Austen-tacious--The Details

There is so much to draw attention to on this fine male specimen.  But perhaps the most worthy is his stockings.  Mr. Darcy wore ladies trouser socks for the occasion.  This was a struggle for him, but my-- they are dashing and he's got great legs!
Mr. Darcy's jacket was a piece originally made for an actor in the church's movie, Legacy.  How interesting!

I mentioned a few days ago that my dress was black and I would be dressed as Elizabeth Bennett in mourning.  This is not the gown I decided to go with.  I felt so "Jane Eyre" in this dress, but it was just too somber for the occasion.

Instead, I pieced together this little number.  Bethany stayed up very late one evening helping me with every detail.  The tiara is her's, as is the shawl.  My fan is a gift from Andrea Flynn brought all the way from The Jane Austen Center in Bath, England.

Doing my hair was my favorite part.  The front.

The back.

The side.  I should mention that upon seeing my regency, up-do for the first time, Clark declared, "Uh, it just looks kind of messy, like you're having a bad day."
I'll just say, my daughters thought it was beautiful.  What does he know?

Bethany is credited with handing me bobby-pins in a timely fashion.  And there were a lot of bobby-pins needed, so I guess that was an important job.

Notes about the ball--

•  In true regency style, dinner was not served until 9:00 pm.   We had beef ragout, Irish mash and green salad.  Delish!
• One of the dances made us SO dizzy I actually wondered if I might faint and/or fall over.  Wouldn't that have been dramatic?
• It was held in the Masonic Temple downtown.
• We met up (unplanned) with Abe's second cousin, who was there, single, looking for fashionable, well-bred young ladies.  Sadly, the female company was almost entirely composed of Austen-obsessed, married women with children.  
• It was a little disturbing to see people checking their cell phones and iPhones during the course of the evening.  But most everyone took their costuming very seriously and were very well dressed.
• I purposefully gave very little thought to George during the evening, and upon return, he seemed quite well.

I think I will watch another Jane Austen movie today while I take care of sick babies.

Austen-tacious!!!

"This is an evening of wonders, indeed!"
— Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

I was giddy with anticipation for this evening!-- The Regency Romance Ball.  All hail Jane Austen! 

 "Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride-- where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation."
— Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

 Abe was nominated for the "Mr. Darcy Contest", but who is he kidding?  He is really more of a Mr. Bingley than Mr. Darcy.  My Mr. Bingley!

 "Every savage can dance."
— Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

We spent the first two hours learning several dances.  It was a dream come true!  However, in my dreams my feet don't hurt, and they did hurt tonight.  Still fabulous!

"A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us."
— Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

I was not nominated for the "Emma Woodhouse, elegant young lady contest", but I am just going to say it outright:  If there had been a best-hair award-- I would have won it!  I created this regency look myself and I loved it!

"It's such a happiness when good people get together."
— Jane Austen (Emma)

We enjoyed the company of our good friends, David and Andrea Flynn.  David was the winner of the Mr. Darcy contest.  And the award was well deserved!  It's hard to beat a fine pair of breeches, tall boots and a top hat!

 "I do not cough for my own amusement."

— Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

We do still have some sick kiddos at home, including little George.  But everyone, including little George, survived the evening in our absence and no one seems any worse for the wear.  It was a much needed, much enjoyed break for me. 

 "There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not in my nature."
— Jane Austen (Northanger Abbey)

Andrea is the one who let us know about this event and strongly encouraged Abe to sign us up.

  "But there certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them."
— Jane Austen (Mansfield Park)

There certainly are not so many men who will take their wives to Regency Balls for Valentine's Day, but I'm very glad that mine will-- and he loved it, too!

"I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but not one with such justice."
— Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

 "And you are never to stir out of doors till you can prove that you have spent ten minutes of every day in a rational manner."
— Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

I just like this quote.  

I Will Not Complain

I will not complain.  I will not complain.  I will not complain.

Arrrrrgh!  I can't help myself-- Okay,  just a little. 

Holy sick kids, Batman!

We've got fevers, coughs, runny noses, crying, whining.  It seems to be passing from one person to the next.  And that full round takes just long enough that the first person catches it again. 

Kids are missing activities left and right.  I know we're not the only ones because a few of my piano students canceled their lesson this week due to sickness.  Primary was about half the normal size on Sunday with kids home sick.

When we're sick--the worst comes out for each of us:

Clark becomes "The Teaser" to everyone in the house.
Bethany becomes "The Shirker" to get out of any work.
Elinor becomes "The TV Queen"  Electronic mediaaaaa-- said in a Frankenstein Voice
Faith becomes "The Sneaky One" to get what she wants.
Cannon becomes "The Crier" crying for anything and everything.
George holds me hostage all day by demanding to be held.

And I?  I become "The Meanest Mother on the Planet".  Oh wait... that's my normal title.  I guess I become "The Meanest Person on the Planet.  Period".

Sigh. 

Spring is going to come right?  We will all be healthy again, right?  It will be safe to stir out of doors again, someday?

Here's the funny thing-- we've been relatively healthy for the last couple of winters.  I chalked it up to homeschooling and a limited exposure to lots of germs. 
 That, and we just eat SOOO healthy. 
Well, maybe not so much the healthy eating, but nonetheless, we've been quite healthy.  I don't know what we're doing differently this year, but yick!  Stay away. 

And that's the other thing.  With this many people, and obligations and commitments, it's just not feasible to cancel everything and hunker down. If each person takes a week to cycle through the sickness, then that is EIGHT weeks of family confinement!  We'd die from cabin fever alone-- right after we'd drive each other to insanity first. 

There it is.  I have made my complaint.   I shall now slumber. 

I Have a Secret Friend

As many you know, I do not like the month of February.  That is quite the blanket statement, and I suppose it isn't entirely true.  My Elinor was born in February and my sister's birthday is in February.  I like both of those events.  But on the whole, if I could choose to be put into a medically induced coma for the month of February, I'd probably agree to it. 
Okay, okay, that is still an overstatement, but it is the month my mom passed away and the month of Tessa's still birth.  So, it's not actually that far off. 

Someone out there knows how I feel about February and has sent me TWO very anonymous packages in the mail.  Today it was a package of Rocky Mountain Chocolate and a gift card for MORE Rocky Mountain Chocolate.  OH, YUM! 

I was thinking about cutting back on my chocolate intake, but I've reconsidered, at least until this box of chocolates is gone:)

Who is this mystery friend?  I don't know.  But this person probably knows how secrets drive me cuckoo-- and they are probably getting quite a kick out of my confusion.  That's okay-- enjoy it!  I'm certainly enjoying my chocolate. 

Thank you, secret friend!

Here is another reason to cheer up this February.  Abe is taking me to a Regency Romance Ball for Valentines.  Oooh, how romantic!  We have our costumes ready and everything.  We have some super amazing friends and she is a costume designer for period films.  She fixed us up!  Abe will definitely be in the running for the "Mr. Darcy look-a-like Contest" (if there is such a thing). 

I will more closely resemble Elizabeth Bennett in mourning.   My dress is black (not so romantic), but very authentic.  I do have a fetching hat to wear.  I was practically giddy trying on my outfit.  "This is my dream come true to dress this way!"  Many pictures will be coming.

I am very much looking forward to it.  But I am very much stressing over one aspect of it.

George. 

George LOVES his mommy.  He has started eating some baby food (sort of), but he still nurses A LOT!  No bottles for this chubby-tubby.  I have a very good friend, who is gentle and kind, and very patient, who is going to tend Georgie.  He might be very sad.  I know he won't die.  He won't starve.  But I don't like sad babies. 

Oh, and my friend might not want to be my friend anymore by evening's end either. 

But I cannot help myself.  This is as close as I'll get to living in one of Jane Austen's novels and it is Valentine's and Abe and I do need a date.  So I'll just have to try not to think of Georgie for about 4 hours.  Seems simple enough. 
Or not.

Georgie-Porgie

George has started eating a bit of baby food.  This makes me happy because it gives me a bit of a nursing break and he is sleeping better.  But it makes me sad because it means Georgie is getting bigger and is halfway through his first year.  I think the baby year should last at least twice as long as the pregnancy! 
Gross.  Cannon helped himself to the cheese.  Grrr.

Thank you so for all the kind words last week about my mom.   I loved hearing other memories of her.  My brother, Matt always sends my sister and I flowers on her anniversary.  She loved yellow roses and these are about the fattest, most gorgeous ones I've ever seen!  My little ladies and I spent the afternoon working on "sticky buns".  They didn't turn out as good as my mom's, but for my first effort I was pretty pleased.  Well, I did burn the last batch, but oh well.

Multiple Personalities

I remember when I was a kid and I first heard about people with split personalities.  Nowadays it is called "multiple personalities".  This was so intriguing to me.  I am fairly certain I do not actually have this mental illness,  but I had a fun time pretending with my girls this week.

I'll explain, but even as I think about writing this, it is probably coming off as sick and wrong.
Anyway.

Every couple of minutes I would "feel a change coming on" and I'd turn into someone else.  The girls got quite a kick out of it.  I'm a southern belle... no wait....now I'm gangsta mamma... no wait... now I'm dumb hick from the sticks... now I'm a baby... now I'm a valley girl... now I'm a loving grandmother... now I'm a dumb/mute...

And at every moment I was completely stereotypically, politically incorrect.  It got a little out of hand.  But the girls were egging me on...as if that makes it okay.

Hey, I wasn't the only one around here with multiple personalities.  Perhaps I inspired them (not in a good way), but I've had several different girls living at my house this week.

There were the Indian princesses.  Their ears aren't really pierced (not till they're 12), but they are improvising with binder rings.

This was their princess camp in the wilderness.  They are religious Indian Princesses as they read their holy writ.

Now they are pioneer girls making homemade apple sauce and grape juice.

Now they are evil sorceresses.  Well, I guess they are religious evil sorceresses.

Now they are orphans at their boarding school, complete with library, sleeping quarters, and cafeteria.  I am, of course, the headmistress.  Sometimes I have to be harsh.

Pioneer pinafores make ideal school uniforms.

This school requires its students to get adequate rest.

GADZOOKS!  I love these girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm sure I was never even half as clever as they are!  This must be from Abe's side of the family.

With so much playing you may be asking, "Don't they do home school?  Aren't they suppose to be doing school work?"

Why yes, we are suppose to be doing school work.  How good of you to ask!  Here is the answer:  It is taking ALL STINKING DAY to get our school work/ practicing done, because they just want to play.  I am a broken record, "Bethany, go do your math.  Elinor, let's do your reading.  Bethany, go do your practicing.  Elinor, go do your spelling.  So help me, girls!"  You get the idea. 

I say, "Girls, why don't you hurry and get your work done so you can have friends over to play?"
"Mom, we can't have any more people in this game," they respond.

As their mom, I rejoice in their creativity and friendship. I couldn't be happier.

As their headmistress, THIS IS KILLING ME!!  Get your work done!!!!!

February 2nd

Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of my mom's passing.

Has it really been ten years?  It is hard to believe, but Bethany turns ten next month and my mom passed away 5 weeks before she was born.  I am planning on crying a lot tomorrow-- that is, if I don't spend all my tears tonight in anticipation of tomorrow.

I feel the loss for me and my family, but I feel the loss acutely for my brother Matt and his wife Misty as they have just welcomed their first baby into the world.  I'm sure they are wishing she was here to share in their joy.  It's those wonderful life-changing moments that I wish she were here for.

I wish I could call her and tell her about Clark's Lego Team winning.
I wish she could know Faith here on earth.  She'd probably wonder how I could possibly have a child as sweet as Faith.
I wish she could be here to do arts/crafty stuff with my Bethany and Elinor.  I'm useless in that area.
I wish I could see her laugh at the funny things Cannon says.
She LOVED Abe.  She always took his side in early marriage squabbles.
I wish I could have known her as an adult.  I was only 23 (barely out of adolescence) when she died, so I feel like I knew her as a mom to a child, but not really as an adult.  Fortunately she made many wonderful friends throughout her life who have helped me to understand more of who she really was.
I love her and I miss her.  If you had the opportunity to know my mom, you will appreciate this video that Allison Sherman put together last Christmas.

I'll get you, Diaper-Man!

You may have won this time, Diaper-Man. . . .  but I'll get you next time!!!! 


Potty training isn't going so well, so we're back to diapers.  Stayed tuned for more episodes of,  "Adventures in Potty Training!"