Spring has sprung and Indy is now fixed! Yeah… no more female kitties howling on our doorstep. The stud has left the building.

Poor Indy – Still, it was a beautiful day today and 2 more just like it coming! WoooHooo!

You can find more cartoons like this at Readers Digest Online

We decided to get out and have some fun rummaging around antique stores yesterday. This beautiful gem caught my eye. She was labeled simply “Primitive Spinning Wheel” with a price tag of 125.00. With money tight, I ran my hand around it, and continued window shopping. Unbeknownst to me, Slobo haggled for a much lower price. She was waiting for me at the door as we were leaving! He buys me such lovely jewelry! He was chuckling and said he walked right past me with it when I was looking at an old White treadle machine and I never saw him! Apparently the boys were in on it too. Sometimes I’m really glad that I don’t pay better attention. What a lovely surprise and a beautiful gift! Slobo is so good to me!

Some research has revealed her to be made around the late 1700′s to early 1800′s. She’s made with hardwood pegs and square nails. She’s of Irish descent and was made for spinning flax into linen, noted by the wire-hinged compartment used to hold water for finger dipping while spinning. She’s double drive and from what I can tell there are only two replacement parts: the knob which is screwed onto the lid of the compartment and the peg toward the front which (I’m guessing) held the flax as it was being spun. Of course, I haven’t spun a thing in my life – so I am really excited to learn! The pedal action is really smooth. So, as soon as I learn what I’m supposed to do and replace the second drive band, she’s hopefully going to be off and running!

I have some wool roving from Hobby Lobby, but from what I’ve read, it may be difficult to spin because it’s not ‘fresh’? I’ll give it a try anyway since I’ve nothing to lose. Have a look at her – she’s soooooooo beautiful!

Irish Saxon Spinning Wheel pictures on Flickr and Stereo image of a similar wheel being used indoors

Btw – Her name is what else but Cotton Jenny.

http://failblog.org/2008/11/02/reliable-fail/

YEP – They are a seamstresses best friend!

Before I took down our home school bulletin boards from last year, I thought I’d ‘pay it forward’ by sharing what we’ve done in the past.

Word Wall – Everyday, I gave them a handful of leaves and apples to write their vocabulary words on. They enjoyed standing on the desk to stick them up each morning. First I used zots, then tape. With the humidity in Georgia and a classroom with no heat and air, zots just don’t stay stuck! Leaves fell by spring. (Rather confusing for a 1st grader! j/k) The wall represents three grade levels: 1st, 3rd and 4th. 3 and 4 had to lookup definitions in the dictionary and the thesarus a few times. Within a few months, the tree was full. I had found the kids, wandering into the classroom on off days and reading the wall to eachother. They liked it alot. If I were to do it again, I’d have them use only large markers and bigger handwriting. It can be hard to see some of the words.

Detail:

This year, I’ve moved the tree to the other side of the room and it will be used for our Explorer / North American History themes. I’m debating actually hanging a swing in the doorway adjacent to the ‘tree’ wall for a “Swing Into History” theme. 3 boys tho – that might be dangerous, lol. Still – it would make a really fun place to read, don’t you think? In any case, I’m glad I spent the money last year for the tree. It’s proving to be pretty versatile and holds up really well. The pre-made leaves were a few dollars tho. When we ran out of those, we just used post-it notes shaped like leaves and apples. I was suprised that they stayed on the tree.

Giants:

Since alot of our study last year included BIG things (dinosaurs, David and Goliath, etc.), we went with a Giant theme above the chalkboards. I had a poster above it – not shown – of Jack and the Beanstalk with the words “This could be the start of something big…” It also helped to spawn discussion about the classifications of things.

The kids traced their hands and feet at the beginning of the year. This week, when I took them down, they re-traced their hands and feet on top of their previous ones. We were really shocked to discover how much more they had grown! It was fun and we’ve decided to do it each year until they are grown – if for nothing else – but Mommy’s baby books. In addition to hands and feet, we keep a marked wall with heights each year and weights.

Math Bath

This one was the first board I tried making a couple of years ago. We liked it so we have kept it. It is made mostly of scrapbooking papers. There are some borders missing because I was in the middle of taking it down to move when Slobo took a pic.

I found the idea online several years ago on a teacher’s website. The elephant is supposed to be stacked on blocks and acting as the shower for the kids in the tub.

The drawings are of the boys from a few years ago. I asked them if I should use them this year and they said they wanted to keep them. They liked the reminder of when they took baths together! The kid drawings are positioned within slits of the tub. I catch my 6 yr. old moving them around and making them talk to one another. lol. This board is now where the tree used to be. There is also a number line that goes above it with a rubber duck that slides along on a bar of soap. They don’t need the number lines anymore, but I thought the duck was too cute to pass up again this year. There are “bubbles”, made of blue laminated paper, velcroed on one side. The number line has a strip of the rougher velcro loops along it and the bubbles were used as manipulatives to position points along the line. The velcro idea might have worked on a stronger wall, but the dots would pull the number line off the wall because the velcro held on so tight. lol. My basement is just 2×4 framing, to which I stapled drapery lining. So I can only ‘attach’ things at studs. You might come up with a better idea for that.

Why go Puddle Jumping of course……….

…. and if you get stuck you just get a little help from your friend.

I don’t think Stitches knew what he was getting into when he joined this family, do you?

Schwinggggggg!

I wish you puddles to jump, too!

– Powered By Stuffr! –

The nearest town to us, where this street is located, was formed in 1882. It was settled along what was then, Georgia Pacific Railroad lines, newly laid to Birmingham, Alabama. The town grew to three main roads by the early 1900′s, one crossing over the railroad tracks. It now consists of two. The third having been leveled and rebuilt many times. The rows of stick-built buildings originally looked like a scene out of the old west, complete with dirt roads, horses, wagons and buggy carts. Each row had anywhere from 5 to 8 proprietorships. By the 1930′s, the buildings had brick and local stones surrounding them.

In the very beginning of township, there were only about two dozen families, running mainly farms and a mill. Below is a picture of the street when it was about 26 years old in 1908. The 3rd building from the left end would be the future home for my Consew. In the 1900′s, handmade furniture and farm implements were being made by hand and sold in the mercantile/hardware/feed store. The community recreation center, at the time, was a tiny railroad platform in the center of town. Here residents would watch who got on and off. Old-timers would gather in front of the feed store and talk about happenings around town. They still do this to this day, only now the seating is in front of the only grocery store, one street over and it’s old-timers mix it up with teenagers.

Sometime around 20′s-50′s, the building underwent alot of changes. The picture below shows two proprietorships. The one on the left was a doctor’s office, the one on the right, a furniture and novelty store. The furniture and novelty store is what would eventually be used as the tarp manufacturer where my lovely Consew resided.

The only history book at the library, makes mention of what a big deal it was when the movie theatre arrived. I don’t remember the year this blessed event occurred, but the movie theatre’s brick outer walls, barely standing to this day, still contained the movie reels and canisters under all the beams and rubble, until removed last month. Below is a picture of what those buildings in 1908 had become by 1950.

Finally, here is the same building row as of this morning:

It feels really good to just touch the Consew and know that for a moment in time, it stands as a testament to history of a small street in a small town in a not so very big world. That’s not too wierd is it?

– Powered By Stuffr! –

– Powered By Stuffr! –

You can look for a word from their index of themes and see a picture of it’s use. It is really neat! Now I know what a pipe threader looks like! It will be a good resource for the kids, not only in looking up definitions and seeing what an item looks like, but for creative writing prompts.

Reason #3: Will try to watch TV upside down while bent backwards over an ottoman (note to self – prepare for child with headache)

Reason #2: Will see if boy can melt deep enough into couch while watching tv and hanging on with a big toe. (note to self – kiss that big toe before it begins to stink!)

Reason #3: Doctor will cure thyself of a bad head cold by putting on all of his favorite shirts, his McGyver Jacket and Christmas Robe to sweat while crying to an episode of McGyver where the dog just died! (note to self – remind him 9 yrs. old still gives him Mommy Doc priviledges and a fresh box of Kleenex with Aloe, kiss him on the forehead and make a resolution to kiss those sweet boys every hour before they get too old to like it!)

Yep, this is me. Pleasantly plump, para-menopausal, graying hair, and I heart my mom! And, the crossed arms serve two purposes, holds the maters up and hides ma belly, Don’tcha Thank?

Tomato and Green Chile Salsa
(Watch out for those horny tomatoes)

Yes, we wrestled the traffic, the bugs, and the boiling 50 lb. pots and now have….. drumroll

11 3/4 pints of Salsa
4 lbs. frozen Kentucky Wonder Beans
and 9 quarts of Tomato Ketchup

Yes, it is the Weekend Canning Update…. Nothing as exciting as Miss Sodapop’s weekend, but hey, I do sport a new burn in the shape of an eyeball on my hand – does that count? Oh well, we can’t all act like kids again, although, we did a pretty fun job of it at dinner.

I asked the boys this morning to pick up their toys so that I could vacuum and change the sheets on their beds before starting on freezing veggies. They grumbled a little bit about having to do it, but, after about 10 minutes, J1, in a great cheerful mood comes out and says – “Wait til you see how good lookin’ my room is…. But don’t come in until I tell ya…. promise?”. J2, grinning from ear to ear, comes out – tells me the same thing, then cheerfully walks away rolling the vacuum. J3, being only 6 and Mommy’s Helper, decides he’s really good with scissors and is going to help me get the beans ready to freeze. He happily chats my ear off as we pick ends off and break them in half into a pot. When he’s done, he proudly tells me what a great job he did – I agree – he disappears for a little while. About 30 minutes go by and all three show up in the kitchen. Tell me to close my eyes, take me by the hand to their bedrooms and reveal each room – one by one…..

Lord, I don’t know what caused it ———– but THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Their rooms were absolutely meticulous!! Toys neatly put away, even from U-N-D-E-R the beds, dirty clothes put in the laundry room, they even removed the dirty bed linens and took them to the Laundry. They all had twin fitted sheets half on the beds – but the pillowcases were actually on the fluffed pillows!!! J3 had decorated his wall using some stickers to stick up costume jewelry, put his favorite shirt on a hanger on his dresser knob, then decorated it with beads, and arranged his pillows. He was very proud of his contribution as decorator!

What a wonderful suprise that was! I just gave all three giant hugs and kisses!!! J1 told me he didn’t want me to have to do all of that on top of the canning. Just when I worry about their sibling rivalry or seemingly lack of interest, they go and do something like that!

It got even better as the day went on. Slobo and I cooked dinner together for the first time in years. After finishing the Salsa at 4am last night (sheesh), we decided to give the boys a dinner tonight as if they were at their favorite restuarant, El Jalapeno (or as our 7 yr called it – El Happenin’ El Nino). So, we made Carne’ Asada, Cheese Tortillas and Homemade Chips to go with our Salsa. After it was cooked, Slobo called the kids to dinner, by greeting them at the stairs with “Welcome to El’ Happenin El Ninos”, escorted them to their table, then introducing himself as their waiter for evening, he presented each with their favorite meal. They absolutely loved it and so did we. It was great fun!

As dinner came to a close, and as most dinners, the kids started playing with their food, but this time, we joined in. We made picasso faces with salsa, guacamole, lettuce and other veggies. The kids made flying characters – then as all dinners with small boys – they recognized the melted Monterey Jack as all kinds of bodily fluids, so we had to close the restaurant before we got health code violations or Mommy got sick! It was alot of fun tho. As the two oldest were leaving the table they gave me and Slobo pats on the back and said we got five stars! Awesome. They have all agreed to dine with us again at the next artist hangout, soon. Maybe a Matisse night with Italian food and veggies. Leonardo would be a stretch, but it would be fun to build his inventions in pasta or breads!

I highly recommend a night out at your favorite family restuarants at least once a week. They are a real stress reliever and everyone walks away with an aching belly from too much laughter.

It was better than Mother’s Day Today!

The Tomatoes are having problems now due to the drought earlier in the season. Wilt, Blossom End Rot, and Cat’s Face are rearing their ugly heads on a few. One bush in particular was hit pretty hard with wilt, but thus far, the tomatoes are hanging in there. LIterally.
The oddest thing tho, I hadn’t dealt with before, are ants making trails through the bottom of some of the Beef Steak tomatoes. This is the first time I’ve tried Beef Steak, so maybe the ants really like those? dunno. I went out early this morning to water and couldn’t believe the little devils were literally eating a trail through one that was just about to ripen.

Up until this point, other than the monthly feedings, I’ve avoided spraying anything except dawn mixed with water, but I dont’ think it’s going to cut it anymore. I dread the thought, but am contemplating using some Sevin dust or try BT first, to combat some creepy crawlies. I’ve been drowning the horny little japanese beetles making their home on my beans and okra, and picking off the worms, but now, it’s getting difficult to find them all. Although, the population is down, some have now moved to other veggies.

The ants, stinkbugs, and now, a peskly little pickle worm is working his way through the cucumbers, squash and I think probably responsible for some tomatoes that were damaged. I released two praying mantis’ about 2 weeks ago. And while the population is down, I can’t find the mantis. Guess they filled up and left home. As did some resident spiders. I just don’t know what the effects will be of using an insecticide, since I’ve not done it before. It’s taken a couple of years to make my earthworms happy – Sevin will probably hurt them. This is all so new, I think it’s time to pester my local county ext. agent – after all – it all rolls downhill. They will probably laugh at me and my gnarly looking beefsteaks. I guess the tomatoes could always be stars in the next veggie – tale movie – Bob and the Big Boys’ Christmas Vacation. I can see them now, pulling up their cages and taking root next to Bob’s mound.

On the bright side, tho, the cherry tomatoes are giving off the most deliciously sun-ripened tomatoes without a single problem. I’ve got about 4 ripened beef steaks so far, about a dozen that are ripening in the kitchen (couldn’t let the bugs have them) and about a dozen Romas thus far, tho these are facing the worst of the drought problems. Even with watering, the early drought and then the week long deluge of water, seems to have taken their toll on the Romas the most. It’s a shame, because those are the ones I wanted the most. Here’s keeping my fingers crossed at least enough will make it into some cans this year.

A bonus for Slobo this morning, tho, the Serrano Pepper plant finally produced a red pepper – albeit short and stubby – but hey – it turned red – I was beginning to think it wasn’t going to. There are probably about 100 peppers on that plant. I don’t know what we will do with them. Anyone have ideas for Serrano’s? An online search doesn’t reveal anything about storage, just use in Salsa, and I’m not sure that salsa has the right PH for canning.

The okra, now as tall as me, 5’4″ is beginning to slow production. It is still flowering, but it seems I’ve got a respit from blanching okra for awhile. I think I’m going to pull out the okra and squash plant soon and get my second round of tomatoes in soon. Maybe I’ll just do more Big Boys’ so there will be some good ones to can up for winter, but we’ll see. If the Roma’s make it off the vine ripened, I’d be awfully tempted to plant several more of those – but that’s probably risky.

Radishes are coming up as well as the pumpkin – just gotta get rid of that worm. Wonder if he would like to go meet my Carpenter Bee’s?

I had to take a break from knitting the shapely T and use some other muscles. So, I decided the new truck needed some seatbelt cozies. Color matched! These work up really fast which helps the – ‘I need a finished project like right now!’ syndrome.

Crochet hook size: H
Yarn: 1 skein Caron’s Simply Soft
Puffball: in both loops, Yarn over 4 times, draw yarn through all loops.

Seatbelt Cozy

beg. ch 23 (increments of 7×3 + 2 turning)

each row:

double crochet 6, in the 7th hole – make a puffball by yarning over 4 times and drawing through all loops, double crochet next 6, in the 14th hole – make puffball, double crochet last 6, ch2, and turn work.

I did mine for 12 rows. Fold in thirds lengthwise, attach velcro or snaps and that’s all there is to it.

The puffball at each 7th position should fall on each edge of the seatbelt and make a ‘cushy’ edge against the neck.
I haven’t tried these in the truck yet, but if they slide – my intention is to put a couple of drops of liquid rubber on the backside to keep it in place. I don’t want to be retrieving them from under the seat each time the kids get in the car!  I’ll let ya know if it’s needed.

Next thing on the ‘truck’ accessories list is a quilt for the backside.

When we folded out the seat to change the tire on the old truck, I couldn’t believe the food and garbage the kids had squirreled under there!!! It’s rather like pulling out the fridge or stove to clean! Shocking! The quilt is going to cover the back and seat portions in one piece this time, and will definitely get a waterproof backing so no other lab experiments grow under it hidden from view!

Technorati Tags: crochet, seatbelt cover

I Love You!

Now that J1 has turned 9, he comes up with at least 5 new jokes a day, like:

Mom: Any other less political ones?

We went to Amicalola Falls for a surprise day trip, as you can see, the kids had a wonderful time as did Mom and Dad. Normally, I try to not post pictures of the kids, but I just couldn’t help it. That sweet face! He was so beautifully relaxed.

Not long after I took these pictures, heavy showers moved in. We stood in the pouring rain and watched some fly fisherman who had come to the park from up north. The trout were biting like crazy. If only we had our poles with us.

I took two cameras – one a digital – one my 20+ yr. old Nikon FE. I love the manual camera the best. I’ve added my photos on Flickr, right sidebar, so you can see the difference. One folder contains the digital, another the manual. I just finished scanning some manual pics we developed today. Hope you enjoy them.

The detail is an idea based on Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs. The kids added cowboy hats, birds and pigs to the original design of the horse. It’s a fun place to hang out and be a kid. (No matter what age!)

© 2006 J.O’Hara-Barrett