Teacher, Student, Whatever

It's been awhile since I've dusted off the keyboard for my blog! Lately I've been hammering away at my book (which will hopefully be available this winter), as well as toiling away with a strict training regime. For my new puppy...

My little future therapy dog in training...

I also have a ton of books to add to my summer reading challenge. Of course I read the books already, sometimes more than one a week, but I didn't write anything down. I let myself enjoy the summer without setting deadlines. 

One cool thing I DO want to show off is this video about my kids at school doing beadwork.

I feel so awkward about being on television. My face looks funny, my voice ridiculous. I take comfort in the fact that beadwork is awesome, and twice a month kids meet in my room to eat and hang out. During the school year, my entire front table is covered with beads, projects, and papers for ideas about projects. It will be clean again...in May?

So I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things, and will hopefully have more blog posts this fall. If not, imagine that I'm instead spending my time whisking a puppy outside so he doesn't have an accident. Probably that!

~Kristen

Book #1: To Net or Not to Net: Revisted

Don't even need to read my post.
Just buy it.

Title: To Net or Not to Net: Revisted

Author: Anna Worden Baursmith

Published: 2018 

Format: Downloadable PDF

Summary:

Anna Worden Baursmith explores the many aspects of wearing a hair net. This includes materials used, construction, and context of wearing. She clearly states and uses her primary sources to breathe life into the 19th century images throughout the text. It would be prudent to call this the definitive source on all things net related, and one that every reenactor should study.

My Favorite Things:

Dictionary-Since I've not had a lot of experience with the "hair" side of reenacting, understanding the language is key to delving into the primary sources. While the words are familiar, her explanations are clear, and help me to better grasp the context of each piece.

Tons of Images-Wait 'til you see these. Seriously, there is an appendix of fashion plates with descriptions. And that's just a tidbit of the primary sources! There are oodles of CDVs to show what these nets look like in person. I'm a visual person, so her attempts to teach to my brain are very well received.

Ridiculous Bibliography-Why do I use the word "ridiculous"? Because it involves PAGES of sources. Primary documents. Links to sites that can help you expand your research. Essentially the blood, sweat, and tears of Anna Worden Baursmith committed to page. If you're not crying by the end of that beautifully formatted work, you're a monster go back and think about the dedication it takes to track down that many leads and then just give them to others in this book.

Notable Quotes:

"When I wrote “To Net or Not to Net” fifteen years ago it was the most in depth research I undertook to that point. Online research was in its youth. I was in my research infancy. Since that time, the information publicly available on the internet has compounded, while I have come to understand the depths of locally available materials far better." 

Excuse me? An update??? While I've not read the original, I was VERY impressed by the current edition, and have a lot of respect for a person who goes back to update research. It's all too easy to sit back and say "Welp, I'm done." Not Anna Worden Baursmith. Again, that's a true educator move.

"Hair nets were worn for both function and for fashion." 

Context is key, and she nails it. She's not just looking at the frilly side of history. She's clear that she wants the reader to be well-versed in all that is hairnet and holy by the end of the book. Praise be!

"Here are two examples of images I purchased thinking the women are wearing hair nets..."

You really need to buy the book to fully understand this line, so let me explain just a bit. She comments here on one of the pitfalls she encountered during her dive into history. Not only is she sharing all the RIGHT stuff, but she's walking you through the challenges you may face in your own research. Thank you!

Suggestions/Advice for Reading:

Can we have TWO Anna Worden Baursmiths? Maybe clone her so she can keep writing at a non-stop pace? I'm currently debating the ethics of such a decision...

Seriously though, I loved this book! While it falls more under my "reference" category, it answers many of my questions without coming off as dry or boring. Her words are precise, the pictures relevant, and the sources lengthy. My suggestion for Anna is that she continues to write (clone or not), as her blog If I Had My Own Blue Box is awesome too.

If you're looking for a link to buy the book, click here. It is available as a downloadable file on Etsy for only $15, so you will instantly receive access to more research than you'll know what to do with. Give yourself time to read, maybe a pillow too because you'll fall asleep smiling next to the screen.

What, that doesn't happen to everyone? 

I hope this first post quenched your thirst for knowledge, and opened your mind just a bit. Happy reading fellow history lovers, and until next week!

~Kristen

Kristen's Summer Reading Challenge

Oh no. Here I go again, doing a thing.

Kristen's 

Summer Reading

Challenge

Why?

As you probably already know, dear reader, I am a teacher. Teachers are blessed with so many things; smiling students, cheerful staff meetings, and the stray puddle of vomit at the end of the day. Summer vacation is that blissful time to get away from it all to preserve some semblance of sanity.

LOL

Teachers use the summer to refine lesson plans, design curriculum, plan new classroom setup, catch up on current teaching pedagogy, and set aside cash for those new books/carts/posters. While the day to day classroom teaching no longer exists, a sense of purpose certainly continues.

This summer, I would like to extend that learning time into my reenacting life. Sure, I read all the time. But it is usually for reference, and I hardly take many notes. Hence the beginning of an awesome summer reading challenge I have named...Kristen's Summer Reading Challenge. 

What is it?

Each week I will craft a blog post about a book that I've read, specifically one related to history. While many of these books will focus on the Civil War Civilian experience, I do enjoy Regency and Edwardian text. There's a good one about King Henry VIII too! I'm not limiting myself to a genre either, and I will gladly read fiction and non-fiction. 

Can I participate?

I would love to hear your thoughts about the books that I read, or recommendations for others like it. Maybe there's a line you just love, and have to share! While I don't have a specific "plan" for a group reading list, if enough people are interested, maybe we'll try in the fall?

To sum up...

Look for blog posts from me this summer. Read them. Enjoy them? And perhaps buy a book yourself and have a good summer!

~Kristen

April Post-Conference Recovery

Back to it!

I find that the conference eats up so much of my time every year. I love every little bit, but the decompression afterwards is a necessity. We've certainly planned for next year already (March 23-25, 2019, Monroe County Community College). However...it is so important that I spend this time regrouping and catching up on things I may have put on the back burner. Things like watching my little brother play in a baseball tournament, or going rock climbing. 

In my extra time, I've decided to pick up bullet journaling. Basically it's a book with dots that you turn into whatever you want. For me it has become a planner/goal tracker/list holder. I have all these cute little stencils that make the pages so adorable that it doesn't even feel like they represent work. I may form a Facebook group for my fellow history lovers who utilize historical themes (I have a few pages solely dedicated to that!). Maybe a blog post ahead? This summer?

My handwriting is atrocious. I accept this cruel twist of fate.

Also, the amazing Greenfield Village event is underway. While I do have a decent amount of stock left over from last year, I will need to really push to have enough jewelry/accessories/other to sell all weekend. I also like to add new items, which will include some hair ribbons (if I don't keep them) and painted floor cloths (which may stay with me too). I have to keep an eye on my wrists too; the "sewing soreness" can put me behind if I'm not careful.

All in all I think the last month gave me the breathing room I needed to proceed with the hobby I love. Sometimes you need a bit of time to refresh. Burnout Blues are definitely a thing! It helps that Michigan finally decided to cooperate in the whole "starting spring" department. That last ice storm was hardly conducive to work. She can be such a brutal place when she wants to be...

Good luck with your preparations for the season! I wish you all dresses that didn't shrink in the closet, shoe sets where one didn't walk away, and canvas free of little mice nibbles. Having experienced all three, I don't wish them on anyone else!

~Kristen

The Citizen's Forum of the 1860s 2018

So we did it again. We did another conference. It was awesome.

This year was such a vast improvement compared to 2017! And although I thought we did well in 2017, we did fantastically better. Maybe it was the better communication. Maybe it was the added signs (a few arrows pointing the wrong way that we fixed....I did that...). Maybe it was the improved menu. Maybe it was the addition of extra workshops. Maybe it was the in-depth look at originals with accompanying 19th century images. Maybe maybe maybe maybe.

Whatever it was, we had fun.

(The following photos are a mix from Andy Assenmacher, Jennifer Long, Matthew Music, Eric Smallwood, Sara Gonzalez and myself. They have taken pity on me and let me use their photos!)

Soiree

On Friday we mingled at The Historic Sawyer House in downtown Monroe. This included copious amounts of food and punch. We had a real southerner make the punch, so you know it was legitimate punch. Seriously, I ate more than my corset could handle! Some settled into conversations with friends, while others had their likeness taken by Robert Beech.

Rocking Horse Toys and games also brought a selections of period toys and games for people to enjoy throughout the night. There's nothing more satisfying than playing with toys!

Keynote Speakers

As a high school teacher, five days a week you can find me giving a lecture to a group of teenagers. I enjoy my job immensely, and it's part of the reason I adore offering educational opportunities to the reenacting community.

However...

I actually enjoying learning from others WAY more than speaking. Is it a needed break from my day job? Perhaps. Or maybe I know to learn from the best! In any case, here is the line-up of our seminar speakers, and their presentations. They were absolutely fantastic in every way! They prompted deep conversations about how we look at and talk about history.

Elizabeth Stewart Clark

An Eye for Detail: Examining Period Imagery
and

Our Latest Issue: Original Publications and What We Can Glean From Them

Robert Beech

19th Century Photography

Elizabeth Aldridge
Removing Roadblocks from Research

Jillian Drapala
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly; Female Anomalies of the Civil War

Workshops

Another addition to this conference: more workshops! Based on the surveys from the previous year, people wanted more hands-on opportunities to learn.

We also decided to add "drop in" to our Sunday schedule. Perhaps someone couldn't make their Friday class, or originally thought they had to leave earlier. Or maybe they spotted a near-complete project across the room on Saturday afternoon and were instantly smitten...whatever the case, these classes were full of happy, hardworking individuals ready to learn!

Collars~Sara Gonzalez


Cravats~Eric Smallwood

Textile Identification~Glenna Jo Christen

Fitting from Patterns
and
Draping~Elizabeth Stewart Clark

A Beaded Bracelet~Kristen Mrozek

Originals Area

This year we took a slightly different approach to displaying our original, 19th century items. You'll notice quite a few little signs with images and explanations. Possibly an excessive amount, upon reflection. That's because this year Glenna Jo and I set a ridiculous goal:
EVERY ORIGINAL MUST HAVE AN IMAGE.

Let's briefly recall our theme this year:
"How does imagery inform our historical representations?"

What does that mean? If we display a dress with a gathered bodice, a CDV of a woman with a gathered bodice will be featured below. That crazy men's plaid pattern of pants? Got it! Children's shoes? We found an advertisement in a 19th century magazine that is identical! Jewelry? Check. Cool perforated paper? There's the original instructions for that exact project in Godey's Lady's Book.

Learning from speakers is fantastic (especially those with images and wit). But many people are visual learners too. Last year we did have a display of original items, though it was difficult to compare those originals to images Glenna Jo and I know we've seen. Having an image right there helped everyone better understand what they were looking at. An amazing teaching tool!

It was one of the most difficult but rewarding things we've ever done.
(Glenna worked much harder on this than I did-she's awesome!)

Now let your eyeballs soak it in!

Vendor Area

I always find the vendors to be an essential part of what we do. Here we have a group of talented, research-driven individuals who reproduce many of the items we use in our impressions today. They are a valuable part of the reenacting community, and should be supported in every way. Needless to say, I spent a bit of money, as did many other eager conference attendees!

I must add that all of these hard-working individuals are very nice, and love to answer your questions. Feel free to message them from the links I've provided here.

Sullivan Press

The Dressmaker's Shop

Elizabeth Aldridge & Elizabeth Stewart Clark

They are two separate businesses, but shared a table!

Ensembles of the Past

Corner Clothier

*I will do a post about her conference coming soon!

Rocking Horse Toys and Games

Mrs. Christen's Miscellanea 

The Victorian Needle

Victorian Lace and Maddhatter

Youth Workshop

We explored different topics in our youth workshop this year. With ages ranging from 8-30 (haha-me!), eleven young people congregated to discuss a variety of issues, from making their voices heard to implementing their own ideas within their reenacting units. It was fascinating to hear their hopes and struggles within the historical community as a whole. At dinner, a young person addressed the main conference with many of these thoughts...

And the lady speaking into the microphone? Miss Ava. She is an amazing young woman who did generally anything that was asked throughout the weekend. She manned the front door, participated in the youth workshop, and helped hand out prizes. In the future, I plan to continue utilizing young peoples' talents in every way. They are certainly awesome and are the future of reenacting.

Positivity Board

What is a "positivity board"?

Good Question.

As a society, we can sometimes focus on the negative. I battle with this in my classroom every day, and I know it doesn't necessarily stop in adulthood. I've created a "positivity board" to remind ourselves and others that YES! someone does care about you, and is grateful for your contributions to our community. It was basically a board with markers, sticky notes, and that warm fuzzy feeling in your chest when you see something that makes you happy.

While many of the notes were "thank yous," I saw beautiful writing. The best were written anonymously to speakers and fellow conference goers, offering their support in many ways. It gives me hope that we are going in the right direction, one filled with thoughtfulness and learning. 

Conclusion

I do have a few more blog posts planned. As an event organizer, I feel compelled to share what worked, what didn't, and how we plan to improve each year. People read my blog for different reasons; you might be my Mom showing this post to friends, a curious future attendee, or an even more curious event planner, wondering just how in the heck we managed to pull this off again!

(Mom, I can help you download these pics later, just remind me...)

To me, the best part of the conference is watching groups of people come together in pursuit of knowledge. I witnessed at least one friendship bloom! I'm glad we can create a safe, welcoming environment where everyone can learn, share, and grow together. We left feeling a bit like a family; I know I said goodbye to many people that I wished would stay.

So here we are again. I've had a few weeks to clean out my car, cuddle with some kittens, and pretend that I live a normal life. But here's the burning question...are we doing another conference?

2019 Conference!

Here we come!

Details coming just as soon as I catch another breath.

Take care friends, and have another safe and fun reenacting season!

~Kristen