Cupcake Wrappers

I don't have a problem.  I can quit anytime.  It is just that I love cupcake wrappers.  I buy them every time I see them every where I go.  I want to get all the colors of the rainbow.  I think I need more orange.  Yes, I definitely need more orange.

I do not know how many I have.  I just like having them and buying them.

They were falling out of the cupboard so I moved them to containers.  I'm not obsessed.  I am not a cupcake wrapper addict.  I can quit anytime.  They just make me happy.

Soldier's Hollow Heber Valley Civil War

Our Heber Valley Civil War September 28 - 30th, 2012.

We finally got the tent set up and most of the accessories and camp furniture needed to give the audience a peek into what life was like during the Civil War.  Well, enough stuff to hide the stuff that is not 1860's period correct.

Our latest addition is the rug.  I am grateful for the rug.  We bought it two days before we drove out to Heber.  It was so nice to stand up in the morning on a rug instead of the cold muddy ground.  The down side is that it got really dirty really fast.  This is J's bed and some of J's uniforms that he sewed.  My husband is so talented.

He just finished the Zouave uniform and was pleased to display it. There are a few of my personal affects such as my hat, tea box, and parasol on the bed.  The crazy quilt is on loan from my Mom.  It was sewed by my Great Grandmother Katherine Merrill.  Family heirloom, so I need to be gentle with it.

I lost a button during the Ladies Fashion show this year and am sewing it back on to my shirt.  While I was at it I used J's"housewife" to sew on two of his buttons that popped off during battle.  A housewife is a small sewing kit that soldiers kept in their haversacks.  I love our period lantern.  I timed it, a paraffin candle takes exactly 4 hours to burn.  Not only did it provide enough light for us to see by, it also provided some well needed warmth.  It was cold this year.

School days was on Friday.  They are practicing firing drills with Mark, our representative from Camp Floyd.

J posing with a group of kids.  I must say, the children this year were so much better than last year.  For the most part they were well behaved and asked a lot of good questions and seemed genuinely interested in what we were talking about.  We both enjoyed teaching and doing demonstrations all day.  They had this really fun scavenger hunt word list of things to look for and ask questions about along with a booklet to fill out.

J demonstrating how to load and shoot and rifle for some spectators who unfortunately  missed the last battle.

J makes me laugh.  He borrowed my parasol to keep his pale Nordic skin ghostly white.  Red beards burn easily I hear.

Group shot with J, Jake, Rachel and her Civil War re-enactor baby Kenna.

Miss Gail and her kitchen set up.  She had a great variety of kitchen utensils and food.  We do not have any camp kitchen gear yet so we subsisted on cold ham and cheese sandwiches, tins of kipper snacks, beef jerky, and Gatorade.

Ahhh, camp life with Tina and her barber husband Richie (not shown).

J's shoe heels are full of mud and rocks.

I love Gene's night cap.

Of course, for me, as a Civil War re-enactor, it is all about the dresses.

Even Alex Boye, who sang our national anthem, was awed by our dresses and asked for a photo to be taken of him singing with us in the background.

Then he had some of the guys help him with a music video he was doing.

A scene from Alex's new music video.

More filming.  We have to get some footage of the pretty horse lady.

I love her horse.

Tea party.

We had a lovely array of goodies for our tea party.  Apple slices, ginger snap cookies, shortbread cookies, cucumber sandwiches, strawberry tarts, scones and jam, and a variety of fruits.  Too bad the public could not eat with us since our cooks were not chefs and did not have food handler permits.  The food was delicious.  Jamie and Michelle even gave us thank you gifts of fudge and caramel.

Music by Amanda and Caleb of course aka Southbound Routes.  They have a CD.  They are also getting married in October and asked me to do their wedding cake.  I am so honored.

Friday night dance with Old Glory Vintage Dancers.  http://www.oldgloryvintagedancers.com/  

Things tend to get silly after dark.

I was cold.

For J, it is all about the battle.  Today he went Confederate.  Yesterday he went Union.

Marching off the battle.

I think they lost one.  The lady in black and white is Noel, our field nurse.

Well done boys, well done.

The blood is on the bandage so it does not stain our oh so expensive wool uniforms.

Jimmy and Kris played snipers.

Jimmy's down.  Oh No! Don't trample Jimmy.

It was a fun re-enactment.  Four days, three nights, it was the most camping I have done since Girl's Camp.

J and K's Photoshoot

For J's birthday (August 22nd), as always, I just ask what he wants and get it for him.  No surprises, and I'm paying.  I am terrible at surprises anyway.  J said that he would like our photos done, professionally, and in a Civil War style.  We went to Bowers Photography in American Fork http://bowersphotography.com/ and had Mark Bowers do our photos.  I think they turned out beautifully.  Since then, we have had them framed and put them up throughout the house.  We have not had our photos done since we were married, about 6 years ago, and thought it would be nice to have some pictures of us without the wedding dress.

Couple Portrait 

We did our research on couple portraits of the era and found that most couples had the husband sitting with the wife standing behind him or off to the side, which is why we did this one.  Photography was in its infancy back in the 1860's and portraits were expensive so the subjects would dress in their finest attire to have their pictures taken.  This is why I wore my ball gown and J's in his officer's uniform.  Traveling photographers would even bring nicer clothes for their clients to wear if they wanted to dress fancier than what they had.  Due to the long exposure times and the desire to look dignified, there was no smiling in the 1860s.

J's staff officer uniform.

My Ball Gown with fan and gloves.

Time to show off my burgeoning hat collection.  This is my day dress with my grey hat.

Looking sassy with my peacock feathers.

Thoughtful in my black straw hat.  This one is my best hat for sun protection.  I know I should decorate it, since that is what they did back then, but I just love the simplicity of a plain black straw hat.

J's off to war equipment.

My corset.  I really wanted to get a picture of my corset since I just got it and I think it is lovely.

My ode to Annie Oakley or as my Dad likes to call it, Granny Clampett from Beverly Hillbillies.

J's a good old rebel boy with his D'guard Bowie knife.  We noticed that a lot of the Confederate soldier portraits had them holding knives so we had to get one of J showing off his metal.

All my fluffy petticoats.  I am wearing four.

My Dad, gotta love him, likes calling this one my Civil War Porn Star picture.  I am wearing my Bloomers, Chemise, and Corset.  I would like to note that I am also wearing more clothes than most the spectators that come to our re-enactments.