to tell me that she and Jenn searched out and found a new National Park to get a stamp in their passports for that I don't have! There are several lists that have information on the National Park Passport Stamps, if you're interested, you can click on the highlighted links. The Master list is at http://parkstamps.org which has a huge list of every known park stamp. Yup, I'm working on it! Of course, I have a print out of the list in the pocket of my passport. There are even a couple of groups on msn about collecting the stamps that I found by googling. But, I digress. The park they went to is on the old Mexican/American border to celebrate the friendship of the countries. The border has changed due to the rerouting of the river that runs between the two countries. There are beautiful (I'm looking at the brochure Meg brought) areas to enjoy the park, hiking, picnicing, and trails. I'm not sure if they enjoyed visiting the park as much as they are going to enjoy flaunting the stamp that they have that we don't! It has become quite a fun competition! That's ok, though...I have one that none of the family has, and this place isn't even a National Park anymore, it has gone private...the Oklahoma City Federal Building memorial. It's a beautiful place that commemerates a horrible history, but I got it, and you know that the collector in me says: "HA!"
It's so much fun for me to realize that being a "parkie" and a passport stamp collector has taken off within the kids after all the vacations we did that were planned around visiting the National Parks. I highly recommend any family purchasing an annual Parks Pass for a little over $50. It gets you and your spouse, kids, and parent into any park in the nation for a full year. We've always gotten our money's worth from this.

Where did the weekend go?

The portrait picture came in from the Lincoln Ball we went to a couple of weeks ago so I thought I'd post it. I have gotten precious little sewing done though I did have a week off. I got a bunch of fiber weighed and packaged, lots of it put away though I do have plenty more to do. I upgraded the Kendig Cottage ebay store to enable there to be more logical categories so that customers can find just exactly what they're looking for, but I have a huge amount more work to do! It's going to be a work in progress, that's for sure. I got in a very large yarn order too, so that all needs to be put up into the store listings, and the new photos added.
Never to be ones for all work and no play, we had a fun lunch at Red Robin with our dear friends Ron and Lorraine and their 3 enchanting boys. We wallowed in the fiber for awhile and talked spinning before they had to go, it was snowing quite heavily. Then it was back to work for me, I actually finished updating each item into it's proper category before bed last night. The project continues today, in addition to my usual weekday order and shipping work. But I love this job! It's my passion, besides sewing, reenactment, traveling, spinning, knitting, and every thing else I find to get into! :) lol.

I was going to get so much done, yeah right!

I haven't, and I'm kind of mad at myself. I had a huge list, still do. I guess I'm feeling kind of down, kind of meloncholy, worried about Jon, overwhelmed, too much to do and too little time to do it, maybe there are other things too, who knows? Sometimes we don't even know ourselves what goes on behind the scenes that affects us. The weather is still cold, though warming, there is still snow out there, yick. Oh, I'm getting things done, just not the huge list I thought I was going to take care of. But I've also been taking time out for myself, I've managed to sit down and spin a couple of times in the evening, I've been working on the fiber that needs to be packaged, I've kept up with the business...but I have the entire week off and I feel like I've spent it being down. I know that I'm worried about Jon, I find myself doing research on his illness even when I'm reading the same thing again and again. So I'm going to get going this morning and go do errands, try to get out of the house (though I really just want to be a hermit) and then come back and get going!

Moving day

Look closely at the picture. I howled laughing when Jon and Laura shared it with me. You can also click on it for a bigger version.

Yesterday dawned early after my "nap" (I got home at 0315 from work). Dear Daughter Jenn's Dad arrived with the moving van and her Virginia apartment contents to pick up a bunch of furniture here. Jon is home on leave this weekend and he and Laura came over and helped Mark and Jen's Dad unload the moving van and then reload it with my dining room set and her bedroom furniture and all of her things. While I was glad to see the furniture go (it was way too big for my house), I'm left with a house in complete chaos...the contents of the china closet and server are all over the floor, we didn't have enough boxes to pack it away, her bedroom which is now my sewing room needs places to put things like lamps and such since the furniture is gone, and the entire house is turned upside down with things on the floor everywhere until places are found to put them away. I will be taking Jon back to Ft. Eustis tomorrow, the rest of the week will be cleaning and organizing time. I'm going to look for a storage piece of furniture, possibly oak, for the dining room, and hopefully can find just the right claw footed table that I have seen in my mind's eye. I don't want new stuff, something old but taken care of but that fits in my little house and even smaller dining room. I've started looking in antique stores, but I think I'm going to wait until I can start going to the auctions and estate sales when the weather warms. I also have to paint the wall in my living room on which the china closet sat, I couldn't reach behind it when I painted the room so you can clearly see the outline of it on the wall's paint! We also moved the TV center up from the basement so we'll be able to watch TV in the living room after we get everything set up and put away. And you never know, I might have one of my spinning wheels accessible and near to the TV for relaxing at after the room is set up. The loom is in the living room too...maybe?????? I sure would love to get something warped and get to sit down and weave. Maybe in my spare time. (Lauging my butt off).

Update on Jon, this is what they think he has

I got a call from Jonathan last night and he has been diagnosed pretty much by the head GI doc with Chronic Pancreatitis. He still is going to have another test to verify, but the symptoms and blood enzyme levels seem to indicate this is an accurate diagnosis. Here is some information on the disorder:

Chronic pancreatitis

What is the pancreas?
The pancreas is a soft, elongated gland situated at the back of the upper abdominal cavity behind the stomach.
It is divided into the head (through which the common bile duct runs as it enters the duodenum) and the body (which extends across the spine and the tail), which is close to the left kidney and to the spleen. Because the pancreas lies at the back of the abdominal cavity, diseases of the pancreas may be difficult to diagnose.

What does the pancreas do?
The pancreas has two main functions: it produces a series of enzymes which help in the digestion of food. Enzymes produced in the pancreas are important in the digestion of proteins, carbohydrates and, particularly, fats. Bicarbonate is also produced in large amounts to neutralise the acid produced by the stomach. it produces a series of hormones which are important in maintaining a normal level of sugar in the blood. The best known of these hormones is insulin. Insulin deficiency of this hormone results in the development of diabetes. Another hormone (glucagon) helps to raise blood sugar, and several other hormones control intestinal function.

What is pancreatitis?
Any inflammation of the pancreas is called pancreatitis.
Acute pancreatitis results in severe inflammation of the gland and patients may be seriously unwell. Chronic pancreatitis develops either as the result of repeated attacks of acute pancreatitis or as the result of other injuries to the pancreas (see below). It is thought that the damage to the pancreas occurs as the result of digestive enzymes leaking into the pancreas and starting to digest it. This sets up inflammation, and when the inflammation settles, the scarring process distorts the pancreas making further attacks of inflammation likely. Thus a vicious cycle develops.
As a result of prolonged damage to the pancreas, the pancreas fails to produce enough digestive enzymes to permit adequate digestion of food. This leads to weight loss and the frequent passage of pale greasy stools which contain excess amounts of fat. Further, the destruction of the cells which produce insulin may lead to the development of diabetes.

What causes chronic pancreatitis?
The most common cause of chronic pancreatitis is long-term excessive alcohol consumption. (Jon does not drink) There is a direct relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed and the risk of developing chronic pancreatitis.
Other causes include:
high levels of calcium in the blood
abnormalities in anatomy which are usually present at birth
cystic fibrosis (already ruled out in Jon's case)
high blood fats (hypertriglyceridaemia)
in rare cases, some drugs can cause pancreatitis
in a number of cases no specific cause can be identified, a condition known as idiopathic pancreatitis.

What are the symptoms of chronic pancreatitis?
The symptoms are very variable.
Pain occurs in most patients at some stage of the disease. This may vary in intensity from mild to severe. It may last for hours or sometimes days at a time and may require strong painkillers to control it.
It often radiates through to the back and can sometimes be relieved by crouching forward. It is commonly brought on by food consumption and so patients may be afraid to eat. It is also commonly severe through the night.
The pain varies in nature, being gnawing, stabbing, aching or burning, but it tends to be constant and not to come and go in waves. It may sometimes burn itself out but can remain an ongoing problem.
The mechanism of the pain is unclear. It seems to be related to pancreatic activity since it is frequently caused by food, especially fatty or rich foods.
Some patients will have obstruction to the small ducts in the pancreas by small stones, and this is thought to cause back pressure and destruction of the pancreas. There is no relationship between the severity of the pain and the severity of the pancreatic inflammation.

The pain is often difficult to diagnose and can be mistaken for pain caused by virtually any other condition arising from the abdomen or lower chest.

It can be difficult to distinguish pain caused by pancreatitis from pain caused by a peptic ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome, angina pectoris, gallstones.

Diabetes is also a common symptom which affects over half of all patients with long-standing chronic pancreatitis.

Long-standing chronic inflammation results in scarring of the pancreas which destroys the specialised areas of the pancreas which produce insulin.

Deficiency of insulin results in diabetes. Diabetes causes thirst, frequent urination and weight loss. It may be possible in the early stages of chronic pancreatitis to treat the diabetes with tablets, but in the late stage of chronic pancreatitis, insulin injections are usually needed.

Diarrhoea occurs in just under half of patients. Normally, all the fat in food is broken down by enzymes from the pancreas and small intestine, and the fat is then absorbed in the small bowel. With a reduced level of digestive enzymes the fat is not absorbed. When the fat reaches the large intestine, it is partially broken down by the bacteria in the colon. This produces substances which irritate the colon and result in diarrhoea. The undigested fat also traps water in the faeces, resulting in pale, bulky, greasy stools which are difficult to flush away. They may make the water in the toilet look oily, smell offensive and may be associated with bad wind.

Weight loss occurs in virtually all patients with chronic pancreatitis. It is due to failure to absorb calories from food, and diabetes may also contribute to this. In addition, patients may be afraid to eat because eating brings on the pain. Depression is also common in chronic pancreatitis and this can also reduce appetite and lead to weight loss.

Jaundice (when patients develop yellow eyes and skin) occurs in about a third of patients with chronic pancreatitis. It is usually due to damage to the common bile duct which drains bile from the liver to the duodenum.

The common bile duct normally passes though the head of the pancreas. In long-standing chronic pancreatitis, the scarring in the head of the pancreas narrows the common bile duct.

Some degree of narrowing may occur in up to half the patients with chronic pancreatitis but when the narrowing is severe, it prevents the bile draining from the liver into the duodenum. It then spills back into the blood and the patient's eyes and skin become yellow. In addition, the stools become paler (since bile makes the stools brown) and the urine becomes dark (because it contains more bile than normal).

Vomiting after meals is a less common symptom but can occur as a result of severe pain. It may also be due to duodenal ulceration, which is often connected with chronic pancreatitis. In rare cases, the duodenum may be narrowed as a result of scarring secondary to chronic pancreatitis.

Vitamin and mineral deficiency. Prolonged passage of stools containing fat can result in low levels of calcium and magnesium in the blood. In addition, some vitamins may not be absorbed properly. This includes vitamins D and A.

Is chronic pancreatitis dangerous?
The major problem with chronic pancreatitis is pain control. This may require the use of morphine-like drugs (pethidine, morphine (eg MST continus) and diamorphine). There is always the risk of addiction to these drugs, particularly if their use is not controlled.

Chronic pancreatitis is associated with a reduction in life expectancy. Only half of the patients with a diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis will survive for longer than seven years following diagnosis. There is also an increased rate of cancer of the pancreas in patients with chronic pancreatitis and this accounts for a fifth of the deaths. Other causes of death include complications of diabetes and complications of alcoholism.

How is chronic pancreatitis treated?
There is no cure for chronic pancreatitis. Once the pancreas is damaged, then it is not able to return to normal function and there is always the potential for further attacks. Treatment is, therefore, directed towards preventing attacks, controlling the pain and treating the complications.

Preventing symptoms worsening
Patients with chronic pancreatitis should avoid alcohol altogether. If the pancreatitis is due to excess alcohol consumption, then this is essential. If it is due to other causes, then it seems sensible to avoid a substance which is capable of damaging the pancreas.

If an underlying cause has been identified then this should be treated. Disorders of calcium metabolism and of fat metabolism will be treated appropriately. Your doctor may recommend removal of the gall bladder if pancreatitis is thought to be caused by gall stones.

Preventing attacks
The long-standing principle has been to try and rest the pancreas. This involves giving pancreatic supplements such as Creon (which contain pancreatic enzymes in high concentration) together with drugs which reduce acid secretion by the stomach. Patients should also follow a low-fat diet.

These measures reduce the presence of fat in the duodenum, reduce acid in the duodenum and reduce the need for pancreatic enzyme secretion. These measures are very successful in about a third of patients, moderately successful in a third and unhelpful in a third.

Some eminent specialists have supported the use of antioxidants in the treatment of chronic pancreatitis. These antioxidants include selenium and vitamin C. You should take specialist advice (via your GP) before taking them.

Control of pain
This is a very important aspect of the treatment of chronic pancreatitis. Pancreatic pain varies in severity from mild (controllable with simple analgesics such as paracetamol (eg Panadol)) to severe (requiring morphine-like drugs for control).

In addition to the preventive measures listed above, the basic principle is to use the drug lowest down the analgesic ladder which controls the pain. Since the pain is often worse at night and since both body and mind are at their lowest ebb in the early hours of the morning, the lowest rung of the analgesic ladder may be pethidine or morphine (eg MST continus tablets). Since the pain is chronic and severe, there is a fine line between adequate analgesia and addiction.

Pain management often needs specialist help either from the specialist gastroenterologist or from the local pain clinic. Your GP will help with appropriate referral, although in most cases the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis will have been made by a hospital specialist, who will probably supervise your ongoing care.

Other medications may also help. Antidepressants may reduce the requirement for painkillers and may enable a patient to descend the 'analgesic ladder'. Other measures include the injection of local anaesthetic or other substance into the nerve supply from the pancreas.

Treatment of the complications
Malabsorption is treated by administering pancreatic supplements in capsule or powder form.

Diabetes is treated either by tablets or, more commonly, insulin.

Jaundice is treated by ERCP and stent insertion across the stricture in the common bile duct where it passes though the head of the pancreas.

Surgery for chronic pancreatitis
In rare cases, it may be necessary to consider surgery as a treatment of chronic pancreatitis. The indication for surgery is usually severe pain unresponsive to standard measures or a high level of morphine or similar drug usage in a young person.

The surgery may involve measures to improve drainage of the pancreatic duct, partial or complete removal of the pancreas. The major problem with removal of all or part of the pancreas is that it could lead to the development of diabetes in those patients who don't already have it.

The Lincoln Ball

We had a wonderful time at the Lincoln Ball last night. It was held at the Lutheran Theological Seimnary in Gettysburg, made famous as Seminary Ridge from the battle, only a couple of blocks from Lee's Headquarters in 1863. We had a nice dinner at Appalacian Brewing Company before the dance, as it was conveniently located right next to Lee's HQ building very close by. We even had a very nice visit with a dear friend that lives on the way to Gettysburg as we drove up there for the event. ! Here are some pictures taken during the dance. We danced the evening away, and of course, I looked at all the dresses for ideas for the next one! The dresses were all beautiful and the men all looked dashing!
The period building with it's beautiful chandeliers was perfect for the event, and Mark and I did get our portrait done which will show up in the blog later when it is delivered to us.
My head is full of ideas for design, trim, color, headpieces, you name it!
I think I might work on a cotton evening dress for the camp dances when we're out at Reenactment weekends.
We always look forward to these events, there are 3 Balls a year besides the various camp dances at the events we attend. Mark is going to get a Civilian outfit so that he doesn't always have to be in his uniform for the balls.

Dress and Jon

I'm finished with the ball gown except for the fastening, I haven't been able to decide if I want hooks and eyes or the traditional lacings and velvet ribbon. I haven't found the ribbon yet, and I have to struggle into my corset to have Mark pin the dress for sizing, so it'll have to wait a day or two. The Ball isn't until Saturday night and the majority of the work is complete so I feel much better. My primary focus lately has been Jonathan and his procedure this morning.
I didn't sleep very much last night as I was unable to get him on the phone and worried as a Mom would, so finishing the dress kept my hands busy. Jon has come through the procedure safely, his first time being under anesthetics, but nothing conclusive was found. He's back to square one on the diagnosis, still not knowing what is wrong.

Ballgown and Jonathan

I normally wouldn't picture something that is close to being completed, but my dear friend Lorraine asked me for pictures of the Ballgown in its present state so here they are. I worked all day on it and I'm really getting burned out, but I want to get it finished for Saturday night. My mind really hasn't been on my sewing and I know this because I have had to take out and resew so very much, and I've even had to throw out a couple of pieces that I sewed wrong and re make them today.
I put the ribbon roses on the skirt last night at a wonderful get together and Super bowl party at Lorraine and Ron's with good friends (Alice, Barry, Woody, Mark, Seth, Simon, and Soloman), good food, good companionship, spinning, sewing, poker, and we all enjoyed the game and the commercials too! I even managed to finish a bobbin on Cormo and ply it with a bobbin that I'd made a long time ago. Alice plyed silk with Polwarth and then spun some Cormo, and Lorraine spun some beautiful pastel roving that she'd gotten from Alice.
My head just isn't where it should be because I'm very worried about Jonathan, as it gets closer to his procedure on Wednesday, the worry becomes more and more all-encompassing. The doctor told him that they will most likely tear any hole that he might have in his intestines (and they are guessing that he has one) with the camera for the scope, and then he'll have to be taken immediately for emergency surgery. He's down to 115 pounds and just having him put under scares me completely. I can't be with him, he's still at Ft. Eustis, and I worry like any mom would. If you have a moment Wednesday morning, could you send a prayer or two for Jon? Thanks.
As you can see the other sleeve has to be put on. I haven't even begun to make it, I have to do the measurements for the trim and make more ruching as I don't think I have enough left. I also have to make some more piping for the lower edge. After looking at the bodice on the dress form, I think it needs some more flowers on the front of the sleeve, and also on the shoulder in the trim that comes from the bodice. Then I have to get grommets and lacings and do the lace up fastening in the back where it gets put togerher. Another option that I might do is to sew the two pieces (skirt and bodice) together so they don't shift while dancing. And I have to fly this week too. Geesh. I'm feeling tired, guess I missed my nap today. lol

Begun is half done?

Here's the skirt to my ballgown, I just have to put on the hooks and eyes, figure out what else I want to do to the trim, and iron it and it'll be done. Now, the bodice is quite another story. I cut out a muslin bodice last night, I'm going to try to construct it and fit it later on today (we have our Unit meeting most of the day) and perhaps even start cutting the silk for it. I will have yards and yards of piping to make as well as the ruched trim that I'm thinking I want to put on top of the lace binding to cover up where it's attached to the dress. I haven't decided yet. I also got ribbon roses to attach to the trim at the apex of the curves, and there will be lace on the sleeves and bodice. I'd love to have it done by Feb. 10 for a ball we're going to, but I do have to work this week! Maybe, maybe not.

Ta Da! Two finished in one day!

OK, I didn't think I was ever going to finish this one but I did today, it is another flannel dress that I made with keeping warm in mind. I started this one back in early autumn for Cedar Creek but didn't finish. I started it, like most of my other dresses, before I learned that coordinating solid color piping just would never have been done! Now I have only 3 dresses (2 I made) that are correct. I cleaned out some of my reenactment closet and listed some of my dresses that I don't or can't wear up on ebay to let go to another reenactor out there. That'll give me more room for things that I'll dream up in the future. I want to get a ball gown in the works, but so far I'm stalled and don't want to make any mistakes on the silk fabric.

Just one more little thing

I think I have to add another hook at the skirt line, but other than that, the dress is finished. I pulled a bunch of older ones out of the closet today to photograph and sell on ebay, too. My reenactment closet is pretty full, and I only take 3 at a time to a weekend reenactment. Besides, my sewing is getting better, and I'm learning about what is and is not period correct too! So I guess I'll keep on sewing, keep on trying, and keep on learning. Now I'm off to finish the purple dress I started with the intent to wear it to Cedar Creek but never finished it. I got the hem and hem binding done today and hopefully will do the hand work tonight. I think of it as "Ryan's Dress" as my old and dear friend Ryan good naturedly gave me grief about how long it has been hanging on my office door in the same exact unfinished condition!

Geesh

Ever have one of those "Good news, bad news" days? Well, yesterday started out as a very good day! I had sex (a Stash Enhancement Excursion) to Pennsylvania to get some wool for a Civil War era overcoat. Some lace and thread and a yummy yard of 80/20 Cashmere/Wool jumped into my cart too for a wrap, it's just perfect! Then after I got home and after dinner, I was finishing up the bodice for my dress and starting to get ready to pleat the skirt. I measured my waist just to make sure since I hadn't made anything "Civil War" in a long time and found out that all the stress eating these last few months has added some girth to my waistline. Geesh. Not that it was a gigantic surprise as I can see it on the scale too. But the additional inch or so is not good news since all of my reenactment clothes are made for my size prior to the expansion. So this morning I actually went to the mall to walk and boy do I feel it now! How does one get so out of shape so quickly? It's a long way from doing a 5k last fall and running a good portion of it to being so out of shape that 2 miles in the mall makes my muscles sit up and take notice! Of course, I'll be watching everything that I eat too, and quite frankly I'm probably going to be a bit cranky for awhile until my body figures out that it's not going to get it's favorite fatty foods. lol
When I finish my dress, I want to make this piece of silk into something pretty...I have all kinds of thoughts on what it's going to be, a skirt from this pattern and sleeves from that one, maybe the bodice for another. I'm kind of caught up in the design stage...and I have that beautiful black/grey wool I bought yesterday to make up too. Ah...I love creating! :)

Busy Busy Busy

Woohoo, new pajamas for my suitcase! I have been collecting thick quilters flannel with my coupons and on sale, and I finally have not only new nightgowns for the cold house, but since I like to take pj's with me on my trips, I have 3 pairs to alternate in my suitcase! This was a simple pattern and only takes a couple of hours to make.
Yesterday though, I'd had enough of being cooped up in the house and we went on a road trip to Thurmont, to the Fabric Outlet USA for a look. It's mostly upholstery fabric, but I did drool over all the 56-60 inch wide bolts of Dupioni silks. They were way out of my league on price, though, so I ended up leaving empty handed.
Never waste the opportunity to visit a National Park (or collect the stamp for the passport!), we visited nearby Cactoctin Mountain Park which, even for it being winter, was very beautiful. There are plentiful hiking trails and lots of animals and history in this park. If you're not familiar with the National Park passport program, there are two sizes of passports available (I outgrew my small one years ago, but the small ones are fantastic for kids) and I'm working on my "Explorer Edition" now. Each park has at least one stamp with the date of visit and place so you can validate your passport. I've visited parks I didn't even know existed prior to this program, and it's been really fun! There are even websites devoted to finding all the stamps, sometimes a park will have more than one because they have multiple sites or educational centers. I have no idea how many stamps I've gotten yet, but I keep trying to get new ones.
On the way home via Gettysburg, I got a few patterns (a Wool Outercoat, a gathered bodice, and an evening dress) at one of the Lady's sutlers and had a wonderful dinner at the Dobbin House Tavern, one of my very favorite places. Then it was back to work, packing orders and business items, but I did get to start cutting out a new dress out of this great Victorian Fabric. I'm making the piping today and trying to figure out what kind (if any) of trim I want to put on the dress.

Nick's Graduation Pictures

Thank you to Meghann for sending these great pictures of Nick's graduation from Air Force Basic training! We had an enjoyable time visiting with him and Matthew and Meghann in San Antonio while we were at the Graduation. The graduation ceremony was held outdoors in the misting rain with a cold wind blowing on the spectators and graduates alike. We made lots of friends in the stands as we all huddled together for warmth! Here we are visiting the Alamo on a cold and windy day after the graduation ceremony. The Alamo is right in the middle of downtown San Antonio, and we were able to take Meghann and Nick down into the riverwalk too. We walked around the rivercenter as well and got coffee before proceeding down into the Riverwalk area.
We went back to the hotel and picked up Matthew for a nice dinner together and then had to leave the next morning. Nick is now stationed in Mississippi at a Naval base for Advanced Training. Nick's "flight" or unit was the Honor unit for this cycle. Congratulations, Nick!

The nightgown project is complete

I've hermited myself away the last two days trying to finish up three flannel nightgowns that I cut out before leaving for Texas. I just finished the last one. I actually used two pieces of fabric from a very old stash aquisition, and one that I just bought last fall. I was told in no uncertain terms at my last Genteel Arts Academy class that I was a "mere amatuer" at fabric stashing, and this was from folks that share my love of yarn and fiber, too! I have 3 large pieces of flannel ready to be cut out for pajamas and silk for ball gowns, ribbon for trim too, and some sundress fabric I got from Samoa...forgive me if I'm not knitting and spinning so much, I'm in a very acute sewing stage!

And while I'm on the subject, I was thinking this morning as I finished up the striped nightgown that sewing is kind of a metaphor for life. You know, you can sew for enjoyment as I do, or you can sew because you want something you can't find elsewhere such as nightgowns that are prewashed/preshrunk and long enough for my tastes out of fabric that IS NOT treated with flame retardant chemicals, or you can go to your favorite store and purchase something that takes you no time at all, nor does it take much thought in picking out. Oh, I buy plenty of clothing, but it's not something I can look at and be proud that I made it with my own hands. It's kind of a journey vs. destination thing. I put piping and buttons on the nightclothes, and finished each seam, all the while thinking that it was "just" a nightgown and I didn't have to do all that extra work. But, like so much in life, I enjoy the process and take great pride in having done it "right" and more creatively. That's why I enjoy making my Civil War reenactment clothing and learning how to make them more authenically and more expertly. You can rush through and just do the bare minimum, or you can enjoy each step even if it means a little bit more effort, but you have more experiences to show when you're done if you just slow down. Knitting, spinning, and weaving are that way too. Too bad my work life gets in the way of my hobbies...

And I'll let you know when my fabric stash is "SELE" status...Stash Exceeds Life Expectancy!

I thought it couldn't be done

But I actually walked into and then out of not one but TWO Chicos stores today without spending a cent. Now I'm not going to say anything about my visits to the two stores I found in San Antonio while I was there, it'll be my little secret. I was looking for two colors of silk/cotton turtle neck sweaters that were on 50% off sale, but since I didn't find them, I decided I had enough things in my closet already. Of course, by the time that we went to both stores to look and had dinner, it was a picture of white outside. We drove carefully home and now I guess it's time to cozy down and work on sewing up the nightgowns and other projects that are already cut out here at home. :) We're not even going to go to the grocery store (in typical Baltimore style) to add to our supplies of Milk, Bread, and Toilet Paper like everyone else in town. We'll just make due. lol Keep warm and safe, everybody!

We're such "Parkies"

Ok, I know one of my good friends is going to remind me that I said that I was going to boycot Texas until the present regime in Washington changes, but our son Nicholas is graduating from Basic training which we absolutely wanted to share with him, so here we are in San Antonio. This is the Alamo, the most famous and remembered mission in the area for it's role in the war for Texas independence and in the martyrdom of Davy Crocket and Jim Bowie and others. I'd seen and even visited the shrine before on layovers but not since I began to really explore the National Parks. I love where it's located with it's proximity with the Rivercenter and Riverwalk which I introduced Mark to on this trip. It was great fun to be able to revisit a very favorite spot from work, as I hadn't been here for years. It was also fun to find a more than 50% off sale at my very favorite store in the Rivercenter and then find out that they ship for free! :)
As you all know, we are never ones to give up the opportunity to visit a National Park and get the stamps for our National Park Passports, and this trip was no exception. We love the new explorer edition because we just take the pages we want with us on trips now and don't have to carry the entire passport anymore. We only had time to visit one park, this park consisted of 4 historic sites along the San Antonio River so it took awhile to explore.
The old and historic missions you see here are the four that are left standing in the San Antonio area which make up the San Antonio Missions National Park. (The Alamo is privately run). We visited all of them yesterday on a cold and windy day after the city had managed to recover a little bit from the ice storms that had shut it down for a couple of days.
All of these missions were built in the 1700's by Spanish Friars. They used Native (Tejano) labor to build them with the help of Spanish craftsmen, and the Indians lived within the walls for protection from bands of Natives such as Apache and Comanche that were constantly raiding their settlements. The friars converted them to Catholicism which is still practiced in these missions to this day.
We really enjoyed our visit and talking with the rangers and learning about the now vanished culture of the Indians that were converted by the Friars. Due to the weather, we nearly had the park sites to ourselves all day. It was in the upper 60's last week, it was in the 30's and 40's this week.

It's a good day to be a Gator!!

That's right, Albert is one happy aligator this morning after the Florida Gators won the National Championship last night! Woohoo! And to think they were 2 touchdown underdogs prior to the game, ha! It's Great to be a Florida Gator!

The Rush is over

I started this scarf from a sample of some Rambouillet I hand dyed and had processed in 2005 while we were driving down to Virginia to pick Jon up for his leave. I thought I'd do stripes of the various sample skeins I had around the house but I liked this so much that I took the final 8 ounces of the roving out of inventory and began to spin it up while we had company in the living room. I made another 2 ounce ball and have more for a hat or mittens. I'm enjoying working with it, it's so soft and I love the subtle colors. The picture is pretty horrible, but it shows the scarf (basketweave pattern) with some of the roving and the ball of yarn.

And I'm going back to work today after being off for 2 weeks with a house full of company, taking along the two spindles and the "Picasso" color way of Northern Lights roving that I've been spindling. I love the effect, and I'm going to ply the two spindle fulls together and see what I end up with. This has been a totebag project for work the last month or so, and notice the lovely brocade bag that a flying partner friend of mine made...it fits the spindles and fiber perfectly! Hopefully this year I can actually partake of my hobbies a little more than I had been able to in 2006. I have sewing projects in mind too, and I just got a rolling tool and supply cabinet for my sewing classes and supplies yesterday. I'm especially excited about one I'm taking weekend after next up in Gettysburg. I just bought some beautiful silk on ebay for a ball gown too so I'm looking forward to getting back to sewing as well as spinning and knitting. :)

And the Family grows again!

Michael, who is Jenn's husband, drove up yesterday from visiting his family in Atlanta. He brought the newest family member, "Milo" the Cocker Spaniel puppy with him, you can see Milo getting acquainted with Nutmeg (who isn't so sure she wants to share her grandparents with him yet). Jenn and Michael left this morning to drive to Ft. Bliss where Michael is stationed, Jenn will be flying back early next week to take care of some issues in Winchester where she lives. We wish them safe travels. :)

Whew! What a Whirlwind!

Mark and I drove down and picked Jon up at Ft. Eustis on December 20th, then we picked Jenni up in Winchester on December 27th. In that time we've been having a whirlwind of wonderful dinners out with family, get togethers with friends, extended family, and our reenactment Unit. We've all gained weight and enjoyed the friendship with new friends and old and certainly enjoyed spending time with family that we don't get to see nearly enough. One of our events was that we all went to a Birthday Party for two of our "extended Family"/Unit members on New Year's Eve and Jon and Laura ended up adopting a new "Grand pet" for Mark and I to add to our list of "Grands" . He's a little kitten now named "Otto". Otto is Black with white paws, and you can see his cousin, our Granddog Nutmeg checking him out.

These are pictures of Jon heading back into his barracks again today at Ft. Eustis after I took him back, his leave is unfortunately over. As you can see, he decided to bring back a few items from break. He could only make one trip from the car to the door so he became the human pack mule. He is feeling marginally better after eating all the food we've been forcing upon him, but he has still been having his moments of discomfort. He will be making an appointment to see the Doctors in Portsmouth for more tests this week. Notice that my baby boy ended up in the Alpha-GATOR company, this Florida Gator mom is so very proud!

Update on Jon, I'm hermiting

Update on Jon: He's doing about the same. He has a CAT scan scheduled for Wednesday morning the 20th, the pain hasn't lessened much so he's on pain meds to allow him to eat so he's kind of loopy, but at least he isn't losing any more weight. We're supposed to go pick him up for leave sometime Wednesday so he'll be around until after New Years. Thank you again for everyone's wishes and prayers, and I'll keep you posted. As for me, I'm officially hermiting until after the Holidays. I have tons of things to get done and I don't seem to be getting anywhere near what I need to do within each 24 hour period done so I'm dropping out of Society for awhile to at least get the business issues taken care of and to get some house cleaning done prior to Jon coming home for leave. The picture above shows just how deeply I have been sleeping with exhaustion after the days of late are done. Of course, orders are first priority as always and everything is getting out very promptly, I'm just trying to catch up on paperwork, packaging, inventory, ordering, and organization! :)

Remembrance Day Ball Redux

This is a catch-up post about the Remembrance Day Ball in Gettysburg, November of 2006. The portrait that we had taken at the Ball just came to us in the mail so we thought we'd share it with our family and friends. It uploaded to the blogger very dark, my dress was a light pine green. And notice the brand new Sergant stripes on Mark's uniform after his promotion in October at Cedar Creek. :) Remind me to make the next ball gown out of a lighter fabric (no, I didn't make this one).

Hard to believe but true

I know it's hard to believe for anyone that has ever seen my office, but I managed to clean my desk off this week. I took a trip off without pay to try to catch up on paperwork with the end of the year coming and orders...I probably should have taken a before picture as well so you'd know the extent of the piles of paperwork waiting to be processed! I was particularly motivated and efficient as I was trying to keep my mind occupied so that I didn't worry as much about Jonathan. His condition hasn't improved much since he was in the hospital and I've been very worried about him. As you can see, I'm also starting on that "favorite" of holiday chores, the cards. I got quite a few done already this morning with many more to go. Now to start on the pile of fiber in my living room that needs to be weighed, measured, bagged, labeled, and put away! With the desk done, there's no excuse, right? Oh yea, I have to go to my "real" work today, I'd better start getting ready...Have a good week everyone!

Update on Jon

I just got home last night from the adventure to Portsmouth and Norfolk. Jennifer and Laura went along as well, we spent a lot of time with Jon who is doing a little bit better than he was on Monday when he was taken from his base to 2 ER's and ended up in the ICU at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center. He was discharged from the facility yesterday only to go back to his company and end up spending the night in the ER at the local hospital. He has a raging sinus infection, Acute Pancreatitis which is resolving, and something is going on with his lymph nodes in his stomach which is expected to resolve as well. He is on bed rest and trying to keep down enough food to take his medicine for the monster sinus infection he's been fighting for a couple of months. He might be issued leave to come home and be pampered (Mom's chicken soup can work miracles!) but we won't know until Monday. Thank you for all your prayers so far, and in advance for the future, we're all hoping for him to make a speedy recovery. :)