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 For some reason, a kitchen full of wall-to-wall upper and lower cabinets seems like an outdated design and a bit confining to me.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!

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.

DIY Dollhouse Bookcase

Source: style-files.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

I would love to make this for my daughter's room. Click on link(style-files.com) under picture for directions.

DIY Children's Tent

Source: ana-white.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

We are going to make this for my daughter, and give it to her on Christmas day. I'll be sure to post pictures. Click on ana-white.com under the image for the directions.

Switching Gears: Homeschooling with Public Library Resources

We've used Rod & Staff, Schoolaid, and a bit of Christian Light Education(Learning to Read) as our core curriculum since Kindergarten. They are very close in content to early to mid-20th century school books, and that appealed to us. They are also bargain priced and efficient(basics) without any frills. We've filled in learning with some great online resources, using free helps and public domain books and texts. In the eighth and last year of Rod & Staff schooling, my son is more than ready(antsy, really) to spread his wings and learn less formally. We are already looking ahead to the next school year, and this year we dropped the Rod & Staff eighth grade reading curriculum in favor of independent reading(with summaries and a vocabulary list) this year.

Next school year, we will be using only one prepared curriculum, and that will be Christian Light Education Math(Rod & Staff ends at grade eight); the rest we'll get from free online resources and the library. There are stacks and stacks of history and science books* at the library, more than enough to choose from for reading, books reports, and vocabulary lists. We go to the library every week, and I already have a section and titles in mind.

Rod and Staff English is advanced, so my son will be well versed in the formal rules of English at the end of this school year. He will be ready to focus on reading and writing. I remember reading only classics for ninth grade English, and writing report after report on them. I really learned to write and comprehend well that year, and the best part was that I was able to choose which classics to read. I chose mostly romantic classics written by Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, E. M. Forester, and Edith Wharton. We did nothing else but read, write, and keep vocabulary lists. It was a small overseas private school, so the teacher was able to get away with this. It is my best remembered and was my most enjoyable year of schooling. I'm planning to open up this possibility to my son as well - the ability to choose favorite classics or quality literature to spend the year with.

I'll be sharing these teen resources and our books here on my blog. Finishing up eighth grade will feel a bit like finishing up second grade, where you move from learning to read to reading to learn. It's like taking the training wheels off, and moving into the adult realm. How fast they grow, and what precious time we've spent learning together as a family. I love homeschooling!

*We'll begin Apologia science in the tenth grade.

Living Geometry, Algebra, and Calculus Books(and More)

Life with Fred Series for Math(Elementary - College)

Someone asked me if I knew of a living math series for algebra. Well, this is pretty close to living books for math. It's learning math with a humorous whimsical storyline. Review and curriculum here at Rainbow Resources. I've never tried this series, but it looks like a good solution for a child who enjoys quirky humor and suffers from math phobia.

Sample pages here:

Life of Fred Pre-Algebra 1 with Biology(PDF)

Living Book Reference Lists: Science Grades One - Eight

Classical:Grammar Stage Science Book List(grades 1-6) Compiled by Carol Richey This is a good starter list which I've used for library book searches. It's also good to use as a spine for finding similar books under topic areas using key words.

Charlotte Mason Living Books Curriculum(grades 1-8), good for reference.

From Donna Young - "A basic a skeleton outline of science topics. Use this as a study guide to look up resources in an encyclopedia or other reference books": See here, and here for a living science book list shared on a Donna Young forum.

Public domain science books shared by An Old Fashioned Education. Some texts are included; however, many are living books. See books broken down by grade level here.

Support for the Relaxed Homemaker

Home Living had a wonderful post recently for de-stressing your life as a homemaker. A relaxed homemaker can often find herself out of step with the rest of the world. Being an older keeper of the home, I relate particularly well to her slow living posts. I can never thank her enough for posting supportive and affirming posts on the benefit of an afternoon nap, or "taking to the bed", an old fashioned way to recharge and keep your body healthy when we let ourselves get run down.

She allows for printing of her posts as long as it's for personal use. A handy site is linked making posts print friendly, allowing you to delete sections, and save to a PDF.

If modern society leaves you feeling unsupported and inadequate, read Living Without Unnecessary Stress, and browse her other posts. Slow living is not about being lazy; it's about living smarter, and enjoying a quality of life that lingers, that you can savor and does not lead to indigestion of spirit and soul.

Easy Fun Little Pet

We've had this pretty orange betta since spring, and it's the sweetest little thing, always happy to see us walk by, or talk to it from above the bowl. I know he's looking for food, but he does seem to like us to pay attention to him. He also has preferences. I'm his favorite, and he runs and hides from my daughter who gets too carried away with her love.

He was just a few dollars at Wallyworld. The tank is a super large Wallyworld vase on clearance. All the other tank items were purchased there as well: a little heater, a simple pump, a bridge, large pebbles, and plants grown from bulbs. The pump is not completely necessary, but I like to think they are healthier with it. It's a bit strong for the tank, so I fold the tube in half(with packing tape) for just a little bubbles. The fish seems to like it. I purchased a small siphon off ebay which changes water in the tank in no time.


One thing I've learned with bettas is that they go not like those betta pellets. I buy the betta flakes which they eat up quickly.

Vintage 1920's Fashion Advice for Young Women

Interesting 1928 vintage fashion book, "Appropriate Clothes for the High School Girl":

Suggestions for the Stout Figure

A girl may not only improve the appearance of her face and head by the proper use of line but she may do wonders with her figure, as well, if she knows how to properly design her dresses. A dress wonderfully becoming to a slender sylphlike girl may become a tragedy on her plump classmate. Every girl should understand her physical make-up as thoroughly as she does her disposition, with its strong points and its weaknesses. She should know the kind of line she may wear successfully in her dresses, and the colors that are most becoming to her and the types of materials most suitable for her.

The stout girl should carefully avoid a design in a dress that is too cut-up or complicated. Tunics, unless long and scant, are unfortunate usually and the interest created by trimming about the waist line or elaborate belts should never be indulged in by the stout girl.

Length-producing lines should always be planned and light or colored collars should always be designed so that interest will not be created out towards the sides of the figure, creating width, but down the center front instead.

Contrasting shoes and stockings not only cut from the height of the figure but help to accent the feet and ankles of the wearer. The girl who wears white shoes with her dark dress states, by so doing, that she considers her feet well worth public consideration.

Contrasting materials for sleeves or elaborate cuffs or pockets will add width to any figure.

The designs in the accompanying illustration are most suitable for the older school girl when made up of wool or linen materials.

I may safely recommend this type of line in design for the girl of superfluous weight.

I always find these vintage fashion books interesting as they come from a time when my grandmothers were young girls. Both are passed away now, but the memories are saved in old pictures.

Download link here from Project Gutenberg.

This Week's Picture Book Library Picks

Two quality young children's picture book finds this week from our public library:

A bit like Aesop's Fables, The Lion and the Mouse, the Snail and the Whale book by Julia Donaldson is a cute story written in clever rhyming prose about an adventurous snail who meets a friendly whale willing to take him beyond his small world on a rock. After a trip around the world, the little snail finds a way to rescue the whale when they find themselves beached.


The Pea Blossom
A story about a pea, set in Beijing, China, who put his trust in faith. His purpose is revealed in the end upon the healing of a little girl with a chronic illness who miraculously heals after he blooms in front of her sick bed window. Although, not expressively mentioned, this book could easily be interpreted from a Christian standpoint of having faith, and letting God guide us to our life's purpose.

Review from Amazon:

K-Gr. 2. In this lovely retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Pea Blossom," five little peas wait impatiently in the sun to ripen. The first four peas have grand aspirations--one wishes to dine with the emperor; another plans to visit the moon--but the fifth and last little pea declares, "I shall go wherever it is that I am meant to." The fifth pea's destiny is to land on the windowsill of a gravely ill young girl, where it sprouts into a beautiful, blooming plant that brings about miraculous healing: "As the peas grew fat in their pods, so did the girl thrive and become healthy again." Choosing to set her version in Beijing, China, Poole illustrates her simple, elegant prose with watercolors on rice paper that are clearly reminiscent of Chinese paintings. The delicate, graceful scenes are imbued with just the right touch of whimsy; children will particularly enjoy the expressive faces of the anthropomorphic peas. A poignant read-aloud that will enhance any folktale collection. Jennifer Locke

Free original story by Hans Christan Anderson here. To print and/or save, simply right click on the images of the pages.

Paper Chain Craft Templates

Simple fun and free to print. See here.

Make a Large Decorative Driftwood Sailboat

Even though summer is almost over, these would still be fun to make if you have access to driftwood. It's on my list, and this is a great time to look for seaside driftwood, after the all the storms and hurricanes.

See here for post.

Organize Your Measuring Spoons and Cups

If you don't mind putting holes in your cabinet, this is a great idea to keep organized. I am always searching for my measuring spoons and cups.
Picture and idea from here. I might try this with that sticky picture hanger tape instead of screws

Store Sheets Neatly Away

Sheets folded and stuffed into the matching pillow case.

If I could get them to fit, this would be a great idea!

The 50 Best Websites of 2011

Time Magazine ran this article recently. Interesting educational choices:

Education

• Freerice
• Khan Academy
• Open Yale Courses
• Smarthistory
• Starfall
  

Read more here.

The only one I've used in the past is Starfall, which really is excellent. I haven't checked out the other sites in depth.