The Marchioness

Also on my list of fears are leprosy, rabies, and suffocation. Leprosy has actually been on my mind lately, beacuse I just finished this book. It's an excellent story and I highly recommend all the Thoene's A.D. Chronicles.

But about phone calls, I called the number on a help wanted ad this morning. I so hate making phone calls, but my current state of poverty forced me to. Seeing a help wanted ad that is for something besides CNA work, trucking, power hosing hogs, or working with cattle is rare in this area. I haven't had a job for about a year now, and though I've certainly been busy I don't want to be a financial burden to my family. So I called, and found out even though it's a part time job it's still five days a week. Unnerved, I hung up and ate some chocolate to recover. Mom asked if I was sorry I couldn't take the job and work five days a week- not really. I'm too lazy to want to be away from home five days a week. I can't be gone that much anyway, because of our own business and family responsibilities. So here I am sitting in our business(working for room and board), high on chocolate, and no money to spare. But I don't really mind. Maybe it's the temporary effect of the chocolate. All the things I keep busy with, all my interests(Politics, sewing, art, cooking, military ministry), have so far not turned into lucrative avenues. I've been searching for opportunities for several months now, and none of them have worked out. So I'm waiting to see what happens, what God does: It could be life changing. Being a woman, I have speculated on what the reason I'm jobless might be: It may be because of a huge family change in the near future. And I can't tell you what that is, because it's a secret.

Posted by The Marchioness at 8:15 AM | 10 comments Links to this post  

Posted by The Marchioness at 1:24 PM | 0 comments Links to this post  

Labels: food

Stumbled across several really neat blogs during my Thursday morning perusal:

Modest Style Lounge has an eye opening post on the photoshopping done to models. And it's so fun to read blogs about modest clothes, 18th Century or otherwise.

Jasmine's blog led me to Christa Taylor's site: "Empowered Traditionalist" and her post about Knights, which was convicting, though I don't think I've ever seen a movie star who I could say I want my (possible, future, if I ever get married) husband to look just like him. And again, it's fun to look at all the great dresses!

I haven't read this, but the title made me laugh. Looking for a wife? Write a book about it and post it online!

If you're just too happy at this particular moment, you can go watch this trailer for the Botkin family's new DVD: Homeschool Dropouts. Then, once you're properly depressed, go find a homeschool graduate and shake him/her. Seriously, though, I do appreciate the Botkin's excellent DVDs and I hope to see this one someday.

Posted by The Marchioness at 8:23 AM | 1 comments Links to this post  

Tuesday was the birthday of the U.S. Marines. It was also my Grandma's ninetieth birthday, and so I spent the day with her at her independent living apartment. We spent the morning cleaning out Grandma's linen closet. Anyone who knows Grandma knows she lives a spartan life, she's always cleaning out and getting rid of something, and her closets are already half empty as it is. So now, after yesterday's cleaning, her closet is pretty bare. But that's the way she likes it.

I ate lunch with Grandma in the dining room there, and sad to say either the food or the warm perfumed air(you know how elderly ladies often wear lots of perfume) gave me a terrible headache and upset stomach. Thankfully, elderly ladies also take naps, so I got to take one too. Nevertheless, I was very sick that night and I can promise you that I will never eat creamed beef chips with biscuits again. Yuck. It makes me feel sick just to type it here.

Grandma is an interesting lady. She grew up as an only child during the depression. She told me on Tuesday that when she was very young, around five or six, her mother would ask her to read to her while she was doing her ironing. I don't know many details about Grandma's life, but after a failed first marriage(which we never speak of), she married my Grandpa at age 28. They had a little girl, my Aunt, and then Grandpa was deployed to Korea during the Korean War. After he returned my Dad and his twin brother were born, and I'm sure they kept Grandma very busy after that. She's a independent, out-spoken lady, and even though she hasn't talked about hard times I know she's had her share. Now with her failing eyesight, we hope someday soon she will be able (and willing- at present she isn't) to move in and live with us. Anyway, I thought that Grandma, having reached the distinguished age of ninety, deserved to be memorialized online for all to see. Happy Birthday, Grandma, and many more!

Posted by The Marchioness at 3:47 PM | 0 comments Links to this post  

It's hard to explain to non-Christian or normal Halloween-celebrating friends what a Reformation Day Faire is. Usually my explanation goes like this: It's celebrating Martin Luther and his 95 thesis, John Calvin and the Protestant Reformation... you know, John Calvin? (confused looks) Instead of celebrating Halloween? (shocked muttering and shaking of heads) Oh, never mind- it's a fall festival. (the light bulb goes on and shocked look disappears)

So Jen and I traveled the eight hours to IL with three other ladies for Providence Church's annual Reformation Day Faire, leaving last Thursday and arriving home Monday evening. We all agreed we had a good time- not quite a great time, but a good time. We stayed with a wonderful host family who showed us the art of good hospitality. We heard speakers on John Calvin both Friday and Saturday morning, very enjoyable when we weren't feeling too sleepy. Saturday afternoon the Scottish games began, followed bythe Boffer war. Since we ladies didn't know anyone in the games, we left after a while. My favorite part of the event was the ball Saturday night(English Country Dancing). We started out with the Virginia Reel, a dance I've actually done before, and I really wanted to dance again. Since I was a stranger there, I thought for sure no guy would ask me to dance, so I was very pleasently surprised and very happy when someone asked me to dance right away! I danced four out of the five dances altogether and had a wonderful time. I also really enjoyed the Church service and spending time with our hosts Sunday evening- we watched "Pendragon" together. A good movie, but the acting made me laugh sometimes.

Monday we traveled home. We specifically stopped at Steak and Shake in Iowa for lunch, because there aren't any in Nebraska that I know of, and had a pleasent meal together. Then a little farther on we got off the interstate to stop at a cemetery I wanted to visit. I got my tombstone pictures and then one of our members got sick, so we ended up waiting about an hour in Williamsburg, Iowa while her prescription got filled. We got a little silly running around the town square taking pictures. Kind of an odd sidenote to our fairly calm trip.

We had a good time and it was nice to get away for a little vacation. If I did it again, though, I think it might be more enjoyable if my family had been there or if I hadn't been the only quiet one in the car.

Posted by The Marchioness at 7:49 AM | 5 comments Links to this post  

I spent at least an hour last week searching online for sources on 18th Century clothing, and ended up adding a half dozen blogs to my favorites, such as Diary of a Mantua maker. One website I really enjoyed was the Great Pattern Review, an excellent resource for ideas and pattern recommendations. I especially enjoyed seeing the photos of all the different styles and eras of dress.

I am almost finished with my caraco jacket, which is going as well as it possibly can considering the huge alterations I've made to my pattern. The process has convinced me to go ahead and buy the book, Patterns of Fashion 1. I am trying to be historically accurate and correct in my sewing, but some re-enactors would probably be horrified at my sewing process. It seems that in the future that I will be forced to learn to draft my own patterns, and I'm sure this book will be a great help.

I'm sorry my posts have been all about sewing lately. That's all I've been doing in my free time this week!

Posted by The Marchioness at 8:08 AM | 0 comments Links to this post  

Labels: 18th Century

I've taken a small weekly babysitting job which will hopefully pay for some of my living expenses. It's not much money but at least it's something. It's so nice to just babysit little girls and not little boys. I even have time to read in between incidents. Last night I did have to emphasize that Ladies don't bang their fists on the walls- I'm sure I never did at that age- and there was one blood-letting injury, but it was the first in four weeks. When you consider the statistics of average two year old boy injuries, once in four weeks isn't bad.


Sewing get be expensive. Especially sewing authentic, period correct clothing, when you're aiming for specific kinds of material and special patterns. In my next attempt at creating eighteenth century clothing I hope to make a caraco jacket, similar to the gown I made, only shorter and with different seam lines. The cheapest pattern I could find for a caraco jacket was $10. Now, even with this babysitting job, I don't feel I can keep on spending money on authentic patterns. So, two options: I could spend ALL my current monthly budget and buy this book and be set up forever, or I could try to alter the period correct pattern I already have, keeping the right seam lines and changing the skirt. Beginner sewer I may be(sometimes I dare to call myself intermediate), but I alter my patterns fearlessly. It drives my sister nuts.

Actually, there is an option number three: I drive for two hours every day to get a job I don't like, come home exhausted every night and have less time for sewing, so I have more money to sew.

After considering the options, I think I'll just bide my time and for now alter the pattern so I can have something to wear here, and hope that wonderful tradition of giving the grandkids money at Christmas continues.

Posted by The Marchioness at 8:41 AM | 2 comments Links to this post  

Labels: money