Story Time

This is a sequal to Sarah, Plain and Tall which is a good book for readers beginning chapter books. It has a Lexile Level of 560, is 58 pages long, and is intended for ages 8 to 10. Caleb's Story has a Lexile Level of 290, has 116 pages, and is intended for the same age group. If you've never heard of the Lexile Level and want to check it out you can click on it above.

The Lexile Measure is a reading test to measure a childs reading level. I have no idea what Lizzy's is exactly, but I have used the website to find books that are in the similar ball park of books that are challenging and fun. I use 2 other resources: One is the Charlotte Mason Twaddle Free List which is a list books that combine good morals and full body content. My other resource is to ask friends and their kids :)

In Caleb's Story you learn that Papa's father abandoned him when he was Caleb's age who is maybe 12. It is around the age my father abandoned me and my siblings and also around the time my mother remarried, which followed alot of abuse for my my siblings and I. In this story Caleb has a great relationship with his father. At a certain point Grandfather comes back to town and Papa has a hard time forgiving him. Here is the exert:

"My birthday is coming," I said.

"And I don't want books or tools or even a horse of my own for my birthday."

Papa looked up, surprised.

"You've always wanted a horse fo your own, Caleb."

Not this year," I said. "What I want this year is something different."

"Different?" repeated Papa.

I nodded.

"This year I want most of all for you to forgive Grandfather. I want you to forgive Grandfather so I can grow up and be just like you," I said.

Papa stared at me. He said nothing. He lay back on the bed, and, after a moment, I went away. I closed the door behind me.

(Caleb's Story, Patricia MacLachlan)

History Lesson

What a nice suprise! I've been praying about school in general. I want it to be fun and yet I want her to show her work. A few days ago I also received some advice from a friend on getting Lizzy to comprehend a little better. Today she really surprised me, not only with comprehension but with her art work. This was a great day for her :)

Cherry Coffee Cake

I've made this several times now for different people and it seems to be a hit. It is very easy to make, so don't fear that you've offered to bring snack for church and it's already late on Saturday night. This may be your ticket :) This recipe came from a can of Lucky Leaf Cherry Pie Filling. Happy baking.

 

Ingredients

• 1 (18 oz.) package yellow cake mix, divided
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (21 oz.) can Cherry Pie Filling
• 1/3 cup margarine
• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

Stir together 1 1/2 cups cake mix, 2/3 cup water adn eggs. Spoon into a greased 13 X 9 inch baking pan. Top with pie filling. Cut butter into remaining cake mix. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over pie filling. Bake at 350 degrees fro 25-30 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Combine powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Drizzle over cake.

Makes 15 servings

Random

We are in the process of getting a new furnace and heating system. We are doing most of the work ourselves. I am thankful for a husband who knows how to do things like this. We are going with coal furnace because we live in the Antracite Coal Region of the US; so why not. We'll be paying 1/4 of what we have been paying in oil which is not found anywhere near our region nor state. When I'm not helping with school I have been helping hubby with this big project :)

Homeschooling is going well, though we have our challenges. I'm learning alot about the girls and I would never discover (their challenges) if they weren't home. Tonight my oldest and I had a long chat about her responsibilities. Honestly I was almost at wits end with not knowing how to get through to her. God was gracious in helping us both to communicate and come up with a plan. Looking back I wished we had prayed together though, I'm still learning and will give thanks to God tomorrow morning.

I've been saved for 2 years now and so for most of my daughters' lives I had not been saved. Before Christ I was an angry and unhappy woman. I wasn't worthy of God's forgiveness and yet he chose to save me. It is only by the grace of God that I can do anything good. God has been so merciful in helping my girls and I to grow spiritually. I am so thankful that both girls (16 & 8) who enjoy going to church with me and all three of us have a testimony of faith in Christ. We continue to pray for daddy.

I took a lil break from writing to check my email. My youngest now has a penpal from a lovely family. Oh I can't wait to tell her tomorrow morning :)

Last week was very cold and we had a little snow, but, so far this week it has been in the high 60's. Ladybugs are in the air!! :)

When was your first day of snow?

Today was our first snowy day. This is our dog Gretchen wearing a sweater my oldest daughter crocheted for her. The picture was taken last year because I didn't get outside to take a picture and didn't even think of it :) ... but wish I did :) By the way,,, we only had flurries so far.

When was your first day of snow?

Vanilla Almond Granola Bars

Our family is crazy for granol bars right now and since they are almost $3.00 at the cheapest store I thought it was worth trying to make them. I've made them 4 times now, trying things a little differently each time. The reason I've done things differently is because they are more crumbly than I hoped for. I am now thinking this is just the nature of cutting these babies up though. There are 2 great looking recipes for granola bars that I haven't yet tried. One is Ina Garter's Granola Bars and the other is Joyful Abode's Bars.

Preheat oven 300 degrees F.

4 c old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c slivered almonds
1/3 c wheat germ
1/3 c honey
1/3 c brown sugar
6 T butter, melted
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract
1/2 t salt

1. Combine and spread oats and almonds on 2 cookie sheets. Bake 15 minutes, stirring 1/2 way through. Keep an eye on granola so it doesn't burn. Cool 10 min. Or put it in the freezer for a few minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine honey, egg, sugar, salt, and extracts in a large bowl.
3. When oats are cool, add wheat germ and brown sugar.
4. Add oat mixture to honey mixture folding thoroughly. Then add and mix the melted honey.
5. Transfer and mash down into a greased 13 x 9 pan and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Cool on rack. Cut into squares. Makes 24.

A few times I have made them with 2 beaten eggs hoping to make them stick together better, but they are still crumbly. I saw another recipe where someone cooked them at 450 for 10 -12 minutes in a 10" X 15" jelly roll pan and they looked more the ones you buy in the store because they were thinner. If anyone has a recipe they love please share it with me :) I'm still experimenting. I've not had to throw out a single batch of bars, so try them if you like them :) All those crumbs are saved for yogurt! Yum! If you'd like to make your own yogurt from a tried and true source you can get the link here.

You Turkey

Tonight we made turkeys. We got the idea from That Artist Woman. She has A LOT of great ideas, so if you like doing crafts check her site out :) Next time Lizzy's friend comes over we will paint them.

Summer's End

This is Gretchen and her typical pose when she is outside. I thought all dogs crossed their legs but my friends say differently.

Labor Day weekend started with our dog getting a stomach virus sort of thing and her getting sprayed by a skunk at 4 in the morning. Instead of using tomato juice for this problem, I tried something new on her. This remedy can be found online. It's simply 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and dog shampoo. If there's a next I'll use a squirt bottle.

A day later Gretchen was smelling better and feeling better!

Peaches: I love them and can't get enough of them :)

Today we closed our pool. We didn't have much of a summer in the northeast this year because it was cool and rainy for the most part. Nevertheless Labor Day cannot be avoided and since it's the last 3 day weekend for a while, it's a great weekend to close the pool. Last year we were late getting a cover for the pool and ended up closing it when it was freezing and windy outside in early October. Don't want to ever do that again.
We did alot of yard work this weekend getting ready for Autumn and I needed a quick dinner to make. Since we don't eat out much and hardly ever eat meals like this, it was a nice change for the palate. The only thing missing were pickles.
My girls worked on making owls last week. They turned out really cute, so I thought I'd share them with you. That Artist Woman is where you will find the owls. Gail Bartell is That Artist Woman and has tons of great crafts you can do with your kids.

Happy Labor Day!

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Re-purposed Teddy Bear

I just couldn't throw him out

Teddy's been sitting in a jar
Looking like a science specimen
Then one day I had an idea...

We regularly use white yarn for one thing or another.
It's like tape, we can't live with out it.
So we've displayed Teddy
Giving him a new life
As the Thread Bearer.

Seed Packets

The girls made pretty seed packets for seeds we harvested from flowers. They turned out really cute. We used a template from Gardens and Crafts.

Camping List

Dog days of summer

Our dog Gretchen, the rottweiler, (left) had the weekend of her life this past weekend. She is 9 years old and every year we can, we take her camping where she gets to roam free for 3 days outside. The other 362 days a year she is an indoor dog.

As always she meets up with Spot, the German Shepherd, who is 13 this year. He belongs to my sister-in-law's family. They get along well.

Spot and Gretchen are getting up in their years and I want to remember times like these about them.

This year was a little different because my mother-in-law got a puppy a few months ago. They didn't stay all weekend but visited with Tracker (on the right) for a whole day. They followed the puppy around almost all day and when that lil dog left our old canines laid under the pavilion for hours almost motionless. It was funny, we all knew it would end that way.

BTW, Tracker didn't look that white when he left. Gretchen and Spot love the water and finally Tracker gave it a try :)

My daughter aka Klazane took this photo, and most of my pictures :) Thanks sweetie.

Creek Swing

Every year we try to go camping for a few days on the farm where my father-in-law grew up. There's been a rope with a piece of wood as a swing hanging there for years that the kids use to jump into the middle of the creek. My husband wanted to change the rope this year. We used 25' of natural 3/4" fiber rope. After we cut down the old rope we secured the new one with a bowstring knot at the top so that (hopefully) the loop will expand with the growth of the limb it is secured to.
My nephew was the first to try it out.At the end I made what is called a monkey fist. They are supposed to be made with smaller line and I wasn't sure we could make one 3/4" thick rope. I think it turned out well and we all hope it will be there for many years of fun.

Color of all things in the dining room and kitchen!

I have loved Shabby Chic for a many years thanks to my sister's help :) I didn't know how to add color again and quite liked adding colored accents without worring about it clashing with the walls and curtains in these 2 rooms. My oldest daughter (16) talked me into adding color after my husband ripped out the radiator heaters and we had to repaint all rooms. My oldest also took these pictures and drew the horse on the wall below before we covered it. You can check out her creativity here at Klazane. Everyone helped with the painting and the rooms turned out beautifully :)

Fish Bowl Treat bags for a birthday party

In the name of "use what you have first" before you buy supplies, the girls and I came up with a treat bag we gave away for Lizzy's "sea themed" birthday party. The fish "swims" between 2 pieces of sheer fabric.

I had sheer fabric that I bought on clearance at Joanne's Fabric a few years ago. These are like the tucker bags I posted in June except we used foamy for the back. The sheer fabric is folded in half with the fold side up at the top of the bowl. We tucked a foamy animal inside the fold of sheer fabric, set (yarn) strap in place to be sewed over, pinned it all, then sewed.


Sewing with foamy on the bottom was very easy. We made the stitches very long, which gave the bag a nice look.
After sewing the bags were trimmed with pinking sheers to cut down on fraying.Bags were then decorated on the foamy side by the kids with smaller foamy stickers. While they were eating lunch, some of the older kids filled the bags with real sea shells, taffy, stickers, erasers, and a piece of chocolate :) Our frugal find was finding sea shells at the dollar store.

By the way, I thought I'd let my friends know I'm still alive. We have had alot projects to do this summer which has taken me away from blogging. I've felt a little overwhelmed with them all. I hope to post about them when things slow down, we have pictures :) I can't wait to check out what you all have been blogging about :)

Down Under Tucker Bag

Next week we will be boarding the Boomerang Express and going down under to Australia, (aka vacation bible school) . We are trying to use things that we have at home in order to keep costs down. Klazane and I will be helping with Pre-K and K for the week. We will be giving the kids lil cards with scriptures on them. The teacher's kit came with a brown tucker bag and we could buy them for $1.24 a bag. I say no worries Mate, this is cheaper! I have a good bit of felt and yarn. We made about 45 of them and didn't need to buy anything.

The front of the pouch is 5" wide and 3.5" high in the center. The back & flap is 5" wide and 6.25" high.

Materials:

1 piece of felt

33" of yarn

E18 Code

What does E18 mean? It means your little girl dropped the camera face down with the lens extended. So, we are looking into the Canon Loyalty Program. We found it through fatwallet.com . I don't think Canon advertises this program. It is an upgrading program for refurbished cameras. Klazane has a nice camera, so in a pinch I could borrow hers and we also have our first Canon (2 mega pixels).

Three Things Meme

I have stolen this meme from Kim.

Three

…… places I’ve visited: Puerto Rico, OBX North Carolina, Indiana

.… cars I’ve owned: '64 Chevy Chevelle (that was a cool car!), '78 Impala, '95 Beretta (my husband's cool car from the 90's!)

.… foods I love: chocolate, brownies, mochas (see the theme?)

… jobs I’ve held: Mc Donalds, US Army Mailclerk, bank teller

… authors I love: T Davis Bunn, MacArthur, Beverly Lewis

… places I’ve lived: southeastern Pennsylvania, Virginia, northeastern Pennsylvania

… favorite hobbies: crocheting, sewing, Facebooking

… bones I’ve broken: zero

.… TV shows I watch: LOST, that is all I watch besides Fox news

… songs that make me turn up the volume: depends on my mood

… favorite drinks: WATER, tea, water

… fun board games: Parchessi, Yahtzee, hmmm Parchessi?

… stores I could spend a whole day in: Christmas Tree Shoppe, Williamsburg Pottery, The Crossings

… chores I put off as long as possible: bathroom, dishes, laundry

… chores I kind of like: cleaning the pool, cleaning out the garage, putting the kids to bed, I love that time :)

… things I would rather chew glass than do: argue, ask for donations (fundraisers), getting all huggy and kissy, I'm not usually a physically affectionate person, so if I hug you spontaniously then you know I am feeling the love, ha ha

… reasons I hate attending parties: I don't "party" unless you mean kid parties, and those I don't mind

… favorite dog breeds: Rottweilers, that is what we have, but will probably never get another because she has had many health issues, I'm more of a cat person anyway

… things I just don’t get: my daughter's math homework (calculus), God's mercy and the fact that he forgave me of all people

If you decide to do this, let me know, I'd love to read your answers!

It's June

I remember sitting like this when I was little. It no longer looks very comfortable to me :)

Lizzy received a little book in the mail a week ago and wanted to fill in every page to show how excited she was to get a piece of mail.

It's beginning to feel like summer after 2 months in the 50 and 60s.

Grass in growing where we had work done in our yard. I'm actually excited about that, but then again it doesn't take much to get me excited.

One more week of school left for the girls... tomorrow we're going on a field trip to an amusement park :)

Spring Light!

I haven't been online much lately, mostly because of spring.
Spring cleaning in the house
Spring yard work
Spring clothes (washing & putting winter things away)
And more fun stuff.
It's been fun spending time outside until almost 8pm. I'll try to take some pictures so I have more to write about.
We are eagerly working through school so that we can finish up for the summer by June 12th. We began the school year late because we were waiting for materials and it was our first year with the cyber school. I don't want to push to get done earlier. I think it would be too stressful for both girls.
I am really excited that spring is here, we have alot of projects to do and I'm motivated to get to them all before it gets too hot here in the northeast.
Yesterday I talked to both of my sisters. I needed that. We don't live close to each other and I'm happy yesterday was the day I got to connect with them both.

Pretty Banner

Thank you Klazane for making me such a pretty banner.
Thank you my sweet daughter ;)

Laura Ingalls Wilder

We have been reading the Laura Ingalls-Wilder's books and have really been enjoying them. When I was a kid no one in my family liked watching the series on tv. The books are amazing to read with children.

A lap afghan and a mini quilt for Fluffy

I started the white crocheted afghan back in October and hoped to finish it in 6 weeks. Now I know better... it took 6 months :) I can't wait to send it.... which will be very soon. The ity bitty quilt is for my daughter's stuffy, Fluffy. Lizzy is going to quilt it tomorrow after church so we can remove the safety pins. It'll be fun. :)

Here is an update on things: My diet is going well. It's a life change and I think things are going well. I was in a stall last time I blogged about the diet. That lasted about a week and a half. I needed to begin an exercise program and needed more fiber. Boy, those 2 make a big difference.

I began Phase II which is closer to normal eating. I am eating grains, but usually only whole wheat. I have weak moments where I indulge with the chocolate, but, I've gotten back on track each time.

I want to be more consistant with asking God for guidance in all I do (including eating and exercise) every morning.

There's no garden yet... I'll blog about that another time... I have about 3 weeks til I can plant those things that can't be planted til after the last possible frost... I have friends who are going to let me borrow their tiller, which is an amazing thing because they are expensive to rent. I am so thankful for this. I hope to get it soon. I'll let you know more when I get to start tilling :)

Another Jeannette who has daughters and a calico cat

I found a lady named Jeannette (that is my name) and she has a calico (as do I) and she is a Christian (as I am) and she has 2 daughters (as do I). What are the odds? And what are the odds that we find each other? I don't know, but I marvel at this.

I found a "mister linky"on a blog full of ladies who were showing off their quilts. One was named Jeannette, and so I clicked. Below and to the left is Molli, our cat. Molli is 8 1/2 years old, we got her when she was 8 weeks old. She is an indoor cat only and we love her dearly. She is a petite calico. We also have a rottweiler who is the same age. Molli plays with the dog and teases her often. Every single night when everyone goes to bed she sneaks up on the dog and scares her. The dog barks back at her alarmed... or maybe by now she expects it and puts on a show for me to laugh at when I am falling asleep.

And here is Phoebe, who is the other Jeannette's cat. I think Phoebe is still a kitten, isn't she cute?

Cosco Kitchen Stool

I bought a bright yellow Cosco stool like this red one below at a garage sale for $3. (I borrowed this picture from Ebay.) With a can of white paint, a new cushion, and some pretty fabric, it has a new life in our house..

Update

We've been working on the yard lately and haven't been taking pictures. I'm sure I'll post something soon. We are putting redrock around our pool, a project I started last year.
I'm in a stall in my diet. I'm not too discouraged, it didn't take a month to get heavy so I know it'll take a while to lose it :) My oldest daughter (16) who is also dieting is looking awesome and I'm proud of her.
Not too many of my friends are posting either. I guess they too are enjoying the great weather :)

Happy Easter

Today is Good Friday for Christians. I've been trying to write something here, but now I keep erasing what I wrote, I'm just not capturing what I want to say. So I hope you don't mind that I borrowed these thoughts on the Resurrection.

What do you think was the most significant event in human history? Unquestionably, the greatest event was the faint sound of a heartbeat in a cold and lifeless body in a tomb, two thousand years ago. The sound of blood rushing through the heart of Jesus of Nazareth was a sound that will thunder throughout eternity, because of its incredible implications.

The fact that God raised someone from the dead is not really significant. He raised the dead a number of times both in the Old and New Testaments. But this resurrection had enormous lawful repercussions. It was evidence that the Judge of the universe had acknowledged that the payment for our sins was acceptable. It was the key that unlocked the door to immortality for humanity.

Here's another question for you. What is the most precious substance in the universe? It was unquestionably the blood of Jesus Christ. Nothing else could redeem us from the just curse of God's Law. When eternal justice called for our blood, and Jesus gave His blood to atone for our crimes. We were not redeemed with silver and gold...but with the precious blood of Christ.

Many Jews had been crucified as criminals by the Roman cross. All suffered unspeakable pain. But this Jew's suffering was different because He was the Lamb of God, whose blood did not contain the taint of sin carried by the lineage of Adam. He was truly the Lamb of God.

These are wonderful biblical truths that Christians know and rejoice in. But, this Easter, millions of both Jews and Gentiles will celebrate biblical events that they don't fully understand. For one or two holy days they will give God thanks for His mercy and for the Passover lamb. Christians celebrate Easter and the resurrection of the Passover Lamb every day of the year.

May you have a blessed Easter.

Homemade Yogurt

Yogurt is very easy to make and you probably already have everything you need. I've been looking though many tutorials and blogs on how to make yogurt. The reason I am recommending Michael Reep's website is because you'll find it's simple to follow and he tests things before he writes about them or he will say so. The website is simply: http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/ :) The tutorial begins with What You'll Need.

I made my first batch with a little more than a quart of milk, I didn't have alot of confidence it would turn out well. I'm glad to say everyone likes it alot. I've flavored half with Strawberry flavoring and the other half with French Vanilla flavoring (and sugar). Three tablespoons are reserved for my next batch. We added a drop of red food coloring to strawberry yogurt, but of course this isn't necessary.

We used 4-oz glass canning jars with plasic Ball lids, but you can use anything to include gladware. As long as it has a lid.

At Pleasantville Schoolhouse, Anna cultured her yogurt by her wood stove instead of using a heating pad. She writes how she mades her yogurt here and adds how she thickens it with out adding powdered milk or other things at the end of her recipe. I may try culturing my yogurt in the crock pot next time, like she does when her wood stove isn't on: what a cool idea :)

Update: I made yogurt now 2 times (04Apr09). The second time the yogurt was cultured from the first batch and it turned out great.

I drained mine the way Anna does here, but I drained it over night and now have very, very thick yogurt... not the best. I couldn't use my crockpot to keep the yogurt warm, mine is too small, but the heating pad worked terrific.

Fluffy

Fluffy came to our house Dec 2008. He's really looking his age for a dollar store stuffy. Fluffy was given to my youngest from her teacher in 1st grade. It's funny when you see what toys your children keep as important.

Let it air out

I have inherited a few 3-Arm Chrome Racks. I thought I had a treasured tool that has long gone by the wayside, but in finding the correct term to use here for my post I saw they are selling them at Kmart.Com for under $4.

A few years ago I started to crochet my own dishcloths I noticed that they take longer to dry and I needed a rack next to the sink for them. And so now, I have one in the kitchen for drying used dish cloths and one upstairs for the bath room wash cloths. When they dry really well before they are put in the laundry bin they do not smell. I've never learned how to get the funky smell out of the original dishcloths I made so they ended up in the garbage. If you find out how to get that musty smell out let me and Mub know, she posted about it here :)

South Peachy Beach Weekly (More or Less) Update

Four years ago I successfully lost 40 lbs on the South Beach Diet. That was 4 years ago and unfortunately I did not stay on a plan to keep the weight off. I've "successfully" gained back 10 pounds a year.

Diets work when you stick to them...

So...

The good news is that I began the South Beach diet once again. The first 2 weeks (Phase 1) is the hardest and tomorrow I can begin Phase 2. Phase 3 (Maintenance) will begin when I reach my goal weight.

I wasn't sure I'd get through the first week. Day 3 I was still really craving carbohydrates. But from day 4 on it got easier. I reread the book (blue), which I think is key to being successful. I relearned that:

You'll eat 3 well balanced meals a day.

You'll eat lots of vegetables (& salads).

You'll eat normal-sized helpings of meat, chicken, and fish.

The restrictions are bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, and baked goods.

As a result you'll lose between 8 and 13 pounds the first 2 weeks.

I get alot of support from people at LowCarber. Here is the South Beach break down if you are interesed. :)

Old Apocathary Cabinet

I've had a rusty apocathary cabinet sitting in my garage for some 9 years now. Shame on me. My intent was to get it restored by having it sand blasted or dipped, primed and painted. This was outside my budget, and so the cabinet sat.
Two weeks ago it was gorgeous outside and while I was looking around in the garage I pulled it out along with a wire brush and a few cans of white spay paint. I was pleased with the outcome. It is quite Shabby Chic :)
I have it in our downstairs bathroom.

Maple Syrup Farm

When I was a kid and found out what pancake syrup (maple syrup) was made of I was so a surprised that it came from a tree and that it's made right here in the north east.
Today we went on a field trip to Lock's Maple Farm for an Open House. My daughter blogged about it here and added her pretty photos. I think it was one of the most interesting experiences we've ever had as a family. It was cold, but it was educational and fun. We got to see the whole process of making syrup. You can see it here. Below is where they boil and filter the sap.


There were 3 other attractions at the farm. There was a husband wife team. The wife was making soap and the husband was demonstrating blacksmith skills with tools and a vintage looking fire stoker. A craft table was full of things for children to do a long with a lady spinning wool on a wheel and selling her treasures.




Also on the farm we got to see how the farmers wife creates spools of wool yarn for customers. She has a mini wool mill in one of her barns. You can take a virtual tour here. Having worked in a factory that used natural fibers, I have to say, I am impressed with how well she runs her little mill, it is very clean and efficient. Below, is the machine that first twists the product into single ply yarn.

Today I was thinking. How amazing is creation? There are so many things we can do with a maple tree and that is just one single type of tree. Our world is filled with so much more than maple trees.
I just finished reading Little House on the Prairie to my youngest (and my oldest was always with in earshot because she enjoyed it as well). The Ingall's had to be extremely resourceful people in order to survive and they survived well. Some nights, I had read the book in my youngest bedroom. After closing the book, saying prayers, and giving good night kissed I've looked around to see more in my daughter's bedroom than the Ingalls probably had with them as a family when they moved across the states from Wisconsin to Kansas, (besides food).
On another note :) I've started on a diet. I am 5 days in so far and doing well. It was tempting not to have something sweet today, but I made it :)

Curtain Rod Deal

Two weeks ago I ordered a new curtain rod for our front window. After almost 10 years of working with those silly $10 curtain rods, I decided to get something attractive. This window is a headache because it is big (105") and on the right side there is a pipe for the steam heat that leads upstairs. I found a heavy duty curtain rod (pole) at JC Penney. Originally it was $105 and it's now marked down to $35. I wanted to keep the total cost down, but was having trouble finding the special rings or clips that are heavy enough for drapes. Seven rings for $22 is not a bargan when you need 30 rings. ($110 yikes!) So what do I do?

As you can see I came up with something that didn't cost me a cent. From the back each pleat I took my heavy duty upholstery needle and added 7" or 8" of navy blue 1/8" grosgrain ribbon that is tied in back. When it's time to wash the drapes, the attached ribbon should do well, but I may add fray check to the ends of the ribbon to be sure.