Pinafores, Stays, bonnets, and treasures

Lydia's mid 1800's Pinafore

(for our Civil War Reenacting)

I absolutely love the white pinafore that I made Lydia to go over her brown dress, but I was afraid that she would continue to get grass stains and dirt on it. Mom and Dad suggested that I save it as an heirloom. So I had to make her another on to wear. Girls never wore their dress without a pinafore unless they were in a formal setting. It's like an apron kind of. To keep their dress from becoming soiled. They were worn about an inch or two above the bottom of their dress, which for Lydia's age group that is right around the knee. I didn't have a pattern so yesterday afternoon I measured Lydia and went for it. It only took five hours. It's getting easier to make up patterns now that I can vision it. It reminds me of doing hair. Someone brings in a a picture of a hairstyle they want and I have to figure out how to create it.

I put four pleats in the front which you can't see unless you double click on the picture. Pleats were fashionable and also trimmings (lace)

Stay

Here is Lydia's Stay I made. Little girls wore them from the beginning under their dresses. They had two purposes. The first reason for it was to prepare them for a corset when they become of age (16yrs). They had no boning in them, so they were soft and quilted. The second reason was to keep their petticoats up because we all know how little kids have no hips/figure quite yet. Just a cute pudgy belly and therfore their slips and petticoats would fall below their tummy and show beneath their dresses which was a no-no. They had buttons to hold the slips and petticoats up on the Stay.

They were always done up in the back.

My first Bonnet

I needed a white bonnet. I didn't have a form and I didn't want to pay $ to have one sent just so I could stick some bird on it, so I made this one. It's not the exact shape I like, but it will have to do till I can get a pattern. FYI-in the mid 1800's the more "junk" or decorations and lace you had on your bonnet the more fashionable you were. This is about as far as I go. I am not a lacy person, so it takes a lot to have that bow on the side by the feathers and that crotchet tie. They actually wore fake birds with birds nest on their hats and bonnets. I laugh at this because I swore I would NEVER go there. Well, I made the first step. I was in Roberts and crafts. I pass by the wedding section. I notice I am all alone. I start laughing to myself, because the thought of wearing a bird/nest on my head is ridiculous! Well, I circled around the store and then right before I checked out I said, "Oh what the heck" and I went and purchased three birds and one nest. I came home, made my bonnet, and they told myself NEVER!!!!!!!!!!

1800's picture case

My Dad found this old photo case frame in an antique store. They are very rare and hard to find in such good condition. There was a picture of a young kid in it already.

Dad kept the picture of the young kid and put pictures of him and and I. This is something I will treasure forever! Thanks Dad!!!!!

Dad didn't know how old this photo case was until he tool the picture of the young kid (around 18 yrs old) and found his name and date. How amazing is that??? Picture of that below

Inscription below:

November 30, 1861

George W.

Conn

Lanterns! I love them. I have no idea why? Maybe because I think it's romantic. Either way, I love them. The three small ones I got for my kids. Lets just pray they don't burn a battle field down at night.

This is for my Mother (to help set the scene) and any members of the 9Th Heber Ward that missed this fantastic new fashion I wore on Sunday. I have many different birds to choose from if any would like to borrow one. Extra charge for the nest.

I have a....

Regular brown bird

A white dove

AND, a quail.

Random pics...

Here are some random pictures that we have taken over the past few weeks.

SUBWAY

You have to put in for a drawing/pass to hike the subway here in Utah. It's a pretty big deal to get one. Mark went when we were first married. One of his friends got a pass to go again so they went in May. It was so cold and the water was high (and it was a lot higher a few months ago) so they all wore wet suits and so forth. Looks like fun. I want to go next time. I think I am becoming more adventurous the older I get. Isn't that backwards?

See them down on the right?

Red Falls on the way out.

Don't ask. It looks a little dangerous. They had to tie rope to that hole to help get down.

Gooseberry Mesa/Angels Landing hike

(Another boys trip in May)

Mark and his childhood friends went on a four day hiking/biking trip. They had a lot of fun. Mark said they spent a lot of time tossing/breakign off rocks/boulders and pushing them off the mountian. Just goes to show you that boys never really do grow up.

What a view. Isn't he handsome?

Lydia playing my dulcimer, which she loves to do. After ten minutes I have a headache from the tin sound banging that she so loudly plays.

We these pom-pom worms. The kids enjoyed makign them and I have burt finger tips from the hot glue gun to prove it.

Cousin Gracy came over with Emery to stay the night. Lydia and Gracy slept side by side. This is how I found them when Mark and I went to bed. Their hands are to cute.

Lydia fell asleep on our bed just like this. It made me laugh. So tierd.

Lydia still loves her Butterscotch from Santa/Aunt Melissa!

Geocaching

I had never heard of this till I married this great man of mine. He is so out going. He had his GPS and you can link it to a website www.geocaching.com and download all the coordinates to local geocaches in your area. Basically, it's like a modern treasure hunt. The fun part is, is that you bring something you want to give away and when you find the geocache you open it up, take something from it and then leave something behind for someone else. The kids love finding the old Mc Donald toys in our house and using those to exchange for pencils and cars. We couldn't find the one in the Heber Cemetery. Maybe next time.

After work, Mark downloads a new coordinate for a new geocache and then we hop on our bikes and ride a round town to find them. Surprisingly, it is a lot of fun!

This one was around 300 North and 500 East in Heber. It was easy and our first successful "treasure hunt" as the kids like to call it.

This Geocache below was located on someones property on 100 South and 500 West in Heber. This was the best one by FAR! It had dollar store toys and then some. Kelsey came with us on this one.

More Geocaching to come......

P.S. Mark wants to find someone he doesn't care for and hide a geocache on their property, download the coordinates, and see how many visitors come to find it. It sounded so mean but so funny:) I wouldn't put it past him

Skiing winter 2010

We figure that if you are going to be raised in Utah, you might want to know how to ski. Mark grew up skiing since he was ten and loved it. He and his childhood friends Nate and Brad started teaching their kids since January 2010. It was a fun fun winter for our boys...and Mark. You could just about bet that every Saturday Mark and the boys were on the slopes. Our boys caught on so fast as most kids do, fearless at this age. Towards the end Mark said he had to try to keep up with them. I can't wait till next ski season when Lydia and I can go. Mark is panning on teaching Lydia next winter. This will make it so I am not home every Sat. by myself. We can go as a family. I am very excited!

Nate (Mark's friend since he was 5) was a ski instructor. He was fab with them.

Thomas (left) and William (right). This was on their first day.

Still first day...

Deer Valley Ski resort

Mark and Lydia

Playing in the snow while the boys ski

William dodging a snow ball coming from Dad.

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Bowman

As most of you all know, my dear mother had a lung transplant at the end of February 2010. She was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis seven years ago. It's basically a scar tissue that builds up from the bottom of your lungs and eventually fills your lungs up to a solid mass (no room for air to breath). They only way to beat this is eventually get a lung transplant. This is the first time I have mentioned it on my Blog. I guess it was so serious (the un-known) and scary all at the same time that I found my self keeping it to myself these past few years. Now that she has survived and come though this amazing trial, I can finally speak of it. You never know what it's like to almost lose someone you love so much, until you come so close. My siblings and I flew back and forth to Tucson Arizona (since January 2010) to visit her while she was in the ICU for ten weeks (awaiting a lung transplant). It was touch and go for those ten weeks. They told her she couldn't go home unless she received a new lung.

Then out of nowhere, a nurse comes running in on February 21, 2010 with a smile on her face and informs my Dad that they found a match to my Mom who has a rare blood type. It was a miracle. This day had finally come. Within five hours, my Mom was breathing with a new lung that someone had given to her unknowingly. That angel of a person returned home to their Heavenly Father just an hour before the team surgically transplanted their lung into my Mom…and how forever indebted our Bowman family will be to them and their family.

As days went by, I smiled as I saw her chest move up and down on her own. She had made it. As I visited my Mom and Dad over Spring break, my mother expressed words of comfort to me. She said, “I believe that lung was meant for me. In order to receive this lung I had to be SO sick that they could bump me up to the top of the transplant list in the Region to receive it, otherwise it would have gone to someone else and I may have missed my chance”. The one lung Mom received was healthier and stronger than most double lung transplants. The Transplant team of 12 agreed and said it was the perfect scenario.

To be in my Mom’s arms again, to see her smile and hear her laughter, to watch her not to have to struggle to breath, to see my Dad take care of her hold her hand as he helps her get around, and to see her hold and love my children once again…was beautiful. All of this….all of this was well worth waiting for

I love you Mom;)



Before and after my Mom's lung transplant no one under the age of 18 could be in the ICU, so my kids had not seen their grandparents since last June. My Mom has to stay within five minutes of the hospital for three months after her transplant. They are staying in some apartments a few mins away. As soon as we found out she was out I made plans to drive down during spring break and visit them. Mark had to stay home and work.

The second day we were there, they re-admitted Mom to the hospital. Anytime there is a slight fever or any sign of sickness, they are quick to jump on the case. SO we spent the next four days visiting her in her room. You had to be surgically gowned and gloved. My kids did so good with this. They eventually got used to the routine.

We found may ways to entertain ourselves...

Paper Airplanes

Even tool them outside to test them out.

Balloon People

Mom and Dad used to use Dad's dental gloves for our birthday balloons just like this with faces and all. We thought it was GREAT!

Static?


Clay Marbles

My Dad told me to look for some clay marbles in the antique stores for my boys to play while we were at our Civil War reenactments. I hadn't ever heard of these. SO I searched and searched and found about 30. I think they are pretty, lol. I don't remember how to play marbles and so my Dad told me to bring t hem down and he would teach my boys. William absolutely loved it!

Back at the apartment

William is such a snuggle bug. He wanted to go lay with Grandma. I later found him under the covers making himself quite at home.

How can you come to Arizona and not go swimming? We made a daily trip to the apartment pool. William thought this was funny. He found Grandpa's hat.

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

My Mom stayed in the car and rested (plus it was SO HOT...85 degrees:) while Dad took us our to look at the Planes on the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ. We also went to the BX (Base Exchange, aka: mini mall) and ate lunch/shopping. Brings back so many memories of being raised as an Air Force family. Miss it sometimes.

Hoop Run

For part of entertaining my children during our Civil War reenactments, I needed some period correct ideas. Dad suggested hoops and sticks. He said that not only did they play that game back in the early 1800's but he played it out on the Bowman Ranch as a kid. He said his mother used tin lids on the end of the sticks to help the little ones guide it better. It worked out so great. I had our bishop weld the metal hoops and them I sanded down the sticks and slapped a tin lid on it

Dad got up early in the morning when my kids woke up (6am). He fed them breakfast and took them on long walks (about ten blocks or more) and then when they got back he worked with them in the parking lot with the hoops. They sure enjoyed that one on one time with Grandpa! And Mama enjoyed the break:)

Dad rocking/singing the boys before bed time. Lydia was asleep already.

As I think back, my Dad has always worked. He had to retire (as we knew this would come eventually) to help take care of my Mom. My kids and I would see him here and there on our visits home, but not as much as this. It was so nice to have some time and let my kids get to know him, even if it wasn't at Grandma and Grandpa's home/ranch. Lydia just couldn't understand why she couldn't ride Emma the horse, as if Mom and Dad had Emma the Horse stashed away behind the appartments.

My Mom is doing so good and recovering so well. I missed those daily phone calls while she was sick and will now never take them for granted. All the Bowman kids are comgin home at the end of July, it will be nice to be back home again!