Wrapping Up and Fresh Starts

I hate change.  Almost always.  And there are a lot of chages that are happening/ about to happen.  Some I like, others, I do not.

Wrapping up:

• Ms. Anna at Pleasantview Schoolhouse is going to stop blogging.  I'm really going to miss reading her posts.
• I just taught my last in-home art classes for the semester, and after I finish teaching at the local cottage school in a couple of weeks, I probably won't teach art classes again for several years.   It may be nice to have a break, but I'm really going to miss the sweet kids!
• Beth is moving out next semester.  She'll still be close to home, but she won't be sleeping here, eating breakfast here, living here.  
• I'm finishing up my last home school classes.  I love being home schooled, and I'm really going to miss it.

Fresh Starts:

• I will probably have a job at Dr. Wonderful's office over the summer!  Definitely a change I'll enjoy.
• Beth is moving into the dorms at college.  Not a change I'll enjoy.
• Beth bought her own car car, so now, of course, she can be my chauffeur!  I do still need to convince her of that, though.
• I'll start college in August.  Scary and exciting, all at once.  I'll let you know whether or not I like it in about four years.

 Things that are coming up:

• Graduation. I chose not to have a ceremony (a ceremony for just one person is generally called either a coronation or a funeral, after all), but I will be having a party!
• My friend Kate is going to visit this summer!  Yes!
• Rachel and I are putting on an art and writing camp.  It's nature themed, which will provide plenty of inspiration!  And a good excuse to be outdoors.

I'm glad the secret to being content is in the Bible.  "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Phil.4:13)."  So, so glad.

Shop Update

A couple new things are up on my Etsy shop!  The blue ball (Rachel, Chrissy and I named him George) and a honeycomb patterned milk glass piece.  I almost kept it, but my desk was too full.

They've Grown

The little heirloom tomato plants are about five inches tall.  Slower growing than the hybrids, it seems, but they're pretty hardy.  I've been moving them outdoors more and more, and none are dead yet.  The plant on the right with the skinny foliage is called Silvery Fir Tree.  How fun is that?

They are always bent towards the light, no matter how many times I turn them. 

Ephesians 5:8b-10  "...Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord."

A 1950's Dress

I used Marian Martin pattern 9295.  It was very roomy, so I think I ended up taking in about 3 inches from the front and back, and it's still really loose!
 

Sadly, the details do not show up very well (and yes, my posture is usually a lot worse than that).  Silly quilting fabric with it's small print.  Actually, silly me for using quilting fabric for a dress...
 

I really like the little square buttons. 

I think I'm going to make this dress again, in a fabric I like!  I did get up the nerves to wear it to the cottage school today.  I got a lot of strange looks - it was really pretty funny! 

Bleeding Heart

I found a 1940's book on perennials at the thrift store the other day, and it went into detail about how to propagate plants. I opened to a page on Bleeding Hearts. Convenient, seeing how we have one and all. There are now three little bleeding heart stems sitting in sand in my room. I hope they grow roots!

P.S. This picture by Ida Bohatta can be found here.

:EDIT:  The demented cat, after leaving the little darlings alone for almost two weeks, pulled one up and left it next to the pot.  Then he curled up on my bed and took a nap.  There are now two little bleeding heart stems sitting in the sand in my room. 

Computer Sharing

Well, last Sunday my mom's computer started smoking. It is dead now.

This means that we're now all using my computer! So, not as many posts from me this week, and possibly not for the next several weeks. Which means you won't have to go through any dull, monotonous, boring, tedious (are we quite clear here?) posts, because when I do get a chance to post, I'll post about something interesting!

Yet, here I am, posting about something that is boring. It's a hopeless case.

The next post will be interesting!

A Vintage Album

I'm posting from our church. The building was built in the 1930's, and there are a lot of things from that era still here. Like this wonderful photo album! Sorry about the photos - my computer's camera isn't the best. To give an idea of just how colorful this album is, the shirt that I'm wearing is the actually as bright as pepto bismal, just more purple-ish.

Now, look at the photo in the middle on the left. That's right. This lady is pointing a gun at her (I assume) friend. There are several shots like this in the book. Now, this photo album has a label on the front attaching it to one of the church bible studies. Either someone had a little too much sun, or we were learning interesting things in church back then, don't you think?

I love the history of this church! The candid photos in this album just go to show that people have always been people, and they weren't as stodgy as their formal portraits made them look, either. In fact, they were downright silly, sometimes! Haha!

Egg Custard

     Custard is so good!  And this is a good, creamy recipe.  I changed it a bit from this one, and I didn't use a crust. 

Creamy Egg Custard

    First of all, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a saucepan, mix together 1 1/5 cup milk, 1/2 cup cream, 4 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Heat it up until it bowls.  Stir it every so often.

     In the mean time, beat 4 eggs in a bowl with a whisk.  Beat them really well.  Once the milk is boiling, slowly pour it into the eggs, beating with the whisk the whole time.  Beat it for about half a minute after.  Pour it into an oven proof glass dish, sprinkle with a lot of nutmeg, and bake for about 15 minutes.

I'm Here...

...just doing this and that today. Nothing too exciting - wrapping up some projects, piano, walking the dog. Oh, I did sit on the roof for a while with Chrissy, enjoying the weather and carefully dodging water balloons. Now that was exciting!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

"So whatever you do, whether you eat or you drink, do it all to the glory of God." 1 Cor 10:31

The Tree House

I love this drawing by Breezy Brookshire. It sent shivers through me when I looked closer at it a minute ago. Especially the starry night sky, and the feeling it gives of being outside, at night, and still perfectly safe - it reminds me of ND. You can't help but love how the kids have three light sources!

And the picture that's tacked up on the wall - did you notice that?

Doves and Dandelions

Well, I'm back from the land of the whiny.  In happy, non-stressed news:

• Dad got encouraging news from the heart surgeon, and he's recovering at a good pace!
• The morning doves' eggs hatched.  The babies are so ugly, they're cute!
• I don't have to pay taxes on my income this year.  Yay for Daddy figuring that out for me!  I love being classified as a dependent.
• Gideon is still in I'm-so-glad-to-be-home-I'll-be-sweet-and-cuddly-and-won't-attack-Kara mode.  I'm enjoying it. :)
• The lawn is mowed, and the dandelions are gone (for now).  Last night the front light was shining on the yard full of puffy seed heads, and I couldn't help but think that it looked like we were being attacked by a bunch of tiny aliens in little, round, glowing space ships.  Odd, I know, but that's what they looked like.
• I started my CPR and First Aid course online.  To check for consciousness, tap the victim on the shoulder and shout "Are you all right?!?"   You could try this on perfectly conscious people to "practice".  I'm sure the teacher would give you extra points.  At least one.

What a Day!

• Out-of-town guests, and preparing for them.
• Running with David .
• Teaching art to twelve kids who have severe cases of spring fever.
• Forgetting my anatomy books. Whoops! There were only two students in class today, and neither of us brought our books. Thankfully, mom ran mine over, so we weren't both sharing the teacher's copy!
• Going to a registration session for college, which in and of itself was enjoyable, and not at all stressful, but
• Meeting with the adviser sure was! She has very different plans for my life in college than I do. She was helpful though. I just didn't agree with her on what my goals should be, and I really think I'll enjoy taking both Plant Biology and College Algebra. Anyway. I'll be quiet now.
• Walking an excited, tugging Dixie past a rabbit, two dogs, and eight people. She want to greet each of them.
• Emailing a friend who lives in Asia - that was relaxing, though.
• Blogging to you - this is relaxing, too!

All in all, it was a stressful, productive day. I can't decide if liked it or not. I think I'll vote present.

What I've Been Doing Lately

Painting. And studying for placement tests. Funny story, that. I studied for months for the math test, but I didn't even know about the reading one until yesterday. When the time came to take the tests, the reading one took about one monotonous hour, but the math test was only about six quick questions long! Aargk!

Sewing.

Listening to guitar.

Marveling at how BIG David's feet are. What's with this? The kid is five years younger than me! His shoes are like canoes!

Missing our kitty! He had to stay a few nights at the vet's (I promise it wasn't because I sat on him). Poor Giddy. He's back now, though, and doing well.

More Cute Fabric

From here.

The British Open

I went to the British Open today.  It was very much like any other tournament.  For instance, there were golf balls.  Imagine that!

Silver cups as awards.

Golf clubs galore.

Wild swings!

Throwing of hats on the ground (though this was staged).

A homemade golf caddy - you might not see this at any other golf tournament...
 

Fancy leather ones with wheels.

Two very determined golfers.  They are fun.  And willing to sign autographs!

They're HOME!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes. We're excited. Thanks for praying. :)

Please Pray...

... for my Dad.  He's still at the hospital after his surgery, and they may keep him tonight too, because his blood oxygen levels are low.  He's winded after just a few words.  Also, Mama and he would really like to come home by Friday (we'd like them home by then, too!), but they can't even leave the hospital until he's breathing well on his own.

Thank you!

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Galettes

Have you ever heard of these?  If not, please let me explain.

A galette is basically a mixture of meat, vegetables, or fruit encased in a circle of pastry.   The pastry, which can either be a yeast dough or a pie crust, is pulled up and around the stuffing and pleated, pinched, or otherwise cajoled into an upper-crust of sorts.   We've made galettes twice now, once filled with ground turkey and a bunch of other veggies, and tonight with an Indian tikka masala filling.  It was delicious both ways.  

I made two, so we can have some for lunch tomorrow!

Picture from Honeyflake.  She used a yeast dough.  We used pie crust.  Speaking of which, I'd like to make an apple pie galette.  Or a juneberry galette!

A Blur!

Oh, what a busy day! It started off with list making - our parents are in Texas (Daddy had a surgery, which went well, praise God!). I planned what we're going to eat this week so we won't be stuck with popcorn and apples like last time. Then I planned what to do today. I ran, read, showered, cleaned, and contacted various people. Then we watched four kids all afternoon, and played games, drew pictures, ate orange slices and made daisy chains. Technically they were dandelion chains, but hey, you work with what you've got.

After that, we went to a friend's house for supper. Next, Beth zoomed me over to the store to get some black poster board for my art students tomorrow. Ah! After I got home, I replied to some emails (I'm working on yours Rachel - I promise!). Now, here I am, blogging, after 10 o'clock, the point at which my brain turns itself off. I think I'll go to bed now. Good night.

Cute Fabric

It's from Ruby Jane. I would like to make a dress out of this, if it wasn't so expensive. Definitely something to save for!

Egg Hunt

Lots of fun this morning at an egg hunt in our church's neighborhood!  Colorful cooked eggs and plastic ones filled with goodies.

Because the hunt has always started late, we came late.  Problem was, today they started (almost) on time!  So the little boy I was with wouldn't have found any eggs had one of the mothers not noticed and shared a few of her son's.   I walked a few feet ahead of Samuel and hid them as we went along. He enjoyed it!

A parade followed, but it rained cats and dogs in between, so we all hid in the church fellowship hall.  Lots of umbrellas, rain boots and happy chatting.

Good Books

Just a few of our family's favorites. Feel free to share your own!

Fiction:

• Minnow on the Say by A. Philippa Pearce
• Swallow ans Amazon by Arthur Ransome
• Martin Rattler by R.M. Ballantyne (or anything else he wrote)
• Henty books - In Freedom's Cause, Under Drake's Flag, and In the Reign on Terror are the best.
• A Cricket in Times Square by George Seldon
  
• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
• My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
• The works of Beatrix Potter
• The Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter
• Most of the Holling Clancy Holling books, especially Paddle to the Sea
• Almost all the Jane Austen books

I'm quite sure I could keep you here all day just adding onto that list. But I won't. I'll keep you here all day with a list of our favorite non-fiction books instead!

Non-Fiction:

• The Bible
• A Praying Life by Paul Miller
• The Valley of Vision
• Secrets of the Woods by William J. Long
• Little Brother to the Bear by William J. Long
• Stonewall Jackson's Book of Maxims by James Robertson Jr.
• All the World books by Genevieve Foster
• All the d'Aulaire books
• A Patriot's History of the United States by Schweikart and Allen - wonderful!!!!
• Golden Press Field Guides, Peterson Bird Guide, and the Birds of (state name) Field Guides by Stan Tekiela
  
• Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior by David Allen Sibley
• 1776 by David McCullough

As with the first list, this could be expanded quite a bit. I guess we love books. I like it this way. :)

Back to the Goal

Remember this? Well, six weeks with some sort of sickness (seven, if you count last week), derailed that. The good news is...

I'm back at it! Monday I did repetitions of running for three minutes, then walking for one, and today I ran for four minutes, then walked for thirty seconds. Multiply that by the four repetitions I did, and I ran almost two miles! I've abandoned the old schedule for now, because I really could run a lot farther than they were recommending. I'm pretty sure that the four minutes of running and thirty seconds of walking is where I need to stay for a while, though. It left my face as red as a tomato (ok, ok, a very pale tomato), but I was still alive and could walk in a straight line. I'm hoping I'll make it to the 5K (or 3.something miles) in about four weeks!

By the way, does anyone know how to change blogger so that it doesn't delete the double spacing you add at the beginning of a sentence?