What a Week!

I have been shamefully lacking in the blogging area. So much has been happening these past couple of weeks. I won't go into much detail, but I will say that I had a crazy week. As a manager, there are many decisions that I have to make for the health of my store. Some of them are not as easy or as pleasant as others. This week, the decision I had to make was extremely difficult, but necessary. It made me go way out of my comfort zone and was quite scary. However, after it was over, this overwhelming peace came. I know it was the best thing to do, and I know that my store and my staff will be so positively effected by it. I'm thankful that God gave me the strength to do what I had to do and that He also gave me the wisdom to know how to carry it through. Let's just say, it was a huge milestone in my career and a quite unpleasant situation has been turned into a new and exciting opportunity. Thank you to those who were praying for me during the "task" and thanks for your support dear friends. What a week of personal growth!

On another note, we finally received our professional pictures from the ball. Enjoy!

God Bless and have a wonderful week!

Thanksgiving Fests~

I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. We spent our Turkey Day with friends from our young couple group. It was wonderful. Today we are having a repeat of Thursday at our house. It should be fun and quite interesting for the fur and feather kids :-) Here are some pics from Thursday :-) Enjoy!

The Portland Tribune!!!

Aaron and I are in the paper! Yipee!! Well, are pictures are not but our interview is. Here is the link to the article :-) Enjoy!

http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=122713573693154400

The Dentist

Well, we met with the dentist last night and it was interesting. However, Aaron and I both feel like it isn't the right fit for us. He is still planning on popping in the office and learning more before we rule out this opportunity. But, we both feel that this is not what God has for us. Also, Aaron is now questioning if we should stay here in Portland. That is stressful for me, because I love it here and we had already made that decision. So I'm asking for prayer in that area that I might be able to go with the flow and that God would be in control of the situation. Thanks for your prayers everyone :-)

Love Lauren

P.S. I hope you all have an awesome Thanksgiving.

First Outing

Today was a very exciting day in the Marks household. Today was the first day we took Max in the car, with Leila, to go for a fun walk. We took them to my favorite spot, Powell Butte. It was gorgeous, cool, cloudy, but dry, and Max was so excited and happy. He did so well. Today is also the ceremonial removal of the "Doggy Therapy Pool." It served it's purpose well, but Moose dog is officially done with rehab. So now it's trying to get him back to normal. Here are some pics from our momentous day :-)

The Ball...

Goodmorning everyone in blog land :-) I hope your Sunday is going well. We had a wonderful time at the ball and the scenery was stunning. Here are a few pictures of my costume (yes entirely hand stitched) and the amazing evening. There will be a few more later on, we had our pictures taken and the photographer is going to send us a CD. So when those arrive I will post them. Anyway, enjoy and God Bless!!!

18th Century Corset...

Here is a little preview of my corsett that I'm wearing tonight. Enjoy... I will post more pics later!

Max Update...

Hi everyone :-)

First, I want to say thank you so much for your prayers and kind words for Max. It has helped me so much during his surgery and recovery. Now for the news... We had his 4 week checkup today and he got the okay to start running and playing fetch again. This is so exciting because he hasn't played fetch since April. I just got back from our walk, it was 20 mins., which is the longest since April. He's doing so well and I'm so thrilled that my boy is almost back to normal. Thanks everyone :-) God Bless!

Love Lauren

The kids and me last October :-)

A Ball...

Tomorrow is the much anticipated Winter Ball for the Oregon Regency Society. I, to say the least, am super excited and can't wait to don my gharb and dance the night away. For those of you who have been dying to see my costume, the wait is almost over. I will post some pictures of the corset tomorrow, and I will probably have pictures of the finaly costume on Sunday. Keep checking dear friends and readers :-) God Bless!!!

More Memes

My friend Steph, The Hungarican Chick, posted this great meme. Here's my take on it :-) If you read said meme, you have been tagged.

Where is your mobile phone? Purse.

Where is your significant other? Home.

Your hair colour? Brown.

Your mother? Best Friend.

Your father? Loving.

Your favourite thing? Costumes.

Your dream last night? Weird

Your dream goal? Land

The room you're in? Office.

Your hobby? Sewing.

Your fear? Fire

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Acreage

Where were you last night? Home.

What you're not? Liberal

One of your wish-list items? Money

Where you grew up? Lake Havasu City, AZ

The last thing you did? Type

What are you wearing? Clothes.

Your TV? Entertainment

Your pets? Babies

Your computer? Life

Your mood? Eh

Missing someone? Family

Your car? Brown

Something you're not wearing? Lipstick

Favourite shop? Not Fair

Your summer? Too Hot

Love someone? Forever

Your favourite colour? Blue

When is the last time you laughed? Frequently

When is the last time you cried? This Morning

Blackadder Meme

Post your favorite scene from Blackadder. Well, I have too many, so here are some of my favorite blunders of Prince George III. Enjoy....



I am tagging all who read this post and love Blackadder :-)

A New Era

As we know, McCain is not our next president. It saddens me, but I also know that we serve a great God and my God is in control of all things. I will resepect President Obama, though I may not agree with him. God calls us to respect those who have been placed over us. I will also pray for our new president, whatever this new season brings. God Bless you guys :-) History has certainly been made.

Love Lauren

History in the Making

Today is fascinating for the United States and for the world. We will be chosing our leader for the next four years. I pray that Americans get out there and vote and that conservatives turn out. Either way, we will be making history. Our children will learn about the first female Vice President or the first African American president. I personally hope for the former, but I know that God is in control. The Bible tells us that God raises up and pulls down leaders. It' comforting to know that we serve a wonderful Creator who has ordered everything according to His plan. God Bless you dear friends and get out there and Vote!!!!

Go McCain :-)

Update...

So, Max had his 2 week checkup on Friday morning. It went very well! He's now allowed to go for short walks, get on the furniture, go upstairs, and start swimming in his therapy pool. The main goal now, according to his doctor, is for him to start using his leg. The doctor said if everything goes well he may allow Max to start playing fetch in a couple of weeks. It's quite exciting that he's doing well. Thanks for your prayers everyone.

As for my costumes... I have finished my ball gown and I'm almost finished with my 18th century stays. I will not, however, be posting pictures untill after the ball on Nov. 15th. I don't want to spoil the big reveal at the ball :-) So, you'll have to wait a couple more weeks to see what I've been working on. God Bless!

Love Lauren

P.S. Aaron recieved an email from a local Dentist he had sent a letter to about future employment. The Dentist lives in a rural community near Portland, which is what we want, and is a Christian. It's very exciting and I'm praying that this would work out. We are going to be having dinner with him on November 22nd. Please pray for God's guidance and wisdom. Thanks everyone :-)

Realization...

My dear friend Sarah, tagged me. So here goes.

1. I've come to realize that my family and I...are far apart in distance, but still close.

2. I've come to realize that I talk...a lot! Okay, almost too much.

3. I've come to realize that I love...my husband sooo much.

4. I've come to realize that I have...a wonderful little family, consisting of two fur and one feather baby.

5. I've come to realize that, I've lost… my sanity, at times.

6. I've come to realize that I hate...this election and want it to be over. Go McCain

7. I've come to realize that Marriage is...the most wonderful thing.

8. I've come to realize that, somewhere, someone is thinking...is it time to go home now?

9. I've come to realize that I'll always have...my Jesus!

10.I've come to realize that I don't...the era in which we live.

11. I've come to realize that the last time I truly cried...was when I dropped Max off for his surgery.

12. I've come to realize that my cell phone is...my organizer/ life, I’m lost without it.

13. I've come to realize that when I wake up in the morning...I love my time with my doggies and birdy.

14. I've come to realize that before I go to sleep at night...I usually don’t make it to bed and conk out on the couch while watching a movie, ect.

15. I've come to realize that right now I am thinking...about costumes, what else?

16. I've come to realize that babies...are my desire, but not right now.

. 17. I've come to realize that I get on myspace...um.. I don’t like Myspace.

18. I've come to realize that today...was a very long day.

19. I've come to realize, that tonight I will...be going to the airport with hubby to ferry some friends home from the airport.

21. I've come to realize that tomorrow...I have to work.

22. I've come to realize that, I really want...to go back in time and experience my favorite eras, even if it is for a short time.

24 .I've come to realize the last stupid thing I did was...try to put my purse in the fridge, instead of my lunch bag.

25. I've come to realize that my true friends...are hard to come by. Mine are few, but I treasure them dearly.

26. I've come to realize that my husband...is my best friend.

27.I've come to realize that I need...more money to support my costuming habits.

28. I've come to realize that the internet...is my favorite place to research for said costuming habit and keep in touch with friends.

If you have read this post, consider yourself tagged. God Bless!

Love Lauren

Gainsborough Hat...

I have been dreaming of my own Gainsborough Hat... Sigh... Maybe this will be the next project, after I finished the corset :-) Yes, I think I need to add this lovely article to my costume wardrobe. To be able to dress this way in real life... I was born in the wrong era :-) Enjoy!

A Still from The Duchess

Painting Of Georgiana in her Gainsborough Hat

Marie Antionette's Gown

This dress is making quite the rounds on the costumer blogs around the globe. It's truly amazing! One of the few dresses that Marie Antoinette owned, and wore, that survived the Revolution. It was altered during the Victorian era, but it is still an amazing and rare example of 18th century French Court . It's currently on exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum for a very short time. Thankfully, the internet has given us the tools to preserve the photos and share them. So here you go :-) Enjoy and God Bless!

Love Lauren

Little Stinker

I went to the grocery store today and this is what I came home too....

He isn't supposed to be on the furniture untill we get the okay from his doctor, which isn't untill the 31st. I about flipped! I'm not sure how he even got up there. I piled the couch with pillows to keep him off of the furniture. I guess I will have to put heavier objects, i.e. the coffee table, on there from now on. As you can see, he is feeling better, and is scaring me with his hyperness.

Life at Home

Hi everyone, I hope you are all having a wonderful week. Max is doing extremely well. In fact, we're having a hard time getting him to relax, because he wants to play and run around the house. He started "toe touching", which is putting weight on the toe of the leg in question, which is a great improvement. His bodily functions are working in peak order, to be delicate :-). As for me, I'm very tired. I've spent the last four night downstairs with him on the floor, moving up to the couch last night. It's kind of like having a baby. I think tonight I will be able to sleep upstairs and just have the alarm set for when he takes his meds. We'll see how he's doing by this evening.

On a costuming note, my dress is almost finished. I just need to add the ruffles and make the silk sash. I'm heading to the fabric stores today, Joann's is having a sale on their home deco silks, I'm planning on starting a late 18th ccentury corset. I like my short stays, but they don't quite give the right shape under my chemise a la reine. So that's the next project to hopefully complete by November 15th, the day of the ball.

Thank you all for your prayers. God Bless and have a great week.

Love Lauren

First Night

Hi Everyone,

Max did very, very well last night. He slept most of the night, took his pain pills like a champ, and is having an easier time getting up and down. This morning he had his first bowel movement, which is excellent, and he didn't need much help getting down the ramp to the back yard. It seems that things are looking goo for now. We'll see what the coming weeks bring. I will keep updating as things change.

God Bless!

Love Lauren

We're Home

Hi everyone, thank you for your prayers. First of all, the surgery, as I explained earlier, went very, very well. Also, our total cost was on the very low end of the estimate we were given, Prais God.

We are now home and Max is finally resting. It was a long day for my boy. The day started at 7 am with me dropping him off at the vet's office. The hardest thing I had to do was help him get into the kennel in the clinic and say goodbye. I have never seen such a pitiful look and I cried when I got to the car.

We had another nice surprise towards the end of the day. Originally, Aaron had a patient scheduled and he wasn't going to be able to go with me to the vet to pick our boy up. So, a friend from our small group volunteered to help. I am very thankful for her offer, but I was so nervous about two women trying to get a lame 90lb dog in the car and out of the car. Praise God, Aaron ended up getting done early so he was able to help get our baby.

He, Max, was so happy to see us, but still very, very pitiful. We carefully loaded him into the car and headed home. He was very tense the whole way home and kept wanting to get more comfortable. I was sooooo glad Aaron was there when it came time to unload him. He had to lift him out of the car and carry him into the house. There was no way Anna and I could have handled that on our own. I would have broke down crying.

Max had some food, water, and a round of meds, including pain pills. He also went potty, which is excellent after the surgery. He's now, finally, resting comfortably on a comfy bed on the floor. We have a cold pack on his leg, per doctor's orders, and he's holding his new nylabone that we saved for him for the occasion.

Also, Miss Leila Lu is soooo happy to have her brother home. She worries when they are seperated. We did have some problems containing her excitement at first, but she has now calmed down as well. She also got her own special bone for the ocassion. Although she's not as interested as Max is with his. He's curled up on his bed holding his bone in his paws, it's very sweet.

Thank you all so very much for your support, prayers, and thoughts. God Bless you dear friends and readers.

~Love Lauren~

Here is a picture of our patient.

Quick Update

The vet just called and Max is just out of surgery. They said everything went extremely well. I will be picking him up around 5:30. He's only been gone for seven hours and I miss him so much. I will update you with more, as soon as I learn more. God Bless and thanks for your prayers everyone.

My Maximus :-)

My Dress Form

My lovely husband, Aaron, helped me make this wonderful dress form. We bought lots of duck tape and three large tee shirts, one extra just in case. Then we spent an hour wrapping me in duck tape, Aaron liked that part, LOL. Then I made a cover for it out of one of the tee shirts. Well, the first go around didn't quit work right. So I set the form aside and thought about how to fix it. Basically it ended up about an inch to three inches too big. So I took it in, basically overlaping the back about an inch, and restuffed it today. Voila! It's just about perfect. The only thing it needs is a base for the stand. I'm sure Aaron can figure that out. Here are some pictures of it dressed in Regency undergarments.

P.S. For those of you who wonder what I've been sewing lately, the petticoat on the dress form is it. Enjoy :-)

Randomness

I was tagged by my dear friend, Sarah, to share six random things with you. So here goes :-)

1. I have always wanted to adopt. When I was a little girl, I asked for a black baby doll for Christmas. I named her, Addy, after the American Girl Story, and told everyone that I had adopted her. It has been my passion as long as I can remember.

2. I have a very special connection with animals. I tend to make friends with wild animals easily. When my brother and I were growing up we tamed a wild rabbit and its mother. We would go to the desert field across the street, sit and wait for them. They would sit in our laps and let us pet them. This type of relationship has formed a number of times.

3. When I was seventeen, I was given the amazing opportunity to go to Europe for six weeks. We started in Rome, worked our way down to Salerno and Pompeii. Caught a boat to Malta, where we stayed for two weeks. During our two week stay in Malta, we flew to Egypt for four days. Then, after our Maltese visit, we head to England. Where we drove from Gatwick, England to John O' Groats Scottland, and back, over two weeks. It was the most thrilling trip I have ever experienced.

4. I am a classically trained singer.

5. I am passionate about history. I absolutely love it and I rotate eras that I'm interested in. Currently, I'm really into the late 18th century.

6. Aaron and I want land someday. Where we can raise our children and, hopefully, have lots of fur and feather babies. Again, it's the animal thing; I can't get enough of them.

I'm tagging anyone who reads this blog and would like to participate. God Bless~

Love Lauren~

P.S. Moose goes in for surgery today, and I'm a nervous wreck. I will update you tonight or tomorrow on his progress. Thanks for you prayers everyone. Have a Blessed day.

215 Years...

Today is the 215th anniversary of Queen Marie Antionette's execution. What a sad day in history, not only for the Queen and her children, but for France. The world, truly changed that day. As it did when the English executed their King Charles. Below are some of my favorite paintings and sketches of the ill-fated Queen.

Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen (November 2, 1755 – October 16, 1793),

This first painting is from 1791 and sources say it was a very close likeness to the Queen.

The sketch by Jacques-Louis David was made as the Queen was on her way to the scaffold. How far she had fallen from her early splendor. It truly shows how quickly earthly treasures fade. God Bless.

~Love Lauren ~

Ball Gown Update 2

Here is another picture of what I'm envisioning. I have always love David's portraiture. It's amazing how he captured personality in his paintings. Anywhoo, I think this is the sleeve shape I'm going for. I'm debating if I'm going to add a ruffle or not. Enjoy!

Ball Gown Update

My ball gown plans have changed slightly since I first shared my vision with you in this post. I will eventually finish the whole idea, but not this year. The silk has to be put on hold, due to doggy's surgery. Anywhoo, I am going to be making the underdress. I'm not sure exactly what form I want it to take. I'm thinking something along the lines of a Chemise a la Reine, with a Regency twist. Here are some pictures of what I am envisioning. God Bless dear friends.

Love Lauren

I'm thinking ruffles about this (above) sized.

This painting (above) shows the overall shape I'm going for.

I'm thinking something similar to the belt for embellishment. We'll see :-)

P.S. Moose dog goes in on Friday for his surgery. I'm very nervous about it, but relieved at the same time. Please pray for his recovery. Thanks everyone and I will keep you updated.

The Background :-)

Hi everyone! I've been getting alot of comments on how to create a blog background. I went to Custest Blog on the Block and followed their instructions. They also have links to free backgrounds and embellishments. You can play with them and alter them in Paint Shop to fit your own style. The possibilities are endless :-) Thanks everyone for you sweet comments.

God Bless

Lauren

Hand Made Template :-)

Here is my new blog look. I really like it, for now. Of course, the Interior Designer in my will most likely rear its head and want to change again in the near future. But now that I know how to make own templates and such, it shouldn't be difficult to change from time to time. God Bless!

Love Lauren

In The Works

I'm in the process of learning how to make my own backgrounds for my little corner on the web. You may notice things changing daily, or even hourly, as I learn the tricks of the trade. Keep checking back to see what I'm doing over here. :-)

Makes My Nerdy Historical Techno Heart Skip a Beat..

Some of you may not know that my historical loving exterior also has a nerdy technology side. My dad is a computer genius, and teacher, so I always had access to really cool computers and the like. Well, I stumble across this amazing set of computers, yes they work, on WIRED, too cool. It is the perfect marriage for my history loving techno nerd. Enjoy :-)

Steampunk Computer

Too Cool!

Enchanted Stroll

The fall is officially here in Oregon, and the rain has finally started. Yesterday was a beautiful October day complete with mist and light rain. I decided it was a perfect day to have a little adventure with Leila Lu. So we put on our walking gear and headed to Powell Butte. It was glorious! We had the park almost to ourselves, with the exception of a few who also enjoy hiking in the rain. We walked down the Hawthorne trail into a small forest, complete with mist and moss, and back up the hill to the car. It was so refreshing and the scenery was so romantic. I wish I could do it everyday. Sigh... Here are a few pictures of our amazing litte adventure. They are a bit blurry because I took them with my phone. God Bless~

The Entrance to Our Trail

A Hollowed Out Tree Complete with "Nature Dog"

A Beautiful Clearing

More of Nature Dog (Leila Lu's alias)

Powell Butte

It reminds me of Yorkshire.

He Passed!!!!

We just got the word that hubby passed his first board exam. I'm proud of you babe!!!! One down, two to go.

Mr. Dentis Man :-)

Also, please pray for Max. He's at the vet's getting his Xrays and we have him scheduled for Oct. 17th for surgery. Just keep him, and me in your prays.

Love Lauren :-)

Happy 100th Birthday Bucky :-)

Dear Bucky,

You have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have always loved hearing your stories of growing up. From the "kiddie cart", to your father's experience during the Civil War, to your work during the Depression and WWII. I remember spending my afternoons after school working on homework and just spending time with you. You are an inspiration to me and I hope we can see you soon. I love you Bucky and we miss you :-) We wish we could be down in AZ for your party. Happy 100th Birthday!!!

Love Lauren

Lucille Buckner