Reuse Recipe: Spice jar becomes seed waterer

Normally seedlings do better with watering from the bottom, but that does not jive with egg shell seed cups.  I saw something similar to this on pinterest (poked holes in a milk jug lid), but reusing a big spice container saved me the "hole-making" step.  It is a perfect way to gently water our little seedlings.

And as a bonus it is kid friendly as well:

Sew Special: Anna Maria Horner Portfolio Dress

I saw this dress on the Ivy Arch blog. I am a big fan of her bold fabric choices! I was surprised when I saw that it was made from one of Anna Maria's patterns.   I have been following Anna Maria Horner's blog for years. But I guess I did not recognize how cute her portfolio blouse/dress pattern could be until I saw it made up. Silly me.

I made 2 of these. One right after another. The directions were sadly lacking in illustrations, but I still learned some cool tricks from them and the pocket is brilliant.

Anna Maria Portfolio Dress Tunic

Anna Maria Portfolio Dress Tunic 2

Home Schooling Summary for Last Week

 More fun with "Snap it Up" -- Big sister A was assigned to make 10 words and she made quick work of it. She is also breezing through the Bob Books these days.

A group of ladies at church have started organizing regular weekly playdates in the church gymnasium. The kiddos rode scooters and played with balls. 

We were at the church gymnasium again on Thursday night for the Cub Scouts' Blue and Gold Banquet. Daddy was the Emcee (He is the Cub Master).

 Daddy came up with a new nickname for Baby S this week -- "Scarf". Because he always wants to lay on our necks now during the bedtime stories.

 Baby S also continues to be interested in doing everything the big kids do. He is demanding to brush his teeth before bed now, along side his siblings.

At the nature center this week we learned about how they tap the maple trees and make maple syrup.

We also visited the cabin home of a post-civil war (freed) African American family.

Big sister A got to try carrying the yoke that a child her age might have had to use to help haul water for the family.

Brother M and Baby S spent some time observing the beehive and trying to understand which parts were the honey.

We also took a look at the center's rocks and minerals collection. I liked the fossils the best.

Recommended Reading: Three Books

Lots of knitting this week meant listening to lots of audiobooks.

1. The Heist Society by Ally Carter 

My favorite character in the book is Uncle Eddy. He is an old fashioned thief, practices constantly, makes his own bread and cabbage soup, and has a large wooden table in his kitchen. I can relate to him. When the author described the warm smell of cabbage soup cooking in his cozy kitchen I was immediately transported to the many warm steamy kitchens that welcomed me in Russia.
I also loved the ethics/history lesson that the plot leads us through -- all the treasures stolen by the Nazis. It would be a fun book for teenagers to read as they are about to begin a unit on World War II. It is recommended on Amazon for ages 12 and up. I think that is reasonable.

2. Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath is another world-within-our-world that nobody knows about kind of story. Happily, it is based on mythology and contains none of the increasingly common vampire/werewolf stuff. The writing is engaging, but I kept wishing for more details... more explanations? I guess maybe she is saving some mystery for the second and third books. Recommended for ages 14 and up, since the story has a lot of emotional teenage angst.

3. The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

I love the artwork on the cover of this book. Maybe that is why I keep picking it our of the childrens' audiobook section? It is short (176 pages), but funny in a sarcastic tongue in cheek way. We listened to it twice in the car. Big sister A's favorite part is when the children camouflage themselves throughout the house as various pieces of furniture. Recommended for ages 7 and over.

Garden Progress: Sprouting again

I am so happy it is time to start my veggies again. Tomatoes, peppers, and marigolds are growing so far. I am trying a new spot this year -- in my room. I know, weird right? It is the most southern of the exposures in our house. In other spots they have gotten too lanky and weak from reaching for the sun.  I might have to invest in a grow light if it does not work again this year.

 

Sew Special: What can you make with a pound of cotton yarn?

I may have already mentioned here somewhere about how much fun I had shopping the local craft stores on black friday.  One of the things I bought that day was a 1 pound skein of grey cotton yarn -- for about $5.50 if I remember right. Pretty good price for 2 baby gifts!

Here is what I made with it:
2 baby sweaters and 2 washcloths

Puerperium Cardigan

The newborn size of this pattern is free. That is what I used, though I bought and also highly recommend the pattern with all the sizes. The gauge is very tight and since I have made this a number of times I know they always come out bigger than size with my gauge.  I used the directions for worsted weight newborn size, but this is more like a 6 month size dress or 12 month old tunic.

The cardigan below comes from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson, a proper baby version this time instead of a large mommy size one.

Baby Cardigan from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts

I originally made it with only three button holes, but decided the neck was too wide and I thought it would be nice to add another button.  I referred to the amazingly talented Elizabeth Zimmerman's classic book Knitting Without Tears. She has directions for an "afterthought buttonhole".  It was just what I needed. 

I also made the buttons. I love fabric covered buttons. They look so cozy and they make it much easier to match and have just the right buttons for a project. 

Home Schooling Summary for Last Week

 Time to start the tomato and pepper seeds in eggshells again! After weeks of cold and snow, the kids were almost as excited as I was to get their hands in some dirt.

The weather finally warmed up on Wednesday. We came home from a playdate and big sister A set up this picnic lunch on the front porch. As you can see the ground was way too snowy to spread the blanket on.

Notice that Big sister A also decided that it was too hot for anything other than shorts. You know the winter has been a cold one, when 55 degrees feels hot enough for shorts.

We had an indoor camping adventure at our favorite nature center.

They read Camping with the President and discussed Theodore Roosevelt. I was super proud of my kiddos that day. They were the only ones able to answer the history questions about who the current president is and whether they could name any other presidents (brother M said "George Washington!").

Then they made their own campfires out of toilet paper tubes and tissue paper.

And the part all the kiddos like the best? Making a huge blanket "tent", of course.

Here is Mr. Squirrel eating the bird treats that we made last week. Every time baby S sees him he squeals and points at the window. Already another little naturalist!