Author - Lorri

One of the Good Ones

Happy Father’s Day to my great husband, who is on his way to a conference in Hawaii.  Here he is with 3 of our children.

 

A Contest

I wrote my "Where I’m From" poem yesterday and this morning I discovered that there is a whole contest going on about this poem!  Cool.  Write your own "Where I’m From" poem, enter it and see if you win.  And make sure you say I sent you!

Click Here for more information:
"Where I’m From" Writing Contest

 

 

Where I’m From

I am from school desks, Ford and Pine Sol.

I am from the house on the top of the hill, the one with the grass that won’t grow.

I am from the Pacific Ocean, creating fog in the morning, salt spray in your face, seaweed in your toes, tar on your feet.

I am from church on Saturday and long, straight hair,
from Esther, Margaret and Annie.

I am from long eyelashes, chubby toes, and five feet tall.

I am from uncompleted projects, guilt trips, and putting on a good face.

From "wear real shoes" and "laugh like a girl."

I am from Catholic school uniforms, white knee socks, blue cardigans.

I’m from San Pedro, tamales and beans.

From Grandma rode with Pancho Villa, Grandpa pressed into the Russian Army, the Uncle lost in the Korean War.

I am from scrapbooks in progess, old photos in a trunk, the best pictures in frames on display.

Where are you from?

 

 

Story notebooks

One of our extra things we do in school is our story notebooks. I don’t really know what else to call them. Each child has their own sketchbook to draw a picture and then write a story. They use Crayola sketchbooks which are unlined. I measure off 2″ from the bottom of each page and draw a line. They draw on the upper portion of the page then dictate a story to me. I haven’t given them any direction on this, just let them draw whatever they choose. It’s been an interesting peek into whatever is on their minds that week.

Boo is not really into coloring or drawing. This is painfully evident in his story notebook. He does not draw like a 7 year old at all. I have been trying to keep my opinions to myself and not “help” him draw, but really, he really needs to do better. You can really see what I’m talking about here:


“We were all with God in a very happy place. That is Heaven. All the yellow stuff is the glory surrounding them. We were all very happy. We had a terrific party. We danced and danced all night.”

He does write good stories.

After another, I hate to say “bad”, drawing I decided he did need more guidance. We had an impromptu art class where I taught him how to draw a little more realistically. Here is his first drawing since then:


“Today I was driving my motorboat to the Smarty Mart to deliver stuff. The wind blew now and then, so I had my motor on, too. I also had my sail up. I arrived at the Smarty Mart in a jiffy. Then I just hung out for the rest of the day.”

Much better.

Pumpkin Girl’s stories are mostly about her and Rebecca:


“In Heaven, Becky was with God. They were happy and smiling at me when I went in. They had a beautiful party for my family. At the end, we all had a great time and then went to bed. The End. (p.s. The one that is all sparklish is God.)”

Today we not only used the notebooks for undirected stories and pictures, but we also used them to further our drawing skills. We used a picture of Larry and Bob from a coloring book and copied it. I then had the children write their own stories to go with the pictures. Interesting enough, Pumpkin did better at the drawing, getting all the peices in the same places at the coloring book picture, but for all her story-telling skills, she had trouble making up a story.


“Bob and Larry are dancing outside in the cool morning.”

Boo wasn’t as accurate with the drawing of Larry and Bob, but he embellished his drawing by putting them in a boat. He also made up a great little story, complete with dialogue.


“It was a warm, sunny day. Bob and Larry were out sailing. They were headed towards the beach. It was a windy day. The wind took a pause, so they had their engine on, too. When they spotted the beach, Bob shouted, “Land, ho!” And Larry shouted, “Anchors down!” They landed ont he beach and had a wonderful time there. ”

Here’s my drawing. I didn’t write a story.

This is one of Boo and Pumpkin’s favorite school activities. My plan is to keep them going as long as they enjoy them. We will be starting nature notebooks in the fall, too, so I may combine the two into one discovery journal where they can continue to write and illustrate stories, and observe and record nature and the world around them.

 

 

Knitting Disasters

I finished Pumpkin Girl’s poncho, sort of.   I happily finished the body and started the hood.  I grafted the hood together with the Kitchener stitch which is way harder than it looks!  I pulled that thing out 3 times because I kept losing my place and had no clue how to figure out where I was.  I finally resorted to counting out loud, "Purl, purl, off, knit, knit off, purl, purl, DON’T TALK TO ME!, off, knit…"  It was worth it though, because it looks beautiful!  I kept turning it over and over, marveling at how the seam just disappears.  Then I worked on the fringe.  The whole time I was working on the hood, I kept looking at the bottom edge that was curling up.  I figured the weight of the fringe would pull it straight.  Well, no.  Hmm.  Maybe blocking it would could it from curling.  Anyway, I tried it on Pumpkin Girl.  The darn thing is too small! In the immortal words of Charlie Brown: ARGH! It barely fits her right now and I made it for next fall.  She wears a size 5, so I made a size 6-8, hoping to get a year or two of wear out of it.  I checked my gauge and I’m right on, if not a little bit bigger.  I am positive I made the correct size.    So there I was, with the disaster of a poncho, looking closely at the picture on the pattern for any signs of the end curling when I noticed something.  The last four rounds were supposed to be knit in garter stitch, which is simply knitting every row.  Unless you are knitting in the round, which I was, in which case you knit one row, then purl the next.  This would have prevented the curling.  Or maybe it’s the other way around.  Either way, I did the wrong one.  Now I’ve got to pull out the fringe, pull out the offending rows and reknit them.  Which brings us to the next problem.  I had bought an extra skein of yarn, but I now  had barely enough to allow for the new rows, let alone the casing for the hood and the drawstring.  The only mercy was that I had not yet trimmed the fringe which will make it easier to pull out and reattach. 

My friend and knitting guru recommended giving the poncho a time out and letting it think about the errors of its ways.  She was also pretty sure I could block it out to a better size.  So into the yarn basket it went until I was ready to deal with it.

And on to Bip’s sweater.  You may recall that I just need to do the sleeves.  I found a quiet moment to get the ribbing done ("knit, knit, purl, purl, knit, knit, purl, DON’T TALK TO ME!) and then blissfully began knitting up the length of the sleeve, increasing every third row, just like the instructions said.  The sleeve was getting pretty long and I was only about half way to the amount of stitches I needed on the needle.  Hmmm.  I checked the instructions again.  And I quote, "increase one stitch at EACH end of every third row."  That would be twice as many increases as I was making.  Out came the sleeve, right down to the ribbing.

You know the saying, "Measure twice, cut once"?  Well, my lesson here was read twice, knit once. 

I figured I better move on to something where I was less likely to get hurt.

Washcloths!  That I could do!  And rather successfully, I might add!  I have decided I love washcloths.  You can use inexpensive cotton yarn, there are a ton of free patterns to be found on the internet and they are quick and easy.  See:

The blue one is for Boo, the purple one is Pumpkin Girl’s.  They are thrilled with them!  They think I’m a genius.

Flush from my victory with the washcloths I set my sights on socks.  I’ve always wanted to make socks.  And look, I did it!

Yes, it’s a funny shape, but it’s the practice sock from the book Sensational Knitted Socks. I’ve heard that socks are actually pretty easy, and they are, even if they often involve that pesky Kitchener stitch. 

And perhaps even more exciting, I found another skein of the poncho yarn at the bottom of the basket!  I will have more than enough for what I need.

Now I have moved on to a very easy baby blanket.  I think I can handle that.

 

Thumbs down to Sears!

On Saturday we took Bip to the local Sears Portrait Studio for pictures of him in his baptismal gown.  We left in plenty of time to arrive for our 1:30 appointment at the mall which is 20 to 30 minutes away.  The sky was threatening to rain so we parked in the covered parking which is on the other side of the mall as the Sears.  We had to make a potty stop on the way, plus little legs just don’t walk very fast.  We got to the portrait studio at 1:40.  The woman said "your appointment was for 1:30 and it’s now 1:40.  You’ll have to be considered a walk-in."

Me:  Ok, what does that mean?

Woman:  You have to wait until 2:00 and see if the 2:00 appointment doesn’t show.  If they don’t, we can take you.

Me:  Oh.  Well, is there anyone back there now?

Woman:  No

Me:  Well, can’t you just take me now?  I only have the one child, one background, no props.

Woman:  No, that’s the company policy.

Me:  So even though no one is back there right now, I still have to wait?

Woman: Yes, that’s the company policy.

?????

Then the 2:00 appointment arrived, and even though they were not going to take her back until 2:00, I still had to wait.

Me:  So what you’re telling me is that I now have to wait here all afternoon, waiting for someone not to arrive for their appointment?

Woman:  Well ma’am, our company policy…

Me: Right, I heard you.  But you are saying that in order to get pictures today, I have to sit here all afternoon.

Woman:  Our company policy is that…

Well, I finally got her to admit that yes, rather than going right away to take this one picture, I would now have to sit and wait for someone not to show up.  I don’t think so.  We walked out into the mall, and what should we see directly below us on the first floor:  The Picture People!

We went down there and they were happy to take our money!  From the time they took us back, changing Bip into his gown, taking 3 different poses, changing his clothes back and walking out the door:  15 minutes!  The photographers were wonderful, props and backgrounds were in good shape and the pictures turned out beautifully!  An added bonus was that I donot have to make a return trip to the mall in a week or so to pick up the pictures because they were ready in an hour.

Now, I totally understand that we were late.  That was our fault.  I would have understood if the Sears people had taken a walk-in in our place when we weren’t there in time.  I also understand that the company needs to have a policy in place to deal with apparent no-shows.  What really made me angry was the inability of their employees to assess the situation, realize that they could accomodate the customer and still stay on schedule.  What happened to good customer service where the customer is always right?  They would rather take no one’s picture rather than bend the rules and take the one quick portrait I wanted.  Well, not only did they lose my money that day, but I have no intentions of ever returning to that particular portrait studio (Landmark Mall in Alexandria, VA) and possible even any other Sears Studio.

And about this "company policy."  In the 7 years I have been taking my children to have portraits done, I have used Sears almost exclusively.  At no time have I ever been informed of this policy.  Not back when I would call the individual studio to make appointments and not the last two times when I called their central appointment number.

I will be writing a letter of complaint to both this particular Sears Portrait Studio and their corporate office.

It all turned out in the end.  Like I said, the pictures are beautiful and I don’t have to make another trip to pick them up.  We got a lot of things done while waiting for the pictures, including getting me an eye exam and a new prescription for reading glasses.  Boo got to by the Larry Boy car he’s been thinking of for months, plus we all indulged in Auntie Annie’s pretzels for snacks.  So 2 thumbs down plus a giant raspberry for Sears, but yay for the Picture People.

Garden Repairs

To say that there was a breeze that day would be an exaggeration. So when this HUGE gust of wind came out of nowhere, we were taken completely by surprise. Phil had been grilling hamburgers and was stepping outside to check on them and Boo was going along to supervise. The wind gust was so strong that trees were bending over and our canopy was lifted up and dropped about 2 feet from where it had been. One of our picnic benches fell over and the 50 pound bag of sand that had been weighing down one corner of the canopy was lifted and moved to the other corner. The fountain on the other corner managed to stay right where it was, but the plug was ripped out of the wall. And then the wind was gone. Nothing else in the neighborhood seemed to have touched. Very strange.

The good news is, even though the fabric of the canopy has some small tears, Phil was able to pound the bent peices back and the whole thing is still in good shape. We had no other damage.

While I was putting the tomato cage back in place, I noticed a bunch of little green bugs investing the tomatoes. I googled them, but all I could come up with were “tomato stink bugs,” but that didn’t seem right. I sprayed them with Dr. Bronner’s soap and water. That helped a bit. A couple of days later I sprayed them again, this time with 2 teaspoons of Tobasco sauce in the soapy water. Hot bugs! That got ’em! On Wednesday I was out, setting the fountain back up from the Freak Wind and I saw all the little dead bug bodies. Bwah ha ha! I am Woman, hear me roar!

But I was still wondering what those little buggers were, especially because now the leaves that most of them were on had yellowed. This time I googled “green bugs turning leaves yellow tomato” and got my answer: aphids! Now this is not the first time I have grown tomatoes, but this is the first aphid infestation I’ve had. Of course, the best way to rid your plants of aphids (besides the hot sauce!) is to go get yourself some ladybugs. Well, that wasn’t going to happen yesterday, but what did the Good Lord send me? You got it – a nice little ladybug got herself caught between the glass and the screen on my storm door. With Phil’s help, I captured her and released her on to my tomatoes.

And yesterday, as I was pruning all the damaged leaves from the tomato plants, I found not one, but two ladybugs! And a couple more aphids. So hopefully the ladybugs will have a feast and the aphids will be no more!

Fun With Science

We had so much fun with our science experiments today!  We are using the Usborne Science Activities Book 2.  Today we had experiments with fizz.

First up:  raisins and soda.  Pour some clear soda into a clear glass or jar.  Add a couple of raisins.  The gas bubbles in the soda will grab the raisins and lift them up.  As the gas escapes, the raisins will fall back down, but come up again when more bubbles stick to them.  This is really funny to watch!

Next:  baking soda and vinegar.  Just add a little of both to a cup and watch what happens.

And: fizzies in your mouth.  A little citric acid plus a little baking soda gets you…nothing!  You need to add liquid.  But first, mix some powdered sugar in for taste, then put a pinch of the mixture in your mouth.  Sort of a sweet and tangy fizzy thing going on.  Fun!  Put some of the mixture aside for Daddy to try when he comes home.  You can also watch what happened in your mouth by taking a spoonful of the mix and adding water to it.

By the way, if you are using the Usborne Science Activity books, Sonlight has some great DVDs to go along with them.  Every experiment in the book is demonstrated on the DVD by a fun and often silly science dude.  They are great to compare your own experiments with our to use if you don’t want to do them yourselves.  Especially if you can’t get all the materials needed.  Sonlight also sells science kits to go along with the books and DVDs so that you do have things like citric acid on hand.  I’m not affiliated with Sonlight in any way, just a big fan of their curriculum.

The Godspeed

So how old do you think America is? Well, if you are counting from the founding of the Jamestown settlement, America is celebrating her 400th Anniversary in 2007. To celebrate, the folks at Jamestown are celebrating in a big way, including a tour of a replica of the Godspeed, one of the three ships which carried the first settlers in Jamestwon. The Godspeed’s first stop is in Alexandria, VA and she is here until June 3rd. We can see her docked as we walk along the Potomac and decided to brave the Memorial Day crowds, heat and humidity to go for a tour.

First, we got a brief tour of Old Town Alexandria on our way there. I have only seen parts of it before, but I really want to get back again. We’ll have to find a way to leave the older children behind. I don’t think they will be happy with just walking and looking. Well, we found parking nearby and then walked to the river. One of the first things we saw was the paddle wheel boat, the Cherry Blossom, which we often see sailing by our house or as we walk along the Potomac. Pumpkin Girl thinks it looks like a big birthday cake


Then we worked our way to the Godspeed. We had planned to arrive around 10:30, which we did, and it was 10:45 when we found the Godspeed. The tours were scheduled to begin at 11:00, and the line was already huge! The wait was 1 1/2 hours from where we were. Yikes. Fortunately we were all covered up in sunscreen and we had water and sunglasses. There were also some activities set up and Phil and I took turns taking the children to see the exhibits. Once the tours started, the line moved right along and we were in the shade most of the time. While we waited, I gave the children a quick, impromptu lesson in American History.

Can you imagine crossing the Atlantic in such a small ship, in the middle of the winter? The trip took around 160 days.
The Godspeed and the other two ships that made the trip are shown on the Virginia State Quarter.

After a tour of the ship and some of the interactive displays on land, we headed off to lunch. We all perked up a bit in the air conditioning and treated ourselves to some ice cream and frozen yogurt. I let Bip taste my frozen yogurt, which he really enjoyed. He was so sweet, opening his mouth like a little bird for his next bite.The Godspeed will be stopping along the Atlantic coast for the next couple of months. If you get a chance to see her, you should. The price is right – free! If you go, here’s some things to know:

Go early and get in line right away. Find a volunteer with an event map and a schedule of events. There is a lot of entertainment, so you can go check them out while someone in your party waits in line.

Bring 2 cell phones or 2-way radios in case you get separated. Don’t ask how I know this.

There is no way for a stroller or wheelchair to get on board. The steps onto the ship and on board are steep. You will have to leave the stroller on shore. I have no idea how they accomodate wheelchairs.

Have a quick American History lesson before you go. Just reading about Jamestown will be enough, or even just watching “Pochantas” if you have younger children, will help set the stage.

Have I mentioned how much I really enjoy living in Washington, DC?

FlyLady Friday

I  had great plans to make yesterday FlyLady Friday and talk about the work I’ve been doing all week, but well, I was tired and I forgot.  So here I am today.

I’m hoping that writing regularly about the progress I’m making in the house will help keep me motivated.

Last week was the master bedroom.  It’s hard for me to work on the master bedroom because my housework time is during Bip’s nap time and he naps in my room.  So I tried something new this week.  In between nap times I put a video in for Bip to watch while he sat on my bed and I worked.  He likes "The Brady Bunch."  As a treat, I also let Boo and Pumpkin watch a couple episodes, too.  This way, nobody had a melt down when if I left the room.  I ignored FlyLady’s missions this time and just did my own thing.  First I pulled everything out of the room that didn’t belong there.  I sorted through what I could, but a lot of it went into the guest room.  Right away the room looked better.  Then I put a paper bag in the corner to toss the baby’s clothes in when he outgrows them.  You can’t even see the bag unless you know where to look.  Next I tackled our shelves.  We put some shelves up on either side of our bed to hold nick nacky things.  I was never happy with the way they looked – sort of random and haphazard.  I put more thought into how I arranged things and I’m much happier with them.

I also cleared off the top of Philip’s dresser and both our side tables.  A good dusting all around and the whole room looks a lot nicer.  I was also able to yank some clothes out of my closet for the donate box.

Next week is living room.

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