Father's Day & Jacksonville, IL Reenactment

This appears to be a rather gloomy Father's Day. I awakened, after dreaming about a strange mixture of church labyrinth's, washing machines and oatmeal, to a stifling humidity. It is raining and wet and gray. The little boys all got cool baths this morning to help them to keep cool and little David soon afterwards got into my baking cabinet and tried to taste of my vanilla extract. The kitchen smells very nice now. Little David did not seem overly fond of vanilla extract.

I am thankful this day for my father. He is a wonderful man. He and my mother had their 24th anniversary a few months ago and all through my life I have looked to him for ultimate protection and security. I remember as a little child having fears of bears or wolves coming in through my bedroom window at night. I also greatly feared Robbers. I imagined them creeping in and getting a knife from my mothers butcher block and murdering us all before carrying off our wordly wealth. Some nights I would waken my father, fearful of a noise I heard in the basement or in another part of the house. He would always go look and then tell me that everything was okay. This from a man who worked long hours and multiple jobs just so we could make ends meet! The thought of him getting up from his well deserved slumber at night to reassure me that there was nothing to be afraid of touches me so much as I look back on it. Thank you, dad, for your sacrifices, your love, your patience, your sense of humour, your prayers and your teachings of the Bible, your following of God and for leading my brothers and sisters and I to an early knowledge of our Savoiur. Thank you for still being there for me, even now as I have little ones of my own. You are and always will be my daddy. I love you.

Yesterday David and I and Malachi went to Jacksonville, IL to spend the day at the reenactment there. I didn't take very many pictures because it was so hot and smothering. I got very sick towards the late afternoon and don't know if it was because of my corset, or my multiple layers of clothing or because I was suffering from the heat. Probably a combination of everything. We left early since a storm was coming in and I did not improve in health. We also were late getting there because of a mishap with David's buttons on his waistband and an unforseen tearing of my petticoats.

It was hot, crowded, noisy and very different from the restful atmosphere of Billie Creek last weekend. Yet I still did have a good time and felt bad we had to leave early and miss the ball in the evening.

Some of the ladies from the Old State Capitol Living History were in attendance and, in my opinion, were the best dressed young ladies present and the best examples of correct dress in the fashion show! Oh, to be young again! To wear short sleeves and open necks! Alas, my Great Age weighs heavily upon me.

Here is a lovely young lady with Malachi, who would not look at me or the camera and favored another lovely young lady, who was standing to the side, with his long-lashed glances. This is the only picture David took of my new dress. It took me a long time to get the trim sewn on it and I still haven't applied it to the back yet. I like it, but I think I should have worn my green dress yesterday. The close fitting sleeves were hot and the dark color seemed to absorb the heat more than my other dress does. I was happy that even with a 135" hem circumference I was still able to wear this dress with my cage. Cages are wonderful things to wear in hot weather. And looking through more pictures of ladies from the period I find that more often than not their skirts were not any fuller than this one. Hmm. Perhaps that means I can take that extra panel of fabric out of my green dress skirt and use it for something else. Like a dress for Judah and a tunic for David, who are both fast outgrowing their clothes! Before our next event (in August) I really need to make my sheer dress. I think that would have been perfect to have worn yesterday and perhaps would have prevented me from getting sick. I need to be brave enough to cut into it.Here is David with his perpetual reenactment-cigar. I got his vest done on Friday afternoon but he doesn't like it because I vented the back center seam. I had forgot his horror of vents. Last year I vented the back seam of his sack coat but he made me sew it back up. I can't really sew this vent back up due to the cut of the vest back so I need to take the vest apart at the side and shoulder seams and put a new back in. And a new lining, if I can figure out how. I lined this one with white cotton but it is horribly stained with the sweat that David sweated yesterday. A last picture of the baby. He was mostly happy but at the time I took this picture he was hot and very tired and didn't like laying upon the grass and didn't like laying on my lap because he could feel the rungs from my cage beneath him. His underdresses are getting too small for him too. Thankfully I made a big overlap in the back so I can just move the button closer to the edge to make it bigger. I really hope these last him the rest of the season!Happy Father's Day!

I think I'll make a key lime pie for David. Something cool and soft for this hot, humid day. I think the rest of our meal will cook in the crock pot! It's just too hot to keep the oven or stove on for very long!

Love,

Sarah