Monday Morning Laugh

Pancakes!

I don't often make breakfast around here, as that is Vava's job.  But today she was busy so I got to whip out my pancake recipe and heat up the griddle.

Amy Caroline's Pancakes

3 cups flour (I usually mix whole wheat and white)
2 Tablespoons of sugar
2 Tablespoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3 cups milk

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients making a well in the center.  In a small bowl beat milk and eggs.  Pour into dry mixture and beat thoroughly.  Make sure you are vigorous and you may even take a spatula around the edges to make sure you have no flour clumps.  If you need to, you can add more flour or milk to get the right consistency.

Make sure your griddle is hot before you pour the batter on, otherwise the batter will run.  Pour on the batter and do your thing.  This makes between 15-20 pancakes, depending on how big you make them (I feed an army, remember?).  You can also keep them warm in the oven until all are done.    Serve with homemade fruit syrup or your favorite brand of real maple syrup.  I suppose you an use some of that other store bought stuff... just don't tell me about it.  *shivers*

Enjoy!

My Collection of Balls of Yarn Too Small for Much

I have a big post coming up about our fabulous I week. But I thought I would share with you this neat little basket I have. Inside I have all those pesky little balls of yarn that are leftover from many little projects. There is alpaca in there all the way down to some hideous Red Heart!

I remember back when I was a little girl, a friend of my mom's gave her this little picnic basket. It was a hoot. I can't remember what was originally in there, the only things that remains are the ribbons and the little Victorian girl. It is so funny, I remember Rhonda so well. She had this great apartment in Seattle and I thought she was the coolest person I ever met. She had a Great Pyrenees. Man those dogs are so fabulous! But very hairy.



I also have a small picture of Saint Cecilia in there that belonged to my mother and a picture of the same saint that Daisy colored for me. Saint Cecilia is the patron of music, not knitting, but she seems to fit in there, for me, all the same. I also have the first thing I ever tried to embroider, well at least in the last 15 years anyway.

Some day I really am going to have to do something with all these little balls of yarnie goodness. It seems an odd thought though to mix Red Heart and black alpaca... hmmm.... who knows...

Sorry, I hope this wasn't the most boring post ever!

Introducing Craft Basket Tuesdays!

I am starting something new! Every Tuesday I am going to share with all of you one thing in craft basket at the moment. Eventually I would love to see other people share in the fun and give us a peek into what they are crafting.

So here we go!

Here is what is in my yarn basket today, November 3rd, 2009:

I have been working non-stop on some certain projects and sometimes when that happens you can get a bad case of burn-out. So last night I grabbed some pretty shades of yarn and started making these!

They are blocking in my kitchen now and soon will be something pretty and cheerful!

Calling all Veil Wearers!

The other day Hubby mentioned to me something he read in the Bible.  To be specific the section from 1 Corinthians (11:5-15) about head coverings.  I found it interesting that he would bring it up, since I have in the past worn a veil to mass, as have all the kids.  I am not sure exactly why we stopped.  I imagine there are many reasons.  Very few people wear one, I don't like standing out, and I suppose too (and this is NOT a good reason) is I didn't want people to think that I thought I was holier, or better than them.

I asked him why he brought it up and he shrugged.  Said he thought I might be interested in it since I used to wear a veil to mass.

A few days later he has me thinking, was that a hint?  I even asked him if he was saying he thought I ought to wear a veil.  He said no, just that he had never really remembered that part and that I might want to read it through again.

As a wife I know my husband doesn't like telling me what to do.  Oh he will, and he does, but he prefers that I figure these things out on my own... or with a little help.  So I am sitting here thinking... "Hmm, what is he really thinking?"

I have asked this of you all before and will probably ask again,

1. Why do you or don't you wear a veil?

2. Do you think your reasons are valid or maybe more of just being nervous?

I will reread the little booklet my friend Jessica gave me years ago again.  Funny, how in the move I couldn't find it and it has seemed to pop up again...

Art Lessons

We generally follow Along the Alphabet Path.  But I don't always do everything Elizabeth Foss suggests.  One of the ideas I have strayed from was the art lessons.  I did not really like the art book used and decided I could easily find artists or subjects that start with our letter of the week without having to purchase the book.

In fact, we really follow more her idea from the book Real Learning.  I present them with a painting and we each discuss one thing we notice that is special about the painting.  The nice thing about this is that everyone can be involved, from the three year old to the teenager.  I then let them go to town!  I play one of the various cd's from the 100 Masterpieces collection, generally trying to get the same era as the painting, while they draw.

One thing I stress is that it doesn't have to be perfect.  If you want to spend more time on it you can, you don't have to do it all in one sitting.  The point is to enjoy it!  Even if all they really get from it is an appreciation for art, it is well worth the time.

When then are done we write our names and the date on the back and hang it on the wall.  I used to have frames for everyone, but I need to get more.  I bought some inexpensive ones and all the tabs that hold the back on came off!  I really hope to get a cork board someday and cover it with a pretty fabric for displaying their art work.

At the end of the week I file their pictures away in a special folder marked with the year.  It is so fun to look back and see how far they have come in their art work!

Here is what we did this week!  Since I could not think of a specific painting that involved ice cream or igloos I looked on a list of artists, this one is great as it has them all organized alphabetically.  I found Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.  I have to admit I am a sucker for a good Neo-classical painting, sorry if that sounds a bit... dorky, but there you have it.  When I found out he was a student of David, I jumped!  The page it brought up, didn't really float my boat so I did an image search for him on Google and found her:

Princesse de Broglie, 1851–53

Isn't she lovely?  I printed her off, getting her as close to an 8x10 as I could and framed her.  Here are the kids renditions:

Lily, age 12

Daisy, age 10

Rogue, age 5 (he is almost 6)

and

Buttercup, age 3 (hey she got the blue didn't she?  And she had a lot of fun doing it!)

It really takes nothing but a minute or two to find the picture, depending on how anal you are going to be about it!  And the kids have really enjoyed it over the last few years.

Amy Caroline's Daybook ~ November 2nd

My Daybook

FOR TODAY

Monday, Nov 2, 2009

Outside my window... gray skies with spots of sunshine.

I am thinking... that I hate daylight savings time. I really do. It messes me up completely. Plus, when you have a baby it really throws them for a loop. My mother in law was saying this morning that she heard that more people have heart attacks during daylight savings time. Further proving my point that it is simple insanity.

I am thankful for... hot tea! I have been drinking a lot of Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger. It has been helping with my cough.

From the learning room... We are doing review today, since we haven’t done school in so long! Tomorrow we will get back into our regular scheduled programming. The little ones did start I week though!

From the kitchen... I was going to make a prime rib roast in honor of All Souls and then remembered that Hubby has school tonight, so that will be tomorrow. I am thinking spaghetti now. I am also making my first thing of bread since the pig got us about two weeks ago!

I am wearing... a pair of jeans and my St. Max Kolbe t-shirt.

I am creating... I am working on a lot of Christmas goodies and finishing a project for a certain lady expecting a baby. I hope I can finish it before her baby shower!

I am going... Not much of anywhere. Many of us are still on the conservative contagious list. I am trying to be really careful! I have on about day two or three of no fever. Some say you only have to wait 24 hours, but I am not pushing it, since some say a better time would be 7 days. I think today we might be past the fever stage. I need to have Lily take her temperature! She has fared the best out of all of us, but her fever is just dragging on and on… her nose only started running yesterday and she has had a fever since last Monday! She just took it… Ugh, she is 99.1, low but… will this thing ever end!

I am reading... The book of Tobit from the Bible. Rose told me I should, so I am. I think she just wanted to get Black as Night from me before she had to go back to school.

I am hoping... For a healthy family soon! I have never seen anything like this… it just takes forever… have I mentioned that before?? Sorry…

I am hearing... Talk of alphabet fairies around the table.

Around the house... A lot of cleaning. Things do pile up when you are sick, even though we were lucky to have lot of help from Vava. But one person taking care of so many is daunting!

One of my favorite things... Hole punches! I got a new one and spent all morning catching up on my punching of holes and getting everything into the kid’s notebooks.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Work on a baby shower gift, a Christmas gift, visit the graves of those we love and have lost, and do some school!!!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

I am going to put together a saint memory game for the kiddos... thought about doing it for All Saints, but couldn't get to the story for laminate paper. So maybe for Christmas?

To read more daybooks or to join in the fun, head over to Peggy's.