The Blessing of Creative Handwork

Granddaughter's Quilt

Granddaughter's Quilt

I just wanted to share what I’ve been working on. This is for our expected granddaughter, due in October.

My friend Belinda, who’s also my daughter-in-law’s mother, embroidered many of the squares (I did the Scottie, the bunnies, and part of the black sheep block, and she did the rest), and I designed and pieced the top. Next step is the back (I like a pieced back, as well) and the quilting. I think we’ll finish in time! We can hardly wait to welcome the new little one.

Homeschooling moms have a unique opportunity to pass along creative skills that their daughters can enjoy for many years. I remember sitting and doing embroidery, crochet, macrame, cross stitch, candlewicking, crewel, drawing, calligraphy, and other crafts each evening as we listened to Daddy read scripture. Some evenings, we also enjoyed listening to the CBS radio mystery theatre or music.

To this day, I love to keep my hands busy with a creative project while listening to something interesting. It’s a delight to turn raw fabric, yarn, thread, or paper and ink into something beautiful or useful. Helping your children learn to use their hands creatively can help develop imagination, creativity, and fine motor skills and will provide them with the means of giving unique and beautiful gifts to others, even on a very small budget.

Note: For those of you who enjoy vintage transfers, I recommend Pattern Bee for wonderful selection and service. I particularly wanted this pattern because my grandmother used the same one to embroider a lamb on a receiving blanket for me many years ago. You can see the same lamb at the bottom right corner of the quilt.

Embroidery transfers are a particularly fun and easy way to get started with embroidery. Choose something you like and iron it on to the fabric of your choice. A tightly-woven linen or cotton broadcloth or batiste works well. Choose embroidery floss in colors that please you, and start stitching. For most designs, you’ll use at least three basic stitches: outline or stem stitch, lazy daisy, and French knots. These aren’t hard to master, and you’ll find instructions with your transfers or in any embroidery book.* It’s a lot of fun!

*I just noticed that the owner of Pattern Bee has a new embroidery book coming out. It’s called Embroidery Craft: Stitching Through the Seasons, and it looks beautiful. You can see it at Turkey Feathers, Vicki’s blog. It just went on my wish list!

Caregiving for Homeschool Families: Don’t Go Into It Lightly

Daddy's hands. He loved the Word and carried it with him throughout his life.

Homeschool families are notoriously family-friendly, but I’ve recently been hearing questions and concerns about caregiving while homeschooling, so I thought I’d share a few thoughts here. Most of the people who have asked questions have been thinking about their parents or grandparents and have options available other than in-home caregiving, so I’ll mostly address things to consider in deciding whether or not to opt for in-home caregiving.

I was raised by my grandparents, so caregiving arrived early for me. My husband Donald and I cared for my grandfather (actually step-g) from 1989 until he passed on from complications of Alzheimer’s disease in 1993, and have been caring for my grandmother ever since. The observations I’ll share are based on my experiences and those of my caregiving friends during the past couple of decades and may not apply to everyone. Perhaps they’ll help as you consider what might lie ahead for your family.

You Gain

You Lose Read more

Wishing You A Joyous Thanksgiving- Here’s a Recipe and a Sale!

We wish you and your family a joyous Thanksgiving. Be sure to visit the big Thanksgiving Sale!

We wish you and your family a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving. Click on the postcard to visit the big Thanksgiving Sale!

I sent out the relish recipe in the newsletter and thought I’d post it here as well. One of our readers in Malaysia reminded me that they have no cranberries there. I sometimes forget that even small things such as cranberries can be a cause for giving thanks! There are doubtless some lovely tropical fruits in Malaysia with which to create a lovely salad or dessert. I hope to visit and find out some day! Read more

Nature Fun for Summertime

Two foxes strolled through the yard yesterday as if inspecting their own property. I’m surprised they hadn’t been frightened out of the neighborhood by the yapping of our little terrier who had spotted a doe browsing through the azaleas just an hour or so earlier, and was still “woofing” her displeasure at the trespasser. The foxes weren’t very big, but they sported bushy tails that were almost as big around as they were. I wish we’d had time to grab the camera!

Later, we sat on the patio at the edge of the woods and watched as a hawk tended its nest of noisy babies. There was a lot of activity up there, and I kept a sharp eye on our smallest cat, lest she look a bit too much like lunch from the hawk’s lofty vantage point. All went well, and we were able to bear the mosquitos long enough to enjoy watching fireflies flicker across the lawn, and see the occasional bat swoop by.

You may not have wildlife neighbors as we do, but in any neighborhood, there are many things to enjoy. I grew up in the heart of Los Angeles, and much of my world probably seemed to outsiders to be almost entirely paved over. Even there, there was much to see. Our tiny yard was a rich ecosystem of ferns, St. Augustine grass (nice for nibbling, if your mother didn’t catch you), an avocado tree, and many other plants. Less than a mile away was a park, ringed with fragrant eucalyptus trees and featuring ample play equipment and space for running and playing.

What kind of fun can you have with just a few plants, trees, or rocks?

There’s much more you can do, but that’s a start. I’d love to hear your ideas– please feel free to leave them in the comments section.

The key is to go outside and stay for awhile and be willing to get dirty. It’s a joy to appreciate and experience creation, but if you’ve not been used to doing so, it may take a bit of practice. Trust me– it’s worth it!

*****

Convention Season Specials: We’re in our last week of the convention season, so the sale will end after this weekend. If you need any high school reference or language arts materials, be sure to check it out!

Northern Virginia Home Education Conference: If you can come, please look us up in booth 203. I’ll be speaking on High School Transcripts and The Essential Essay. I hope to see you there!

Requiem for Clue- A Very Old Dog: 1996-2009

Today we said good-bye to dear old friend. It’s never easy, and I’ll miss his ancient tottering steps following me through the house from dawn to dark. Today is the first time I’ve sat in my office chair, without needing to stay still in order to not roll over his old paws. Read more

“Gratefulnesse”- A Poem of Thanksgiving & A Recipe

This is my favorite Thanksgiving poem, and if you have been with me for many years, you know that you’ll receive it each year as my Thanksgiving “article.” It is a poem of grace and beauty, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

GRATEFULNESSE

by George Herbert (1593- 1633)

Thou that hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, a grateful heart.
See how thy beggar works on thee
By art.

He makes thy gifts occasion more,
And says, If he in this be crossed,
All thou hast given him heretofore
Is lost.

But thou didst reckon, when at first
Thy word our hearts and hands did crave,
What it would come to at the worst
To save.

Perpetual knockings at thy door,
Tears sullying thy transparent rooms,
Gift upon gift, much would have more,
And comes.

This not withstanding, thou wenst on,
And didst allow us all our noise:
Nay thou hast made a sigh and groan
Thy joys.

Not that thou hast not still above
Much better tunes, than groans can make;
But that these country-airs thy love
Did take.

Wherefore I cry, and cry again;
And in no quiet canst thou be,
Till I a thankful heart obtain
Of thee:

Not thankful, when it pleaseth me;
As if thy blessings had spare days:
But such a heart, whose pulse may be
Thy praise.

Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe

Fresh Cranberry-Orange Relish

2 bags fresh cranberries (frozen is okay)

3 juicy Valencia oranges, unpeeled, cut in eighths

2-3 handfuls of shelled walnuts

Sugar to taste

Chop or grind the cranberries and orange pieces in a food processor or old-fashioned crank-type food grinder. Chop the walnuts with a knife (definitely not the food processor– trust me on this) and add to the fruit. Add about a cup of sugar to start, stir, and keep adding sugar until it’s perfect. It’s good when made the day before, as the flavors blend nicely. If you do this, you’ll need to keep it out of sight, or you may have a problem with poachers. Whatever you call it, it’s been a family favorite ever since I can remember pouring berries through the grinder when I was a little girl. Yum!

Here’s a link to my Black Friday Clearance Sale!

Test Prep Workshops and a Few Special Links

cherry tomatoesI saw the first yellow leaves falling today; the pinks, hollyhocks, and marigolds are all setting seed; and homeschool groups are scheduling SAT and Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshops– fall must be on its way! It really seems too soon. It seems as if we’ve just settled into our evening ritual of circling the garden and sampling its delights– cherry tomatoes were the treat du jour. The figs aren’t even close to being ripe!

Because I’m still working with this pinched nerve, I’ll just let you know about the workshops that have been scheduled, and share a few announcements. Short, but I think you’ll find something of interest here. And please- enjoy the last remaining days of summer!

Announcements Read more

Summertime- Blake, Rilke, Sandburg, Shakespeare

Summer has begun– a slower, sweeter time of year for many families. I enjoy each month of the year as it arrives, but the lushness of summer greens is a special delight. Each time I pick roses, I gather a variety of lovely foliage to complement them- hostas, crimson barberry, several types of ferns, a bit of lemon balm for extra fragrance, and whatever else strikes my fancy. The cool green, gray, and burgundy shades frame the lush roses beautifully. Roses, like most stars, are loveliest with a supporting cast!

It’s time for summer poems, and I’ve tried to choose three you may not know, plus a Shakespearean sonnet that always rewards another reading. These are lovely for copywork, or simply for reading and savoring. Enjoy!

To Summer by William Blake
O thou who passest thro’ our valleys in
Thy strength, curb thy fierce steeds, allay the heat
That flames from their large nostrils! thou, O Summer,
Oft pitched’st here thy golden tent, and oft
Beneath our oaks hast slept, while we beheld
With joy thy ruddy limbs and flourishing hair. Read more

A Science Mystery Solved- Color and Light

*Be sure to check the end of this post for news about upcoming events! NANOWRIMO starts 11/1!

We had an unexpected lesson in the science of color and lighting this past week. Donald graciously used most of his vacation week to paint our kitchen and dining room, and it was one of those snowball projects. We were going from a deep, warm red to a nice mellow Behr color called “Bagel”– a warm golden yellow.

Five gallons of paint of paint and six days after we started taping, the project seems to be all done except for untaping and putting everything back in. However, we had a most interesting science lesson along the way. I enjoy choosing paint colors, and can usually visualize exactly what the color will look like on the wall. This time, by day two of painting, I was getting worried. The nice mellow color on the chip was glowing a rather violent orange hue on the wall. It looked dreadful– but not all the time. There were a couple of times when I looked at it and it was perfect! Read more

In the Garden- An 1899 Excerpt

This time of year I am besotted by the garden, and have great difficulty staying indoors for any length of time at all. In fact, anything on my horizon that doesn’t need to be fed or planted seems dim and distant:-). In the evenings, I read garden-related things, and make long lists of things to plant, prune, or pluck the next day.

One delightful old book I enjoy in the spring is Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim. This little gem was published in 1899, and I would definitely identify Elizabeth as a kindred spirit. Here are a couple of passages for you: Read more