Bread Therapy

As a result of my hobby, I have learned other hobbies to support my persona. One of these is baking. I have discovered that I love to bake! The mixing of ingredients is really therapeutic, the to put it in the oven and enjoy a treat afterwards does not help either!

This past Monday I shared my love of baking with my eldest niece who was spending the day with us. She loves to get in the kitchen and play around. So we put on our aprons and began the process to make bread. The recipe I use is called "Amish White Bread"
2/3 cups of sugar dissolved in 2 cups of water
Add 2 yeast packets- let proof until foamy.
add 1/4 cup of oil and 1 1/2 tsp of salt
add 6 cups of flour one at a time.

 This recipe makes 2 loaves at a time which does help when baking for a large crowd or to freeze for future use. After kneading the dough, it is set to rise for an hour. Punched down then divided into loaves and set to rise for 30 more minutes. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes and wahla! Fresh, incredible bread!
 I like to eat fresh out of the oven with some butter or honey. We have it as a side dish, use it for sandwiches, or eat it with some peanut butter.
Recently I have had a craving for tomatoes! Luckily our neighbor has a patch of them growing near the fence and lets me take what I wish, usually about 2 or 3 at a time, since DH does not like them. So my new favorite way to devour this amazing bread is the some of the tomato. And as many in the South, I grew up on the tomato sandwich!  So add a little mayonnaise, some salt & pepper, then some tomato! Its the best thing I have eaten in a while! I must confess I have ate about 5 tomatoes in the past few nights, but no worry!

So now you see why I call it "Bread Therapy" Such a good treat on a summer day!!

"Blessings"

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the achings of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

~"Blessings" By Laura Story 

This song has been stuck in my head for the past few days. The message that it conveys is so sweet & powerful. Faith is something that most struggle with at some point in their life, my family has been blessed with so many miracles that it is almost impossible to not believe. However, to put that unfaltering trust to test everyday can prove to be a little difficult at times.

A Month has Flown by

So looking back since my last post, many things have happened! I now have a new job, which I love, and how many people land such a great job, in their field, this young....really? I have delved into the world of Regency clothes even further than before. A short stay and bib-front gown for me. Even items for DH- breeches & and hunting frock, which I am sort of proud of!

We have also celebrated a milestone. June 11 marked our 1 year anniversary!! I can hardly believe it was a year already!

Easter & Spring Sewing

SPRING IS HERE!!!

Spring has spung at our little home!! Our yard is full of colorful blooms, and I am so happy about it! Azalea's in shades of pink and white, petunias in purple, white & bold pink, a sweet little "snoowball" bush, purple Iris, clumps of Lamb's ear, and a newly discovered fig tree! I love sitting out under the trees in the evening, watching the colors in the sun! The yard is full of Dogwood trees that bloomed a few weeks ago leaving their white petals behind for vibrant green leaves wich seem to give the best shade.


We had the whole family over for our Easter celebration. Lots of food and friends to enjoy the day with. It was a beautiful day in the 70's, sunny and a little breeze. The girls enojyed at tea party in the yard before the egg hunt. (I'm the best aunt who gives them real tea cups and silver tea kettles to play with).

May & I enjoyng the sun!!

The latest project for myself, a silk sewing apron. The silk is yello & white plaid taffeta. This apron is fairly small with 2 pockets in white, fringed in yellow and gauged to a cord waistband. I can't wait to have an event nice enought to wear it to and show it off.

My dear sweeties Easter gifts! Two taffeta cravats. The grey silk has been in the closet for over a year waiting to be turned into a cravat, the plaid I picked up at the same time I bought by apron silk (this plaid was a steal!). I wish they had enough for a dress length, but the remnant table was not so giving. I plan on making myself a little bow from the same plaid silk!

Im am currently finshing an 1812 Hunting Frock and starting work on a Yellow Stripe Silk Vest. So its a man's world for me until I get these items done. Then I am working on my own Regency Stays & and new 19th Century Purple Plaid Day Dress!

Happy Sewing!!

Goings On

So I've discovered that I am developing a small addiction to Pinterest. For those of you who are unaware of this site, it is an amazing place to keep all of your great ideas in one place! And I spend a while browsing other ideas, so now I have ideas on top of ideas.
In the meantime I finished the new slat bonnet, pictures soon!
I am working on a few shirts for some friends. And still my new work dress has no progress. The lining is on the dress form, and the skirt is faced, but that is all so far. I think I need to tweek the fit just a little bit more before cutting the bodice fabric.

Today it is rainy, and cold, not that we've had much of a winter, but today feels like it.

Taking A Moment

So lately, I have been overrun with ideas! All flowing out of my brain (and my husband's), and Pintrest is not helping either!! We did take a break from all of the Chaos and went to Ft Fisher for their 147th Program! It was great fun! Very windy on Saturday, and turning cold on Sunday, it was still nice to have some time with our friends and share our love of history!
We have a semi- busy schedule ahead. Only 1 event in Feb, but my sewing list is fairly long, 2 commissioned shirts, finish one shirt for DH, and I would love to have my new dress finished, but it is on the back burner for now)
March will be a bit more busy, with a DHs birthday!!! Bentonvills anniversary event and a possible trip to Charleston!
Ahhh, my poor little fingers!! Sewing, cleaing, baking, but most of all at the end of the day I smile at the accomplishments!!
Happy Sewing!!

Looking Back at 2011

Looking back at 2011 brings lots of happy memories. There was lots of change this year, for the good I must say.

146th Bentonville Living History. I love that now I can get paid to do what I love most, dress up in funny clothes :). This is one of my favorites from the year, and probly throughout my living history. Two of my favorite people join me as we watch local Johnston County men volunteer for service shorly after Secession.
Getting Married brings lots of events before the actual wedding. I had 3 Bridal showers before we said "I Do" in June. My beautiful neices here with me were my flower girls and ring attendant, and I would not have had it any other way!!

FINALLY!!! My very most favorite moment of 2010!!! We said yes to each other for the rest of our lives on June 11, and despite the miserable heat and the almost lack of air conditioner in the church, it was the best day ever!!!

We ventured to Virginia for our honeymoon! We took a detour through Richmond to stop by the Museum of the Confederacy, which I had never been to. Here we are in front of "The Last Metting", and I never thought it would be that big!!

Williamsburg!! We loved our week long stay in the historic town! We stayed in one of the Colonial Houses (Moody Kithchen). The week could not have been better, the weather was perfect, not too hot, but warm enough to enjoy the whole week, and only one day of slight rain! Here we are on the carrige ride!

My great friend, got us into another time period. Playing Whist at the Raleigh City Musuem, dancing and general nonsense was the agenda for the day. But this one evnt has now lead to us diving into the Regency!

Again in Raleigh! The day began with us talking about men going to war and Raleigh's role during the Civil War. After we had educated the public and delighted ourselves with some parlor games, we ventrued across the Capitol Green to the State History Museum, and as you can tell had a little bit of fun with the new exhibit!

September! The slightly cooler brought fall reenactments to fill our weekends. At Averasboro our Ladies Society fed the men for the weekend, and believe me they did not go hungry! We cooked bountiful breakfast both mornings and stew for lucnchs. They also feasted on 9 loaves of bread with fresh butter and an entire batch of Applesauce cookies, in addition to the hot meals.

Wedding bells again!! This time for my cousin, who had been a bridesmaid at my wedding. I was so happy to stand beside her as her matron of honor on her wedding day!! We have been through so much together, and who would have ever known that we would have gotten married in the same year.

Now we come to a close in 2011, my love and I celebrated our first married Christmas together, and it was a memory that will stay with me forever. We did lots of running around to the various family functions, but did manage to squeeze some us time into the schedule.

As we go through 2012 I can't wait to see what new memories are to be made!

New Kid on the Block- The Singer

Let's start from the Beginning. Last year my mother and I started cleaning my grandmother's house. With all of the changes a sewing machine was found and Papa told mom to take it home since they would not need it. Well, this pretty Singer and cabinet got placed out in the shop with my mom's upholstry things. Well, I got married, and moved, and inherited my Great-Grandmothers Sewing Machine! We rummaged through the drawers which still had many of her things in them, including phone numbers a scraps of paper, address labels, 3 boxes of attachments,thread, and many other random sewing things. The original book to the machine was in there as well! It was a flashback going through all of those little things (most of which are still crammed in the drawers). Now Don't ask me what year it is because I don't know off the top of my head, but I do know that its special. I cleaned it off the other night, got rid of all the dust and dirt accumilation. Scrubbed parts, oild joints. Plugged it in, turned the switch, the little light bulb turned on, and I leaned on the knee press..... SUCCESS!!!! No weird noises or scraping sounds. I was so excited I called my mom right away- she had said that the machine hadn't worked in years.

Now here I am with Beaulah- my new machine. Lovingly named after my Great-Grandma. I hope that it gives me as many happy years sewing as it have her, and maybe someday my Grandaughters will rummage through the drawers and laugh at all of the things that I put in them, from random spools of thread to things not realated to sewing at all.

Happy Sewing!

Wedding Bells

No, not me! I already got hitched this year! However, this time the bells were rung for my wonderful cousin!! She was a gorgeous bride!! The wedding was simple, but beautiful. The church was decorated with white candles, and blue and yellow flowers- so pretty!!

I had the honor of making all the bouquets for wedding, including the Brides, which I made a few hours before the wedding while my hair was setting!
The day was beautiful and I'm sure she would not have wanted it anyother way!

I wish them a long and happy life together!!

New House!

Ok, so its done, all of our stuff is in the new house. The funny thing is that its not a new house at all. It was built around 1940. Its on the small side, except for the master bedroom addition, which is probably the size of most apartments. Ill have to post pictrues soon of all of its charm. The nice hardwood floor, the sweet dogwood trees in the backyard and my sewing room!

Accomplished...err...sort of

Hello! Ok, so I have been making lists of things to accomplish, and have acutally done some of the things on my list. I now have new unders for CW era, and a new bodice pattern drafted for the new dress. However, the shirt is still not finished. Small steps right?
Ok, so I have gotten side tracked by an event in Sept, and trying to find a good easy bread recipie for such event, but I will get there, soon...maybe?
So between work, housework, sewing, cooking, preparing for a new event, and now trying to find a new place to live. Whew! August has already started to fly by! Tomorow will be 2 months since I married my love, and I still can't believe it somedays. I am so happy that I dont think all of the commotion in my brain could drag me down, not that it would.
Ok, so goals for now.... find good bread recipie, finish shirt, finish dress, breathe, start packing a house full of stuff, prepare for event.
Ok, I can do this! I can do this?

A Cozy Place

So we are settling into our apartment. I have managed to unpack most things, except the boxes of craft/sewing/reenacting items that have congregated in the spare room (soon to be sewing room). We now have most things where we like them, with my treadle sewing machine coming soon to join the living room decor! Our living room is a lovely yellow, pale blue and green! I just love yellow!! I love that my living room can greet me with such a cheerful color everyday!
While we don't have much furniture in the house, there are a few prized objects! One is the antique wooden rocking chair that sits in the corner of our living room, it is newly re-finished and reupholstered, but my mother bought it for me almost 4 years ago, right before my brother got hurt, it was supposed to be a Christmas gift that year, but it just got finished. Despite how silly it sounds, everytime I see it, it reminds me of that year, that holiday season when we were all so blessed to still have my brother.
Then there is the china cabinet! Its small, 2 shelves with one open shelf, one drawer, and 2 storage spaces. It belonged to my great-grandmother, and was the one that was in our kitchen when I was growing up. It was given to us shortly before the wedding, now it is filled with our own wedding china! I did find a neat marking on it that no one seemed to know about. When I pulled the drawer out to clean it, I found a Stamp reading my great-grandfathers name and address.
Its so nice to have a house full of small family peices!! I love seeing the stories of our families come together to make the beginning of our own story!

Random Musings

In order to get my thoughts in order, which will, never happen I do make lists. Here is a list of random musings for my own mind, and for you enjoyment.

1. Finish Husbands 1860's shirt


2. Make me new underpinnings


3. Start new 1860s dress


4. Make Blue Plaid Mantle for me with "matching" linene vest for Husband


5. Buy cool socks from sockdreams.com


6. Learn to make a new recipie (I've been doing pretty good at this)


7. Unpack all of my clothes


8. Organize sewing room


9. Buy new camera


10. Purge reenacting stuff of anything quesionable


11. Start wedding scrapbook

Thats a small list of things that I really need to get accomplished, now to actually do them would be a plus!

A New Thing to Occupy my Time

So, I've opened at Tumblr account, follow my rantings and random musings here
www.impersonatinghistory.tumblr.com

Catching Up

So, here it is, 3 weeks after the wedding. We are slowly settleing into married life, unpacking and putting things away. I've been running behind on almost everything, or so it feels like. Life has jumped into full speed and we are tagging behind it.

Anyway, my hopeful spirit has big plans for our little apartment. I also have big plans for a long sewing list, but getting the room in order is a must before the sewing list can be completed, however I'm sure that it will never actually be completed.

So, this was a mindless rant, but its complete with another moment from our wedding, and one of my favorite pictures!

Mrs. Brantley

Well its official, and has been for a little over 2 weeks now, but with a fabulous trip to Williamsburg and getting back to work, unpacking, and starting a new Regency wardrobe, I've had little time to comment on here, my dearly missed blog! So, for those of you who watch here are a few memories of our special day!

Taking Time

Closer and closer.... the wedding is getting closer and closer, closer and closer. Bridal portraits are finished, dreses are ready, and the last bridal shower is this Saturday. Im getting very excited. This is a short post....

Close calls

There are days in our life that we never forget, today was one of those days. During my wedding shower there was serious weather, half way through the middle of it there were warnings of 100mph winds. After getting everyone to a safe place in the hallway a funnel cloud was spotted across the road. Everyone got down in the hall way with the doors shut, the funnel touched down across the street, only a few yards away. Just up the road it uprooted trees, demolished houses and ripped down power lines. Luckily, everyone was ok. The church we were in had no damage. Mircales happen everyday, today was just another blessing. Prayers are with all of those whose homes were damaged and destryed, as well as with their family members and the emergency crews working to get these people safe.

DUM DUM DUM!!!

Here we are, 99 days away!! Invites are ordered, dress is being altered, cake all designed!! Its so close!!

Can't wait!

50 years

My grandparent's (mother's side) 50th wedding anniversary is February 5. As we plan a big hoop-pla party for them I am going through 50 years (actually 71 years) of pictures. Imagine all of those pictures!! I have found out more of my family in the past 2 week, than in the past 22 years! Luckily we have alot of images. We also alot of very special items from their wedding includding their cake topper and wedding dress (gorgeous!!!) There is also one very special surprise that only a very few of us know about! Anyway among oll of this stuff, I thought I would share a favorite of mine. Their engagement photo, it is by far one of the best pictures that I have ever seen.

Enjoy!