|
Please visit me here: www.homeschoolblogger.com/barbieheart OR www.rainbowcottage.blogspot.com
|
|
These are the fabrics I found the other night at Wal-mart. They are for a pair of toddler quilts with a "princess" theme. My dil's color scheme is to be pink and green, so I think these will be perfect! Here is a closer-up of the pictorial fabric:
At first, I was going to fussy-cut the pricesses into squares. Now I'm thinking that maybe little, little girls would like more of a panel effect, with Lots of Princesses. I would then use the other fabrics along the sides. I think I will also do some yo-yo flowers, with tiny green rick-rack for "stems." I'll post again when the tops are done! |
|
I was able to finish my Cinnamon and Nutmeg quilt top last evening. It ended up to be 80 x 91 inches. (I don't know how I got through the whole process without even knowing how large it was going to be!) I will probably put this aside for awhile. First of all, I have not decided how I want to quilt it. I have four sacks of apples waiting to be processed into applesauce. And, I have a granddaughter turning two soon, that will need a toddler quilt--that one is going to be pink and green and "princessy." (her Mommy is making a "girl's room" now that the new baby is a Sister, too). Once she (Mommy) told me the theme, I got myself right over to Wal-Mart, where I had seen fabric that would be perfect. (and, if it were not in the washing machine right now, I'd show you! I will have to post a picture later.) I purchased enough fabric for two toddler quilts. I have always wanted to make Two Matching quilts--my own grandma did it several times for "spreads" for my and my sister's room.
Well, those apples are only getting "riper"--need to get going!
|
|
Hooray! After almost two years, I have all 56 squares done for my "Cinnamon and Nutmeg" quilt. This was a handstitched project--the piecing was done while waiting for children, listenting to my honey play music, or in front of the tv. It is done in the Chimney Sweep pattern. The fabrics are reproduction "post-Civil War" prints in pinks and browns. I used tea-dye color muslin for the solid pieces. That will also be the sashing fabric. I'll post another picture when the top is finished! |
|
I'm looking forward to today (even tho' it's a *tad* too warm for my taste). First of all, nobody has baseball today, so no interruptions on that front. When I start something, I'll be able to finish it.
Dear husband is on his way home from a visit to his mother's. They went fishing. The first day, dear mil caught an 18-inch bass. Not to be outdone, dh caught a 17-inch one yesterday. I understand it was "good eatin'!" Dh grew up fishing; I did not. So he doesn't go as often as he'd like. His sister has a trailer at the lake near mil's house, complete with pontoon boat. So they were Livin' Large....I am so glad he got to spend a couple of days with his mother, without me and the children. Of course, it's always a great visit with "everyone," but how often do we actually get our Mommy to ourselves? Always a time to treasure.
In about an hour, I will gather a couple of neighbor kids and my ds11, and go to a friend's orchard about a mile away. The early "transparent" apples are ready. These are my favorite "applesauce" apples. What a blessing--my friend said, come on over and get what you'd like. So I've invited my married daughter to come over Monday to start processing these babies.
Yesterday I cleaned out the "frig" part of the refrigerator. It was Pretty Bad. When you find things in the back that you can't even identify anymore--time to bring in CSI. Didn't want to do that, so just trashed 'em.
Already watered the plants and changed the laundry. While watering, I was wondering Why we have to wait so long for tomatoes to turn red and ripe for picking. Sigh. We look forward to it with mouths watering. But then the Lord uses these kind of thoughts to remind me that I'm not "ripe" yet--He's still working on me. Lesson in delayed gratification, I guess...
Well, I'm off to gather children to help with apples! |
|
Still practicing putting pictures in my entry. Above you see my "Red is Best" quilt a little closer up.
This is the center square, featuring a fabric with my last name!
Thanks so much for allowing me to practice. My dh and kids know how to do this in their sleep--I'm a slow study. |
|
Wow! I did it!! I figured out how to do a picture all by myself! If you are stifling a yawn right now, I guess you do not know me!
This is a picture of my Red is Best Quilt. I posted an entry about when I finished it here. Of course, that was April 27th, a long time ago. I kept asking one or another of my children how to do pictures, and they were always busy with one thing and another. Now, of course, I don't know if I can repeat this process, but I would like to show you a little closer view. It looks like it will have to be in the next entry--my note says that I don't have enough space for another pic.
Thank you for putting up with my experimenting!
|
|
A couple of days ago, I had some time to spend reading blogs. You know--the times you go to your friends' blogs, and maybe link to *their* friends, and on you go, ending up places you've never been. *Somewhere* in my travels I found a great, great article. It is from Trixi at Homestead in the Making.
The theme of the article was Contentment. This article actually quoted (and linked) to another. The article was about not wishing your life away, waiting for the "perfect" situation. As you can read on my sidebar, we live in town, but long to live in the country. We have wanted that for twenty or more years. We wanted the experience for our children. We wanted space. We wanted a big farmhouse. Maybe chickens. But, year after year, we plug on in an (admittedly wonderful) house in town. And now, six of our eight children are grown.
This is not to say that we haven't had a wonderful life so far. Our children had some opportunity, through friends, to have country experiences. Now, I have two married children, with babies of their own, one that lives four blocks away, and the other, a mile or so farther. If we moved to the country, we'd have to leave them in town. Kinda changes your definition of "quality of life." House, or grandbabies? I know which one I'd choose.
I really identified with these articles. Bloom where you're planted, and all that. But Contentment is more than that, I think. It has to be the Attitude. In the '80's, they called it an Attitude of Gratitude.
One of the things I can't have here in town, is All The Flowers and Trees I Love, and I can't have a Huge Vegetable Garden. So I have Some Flowers, and I have Tomatoes. Tomato sandwiches to come--yum. And yesterday I decided to move in the direction of being grateful for what I do have. And guess what happened? As I drove through my town neighborhood, I began to notice my neighbors' yards. Every yard is different, but when added together, I'll bet I could find all the flowers I love. I know where there are peach trees and cherry trees. I know people with larger gardens than I have. I have a friend with an apple orchard who told me yesterday that the Transparents (my fav "applesauce" apple) are ready for picking. Bring my sacks and get all I want.
I am so Rich. I am surrounded with all the beauty I need for everyday. I have a car that will take me to the ocean or mountains or deserts if I want a different kind. We have friends with old farmhouses. Maybe I'll have one someday. I really NEED to keep a dream--everybody does. But, as my dear husband always tells me, the joy is in the Journey, not the Destination. |
|
I've had to come to a decision, here. I'm coming to the point in the summer where I need to start preparing for the upcoming school year. I find that I am only blogging here once or twice a week. My other blog is busier--probably five times a week.
So, I think I will put this blog aside, at least for a little while. I will still be checking up on my friends, of course. If you want to keep up with *me,* you can go to my other blog:
|
|
It is going to be a quiet Fourth here at home. I have one son who leaves tomorrow for a missions trip to El Salvador. My dd13 is going in a couple of days on a vacation with her friend. Married son and family are going to dil's home in Illinois for two weeks. Everyone was in agreement that they would rather do a "home" thing than the big Fireworks thing. So I'll be fixing a couple of dishes (recipes below) and enjoying my family later...
I wrote about Independence Day on my other blog. You can read it here if you like.
Now it's time to get things together in the kitchen! I wanted to share my recipe for Potato Salad. It is in no way related to healthy food, but it is much requested at family events. I originally got the recipe from my Auntie M, but she said I make it better--now that's a compliment:
(this feeds 16 or 20, I think) 5 lbs. potatoes (I use "red"), boiled and cubed 1 dozen eggs, boiled and chopped 3 ribs celery, chopped 3/4 cup chopped onion 1 qt. Miracle Whip (do not substitute if you want the "true" flavor--I have used Fat Free, and tho' acceptable, it does have a different flavor) Yellow Mustard Juice from bread-and-butter pickles (dill tastes differently) Dill weed Paprika
Put potatoes, eggs, celery, onion in a Big Pot (I use my big spaghetti pot). Make dressing: put Miracle Whip in a separate bowl, add two "long" squirts of mustard, and a big "bloop" of pickle juice. Stir and taste, then add more mustard or pickle juice if needed, to taste. Stir dressing in potato mixture (I use wooden spoon). Sprinkle generously with dill weed and paprika; stir in. Repeat with the spices, and stir again. Garnish with the spices a final time, when you have the salad in its serving bowl.
One cool thing I've learned, if you have to travel with your potato salad: it will fit into a gallon pitcher. This fits so much more nicely in a cooler than a large serving bowl.
This one is great, too:
Big Bean Pot 3/4 lb. bacon, cut small 3 med/small onions, chopped 1 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. dry mustard 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 c. ketchup 1/2 c. cider vinegar 15 oz. can kidney beans 15 oz. can lima beans large can pork and beans
Fry bacon and onion, drain. Put all together in baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until set. Serves 16.
Well, I'm off to start the fixin's--and to try not to nibble too much! Have a blessed Independence Day! |
|
One Hundred!  Woohoo! One Hundred Feasts! Appetizer On average, approximately how many times per day do you yawn? It certainly depends on the amount of sleep I got the night before.
 Other than that, probably three or four would be a safe guess.
Soup
What was your most memorable school field trip? In eighth grade, we went to Chicago to the Museum of Science and Industry. I remember being fascinated with the preserved babies at different ages of gestation. I would probably feel differently now...the best part was the Doll House Castle from that 20's movie star, Colleen somebody. Tiny jeweled lamps, and other oddities from around the world, all in miniature. And, she had one blue eye and one brown eye! They also had an exhibit (this was 1969) of a "phone of the future" that simulated video transmission. They really could not imagine life in 2006!
Salad Fill in the blank: I was extremely __________________ this week. I don't know if I was "extremely" anything this week. I had some victories--accomplished some of the things I wanted to do, others will remain on the list. Loved my family a lot, enjoyed the weather a lot, lost a couple of pounds. A great week, but not Extreme.
Main Course Which color do you think of when you hear the word "soothing"? Easy. Green. It is my favorite color. I think green and blue are the most soothing colors, and that is why God made the sky blue and the trees green.
Dessert What is something that, if you had to, you could save up the money to buy within one month? To be boring, I'd say a car repair, because we have done that many times. Otherwise, maybe a weekend away?
|
|
My son is on a roll. You can read my Tuesday entry about him, below. I wrote about him on my other blog today. I guess it's part and parcel of being eleven and on summer break.
He has also joined a very exclusive club. Not even all of my own children are members, although I think five of the eight are. This is the Grounded-from-my-bike-for-the-rest-of-the-summer Club. He and dd13 rode to baseball the other day. On the way home, ds decided to take a detour, making stops at the corner grocery, and the fountain in the park (just to cool off), arriving home about twenty minutes late. We were waiting.
It has always seemed a harsh punishment to us. (this time it also punishes ME because I have to drive him to baseball now...but I digress.) Parking your bike until the first nice day next spring. Our oldest daughter was the first offender. Nine years old, she had her Territory in which she was allowed to ride. About five blocks east of us, there was a major city street. That was her boundary, not to be crossed.
When Girl Scout Cookie time came around, she took off selling. (this was twenty-one years ago, so they still went door-to-door.) Later that night, we called her in for Interrogation. "You crossed Miami Street, didn't you?" Instant tears. How did we know? Well, honey, the addresses on your cookie-sales sheet are Across Miami Street. Busted!! Possibly in our anger, we grounded her from her bike till the next spring.
Now to our Next Oldest. He took off from the back yard of a friend's across the street, sailing down the hill the house sat on, across-the-street-without-stopping...right in front of Grandma's car. Busted again!! (she was just grateful she hadn't hit him.)
Others followed suit. But, as I asked them the other day, they never did break the bike rules again.
Kids III, IV, and V went riding around the block (on the sidewalks, so they didn't have to go into the street) one day with a friend, James. Number III had just gotten a new 9th-birthday bicycle. He wanted to ride James's scooter, so James was on his bike.
We had a rule that if you had to cross a street, you Got Off Your Bike and Walked It Across. I got a lot of complaints about that rule, until that day. James was a little ways ahead of my kids, and he didn't stop when he got to the corner. He raced into the street where he met an oncoming car. I am so grateful that my kids did not see it happen. But they never questioned our bicycle rule again. Now, two of the three did get the Grounding for going out-of-bounds, but not because they had crossed an intersection incorrectly.
Anyway, what I wanted to say is that my children all turned out to be very responsible drivers. I got good reports from other parents. They didn't like that we wouldn't let them play the radio for a few months after getting their license. Now Indiana has a law that new drivers can't carry passengers other than family for 90 days. I think that is great. And, as far as I know, they never went out-of-bounds of the Family Driving Rules.
Basic training is never fun. Some recruits get more pushups to do, because of their temprerament--they just buck authority more than other, compliant ones. But eventually, if you make it through Basic, you have a soldier trained to instant commands without question. My 11-year old had a good cry the other day over the loss of bike privileges, but he hasn't tried to wheedle me to shorten the sentence. He has told his friends he's on foot or rollerblade for the present.
He is turning out to be Good Soldier material. This Drill Instructor is pretty proud. |
|
When our two married children got engaged, the couples got a Talk from my husband. This talk, he said, was guaranteed to eliminate forty-two arguments after marriage. It was the (Restaurant) Dessert Talk.
This was instruction to both the man and woman, for each has a part in making Dessert work. It is simply a matter of etiquette, but as you know, etiquette is a learned behavior.
Here is how the Talk goes: [to the woman]: Men will give a woman anything--he will slave at a hot job for her, he will give her his paycheck, his time, his very life--just don't ask for his Dessert. Men are territorial about their desserts. [to the man]: When you are at a restaurant, and the server asks if you will have dessert, your Lovely One may say, "oh, no, I'll just have a bite of yours." DO NOT BELIEVE HER--SHE IS LYING. She will wait until you have eaten all of the inferior edges off your dessert, and then ask for her bite--the best Middle Bite. Or, she will take the First Bite, and ask for more--she has discovered that she really does have Room for dessert. What you must do is order an entire dessert for her, too. [back to the woman]: If you really want to score points with your man, take your own dessert, eat a bite or two, and then offer the rest to him. Then he has almost two desserts!
The first time dh gave the all-important Talk, it kind of backfired. Our son came to us a couple of weeks later, and said, Dad, I did what you told me, but Ashley didn't play fair. She got her own dessert and then SHE ATE THE WHOLE THING HERSELF!! Oh, well, as you know, a woman needs dessert, too, sometimes.
I picked up my ds11 from an afternoon at a friend's, and decided to stop at Cracker Barrel for their great strawberry shortcake. Now, I had already shared one of these with dh, and with my dd13, too, with much success. Ds and I had our [quite large] dessert in-between us, and two spoons, and went at it. I could not believe it--he was wolfing that thing down faster than I could get my spoon to my mouth. Now, this dessert has two pieces of "cake" and two scoops of ice cream, and he kept poaching in my territory. When it was over, I felt....hungry.
Somebody has got to have the Talk with this boy. And probably a few [hundred] times before he gets engaged. But until he does, I will be sure to order him his own dessert. Because what I forgot when I decided to have this lovely Mother/Son moment, is that he is Eleven, and even Eleven-year olds who know the rules, are overtaken by their natures, and that is a place where Dessert Etiquette cannot be found. |
| |
|
I was watching the "original" Duggar Family tv special the other day for the umpteenth time. (I don't know if I have ever seen it beginning-to-end, tho'!) Watching them go to Aldi's and spend $800, then putting it in their very-organized pantry.
I really admire people who can do all of their shopping at Aldi's. My husband, however, insists on some brand-name stuff, no generic equivalents. (do you remember Math, where equivalent did NOT mean the same thing as equal? This is how it is with some generics--not "equal", tho' maybe "equivalent.")
We only do Miracle Whip. And Heinz ketchup. And Eckrich hot dogs. I could tell you horror stories of generic Kroger hot dogs that turned the water red when I boiled them. Flavorite ketchup ("catsup") that tasted like vinegar. Et cetera.
My daughter only does Good Shampoo. I only use all-cotton sheets. Though I would do Real Linen if they were not, like, $175 for each sheet. I saw some one time in an antique store, and they were luscious...
I am not religiously strict about my quilting fabric, though. In general, I only use 100% cotton, but I like the $2.00 stuff from Wal-mart. I understand some quilters only use premium stuff, $8-$9 a yard. And I like gingham--it is difficult to find gingham in 100% cotton.
I do have my favorite quilting needles, tho'--Roxanne's #11 betweens. They are expensive, but you they come 60 at a time, so I can use them for general use, too.
My feet are bad (thank you, Mother) so I can't do Cheap Shoes, either. Hopefully, I get $60 shoes on sale for $30 or $40. So, I guess it's a balancing act. Go cheap where I can (and I am willing) and luxurious when it really matters, at least to me...
So, what sort of things do you insist be the "real deal?" I'll bet they are different than mine! |
|
...one of those Champion toilets, I mean.
You know, the kind that will flush sixteen tennis balls. A few years ago, we needed to redo the powder room on the first floor. We don't actually call it a powder room, we call it The Green Bathroom. But you wouldn't know what that was... When we bought this house, the owner had put down a nice piece of carpeting in the bathroom. (by the way, I *hate* carpeting in the bathroom. Only families with nothing but girls could get away with that.) A couple of years later, we found out why--the floor was rotting beneath the toilet. (so that constant smell was not *just* my boys...) Fortunately, it was dh that was sitting when the toilet went through the floor--thank the Lord it sits on a sewer pipe, or he'd have been in the basement...
So, being in the "no extra money" time of our life, we bought a Cheapie Toilet. Now I know I should have kept the tank part of the old one. You know the new kind--uses 1 1/2 gallons per flush per EPA standards for Saving Water. Of course, you have to use the plunger every time you use it, so you are using 3 or 4 1/2 gallons per flush. (Dumb. But that is how the Champion came to be invented, isn't it?) Later, my Brother-The-Plumber told me that if I had saved the six-gallon tank, I could have avoided that problem. Just slap that baby on the new bowl, and I could have fooled the thing.
The only redeeming feature of Modern Toilet is that it has never overflowed. Even if you fail to plunge, the bowl has enough room for all the water in the tank.
Not so the Upstairs Toilet (i.e. the Pink One). It is marked Standard, and it is. Six (16? 60?) gallons of wonderfulness. It probably needs new "insides"--it tends to run on and on, so you need to babysit it. And it needs the plunger Way More than it should. I'm thinking new insides would give it a New Lease On Life. (Note to self: Call Brother.)
My dd13 went with a friend to a concert 100 miles away yesterday--four Christian bands, all for $8.00. She called me afterwards--"I got to meet the band!!! I got an autographed poster!!!" So, she got home very late. My dh waited up, so I missed The Drama.
Ds11 got up to go potty while she was getting ready for bed. Between the "and then this happened's.." and the "you'll never guess what's," ds Forgot To Babysit The Toilet. Oh, the joy. Oh, the rapture. When I got up about 2:30, every towel in the joint was on the floor, sopping wet. Can I tell you how much I love my laundry chute?? Good for chucking wet towels into.
Now, I am really not complaining. I love toilets more than most people. I always say I am richer than Solomon ever was, because he didn't have what I have--indoor plumbing. Speaking of that, we went to a company picnic one time in Ohio, at a County Park that had outhouses. In the twenty-first century? I have nothing against a good old-fashioned outhouse in a primitive situation--we Girl Scouts called them "greenies." But a County Park???
A year and a half ago, we had to have the sewer lines dug up for repair. Four days without toilets. We used the neighbor's during the day, and a bucket (actually, one "up" and one "down") at night. When that was over, I renewed my statement that I was Richer than Solomon.
When those Champion toilets came out, they were $400 apiece. Good grief, for a toilet? Now I'm thinkin,' What A Great Deal.
Added to Chore List today: Two loads of towels. |
|
Well, I can see that a week has gone by since I last made an entry. We've been busy here--my 6ds22 is moving to NYC at the end of the week. I've been getting boxes for him.
Since dh worked for Wendy's for 21 years, we have always used Fry-boxes for moving. If you don't know about Fry-boxes, let me tell you about them. They are all the same size, a comfortable size for carrying, and they stack so well in a moving truck. If you live near a Wendy's, you can get fry-boxes everyday, and other boxes a couple of times a week.
You need to do this EARLY. I have called at 6:20 am and the boxes are already in the recycling dumpster. But around here, the morning crew gets to the store about 6 am. So I call and ask them to save them for me, and they put them outside the back door about 9am.
But I don't really want to think about my "baby" moving 600 miles away. So I'll talk about the Present I got last week.
My sil got a new (old) treadle machine at a yard sale. This one had six drawers in the cabinet. So my brother brought her old one to me last week. It sits in my living room until I can get two men together to move it--it's like, CAST IRON...
I love that it's a Singer. You can go to the Singer website and find the year of manufacture by the serial number. Mine was made in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1884. Wow. I wish it could talk, and tell me of the things it has made. And the things it has seen--the turning of not one but two centuries, two world wars, electric and now computerized sewing machines...
I found a couple of websites that sell stuff with which I can restore this machine. My kids want me to do it (are they thinking of great calf muscles?). I think it would be fun to actually use it--hey, it would work even when the power is out!!
But that would be a project for another time. This week I will enjoy my son (we plan a game night for Thursday) and then let him go on his Great Adventure. And I know that the Lord will go ahead of him, and I will rest in the knowledge that He is a better caretaker than I could be.
Bless you, my baby. |
|
What a gorgeous morning. I got up early to make brownies for a funeral dinner at church. I almost needed a sweater when I went outside for my devotions. The air smelled moist and earthy and mossy and stuff. Not like the hottest part of summer when the air smells, well, hot and dusty and "not clean."
I was thinking about the funeral today. The man who died was one of those people we call an "old saint of the church." In his eighties and full of wisdom. Not blown about by the newest Christian fancies. Oh, we need those saints so much.
That started me thinking about one such "old saint" in my own family growing up, my grandpa's cousin Eiffel. (he was born a few years after the Paris tower, always wondered if that is where his parents got the name...) He majored in physics and religion at DePauw University, graduating in 1924. (now, where did he get the idea that you could mix science and religion???)
Eiffel taught high school chemistry and physics. He also grew sorghum on his farm, and collected steam engines. That is about all I knew about him, except of course, for the Bubbles.
Eiffel loved to play with bubbles. They are the perfect vehicle with which to study surface tension, and other physical properties of the universe. He holds the Guinness Book World Record for the longest lasting bubble--241 days. He also kept a bubble in a jar while traveling either "cross-country" or 250 miles--I've heard both stories; either is equally fantastic to me. My brother has The Jar. You can read about Eiffel here or here.
What I didn't know growing up was about the "old saint" side of Eiffel. My family was Catholic, and the men in Grandpa's family were unchurched ("religion was for women and children"). The bio says Eiffel was saved in a revival at age nine. But one family reunion, after my fiance and I had had a fresh encounter with the Lord, Eiffel said the grace before the meal. I had never heard a man in my family pray like that. He absolutely ushered us into the presence of God. Here was a seventy-six year old man, praying and showing the evidence of a long life lived for the Lord. It was amazing, and my first encounter with an "old saint" of the Protestant variety. (We did have Old Saints in the Catholic church, too, but of course, they prayed silently...)
I love two "Eiffel quotes":
A Chicago Tribune reporter wrote, "Eiffel Plasterer doesn't just blow beautiful bubbles with soap, he does it with life itself. He is a national treasure." C.T. 12/3/85.
And Eiffel's own quote: "Bubbles will last if they do not break."
Lovely.
|
|
Wow, is it a beautiful day here. It will reach the upper 70's today, which, in June, is a beautiful thing. The sun is shining now, but we have had thunderstorms the last three days, and they are predicted for today and tomorrow, too. So, the outside work gets done in the mornings!
I bought a china cabinet on ebay! How fun was that--I found one in our hometown, so my son and son-in-law just picked it up! It is 60's/maple/Early American--reminiscent of my growing up--my mother LOVED Early American! I put in my (small) collection of old china (I collect The Old Curiosity Shop pattern), and my (small) collection of teacups and saucers. Still to be cleaned and put in is my (small) collection of crystal. An added bonus is that it clears three shelves in the kitchen cupboards!
My daughter and husband leave today on vacation to the Smokies. Sigh--wish I was going with them. But the good news here is that all the "running" with children for the school year is over, and baseball does not start until a week from Monday. So, *my* vacation is to Stay At Home! and that is a luxury to me!
Memorial Day was so hot here, it reminded me of a summer thing we do that is fun to do, and *slightly* good for the kids. Aldi's has instant pudding for 29cents, and if you make it up and put it in popsicle molds, you can have six pudding pops. We usually have two sets going in the freezer. Cheap, even tho' it takes two cups of milk. Sometimes the kids have fruit for breakfast in the summer, and don't get the milk then, so I don't mind "spending" it on pudding.
Today I'm trying to get a modified "schedule" ready for the kids for summer. (I know, I'm late.) Because dd13 has baseball in the mornings, and ds11 in the afternoons, their schedules will just be Things I Need To Get Done by a)noon, and b)supper. I would like them to FINALLY finish keyboarding, which has been hit-or-miss for two school years. Also, of course, reading, decluttering *their* stuff, and daily chores. Last summer, with my parents' issues and settling them in the nursing home, summer was extremely hit-or-miss, and the attitudes of the young'uns were Awful.
Well, this has been random, and rambling, but I hadn't blogged here for awhile, and I have a couple of friends who will call me if I wait too long... |
|
Gollee, I feel old sometimes.
Reading here and there about aprons has been really fun for me. I have a collection of aprons in a drawer upstairs. Many of these are too small to wear--from the days of the twenty-one inch waist, I fear. I bought a bunch at the thrift store one day for a quarter apiece--these were ironed, starched, and folded--someone dumped a drawer from an estate into the Goodwill box, I guess. Too bad--they were not in pristine condition, marks of use were on them. Someone's Life, here.
When I was little, my Mom wore aprons. She had at least seven, because she only did laundry on Mondays. On Tuesdays, she sprinkled the clothes, rolled them up, and put them in a basket, ready to iron. Then my job was to do the "flat" stuff--Daddy's hankies, pillowslips (I think that is prettier than "pillow cases"), and aprons. I had to fold them in half, fold the apron strings downward, then finish folding, ready for the drawer.
My mother was never Mrs. Helen --------. She was Mrs. Robert ---------. Even up to a few years ago, old ladies in my church referred to themselves as Mrs. (husband's name). I have an old Betty Crocker cookbook--the recipes have introductions: "This recipe comes to us from Mrs. Henry ------ who serves it at her bridge club luncheons."
I have no problem calling myself Mrs. Barbara -------. I think the doctor's office or J.C. Penney would look at me funny if I used my husband's name. But I like to look in our church directory, because it lists me as -------, Barbara (Mrs. K---).
My mother used to tell me that I needed to be Refined. This is a word we don't hear much anymore. Though I personally use its antonym, "crude", a whole lot, when speaking about tv or any number of things in the culture. It seems that no one strives to be "refined" anymore.
Now, I've decided I really NEED to start wearing aprons. Maybe I wouldn't get so many stains on my clothing--of course, aprons served a practical purpose. But, just like the more formal names, propriety in so many areas has just fallen by the wayside. Do you hear the word "propriety" used very often? I think I will look it up again in the dictionary, and begin to measure my life, using that as a scale. If I can act with propriety, and be refined, I think my Mother and Grandmothers would be pleased. And finally decide that I didn't let "everything" go in-one-ear-and-out-the-other. |