Lace, Grace, and Alterations.

Last week I had a working vacation with the F gentlemen. They are so cute. It was nice to have a break from my normal nanny job. I nannyed extra days through the month of April, and I found it so wearing. I know I have a good position(now that the dog is gone), but I so wish I didn't have to depend on childcare for income. I would quit my job and sew, if I could. Add into that thought the drama currently going on in our house: God seems to be pruning my family. Beginning with our move almost exactly one year ago, our first move in twenty years, followed by Grandma and her many moods(she's mad at me right now, and I don't know why). Two family marriages in the works and as many international trips just behind us have done not a little to change my outlook on the future.

 Mud hole. The boys had to change clothes three times that day. We had a fun week together. I took my quilt along and worked on that after bedtime(8pm bedtimes are the bomb).

I finished this blouse today: Thrift store save does victorian twist. it's a soft sheer fabric, likely a rayon/cotton blend. I have a bag of old lace scraps from garage sales and such, so I used a length to embellish the sleeves and front.

I also finished up the three-piece Victorian suit for a customer. It's black cotton twill, which is a good sturdy material for this project, but it requires a lot of pressing and shows every speck of dirt. I used Simplicity 2895 for the vest and coat, and Truly Victorian trouser pattern. The simplicity pattern, as usual, seemed overly complicated, but went together fine. 

 Button fly.

Truly Victorian pattern seemed expensive for such a basic item, but came in three different printed pattern size ranges: slim, mature, and portly. It has a button-fly, which was simpler than I expected to put in. The pattern has four optional welt pockets, which I left out to save time. Beyond that, I've finally got the costumes from Ren Faire(all those petticoats!) washed and put away, and some basic alterations conquered.

Cuteness and squishy cheeks. Let's end on that thought.

Recovery, Week One

Between my return at midnight Tuesday I had two days until our annual Fezziwig Ball on Friday. The Ball went great despite my jetlagged fog and accompanying head cold. I'm finally catching up on rest and unpacking and everything else. I'm so enjoying the comforts of home(Privacy! Quiet! Control over my life!).

So, how was Russia?

Russia was great. It was a wonderful opportunity to see new places and meet different people. After all the trouble we went through with the visa resulting in extra cost but a three year multiple entry visa, I feel like I should definitely consider going back to Russia. Though not, perhaps, as a nanny.

The more I do childcare the harder it seems to become. Taking care of other people's children is always challenging, and long-term it wears away my patience and takes a while to recover. I find that right now I want to either spank or avoid all children. Being a nanny is essentially being a domestic servant, even under like-minded Christians, because you're never quite in charge. Especially as I've grown older I've struggled with the constant tension or effort for balance of nanny/parent authority, especially when the parents are present. For example, the Ds, while excellent disciplinarians, were very busy speaking and traveling and not as able to intervene over discipline issues. I used to be more understanding of parents not allowing babysitters to discipline their children, but I've slowly changed to the view that if you're leaving your child in the care of another person, you should trust that person enough to discipline your children. If a parent is leaving their child's well-being in the hands of the babysitter, shouldn't that include discipline? Being exposed to so many different styles of child discipline over the years has been both educational(good) and frustrating(sanctifying).

Disclaimer: Reflections of the trip probably look rather black right now as I decompress from such an exhausting trip, a big dance event and my twenty-fifth birthday all in one week. I feel a mid-life crisis in the works!

One Saturday Remaining

This past Saturday Mrs. P suggested we visit the St.P museum of Ethnography, and we needed to get out, so we suited up and headed out. I was driving the two-seater stroller on the way there(which is rare), and I ended up running over everyone's toes on the trolly bus trying to gain a steady position. I felt really bad about that.

 The museum was full of ethnic costumes made of furs, linen and wool and decorated in embroidery, trims, beadwork, and lace.

I've been wondering if I'll notice anything in particular when I get home. One pleasant change will be the absence of ever-present smell of cigarette smoke wafting through the window, and the sound of continual traffic, which I've actually grown used to enough to sleep through it. The car horns are bad, though. When drivers get mad they lay on the horn, and it's pretty loud. Friend H and I have a running joke about throwing the bunny and cage out the window onto the offenders below. Once home, gone will be the weird youtube ads in Russian, and gone will be the dog who eats any food available plus the garbage and then deposits the results around the house.

 Clothes from the chilly part of the world. I sewed with fur once, and it went badly.

There was a hall of modern fashion based on traditional western Russian dress. They weren't anything I would wear, but they were interesting nonetheless.

Amazingly, in America, almost everyone will speak English and I'll be able to communicate without pointing, and people might actually smile once in a while. There will be way less walking and way less people everywhere, staring openly. And there might be a little more sunshine.

We're still working through the flu here; most of the kids have had a mild case. The Ps succumbed yesterday and had to miss church. One of the church men, a very(very, very) outgoing man named Deema, brought them communion later in the afternoon. The Nannies are holding out to be healthy.

Random facts, Sticky Fatboy is obsessed with cars. Mr. W thought that leopards had wings, and is allergic to ketchup. Miss K didn't believe that the world spins round. Girls whine more than boys.

 And thus ended our second to last weekend in the country of Russia.

The Mysterious Adventures of Sticky Fatboy

One night when I was focused on a pile of dirty dishes Friend H picked up a random book to read aloud, to keep the children quiet and to ease my labor. The book was one of the Mysterious Benedict Society series, which I have never read. It's a sort of wordy fantasy mystery story. The characters all have odd names, like Raynie Muldoon and Sticky Washington. The kids enjoyed the story and the dishes got done faster.

You talking 'bout me?

The other night while cleaning up Mr. J we got to joking around how dirty and plump he was, and how we should call him Sticky Fatboy, or Sticky Fussypants, like a character in the book. The name stuck, no pun intended.

Last night at dinner we had a rousing time discussing this and that, and about midway through Friend H looked at Sticky sitting next to her and said, is he choking? Sticky Fatboy had been feeding the long end of his bib clasp down the nearest hole available and hadn't realized this was the cause of his own purple face.

Sticky has also been trying to lock himself in the bathroom, among other things. Then I found him on a stool in the kitchen, sucking on a dishcloth. Not even a prison cell would be child-proof for this child. This morning Sticky was hanging out in the laundry room while I was making sandwiches in the kitchen, and he found a toy in there that almost gave Friend H a heart attack- a hatchet. Goodness knows what a sweet missionary family in Russia needs with a hatchet, but hopefully it was something other than what Sticky had in mind.

Dearly Departed Ds

This morning the D parents and two of the D offspring left for a week long speaking tour on the other side of the country. To illustrate how far it is from one side of Russia to the other: it's seven time zones from NY to St. P; it's also seven times zones from St.P to Vladivostok. So now Nanny 2 and I are now officially in charge of laundry, cooking, clean up, and oh yes, the children, with the much appreciated sometime help of Miss P, Mrs. P, and Friend H.

On the way to church last Sunday: Me, Friend H, and Miss T.

We two Nannies, one an enthusiastic, outgoing seventeen year old from California and the other a fairly quiet twenty-four year old spinster from Nebraska, must achieve a balance of authority over six lively children between the ages of almost thirteen and one.

Pray for us.

 

It's voting day back home. I've been so disconnected from the political area this past year it feels a little unreal. Even though I did change my voting location after we moved, I didn't have time before my trip to find out about early voting or voting overseas, so I ended up not voting. After being so involved in the election cycles the last six years it's rather nice to take a break.

Week Past and Week Ahead

This past week I once again had the three young F's in my care. The most remarkable events of the week were that S threw up, C cried, and J spilled Easter purple egg dye. Even as adorable as the F boys are(think "epic"), it's nice not to be woken up at 6:30 in the morning! I guess I'm spoiled.

Because a guy picture is becoming tradition: Making chocolate chip cookies.

This coming week I'm planning to make a pale-blue linen regency dress for a young lady, Miss A. I've also sold the first Regency dress  that I made for myself, which doesn't fit so well anymore. With the small bit I'll get for making the dress for Miss A. I bought three yards of a sort of turquoise-blue to make a new, well-fitting gown for reenacting at Ft. A, thus keeping to my self-imposed goal of only ever having two regency gowns for myself(as opposed to colonial, which is limited by finances instead of discipline).

The blue and the turquoise-blue

I'm planning on trimming my dress with leftover chocolate-brown linen. It will have three-quarters sleeves(the normal poufy short sleeves drive me nuts in the summer, because the bugs can totally eat your entire arm), a gathered adjustable neckline, back closure with matching fabric-covered buttons, and a waistband to help the dress sit well. The Regency style really doesn't agree with me, and if it weren't for Ft. A I probably wouldn't wear it at all. I did watch Persuasion(1995) the other day and that got me excited about making a well-fitting, comfortable dress.

I'm also working on another set of stays, just because I had the material. I'm pleased that it's getting easier to make basic stays. I know it will improve the look and posture of the ladies in my dance group when we perform. Now four out of eight will be wearing stays, a definite improvement from last year!

Wednesdays are Happy Baby Slobber Days

So lately I've been spending my Wednesdays with my second cousins, Mr. S and Miss O. They're cute and pretty well behaved, and I get to hold the baby all day long. The only catch is I have to get up at 6am after a late night, and even after good nights I so hate getting up early. But anyway, it's been fun. The above is Mr. S modeling a ladies 17thC cap.

And below is Mr. S. again, asleep against all odds in the play chair.

Delightful Duties

At present I am watching over three young gentlemen while their parents are traveling to a conference. Not only is there high speed internet here, but I get to hug handsome little men as well.

Even if they did wake me up at 5:30am.

People have been asking me, how was Scotland, and what was your favorite part of visiting Scotland? How does one answer such questions? There's no short answer. Really I've been so busy since I've been back I've hardly had time to think on it.

And I'm going to be pretty busy for a while yet.