a craft show coming up soon.
and homemade ornaments
decorated with Victorian images
and red, green, silver and gold charms.
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He’s not here yet, but he’s getting close.
There was evidence this morning of his icy cold breath, and his attempts to turn the red in the leaves to brown, so that his drab, heavy winter coat might blend in when he comes.
And then, as if by magic, his beard will whiten one clear, cold night, he’ll change coats, and we’ll wake up underneath a blanket of quiet white. Old Man Winter is quiet, if nothing else. There are jingle bells on the front door. Michaela has set up a little tree to hold our Five In A Row ornaments. (More about that later.) Hot oatmeal with cinnamon makes for a good breakfast these days. The magnets on the refrigerator hold wish lists in place for mom and dad to read. The evenings bring hot chocolate with whipped cream and a good book. So, what’s up at your house? Lynn Before I tell you about the Green Monster, let me say that I hope all of you had a very special Thanksgiving Day! Thank you for the comments. I read every one and do always try to respond, when the dust settles enough around here that I can do so. Anyway, I love the friendships that have developed as a result of this blog.
Thankfully, yesterday our home was filled with joy. We brought the turn table around to the office (off the kitchen) and listened to Alvin and the Chipmunks while a Thanksgiving meal was prepared. Well, Alvin was not the only music selection as we also listened to Mario Lanza singing Christmas carols. What a voice!
The house was full of the smell of turkey covered with gravy, thanks to the carpenter who got up early and cooked the turkey.
There was the smell of greens cooking. Mustard, kale, turnips. Just a good mix, and if you live in the south, you probably know what that smells like! Do you people in the north eat greens? I wish my children would eat greens like they eat the sweet potato casserole, and the broccoli casserole, and the turkey and ham, and mashed potatoes and stuffing, and of course the desserts. But something happens when they look at greens. Okay, not all children, but some of the children. One will eat greens with joy. One will get a spoonful if forced. The other two look like they are going to go under the table like jello and they have the most awful expressions when they see or smell greens. Their noses scrunch up and they squint and go ewwwwwww. Yesterday, the mystery was solved. The Green Monster. But I will get to that.
There were sweet potatoes cooking. Then, combined with the sugar, butter, pecans, flour, more sugar and butter, they smelled divine!
A crockpot full of three different kinds chocolate chips and dry roasted peanuts added to the delightful sensation in the kitchen! My children, even the grown ones, still yell claims to the spoon that was used to ladle the peanut clusters from the pot. Joe, you cannot hide behind that spoon. Now. Brace yourselves. I never realized until I loaded the pictures onto the computer, that a monster lives in the greens in this house. Yes. Of course. It makes perfect sense. The greens are severely haunted, and only some of my chidren have the power to see the green monster. He glared at me from my computer scene, his hiding place revealed under the authority of magnification and GIMP.
His evil, beady eyes. His batlike wings. His long pointed tail. No wonder Joseph and Michaela do not like greens. Poor babies. And all this time I thought they were being peculiar. They were just afraid. Now I’m afraid. Are you afraid? Do go back up to the first greens picture and see now if you don’t see the monster, hiding in the steamy pot, waiting to scare Joseph and Michaela. Scary. Well, enjoy this day. If you can.
I took her along to the Farmer’s Market because she said she was really good at selling pins. I think she looks really October-ish. Do you?
This afternoon will be spent getting ready for the week, mentally and physically. I’m going to try to nap, get a few hours of work in this afternoon as a cushion, plan out school lessons, and just spend an hour or two doing something peaceful and relaxing in hopes that I can approach this week with calm. Enjoy this day.
This past Saturday was the second Saturday that I have set up with my mom at a local farmer’s market. What that means for me is that I type 8 hours on Friday, which tends to be a long day. As you know, housework, errands, mouths to feed, and child-related responsibilities don’t disappear just because I work! So I usually end up not getting to bed before midnight onFriday nights. On Saturday morning I jump into my already-packed van (that’s the goal, anyway!) with my cup of hot coffee, and I meet my mom at the farmer’s market where we laugh and talk and sell things for a few hours. I have to be home and in my work desk by noon, where I work (type) another 8-hour shift and then my weekend is done. Once again, it seems impossible to get to bed before midnight, even if I do not do the farmer’s market.
Having said all that, there’s something about the farmer’s market that makes me really happy. It allows me to work at what I really love doing, and hopefully some day that will be all I do for an income: something I really enjoy. It gives me something to look forward to.
For the 4th, we did not head out to watch a fireworks display, though that would have been mighty fun. Instead, Michaela and I went through a few boxes of sparklers. I marched back and forth in front of the house a few times, saying in my best British accent, “I, John Adams, do proclaim that we are free from the British!!” Michaela said in her best 11-year-old daughter accent, “Mom, be quiet!” Then we called each other Abigail and Betsy. It was a long, tiring but very good weekend.
I hope everyone laughed and smiled as much as I did today.
Just a part of the family picture taken today.
Happy Birthday to me.
It’s not that I’m trying to toot my own horn or anything, but I like to think about how I landed in the middle of this little base housing unit at Lackland and changed my mom’s and dad’s lives forever.
My dad (I miss him so much) was tall and thin and handsome. He had that black-hair-blue-eyes-and-freckles Irish look, and boy was he always dressed to beat the band. This was SO not like him to have his shirt hanging out, but I guess having a newborn put a cramp in his style that picture-taking session.
And my sweet mommy. I have the best momma in the world, and I just won’t argue with anyone about it.
Can you believe she just had a baby?? She always looked like a model. And still does. She used to tell me, in her sweet voice, that she was expecting a baby with dark eyes and dark skin like herself, but there I was, fair as winter with one freckle between my eyes, and it was a sign of what was to be: Daddy the second. She said she couldn’t have been happier.
For my birthday, a package arrived in the mail yesterday from my mom and step-dad. They know I like creatures, so they sent me some creatures that immediately took up residence in my office plants.
Gotta love them creatures.
Oh, and new gardening gloves, and a fine little towel for the kitchen: “Don’t Brood Be Happy.”
Of course a new bird for my collection. My office is turning into an aviary. I love it. I hope you enjoy your day. I know I’m happy with my day. I’m working today, but I’m really totally okay with that. It actually feels good to be on track. The sun is shining and I’ve got plenty of hot tea. I cannot complain.
I posted last week about the fabric egg baskets I made for our Albert co-op and I said I’d post directions. Well, here they are. It’s not as easy to explain as it would be to show someone, so I hope it makes sense. It was a fun and cheap project!
This first thing I did was cut 4 strips of fabric, somewhere around 16 inches long and 1-1/2 to 2 inches wide. You can adjust the size as you want to. I ended up liking the wider (2 inches) scraps better. There was always length to cut off after tying, but the longer strips are easier to work with.
The next thing I did after laying out the strips in a star-type pattern was to carry them carefully to the sewing machine and sewing a messy circle of stitches in the center. This may be the most tedious part because you have to keep straightening the strips of fabric as you go around. This makes the bottom of the nest and does NOT have to be perfect. I even had different color threads on my spool and bobbin, but it only added to the color!
Now it gets harder to explain. The next step is to cut three more strips, also about 16 inches long and also about 2 inches thick. You are going to weave one strip at a time, over and under and over and under, and then cinch it and tie it at the end to make the circumference of the nest the size you want it. (The size of that messy circle you sewed will in part determine the circumference of the nest.
As you can see, I keep an old suitcase full of scraps, so my fabric choices were many. I chose bright springy-looking fabrics.
The picture above shows the first strip, woven over and under and then being tied the size I wanted to make the nest. At this point, holding one hand in the bottom of the nest, pull the original strips (blue stripes in this case) up to tighten that bottom “layer” and lay the strips out neatly for the next fabric strip to be woven in.
The second strip is woven exactly opposite as the first, and it will come out exactly right each time, i.e. you won’t end up with two “unders” or two “overs.” Tie the second layer.
Above is the picture after the third and final layer/strip has been woven in, exactly opposite as the second layer, so you end up with a weave just like a basket. Again, put one hand in the bottom of the basket to hold it while you pull and straighten out the original strips. Now. This may be the hardest part to explain yet! You are going to have a lot of long pieces of fabric hanging off, but DON’T cut anything YET. You will have 8 long pieces from the original set of 4 strips, in this case blue and white striped. You will straighten them up and then tie pairs of strips over the top and final layer you’ve just woven around. In the picture above you can see me tying one. It will secure the top layer in place. You don’t want to tie it too tight, but you don’t want it too loose either, because then your egg nest will be flimsy. After tying four sets of ties around the top, you are ready to trim the ends.
Before trimming, I went around and tightened every knot so they would not come loose. I also had to re-tie a couple because once the higher layers were done, the lower ones seemed too big. You’ll know what I mean when you get to this part. After trimming, you’ll have a finished nest for a pretty egg!
Voila! I want to tell you all how much I appreciate each and every comment. I have not had time to answer each one over the last couple of days, but I read each and every one, and they mean so much! Life has been very overwhelming here lately. Thomas and I each missed at least a week’s worth of work (more for him) from his hospitalization, there were new medicines to be bought, both times he went in, I feel we got behind in life and in lessons, and of course we worry about those we love when they’re not doing so well, so we were all worried about carpenter-man. I am so thankful that Thomas is healing. He was even able to put in those couple of hours on the greenhouse last weekend, but John was a huge help, and Thomas really has really made sure to take it slow getting back into work, etc. Just so you know I appreciate all of you!
Taking one day at a time. I think I always need help with this. Why is it so easy to drag around the past, like a ball and chain? Or to live in fear over the future? I don’t know, but I want to just take one day at a time and be content.
Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days here! Temps in the 50s and 60s, bright sun. The birds were singing a come-on-spring chorus and I loved it! I stole outside for a few minutes on Saturday morning to sit in the sun and read. The steps get so warm, it’s a favorite spot. I’m realizing more and more, when you get a sunny moment you must take it! Yesterday was rainy, rainy, and gray. Today, while there is no rain falling, it is gray outside again. I am trying really hard to be of the optimistic opinion, however, that this only means more flowers come spring. My day today is full, for 19 years ago today I was giving birth to that little fella you see sitting in the sink.
Joseph was our second son, and today he turns 19! Where did the years go? Anyway, I asked him what he wanted to eat tonight, and I’m talkin’ a meal and dessert. “Pizza? Homemade? But can you make about six of them so I can eat all I want? Of course. “And cheese cake?” Why sure. “Uhhhh. Fudge?” At this point The Carpenter got into a huddle with Joseph and noted that mom could make a perfectly-chocolate chocolate cake, so Joseph compromised. I suppose I’ll be grocery shopping this morning and cooking this afternoon. I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday.
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I am the mother of four delightful children: a 23-year-old son, a 20-year-old son, a 17-year-old son, and a bright and bubbly 13-year-old daughter. I share an apartment home with my 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. My little home on the internet is called Rose Cottage because of my love for gardening, roses, and all things romantic and Victorian. Welcome. I'm a North Carolina girl and I love sharing North Carolina links and information. I do medical transcription from home. My hobbies include making sweet little dolls from clay who are named and have their own stories to tell. I also make old-fashioned brooches. These are for sale in my Etsy shop. For 13 years continuously, I homeschooled some or all of our four children, but the time came that our homeschool had to be closed. It was the end of a beautiful chapter in my life. I will always be a strong supporter of homeschooling and I will continue to review books and maintain my homeschool website, The Healthy Homeschool.    
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
I would
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I used to wish so much to look like her (sometimes still do), but alas, I inherited that Irish look my dad had. It’s okay. I’ll take it and be happy. Every once in awhile I glance into the mirror and see my mom, but then on a second look it’s my dad staring back at me.
for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
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