A Southern Classic Sauce: Mississippi Comeback Sauce

I've got to make this! See here for the recipe. This complex tasting creamy sauce is high calorie, built upon a mayonnaise base, but looks as if it would be delicious as a meat or vegetable sauce for occasional comfort meals.

Kitty Leisure Activities

Spoiled pets seen here:
Daily fish watching along with a short drink from the bowl by resident cat. Our betta fish hides in his castle from my daughter, but not the cat! There's a bit of cat watching from the other side of the glass as well.

First Day of Advent

A Root shall come forth from the stock of Jesse
And a Flower shall rise out of his root!
And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him
the spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the spirit of counsel and of fortitude,
the spirit of knowledge and of godliness.
The people that walked in darkness
shall see a great light,
For a Child is born to us
and a Son is given to us.
To Him all power shall be given.
His Name shall be: Wonderful One,
Strong God, Eternal One, Prince of Peace.
He shall sit on the throne of David,
And He will found a new Covenant
which will last for ever and ever.
~ Advent prayer based on scripture from Isaiah

Today is the first day of Advent.
(from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming") We light one candle today on the wreath in anticipation of the Nativity of Jesus.

DIY Extra Large Wall Magnet Board

Made from a oil drip pan found at automotive stores, or some Wallyworlds for about $10.00, more or less. See here for more information.

Easy Sew Girls' Ribbon Christmas Tree Top

Source: bjanebrewing.com via Cari on Pinterest

Dollar Store Fun - Table for Two?

I got a few packages of flameless tea light candles(set of three) at a dollar store today for my daughter's "restaurant". What fun she has had for just a few dollars. They've also been selling those detailed miniature Japanese type food eraser sets which come apart, and are perfect for kitchen play. We purchased a sushi set a few weeks ago, and today a fast food set.

I requested a few "manners" books for young children from the library tonight. Maybe I'll read them as the animals dine, and have Mr. Brontosaurus act out what we learn(hee,hee).

Have a Peaceful and Blessed Thanksgiving

"In everything give thanks: for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Vintage Children's Thanksgiving Poetry for Those in Colder Climates

THANKSGIVING DAY

Over the river and through the wood,
To grandfather's house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river and through the wood—
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.
Over the river and through the wood,
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring,
"Ting-a-ling-ding!"
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!
Over the river and through the wood
Trot fast, my dapple-gray!
Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting-hound!
For this is Thanksgiving Day.
Over the river and through the wood,
And straight through the barn-yard gate
We seem to go
Extremely slow,—
It is so hard to wait!
Over the river and through the wood—
Now grandmother's cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin-pie?
~ Lydia Maria Child

Free and in public domain: Childhood's Favorites and Fairy Stories The Young Folks Treasury, Volume 1

Over the River and Through the Woods free geography lesson(grades1-2).

Repost from 2007.

Free Thanksgiving Coloring Pages

Here is a sampling:







Click here for printable and saveable pdf copies. They print out nicely.

HT to Betsy who has an ongoing list of Thanksgiving links on her blog.

Repost 2007.

Made in the USA

Just out of curiosity, I was browsing a website of 100% American made products when I came upon Texas Jeans. There is a sale and free shipping for the holidays! I may consider buying a pair as a Christmas gift for my husband. They have regular and trendy cut jeans. Check out their selection and prices here. It's hard to believe that the iconic Levi jeans(last made in USA in 2003) are no longer made here in the USA.

Some reviews of Texas Jeans here. Apparently they are extremely good quality and fit well.

Here's another USA made brand, Buddy's Jeans. The cowboy father and son modeling Buddy Jeans made me smile. These are super tough jeans with extra reinforcement.

Here's an interesting site which posts the history of various items made in the USA, and where they can be found for purchase. No posts have been made since April of 2011. I wish they had kept posting because it was fun to read. I was surprised to read that Okabashi footwear was made by a family owned business in Georgia.

Another neat site, Still made in USA. I've linked this to women's apparel. I recognized a good number of stores and brands: Jessica McClintock, Nordstrom's(search "USA"), Pendleton Wool, Spiegel(search USA), A Pea in a Pod(search "USA"), Eddie Bauer(keyword "women USA"), and more.

Peace

Source: jesustotheworld.tumblr.com via Annalea on Pinterest

Let It Go

Holiday stress advice:

Source: imgfave.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Children's Thanksgiving Coloring Page

Right click on image to save and print.

Source: mostlypaperdolls.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

DIY Children's Futon

This was made from four pillows and three yards of fabric. See the blogspot link under the image for instructions. Openings can be left to remove pillows for washing. I think I'd use a velcro closure. I wonder if you could just sew together four pillow cases? Time to experiment.

Source: norestforthecreative.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Dish Dryer Rack for File Folder Organization

Source: google.com via Elyse on Pinterest

Autumn Art Project for Children

This autumn scene was embellished with gold paint. See link under picture for tutorial. I ordered the Sargent Art Metallic Tempera set of six($4.25) from Blick for this project.

Source: deepspacesparkle.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Image is from the site tutorial.

Natural Tree Ornaments

I happened to see these(see below) rough cut amethyst and citrine ornaments online today, and chuckled because my daughter made something similar for our Christmas tree this year. She asked to put the tree up early, so it's up and decorated, and very pink(new this year). From her ribbon scrap basket she hung up her colored mineral collection(mostly quartz), gumballs(from a tree) rolled in glitter, shells, and sea glass. A roll of tape is gone - she used this to tape the stones to ribbon for hanging. It is very pretty. I am not going to add to it. I'll leave our ornaments in the attic this year.

Source: vivaterra.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

"What Do You Do for Fun?"

"What Do You Do for Fun?" I got this question from a family member recently. I had trouble answering the question to their satisfaction! The question assumed that I compartmentalize my life - fun and not fun. I didn't want to mention that everyday is fun, or life is what you make it, or that I actually enjoy my home and family life, or that a clean and happy home gives me great joy. I have fun when I am with my family because I love them. It's a lot of work and I have my ups and downs, but honestly when you homeschool, you generally enjoy spending time with your family, or you wouldn't pursue and continue with it. This particular person would have felt badly if I had mentioned all this, because I know she has a lot of regrets as a mother and wife, and is not the happiest person. I was also reminded(told) that my children are pulling away from me(not clingy babies anymore), as if this would send me into a tailspin. Meanwhile, I'm thinking this is a good thing! I have done my job if they feel comfortable being independent and secure. It has never been about me. It's always been about them(my husband and children). Both sides of my extended family tend toward narcissism, and they assume everyone else is just like them, or should be, even if it is unhealthy for those involved.

The hard work and love put into marriage and raising a family is a calling, a holy vocation, a sacrament, and a blessing. People who truly take this to heart and live it, generally don't have to chase after fun; they find joy in their vocation. Spending time with one and other, with your children is "fun" for me. Life is very short, and children grow quickly. I want to savor this time with them before the next season of my life begins. So what do I do for fun? I put God first, I pray that Jesus will work through me in all matters, and I feel the peace as the spirit fills me with His grace. Life is a gift, and everyday I wake up breathing is a "fun" day, a blessing, a joy. It's so true, Jesus is the light of the world, and the light will never be extinguished by the darkness(Gospel of John, I believe ). My focus in on the light, not the darkness.

The shortest answer, couched in the least threatening language I could produce is, "I just hang out with the fam', do fun stuff, and go places". A puzzled look followed, but oh well. I wonder what the culturally normative answer would be?

Fall Cleaning

It seems that fall cleaning is almost as labor intensive as spring cleaning. Among other things, I am still clearing out wardrobes and donating old clothes to charity thrift stores. Today, I filled the trunk of the car, once again, with outgrown clothes. Teenage boys grow fast and outgrow clothing, pants especially, in a matter of months.

Fall also seems to bring a lot of dust, perhaps falling leaves and other decaying die-back, and the changing out of clothing and bedding from storage have something to do with it. I don't know, but I ended up having to do a thorough wipe down of all the baseboards, tops of doors, doors, walls, etc. It's weird how dust can accumulate on a vertical surface like the back of your interior room doors. Achooo - bring on the air cleaners.

I'm glad we pulled all the wall-to-wall carpets. I am enjoying our painted floors. Things stay much cleaner now because dirt is not hiding and accumulating in the carpets. The floors get wiped down and sanitized on a regular basis, so I know the dust levels have decreased in the house. Our new vacuum is working really well on the hard surfaces, and seems to be working equally as well on our super low pile area rugs.

In the next two weeks, I'll be tackling the cleaning of all the area rugs with Capture(dry clean), as well as washing throw pillows, bed pillows, and drapes; and vacuuming mattresses. I end up doing a deep cleaning every few months, but fall and spring seem to be done on a larger scale.

I have neighbors, both grandmothers in their late 60's, who have never heard of fall cleaning. So, thinking I was the only one who did this, I looked it up on Google and in my Google Books library. Sure enough, there is such a thing, and it's an age old ritual.

A few public domain vintage printables for children and adults. To save and print, simply right click on the images of the pages at the links. These books can be downloaded in their entirety as well.

"All went well—" said Mrs. Ladybug— "all went well until one day—this morning, to be exact—Mrs. Green opened the closet door and began to brush and sweep and wipe and dust. I heard her say that she was doing her fall cleaning. And of course that pleased me; for I was glad to learn that she was a neat housekeeper. ~ The Tale of Mrs. Ladybug by Arthur Scott Bailey, 1921

Practical Housekeeping, 1883, mentions both spring and fall cleaning.

Fall house cleaning in nature: To-DAY the September west winds have begun the fall house-cleaning by sweeping the tops of the pine woods. All the morning the little brown scales which nestle close to the base of each pine leaf as it grows, protecting it from the withering force of the midsummer sun, have been soaring and spinning in high glee, curiously lighting up with brown glimmers the solemn sanctuaries beneath. ~ Wood Wanderings,1910

Handy Household Hints and Recipes, 1910, Fall Cleaning: Bedbugs, ants and other pests may be gotten rid of by taking a cake of white soap or a piece of tallow, and with a knife scrape as much as needed, then add an ounce of powdered corrosive sublimate, making a smooth paste. After washing the bedstead with cold salt water, wipe dry and apply the paste to every crevice. This will not evaporate or soak into the wood, as liquids do, but will prove a ready and deadly feast for all partakers. For ants, spread a strip of muslin an inch wide with the paste and tack it around the legs, or under the cupboards, or lay them on the lower shelf under the papers. Put this on after fall housecleaning, and it stays there until spring, when it is all scraped off, the shelves are washed and the paste is renewed.

Fall Cleaning: Spring cleaning has long been an established custom. Getting rid of the winter's accumulations and dirt seems to be considered a necessity. What about the summer's accumulations? If allowed to remain undisturbed they will simply double the nuisance by spring. Go over your entire premises and put everything into the garbage barrel for which you have no use. Clean up the yard. Remove everything from cellar or attic which should not be there. If it is essential to remove such material in spring it is doubly necessary to do so in fall when your home will naturally he more closed for the winter. ~Buffalo Sanitary Bulletin, 1914

I also read that walls where traditionally whitewashed(limed) in the fall to kill over wintering pests.

Vintage 1910 November Blackboard Calendar

Click on image to enlarge and save/print.
Source: The School Journal

Lift Me Up

Source: jameipangilinan.tumblr.com via Meghan on Pinterest

Animal Bread

Making this tomorrow for "cooking class"(giggle)! We'll make regular bread dough and shape it. Poppy seeds will serve as eyes.

Source: Uploaded by user via Alexandra on Pinterest

Update:

My daughter shaped most of these today. There are snails, slugs, bear heads(as pictured above from original idea), and other shapes. Many were rolled in poppy seeds for spotted versions of the animals. I added extra oil to this recipe so that it would be easier to shape, and probably should have let it rise only once because it obscured the shapes, which I knew would happen to some extent. We'll do this again. It was fun even though my kitchen looks like a flour explosion.

Here's a student lesson at RedStarYeast.com on the science of yeast.

Building Language Skills with Dictation and Art

I've begun taking down my daughter's stories as she tells them. So far she seems to like this, and has begun drawing her stories on the same page where I am writing. I'm hoping to keep this up and put together a little book of her work(progress) at the end of the year. We don't have the room to save all the paperwork and projects, so I've begun taking pictures of them to add to a memory book. I hate to throw them all away, so I save a few each month in a three ring binder, but most get tossed to stave off a paper explosion.

This method of homeschooling English has been really good for her delayed expressive speech. I fell into dictation and art by following her lead, and as a bonus, it doubles as speech therapy. While telling her stories through her art, I'm able to re-phrase and correct her sentences, if needed; she then repeats, and can refine her sentences. When we are done, I re-read the story to her. I can sense the wheels turning - she is really wanting to move forward with improving her expressive speech, and this seems to be just her speed. I've met her at her comfort and interest level, so it flows naturally and painlessly. She is enjoying herself and learning at the same time.

The uninterrupted one-on-one time is very special, and there is a lot of conversation and connection. I thank God for this opportunity to give her this special attention in a relaxed environment full of love. This is my second trip through teaching a child with a speech delay, and what I've learned is that each child reaches to overcome this issue in their own way. What worked for my son, would not work for my daughter. Both need(ed) to come at the delay from their own specific learning style. My son prefers a very formal introspective(reading research) no-frills approach, whereas, my daughter is much more artistic, whimsical, and hands-on(quick observer) with her learning.

Free Printable Fall Writing Paper

We used this for school today, just for a change of pace. See here to print.
There are many other selections with different themes. I printed out a few for my daughter today with butterflies, hearts, and a panda in the background.

Let Your Hope Make You Glad

Source: borntomakeanimpact.tumblr.com via Kalyn on Pinterest

DIY Jellyfish Bottle Floaty

I want to try this with my daughter! See source link below for tutorial.

Source: bhoomplay.wordpress.com via Therese on Pinterest

Clothes Pin Learning Fun for Young Children

I think this was done with a balsa wood frog cut-out glued to a clothespin. I'm going to make this with cardboard. I bet I could think of some other animals(or letter/number animals) to make with a clothes pin. Great idea with many possibilities.

Source: flickr.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

House Plants Half Price Now

I've been waiting all summer to get a big bushy palm, and this week they were half price at Wallyworld. I treated myself to a fern and a large palm. This was a nice treat considering we have several holes in our ceiling from two home repairs. One repair is still not fixed because the pipe is leaking again. Our vacuum broke(snapped in two!) after the workmen left on Friday, so there is still lots of dust. Amazon is sending us a new(different) stick vacuum for our hard surface flooring and low pile area rugs - hoping it comes quickly.

So I got some "pretty" to counter the ugly. I may check back in a week or two to see if the large house plants have been reduced some more. They really make a room feel lush and alive, and fill in empty corners nicely with texture.

Non-Traditional Kitchen Designs

It's nearing the time for a completely new kitchen. We did an update about ten years ago, but now the 40 year old cabinets have reached the end of their life. Actually, we could get a little more life out of them with another repaint, but the lowers are not level and the water runs to the back of the counters. For some reason, a kitchen full of wall-to-wall upper and lower cabinets seems like an outdated design and a bit confining to me. I haven't always felt like this, but I'm going to go with a non-traditional approach to re-designing the kitchen, and see where that leaves me. It's a bit of a risk, but I plan to do it on a budget, and we can always add cabinets and counters later.

I leaning toward stainless steel restaurant work tables with no cabinets, and no full size oven or range. We'll use induction range plates and an induction half stove. Here's my Pinterest pin board with the kitchen items I may choose; I'm adding possibilities as I find them.

Old Fashioned Soft Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening (3/4 cup correct amount)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Recipe here.

I substituted 3/4 cup of apple sauce for the shortening, and one tablespoon of canola oil. They were gone quickly! I also added a bit of cardamon. Soft and delicious!

Best Loved Stories, Character Education for the Very Young

A few books that we have read aloud during the past month:

Treasury of Virtues: Courage, Love, Honesty
Twenty relatively short well known stories for the very young(ages 4-7) referencing the virtues of courage, love, and honesty. At the end of each story is a reflections page(summary) written specifically for very young child. There is nothing heavy, preachy, or dark here. These are sweet gently told tales. Stories include: The Little Red hen, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Honest Woodcutter, The Boy Who Called Wolf, The Four Musicians, The Lion and the Mouse, Stone Soup, The Bell of Atri, The Gift, The Selfish Giant, King Midas, The Fisherman and His Wife, Jack in the Beanstalk, The North Wind, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Little Dutch Boy, Johnny Appleseed, and The Velveteen Rabbit.

Best-Loved Children's Stories (Padded Treasuries 6x6)
Best Loved Children's Stories(ages 4-7) includes these popular fairy tales: The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Brave Little Tailor, The City Mouse and the Country Mouse, Saint George and the Dragon, The Golden Goose, Demeter and Persephone, George Washington and the Cherry tree, Thumbelina, A Brer Rabbit Story, Abdrocles and the Lion, The Brownie of Blednock, Icarus and Daedalus, The Wild Swans, Ali Baba, and The Nightingale. Like the book above, Treasury of Virtues, this book also has a reflections page at the end of each story explaining the value covered. These story are light, friendly, and short enough for bedtime or snuggle time.

I picked up both of these books about ten years ago at a thrift store, but you may be able to find them at a public library. I've linked both which are in stock at Amazon .

A Manual Can Opener That Lasts!

WMF Profi Plus Safety Can Opener


I've been using this bit of German engineering weekly for about six months now. I used to get so irritated with manual can openers not working properly or breaking after a month of use. This one has lasted, and it's easy on the hands. It took a while for me to get the hang of it because it opens the outside rim edge of the can, and has to be placed onto the can horizontally. It glides around the can without much effort leaving no sharp edges. It was a bit expensive, but the price was worth it for a reliable can opener. It opens those big 6.5 pound cans effortlessly. I picked this one after reading customer reviews of various can openers, doing a bit of research on Amazon.