Sunny and Faire

I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day today. What I could have asked for is more sleep! I was up till 2:30 last night sewing, and then this morning I slept in till 8:00 before getting up to finish Lucy’s outfit before we left for the Faire. She wanted to be a pirate so I made her a five-tiered red skirt and a black peasant blouse with triple-puffed sleeves. We already had a red sash for her to wear around her waist.

I have to admit, I was sick to my stomach from lack of sleep when I first got up, but eventually I started to feel better (especially after a big mug of tea). We left kind of late for the Faire, due to the fact that Lina and I had to finish our sewing, so we went ahead and ate our lunch in the shade in the parking lot before heading into the Faire.

I had my two oldest and two youngest kids with me today–Lina, Flynn, Lucy and Jasper. Since this was the only day for Flynn and Jasper to come, we had to make sure they saw the shows and spent some time hanging out at the forge. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect–sunny, breezy and cool. I was able to wear my silk chemise and velveteen surcoat–my nicest garb but I hardly ever get to wear it because it is usually too hot.

Lina was resplendent in the new outfit that she worked so hard on for the last few days. I wish I could show you a picture! If you know me on Facebook there should be photos going up there soon. She really worked hard to get that garb done, even after sewing on the sleeves backwards, which basically turned her dress into a fancy-looking straightjacket. But she stuck with it and got them “unsewed” and then put back the right way and it was beautiful.

I enjoy being at the Faire with my kids so much. Flynn greatly increases my enjoyment of any show because he is such an enthusiastic audience member. Performers love him because he gives them constant feedback.

We also enjoyed the joust as always. There was a new knight today, a rather portly knight dressed in bright red armor, whom Flynn insisted on referring to as “Bob the Tomato.”  “Bob” was unhorsed during the afternoon joust but fortunately did not seem to be injured.

After the Faire, we drove a few miles to visit Lina’s friend Rae and see her new house. It was so good to see her again. She and her husband have bought a lovely little house and have done such a great job setting it up.

Eventually, we had to say goodbye and head home. We did stop to get some supper because we were starved! The best part (for me) of coming home (after I got out of my garb with the really annoying sleeves) was hearing Lina and Flynn and Lucy tell their dad all about the Faire and everything that happened.

Blog? What Blog?

Nothing to see here, folks. There is sewing to be done.

My Forgettory is Working Overtime

I’m pretty sure something happened today, but I’m so tired that I’m having a hard time remembering. I didn’t get very far on my sewing because Lina was using my sewing room for her sewing. I did start cutting out Lucy’s shirt, only to realize I was going to need more fabric (meaning another cheap sheet from Walmart). Then I started trying to make gluten-free bread and realized we were out of yeast. Of course I did not realize these things until the storm had already arrived and the rain was pouring down.

So I drove up to Sam’s and got the yeast and laundry detergent, then went next door to Walmart and got several sheets, because it turned out that Lina needed some more also. I came home, made the bread dough, and started making myself a late lunch when I almost had a conniption. It suddenly occurred to me that today is Thursday. (I know, I’m a little slow on the uptake.) It further occurred to me that I didn’t have a class last Thursday, which meant that I DID have one today. In half an hour.

All thoughts of a nice little nap jumped right out of my head and I ate lunch at my computer while planning a review for my students, since today was our last class. I think I pulled it off pretty well, too. I had what I thought was a brilliant idea for simultaneously reviewing vocabulary and writing techniques.

After class I had a nice little visit with Robin and then made pizza and crammed for our Bible study. It wasn’t until afterwards, and pretty late in the evening, that I finally got Lucy’s shirt all the way cut out, and the skirt also. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get to use my machine and get them sewn up. I’ve all but given up on getting anything made for myself.

Thinking About Beginning to Start

I have to say that one of the great side benefits of having Lina here is that there is now someone in the household other than me who can run errands. Oh the joy of finding that I am out of something, and thinking I will just have to do without, only to have someone offer to go get it for me!

Today we tried to get going on our sewing. “Tried,” meaning that we thought a lot about it. We did prewash some fabric. And we had a problem in that the pattern that Lina had picked from my stash was not complete. I had made one item from that pattern and had apparently tossed the rest of it because I didn’t intend to make it. Of course the pieces that I tossed were the pieces that Lina needed.

I thought I might have a backup of that pattern, because I have multiples of many patterns that I either bought twice because I forgot I already had them, or because they were so cheap that I got more than one so I could make different sizes. This meant that I had to pull down all of my pattern boxes and do a massive sorting out. It was great to get everything organized, but frustrating that I didn’t have an extra of the pattern Lina needed, so she had to go up to the fabric store anyway.

We still haven’t cut into any fabric, but we’ve got the paper pattern pieces cut out and we should be ready to get into the actual sewing tomorrow. I hope. We are running out of time!

Music to Feed the Soul

Today we (Lina, Lucy & I) started doing some serious planning for the sewing we hope to do before Saturday. Yes, we might be a little delusional. I prefer to think of it as “optimistic.” I didn’t have the kind of fabric that Lina wanted, so that necessitated a trip to the fabric store and then to Walmart. Tomorrow, I hope we get some stuff cut out. Lina wants to make an overdress and Lucy has her heart set on a pirate outfit. I have three things I want to make. We’ll see how far we all get!

Lina and I had an early supper because Lina’s dear friend Jennifer had flown down here yesterday and was going to be doing a piano recital tonight at their old college. Jennifer now has her master’s and is working on her doctorate. It was so weird after several years to be driving back to the college for a recital. And there was Lina’s old piano professor at the door, shooing people into the concert hall and looking exactly the same. He greeted me with enthusiasm which turned to shock when he looked past me and saw Lina!

Jennifer is a brilliant pianist and it was such a treat to sit there for an hour and listen to that sublime music. And afterwards, it was just so good to see Jennifer again! I became very attached to Lina’s college friends and I love to see them. Tomorrow Lina will get to meet up with Jennifer for breakfast before she leaves town again.

A Faire Return

I almost never go to the Faire two days in a row, but due to the fact that Lina is here for only the last two weekends of the Faire, we are making the most of it. So yesterday, after church, we got ready and started supper and Spencer called his friend Bryant. Spencer was coming with us, and he doesn’t like to go without a friend. Fortunately for him, Bryant was able to come on the spur of the moment.

It was a very warm sunny day, and such a luxury to be riding in an air-conditioned car. We arrived at the Faire and took Spencer and Bryant to the Armoury right away. I did not realize that Bryant had orders from his mother not to buy any weapons, but thankfully he enjoyed window shopping while Lina and I visited with our friends.

We went to the forge, only to find it closed, due to Shadowhawk’s absence and his apprentice’s hay fever. Still, we could sit in on the pirate magic show and watch the new juggler again. Lina and I also enjoyed some music despite the fact that we had just missed seeing our friend Jed again. Lina was very faithful to use her parasol, considering that her neck area was radioactive from the day before. We find it rather amusing that after living in Africa for three years, she comes back to Texas and in the first few days she gets a painful insect bite and a severe sunburn.

The evening joust was enjoyable despite the heat, and then as the day began to wind down and the temperature cooled, we lingered here and there just visiting and looking at things. The boys wound up at the ax throwing booth, where Bryant got a lesson and as many throws as he wanted. He threw and threw and threw, and he got in some great throws!

Meanwhile, Spencer’s friend Britton called him and begged him to come spend the night. So, when we left the Faire, we drove up to Britton’s house and dropped Spencer off there. Poor Bryant had to ride all the way home with a couple of teacher ladies.

This morning I worked with Lucy on her homework and prepared for my English class. Only one more to go! My students came and we put forth a lot of effort writing a vocabulary story, which I still need to finish. I have been feeling a little under the weather thanks to the sun exposure of the last two days, but thank goodness I’m not sunburned and I’m not running a fever or throwing up! I am really ready to start catching up on my sleep!

Yield Not to Temptation

Horatio R. Palmer

Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
Each victory will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue,
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

Refrain

Ask the Savior to help you,
Comfort, strengthen and keep you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.

Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,
God’s Name hold in reverence, nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true,
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

Refrain

To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown;
Through faith we shall conquer, though often cast down;
He Who is our Savior our strength will renew;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

Refrain

A Musical Faire

Today was the big day to go to the Faire with Lina for the first time in three years. Lucy also came with us. We didn’t get away quite as early as we had hoped, but we got to the Faire about half an hour after it opened this morning. It was a fine sunny day and warm but not unbearably hot.

We kind of made a beeline for our friends at the Armoury. I had seen something I really wanted last time, and was hoping to get it today, but alas–I waited too long. They were already sold out. That is okay. That’s money saved, and we need to be very frugal.

It was a wonderful day outdoors in one of my favorite places. We saw the pirate magic show and another magic/juggling show that was a lot of fun! We also got to hang out with Jed Marum, one of our favorite musicians, and with the blacksmith’s apprentices, who were running the forge while he was away at a knife show. We had a lovely picnic lunch sitting in the shade by the car, and enjoying the breeze and each other’s company.

Then of course there were two jousts to watch–something we never tire of. There may have been some mango smoothies in our afternoon also. And we splashed out $2 for the privilege of tasting chocolate covered bacon, which was tastier than it sounds. After the Faire closed at 7:00, we just stayed at the Armoury and visited until the Celtic music festival began at 8:00. I enjoyed most of the musicians who played. The crowd was enthusiastic and rowdy, and spontaneous dancing happened from time to time. I had a disconcerting encounter with a notorious lush, but there was no harm done. In fact I’m pretty sure he was actually sober.

I had kind of wanted to leave by 10:00, but Jed still had not played by then, so we stayed a little longer to hear Jed’s first few songs before heading back to the car in the dark. Twelve hours at the faire–longest stretch ever! It was good to get home and put my feet up.

Tomorrow, we go back. (After church, of course.)

A New Vehicle and a Yarn Store Visit

Someday I’m going to get to sleep in a little. Not yesterday or the day before, not today or tomorrow–but someday! This morning I had to be up and about early to go to Walmart. Since we are going to the Faire tomorrow, it made more sense to get the shopping out of the way today.

When I got home, I had less than half an hour to get the groceries put away before a student arrived for some tutoring. We had an intense but productive session and by the time he left I felt like I had done a whole day’s work! But I still had lots of quiz review to do with Jasper. Lina, meanwhile, went with Walter to pick up her new rental car from Missionary Tech Team. It’s a black Toyota Camry.

Lucy made some “hamburger” cupcakes to take to the homeschool group youth activity. I made some goat soup for supper. (We got given some goat meat and I knew my husband would not want it to go to waste.) Then Lina and I drove up to my friend Robin’s house to take back the car we had been borrowing from them. As we drove back together in Lina’s car, we quite naturally turned aside to visit the yarn store. I’m sure we will go there together on several occasions while she is here! Today was primarily a sightseeing visit.

We also had a great time hanging out with Flynn, since he was here all day after getting in from Dallas with Mercy last night in the wee hours. He has since returned home to Dallas but will be meeting up with Jasper tomorrow to cheer him on at his big Bible quiz. And finally, we called Mary and we all got to talk to her for a while. Wish she could be here!

We Have Lina!

I hope you all weren’t sitting on the edge of your seats last night. I intended to post, and indeed I would have, but our stupid internet problems cropped up again and I couldn’t get online all evening!

Yesterday was the last day of our co-op classes, and therefore it was also my last day of teaching Geography for at least 2 years. I took some lassi to drink and a Greek honey cake. It wasn’t until I was getting everything together to leave in the morning that I realized that I had left the eggs out of the cake. Six. Eggs. I took it anyway. Kids ate it. It was good. I do want to try making it the right way sometime though.

We spent our last class reviewing and partying. Some of the kids brought food and drinks also, so it was quite convivial. After my first class, I supervise study hall, and it was then that Lucy remembered that she had forgotten to bring the adorable owl cupcakes that she had worked so hard on and had planned to share with her critical thinking class. She and  Spencer and their friend Sierra pestered me unmercifully until I agreed to drive all the way home to get the cupcakes. There went my “free” hour!

Just as our classes ended, it started raining. It rained HARD. The kids all got rides to Chick-Fil-A for one final hang-out with their friends, while I came home to prepare for my tutoring session. When my student arrived, we got to work though I have to admit that I kept checking my phone to see if there was any news on Lina.

Thanks to the appalling weather, her plane was two hours late. Flynn picked her up at the airport in Dallas and brought her here for a late spaghetti dinner. After dinner, Lina realized she needed to buy some shampoo and a few other odds and ends, and Flynn and Spencer also needed  stuff, and I needed to get a comforter for Lina’s bed since the temperature had dropped precipitously after pushing 90 degrees the day before. It was a fun outing and it wasn’t until we returned home that Flynn realized he never got what he went for!

This morning I got up a bit earlier than I would have liked, but I had a good reason–my first chance in two years to make Flynn his (belated) birthday breakfast in bed. Well, it was more of a breakfast in sofa, but that doesn’t have quite the right ring to it, does it? This is the third time this year that I’ve made this same menu, and I’ve concluded that it can’t be done in under an hour, making it possibly my most time-consuming breakfast in bed menu yet. It was greatly appreciated though!

Lina was up early thanks to her jet lag, so it was nice to have company while I worked. We headed out later in the morning to get her some supportive shoes and also to stop by the fabric store for some notions. We also got the chance to surprise our friend Regina, the manager at the fabric store. She saw me first and greeted me gladly, but when I pointed out who was with me, she was so excited! That was fun.

We were less successful in our efforts to get Lina a working phone. She had bought a phone and had it delivered here some time ago, thinking that she could get a SIM card after her arrival, because that’s what you do most places overseas. Well, no luck. Still working on a solution to that situation.

Flynn and Mercy headed to Dallas this afternoon to go to a concert, and the rest of us lazed around here. I am so far behind on my sleep that I could probably sleep around the clock a time or two!

Tomorrow: Lina gets a (rented) car!