Inspired by gardens as a time portal, join me with a cup of tea as I share our adventures in historically accurate clothing, handsewn in a historically accurate way.
18TH CENTURY INSPIRATIONS IN MY YOUTH
Something about the charm of a Sleeping Beauty coloring book when I was six caused me to color a page of 18th century gents on horses, be still my heart…which I asked my mom to mail to my dad, who was stationed in Korea for a year with the USAF.
Then in grade school for history we watched the Disney movie, Johnny Tremain…full of tricorn hats and lovely swishing gowns with perky ruffly caps that gripped my soul.
MY DAD TOLD ME ABOUT COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG
Seeing a vibrant 18th century town alive with tricorn hats and swishy gowns broadcast on television on Independence Day, I asked my dad in wonderment: That looks so huge it must be real. Is it?
My dad knowingly replied: It’s Colonial Williamsburg, where the residents of that town actually live 18th century every day.
Wow!
MY FIRST VISIT TO COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG
Better than I could ever imagine was my first visit to Colonial Williamsburg as a young school teacher, where I was immersed in a 1774 Virginia town alive with tricorn hats and swishy gowns, while listening to the clip clop of horse hooves.
While learning that Virginia was the largest, oldest, wealthiest, and most populous of the British colonies. I also learned that famous people I already knew from textbooks walked those streets where they created our country of America.
Who knew? Williamsburg was never once mentioned in history books.
How do I hold all those marvelous details in my head?
Which books actually write of this?
Also…can I live here, too?
BLOGGING JOURNEY BEGINS
Back home in Texas, my kids were born and our homeschooling journey began, with a goal to teach them all I knew of the amazing history in Colonial Williamsburg.
Meanwhile a new technology called blogging became a thing, which I proclaimed I’d never do, since my preference is real paper and real books.
As we progressed in our homeschool journey, many moms wanted pictures of the uniqueness of our Becoming History through homeschool.
With the ease of blogs to tell stories, Teacups in the Garden debuted in 2007 with an invitation to my garden.
Choosing a theme of gardens and teacups, I envisioned two of my favorite things combined for a lovely relaxing chat as we share our experiences.
As we began traveling through Virginia on summer vacations from Texas, I was intrigued by all the Lafayette sightings.
Knowing him only as a sentence in a history textbook, I began exploring his life, which unfolded an amazing story of the alliance between America and France, that continues to this day.
A fan was born!
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