49 years and counting

We were married 49 years ago today.  It was a 2 PM ceremony at the church with a reception afterwards in the church sociial hall… small sandwiches, cookies, mints and cake…oh and coffee and punch. We had a wedding dance the next night (Sunday) at Anglers Tavern in Osage.  It was bitterly cold… –20 F.

We honeymooned for one night in Thief River Falls, Minnesota where it was even colder.

Today we will go out for a late lunch most likely with my parents and then have a quiet evening at home.

I still have the veil…the dress was made into a Baptismal Gown and Hey Mikey wore it.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Wistful Wednesday: 48 years ago

It was cold…about –20F or –6C eh! 

We were married in the afternoon and had a reception afterwards.  We had cake, Christmas cookies, coffee, punch and some fancy sandwitches…they used to take a loaf of bread and swirl food coloring in it.  Then it would be sliced lengthwise and the layers would be filled with cheese…ham salad etc…fancy….the reception took place in the church social hall.

This is a photo of the inside of the church taken from the balcony.

We had fun looking at the backs of the heads in this photo.  Many who are now gone. My Maternal Grandmother and Far Guys Maternal Grandmother both wore hats as did our Mothers.

This is the entire wedding party. The gal( my Aunt that was younger than me) on the far left died last spring but the rest of the group are still alive and well.

 

48 years…it sounds like a long time…but it doesn’t seem that long ago.  We know each other well and can finish each other sentences and often are thinking the same thing at the same time. We are still best friends and on good days we both have a wicked sense of humor.

We had planned to spend the day away to see a Grand…but we are supposed to get a bunch of snow and it may be a winter storm so we will spend the day at home. Warm and safe instead of in a snowstorm someplace.

Mikey’s Baptism

Yesterday was Mikey’s baptismal day.  The gown fit perfectly.

He liked the feel of the gown and kept putting it in his mouth.

Maddie our Granddaughter and Mikey our Great Grandson

Mikey with his parents.

He was very good during the ceremony, he just looked all around…and kept stuffing the gown in his mouth.

Here you can see how wrinkled the gown was.  I have a bit of fabric left not much but perhaps enough to sew a bib!

I brought the gown home to wash and iron it and to pack it away for the next great grandchild.

This was originally my wedding dress December 20 1969

This repurposed gown was worn by Mikey on October 8 2017 on the ocassion of his baptism.

All sewing was accomplished with the help of my good friend and neighbor JoLynn.

Ongoing Projects: A Gown

For a very long time I have been wanting to do something with my wedding gown.  It is 48 years old this year.  It has been in several different boxes over the years, it finally ended up in the Cedar Chest upstairs. 

I bought a pattern for a long baptismal gown for a baby several years ago.  It has been on my “to do list.”

I finally took it out of hiding on May 31st.

It was very wrinkled.  Far Guy said “shouldn’t you iron it?”

Nah…

I will take a photo of it outside…maybe it will look better.

Nope still wrinkled.  Well I wasn’t going to iron it just for a photo.  After all I was going to throw it into the washer in cold water and hope it would hold together and not be just a bunch of unreconizable threads.

Deep breath.

It worked…it held together..now into the dryer keeping my fingers crossed.

That worked too.  Now to rip out some seams.  I called Jo and said “Got a seam ripper?”  She said “Sure what kind of trouble are you in now?  I will be right over.”

We ripped out seams and pinned the pattern on that first afternoon and cut out all the pieces.  The second afternoon we sewed some of it together.  The third afternoon it was all done except for some by hand stitching. I finished the hand stitching yesterday!  It was an adventure. Niether of us want to do a repeat anytime soon.  Jo is a much better seamstress than I am.

 

It is a baptismal gown and a cap.  I need to get blue ribbon to string in the cap for the ties instead of white.  Far Guy hauled out the ironing board and I pressed the entire gown….my old iron is practically an antique but it worked well enough to get out the wrinkles!

The skirt of my gown was just perfect to make the skirt of the baptismal gown.  I wanted an old fashioned look of a really long gown. 

Hey Mikey your baptismal gown is all done on June 9 2017!

I am so glad this project is done.  Many thanks to Jo for going along this sewing adventure with me!

1910 Wedding Dress

We have a number of old wedding dresses at the museum.  One day I photographed some of the small details on one of the dresses worn by an early resident.

This is the collar.  The fabric is starting to fray.  I am not sure what the material is..but it has lots of trim detail.

This is part of the trim on the dropped shoulders…the trim minus the fringe runs down the bodice and is repeated on the skirt. 

I am not sure what is on her left arm..a wrap or stole of some sort.  I think the collar is not straight with the world either.

Recently I have ben going through many of the photographs I took in the museum last summer..it gives me a chance to look at small details..like the wrap/stole..does it belong with the dress..is it period correct?

This gown is in the room we call the Toggery.  A toggery is a clothing shop. 

This room will be undergoing a transformation.  We got a grant and were able to purchase three  8’ tall cabinets…they should help us to display some items better. Plus they have bottom shelves for storage!  I have oodles of hat boxes that should go someplace.

What I wouldn’t give for some museum improvement TV Show to come in..take everything out of the room..repaint..and then display everything anew.  I will probably have to settle for shuffling everything away from the walls..cleaning the nooks and crannies and installing the new cabinets.  I have never had to close rooms before in the museum..I am thinking that next spring a few will have to be closed until the work inside is complete.

Like a ninny I have invited the Governor and Lieutenant Governor to egg coffee and homemade cookies in the Pioneer Room on May 10th the day before opening fishing weekend.  Every year a town in Minnesota hosts the Governor’s Opening Fishing Tournament..it is a big deal..and Park Rapids is the town in the spotlight in 2013.

Back to me being a ninny..as soon as I heard that Park Rapids was chosen I submitted the invitation..figuring the early bird would get the worm ..and the free publicity.  That was back in September..before we began painting my office, the Military Room and the High School Memory Room downstairs.  All of those rooms need to be set right..before May 10.  I will have eight days to get ready..what was I thinking?

I am trying not to think about it too much:)

43 years

Well it is that time of year again.  Wedding Anniversary time.  We have managed to  annoy, disagree and love each other through another year.  I am a lucky woman to still have my best friend and soul mate to irritate everyday!

A long time ago..“We ate cake!”

At least we were civil and fed the cake to each other nicely.  I watch some of those “Wedding Shows”  with some of the wedding cake fiascos and the smearing of the cake on the face.  It is not funny at all in my opinion.  I think the younger generation has lost respect for this part of the wedding day.

Other than breathe a sigh of relief and greet all your guests..the first thing you do together as a married couple is cut the cake..a joint effort..holding the cake knife together.  Then you feed each other part of the first slice..the symbolism being that you will provide for each other from now on.  I think it is a wonderful tradition.

I have restored the photographs that were in our wedding album.  They have faded over time..even if they were in an album.  More wedding photos can be found here.

I still have the dress and veil.  I would like to take the dress apart and have it made into a baptismal gown for my Great Grands ( someday far off in the future)..either that or donate it to a museum.  I would like to do something useful with it.

What have you done with your old wedding dress?  Is it like mine..wrapped in white tissue paper and stuck in a box? :)

Museum: Wedding Dress

This is one of many wedding dresses in the museum.  This one is not your usual wedding dress.

Here is the info.

1918 Campfire Design

Huh?

I did a quick search and found no wedding dress design called Camp Fire.  I will have to dig deeper. The vesty looking satin part drapes beautifully and has great lines.

I spent some time in the Toggery yesterday..making sure photos were turned right side up and everything was in it’s proper place.  I could spend a week in this room.  Everything should be moved and cleaned under and around. There are boxes and even some old suitcases shoved under displays that contain clothing. And hat boxes galore…I really need a volunteer to adopt this room too!  Someone who is as energetic and excited as Tom my Library Volunteer..he showed up every morning this past week!

I am tired, one week down twenty-one to go.  It was a long week, and cool.. most visitors didn’t stay too long. Yesterday I sat outside for a bit..it was warmer outside than inside and it was only 60 degrees outdoors:)