Sunday, December 23, 2012

Liebster Blog Award



I was tagged by Sarah from Romantic History for the Liebster Blog Award. (Thank you Sarah! I feel honored) So here goes.

The Rules

1. You must post eleven random facts about yourself.
2. You must also answer the eleven questions the awarder has given you and make up eleven questions for your awardees to answer in turn.
3. Tag eleven fellow bloggers.
4. Notify them that you've awarded them.
5. No tagging back.
6. The eleven blogs you tag must have less than 200 followers.

Merry Christmas from AZ!!!


Eleven Random Facts about myself

#1 I am half Korean. My mother's family came here in the 70's when she was a teenager, to flee a rumored re-invasion by North Korea and a restart of the Korean War. Her father giving up a position of authority in the military to start a little wig store in North Philadelphia, he literally went from commanding men to taking orders from little old ladies how to style their wigs. He did it for his kids, it was hard on him. He was a great man, I miss him.

#2 When I was a tender child, I had a book in which Sleeping Beauty was portrayed with floor length brown hair. I have been trying to grow it out ever since.

#3  I want to wear Medival clothes and LOTR movie inspired dresses and Regency dresses for everyday life. I don't go to enough reenacting events to wear the clothes I really like, so why not dress the way really want to now? Still working on the courage to go shopping etc. in them...

#4 I have 8 siblings, and they are AWESOME

#5 I love Lord of the Rings (in case you were wondering...). My dad read it to me and my siblings every night when I was 8-10 (yes it took a year and a half), and it gave me a picture of  heroism and that indefinable beauty of holiness. Narnia too, it shaped so much of how I see the world. In real life "Its like in Narnia when Digory went through the door to get the fruit, but the witch climbed over the wall...it matters HOW you do it as much that you do it..." etc.

#6  Kids tv cartoon shows terrify me. (the kinds that were produced very fast, to fill a timeslot and never seen again) As a child they would scare me, and they still do.

#7 I want to write children's books, and teenager books. They shape how kids see the world (see #2 # 5), and as such can give children a framework of beauty and truth.

#8 I have 2 kids, Isaiah (17 mos) and Jehanne (3 mos), and they are the cutest kids ever born into this world.

#9 Jehanne is named after Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc is awesome!!! I did a lot of research on her, and she is so so so awesome. Read primary sources or books by the historian Regine Pernoud for a good introduction to her awesomeness.

#10 One day I will make a movie of Joan of Arc. I already am working on a screenplay. I just need lots and lots of plate armor, 2000 extras, actors, and access to French cathedrals. But its going to happen....

#11 I love America (see #1), their intervention in "The Forgotten War" is what saved my grandparents lives. My mom says, 'The Americans came like angels, these tall men from far away to help us.' That doesn't mean I think anything America does is great (Lord have mercy on us) but I am very grateful for what they have done in the past.

Now to Answer Sarah's questions

1. What is your favorite era of fashion and why? (sorry, had to ask this, I always want to know this about everyone I meet!) Medieval. Because its the most LOTR-ish, and because its so practical (nursing in kirtles) and beautiful, and its cool to think you are wearing something that so many women before you (including Joan of Arc..) wore. And men's medieval clothes (knee length tunic, leggings, belt, cloak etc) is how I always imagined the Elves dressed. I like Regency too, its nice feeling pretty when pregnant...



2. What is the worst hair cut you have ever received? Hmm...this is a tough one. I was 12 and went on a shower strike, telling my mom she was too obsessed with cleanliness, and what's wrong with greasy hair? Its natural! After 2 weeks she responded by cutting off a foot of it.
The worst executed hair cut was probably when I asked my husband to give me post baby hair loss hair cut, and he just grabbed it in a pony tail and confidently chopped with one stroke...I turned around asking him if he was done, and he was holding the pony tail in his hand.

3. If you could afford anything, would you have your clothes made or would you prefer to sew them yourself? I would make them. And I would buy a lot of cloth :)

4. What has been the happiest moment of your life? It was a dark night, on a mountain road through Virginia. My family's car had rolled over 2x in the dark, smashing out the windows, crushing the roof, and sending all our luggage littered across the side of the road. When the car came too, the scariest moment was calling out each siblings name, to see if they answered. When they all eventually did, that was the happiest moment of my life, it felt like overflowing and abundant love. The doctors at the hospital kept telling us it was a miracle. We were doing 70mph and slammed into the mountain. It was a miracle. I knew we shouldn't all be alive. And yet we were. It felt like receiving this huge huge huge gift, my life and the lives of all my sibs and parents all at once.

5. What is your greatest inspiration for daily living? My kids smiling at me. Knowing God loves me like a Daddy, and as one very wise friend tells me 'bears the brunt of the pain on Himself, and only gives us what is necessary.'

6. If you could be remembered for one thing, what would that be? It depends on by whom....If by my family, it would be someone who loved them. If the world...um.....Joan of Arc Movie???

7. What is your favorite season and why?
Spring. Flowers, Sparrows singing where it once was cold and silent, the white petals of the Azaleas covered in dew....the pale blue sky with the dawn through the new leaves on the high high branches of the trees, the wind cool and sweet and full of adventure on your face, and the birds singing.....

8. What scares you? Gollum. All my life. Since 8 yrs old to this day. I am praying about it. Seriously.

9. What small item do you use on a daily basis and would horribly miss if it were gone? (for me, this is chapstick - I use it all the time!) Cell phone. It enables me to talk to my sibs every day, even though most of them are hundreds of miles away...

10. What is your favorite Christmas treat? Homemade caramel popcorn balls!

11. If you had a million dollars plopped in your lap, what would you do with it?
   Pay off my parents mortgage, and after that...JOAN OF ARC MOVIE!!! :)

Tagged Personages (not quite 11...)
 Its a good think I put 'my sibs are AWESOME #4 in my random facts....

Binky at http://logresshallriseagain.blogspot.com/

Chubbic at   http://chubbicsblog.wordpress.com/

SophieLein at http://lamentationsjeremiah.wordpress.com

and I am afraid that's all I can think of right now....all the other blogs I follow have already gotten the award....

11 Questions for the Tagged Personages

#1 What is your favorite poem and why?

#2 If you could live in any age (and ignoring the theological ramifications of this question) which would it be?

#3 What is your favorite poem you have written? Please share.

#4 If you ever wrote a book, what would it be about?

#5 If you could force the whole world to read 1 paragraph you have written, what would it say?

#6 What is your favorite book and why?

#7 What is your favorite music, and why?

#8 Who is your favorite President of America and why?

#9 Who is your favorite King (on earth!) and why?

#10 Who is your favorite heroic figure (on earth) and why?

#11 What do you think is one of the best ideas understood in the past (pre 1600) and forgotten today, and likewise, what is one of the best ideas understood  now that was not in the past?


That was fun. I am unashamedly asking for some soapboxing :)


Friday, December 21, 2012

Josh's Ranger Outfit 1.0 first pictures

So, these are not the best pictures of his Ranger outfit 1.0 ("Practice" from an old 70's leather jacket and clearance fabric deals, as well as lacing rings made from an old hanger)

 As you can see, these are not the best pictures.
As you can see, these are not the best pictures, and he is just wearing his regular work khakis with it (I ran out of time, and didn't get to make the pants or the boots. But I am still planning to work on the pants, and a quilted shirt. As well as a new hauberk (when I have the $ for real leather...). His hauberk was a hideous 70's leather coat, reddish thin leather and very very shiny. I took a lot of the shine off with rubbing alcohol, but the flash makes it see still pretty shiny. Oh well. I can't really complain since it was free.

Here we are as a whole family. I am wearing a bad dye job of my fist attempt at a medieval kirtle (except it has no sleeves, and is actually cotton canvas, its a mockup). Jehanne is wearing her shieldmaiden dress in a previous blog. Isaiah is wearing a quick-costume version of a Tower Guard. I confess I made a stencil from cardboard and spray painted on to the fabric. Only the sleeves are hand embroidered. In his real tower guard outfit I will embroider the tree, or do something more authentically Lord of the Rings-ish.



I also am working on a shieldmaiden outfit (obviously not the dress above). I haven't taken any of the finished corset on me yet, those will be coming when I get back to it and we are back in Philadelphia after Christmas.