When I say recipes, I don't mean recipes for disaster. Well, sometimes I do. But in this case, I mean actual recipes! First, here is the long sought after recipe for Kale Chips. I hear these go great with crow.
You Will Need: a blender and dehydrator
Ingredients:
1 lb of kale (or more!)
1/3 cup almond butter
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup soy sauce (namashoyu, wheat free tamari, your choice)
3 T apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 bunch of Italian parsley
3 green onions
1 clove of garlic
water to thin
Procedure:
Wash and stem your kale (Any variety will do. You can use Red Russian, Dino or Curly or another dark leafy green. I prefer Curly kale. But that's me!) Put washed kale into a gigantic bowl. Take the rest of the ingredients listed above and put them in a blender. Add some water to thin it out like a salad dressing. You want the mixture to coat the leaves but not be clumpy and chunky.
Toss your kale with the dressing and lay out on dehydrator sheets. Put them in for about 24 hours at 105 degrees or until crispy.
These guys make a great salty chip like snack. And as long as you don't have sesame or nut allergies you are good to go! Kids eat them up yum!
Can you make these in the oven at a low temperature? I've heard that you can, but I haven't tried. I'm spoiled with my dehydrator!
Enjoy!!!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Homemade Crow
Okay, let me open today's post by saying that I apparently love to eat crow. Like the question, "How hard can it be?" I should also be on alert for things that fly out of my mouth beginning with, "I would never ..." For instance, I would never home school my children. Never.
Say, how do you like your crow? Broiled, baked, flambeed, boiled, pureed, on toast or au jus? Really, at this point I'm not even picky. I'm eating the whole thing, feathers and all.
Anyhow, it seems I've taken my desire to learn how to make everything from scratch (hats, cloaks, dinner, pie, lunches, etc.) to the next level. Yes, even our education will be "home made". I'm not even going to say, "how hard can it be". I'm not going to jinx it just yet.
How did I arrive here? Again, I believe it is my penchant for crow. But, seriously, it has been gnawing at the back of my mind for a while. As I watch our abysmal education system get sucked through the wringer and our children become more agitated and the teachers more frustrated, I kept thinking there must be a better way. I guess I started down this path years ago when I was a big advocate for public education (I still am) and said I would never send my kids to a charter.
Well, Valerie and Amira are attending a charter school. The Waldorf education they can get at the charter school isn't for everyone and it is certainly not available in the unified school district. I started sending them there because Valerie was taking classes like knitting and violin after school. She also had a desire to paint and create. Well, after a full day of getting math and language arts shoved down your throat and homework (yes, homework starts in kindergarten these days) she was busy after school with these other activities.
Waldorf education provides a main lesson everyday and also violin, Spanish and handwork during the school day. And the homework load was way less. She went from cramming her short term memory in order to take tests to an actual student who enjoyed learning and craved it. And I wrote less checks and drove around a lot less. We all became less stressed and more satiated as soon as she started at the charter school.
Rex was the only one who didn't make it over to the Waldorf school. But one day he realized he really fit in with the kids there and that the girls seemed to really enjoy school a lot more than he did. We put Rex on the wait list for Blue Oak Charter School last Spring. Even with sibling priority, he is still number two on the list. The fifth grade at that school is really impacted. So, I'm not sure he will get in soon or even this year.
In the mean time he started slowly withdrawing from school. He went through the motions of doing the work but not really enjoying it. He wasn't engaged at all. And each time he got an opportunity to be a "guest student" in Valerie's class, he was that more enthusiastic about changing schools and that much more disappointed to return to his own school.
I have to confess that I also am not at all enthusiastic about the work sheets and dry formulas for studying at Rex's school. I started thinking about how I would teach it if given the opportunity. Now, I didn't start thinking how I would teach to a class of 35 students with varying abilities ... I just started thinking about how much more fun learning could be for Rex if there were some flexibility. That line of thinking started me investigating home school as a TEMPORARY option to bridge Rex over to the Waldorf school when he could finally get in. I'm not suggesting he will be home schooled in a Waldorf method. I'm not qualified. But I hope to provide an enriched program for him during the "school day".
Tuesday night he and I attended an orientation at C.O.R.E. Home school in Chico. Rex was even more excited about home schooling after the orientation. (And believe me, the director indicated this is not for everyone. She emphasized the amount of work it is for the parents and the responsibility of the students to be a little self directed). Well, I have to admit, we are both a little excited about it. So, we are presently waiting for a teacher to be assigned to us so that we can officially enroll in the home school program.
In the mean time, Rex has decided that he wants to take violin lessons again. The home school program has a "Lego Club" where students meet every other week with a project they've built according to the assigned theme. Our friend who lost his teaching job last year will be available to tutor math on Fridays. Rex thinks quite highly of this fellow - as do we. He is an acquaintance of Michael's from high school. Also, Rex is going through an etiquette training at the gym so that he can have access to the equipment and classes. (That way I can selfishly still attend yoga! And maybe he can too). And on top of all this the teacher at Neal Dow (his current school) has said that he can continue to be on their chess team. Also, it is my hope that his grandfather (who is a microbiology professor) can possibly take him down to the lab at Chico State University when appropriate for a little fun and science.
And he will still be able to come to the girls' school to play with the other kids and attend special events. I figure between this and the Green Knight Academy, Lego Club and Chess Club, he will be socially stimulated.
So, I've also been looking at some fun experiential math ideas and combining the mechanics of language arts with social studies or science in order to kill two birds (crows, if you will) with one stone. Check out this link for a living math idea (not that it is applicable now, but you get the idea).
I don't want home school to be so attractive to him that he won't return to Blue Oak should he get an opportunity. I also don't want it so attractive that the girls want to pull out of their school to home school too. But I really am excited about creating and meaningful learning experience for him that he can be excited about. I really don't want to see him lose his love for learning or his wonderful ability to think critically. I hope this time will help us both grow and get excited about learning new things. I also hope this time doesn't drive us crazy because I realize there are not enough hours in the day to make everything from scratch that I want to. And by that I mean everything (food, education, knitting, etc.)
Now, excuse me while I open a few boxes of macaroni and cheese to feed the six kids at my house. (Shhhh!!! Don't tell!!)
Say, how do you like your crow? Broiled, baked, flambeed, boiled, pureed, on toast or au jus? Really, at this point I'm not even picky. I'm eating the whole thing, feathers and all.
Anyhow, it seems I've taken my desire to learn how to make everything from scratch (hats, cloaks, dinner, pie, lunches, etc.) to the next level. Yes, even our education will be "home made". I'm not even going to say, "how hard can it be". I'm not going to jinx it just yet.
How did I arrive here? Again, I believe it is my penchant for crow. But, seriously, it has been gnawing at the back of my mind for a while. As I watch our abysmal education system get sucked through the wringer and our children become more agitated and the teachers more frustrated, I kept thinking there must be a better way. I guess I started down this path years ago when I was a big advocate for public education (I still am) and said I would never send my kids to a charter.
Well, Valerie and Amira are attending a charter school. The Waldorf education they can get at the charter school isn't for everyone and it is certainly not available in the unified school district. I started sending them there because Valerie was taking classes like knitting and violin after school. She also had a desire to paint and create. Well, after a full day of getting math and language arts shoved down your throat and homework (yes, homework starts in kindergarten these days) she was busy after school with these other activities.
Waldorf education provides a main lesson everyday and also violin, Spanish and handwork during the school day. And the homework load was way less. She went from cramming her short term memory in order to take tests to an actual student who enjoyed learning and craved it. And I wrote less checks and drove around a lot less. We all became less stressed and more satiated as soon as she started at the charter school.
Rex was the only one who didn't make it over to the Waldorf school. But one day he realized he really fit in with the kids there and that the girls seemed to really enjoy school a lot more than he did. We put Rex on the wait list for Blue Oak Charter School last Spring. Even with sibling priority, he is still number two on the list. The fifth grade at that school is really impacted. So, I'm not sure he will get in soon or even this year.
In the mean time he started slowly withdrawing from school. He went through the motions of doing the work but not really enjoying it. He wasn't engaged at all. And each time he got an opportunity to be a "guest student" in Valerie's class, he was that more enthusiastic about changing schools and that much more disappointed to return to his own school.
I have to confess that I also am not at all enthusiastic about the work sheets and dry formulas for studying at Rex's school. I started thinking about how I would teach it if given the opportunity. Now, I didn't start thinking how I would teach to a class of 35 students with varying abilities ... I just started thinking about how much more fun learning could be for Rex if there were some flexibility. That line of thinking started me investigating home school as a TEMPORARY option to bridge Rex over to the Waldorf school when he could finally get in. I'm not suggesting he will be home schooled in a Waldorf method. I'm not qualified. But I hope to provide an enriched program for him during the "school day".
Tuesday night he and I attended an orientation at C.O.R.E. Home school in Chico. Rex was even more excited about home schooling after the orientation. (And believe me, the director indicated this is not for everyone. She emphasized the amount of work it is for the parents and the responsibility of the students to be a little self directed). Well, I have to admit, we are both a little excited about it. So, we are presently waiting for a teacher to be assigned to us so that we can officially enroll in the home school program.
In the mean time, Rex has decided that he wants to take violin lessons again. The home school program has a "Lego Club" where students meet every other week with a project they've built according to the assigned theme. Our friend who lost his teaching job last year will be available to tutor math on Fridays. Rex thinks quite highly of this fellow - as do we. He is an acquaintance of Michael's from high school. Also, Rex is going through an etiquette training at the gym so that he can have access to the equipment and classes. (That way I can selfishly still attend yoga! And maybe he can too). And on top of all this the teacher at Neal Dow (his current school) has said that he can continue to be on their chess team. Also, it is my hope that his grandfather (who is a microbiology professor) can possibly take him down to the lab at Chico State University when appropriate for a little fun and science.
And he will still be able to come to the girls' school to play with the other kids and attend special events. I figure between this and the Green Knight Academy, Lego Club and Chess Club, he will be socially stimulated.
So, I've also been looking at some fun experiential math ideas and combining the mechanics of language arts with social studies or science in order to kill two birds (crows, if you will) with one stone. Check out this link for a living math idea (not that it is applicable now, but you get the idea).
I don't want home school to be so attractive to him that he won't return to Blue Oak should he get an opportunity. I also don't want it so attractive that the girls want to pull out of their school to home school too. But I really am excited about creating and meaningful learning experience for him that he can be excited about. I really don't want to see him lose his love for learning or his wonderful ability to think critically. I hope this time will help us both grow and get excited about learning new things. I also hope this time doesn't drive us crazy because I realize there are not enough hours in the day to make everything from scratch that I want to. And by that I mean everything (food, education, knitting, etc.)
Now, excuse me while I open a few boxes of macaroni and cheese to feed the six kids at my house. (Shhhh!!! Don't tell!!)
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
What do you do, again?
So many times we are asked, "What is it Michael does for a living?" We all know he works and travels a lot. We know he does something with computers ... but what does he do??
For some people, pictures are worth a thousand words. So, here are a couple photos taken of Michael working hard on a recent job in San Francisco. He's running the graphics from back stage for an event. The nice thing is that he can create the graphics at home. But he does travel quite a bit to actually run them for the client shows.
Enjoy the candid photos below.
And when he's at work (as opposed to his home office) he really has all the eyes on him as you can see below. No pressure or anything.
And if this wasn't enough for you ... there is an entire gallery of show photos by clicking here.
Enjoy!
For some people, pictures are worth a thousand words. So, here are a couple photos taken of Michael working hard on a recent job in San Francisco. He's running the graphics from back stage for an event. The nice thing is that he can create the graphics at home. But he does travel quite a bit to actually run them for the client shows.
Enjoy the candid photos below.
And when he's at work (as opposed to his home office) he really has all the eyes on him as you can see below. No pressure or anything.
And if this wasn't enough for you ... there is an entire gallery of show photos by clicking here.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Awwwwwwe!
Okay, so he was totally asleep and had his little white belly showing. And when I tiptoed up to him (CLOMP! CLOMP! CLOMP!) to take a picture (CLICK! FLASH!) he woke up. It's so hard to get him still.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Field Tripping
What an amazing weekend. Friday started with another field trip for Valerie's class. We went to a living history trapper camp, much like the one I went on with Rex's class a couple of years ago. So, an hour in the car with 6 fourth graders was actually pretty fun (on the way there). We learned about trapping, trading, camp keeping, hunting and what it was like along the Sacramento River before gold was discovered. This was followed by a picnic in the park.
Here you see Valerie helping the "Camp Keeper" with the water buckets. Although it looks like some poor other chap has to do the heavy lifting.
Of course, usually healthy as a horse, I ignored the sinus headache that had been coming on a couple of days earlier. And on the drive home I was crushed under the weight of pain. My eyes hurt, my teeth hurt, my ears hurt. I had a vision of traumatizing the kids as my head might have exploded all over the windshield. Fortunately, this did not happen. But after dumping the kids off I went and got some medicine to relieve the sinus pressure and took a nap in the car until the kids were dismissed. Then I crawled through the hall and propped myself on the floor against the wall outside of Amira's class. I was unable to put on the air of having everything being okay.
So, I went home and proceeded to drink tons of my gypsy cold care tea (I swear by this) and rinse my sinuses with the netty pot. My friend Holly sent over some herbs and I picked up a bunch of homeopathic stuff. Miraculously by Saturday, although still tired and stuffed, the pain was gone.
The kids had some friends over and I was well enough to bake them some snickerdoodles, get together a big batch of kale chips, and start charring pablano peppers for the chiles rellenos I was going to make for a pot luck on Sunday.
By Sunday I was feeling way better. And I was surprised to see that it was raining outside. The potluck was still on. So, I scrambled together my rellenos, a salad and cut up the most amazing casaba melon I picked up from GRUB and then a pretty terrific salad complete with pomegranate from my backyard.
May I interject here that I love GRUB? This is the best CSA ever!
We arrived at Holly's house to celebrate the 100th Birthday of her House. Also, she and Casey had made homemade Carnitas with homemade tortillas. I should mention here, this was all compliments of Vino, Holly's pig who was so lovingly cared for and now was nourishing her family and friends. And there was some talk at the party of going in on a pig share with some other families. I think I totally want to do that.
Anyhow, people brought roasted garlic and onions, sourdough bread, homemade potato salad, pies and Eric grilled up some crazy catfish in fig leaves. I don't think I'll ever be hungry again. Oh, did I mention the black beans with homemade andouille sausage? This was a foodie/locavore delight. And Portia is always good for bringing an amazing cake. I wish I had a picture. There were little peas, corn, tomatoes and pumpkins complete with their vines decorating the sides of the cake.
My camera card is full. So, I will have to deal with that and get it ready for our next adventure so I can post here.
I don't want to jinx it, but I am slowly feeling better. If any of you get a horrible sinus head cold, start drinking the Gypsy Cold Care tea by Traditional Medincinals. Also, Sinusalia and Cold Calm put out by Boiron are good supplements. And a netty pot is indispensable. And if you have a friend with access to kick ass Chinese herbs, take her up on it. With Michael traveling so much this month, I have to stay healthy-ish.
Here you see Valerie helping the "Camp Keeper" with the water buckets. Although it looks like some poor other chap has to do the heavy lifting.
Of course, usually healthy as a horse, I ignored the sinus headache that had been coming on a couple of days earlier. And on the drive home I was crushed under the weight of pain. My eyes hurt, my teeth hurt, my ears hurt. I had a vision of traumatizing the kids as my head might have exploded all over the windshield. Fortunately, this did not happen. But after dumping the kids off I went and got some medicine to relieve the sinus pressure and took a nap in the car until the kids were dismissed. Then I crawled through the hall and propped myself on the floor against the wall outside of Amira's class. I was unable to put on the air of having everything being okay.
So, I went home and proceeded to drink tons of my gypsy cold care tea (I swear by this) and rinse my sinuses with the netty pot. My friend Holly sent over some herbs and I picked up a bunch of homeopathic stuff. Miraculously by Saturday, although still tired and stuffed, the pain was gone.
The kids had some friends over and I was well enough to bake them some snickerdoodles, get together a big batch of kale chips, and start charring pablano peppers for the chiles rellenos I was going to make for a pot luck on Sunday.
By Sunday I was feeling way better. And I was surprised to see that it was raining outside. The potluck was still on. So, I scrambled together my rellenos, a salad and cut up the most amazing casaba melon I picked up from GRUB and then a pretty terrific salad complete with pomegranate from my backyard.
May I interject here that I love GRUB? This is the best CSA ever!
We arrived at Holly's house to celebrate the 100th Birthday of her House. Also, she and Casey had made homemade Carnitas with homemade tortillas. I should mention here, this was all compliments of Vino, Holly's pig who was so lovingly cared for and now was nourishing her family and friends. And there was some talk at the party of going in on a pig share with some other families. I think I totally want to do that.
Anyhow, people brought roasted garlic and onions, sourdough bread, homemade potato salad, pies and Eric grilled up some crazy catfish in fig leaves. I don't think I'll ever be hungry again. Oh, did I mention the black beans with homemade andouille sausage? This was a foodie/locavore delight. And Portia is always good for bringing an amazing cake. I wish I had a picture. There were little peas, corn, tomatoes and pumpkins complete with their vines decorating the sides of the cake.
My camera card is full. So, I will have to deal with that and get it ready for our next adventure so I can post here.
I don't want to jinx it, but I am slowly feeling better. If any of you get a horrible sinus head cold, start drinking the Gypsy Cold Care tea by Traditional Medincinals. Also, Sinusalia and Cold Calm put out by Boiron are good supplements. And a netty pot is indispensable. And if you have a friend with access to kick ass Chinese herbs, take her up on it. With Michael traveling so much this month, I have to stay healthy-ish.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Remember September
Once again, it has been so long since visiting, that I don't know where to begin! First, let me say that we are reeling with assorted pet tragedy. You may have heard that we lost our dear Turbo Fluff just before returning from Costa Rica. Upon our return we had a little memorial for him.
Then a few weeks ago Sally (our Americauna from the original batch of chickens) started staggering around the backyard not looking so good. I didn't know what was wrong or what to do about it. I had to admit it had been a while since I'd treated the chickens for parasites, so I went to my source for Ivermectin. Sadly, I believe I aspirated my poor dear Sally of the delightfully green eggs with 1/2 cc of medicine. That's all it takes.
On the first day of school this year for Amira and Valerie, the excitement was tempered with loss. To add insult to injury, I had Sally sent to UC Davis for a necropsy. The result? Other than drowning in her medicine, she was a healthy chicken. I felt terrible. But in other news ... no salmonella or other crazy chicken diseases. And I still don't know why she was staggering. Whatever it was is not of the usual contagious disease variety.
Here's a picture of Sally & Buffy. Sally is the darker hen laying down.
So, along comes the end of September and we are all ready to do our annual trip to see Uncle Dave in Santa Cruz. Every year we have a three day stint where we go to the Monterey Aquarium, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and the beach. Well, along the way down there something came over me that we just had to have a bunny. The house felt so empty. And every time I had a bunch of cilantro in my hands, it felt odd to not feed it to a furry little critter. Anyway, we found an organization called Rabbit Haven . They hooked us up with our new little guy, Napoleon Bunnyparts. Or, as the kids have proclaimed, "Napoleon Bunnyparts Dynamite Santa Cruz".
He's a crazy little guy. We think he is pretty young. He's a dwarf agouti bunny. He likes to hang out on the book shelf behind the chair at night and listen to stories. He loves to run around the living room rug like a race track. And he is litter box trained. What a good little bunny!!
Upon bringing our new family member home, our excitement was tempered by yet another loss. Our little cuckoo maran, Lucky, went missing Friday afternoon while we were gone. And a red tail hawk had been spotted sitting in our yard Wednesday before we left town. While harvesting squash from the garden I found the crime scene. Pretty sure it was a hawk. Poor Lucky probably never saw it coming. She was the sweetest, dumbest chicken I've ever had. I will miss feeling her little feathers on my legs when I hang out laundry. She had a knack for digging in the laundry basket looking for treats and running around my ankles.
Here's a picture of the four "chicks" we got in March. Lucky is the black and white speckled hen. And, of course Happy turned out to be a rooster. So, of all these guys we just have Olive and Perch. (Olive looks like Sally and Perch is the fluffy white chicken).
So, we are officially down to 4 chickens. We have Buffy (our menopausal hen), Agnes (who is in molt), Perch (who is broody as all get out) and Olive who has also gone broody. Not so many eggs for this chicken family. Oh the irony have having this much chicken poop and no eggs!
Anyhow, that is our sad news. Now, on to the fun stuff! Santa Cruz was a blast. Each year the kids get a little taller and are able to ride more of the rides. And although not taller, I was conned into getting on a roller coaster with Valerie.
Also, the aquarium has some new features like these interactive videos where they pop your face up on a screen. But I have to say we miss the big tank.
Rex and Valerie grabbed the camera and got some great shots of seals out in the bay.
I think Uncle Dave survived. Not sure. We haven't heard from him since returning.
In other news I went on an overnight field trip with Valerie's class to the Grinding Rock State Park where we camped like Miwok in Umach'cas (bark tee pees). One of the dads was in charge of all the cooking and menu planning. That was a relief to me. And how nice was it to wake to nice hot coffee in the morning. Usually I'm brewing it. I tell you, camping has never appealed to me because it's like all the cooking and cleaning I do anyway but more difficult because it's all dirty. This was actually fun. And the weather was fantastic. I didn't even need a sweatshirt.
The kids got to go on a night hike, hear Native American tales by the fire, drink hot cocoa, make honor bead necklaces and medicine pouches and help with all those chores like cooking, cleaning, hauling water, etc.
Lastly, on the long drive home there was much monkey business in the back of my van (what with five kids and all!) Anyhow, Valerie stuck something in her mouth, someone else ripped it out and her bottom tooth went flying through the air and was caught by another student.
When she got home she was re-enacting the story to Amira. And as Amira ripped some cloth out of Valerie's mouth, out popped the bottom tooth on the otherside. Here's Valerie showing off her toothless smile.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Crafticapped
I believe I am paving a road with all my good intentions. I'm not sure where this road leads, but I'm suddenly having an idea.
As much as I am inspired by all those craftacular people out there who can bake a cake to look like a castle, create a gingerbread house with stained glass windows, whip out a blanket, dress, custom or other nifty doo-dad on their sewing machine as well as knit and crochet anything in a matter of minutes, alas, I am not one of them.
Amira's soon to be first grade teacher came for a home visit a couple of weeks ago to see where Amira lives and what she likes. While she was here I dragged out many a half completed project (fairy house, apron, skirt) to display my desire to be able to sew and yet my lack of ability. Amira will be in a class with kids who have moms who actually make money sewing skirts and putting on fashion shows. And, yet, somehow I volunteered or got volunteered to sew 30 bean bags for the class. Yes, that's right, THIRTY.
I consoled myself. Bean bags, that should be pretty easy as projects go. It could be a lot worse. I mean, those crayon pouches look like a lot of work.
Well, it took me an entire weekend to make the bean bags. It's always daunting to start with giant bolts of fabric and a sack of beans and imagine the finished project. (Well, it may not be hard for some people, but I am crafticapped after all).
Michael and I made a little assembly line. I sewed pouches, he turned them right side in and filled them with beans and then I filled them with a little lavender I dried from our garden and sewed them up. The process was not difficult. Finding the time to set aside was a little daunting. It took a couple of days.
I really felt triumphant as I dropped of a 15 pound bag of wonderful smelling bean bags into the classroom. I did my duty and now I'm done.
But then I saw a note from my friend Caryl who had gotten volunteered to do those crayon pouches. She suddenly realized there were not enough hours in life to deal with them and needed someone else to take over.
I guess I was a little high on lavender scented bean bags when I wrote to her and said, "Is there a pattern? Why don't you just drop the stuff off at my house and I'll do it for you." Caryl tried to warn me, "Really? Are you sure? She wants these by the first day of school and it's going to take some time." Like a case of turrets, here it came, "How hard can it be?"
I about cried when I saw the gigantic bolt of fabric take up my entire living room. And there was a piece of paper with a sort of directions. But I decided I could do it. Failure was not an option.
Sadly, you know that saying,
I remembered it too ... after I cut. So, making one crayon pouch is not a problem. Making 30 of them identical is a challenge. Let's just say I can't make two matching mittens when I knit. So, thirty of these rascals are all over the map. I just hope the kids can fit their crayons into them without it falling apart.
And I have a new respect for those poor people in the sewing sweat shops around the world ... and their talent to put out identical garments!
So, here's my pile of 30 crayon pouches. They are bundled up so the size difference won't be apparent until the kids start comparing.
On the plus side, if the job is that bad, I might be fired. Then I won't have to worry about any more sewing jobs! And also on the plus side, I can thread a sewing machine and tear apart a bobbin case like it's nobody's business. I'm feeling more confident in that realm. It's the measuring and cutting I need to work on in the future.
I'm so fired.
As much as I am inspired by all those craftacular people out there who can bake a cake to look like a castle, create a gingerbread house with stained glass windows, whip out a blanket, dress, custom or other nifty doo-dad on their sewing machine as well as knit and crochet anything in a matter of minutes, alas, I am not one of them.
Amira's soon to be first grade teacher came for a home visit a couple of weeks ago to see where Amira lives and what she likes. While she was here I dragged out many a half completed project (fairy house, apron, skirt) to display my desire to be able to sew and yet my lack of ability. Amira will be in a class with kids who have moms who actually make money sewing skirts and putting on fashion shows. And, yet, somehow I volunteered or got volunteered to sew 30 bean bags for the class. Yes, that's right, THIRTY.
I consoled myself. Bean bags, that should be pretty easy as projects go. It could be a lot worse. I mean, those crayon pouches look like a lot of work.
Well, it took me an entire weekend to make the bean bags. It's always daunting to start with giant bolts of fabric and a sack of beans and imagine the finished project. (Well, it may not be hard for some people, but I am crafticapped after all).
Michael and I made a little assembly line. I sewed pouches, he turned them right side in and filled them with beans and then I filled them with a little lavender I dried from our garden and sewed them up. The process was not difficult. Finding the time to set aside was a little daunting. It took a couple of days.
I really felt triumphant as I dropped of a 15 pound bag of wonderful smelling bean bags into the classroom. I did my duty and now I'm done.
But then I saw a note from my friend Caryl who had gotten volunteered to do those crayon pouches. She suddenly realized there were not enough hours in life to deal with them and needed someone else to take over.
I guess I was a little high on lavender scented bean bags when I wrote to her and said, "Is there a pattern? Why don't you just drop the stuff off at my house and I'll do it for you." Caryl tried to warn me, "Really? Are you sure? She wants these by the first day of school and it's going to take some time." Like a case of turrets, here it came, "How hard can it be?"
I about cried when I saw the gigantic bolt of fabric take up my entire living room. And there was a piece of paper with a sort of directions. But I decided I could do it. Failure was not an option.
Sadly, you know that saying,
I remembered it too ... after I cut. So, making one crayon pouch is not a problem. Making 30 of them identical is a challenge. Let's just say I can't make two matching mittens when I knit. So, thirty of these rascals are all over the map. I just hope the kids can fit their crayons into them without it falling apart.
And I have a new respect for those poor people in the sewing sweat shops around the world ... and their talent to put out identical garments!
So, here's my pile of 30 crayon pouches. They are bundled up so the size difference won't be apparent until the kids start comparing.
On the plus side, if the job is that bad, I might be fired. Then I won't have to worry about any more sewing jobs! And also on the plus side, I can thread a sewing machine and tear apart a bobbin case like it's nobody's business. I'm feeling more confident in that realm. It's the measuring and cutting I need to work on in the future.
I'm so fired.
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