I'm Still Alive :-)

Hello Friends and Readers,

I hope you are all having a wonderful week. Aaron and I are doing well and keeping very busy. I just returned from a Flooring Convention in Stephenson, Washington and Aaron is working hard to finish school. We had a very exciting opportunity present itself for Aaron. I can't go into too much detail, but I can say that this could be the job Aaron has been looking for. We will know more on Feb. 15th.

Also, we had some sad news that I haven't shared on my blog. As you know, my grandfather was not doing well around Christmas. Again, I'm not going to go into too much detail, but the diagnosis was not good. He is receiving treatments, and is doing well for the time being. We just don't know how long we will have him. So keep us in your prayers as we go through this time with him.

As for the sewing front, I am plugging away at Aaron's frock coat. It's been a much slower process than usual. Now that we both have pretty full wardrobes I'm not focusing so much on having enough gowns to wear or suites for him to wear. It's actually kind of nice to just take time on a project without a deadline.

That's pretty much it for now. I will leave you with a picture of where we may, or may not, be living if Aaron gets this job ;-) I will let you know as soon as I know. God Bless!!!

Love Lauren

Antiquing and Friends

Yesterday our friends, Brad and Angel, took Aaron and me to the Antique’s fair in Clark County. We decided to make a little spectacle of ourselves in costume. We had a lovely time meandering up and down the aisles, digging for treasures, and having fun together. We had a number of people ask us about our costumes and who we were. There were a number of sweet older ladies were swooning over Aaron. One lady asked if she could take him home, it was quite entertaining.

I was amazed at how many booths there where and the sheer amount of trinkets and treasures. There were a number of over priced items and a few really good bargains if you were willing to dig. I ended up coming home with a darling little table for our bedroom and a hand painted minature pendant on a necklace. The pendant is probably Victorian, but it was very cute and has 18th century people on it, so I decided to get it.

After our Antiquing, we went to a local English pub, Horsebrass, and had dinner. While we were sipping on our Ales, a lady came over to inquire about our “unusual attire.” She was on vacation from England and was so excited to see us in Regency costume.

We had a wonderful day. Here are the pictures. God Bless!

Love Lauren

 

My little table, I absolutely adore it. Now I need a cute 18th century style lamp to go with it :-)

My porcelain pendant.

     Angel and Me

Brad, Angel’s husband

Us :-)

Brad and Angel

Aaron’s Frock Coat

Well, I finally decided to start on Aaron’s new coat. I’m using Wingeo’s 1795 Frock Coat as a base and, as usual, I will “Frankenstein” it accordingly.

I must warn you, if you plan to use this pattern, watch the sizing, it runs small. Mme Du Jard was so kind to warn me before I delved into the pattern. Also, they transposed the 34-36 lines with the 38-40 lines in a few places, but it’s pretty obvious which lines are which.

I traced the pattern at the 34-36, even though I knew it ran small. I decided to start small, because I usually have to take most patterns in and lengthen them to fit hubby. To my surprise, I had to go up to the 38-40. The body of the coat fits quite well and after a little lengthening, the sleeves fit well.

Here are the pics so far. God Bless and have a great week!

The pattern of doom :-)

My little helper, Leila. And, no, I didn’t set this picture up, it was all her :-)

Aaron in his mock up. The sleeve is no longer attached, I removed it and then remembered I needed a picture of him.

Now onto cutting out the main fabric and lining. I’ll keep you updated :-)

New Year, New Hair

Well, I decided it was time to change my tresses. I have been getting highlights in my hair for a number of years now, and I’m tired of them. So, I decided to go darker and match my wig color more closely, per Aaron’s suggestion. Here it is, I’m quite pleased with it :-)

And for any of you who doubt that I wear modern clothing and hair, here is my proof :-) Although I prefer historical wear much more.

The Feast of Twelfth Night

We had an absolutely amazing time at our Twelfth Night Celebration. It was definitely an event of gastronomic delights and good company. There were three amazing courses, dancing, and a Whist. The event officially ended at ten o’clock. However, we were having so much fun that we wanted to continue the evening. One of our party, Connie, invited us to her historic home where we danced and played parlor games for another hour. It was a great night, and i think one of the best events the ORS has had thus far. Here are the pics and video.

Connie, Cory, and Me

Steph and Me

Stacy, Bill, Aaron, and Heidi playing a game of Whist

The amazing spread.

The Lord and Lady of Portland House :-)

Charlotte, Steph, and Cory playing parlor games at Connie’s

Aaron’s turn at the game.

Here are the videos of my songs. The angle is a little strange because is was sitting on a table right in front of me.

Plasir D’Amour

Weep You No More Sad Fountains

The Dreame

Have a wonderful week and God Bless.

Goodies…

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s weekend. Aaron and I had a lovely and productive weekend. We took our decorations down and put the house back in order, had a nice date night, and spent some time together. I love Christmas and decorating for it, but I also enjoy having my house de-cluttered afterwards. 

Yesterday I decided to go to a local antique mall here in Portland just for fun. I spent about two hours meandering up and down the aisles, carefully looking for treasures and enjoying the history that surrounded me. Well, after much digging and about four laps through the store, I found some lovely little treasures for our home.

I acquired a number of pictures. We already owned the clock and our silhouettes.

I found this framed 18th Century Print for a steal. I think it’s an original. It has a plate description and everything, but I’m not 100% sure. Either way, I adore it :-) I also fell in love with the miniature framed 18th century portrait.

Another lovely little 18th century framed portrait and two small silhouettes. I saw these little pictures and decided that our silhouettes needed companions.

This lovely silver candelabra. The two smaller candlesticks were pieces that I grew up with. However, I had always thought they were black until I polished them. They’re silver :-)

A silver water pitcher for our picnics and nice dinners.

We also had an interesting night last night. Usually Aaron and I are pretty sounds sleepers and sleep through the night. Last night, however, was not the case. We both woke up at 3:30 in the morning. It was just early enough to want to go back to sleep but late enough to stay awake. Well, we ended up coming downstairs and watching Sense and Sensibility, the 1995 version. We finally crawled back up to bed around 5:30 and began our day at 7:00. It was strange, but it was nice to hang out with hubby. The interesting thing was that a number of people, clients and coworkers, did the same thing. I wonder if the weather change messed with our time clocks.

Well my friends and readers, I hope you have a lovely evening and week. Aaron and I are preparing for our 12th Night event on Saturday. I am meeting with the pianist tomorrow to rehearse my songs. I’m excited, but nervous, which is a good thing. If I am not nervous then I know I am not prepared. God Bless and have a wonderful night!

Love Lauren

Happy New Year

2009 was a very challenging and stressful year. We both went through a lot, but we also have grown through the struggles. Throughout the year, I have seen God’s love, grace, and control in our lives.

As 2010 begins, I am filled with excitement for what God has in store. Many of you know this is the year that Aaron graduates from school. On June 18th he will finally be a Dentist. It seems so surreal that this four year-long chapter of our lives will be ending.  I am excited for Aaron to be finished and I’m excited that our lives are beginning this new chapter. I pray for patience as he finishes these last six months of school and looks for a job. We are praying that he will find a job in Portland so we can stay here, but we are open to whatever God has in store.

Last night we rang in the New Year with our friends from the ORS. We had dinner at a local crepe restaurant, drove down Peacock Lane (it was raining so no strolling was involved), and then headed to Tara and Xian’s for champagne and good company. It was a relaxing and fun night. Of course we were all in costume and made quite the little spectacle of ourselves.

God Bless and have a wonderful year. Love Lauren!

Here we are :-) 

(From Left to Right: Me, Aaron, Brad, Angel, Tara, and Xian)