AN HISTORICAL LADY

The story of an 18thc. New England house in BEFORE and AFTER photos~PART TWO

2012-02-27T11:45:00.001-05:00

(* Feb. 29th~A few more BEFORE photos will be added to this post this weekend!)

This is the only 'old' original photograph I have of my house. This was taken in the late 1800's, but before 1902. You see a barn just to the left of what is now my taproom and woodshed. This barn is no longer standing, but I often find cow bones and teeth in the gardens by my stone walls. Farther to the left you see just a corner of what was 'Chas. Keyes General Store' in the mid 1800's. That building no longer stands, and there is only a bit of wooded land, and then another old house-turned-into-a-few-apartments next door. You can see the enormous amount of wood piled up in front of what was once the barn on my property, and see how important wood fires were in early New England; and they still are.

Welcome to my second post chronicling my long journey restoring a dilapidated 1700's house, much of it alone, and with no funds to speak of.

In this installment, I present my 'main room'. This is the room with the cooking fireplace and 'beehive oven', as it is popularly known.

My little 230+ year old cape is a collection of small rooms around a massive center chimney which serves 3 fireplaces and the 18thc. baking oven in the wall. This is the classic configuration of an early New England 'cape' as this style house is commonly called.

When I bought my house, all three of the original fireplaces and the bake oven were here, but they had had numerous bad 'patch jobs' over the decades, all with a variety of hair-raising styles of bricks of many eras. Some were shiny glazed, some pink, some bright red, some yellowish---all hideous. I knew when I moved in that the fireplaces were condemned and had to come down. You could crawl into one of the 3 fireboxes and look up and see huge holes in the masonry. I remember I did that the night I moved in, and I could see large patches of dark sky with stars!

I could not have known however, the magnitude of the job, or that an inebriated contractor would walk off early on, and leave me with a 4 foot square hole in my roof and a chimney taken only half way down to the upstairs floor, in November!

I had paid him some money. I could not afford to hire someone else---I would end up chipping out and hauling over 4000 old brick out of this house almost alone, so that new fireplaces could be built from scratch, replicating the originals as much as possible.

I liken this job to the ant who ate the elephant----one bite at a time.

BEFORE:


This photo was taken by me the day I first went to look at the house. All furnishings are those of the previous owner. This was the fireplace wall. In this small photo you can't really see all the outlandish patch jobs to the bricks. The wooden fireplace wall is NOT the one original to the house. Those goofy panels were jerry-built by someone and each one was a different size! This picture does not adequately show how terrible it really was. All the old paneling in the room was badly and unevenly stained, and then slathered in nasty, shiny varnish.

AFTER:

A friend built this new fireplace wall with old wide boards I salvaged. He designed and then planed it's 2 'pigeon-breast' panels using old tools. All 3 fireplaces were totally rebuilt from the ground to the top of a new chimney. It was a cold January day when Glen had to build the new chimney on the roof. He erected a blue plastic tarp-tent up there with a generator, and all his tools, brick, and mortar mixed in an old saucer sled. No one could see him. When it was finished, he had me stand in the middle of the road out in front of the house, along with caring friends and neighbors who had been helping and rooting for me. He took down the tarp in one fell swoop, to the cheers of all. There was a beautiful new chimney! I had copious amounts of tears running down my face...I remember that day as if it were yesterday...

BEFORE:

You can see some of the nasty patch jobs in the old brickwork of the 'main room' fireplace.

AFTER:

The bake oven is fired up for baking. After many hours of keeping a ripping fire going, you sweep out the coals, swab down the oven with a wet rag on a stick, and "commence to baking"...

BEFORE:


You can see more of the horrible, later, blotchy stain and shiny varnish. What you cannot see are all the massive cracks in the old doors. Note that all the trim in this room was painted a bilious orange. The former owners kept a chair in front of the closed door to the front entry because they were using it as a closet!!! (How silly...)

Oy....What can I say...

So sad...NO chimney...but one fine day a big truck and crane came and delivered my new fireplaces in the form of thousands of hand-made reproduction bricks, bags of mortar, etc. to my front yard!

NO MORE FIREPLACES! Here you are looking at what USED to be the fireplace wall in my main room, and what once had been an apprx. 10 x 10 foot 'room' of solid masonry! To the left is the back of the fireplace opening in the dining room! Straight ahead you can see the back of the fireplace opening in my bedroom and the back of an original built in wall cupboard that is also in that room. You are looking at a sight not seen in over 200 years. 4000 old bricks had to be chipped out by hand, from the chimney all the way to the rock and dirt of the ground, and taken out of the house by hand in 5 gallon buckets. I did much of this myself. It then took me a couple months to load them into a friend's pickup truck and haul them to the dump to dispose of them one load at a time...

I was new to New England having come alone over 1000 miles to move here. I needed help with these fireplaces, and tried to ask for a little manpower willing to come for a few hours on a weekend, at the local church. No one would help. Finally my disgusted neighbor lady across the road came over with 4 children under the age of 11, (three of them triplet girls), and another wheelbarrow, and we all chipped away at those thousands of bricks!

(Several years later my neighbor who had come to the rescue with her kids to help me all those years ago told me that after seeing the disaster area that was my home, she had gone home and told her husband, "I feel so sorry for her. An army of church ladies couldn't get that house clean"! But I did, and alone, after doing every job!)

Down in the old masonry, I found an over-200 year old, hand-whittled child's fishing pole. It now hangs over a door in the room. To hear the rest of the story see this previous post~

None of the 3 hearths in front of the fireplaces were still the originals, so they were jack-hammered out with a neighbor's help. Here my fabulous mason contractor and friend, Glen, and his helper work to expertly reconstruct 3 period fireplaces and a working beehive oven. Because this was all going on in December and January, and all supplies were in the front yard being brought in all day long through the front door, it stayed open all day. I couldn't have the heat on, so I and friends who were helping me paint, scrape, etc., wore heavy sweaters, hats, and fingerless gloves all day!

Getting ready to pour a new foundation to support the massive center chimney...It is so neat to see these lath and old boards that had not seen the light of day in over 200 years.
I wrote a little story of how I came to be here, and that I was undertaking the restoration of the sad old house alone, and rebuilding my life shattered by a tragedy. I added a photo of me and my little dog, Phoebe, dated it, and sealed it into a plastic ziploc bag. My mason Glen later bricked it up deep in the center of the new masonry; a time capsule that surely will never see the light of day until I am long gone and this house crumbles...And now, just a few 'AFTER' shots of this same room...The fireplace is warm and comforting, and I have cooked many a meal in the period bake oven!

(*Ignore the dates on some of the photos. The camera was not set properly. All of this was taking place in Dec. 98-Jan. 99)

AFTER:

Adam made the bake oven door for me from ancient wood as a Valentine's Day present one year...

This room is a decorating challenge, with little wall space as is typical in a small early cape. This room has 5 DOORS and one whole wall that is the fireplace wall! I had to fill numerous cracks in all the doors with wood putty, sand each door, and then paint. That job alone took 3 weeks in JUST this room!

There is one more BEFORE photo I would like to share with you. This is a picture of me taken on my first Christmas in my home, only 3 months after I moved in. I moved here alone, with only my little dog, Phoebe, for company on what I always told her was "the big adventure of our lives"...

December 1998~

(You can read more about that in past posts as well!)

COMING SOON~PART 3 IN MY SERIES~MORE HEINOUS 'BEFORE' PHOTOS AND HOPEFULLY BREATHTAKING 'AFTER' PICTURES OF ANOTHER ROOM~

Handmade ladies' 18thc. China silk garters and beautiful period shoes now for sale in our Sutlery!

2012-02-25T09:55:00.003-05:00

*UPDATE February 26th~Thank you to all of you who have just purchased!

At long last! I am now offering ladies' 18thc. style 'fancy' garters on the SUTLERY page of our website as of today.

I made each pair myself of gorgeous 100% heavy print China silk, with satin ribbon ties.

As you can see, they look beautiful with the 'Cream Pearl' period style shoes that we also sell. I've seen other shoes on other sites, but they just cannot compare to these, and it's very true that "you get what you pay for"~ Our shoes are made expressly for dancers and are high quality, padded, and very comfortable.

I hope you will visit and order your pretty shoes now, and treat yourself to a pair of luxurious silk garters as well!

Sally and the 'raspberry coat'~

2012-02-23T12:21:00.004-05:00

Adam's c. 1740 style coat with a romantic story to tell~

Today I have a few tears in my eyes. These are not from sadness, but more the "awwwww...." kind of tears brought forth from the mists of a fond and poignant memory---The kind of memory you cherish every day of your life.
Before I can tell you the little story of Sally and the raspberry coat, you should read my post about Adam's and my courtship first, if you have not already---it's important to the tale...

Recently Adam put his old, c. 1740 style raspberry linen coat up on our website for sale. This was a coat from his early days in the reenacting hobby, long before he met me. It had seen many a good time at several year's worth of French and Indian War events at places like Ft. Ticonderoga, Ft. Frederick, and many more...These were days of camaraderie and hilarity with 'the guys'. I know that Adam treasures the memory of each and every one. The coat has seen it's share of mud, and black powder, and maybe a little spilled food around the campfire.

Enter Sally---a lovely woman. She is a fellow antique dealer and valued friend of mine. She purchased another old period style coat of Adam's several years ago as a bit of '18th century atmosphere' for her beautiful, antique-filled home. She has always loved it, and had mentioned to me that she would like another.
Adam had decided to sell the old raspberry coat since he is in need one for the 1760's period more. We put it up on the website for sale, and immediately emailed Sally photos of it, telling our sweet friend that she could have first 'dibs', if she wanted it. She did.

She promptly purchased the coat, and sent me this email this morning~

"You have made my heart sing! I am so excited and honored to own my purchases from you and Adam. Thank him for allowing me first refusal! I can see it hanging next to the stool. Mary, from the bottom of my heart thank you both! Check will be in the mail this evening. Many blessings and a big hug to you! Sally"

Now, here is the rest of the tale...and this is for Sally.

On a cold January morning well over 6 years ago now, Adam rang my doorbell. I did not know him well at all, as you will learn from reading my 'courtship' post. I was gob-smacked to open the door and see this nice man I knew only briefly from his coming to my annual business Christmas Open House, standing before me with an armload of grocery store flowers.
I could see he was trembling slightly. He spoke before I could utter a word, stammering a bit with nervousness;
He proffered the bouquet and said "I want to court you in 18thc. style, and I don't care how long it takes...will you?"

He was dressed that morning in this raspberry coat with matching breeches and his best cravat, a black cocked hat set jauntily at an angle on his head. He looked positively dashing---better than any cover on one of those romance novels, to me. I will never as long as I live forget that day...or the raspberry coat with the best story to tell, ever. My husband is a gifted artist and former newspaper cartoonist, among other things.
Early in our marriage he drew a colored, caricature-style picture of himself dressed in this coat with flowers in his hand and hearts where his eyes are. He gave it to me one day. I taped it to the window of my van. It is still there. It is faded from years of sun, but still the most wonderful picture---the picture of how it all began...I won't take it down until the old van bites the dust.

So Sally, my friend, give this coat a warm and special place in your lovely home. I can't think of a nicer place for it to be. Look at it fondly through the years, and think of this story. Pass it on with the coat, if ever you part with it---I have the picture of that moment in time forever in my heart.

Oh, and as you all know now, I did say 'yes!'...

...and the rest, my friends, is indeed history~

Spring fever, 18thc. shoes, cooking, and S'mores Pie~

2012-02-22T08:06:00.007-05:00

When I woke up and went out to the kitchen early on Valentine's day morning, this is the sight that greeted me! My darling Adam had left me 2 flowers purchased at the school---(the junior class was selling them to raise money)---and a heart of candy hearts, the center one reading 'SWEET PEA'~

Never fear loyal readers. PART 2 of my series of posts on the BEFORE and AFTER photos of my 18thc. house is coming later this week. I hope you'll be amazed at even more hair-raising BEFORE shots, and then the transformations to my own little bit of 17thc. heaven.

In the meantime, we got a dusting of snow last night---perhaps an inch or 2, but it's bright and sunny now, and the sap is running. I am listening to my 'Songbirds of Spring cd'. I have spring fever terribly. Of course that normally expresses itself in a frenzy of rearranging my antiques in the rooms of my home. Recently we did just that, switching out things and adding some newfound treasure here and there. Some 'old friends' found new homes and some other long-hoped for items fell serendipitously into our laps. After my series here is finished, you will be able to visit our website and take an updated tour of our entire house, to accompanying period musick late this spring.

I have also been motivated to cook, trying all new things, with great success I might add, and new favorites now added to the culinary repertoire. We love to regularly bake the Perdue Seasoned Roasting Chicken in a Bag, which I have praised to the heavens in past posts. The leftovers are as juicy and delicious as can be, and in the past few weeks we have made one of the most favorite of new recipes several times---a 'healthified' chicken pot pie, using them.
This whips up in just minutes, is far less fat and calories than regular pot pies, but you'd never know it---it is creamy, decadent, and absolutely delicious, surpassing most pot pies I have ever eaten.
The other night we made a wild mushroom 'pizza' on a 'crust' of soft, creamy polenta. It was a divine combination of savory mushrooms, shallots, smoked gruyere, and thyme on polenta that had some fresh grated parmeasan melted into it...
The best new recipe of all is a spinach and artichoke pasta casserole. It is a 'healthy' recipe, and was creamy and company worthy, and by far the best version of a macaroni-and-cheese we have ever had, bar none!
It was like eating the pasta version of the best spinich dip in the world---A dreamy concoction of, among other things, whole wheat rotini, fresh garlic, lowfat sour cream and cream cheese, chopped spinich, artichoke hearts, two kinds of cheese, and a hint of lemon. It was simple, and we made it together and baked it the next day, finishing it with a quick trip under the broiler, browning the cheese gracing the top... We can't wait to make it again!

I have a couple more new things I am making this week, including a 'Bar B Que-d' beef shepherds pie.
Adam will be in heaven over that one. Yesterday I made him a 'S'mores Pie'---OH MY GOODNESS! Even the topping was HOMEMADE marshmallow!
This was worth all the effort, and we'll make it soon again when friends come over for dinner. I had a small piece, and it sure made my day.

I took a picture of my finished product~

Sigh...my completely homemade 'S'more Pie'!

Please contact me ladies, to order your lovely 18thc. shoes. Visit our website for all the information~ I only need 12 more orders!

PART 2 of my series 'BEFORE and AFTER photos of my early New England House' is coming soon~

'BEFORE' and 'AFTER'~my old New England house~PART ONE

2012-02-18T14:10:00.069-05:00

Today I begin a series of posts that have been in my mind for quite awhile. I live in a house that was built in the later 1700's in a quiet hamlet in New Hampshire. I will not go into the exciting adventure of my coming here alone from the midwest and buying this shabby, run-down house 15 years ago, for that tale is told in past posts here on this blog, as most of you loyal friends know.

(*You can read the story of how I came to be here, and more about the backstory here...)

(...and here,)

(...and here,)

(and here too.)---And there are a few more---you'll just have to grab a cup of tea someday when you have some time, and read all my old posts~

For lo these many years I have worked ceaselessly and with utmost affection and dedication on restoring this small, venerable old house and bringing it back to life. I say, not without a certain amount of pride, that the lion's share of this was done over years when I was broke and alone---no husband or partner to help me, and no pot of gold or hidden treasure to help facilitate the restoration. My efforts have been rewarded with recognition and kudos from literally tens of thousands, my little brown house having been featured in several books and national magazines. But by far, the best part of it all was the satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment I felt in my own heart when I looked around, feet up, sitting at 'my own snug fireside', my ancient little warm, shining, and pretty house, smiling and thinking of how all those long years of endless work and trouble were so worth it...

So, the purpose of this series of posts is not to re-hash for you how I came to be here, but to show you what I faced when I drove those 1000 miles years ago, embarking alone on "the big adventure of my life"~

Over the next few days and weeks, it is my intention to share with you one DIY-er's remarkable journey, through BEFORE and AFTER photos of my home...I hope you will be shocked and amazed, and a little proud of me too!

So without further ado, PART ONE~ (This is the very first time I have ever published BEFORE pictures of my house).

"I have made a connection with the flow of time..."

BEFORE~

The house was painted a lackluster cocoa with hideous RED trim. NO wall or garden in front, and later, nasty 'sidelight' windows flanked the doors. The door was a cheap, thrown-together batten door. Ugly '60's outdoor lighting, and none of the pretty gardens I later put in...(And the back was even worse!)
I have scraped and painted, repaired old windows, brought in a dumptruck of dirt to fill in at the front of the house along the original huge granite block foundation, and planted historically correct perennials there over many years. I built the stone wall right out in front of the house with rocks I hauled alone from my own property. (Thankfully the other stone walls I have are old and have been here for ages). I can't even begin to chronicle the work I did on the exterior alone from replacing rotten clapboards to repairing windows, trim...everything...
(The yard BEFORE and AFTER will be a future post in this series.)

AFTER~

BEFORE~
When you enter from the porch entrance, as every one does, this was the first room you walked into. Yikes! The blue nearly knocked my socks off the first day I saw this house. (All furnishings were those of the previous owner; these picture were taken the first day I went to see the house.) They asked me if I would like to buy some of their furniture...uh, no thank you...

I don't know what this old room was being used for---some sort of sunroom or breezeway??? There was and is no central heat in this room. The walls are old shiplapped boards, but needed some work, as well as new paint. The wood floors had a hole all the way clean through the floorboard to the dirt crawl, from someone stepping on a rotted spot! The crummy woodstove was vented with the OIL furnace, (uh oh, boom---better not used that...) The bookshelves someone added later were pure 1950's ugh with the scalloped trim. And then there was the horrible, musty sheetrock closet in this room with it's bare bulb hanging down...I had my work cut out for me and this was just ONE ROOM!
Holy freaking cow...and it only got much worse from here~

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

MORE AFTER~

This "what the heck...???" room is now our period taproom, complete with a 1700's cage bar, and sometimes called an 'ordinary' in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is now well-heated with a most cozy woodstove. Enjoy the difference!

NOW, THERE WAS A NASTY UNDER-THE-ATTIC-STAIRS CLOSET IN THAT 'BLUE ROOM'. THAT HAS NOW BECOME MY BUTTERY. I took the door off the closet and created a primitive buttery years ago, without spending any money whatsoever, using all 18thc. materials I salvaged! I even put in the diamond paned window which I salvaged in Ipswich Mass.

HERE, YOU GO INTO THAT SPACE FROM THE NOW-TAPROOM~ HARD TO BELIEVE IT WAS ONCE A DAMP, SHEET-ROCK CLOSET WITH A DANGLING BARE BULB.

BEFORE~

These are pictures of my kitchen the way it looked when I bought the house. Some of these photos were taken the day I went to first look at the house. What can I say? They will surely curl your hair! It has old board walls that were about all I left; the rest was a 'gut job' I did myself. The countertops and floor were badly slanted, and the cabinets so out of whack the doors would not stay closed unless latched. There was no dishwasher until I put one in. It was truly hideous from top to bottom!

I tore out the cabinets and 3 different eras of floors and 2 subfloors. I spent one whole day on my knees just shimming up the floor before putting down a new subfloor. Later, a wood floor went down over that. There were no baseboards or window trim in the kitchen when I came. I tore out everything except the old wood board walls, and started from scratch...
Amazingly, the tiny kitchen looks much bigger now than it did then when it was white...I am a gourmet cook and it is very efficient despite it's size, and I can easily turn out wonderful meals for us or guests.

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER~

...AND MORE OF THE AMAZING TRANSFORMATION~

In future posts I'll be showing you the BEFORE and AFTER of the rest of the house, and just when you probably thought the BEFORE couldn't get any worse, get ready, they do!

ANNOUNCING~'AN HISTORICAL LADY' 18thc. STYLE SHOES NOW FOR SALE BY PRE-PAID ORDER~

2012-02-16T15:03:00.021-05:00

We are delighted to announce that by popular request and the many emails I have received in the past about my shoes, we are now taking pre-paid orders for these same beautiful high quality ladies' 18thc. style FAN TONGUE LEATHER SHOES WITH LOUIS HEELS~

For now, we offer them in one color---the beautiful CREAM PEARL, a creamy leather with an elegant pearlized patina to it. These are the same shoes that I have had for several years, and I love them.
They look beautiful, classy, and elegant with all 18thc. gowns~ They are made by a firm that specifically makes shoes for dancers and they are padded and very comfortable.
(If you are a reenactor, you are probably aware of the plethora of un-padded, un-lined, and hideously uncomfortable shoes that were the only things on the market for years.)
These are so"Ahhhhhh...." I can walk and dance for hours.

Please visit the SUTLERY page of our website for all the details, and to place your order for a pair of these lovelies now!

Visit our SUTLERY and email us to place your order~

Even Sasha, Duchess of Yorkie loves these shoes!

A rite of spring in rural New England~

2012-02-16T08:39:00.006-05:00

Sean, our friend and neighbor puts the sap buckets on our maple trees~

Yesterday I heard neighbor Sean's truck pull into the drive, and I peeked out the window to see him with one of his sons, laden with sap buckets and plastic tubing.
The yorkie girls jumped on the back of the couch to bark and watch him too. Today, the sun is shining, and sap buckets hang from each maple tree in our back yard wood. This is a rite of spring here in New England. I am pricked with tears behind my eyes---silly, really, but I just feel nostalgic and sappy---(no pun intended!)
How many generations have done this same thing here, just like this, eons back? Old ways. Old traditions, continuing on long past my own lifetime...
Collecting the precious sap and then boiling it---"sugaring it off" into yummy maple syrup---"New Hampshire gold". It is comforting to see Sean here again, tapping our trees has he has done for years now.
Soon the last of our snow will melt away. It is sugaring time, and spring must surely follow by and by. Is that a bird I hear singing in a bare tree out back?
Along with other neighbors, we have congregated on a chill, late afternoon in March in Sean's maple shack for a 'sugaring-off' party---feeding the boiler with wood, laughing in the steam-filled room with friends, and steaming hotdogs on the top of the wood-fired boiler!
---But I have told of all of this and more in a post last year. Read it again, and be nostalgic with me...

Click on any of the photos below to read my past post, and see all the rest of our maple sugaring photos~

The brook in my yard in spring~

My 230 year old house...How I do love it! It doesn't look like this right now, but in just a couple months it will be dressed in new green!

My new period gown for spring, and 18thc. style ladies french garters for sale~

2012-02-14T13:58:00.019-05:00

The style of my 18thc. gown, and all pertinent details thereof will remain a closely guarded secret until it's debut in photos in the late spring/early summer~

There is a new gown in my future. It is needed as a few of my older things do not fit me quite the way they should. It is not that I have changed in size, nor is it the fault of the makers, but rather it is due to the fact that I am quite long-waisted. A number of years ago when I was new to reenacting and got my first pair of stays, they were regrettably poorly fitting. Although the staymaker took measurements, she did miss the mark this time, and they were at least an inch and a half above my waist, which also caused the tabs to painfully dig into me in a most unfortunate spot. Consequently, several of my earlier period garments were made to me in the stays, the waist also being far too short.

Over the past couple years I have sold several of these pieces to ladies who really appreciate them, and on whom they look far better than they did on me. It left my period wardrobe a little thin, but I was happy to see these things go to good homes and happy new owners. I may be selling a few more yet also. As many of you know I make my simple, decorated straw hats, and have also sold some of those. The proceeds from these sales goes into a kitty---to be used only to replace them with lovely new 18thc. gowns and fripperies that are not otherwise in the budget. I have to sell a number of things to just replace one.

I now possess 2 sets of wonderful stays that I actually made my own pattern for, and gave to the accomplished seamstresses who crafted them for me. No more short waists or tabs in the wrong locations!
So now, a beautiful, fabulous, wondrous new gown is in the planning stages, being designed and made for me by a lady who is a true artist. Her creations are the stuff of dreams, and each is complete with a custom period hat and accessories. They are one-of-a-kind, and exquisite.
The new ensemble will remain a closely guarded secret until I unveil it here in a post in late spring-early summer. At that time, I will present a beautiful outdoor 18thc. 'fashion photo shoot' using the twig arbor that Adam and I built last summer for the setting!
Although it's hard to wait, I am gown-dreaming, and I do confess the anticipation is sweet. It means a lot to have something wonderful to look forward to...

I am already picturing Adam and me, in my new gown, at the next Colonial Ball...

I will at that time give you all the pertinent and fun details and tell you who created the stunning gown for me.
I know I could not let you go without at least a little sneek peek---the one thing that is decided and ordered is the fabric. I chose it after looking at literally thousands of little square samples of silk online! I knew that I wanted a striped gown like so many I had seen in museums and 18thc. prints. I also knew that I wanted a hat that was a confection, and far from the usual and ubiquitous daytime hats I wear to reenacting events.

This is the fabric for the new 18thc. gown~A wonderful 100% silk taffeta stripe.

Speaking of new gowns and hats, I recently 'upgraded' a straw hat I made last year to wear with the brocade sacque back gown for some 'day' events. You will remember the hat, with English netting lace coquettishly peeking from under the brim, gold silk ribbons, bows of iridescent 'seafoam' ribbon, and a few flowers and stamens of seafoam pearls. I just added a few more bows, and ostrich feathers!
I do love the way it looks, and how the feathers pick up the delicious color of the seafoam-and-gold brocade of the gown as well.

Here is my hat when I first made it~

...and now, after the improvements~

last years' hat that I have refurbished just a bit for a new season with my seafoam and gold gown a la francais. I already had the pretty ostrich feathers in my bag of goodies...

French inspired 18thc. ladies' silk and satin garters for sale soon~
I am in the process of now making ladies' Marie Antoinette inspired 18thc. silk and satin tie on garters to be for sale shortly on the Sutlery page of our website! I will have a limited number of pairs to offer. They will be made from a gorgeous 100% Chinese embroidered silk---gold with rose and olive, and feature beautiful wide gold satin ribbon ties.

The fabric is beautiful---I am sorry I don't have a clearer photo at present. The satin ribbon ties are the same gold color ribbon, 1 and 1/2 inches wide.

We are celebrating a belated Valentine's day soon with our very dear out-of-town friend Penny. We'll be going out to the charming railroad-themed restaurant in the historic old train station around the corner on our little Main street for dinner. I'll have a chance to wear my 'bargain black swan-inspired' outfit!

It's a beautiful day here---cold but sunny. The afternoon sun is pouring through the 17thc. style, diamond leaded paned windows in my small kitchen and falling on some of the fresh, colorful ingredients for this evening's dinner resting in an old wooden bowl on the stone countertop.
Tonight I made a simple little dinner to celebrate the day---Chicken thighs in a sauce made with our own maple syrup and toasted walnuts, quinoa with apples and almonds in it, among other goodies, and some sauteed summer squash, zucchini, and fresh tomato with a little butter and herbs. I had a chocolate-peanut butter brownie mix so I made that, as well as a batch of my decadent homemade hot fudge sauce. We have some vanilla ice cream in the freezer, so we'll have brownie sundaes for dessert.

Happy Valentine's day everyone. I hope it's romantic and special for you too~

I LOVE my period style shoes!

This is going to be a very special spring and summer!

Happy Valentine's Day to all our friends~

2012-02-13T17:29:00.004-05:00

Puppy love, from our yorkie girls, Deladis and Sasha~

My friend Richard's shop neighbor and good friend, Marcia, is having a canine kissing booth to raise money for stray dog care. This has to be the best Valentine's Day gift ever, and surely what love is all about.

She took the adorable photograph below of her dog, Shotgun, in her shop window with the sign above him.

I loved it so much that Adam and I decided to 'borrow' it, do a little photo-magic, and suprise both Marcia and Richard with the results!

Richard's baby, Sissy, will be taking her turn on the 'kissing pillow' too, and even though we live over a thousand miles away, our yorkie girls, Sasha and Deladis are there too, in spirit and through the magic of photoshop!

So if you happen to be near Main Street in historic downtown Clarksville Missouri, stop in at 'Richard's Great Stuff, and Marcia's shop, The Bent Tree Gallery, bring cash, and pucker up!

Marcia's furry friend, Shotgun~

Richard's sweet 'Sissy', ready for a very special Valentine's Day~

A very happy Valentine's Day Richard, Sissy, Marcia, and Shotgun...and to all our friends everywhere, human and four-legged~

The Pet en l'air and petticoat~A fashion photo shoot~

2012-02-12T12:35:00.003-05:00

I made the petticoat, and the fantastic Lindsey made the pet en l'air~Click on this picture to 'visit' Lindsey~

February moon and laundry dogs~

2012-02-10T08:17:00.010-05:00

I was up early this morning in the full dark, as we always are. Adam leaves here before 6, and I work out about then. I like to take a few minutes in that peaceful pre-dawn to just wake up and think. I was mesmerized when I walked out into the other room. There is a hill that rises up behind our house, and a very bright moon was riding just along the top, bare tree branches black against it's glow. I peered at it through the wavy glass in the leaded, diamond-paned windows in the kitchen, and thought how amazing and poetic it looked. The moon was shimmering with an almost incandescent light, and glinted like diamonds on the little panes of imperfect glass. Outside the deep and abiding cold made fairy-like patterns on the windows. I shivered. It was even cold in the house. Heat here is terribly expensive, and with our circumstances, I am always cold. At night it is set to 60 at most...
I threw an old sweatshirt in the dryer to warm it, and then put it on over my flannel p.j.'s, and knelt on one knee on the old chair by the window in the 'little sitting room' just to stare out for a little bit longer at that fleeting moon. Grey dawn was just peeking above the hill.
Even our little dogs don't like this cold. They are usually curled up in those cute Christmas-present- pajamas during the day, following a patch of sun on the floor around the house. The other day I took a load of fluffy hot clothes out of the dryer and tossed them on the sofa to fold. I went out to get the mail first, and when I came in a moment later both of our girls were sitting atop the pile of deliciously warm laundry! I sure don't blame them...I grabbed the camera and snapped this photo.

Shortly I will be adding some new items to our website, and very soon, more things made by me, to the Sutlery page. It is supposed to be a bitter cold weekend. Tonight I am making pork chops and stuffing---quickly seared pork chops combined with cream of celery soup, cheese, and other goodies and cooked in a baking dish. It sounded comforting and warm.
Tomorrow Adam and his friend Dave will be going down to Massachusetts for an impromtu business meeting of the men in our reenactment unit. We decided later tomorrow evening to have a cozy fire in the bedroom hearth and make a nice dinner together.

On Sunday we are going to at long last do the photo shoot of me modeling the sunny, print pet en l'air and petticoat, with varied accessories.

We feel like hibernating a little. Spring seems far away right now, but I know that any day I will look out of these windows and see neighbor Sean up on our hill out back, putting the sap buckets on our maple trees...

Presenting our DRESSING A COLONIAL LADY program for the Tasha Tudor Museum...and lavender flower cupcakes~

2012-02-09T06:47:00.014-05:00

We will be presenting our DRESSING A COLONIAL LADY program for the Tasha Tudor Museum on Saturday, July 21, 2012, at 7:00 P.M.

The program will be at: All Souls Church , Brattleboro VT ,

Tickets~ Adults $10.
Charter Members and TTS Members $5.

Tickets will be sold in advance through the museum and on several other selected and vetted websites.

Please contact the Tasha Tudor Museum for more information~

We have presented our program for historical societies, museums, schools, and clubs throughout New England, including Ipswich (Mass.) Historical Society, Berwick (Me.) Historical society, The Mayflower Society, The American Independence Museum, and dozens more.

We hope to see you on a warm summer evening in Vermont for an informative and lighthearted peek into an 18thc. lady's boudoir~

We and our home have been featured in books, several national magazines, newspapers, etc., and have been recognized by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

Last night I made our favorite healthy homemade pizza for dinner. I use a yummy whole wheat dough. I spread it with pesto, and then just a little mozarella. Over this I lay lots of fresh tomato slices, and finally top the whole thing with low fat feta cheese and bake. YUM!
For dessert, and for Adam to take with his lunches this week, and because I am longing for spring, I made up my own recipe for lavender flower cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting! I had the dried lavender already. I would normally decorate the tops with a sugared, edible violet flower, but I didn't have any---I'll do that for an 18thc. tea this summer.

For dinner tonight I am trying something new, and making up the recipe. At the store, I found some goat cheese with cranberries and cinnamon! I am going to toast some slivered almonds and mix it with the cheese, and stuff boneless skinless chicken breasts with the mixture. I'll wrap them in plastic and chill them. I think I'll coat them in a bit of Bob's Red Mill Oat Bran Flour, then dip them in a mixture of eggs and a little of the flour, and then into some Bob's Ground Almond Flour. I can drizzle with a little olive oil mixed with a touch of melted butter and bake. I'll make brown rice with some dried cranberries and something else in it to serve too.

Presenting the 'Pet'~My 18thc. pet en l'air and petticoat, and a 'Hot Hunks c. 1760' calendar?!

2012-02-06T07:28:00.042-05:00

Adam shoots a period pistol at the 18thc. winter scout in the woods~

In these photos I am modeling a lovely 18thc. pet en l'air jacket and matching petticoat made from a period style French print fabric from Bonne-Provence.
I made the petticoat, and the jacket was made by the wonderfully talented Lindsey Slaugh of
Three Graces Historical Clothing. Thank you so much, Lindsey!

This is only a 'try-on' and a sneak peek. An '18thc. fashion photo shoot' featuring this ensemble with various accessories and hats will be posted in mid February~

Pet en l'air jacket and petticoat shown with a whitework neckerchief, and a floral nosegay pin I made~ (There are several different nosegay pins now for sale in the SUTLERY on our website!)

The fabric and my red shoes were birthday gifts last summer...

Getting dressed...A white linen shift with flat neckline---NO gathering. Silk brocade stays, and a hiproll. Over this went a heavy white linen underpetticoat~ I made the petticoat to accommodate the hiproll and still have an even hem. (There are photos of my petticoat project in an earlier post).

I love my red leather 18thc. shoes from Burnley and Trowbridge, my clocked stockings, and my satin garters with a poem on each that are copies of some once owned by Marie Antoinette.

I will be making some 18thc. satin ribbon garters soon that will be for sale on the Sutlery page of our website~

The jacket has lovely detail down the robings and on the neckline and sleeves, as well as the 3 bows across the stomacher.

A week ago Adam and several of his reenactor friends dressed in 18thc. clothing, and with their muskets and gear met up here near where we live for a day long scout in the woods about 2 miles down the road from our 18th century house. They were very near the location of the 1725 Fort of the famous Captain Lovewell, whose exploits are chronicled in the wonderful book,
The Scalp Hunters. There was a battle with the Abenaki at Lovewell's pond in Maine, but his fort was here in New Hampshire. This historic fort was built on top of a much earlier Indian one---a very rare thing, along our road which was once known as The 'Old Tamworth Road'. Our historical society has many artifacts from the old fort---the result of years of an archeological dig there.
Here are just a few of the photos taken last Saturday of Adam and friends on their adventure. They stopped traffic along the highway when they crossed it in a line carrying gear and a sled over their heads!

The men were about to light their fire using matches! A horrified Adam said "Are you kidding!?" Not one of them knew how to use a flint, steel, and tow. Adam had his with him, and did indeed light the fire. Everyone was duly impressed! When we have programs, historic dinners, or tours of our home, he always lights the fireplaces using his tinderbox kit~

They cooked and ate moose steaks provided by one of the men. Adam reports they were quite good, and not at all 'gamey'!

My budget 'Black Swan look', and other second-hand and bargain finds~PART 1

2012-02-02T13:52:00.021-05:00

Let me just say here that the response to the post before this one regarding a friend who really wasn't a friend has been tremendous. People have left such great comments, and many have emailed me personally. I want to thank all of you. Keep visiting and commenting. Your insights are so valuable, and make me happy. I appreciate your support and advice so very much---and I have taken it! So....'MOVING ON!'...

Natalie Portman's classic but pricey look in 'Black Swan'

I do have a life that doesn't include wearing period clothing. Although it's hard to believe now, I used to be quite the fashionista before I moved to the hinterlands of New England. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't miss it. I confess, there is something quite comforting about being able to wear sweats, polar fleece tops, ugly but warm flannel pj's, and ragg wool socks with unfashionable shoes a lot of the time.
Once in awhile I do like to get all fixed up and wear some of my fashion favorites, even if we just go to the local cafe, or to window shop in a neighboring town. You've seen my adorable red wool babydoll sweatercoat, the long silk print empire waist dress in a yummy shade of peachy pink, and of course 'THOSE SHOES'---the ballet-pink satin confections that elicit compliments from strangers on the street!

Speaking of ballet, I have never seen the film 'Black Swan', but I was completely taken with a few of Natalie Portman's fashion 'looks' from the movie---particularly, the soft pink wool double breasted coat.
I am lucky to already have a gorgeous grey cashmere 'babydoll' sweater with silver lace that I bought several years ago. I also had a baby pink tunic sweater with ivory lace at the hem that I bought about 3 years ago for UNDER $19. Both of these would be perfect for the 'look' I was going for.
I also have a cream racerback tee, also embellished with beautiful ecru lace that I bought years and years ago, and that looks wonderful worn under the pink sweater, the lace just peeking out at the neckline...

I love my grey cashmere babydoll sweater with silver metallic lace. I bought this more than 5 years ago and it looks great.

This pink sweater with cream lace trim was a $12. ON SALE find several years ago...Underneath I have a cream racerback tank that also has lace trim. That is probably close to 10 years old!

To pair with either sweater, I was able to find a pair of beautiful quality grey leggings like Natalie's. They were normally $50., but I paid UNDER $20. in a close-out sale.
I have some flat grey suede boots that were also a bargain find when I got them.

Now, it was on to find a coat---the hardest thing.

Natalie Portman's charming ballet-inspired 'look'

I found the most gorgeous, vintage Anne Taylor coat second hand, but in perfect condition for UNDER $20.!
This coat is a classic, and made of all wool---the really high quality kind that coats used to be.

*My coat is actually a bit closer in color to the original above---I will be posting photos of me wearing it soon~

Here's my wonderful coat---I honestly like it better than the film one.

My UNDER $20. coat is perfect, without wear, a mark, or a stain!

These are my boots---They were $30. when I got them.

I had grey leggings like these that were originally $50. I got mine on sale for LESS THAN $20.

The piece de resistance so to speak is of course the unique and feathery 'swan scarf'. Here is mine, shown below. It's just perfect, with a subtle iridescent sparkle in the yarn. You can't really see that here, but I will soon post photos of me in my entire budget ensemble.

The scarf ended up being a belated Christmas gift, but it was a bargain at only a little over $20.

My 'swan scarf'

I couldn't believe it when I found this photo of Natalie. I have a silvery grey leather purse about this size, and I think it's cuter. It is tiers of ruffled leather and I get compliments on it all the time. I bought my bag at TJ MAXX about 5 years ago for $12.!

I use my $12. purse all the time. Everywhere I go I always get a ton of compliments on it~

So now you've seen some of the elements of my own version of a great look. I am especially pleased because everything I found was super-inexpensive, but LOOKS 'designer' and pricey!

I decided to wear my outfit for Valentine's Day. Adam and I were hoping to be able to go around the corner to the little restaurant in the old train station, even just for a hamburger, but if we can't swing it, we'll find someplace to just go and sit, look cute, and have a cup of tea. I really can't wait to dazzle him with my new look! (*See my past post, 'Tea at the Library')

Here is another of my 'gently used' bargain finds. This is a Dorothy Perkins coat. I found this for just a few dollars as well! Although second hand, you would never know. (Gee, this would look nice with my black jeans or the skinny black velvet slacks I've had for a long time....)

This hot pink Dorothy Perkins coat is another one of my second hand bargains found for only a few dollars~

In an upcoming post, I will be presenting photos of me modeling all my 'modern fashion' bargains!

It's a cold grey day here. We have to do the grocery shopping, but I try to put it off as long as possible and use everything I have first. I have a few chicken breast cutlets, so tonight I'm making up a recipe---Coconut chicken breasts. I have coconut oil which is very healthy to cook with. I have some Bob's Red Mill ground almond flour, and some Bob's Red Mill unsweetened coconut. I'll dredge the chicken in a combination of those and saute them in the coconut oil. I am serving this topped with the most wonderful LIME CHUTNEY. I just baked and mashed sweet potatoes to serve too.

Friendship...old, lost, and new~

2012-02-02T07:07:00.030-05:00

This is a bit of a footnote to the previous post. I wanted to say thank you to the people who took the time to voice caring and support for Adam and me in comments on the blog, but also in beautiful emails sent to me personally. I want them all to know how much it meant to both of us.
Sometimes it seems a stranger can be kinder than a supposed friend. Recently in researching websites about what to do when you don't get the job, more tricks for finding a job, etc., I came across a few that had lists entitled WHAT NOT TO SAY TO A FRIEND WHO HAS LOST A JOB. It was eye-opening and fortuitous.
In the over 3 years since Adam lost his, we have probably heard all the outrageously insensitive comments on this list at one time or another---and most often not from strangers, but from family, and so-called 'friends'. I read one blogger who lamented that since her own job loss, 90% of her " 'friends' had disappeared". The blessing was that she was left with the really true friends.

I had been receiving emails lately from one friend, and each one was more or less the same; she would say "I hope you are having fun"., "I hope you are doing something fun this weekend". (#3 on the list of impolitic and inconsiderate things to say...)

(Well, uh, no. Actually, we are fighting for our lives here, and are struggling to find the gas money to get Adam to the crappy job he has.)

This is then followed by "We are going out for dinner...", "We are going_________", "Oh, I just bought this great antique_________". (These are people who budget $225. a WEEK, every week, just for going out to eat, and this does not include their grocery shopping money.) My 'friend' does not work, but rarely "feels like cooking", and often says "I'm just too lazy to cook today".

(I'm sorry, but I cannot even imagine living like this---or wanting to).

These comments have lately been followed by "Oh, S. (her husband), is probably going to get this great new job in ________! It's even more money, and there's a moving package too!"
And, oh, as days went by, this friend never even had a nice word to say in any of her emails about our re-done website and the new Sutlery).
I have known for sometime that K. was jealous of me, and that the reasons why and the things she wants are those that no amount of money can bring her. (*Read a little more about the background with her in this past post.)

I found her emails to be so horrifyingly insensitive that I was unable to answer. I didn't have the desire or the energy for an argument. It is so apparent that this woman is incapable of empathy and understanding in the least.
After receiving so many of these same emails, and feeling just hopeless and exhausted from constant worry, lack of sleep, and unrelenting stress, I emailed her back. It was very short---'No, things are not o.k., I am not o.k. and no, we can't 'do' anything fun, and gee, you are fortunate things are going so well for you, best of luck', and then wishing her well. Period. As an afterthought, I cut and pasted '#6' of the ten things on the 'What NOT to say when a friend has lost a job' list, hoping she would get a clue, and perhaps behave a little bit more---well, like a friend.

Here is '#6'~

How To not Treat Unemployed Family and Friends

Don’t brag about your current professional success or wealth. If you are fortunate enough to be doing well, say you got a promotion, or you got a bonus or a new house, it is insensitive to tell your unemployed family and friends about it. They will take it as bragging and if they’re feeling frustrated, it may even make them more depressed.

Being sensitive to your friend’s needs will only make you closer in the end. If the tables turn and you find yourself on the unemployment line, you’ll want to be treated with kindness and respect too.

A response came back almost immediately. It was obvious she didn't even try to think about any of this first:

"Hi Mary, I did not mean to make you feel bad I guess we are not friends again I have ban sensitive to you.

I am a great friend you would never treat (here she mentions a dear friend of mine by name!)_________ this way as you do me so much if you depressed as long

As you have you need to get some help. Best of luck to you we have been their for Adam and you in every way has_____________? (Again, my friend's name here.)

K."

The above is her exact email, spelling, punctuation, and accusation, just as it was received by me. Now, aside from what I consider to be obvious and shockingly insensitive remarks, the overwhelming selfishness and lack of regard for a friend's plight is stunning as well. This to me is the kind of note a 'mean girl' in middle school would write---not a grown woman who is concerned for her hurting friend. Probably the worst is the fact that she dragged another friend of mine into the mix. This is a person she has never met and doesn't know.

The friend K. mentions in this nasty email is P.---the best, truest, and most wonderful of friends. She is someone who has been unstintingly kind, sensitive, supportive and loving to our little family always, and we love and respect her more than we can say.

I guess that's the difference between 'friends'--- As the woman in the article I read discovered, and as WE found out.

Sometimes a tragedy brings out both the best and the worst in the people around you, and you do see who is really your friend and who is not.

So yesterday I lost a 'friend', but as this experience has shown me, K. was never really a true friend. I am sure this happens to everyone in their lives at one time or another. You sigh, feel a little regret that things had to be this way, but also so thankful for the real friends you do have, and you move on...

I couldn't even begin to mention here the names of all my real friends, and the new acquaintances from different states, and all over the world who have sent love and good wishes our way, and blessed our lives and hearts. To each and every one of you...Thank you. We will come through all of this and triumph someday because of the support of friends like you...


...Looking ahead to happy days, when we can again dance for joy! *On a lighter note, soon I will be making some 18thc. ladies' things, including some 'French' satin ribbon garters,to be for sale on the Sutlery page of our website!* Adam was down the road with his mates in 18thc. clothing in the woods near the site of Lovewell's 1725 fort last Saturday. The men's scout by the way was a big success, and I was glad it was only down our road a piece, and that Adam could go and get away from troubles for a bit. He related to me when he got home the hilarious parade of the guys, all in period clothing, some in kilts (!), marching single file across Rt. 16 carrying a large portage sled and gear above their heads, and stopping traffic on the highway, as cars honked, the passengers waving and laughing! I'll be sure to post some of the pictures they took later... I have also been planning a series of posts that will shock everyone. I am going to present a gallery soon of some of the 'BEFORE' photos of my little 18th century cape! Now, these are how the house looked when I bought it, and it is so different now even I can scarcely believe it is the same house. You can always see the 'AFTER' photos of course, to period musick here, on our website, but I think you will be suprised and amazed to see the rooms as I saw them when I moved into this house with only my little dog on a rainy September day in 1998 after driving one thousand miles...

A home with stories to tell, past and present~

2012-01-30T13:53:00.012-05:00

This blog is first and foremost the story of my life in an 18thc. house in New England---the love of an old house. Today I am feeling pensive and a little forlorn. This isn't self pity, and it's not a rant---well maybe just a little bit of a rant. The best way I can describe it is that I feel as if the stuffing was kicked out of me.

Today I went around the corner to our little post office to send out a package. Just a few doors down from the post office, and also just around the corner and up the hill from my little brown house is an antique shop---1 floor and a cozy attic filled with the stuff of everyday life in New England for well over 100 years, from the sublime to the ridiculous. Dusty treasures and some junk. This shop is a fixture in our small town, having been open for well over 20 years. This is not one of those multi-dealer malls, but a 'mom and pop' establishment run by neighbors who also live just down from their shop on Main Street. They have decided it's time to retire and close up the business. There is a for sale sign by the road, and I was about to drive by when I decided it had been awhile, and I would just stop in. Stock hadn't been changing much for several years, and I thought it would be oddly comforting in a way to just say hi and wander around for a few minutes, given the way I was feeling.
Yeah, real forlorn---Having flashbacks in my mind to snippets of days I've spent here in this small New Hampshire town since I bought the rundown, 230 year old cape almost 15 years ago---moving into the rundown cape with my little dog on a rainy September day in 1998, after driving 1000 unknown miles in an ugly, rusted and ramshackle mid-80's van stuffed to bursting with much of my stuff and looking like the Beverly Hillbillies, to get here. So many memories. They were crowding willy nilly in my head. So many happy times, exhausted times, and yes, sad times too. I was alone you see. I was newly widowed, had no money---not much of anything really when I came here, except a heart full of dreams and a determination to rebuild my life after the suicide of my then-husband who had suffered from severe hereditary bi-polar disorder.

I got out of the car, bundled against the cold. I saw a crooked hand lettered sign on the antique shop door: "EVERYTHING IS 50% OFF". I went in, a bell attached to the door cheerily ringing as I opened it. I said hello to Mrs. R and her husband, who were helping customers. They know me well. As I wandered down aisles I had an overwhelming desire to cry, and I had to make a deal with myself not to let any tears fall until I was back in the car. I didn't find anything I wanted to buy---that wasn't really the point, and anyway I couldn't afford even the most terrific of sale items at present.

Three years ago Adam lost his job in the bad economy. He tried, and continues to try to find a new job in his field every day. Despite a degree and years of experience, a good job has not been forthcoming. In due time he took the only job he could get---as an assistant teacher of special needs children at the high school level. It's an exhausting job requiring a lot of responsibility and patience. It can be dangerous. Some kids are violent. Some on drugs. Some from really unfortunate families. Now among his many accomplishments (accomplishments that he never talks or brags about), Adam holds black belts in martial arts, but he is a lot like Mr. Miyagi---he knows how to talk to kids and relate to them and calm them. My Adam was a 'natural' and well loved by the kids and teachers alike. Now, here's where the rant comes in. I will preface it by saying this is not a whine-fest or pity-party. I guess you could call it justifiable outrage. The school pays him only a bit over $250. a week take home, for full time employment, and no insurance for me. It's ridiculous, it's miserable, and it's tremendously insulting. To really add insult to injury, Adam's reviews were top-notch---the highest possible. They gave him a small raise. In the next breath they said "Oh, by the way, we aren't paying for snow days or holidays and days when there is no school anymore"---effectively taking away the miniscule raise and then some. When you try everything you can think of and you live very simply, and always have, and you can't pay your basic living-expenses bills you become very bitter and angry. I have dreams of telling the powers that be at this school to take their job and, well, you know.
I hate to see my husband being taken advantage of every darn day. THEY should try and live on that! YOU should try and live on that! The people caring for and teaching your child need a living wage---all of them!
The last 3 years have ground us to dust. In addition to not being able to pay life-sustaining bills, just for good measure, almost every week, we better yell "INCOMING!"---the 13 year old cars are breaking down. In the last 3 years every single appliance we owned permanently died. So did the 20 year old furnace. So did the water heater...and the old woodstove.
You just want to scream. You want to give up. You want to yell at God---I have yelled at God. (You get to the point where you wonder if there is a God).
We were getting by, not well, and not comfortably, but a bit better, with some help from Adam's parents---Until, with no warning at all his mother decided she wanted him to do something he couldn't do---it was wrong, just wrong, and tried to blackmail him using the financial help----Nasty, icky situation. (I know we can't be the only ones with dysfunctional families...)
This isn't the first time she's done something similar. She is well, manipulative....very, very manipulative---and punitive.
We didn't cave. We could not. It was out of the question. For better or for worse, we were on our own...permanently. No more contact. It was a decision a long time coming and regretfully, but necessarily made. (They have to live with trust forever broken and what they have done to a loving and hardworking son).
So we are desperately trying to survive on our under-$300. a week. The strain of the past 3 years has been unbearable and painful beyond expressing.
If we were sitting on our butts doing nothing that would be one thing, but we have literally tried everything, and I mean everything, as well as done every odd job we both could to help ourselves---from the stupid and ridiculous, to the even more stupid and hopeless. No matter how hard we try, everything blows up in our faces.
Well, that's the rant. Time to move on.

There I was in the old-timey antique shop, filled with nostalgia---for that place, for this small town and it's people, but mostly for all those memories in my little brown house. Hard to come here alone and then work restoring a dump of a house by myself for years? You betcha (Yeah, I'm from the Midwest).
Someone once asked me if I knew ahead of time about all the work, fear, pain, deprivation and disappointments I would experience, would I have come here and bought this house? Again, YOU BETCHA---in a New York second---for every minute of the pain and fear and loneliness of those years is trumped by memories warm and golden, and treasured beyond words.
Yes, I would come here again, and buy this house, and work and suffer and hope. This is where I ultimately met and married my darling Adam. This is home, and a wonderful home it is, filled with love and memories, and always welcoming to friends old and new.
"I have made a connection with the flow of time..." This is the beginning of a quote I wrote on a wall in my entry more than 14 years ago, and that remains there today.

I left the shop and was home in 2 minutes. The yorkies greeted me snorting and jumping around like I'd been gone 30 days instead of 30 minutes!
Home.
The few minutes in the tiny post office where "everybody knows your name", the meander through the warm antique shop run by kind neighbors, and now sitting here by a sunny window with wavy glass writing this have indeed been comforting to me. This is my town. This is my home. This is my life.
A lot of the anger went away. I was happy to have it replaced by well...a wistfulness. I could feel at least a little surge of new hope.

Announcing our NEW website, and the grand opening of our 'SUTLERY'!

2012-01-29T15:06:00.008-05:00

We are very pleased to announce that we have remodeled our entire website. We hope you will visit each and every page and see all the changes! (---Don't miss the new 'SERVICES' page.)

We are also happy to announce the opening of our 'SUTLERY'---A new, permanent page on our website, selling reenactor's 17th/18thc. gear and clothing items.

Many more items will be added soon, including ladies' 18thc. clothing items and accessories made by me.

When I began my website, I was about the only one around using the 'Blackadder' historical font, but now it has been done to death everywhere, and is hardly unique anymore.

We have replaced it with a lovely, period correct 18thc. font. This is only one of the many changes we have made to the entire website.

We hope you will visit the new COUNTRY LADY ANTIQUES, and that you will be a frequent guest~

www.thecountryladyantiques.com

(Click on the above link or either photo in this post to visit our website)

*UPDATE: A few new items for sale were added to the SUTLERY page today, Monday, Jan. 30th!

A dear friend has just informed me that she is giving me a big box of fabrics and scraps of trims, ribbons, etc., that she never used to make reenactment clothing. She simply has too much and is bringing me her generous gift when she comes to visit in February. She loves our new SUTLERY, and is gifting me with these treasures so that I can make some lovely ladies' period things to sell.

Some of the items I will be making shortly to be for sale at our new SUTLERY page on our website are ladies' 18thc. neckerchiefs, 'French' garters with satin ribbon ties, pinner caps, aprons, and possibly one or two period correct petticoats~

An 18thc. fashion look-back at 2011~

2012-01-20T09:01:00.011-05:00

A fond look back at some of our 18thc. adventures of the past year, these are a few photos of me in some of my various period fashions.

A NEW '18th century fashion photo shoot' is coming shortly!

Enjoy the musick while you view this little gallery~

I design and make all my own hats. I sell them as well. Visit the SUTLERY page of our website, www.thecountryladyantiques.com


These wonderful, vintage 18thc. style shoes are for sale on the SUTLERY page of my website!

Absolutely everyone has always loved my cloak! I designed this all myself, and it was made for me. It is exquisitely warm, made of heavy wool with a black flannel lining. The gathered hood is so lovely, and it can be un-gathered and lay flat as a short cape.
(*note~One blog recently complained about this style of cloak and purveryors who sell them, saying they were not authentic to the 18thc. I think that in every century there were those who designed and made clothing that featured innovative or different characteristics reflecting their own personal styles. I LOVE this cloak and would never dream of changing it. The handful of petty, judgemental, snobby, and just nasty women in the reenacting hobby are dismissed by the great majority, thankfully. This is a subject for another post, and in fact 2 of my favorite bloggers, Ken and Sarah, have both written excellent posts on the subject~)

I did my own hair myself for the ball. I am rather proud of my 18thc. 'do!

A gown with an en fourreau back...

Sigh...what a day this was! I am sitting by the sea in Marblehead Massachusetts~

My 18th century 'ball hair', and the 'Twelfth Night Ball Photo Gallery'~

2012-01-14T12:05:00.011-05:00

We had an absolutely fantastic time last night at the Colonial Twelfth Night Ball~

A ball photo gallery, set to period musick and with snow gently falling is now up on our website

I thought I would share some pictures of me with my 18thc. 'do~

Yes, this is my own hair, and I did this all by myself, to my utter astonishment. My hair was the hit of the ball, with comments of "amazing", "best hair here" and "I've been admiring you all night"!
(Oh, joy!)

Click on the above photo poster to attend the ball~

A special request from Amy Tudor, and we are featured in the 'Tasha Tudor Museum Newsletter', Winter Edition~

2012-01-12T08:41:00.008-05:00

We are pleased and honored to announce that we have received an email from the lovely and delightful Amy Tudor, requesting to engage us to present our much-loved historical program, 'DRESSING A COLONIAL LADY' in Vermont this summer, as one of the special events of the Tasha Tudor Museum.

Vermont in July...the place to be!

We are really looking forward to presenting this program for as many of Tasha Tudor's fans, friends, and family that are able to attend.

We were thrilled also to be included in the winter edition of the Tasha Tudor Museum Newsletter~

The Colonial Twelfth Night Ball...

2012-01-10T08:22:00.005-05:00

...A Photo Gallery of a Magical, 18thc. Evening~

The annual Twelfth Night Ball is this Friday night, January 13th. at the historic Wayside Inn in Massachusetts. We are expecting a big snowstorm here in New England this Thursday, and we have long had our tickets for the ball, so we are hoping that the storm is prompt and not too terrible, and that we can get cleared out and still go on Friday.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to use our 'dinner fund' for bills, so we won't be having dinner at the inn before the ball, but that's all right with me. I have made a big pot of homemade sweet potato soup, and we can have some before we leave late Friday afternoon.
They serve lovely sandwiches and rum shrub at the ball late in the evening. We New Englanders are used to lots of snow, so unless there's a blizzard on Friday, we plan to be at the ball! Adam will snowblow and clean up any snow early Friday, and we plan a short nap before we leave for the ball, as it will be a late night. We don't get home until one or two AM.
We are really anticipating this event, and I have done a little tweaking to my sacque back gown, and have all my hair ornaments in readiness for the new 18thc. 'do I plan to try just for the ball.

Coming to our website soon~

Click on the above photo to visit~

Thanks to the ladies at A Fashionable Frolic blog, I made a small change to the inside of my gown. My gown has a lining inside with lacing as shown in this photo from Rebecca and Ashley's blog.

This is Ashley's lovely gown. You can see how Rebecca used boning in the back lining.

As you can see, the edges of the lacing are reinforced with boning. My gown had the channels, but no boning. I didn't have the time or money to order reed, and I live in the country, far from malls or specialty stores.
I was able to get very long plastic zipties for $3. at the hardware store right near my home. Serendipitously, they were the perfect width---about 3/8 inch. I slipped 2 of them into the lining as shown in the above photo. (Thank you ladies! I am learning more and more every day~)
I think that this will give the back of my own gown more structure.
I have made the final choice of what jewelry I am going to wear, but I think I'll suprise everyone when we put the photo gallery up after the ball.

Winter cooking, and 'new' 18th century hair for the Twelfth Night Ball~

2012-01-06T10:56:00.005-05:00

Now that the holidays are over and the new year has started I confess to feeling a sense of relief. I went grocery shopping the other day, and bought all of the healthy foods I normally did, and nothing containing sugars (of any kind), flour, unpronounceable fats, etc. For years I have had a healthy eating style that included lots of veggies and fruits, whole grains, no fake butter, no sugars, no processed foods, hardly any red meat, and lots of chicken and seafood. I have and continue to come up with and perfect recipes that are super-healthy, but so good no one would know it!

I really fell off the healthy eating wagon over Christmas, and I felt awful inside and out. I had kicked the sugar habit, and never eat the treats I make for Adam or for company, but I really blew it recently, eating chocolate cheesecake and my addictive hot fudge sauce, among other things I never do. I didn't even enjoy it, because deep down, I really want to stick to my healthy eating lifestyle, so it was with great relief and anticipation that I came home with bags full of good things and replenished pantry and refrigerator. I would guess that almost half of our grocery allowance is spent on fresh produce. I put all my groceries away and happily set about creating and making some yummy and healthy meals!

I had a pork tenderloin in the house, so on New Year's day Adam and I concocted a meal which turned out to be wonderful. It was a special treat, but still was fairly within the parameters of our eating style. We marinated the pork for several hours in a fragrant mixture of orange juice, orange peel, apple brandy, dijon mustard, and a hint only of brown sugar. I cut up an unpeeled apple and large sweet onion and threw them in too. Later, I browned the pork hot and fast for only a minute, and then transferred it to a baking pan. I surrounded it with the big chunks of apples and onion and baked it, basting it with a natural and healthy BBQ sauce. It was just fantastic.

My pork tenderloin ready to go into the oven

For my first 'back to normal' dinner after my shopping trip the other day, I made fresh fish fillets, topped with a variety of fresh vegetables I jullienned myself and steamed in parchment paper packets. I used fresh zucchini, summer squash, red onion, and carrots. This was tossed with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, and piled onto each fresh raw fillet. I topped this with 2 thin slices of sliced lemon, a sprig of fresh thyme, and a tablespoon of white wine in each individual packet. These steamed in the oven on a cookie sheet for 15 min. I served them over hot brown rice to which I had added carmellized shallots. The whole house smelled wonderful and this meal was delicious enough for company, satisfying, and guilt free.
I made homemade pain perdu---Baked chocolate French Toast for Adam for dessert, and served it warm with a dollop of whipped cream. He took the rest to work for breakfast!

pain perdu---bread baked in a creamy homemade chocolate custard~

Yesterday I made turkey patties with onion and pepper and sauteed them in Safflower oil---(the BEST and most healthy oil, and it helps get rid of extra belly fat). I brushed pieces of thick, crusty whole grain spelt bread with homemade garlic oil and toasted it lightly in the oven I served the burgers on this bread topped with homemade low fat garlic-chive Aioli that was amazing! To go with it we had some really authentic fat free Boston style baked beans---a New England staple.

Early this morning I decided to make my own really healthy version of Chicken and Dumplings in the crock pot. I piled fresh cut carrots, onions, and mushrooms into the pot. I added some fat free chicken stock that I had pre-mixed with just a little whole grain oat bran flour, and some herbs. I cut boneless and skinless chicken thighs in half, and they went in on top. In 7 or 8 hours we'll have a delicious savory supper. The best part is that I managed to make a healthy version of dumplings.
I combined some Bob's Red Mill oat bran flour, baking soda, non-fat milk, a hint of real butter, and some fresh chives. Later, dollops of this will be spooned on top of the chicken in the crock pot, and allowed to simmer on high in the pot for about 25 min. It is lightly snowing here, finally covering the frozen, brown, naked and shabby look that the neighborhood has when everything is dead and there is no snow. It's so pretty, and I am really looking forward to a fire in one of the fireplaces later and to big steaming bowls of chicken and dumplings.

After posting about the upcoming Colonial Twelfth Night Ball, and my wig, I recently came across a wonderful blog that is only step by step tutorials on how to create historic hairstyles for all periods.
Yesterday, I spent 2 hours practicing and experimenting with a lovely, c. 1770 hairstyle. My hair, although longer than the lady's on the blog, is quite a bit more fine-textured. I followed her instructions, but adapted them for finer hair.
The bathroom was a conglomeration of bobby pins, rat tail combs, hairspray, and hair accessories of many types. I used a variety of brown mesh hair 'rats' that I have, and was able to create quite a stunning period hairdo. It is now my intention to style my own hair this way for the Twelfth Night Ball. (I figure if I mess it up, I only have to pop on my Georgian wig).
I am wearing the silk brocade sacque back gown that I wore to last year's ball, but I didn't want to look exactly the same, so I am changing my accessories, and styling my own locks into a completely different 18thc. look.

This morning as my chicken was simmering in the crock pot, I sat at a table covered with some newspaper and used silk ribbon, lace and pearl 'snowflakes', seafoam green pearls, and fabric glue to create some small, exquisite and sparkling bows to pin here and there into the back of my hair the night of the ball. I also have individual, cream pearl 'hair jewels' to add randomly and I bought a simple pearl headband for about $3. that I plan to put across the front of my hair like a crown, rather than from ear to ear.
I am really getting excited about the ball, and will be posting about it in due time.

My $3. pearl headband

A new year, an 18th century 'fantasy evening', ladies' 18thc. wigs for sale, and 'let sleeping dogs lie'~

2012-01-02T15:50:00.011-05:00

Farewell to 2011, and all it's heavy trials but also it's sweet memories. A new year has dawned, and we toasted on New Year's Eve, expressing our wishes for a new job, and an end to the difficult financial circumstances of the last three years. A little of the peace and security that so many others are able to take for granted were our fervent wishes and hopes, professed aloud to only each other in our darkened bedroom, lit only by the soft glow of a fire in the fireplace.
Although because of our plight, we have not been able to attend as many of the historical reenactments we so love, we try to get to as many as possible. I write this blog not only to celebrate my New England life in a little 230 year old house, but to share and celebrate our adventures in historical costuming and reenacting.

One small 'new year's day thing' I did for myself was to paint my toenails with gorgeous silver nail polish, and I love it!

The annual Colonial Twelfth Night Ball at the Wayside Inn in Massachusetts is fast approaching. We have had our tickets for awhile, and have put away a few dollars here and there so that we could have dinner at the 300 year old inn the night of the ball, dressed in our finest period attire, sitting in a room filled with antiques, at a table before a cozy fire.

One of several of the dining rooms at the Wayside Inn! This one happens to be my favorite~

The Taproom at the Wayside Inn. We've attended many period gatherings here in 18thc. dress, and on the night of the ball, the guests stroll from ballroom to taproom and back all evening~

For Christmas a year ago I received a completely unexpected and wonderful gift---a glowing gold and seafoam silk gown a la francais! I could almost hear angels sing when I looked at it...I wore it for the first time to last year's ball, and it was an evening that you only dream about in your private and silliest fantasies; you see yourself walking grandly into the room to gasps and murmurs of wonder. Everyone compliments you, and tells you you are 'the most beautiful woman in the room', and strangers ask to take your photograph...sigh...
It all happened to me, just like a dream! This year, I can hardly wait to again wear this elegant and magical gown. At last year's ball, there were a few other gowns of opulent fabrics, and with yards and yards of metallic and lace trims, bows, and fripperies, but none caught the attention of everyone there like mine did. My gown was a bit simpler, and lighter on the adornment, but the soft, shimmering seafoam blue-green and burnished gold of the silk, the simple scalloped serpentine trim, and the delicate scalloped white English netting lace peeking from the sleeves, and edging the decolletage were just right.
This morning I pinned up, pressed, and hand-hemmed the petticoat and mantua of my ball gown. Although the sacque back is supposed to trail on the floor a bit, as a train, it is just not possible to dance. It causes you to step on it and stumble or trip, so for the ball I have taken the hem up just a little and whip-stitched it, so that I can do the period dances at the ball with no mishaps.

My gorgeous silk 18thc. gown a la francais...

I styled my own wig, and made all my hair ornamentation myself. This year I have made a new silk bow for the back of the wig, and a 'bouquet' of seafoam ostrich feathers as well. Along with rhinestone 'hair jewels' randomly placed here and there among the curls, I am thrilled with the result.
I will again wear the ivory silk clocked stockings and my divine 18thc. style pearl-cream leather shoes with silver marcasite buckles, and my satin French embroidered garters! I was given a gift this year of a white silk ribbon choker with one teardrop pearl, and plan to tie this around my neck. I will wear the stunning pearl drop earrings that were a gift from my friend Erin this year, and which I featured in an earlier post. I am hoping that this year I will turn some heads as well---most especially, Adam's.
In a few weeks, I will post details about our evening at the historic in---dinner, the period dancing, the Twelfth Night cake, and more. We plan to put the photos we take up in a new gallery on our website, so I hope you will visit and see it.
Here are photos of my wig, ready for a ball.

My '18thc. Ladies' Georgian Wigs' are available by custom order. They are available with the hand sewn side tendrils, as on mine, or without them. My wigs look like human hair, with none of the 'overly shiny' synthetic look of some wigs. I painstakingly and carefully hand style each one myself, and include a feather or simple hair ornament. Please email me at
countryladyantiques@yahoo.com for details and to place an order~

I made the decorated silk bow, as well as styled the wig~

Getting ready....blush silk brocade stays, cream silk clocked stockings, 18thc. satin embroidered ribbon garters with a poem on them in french, and my gorgeous 'pearl cream' leather shoes with louis heels and old marcasite buckles...

The back of my gown a la francais. I'll feature this year's complete outfit after the ball, in a photo gallery on our website~

I love the lighthearted and amusing print at the top of this post, showing a shop with ladies trying on a variety of 18thc. 'skirt supports' such as bum rolls, bum pads, hip rolls, panniers, and pocket hoops. I myself will wear my gold brocade pocket hoops under my sacque back gown to the ball~

...And now for an "awwwww" moment! I want to close this post with pictures we took on New Year's Day of our yorkies wearing the pj's we got them for Christmas~

Happy New Year, everyone~

Christmas Day delights~

2011-12-27T13:44:00.002-05:00

Historic gingerbread cookies featuring characters in period dress~

Our Christmas Day was quiet and really delightful. The old house really did radiate a feeling of a yuletide of long ago with only greens, fruit, and candles for decoration, and none of the commercial trappings such as lights, tinsel, ornaments, or santas.

The 17thc. English chairtable in our living room in front of the fireplace is a lovely setting for some of our Christmas festivities~

I have to share a really special website with you. My new friends Beth and Jan at Embossed Edibles sell all manner of the most delicious cookies made from antique molds. Their meticulously decorated 'teapot' cookies from their 'Jane Austen' collection are beautiful, and will be perfect for our anniversary tea this spring in period clothing. We plan to order them for our annual 18thc. picnic to celebrate our wedding anniversary in May.

The cookies we are going to order for our wedding anniversary, '18th century tea' in costume next spring~

We currently have their 'historic gingerbread cookies' in the shape of men and women in very detailed c. 17thc. costume. We had planned to dry them and put them out each year on a pewter plate as we did this Christmas. Jan and Beth very graciously gifted us with many more than we ordered so that we could have some to eat. (Thank you ladies!)
I can honestly say that these are without a doubt not only the most charming-looking cookies, but the most delicious gingerbread we have ever tasted. It is apparent they are homemade, and you can taste the fresh ginger and molasses in every chewy bite! (Yes, they are chewy, not those hard inedible and lackluster gingerbread cookies you always see). We can't recommend them enough, as well as the proprietors, the delightful Beth and Jan.

The 'Historic Gingerbread' cookies from Embossed Edibles~

In the 1500's Queen Elizabeth I served gingerbread in the shape of men and women of the era dressed in their period garb~We absolutely love our embossed cookies made from an antique mold, and while these will be dried for display each year in our home, we plan to start a new tradition and order them each year to have and offer to our guests during the holidays.

We did some fun graphic design projects together on Christmas, including making the poster of our dogs in their angel wings, pictured here, as well as 'slumber party' one of them in the pj's we gave them for Christmas!
We watched a couple movies, and then it was time for our special dinner. We didn't say much during the meal except for a lot of "Mmmmm, mmmm!"---it was just wonderful if I do say so.

Our Christmas Day feast of Orange Raisin Stuffed Lamb Roll with Orange Mint Sauce, mashed herbed sweet potatoes, and fresh haricot vert green beans with honey, butter, cashew sauce. We had a nice Shiraz with the meal, and for dessert, my homemade double chocolate cheesecake with the Oreo crust~

As night fell we had our candles lit, and a fire in one of the fireplaces. The yorkie girls wore their adorable angel wing harnesses for the day~ We made a lot of wonderful memories this Christmas Day that we will always cherish.

Chocolate cheesecake, clam-oyster pie, angel wings, and wow! Christmas Eve with the Spencers~

2011-12-25T10:50:00.006-05:00

It is lightly snowing here on this Christmas morning in New Hampshire. Christmas music is playing on the radio, and we're ready to do some of the preparations for our special dinner later---Orange-Raisin Stuffed Lamb Roll with Orange-Mint Sauce, mashed herbed sweet potatoes, and green beans with honey and cashew sauce. The fantastic chocolate cheesecake will be our dessert again---it was so good.
Later we'll go to a neighbor's house for a glass of Christmas cheer with friends. Even our yorkies were invited.

Our little angels~

Yesterday morning we got up and both made goodies for our Christmas Eve supper. The double chocolate cheesecake turned out so well, and looked beautiful garnished with holly from our yard, on the taproom table.
We made Pilgrim Clam and Oyster pie for Christmas Eve dinner, and the sauce for the lamb for Christmas dinner, along with a few other treats.
We had a perfect, quiet family Christmas Eve. In the afternoon I made a big bowl of popcorn with butter, fresh grated Parmasan cheese, and garlic powder on it, and we watched the old black and white film, 'A Holiday Affair'.

The house was clean, candlelit, and looked so pretty and festive.

Adam holds Sasha while helping me make the sauce for the lamb for Christmas Day dinner...

Del watched...

Aww...the yorkie girls curled up while we cooked~

Adam puts the puff pastry crust on the clam-oyster pies

Early Christmas Eve morning, (wearing loud flannel pj's!), I cut up the cinnamon raisin bread for the stufffing for the lamb

Our clam-oyster pies ready to go into the oven. I made a salad of fresh strawberries, pineapple, and grapes with a sauce of low fat sour cream, brown sugar, and a bit of vanilla...

A fire is lit, and presents are waiting...

Oh, yum!

We had the clam and oyster pie, white wine, and then the cheesecake in the 'little sitting room' while watching a favorite Christmas movie...

Time to open presents, guys!

Here's one that says 'To Sasha'!

The cutest gifts ever for the yorkies---Little harness vests with angel wings, and matching leashes!

We opened presents on the floor in the bedroom in front of the fire on Christmas Eve...

Deladis and Sasha got pj's for Christmas!

Our kids...

I gave Adam a couple good historical used books for Christmas---'Real Men Wear Wigs...', and 'Colonial American English'

...And now it's time to celebrate our Christmas Day---our little family just hanging out, having a peaceful and quiet time. We're thanking God for each other, our cozy home in New Hampshire, and for all our blessings.
I hope that sharing my New England life on this little blog brings joy to kindred friends all over the world. I wish you all a truly joyous Christmas~

Our town~ some Christmastime images

2011-12-20T08:22:00.011-05:00

Our town hall, site of Breakfast with Santa, The town Christmas Party and more~

The river just down from our house...

Looking out a window at the community center, at our little village downtown area...

The main street through town...

Around the corner we have a wonderful and charming little restaurant in the old train station building~

Our library around the corner, dressed in white...

Looking down the old railroad tracks in the town center. The old feed building is on the left...

My Adam at Breakfast with Santa, with Deladis in her pouch dressed as santa's helper, for the kids to pet...

An old house just down the road from us. Now it is shops and a couple apartments~

Home sweet home...Our house on an early December morning~

Above, we go on horse-drawn cart rides the evening of the town Christmas party... The old covered bridge in our town~

Some of the children at the Christian Academy in our town putting on a holiday play...

Adam welcomes guests into our home...

Our family at Breakfast with Santa with the 'real' Santa Claus!

Share Christmas day with our little family~
Please visit our own

'18th century New England Christmastide Photo Essay'

on our website to see pictures of us in period dress in our 18thc. home, and at other period events~

(Click on the link above or the photo below~)

Looking into our house through leaded windows to a cozy candlelit scene...Wishing all of you peace and joy~

(Thanks to Bob Gilette for taking some of the beautiful photos of 'our town'~)

(Pilgrims 'on the grid'?!)

2011-12-18T13:18:00.001-05:00

A yummy Christmas~

2011-12-15T09:02:00.009-05:00

Jars of my homemade hot fudge sauce ready to go out to friends...

I probably say this every year, but I can't believe how fast Christmas both comes and goes. I have another marathon dentist appointment next Wednesday, and I ordered a special treat---the meat for our Christmas dinner, from a butcher in the same town. I plan to pick up a small butterflied leg of lamb after the dentist. I have just decided on our dinner for Christmas day.
We will be home, and it will just be the 2 of us.

We'll have a special and yummy Christmas dinner~

I am making Orange Raisin Stuffed Lamb Roll. This is just delicious! The lamb is stuffed with a stuffing made with cinnamon raisin bread and orange peel, among other things. It is rolled up jelly roll fashion, and after roasting, is served sliced with my homemade orange mint sauce. To go with it, I am making mashed seasoned sweet potatoes and my special fresh haricot vert green beans with a honey, butter, and cashew sauce. For dessert, I am making a double-chocolate cheesecake from scratch. It is decadent, with a crush of crushed, creme filled Oreo cookies! I will serve it with a few fresh raspberries on top.

I'll take photos of our Christmas dinner and post them after the holiday!

On Christmas Eve we plan to open our presents as always, and then have a very simple but delicious dinner, and one that is kind of a tradition with us. I am making my Pilgrim Clam and Oyster Pie. It has a creamy sauce with mushrooms, and is topped with a puff pastry dusted with a some fresh grated Parmesan cheese. I bake them in individual, handled dishes. With it, we'll just have a simple green salad with oranges, avocado, red onion, and toasted almonds in it, and dressed with a homemade orange vinegrette. Adam said he'll make us each a celebratory Pina Colada to drink.

We'll have a fire in the bedroom fireplace, and eat in flannel jammies watching old fashioned Christmas movies. Christmas Eve is very relaxing and laid back for us.

Smile....

2011-12-14T08:04:00.001-05:00

If you are sad, or frazzled, lonely or stressed---If life is hard, for a day or seemingly always, if you need a smile, or a cheer, a friend or a hug, here's one from me. Have a little faith, know that somewhere out there someone thinks you're cool, and smile...

(just TURN UP YOUR VOLUME and click to play~)

Merry Christmas

'Mary's Heavenly Hot Fudge Sauce' for Christmas, and other delights~

2011-12-12T07:17:00.007-05:00

I have been making my homemade hot fudge sauce for over 20 years and giving it for gifts. My recipe is a closely guarded secret that will never be shared. Adam and I hope to market and sell it. We (and everyone else it seems) think it the best we've ever had, bar none. Everyone we have ever given it to has come back with empty jars, begging more. It was once in a taste test against the Barefoot Contessa's, Stonewall Foods, and others, and "it blew everyone out of the water", we were told!
Today I am making batches and batches, and I already have several filled and sealed jars cooling on the counter. I don't double or triple my recipe, but make each batch by hand, one at a time. Adam designed labels for me on parchment with a little colonial lady woodcut and instructions for heating. I just put one on the empty jars I and my neighbors save from jelly, pickles, olives, mayo, etc., and wash in the dishwasher. Sometimes when I am out I come home and find a small cardboard box of empty jars and lids on my porch.

I'll wrap the jars in Christmas paper and bubble wrap to ship boxes to friends in Wisconsin, Texas, and a few other far-away places. We'll walk down and deliver some to neighbors just down the road. We'll bring jars with us when getting together with family this Christmas, and pass them out.
In our financial circumstances store-bought gifts are just not an option most of the time, and we love to make things by hand for those we love anyway. One of my best gifts of all time surely are the hand turned, treen 17thc. style candlesticks that Adam made for me. This year he is painting me a primitive portrait of a 17thc. lady for over our bedroom fireplace.
This year too, we decided to give each other one modest 'bought' gift in a price range of $50. or under, and we found pj's for the yorkies on sale, and had coupons for their favorite treats as well. Yesterday at the dining room table with the sun slanting in through the small paned windows, we wrapped our little treasures.
Years and years ago I began a tradition that I still do. When my children were babies my grandfather gave me an antique cradle for them. When they were young, but out of a cradle, which by then sat near the living room hearth I, er, Santa, would pile the wrapped gifts in the cradle, with only the overflow going under the tree. It looked nice with my antique decor, and everyone who saw it seemed to love the idea.
Now I own a late 17thc. cradle that rests angled near the fireplace hearth in our bedroom. I put a few of the gifts we have wrapped in it, with a few more to be added to it as Christmas draws near. Last Saturday night after our day of Christmas festivities, we brought our little tiny table tree down from the attic and plugged it in on the old coffer under the bedroom windows. We had a fire in the fireplace, and brought our dip and punch, and later the decadent Peanut butter, chocolate, and ricotta pie into the bed for our little late supper party. We had carols playing, and then later brought the laptop in and watched hilarious episodes of British TV---Sue Perkins and Giles Coren in their spoof of the 70's 'Good Life' TV show on Youtube. (We've already seen every episode of their 'Supersizers go...' shows.) It was so much fun and these are the days I will always remember and treasure.

On Christmas Eve night, the cradle now full of small gifts, we'll have our traditional night-before- Christmas family celebration for just the two of us and the dogs. We'll play our favorite holiday cds and have my homemade 'Pilgrim Clam and Oyster Pie' for dinner. Later in the evening we'll open the gifts from each other, taking each from the old cradle one at a time.

You can see more of our 230 year old home at Christmas on our website's

18thc. New England Christmastide Gallery

'Breakfast with Santa', a change of plans, and Peanut Butter Pie~

2011-12-10T14:34:00.001-05:00

It's a cold but sunny day in New Hampshire, and we had a great time at our town's 'Breakfast with Santa'.
They had a full house, and the kids all loved Sasha and Deladis. We had our picture taken with Santa---the real Santa, as far as I am concerned (see my post about the breakfast last December).

We decided that instead of going to the Candlelight Stroll tonight at Strawbery Banke and spend all that gas money, that we would rather save it and go out to dinner at the Wayside Inn the night of the Twelfth Night Ball in January instead. The ball is held at the 300 year old inn in Massachusetts, and we love having dinner there. The food is wonderful, and the dining rooms have fireplaces and period antiques.
When we got home Adam called and made reservations for us for dinner that evening at 7 . We'll be dressed in our very best and fanciest 18thc. ensembles, and dinner before the ball will make the evening even more special and festive.

We decided that tonight we would dress in 18thc. clothing and go to the annual Christmas concert 'Candace's Christmas revue', at the Little White Church in Eaton, not far from us. I have gone every year for years, and we love it.
We are going to have the punch and crab-macadamia dip when we get home as planned, with a fire in the bedroom fireplace. After we got home from the breakfast this morning I made my ricotta peanut butter and chocolate pie for dessert! (My recipe is in an older post on this blog).

Where we'll be this evening...

Here's where the concert is tonight...The church is magical---lit with candles all around the room and in every window and the concert is a blend of funny and serious, old and new musick and songs, and stories too...

Getting ready to go this morning..."WAKE UP, Del!"

More of our New England Christmas~

2011-12-09T10:41:00.007-05:00

I am going to give the yorkies baths this morning. Tomorrow morning, dressed in their santa suits, we'll be around the corner at the old town meeting house for 'Breakfast with Santa', where our girls will be in their front packs on our chests as 'Santa's canine elves'. The children can pet and talk to them while waiting for Santa to make his appearance. We did this last year (see posts for Dec. 2010), and they were a huge hit---our little "ambassadors of peace and goodwill".

I love the above photo we recently took of a sleepy Deladis, her normally floppy ears up---so hilarious!

See my posts last December for more yorkie Christmas fun.

After a little rest when we get home, we'll change into 18thc. attire and go to the Christmas concert at the Little White Church in Eaton, close to home, instead of going down to Portsmouth for the Candlelight Stroll. Instead of spending all that gas money we decided we would rather save our funds and go out to dinner at the Wayside Inn the night of the Twelfth Night Ball.
Tonight we're going to have a late, finger food supper when we get home. I just finished making the hot crabmeat-macadamia dip for our evening snack. Adam specially requested this. This is my own recipe that I made up, and it's been a huge hit. It was one of the things we served the group that came a few weeks ago for a tour of our house. I am sharing it here with you.
I'm excited because we have a few things 'on the drawing board' here. So many people who have visited our website over the years have commented on the photos of our home on the TOUR page, and said they would love blank greeting cards made with some of our pictures. We have decided to do this, and to sell them in assorted sets of 6 on our website, The Country Lady Antiques. We would offer more ever- changing photos over time.
Another thing I am considering is working on my own cookbook, which we would also offer for sale on the website. Other secret projects are in the works as well.

When we get home tonight we plan to have the hot dip with whole grain crackers and some of my Ginger Cranberry Punch, and my homemade Ricotta Peanut Butter Pie. (The recipe for the pie is in a past post).

Here is the recipe for my very own creation,

MARY'S HOT CRABMEAT-MACADAMIA DIP

2 large low fat cream cheese
3T. low fat milk
2 cans drained and dried crabmeat (with leg meat) *I bought mine at Ocean State for $2.
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
2 FRESH cloves of garlic, chopped
fresh ground pepper
1 c. low fat sour cream

2 tsp. horseradish
1 can of coarsely chopped macadamia nuts ( I bought this at Ocean State too)
2 T. Smart Balance 50/50 butter
Crackers

Heat oven to 350. Mix softened cream cheese with the milk. Melt the butter and saute the macadamia nuts. Set aside. Add all other ingredients to the cheese and mix well. Put into an oven casserole dish and top with the nuts. Bake for 35 min. Serve with crackers. Keep warm on a hot plate or chafing dish.

Enjoy~

On a much more serious note, I would like to share my sadness at an unfortunate event that has befallen the husband of an antique dealer friend that I have long known and admired for years back in the midwest. These are lovely people who deserve your prayers this Christmas. I received this email from my friend this morning.

"Hi Mary,

I just wanted to thank you for introducing me to Loreena McKennit. I checked out your site the other day to see if you had put up any Christmas photos, and her great voice was on. I promptly ordered A Midwinter Night's Dream CD, and I love it.
Just a little update about J. and I..This past summer he became paralyzed from the waist down due to a staph infection that went into his spine. He has never had any back problems or surgery on his back whatsoever, so this was a real shock. After 3 weeks in hospital and another 6 weeks at rehab hospital, we chose for him to come home instead of a nursing home. So far it has worked out, but not without a lot of challenges. The biggest is he is in an electric chair like the kind Christoher Reeves (Superman) had. He can not leave that chair until we put him to bed. I have a CNA that comes and helps me in the morning, and then another one at night. Needless to say, our lives have really changed.

We have not been able to go to New England for two years now, and will now never be able to go back. I just wanted to let you know that I enjoy your blog and site, and that I can get a little bit of New England through you. Your Christmas Gallery pictures were wonderful. Hope you have a merry holiday, and thanks again for Loreena.

Truly,

R."

I have had my share of tragedy, albeit of a different nature, and never for one day do I take for granted the joy of my life here in this little old brown house in New Hampshire with Adam, my dearest love. One of my most passionate wishes is to share through my writing, and this blog, my New England with whomever might care...It is my greatest happiness to bring some of my experiences to life with my words, and I hope that maybe some people out there are sitting in their kitchens over a cup of coffee or tea reading this blog, and that it brings a bit of happiness to their day.
My friends are in my heart and my prayers. I hope I can at least afford them the joy of 'visiting' their beloved New England through me.

Bright lights, Big city, Ballet, and Lobster pie~

2011-12-04T12:01:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was our day trip to the Nutcracker in Portland Maine, and what a day! It was perfect---everything we could have wanted. So share some of the sights and sounds with us...

First, lets talk fashion! I was rockin' a 60's look. I did a 1960's high 'pouf' hairdo in front, and left the back down. I had the neatest hair ornament that a friend gave me years ago. It consists of tiny rhinestones at the ends of 'branches' of a silver twist-able wire. I put them in at the back of the 'do, to hide bobby pins.

I wore the velveteen skinny pants, leather high heeled boots, and my wool, babydoll sweatercoat over a lace tank.

On Friday I had baked one of my concord grape pies to have when we got home Saturday night. I had the chamberstick and star cookie cutters, and I cut a moon. I thought it looked really appropriate for a romantic evening dessert~

The pie turned out really well...

We arrived in Portland early in the day. We strolled hand in hand taking in the sights. Here Adam poses in front of an old church.

We had fun seeing all the lights and decorations, but it was chilly and windy on the ocean...

...and we still had time before the Nutcracker performance so we stopped in at a very appealing bakery that served tea and coffee and remarkable treats!

The table decorations were wrapped packages...so cute! We each had a warm drink. We chose two small desserts and cut them in half and shared them. One was a lemon mousse tart with white chocolate shavings. The other was a bar---a layer of shortbread crust, raspberry jam, a caramel and pecan filling, and then the sides only dipped in dark chocolate...Oh my!

Time to head over to the Merrill Auditorium for the ballet...

Ready to go in...I was so excited, as always...

The Nutcracker was just magical. The performance and some of the costumes were slightly different from the year before which makes it interesting~ It was just dusk as we came out of the theater. I was about to take a picture of Adam in front of the lighted tree when the nicest lady walking behind us asked if we would like her to take a couple photos of us together!

Portland was lighting up as we left...We headed for the highway and Kittery to have dinner

We had planned to go to Bob's in Kittery, but the bridge on Route 1 was closed and there was a detour. Rather than drive around an unfamiliar neighborhood on a detour in the dark, we stopped as soon as we saw this sign. This restaurant was right on the water---great views of the ocean at night, and the parking lot was full to bursting, so we thought it looked pretty good. We decided to eat here instead!

It turned out to be a great decision. Inside, the restaurant was all decked out for Christmas. We were seated at at table in front of a charming cobblestone fireplace, it's mantle chock full of greens, poinsettias, and Christmas figurines. It was now full dark, and little white lights were everywhere inside, and you could see the lights of ships and buildings out over the water.

Warrens Lobster House has an amazing salad bar that comes with every meal. After building ourselves mouthwatering salads, we both had the lobster pie---OH YUM!

We came home and had that fire in the bedroom fireplace, and ate my concord grape pie with some whipped cream while we watched a Christmas movie. Honestly, it was all just perfect...

(Christmas) Lights, Camera, Nutcracker!

2011-12-02T07:32:00.014-05:00

When Adam was leaving for work very early this morning, he leaned over me in the dark to kiss me good-bye as always and he said "I am so excited about tomorrow. It's going to be in the 50's and we're going to have a perfect day. We'll leave early 'cause I want to hold your hand and walk around downtown Portland (Maine) and look at all the lights and decorations before we go to the Nutcracker. It's going to be just great, Pea"!
I was up a few minutes after he left, as usual and did my half hour of interval training workout to Gilad on TV.
I am just antsy today, and as excited as a kid on Christmas morning, anticipating our day out to the Nutcracker matinee tomorrow with my sweetie.
I am just about to make a homemade concord grape pie. (I am taking a break here from popping grapes out of their skins while listening to one of my favorite Christmas cd's,
Charlotte Church's 'Dream A Dream'). (You can listen to my favorite carol from that cd here on my blog now.)
The pie is not for today, but for dessert tomorrow night when we get home. After the Nutcracker, we head down the coast for dinner---seafood on the ocean. I just want to keep this special day going, so when we get home to the yorkies, we plan to light a fire in the bedroom fireplace and have tea and the homemade grape pie as a late-evening dessert.

I have laid out my clothes for tomorrow on the sofa in the little sitting room. I know it may seem silly to some, but we don't 'dress up' that often here in very laid-back, rural New Hampshire, and I'm excited to again be able to wear the skinny black velveteen slacks with black high heel boots under them, a black lace tank top, and the red 'babydoll' boiled-wool sweatercoat that is Adam's favorite. I even plan to try a different look with makeup---an understated 'smoky eye' and my new, soft red lipstick to show off my smile after 6 hours in the dentist's chair the other day!
I just charged our old 'outdoor' camera, and it's ready to go as well, so we can take some pictures of each other and downtown Portland on our stroll.
I plan a post next week to share a little of our adventure with you.
Yesterday I did a little more Christmas decorating, using a bowl of Clementines I had out for us to snack on, and took a few more photos which we added to our Gallery. Next week we plan to attend the Candlelight Stroll at Strawbery Banke in 18thc. clothing with other reenactor friends, and I am hoping to take a few photos that night and maybe prevail upon someone to use our camera and take some of Adam and me together, and add those to the Gallery too.
Our big adventure tomorrow will start about 10:30 AM or so, when we plan to leave for the one hour drive to Portland. Adam wants to scout out parking options close to the Merrill Auditorium, where we have tickets for the Nutcracker performance at 2:00. After parking, we should have at least an hour to walk around the streets in the downtown area near the theater and absorb some city Christmas magic before we can leisurely stroll back to take our seats for the ballet.
Each time I see the Nutcracker live the time flies. I am so entranced, that the two and a half or three hours flies by, and it's over all too soon until next year...
We'll hop on I-95 for the quick ride down to Kittery, and dinner by the sea, on Route 1.
We'll probably waddle out of the restaurant, but I am sure we'll be ready for warm concord grape pie (with whipped cream) by candle and firelight by the time we get home, change, and take the dogs out.

Yorkie Stylin'!

2011-11-30T13:55:00.010-05:00

In my last post I mentioned the adorable coats we bought to keep our little yorkies warm this winter here in New Hampshire. They are also so fashionable and so 'Audrey' that they were the inspiration for what we thought was a pretty cute idea. The company we bought them from has a contest every month with a gift certificate as a prize.
I told Adam that we should have Sasha and Deladis 'posing' out in front of Tiffanys in New York. Now, we live in rural New England and have never even been near Tiffanys, so Adam used his graphic design magic and together we had fun creating our contest entry.
We even sent it to Tiffanys, telling them how we adopted our yorkie girls, and a little about ourselves, and they sent us this email~

"Dear Adam and Mary Spencer,

Thank you for sharing your story with Tiffany & Co. We appreciate the time you took out of your busy schedule to send us your thoughts and this photo.

It was a delight to read your message and we will share your story with our staff.

Sincerely,

Nadine Edwards
Tiffany.com"

Of course, we think our little fashionistas deserve to win!

Mmmmm...We're having a good, comfort dinner tonight---Ham steak with homemade pineapple sauce, my homemade corn pudding, a salad, and fresh haricot vert green beans with honey and cashew sauce!

*Please remember to keep visiting our
'18thc. New England Christmastide Gallery'~We will be adding a few more photographs to it soon~

Tradition...Part 2~Ball anticipation again, and a nice weekend~

2011-11-30T08:30:00.015-05:00

You can see more photos of us at last years' ball by clicking this link and visiting our '18thc. Christmastide Gallery'~

While this is just the start of our own Christmastide fun---most of it historic, the culmination comes in January when we attend the Colonial Twelfth Night Ball in the best of our 18thc. fripperies and furbelows.
I did a few posts last December leading up to this event detailing my new sacque back gown and my self-styled gorgeous Georgian wig and hair accessories etc., and when we did go it was as magical and perfect as we could have wished for. It was a Cinderella evening for me, and one I will never forget, and we hope this years event will be every bit as special. Just being together for such a romantic event, and seeing so many of our dear reenactor friends makes it especially wonderful.
I love to dance, and I was an avid and long-time contra dancer before I met Adam, and even going back to my Illinois years. It is a dream to whirl around the dance floor at the historic Wayside Inn with others in gorgeous period attire, the ladies' gowns a colorful and shimmering blur.

In upcoming posts I will again tell you about my outfit. I will be wearing the lovely silk sacque gown that was my Christmas gift last year, but this time with a few accessory changes. I have already made a new hair ornament for the wig, and along with hair jewels, it will look lovely. I got some new, larger ostrich feathers to wear in my wig too and the soft seafoam color is just elegant. I have my long white gloves ready and my beautiful pearl cream 18thc. shoes with marcasite buckles...


I am getting everything ready for the ball...

Today is a beautiful day here in New Hampshire. After a few days of warmer weather and some rain last night the snow we had on the ground last week is now gone. It is sunny and warm, and amazingly the myrtle on the hill behind our old cape, as well as the grass is still vibrant green.

Yesterday, I was in the dentist's chair for six hours---yes, SIX HOURS, Yikes! All worth it, however...my improved smile will look beautiful this weekend when we dress up and go to the Nutcracker. Now here's the best part of the whole experience though. At about one o'clock, the secretary came into the treatment room as the dentist and staff were working on my mouth, and said she had a message for me. She said Adam had just called from work, and she held up a post-it note for everyone to see, on which she had carefully written down what he had said:
"Tell Mary that I miss her and am thinking of her, and that I love her so much."
Wow. I am so darn lucky...

Last Sunday Adam and I drove to a larger town not far away to do our 2 week grocery shopping and go to Walmart. For Christmas we got the yorkies a new bed to share. It is washable, and lined with the fuzziest and softest fabric ever. It was a bargain at Walmart. We had coupons for bags of their favorite dog treats so we got those too. We stopped for a quick inexpensive lunch, and then went home to put all the food away. This was just a simple everyday type of outing but we had a great time.

With the cost of dog grooming being prohibitive especially with 2 dogs, I had been trying to clip them myself using only my normal scissors. It was pretty bad, and they looked kind of choppy. We had recently bought an electric pet clippers and thinning shears online and so on Friday night we curled up in bed with the computer and watched 'how to' videos on grooming yorkies, determined that we would do it together Saturday afternoon.
We covered our table with a sheet, and with the computer at one end, and all our equipment spread out, we each took turn holding a shaking dog while the other clipped, and then alternating.
For a first attempt, our girls look amazingly pretty!
We had gotten them matching new coats, and this weekend we are taking their picture in them, and entering them in a contest with the company that we bought the coats from. You send in a photo of your dog(s) wearing their outfit, and the winner gets a nice gift certificate.
I had a rather fantastic (I think) idea and with Adam's graphic design magic, we think this will be the most unique photo ever, and that we will win.
I plan a special post soon at any rate, showing you the results of our efforts.

The Sudbury Companies of Militia and Minute
Cordially invites you and your guests to our
Twelfth Night Ball
at the Wayside Inn, Sudbury, Massachusetts
Friday, January 13, 2012
8:00-11:00 pm
Music by Jack O’Connor & Yankee Volunteers with George Fogg calling the dances
Be our King and Queen by finding the magic bean hidden in the cake!
Join us in the Traditional Flag Changing Ceremony
Toast the passing of Winter Solstice with Meeting House Punch!
$50 per couple/ $25.00 per person at the door
$40.00 per couple/ $20.00 per person if you prepay before
January 10, 2012 by sending a check to:
Sudbury Companies of Militia and Minute
P.O. Box 187
Sudbury, MA 01776
Reservations for dinner at the Inn may be made separately by calling (978) 443-1776
For more information Contact Col. Carl Hutchinson at colonel@sudburyminutemen.org

The Wayside Inn is never more magical than the night of the Twelfth Night Ball

Christmas dreaming~Memories and tradition, Part 1

2011-11-28T09:03:00.008-05:00

Tradition.
The word makes me think of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof singing of it with such feeling. It also brings to mind all the traditions I have had in my own life, especially the Christmas ones. Some, such as those of my childhood are now long gone but still warmly remembered. When my own children were little we had new ones, different ones, and now they too are a thing of the past, relegated to sweet memory.
In my more recent past there are yet newer traditions, some that Adam and I now share.
We had such a wonderful time last Friday when the group came for the private house tour and tea here in our little 230 year old cape. It truly was the start of our New England Christmas season. On Saturday we put our annual 18thc. Christmastide Gallery up on our website, and are again looking forward to our next traditional holiday 'thing'---attending a live performance of the Nutcracker.
I love the Nutcracker. I have made no secret of that. I listen to the soundtrack from Thanksgiving to New Year, along with other of my special favorite Christmas musick---most of it not the 'normal stuff' on the radio, but old carols played on instruments like fiddle and dulcimer.
When they were young, my kids thought my two favorite Christmastime cassettes, A New England Christmastide, 1 and 2 were "weird". They would roll their eyes and call them "queer". I now have the Cd's. I got my original tapes in 1982, and these are still my old favorites. Tradition.
When I lived in Illinois I was fortunate to see the Nutcracker most years at the
Woodstock Opera House, and it was a gorgeous, mesmerizing performance. I highly recommend it to anyone living in northern Illinois. This Saturday Adam and I will be seeing a live matinee performance of the ballet at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland Maine. Tradition. It is magical as well. I am like a wide-eyed child every year. I never get tired of the story or the music. I am looking forward to getting dressed in my skinny black velvet pants, black high heel boots, and the adorable red wool sweatercoat I posted about last December. (This is especially fun since wearing clothes like these is very rare for me here in rural New Hampshire!)
After the performance, we are having dinner at Bob's Clam Hut on the ocean---'Lillian's recipe' fried clams, of course! If this sounds familiar to some, Bob's was featured on the Food Network's show 'Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives' awhile back. It's cozy, classic 'Maine', and the clams are heavenly. With full bellies, we may stroll through Kittery Trading Post after dinner. It's right next door to Bob's, and is the most amazing New England store, and quite a bit more spectacular than their website. I need a new, nordic looking wool hat...
Tradition.

Last December I wrote posts about some other traditions in my life---some that are just a memory from my Illinois days, and some ongoing. Today I look out of my window lost in some of those memories, and some of the most cherished are the times I spent at Garfield Farm. You can read my post again if you like...
Another ongoing tradition is something that I wrote about last year---that of my Christmas stones. I know it may seem silly to some, but again, they have a lot of meaning for me.
Soon it will also be time once more to take our yorkie girls in their santa suits to our small town 'Breakfast with Santa' around the corner at the old town hall. The little ones love to pet 'santa's canine helpers'!
There is the town Christmas party and horse drawn wagon rides, and the local holiday craft fair.
We'll again drive gorgeous winding backroads in the moonlight to the old 'Little White Church' for the annual Christmas Concert.
Tradition...
You will hear again about all these things and more.
A lot of us reenactors will be at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, decked out in 18thc. finery for the annual Candlelight Stroll, to talk to the tourists, and then there is the Twelfth Night Colonial Ball.
Soon too, Adam is again taking me for lunch and the horse drawn sleigh ride we went to last year. We go in 18thc. clothing and I am warmly bundled in my pretty grey wool cloak.

These are the days and times I will always remember and cherish. Our most beloved traditions are rooted in the past, and involve little if any money. We have long ago made ourselves strangers to the commercialism of Christmas. Almost always the gifts we give we make ourselves by hand. The songs I listen too, and have listened to for years and that I know by heart are a part of this patchwork of memories. The places we go to are beloved not so much for themselves, but because of the memories of happy times with Adam, and with the family and friends that share them with us.
Tradition...

At the lunch and sleigh ride last year.

A blog award~

2011-11-27T15:15:00.007-05:00

This painting reminds me of Adam and me. He, and our life together is the inspiration and passion behind my blog~

I just received a blog award~
Time Traveling in Costume has just nominated my blog for an award. It is an honor for me, because it is such a joy to be so well thought of by a lady as fine and accomplished as Val.

I feel really honored and flattered that she would pass this on to me. Here is what she had to say about nominating me for this blog award~

"I've been enjoying reading Mary's posts at An Historical Lady because I love how she makes and wears her costumes, and lives the life of an historical lady. She lives in a 230 year old house and it's decorated beautifully. Mary is a delightful and courteous lady that fits her style so successfully. I'm happy to pass on this award to her."

Sincere thanks Val! I started my blog as a way to celebrate my life and all it's blessings in an old house in New England, in the face of a devastating economy based job loss. It was my way to focus on my friends and the joys of my life instead of dwelling on it's hardships.

It is my greatest happiness when I hear from readers of my blog and they tell me how much they love it. I have long been a writer, and many kind souls over the years have told me I had a lot of talent. (Being a published author is first on my bucket list!)

Thank you Val, for your kind words, encouragement, and high praise.

So, the rules of the game are:

When you receive this award, post on your blog (in any order)

---Five things you love about historical costuming/wearing vintage clothing.
---nominate three (or more) blogs to pass the award onto.
---A link back to the blog who awarded you.

So here goes. Here is my list of 5 things I love about wearing/making historical clothing~

1. Those who know us know that we live history as much as possible in our daily lives. I love wearing my historical clothing of both the 17th and 18th centuries because like my ancient house, they transport me to another era. I feel a deeper connection with a past I so love when I am wearing period dress.

2. I feel so feminine when I have done my hair in period style and have on an 18thc. gown. I LOVE the way my husband looks at me as he gives me his arm and shows me off at a reenactment or Colonial ball! I just feel darn pretty!

3. I am not a seamstress or very accomplished in making period clothing as are so many recipients of this award, but nonetheless in my years as an historical reenactor I have managed to pick up a few skills. I can now make all my own petticoats as well as period wigs and accessories. I have even garnered compliments for them. I appreciate the skills I have learned as well as the wealth of knowledge I have gained about women's clothing of the 1700's.

4. I have been a public speaker presenting historical programs for over 20 years. I love dressing in beautiful period style and speaking to groups of all kinds from women's clubs, museums, schools, historical societies, and more. The best thing about dressing in the clothing of another era, and doing a reenactment or program is the public. I love to talk to and educate the people that come to our events, and they are the best thing about what we do...at least for me.

5. I live in a rural area of New Hampshire where no one gets 'dressed up'. I hadn't been able to wear a dress for years. In my opinion, the clothing women wore in the 18th century was far more beautiful and alluring than any 'modern' clothes. I love getting dressed up, I mean really dressed up in the fripperies of a time long past.

Last year at the Twelfth Night Ball almost everyone there came up to me and told me I had the most lovely gown, and was the most beautiful woman in the room. One gentleman asked if I would pose in model-style poses while he took photos of me only at the ball! For a lady my, ahem, age, it was a lovely compliment and a great feeling!

So Val, thank you so much for the honor, but most of all thank you for being a regular visitor and lover of my blog. It's a pleasure to share my New England life with you~
I in turn will nominate more than 3 outstanding blogs written by talented and wonderful people I like and greatly admire.

I write because I have to write. I write for me. More than any award, I hope that I bring to life for many the story of one person's simple life in an old New England house. To be able to do that is the very best of feelings. The people that have encouraged me so much in my writing have uplifted me more than I can say. Many 'strangers' have taken the time to email me and tell me how much they love my blog and what it means to them. So many have shared a bit of their own stories.
That has meant the world to me.