Travelling Time and Space

Usually I get sick -after- events. Maybe it's the exposure to the many germs people knowingly and unknowingly bring from all over the State to this one gathering distributing the evil amongst the innocent. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's because we're just so weakened by the blessings of civilization that Mother Nature just has to knock us out. Maybe it's just me.

This time we're getting sick -before- the event. How much suckage does that pose ? *grumble* It all started with Finndragon who declared Tuesday and Wednesday 102F fever celebration days. As surprisingly as it came, it vanished only to be replaced with a full-blown cold and cough a day later. While mostly in good spirits he is just not fit to attend an outdoor event so we're staying home. This of course caused many things :

• it rendered my beautiful and very efficient packing useless
• it threw Innis into panic about breakfast which I had agreed to take care of [but I fixed pancakes and Scotch Eggs anyhow and send them along - can't have them starve without me, right ? The Scotch Eggs are the low-fat variety this time, heh - oven-baked rather than deep fried. The amount of fat you get to pour off the muffin pan is just scary ....*shudders*]
• made my Signet duties really interesting at the last minute but luckily I have great friends who offered to take whatever needed to be delivered to court with them and so, after packing up an emergency Signet folio, everything should work out *keeps fingers crossed*
• I'll miss seeing a -lot- of people *sigh*

So, well, we're staying home. Of course my nose started itching ever so lightly and there's a little scratch in the back of my throat which means I'll have to knock myself out with some Nyquil tonight or else it'll be -bad- tomorrow.At least it's a long weekend so maybe we'll have enough time to recover properly and be good for next week's Scriptorium.

This one here : maeva.eiriksdottir.googlepages.com/scriptorium

I'll be teaching three classes :o) See you there I hope.

I swear it is and I love her for it :o)

During our recent family visit my MIL took me to a meeting of her quilting group. While none of the ladies had brought a needle or threat or something to work on [well, other than an iron and an ironing board for ironing imaginary fabric] they all had brought a truckload of the latest quilting magazines which we browsed and poured over while chatting amicably. Lack of testosterone in any given room makes me fidgety and nervous but this time it wasn't that bad :o)

My browsing of quilting magazines continued once we were back home. Some of those creations [while they sport way too many seams to make me happy] are just mindblowingly beautiful and fascinating. My personal favorites were photo-quilting where with the clever use of bits and pieces of fabric some artists achieved the looks of large paintings [rather than the pixel look of the classy quilt] and flower appliques on a white background. Over tidying up before going to bed we continued our chat and then my MIL asked -the- question: "Do you do quilting in the SCA ?" Now, my brain collects tidbits on crafts here and there and stores them for future use, and sometime during my researches and net travels I'd come across the Tristand and Isolde quilts, of course. 14th century basic quilting - not the blocked piecing of fabric remnants and it might not even have been a blanket but quilting all the same. I just had never looked up 'how' they did it.

Well, to make a long story short, now I know [well, or to be true I have an idea. Trapunto or cord quilting was done by filling a double line of running stitch with stuffing like wool roving or cord. The tricky part is how the stuffing got there ... there's claim to holes being poked into the backing fabric or even cut and later sewn closed again but somebody also claims to have seen the back of a Tristan quilt and there were no signs of these techniques. So maybe they were stuffed while being sewn ? That could work ...]

I've made two small Trapunto pillows using purple linen I had on hand and they were a lot of fun. Filled with a bit of lavender they smell good and will most likely end up in the royal giftbasket :o) After those fairly quick and satisfying successes I've been toying with the idea of a bed quilt and after reading Racaire's next embroidery challenge I think I'll really give that a shot : my own quilted coverlet. I already have the design sketched out based on a surviving 16th century German quilt and I only need to clean it up and measure things before tackling the task for good. I have just enough nice white linen for the job *G*

Muhahaha ... 

My baby turns 4 today.

 

4 years ago I finally held the little bundle I'd been singing to for the most of 9 months of pregnancy. The one I'd been talking to on long drives and flights to and fro grandparents and continents. The one I negotiated over food with on our grocery shopping sprees trading noodles and fish for neutral grounds of vegetables and fruit. The one who kept me from hunger attacks for the better of 3 months. The one whom I gave birth to faster than any first-time mother should.

It's been a whirlwind, those past 4 years, and only looking back you realize how fast they flew by. Boy, you have grown. From a 9 pound baby to a smart and smug 4 y/o standing 34 inches tall.

4 years.

4 years filled with laughter and tears - bumps and bruises - kisses and yes, the occasional spanking - temper tantrums and quiet sieges - much hand butting and  stand-downs - silly games and  lots of pretend - quiet snuggles and falling asleep in each other's arms - dirty diapers and muddy clothes - critters, creepies and crawlies - lizzards and snails and frog and bugs - books and stories and good night kisses.

Boy, do I love you.  

Here's to the next 4 years ! Let's party today with Dinosaur cake, birthday cards, balloons, friends and family all over the world and lots of presents. You, you are my biggest present ever, second only to your father.

Me ? I'm blessed, not lucky :o)

 

A week from now we'll be packing like maniacs for Coronation. Finndragon and I are going to be traveling with Milica and Katiebug and hubby is staying home allowing us to enjoy a rather girly weekend. As usual the time leading up to the event - any event, really - is busy with preparations. The County scrolls for our outgoing Crown are coming along nicely and while it is not my preferred style it is coming together and I'm starting to like it. Pictures and more details to follow at a later time. The scroll folio is filled nicely and I should be all set for any awards TRMs wish to give. Although 'more' is always better and so I'm looking forward to Trimaris scribes dropping off package after package of scrolls for kingdom use. Yes Sir ! Coronation also sees the end of the current Scribe-a-thon, our calligraphy competition [more here www.melessee.org/Scribes/scribeathon/ ] and again we will have a room in the lyseum for the whole weekend for Scribes Point, airconditioned no less, so please stop by, say hello and sit down for a chat or a bit of calligraphy and/or illumination. Darlene's birthday was nice and our combined birthday present very well received. We created a Norse outfit for her in an assembly line : I sewed a white linen coif, an underdress [green linen] and aprondress [rustbrown linen] and decorated the aprondress with fingerbraided cord and contrasting seam stitching in pale yellow, Martine beautifully embroidered the underdress's neckline and Milica created a two-strand festoon to go between the brooches. It fits and Darlene looks great in it, and the colors, as odd as they may sound, really complement each other and look good on her :o) That was a real success. Hm, whatelse ? Finndragon is still happily going to school every morning, I need to find some time to sit down and make a few doodats for the Royal giftbasket and I'm sure there is more things to do that I currently don't remember. I won't be able to finish the blue and lime-green German Rock before coronation because of the whole cut and slash decoration that needs to be handstitched but I might turn some of the very pretty purple linen Martine gave me for my birthday into a new Norse underdress. I still have some of that very nice silk purple,gold and turquoise silk trim left [the one I used on the charcoal wool aprondress] and that'd look levely together. Hmmm .... I guess I better get off the computer then :o)

Considering how much I enjoy other people's blog updates and how frustrating it is to return to a much favored blog only to notice it hasn't been updated for weeks [or worse, was abandoned] it is rather unforgivable how slow I've been posting updates myself. Mea culpa. Splinter in your eye and all of that.

Anyways. We're back from our family visit to PA and we all had a wonderful time. Hubby and I snuck away to NY for a date day again and treated ourselves to the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Strand bookstore and dinner in Chinatown - all of which made for a great day with lots of things to see. I still wouldn't want to live in NY [there are just too many people per square inch for me to feel comfortable] but I love visiting it. Our week in the north zapped by fast filled with a trip to Knoebel's Amusement park and just fun family time and leaving was hard on all of us.

 

Our next excitement was Finndragon's first day at Preschool. We'd been prepping him to be excited about school but hadn't realized how much we'd succeeded. Instead of howling and fighting over separation from home, Mommy and Daddy  he marched into school, waved good-bye and hollered "I love you" and that was it. Anticlimatic, I tell you, too easy almost. I was a little afraid it might backfire and that the second day he'd complain about having to go to school 'again' but no such questionable luck. Finndragon bounced out of bed and left cheerfully for school, all grown up and ready to go. It got me a little choked up, I admit, but I'm incredibly proud of my little big man.

Of course. I'd have loved to go to preschool if we'd had a hamster, a fish and a bunch of hermit crabs in the class room. It's like the "Wonderpets" *giggle* No idea who that is ? Well Wikipedia has the answer for you  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Pets

 

So whatelse is new ? My Laurel is back home in the States, church is still a lot of fun and we all enjoy going [even though we'll be a bit sad about having to change to morning services again in September] and life is on fast-forward as usual. Coronation is coming up in less than two weeks and the logistics of us attending are hitting snag after snag. It'll work out, I'm sure :o) Then there is Scriptorium the weekend after and then things are headed for the finishing line for Castlemere's 30 years Anniversary event in October. Then there is Thanksgiving followed by the DAvent Season and Christmas and ere we have the chance to take a breath another year is over ...

Somebody write a speeding ticket ... 

 

Dear Carthief,

for reasons unbeknownst to me you appear to be targeting my car.

Let me enlighten you because frankly I believe you haven't got a clue and are an embarrassment to your profession. My car is probably the oldest on the block. Minivan is an astonishing 16 years old and has the mileage to show for it. We prefer not to drive long distances with it because you never know when Minivan will take his last breath and pass on to smoother asphalt. His battle scars are rust, missing canopy [it has fallen prey to inquisitive toddler hands], a mummified a/c and a bunch of nicks and dents and otherbeauty marks. Those also include the marks of your latest activities. Well, yours and that of others of your kind to be correct.

Most of those who tried to steal the car knew what they were getting themselves into and that it wasn't worth all the hassle afterall after cracking open one of the windows. Or busting a lock to one of the doors. A quick glance into the crumb and crap filled inside of a soccer mom transportation device yielded enough clues that this wasn't going to bring 'big bucks'. You, the crowning glory of your entire ilk, on the other hand had to bust open yet another window [you couldn't have just used the one that was secured with a piece of string ? Not challenging enough, eh ?] after ignoring all the scratched up and dented in locks on all the doors [Not enough clue that somebody was there first and didn't decide it was worth it ?].
Noooo. -You- had to climb in and try to steal the minivan for good. Since you already failed in target recognition and evaluation, you also failed entirely in jumping the car. What you were trying to do, we don't know. What we know is that the minivan is now suffering from a broken ignition lock which will have to be replaced. Thanks a lot. How about you stop mutilating my old car and either steal it for good and get over and done with it -or- maybe you open your eyes and find a better car that's actually worth stealing. Say, something that'll actually get you more than $100 at a junkyard. Or *gasp* you could get a job ...

Yours truly,

M. 

What Mythical Creature are you? Your Result: Elf   Elves are skilled, intelligent craftsmen and warriors. An elf will devote his or her life to a certain trade, and thus become the best in the universe at what they do. Elves are commonly very quiet and reclusive, causing them to be shy. However shy, they are not naive and posess a great deal of knowlege and wisdom that seems to be inherited at birth. Elves are immortal, and very dedicated to nature. They walk in harmony with their surroundings, but are not wholely over emotional beings. Love is not thought of as deep or passionate for these creatures, but rather a pairing, or mating that is ultimately result in offspring.
Nymph
Siren
Vampire
Werewolf
What Mythical Creature are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

1. Mundane Name: Micha

2. Mundane Job: homemaker

3. Persona name: Maeva Eiriksdottir

4. How did you come up with your name? There were just so many English personas in my first Shire so I -had- to go Viking :o) Poking through the Landnamabok I tried a few names until I realized that I didn't really listen to any name not starting with an "M". That made it easy - Maeva is one of the very few female names with an "M".

5. Where and when did your persona live? Hedeby, 936

6. What is your Known World Location? Shire of Castlemere, Kingdom of Trimaris

7. What kingdom do you consider to be your home? Trimaris

8. How long have you played? Since February 2002

9. How did you get started? Elfquest fan Art. One of my favorite artists on an Elfquest Forum told me about going on vacation to Pennsic and showed me to the SCA homepage. The rest is history, as they say :o)

10. Why did you join? The love of history and a fascination with experimental archeology. And I love to dress up.

11. Have you registered a name? Yes.

12. Have you registered a device? I'm in the process

13. What awards have you been granted? In what kingdom did you receive these awards?
Award of Arms, Drachenwald
Order of the Herald's Tressure, Trimaris
Order of the Argent Estoile, Trimaris
Order of the Argent Palm, Trimaris
Order of the Trade Winds, Trimaris
Order of the Silver Trident, Trimaris
Grant of Arms, Trimaris

14. How many events do you attend each year? Uh ... well, around a dozen

15. What is the best event you have ever been to? Konrad's and Aurelia's Saturday Night Fever in Drachenwald, November 2002

16. What is the worst event you have ever been to? Probably my first ever considering it was freezing cold, raining and had the worst lentil soup ever - and still I find myself waxing about it -and- I stayed :o)

17. What event do you make it to every year? Art-Sci, and then Crown Tourney and Coronation.

18. What event do you refuse to go to? On grounds of ... ? Having a family and especially a small child I have to pick and choose the events I want to attend carefully but it's not so much that I 'refuse' to go.

19. Who is your favorite person to hang at an event with? One ? One of the great things about events is that you get to meet and connect with so many cool people you don't see all the time ... that is if meetings and tight schedules allow us a breather or two

20. What activities do you participate in? Good thing there is no limit on how many you can list *G* Calligraphy and illumination, bookbinding, costuming, lampworking, cooking, leatherworking, woodworking, heraldry and pageantry, archery, and, and, and

21. What activity would you like to learn? Everything I possibly can. I have to be careful with all those outdoor activities because I have serious issues with extended exposure to sunlight [no, I don't burst into flames but I do get mega-migraines if I sit in the sun for any longer than 1 hour or two]

22. Are you a marshal? No.

23. How many tents have you had destroyed at events? None .. yet

24. Has your garb ever caught on fire? No ?

25. Have you ever woken up in a strange person’s tent? Nope, but waking up next to a strange person in Drachenwald crash space [each in their own leeping bag] is probably just as weird

26. Do you have a pavilion? Yes ... the Mini Raspberry[tm], the Medium Blue[tm] and a plain walltent 2

7. Are you a peer? Not one with a capital 'P' :o)

28. Do you ever want to be a peer? There are arguments for and against it but I definitely want to be as cool as a number of the Peers that I know when I grow up

29. Is it a coincidence that peer rhymes with beer? That' a trick question, I know it ! Afterall, my Laurel is a brewer ...

30. Are you a squire, apprentice or protegee? I'm an apprentice

31. Who would you like to be squired, apprenticed or protegee'd to? I am apprenticed to the person I want to be apprenticed to

32. What is your war cry? "Let's !"

33. Have you ever been pulled off of the field for your safety? If you're short you learn young what a 'safe distance' is

34. What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you in armour? Walking ... downhill... 'nuff said

35. Have you read Corpora? Always read the fine print

36. Circlets, how do you feel? Mine are invisible

37. What household(s) do you belong to? House Greydragon [Master] and Feileacan Ghairdin [Foster-Mistress] and by association House Hospice and House Wyndrider and then there are the Order of the Nut and the Squirrel and House Blackwood

38. If you could change one thing about the SCA what would it be? I believe there is more than one area that could use some improvement ...

39. What is your favorite part of the SCA? Discovering talents and helping others discover talents we never thought we possessed

40. What is your SCA Goal for the next 7 years? To learn, to teach and to have fun :o)