Jolly Chef and His Friends at the Curiosity Shoppe

Dear friends,

Abbondanza!  This jolly chef makes me wish he had some yummy pizza left on his tray!  He seems to have such a zest for cooking up great food!  I'll try to use him as inspiration to be more enthusiastic about my own kitchen creations.  He's actually not alone.   He's got a bunch of foodie buddies.





I photographed them in a weird store that I have passed for years and smiled at but never actually visited.  Until yesterday.  I had an extra 20 minutes before picking up my daughter from work, so I decided to do it! The Liquidation Station, also known as World of Decor, is an odd store. 

You can't help seeing it with items like this outside!

The dragon is probably 15-20 feet tall,
not exactly a living room conversation piece.
I didn't notice the huge snake until I edited the picture.

My little girl could be the heroine Merida
in the movie Brave.

I've already seen it and loved it, and

I can't wait until it comes out in the dollar theater

so I can take the rest of the family 

I will charitably call the store a Curiosity Shoppe.

Fine furniture and decor, but very much a cluttered warehouse setting,

as you can see in the picture below.

Not exactly the luxury ambience, despite the price tags - 

with most pieces in the hundreds and thousands range.

They are, however, having an auction this weekend,

with prices reduced by 40%.

A closer look at this enigmatic face.

I used this piece to teach two of my kids
what a fleur de lis is.

Funky, but not my style at all

One of the pieces I did like,
a long skinny upholstered bench.

Lion fountain

  

Detail from an Oriental vase
which is taller than I am

Leonardo da Vinci

Barack Obama
(No thanks, I'm a Republican.)

Ending with a little inspiration!

I think it's important sometimes to be a little spontaneous, have a little fun looking around and feasting the eyes.  The two kids who were with me probably think I'm a little crazy, but they already knew that anyway.

Now, back to thinking about how to have a little fun in the kitchen...

What do you do to spark your inspiration?  Leave a comment!

Virginia Knowles

www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

 P52 Photo Project  this week's theme "Collections"

Food on Fridays

Domestically Divine Tuesday 

Raising Homemakers 

Funki Planet 

On Clouds, Hands, Oysters and Messy Humanity

Dear friends,

On the way home from an appointment: clouds.

I lucked out with the sun rays on these, hastily taken at a stop light...

One of my hobbies is watching clouds and photographing them...

They are a symbol of hope and God's providence for me.

I pulled over into a parking lot for some of these 

so I could could get the maximum view of clouds 

while avoiding the visual interference of power lines.

I usually crop out any remaining signs of messy human existence (power lines, buildings, light poles), and I sometimes use saturation to brighten things up, as you can see from these two versions of the same shot:

Another cloud of sorts,

another sign of messy human existence:

My appointment today was with my hand specialist.

Now that I'm out of my brace,

I have to buddy tape my fingers 

with a wad of gauze in between

in hopes that the pinky

will stop twisting against the ring finger.

Tape and gauze, for two more months, 

is not exactly what I wanted to hear.

It's necessary for recovery, a good thing,

but an inconvenience nonetheless.

But I will count my blessings

that I could see on the new x-ray

that the fracture is healing neatly,

even if there is a loose end

that will take two more years 

for new bone to completely fill in.

As I waited for the doctor to enter the exam room, I read from the chapter "Oyster Bed" in Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh:

"Each is fitted and formed by its own life and struggle to survive. It is an oyster, with small shells clinging to its humped back. Sprawling and uneven, it has the irregularity of something growing. It looks rather like the house of a big family, pushing out one addition after another to hold its teeming life... It amuses me because it seems so much like my life at the moment, like most women's lives in the middle years of marriage. It is untidy, spread out in all directions, heavily encrusted with accumulations and... firmly embedded on its rock."

My life, too.  The needs of my family, my friends, my students, my community, my own interests.  Commitments.  Opportunities.  Interruptions.  All piled on, seeming unseemly at the first glance, even the second glance.  Messy, messy human existence at times that I can't (completely) crop out of my real life.  Like the oyster, I hope I am firmly embedded to the rock, and maybe even growing a pearl inside.  And despite the demands, my beloved peeps do give back, too. Joy. Compassion. Understanding. Chocolate.  Relationships, even complicated ones, are a blessing.

Sweet gift from my sister-in-law Dana, who also sent dark chocolate toffee!

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles

www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

P.S. More to read:

A lovely, candid blog post by Tsh which I found in my Google Reader this afternoon.  Life's answers aren't always perfect, but there are still "Partial Solutions" in our complicated lives: Making Friends with Imperfect People. 

My own series on Advocating for the Vulnerable, dealing with the human messiness of elder abuse, homelessness, child trafficking, and more to come.

The story of the injured hand: Many Ways of Coping with a Fractured Hand and Arthritis

Clouds, more clouds, and the realities of life: 

• One Sky
• I Dreamed a Dream
• Is My Head in the Clouds? (And Notes on Beauty)
• Shimmer and Shadow
• Weekend Gratitude: Lake Sybelia at Sunset, Lake Lily at Dusk

From I Dreamed a Dream

This post will be linked at:

(In)Courage

 P52 Photo Project  this week's theme "Hobbies"

(Yes, I confess that I submitted two photos to P52 this week!  You can find the other on my www.ContinueWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com here: Ripstick or Rat?)

Domestically Divine Tuesday 

Raising Homemakers 

Funki Planet 

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, Or Do Without

Dear friends,

Many years ago, I wrote a section in my book The Real Life Home School Mom about saving money.  Here is a tiny excerpt:

Whatever your expenses are, you can put your stewardship, diligence, wisdom, and creativity to work! Grandma always said, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!”

• Avoid eating out or using expensive convenience foods very often.
• When running errands, bring food and drinks with you in an insulated bag.
• Cancel subscriptions which encourage a materialistic lifestyle.
• Make your own gifts, greeting cards, decorations, and entertainment.
• Cut your children's hair and learn how to repair clothing and household items.
• To save on labor costs, ask friends to help with big projects or barter your skills.
• Use garage sales and consignment stores to buy and sell.
• Organize your home to avoid replacing lost items.
• Borrow seldom used items.
• Shop around! If you take your time, you can usually find the best deal.
• Alert friends to your upcoming purchases so they can keep an eye out.
• Choose items which are versatile enough for many purposes and seasons.

(Read free on-line: The Real Life Home School Mom - Digital Version or order a hard copy: The Real Life Home School Mom - Print Version)

I'm thinking of a few ways I've been able to do this recently around the house.

Lamp, straightened

Lamp, crooked

Today I bought a vintage lamp at a neighbor's yard sale for only $5.  The only problem is that it seemed to sit crooked on my desk (see right) due to a defect in the glass part of the base.  Fortunately, I was able to level it by propping up two of the feet with packets made from a matching color of scrapbooking paper. Can you tell the difference? I had been looking for a pretty desk lamp at Goodwill, and I'm glad I found this one even closer to home.

Brown paper squares

Folded up to make levelers

I use a rolling ice chest as my book cart to tote my English class materials to our home school co-op on Mondays. Unfortunately, the padded nylon cover ripped and was falling off.  I also had a shirt that was stained near the neckline, so I cut the shirt just below the arms and slipped the tube of fabric over the book cart as a new cover.  I tucked the top edge over a piece of elastic cord tied around the cart. The bottom of the shirt was already hemmed.  Then I made a front sign by printing my name on yellow card stock, attaching a post card, slipping it into a plastic page protector, and attaching it to the fabric with safety pins.  It's still not all that pretty, but better than it was!  It's a way to use something for a different purpose than its original design, as well as repair something that can still be used.

Tucking fabric into elastic

What Do You Stand For?
Some of the character qualities:
 empathy, honesty, purpose,
wisdom, courage, cooperation...
I bought this card at the
U.S. Holocaust Museum.
It communicates what
I want to teach.

So I don't have to bring my whole purse with me on Mondays, I bought a small velvet satchel at Goodwill for $2.99 -- just big enough for the essentials. I can drop it right into my book cart or take it out when I need to leave the room for lunch.  I've been using it a lot lately on errands, too.

Against the Tide by Miroslav Volf
and Embracing the Love of God
by James Bryan Smith

I love to read, but I don't have the space or money to be buying new books all the time.  I brought in a whole bunch of books we weren't using anymore and traded them for store credit at Brightlight, my favorite used bookstore.  Then I bought two books and a movie -- with no cash needed -- and I still have credit left over.  Double win!  We also bought a lot of used curriculum on-line this year, such as at eBay, Amazon, and www.HomeSchoolClassifieds.com.  This was definitely a case of shopping around for the best deals.

Add to the Beauty
by Sara Groves

My beloved iPod Touch fell on the floor at the pet store a couple of weeks ago and the screen shattered.  It would have cost almost $100 to replace.  Fortunately, I remembered that the person who gave it to me had bought an extended warranty with accident coverage.  I took it in to Best Buy and they gave me a brand new (and improved) iPod.  I also had a problem with my laptop recently, but it's under warranty too, so I was able to get the help I needed to completely reset it with another trip to the Geek Squad folks at Best Buy.  Now, as I'm typing this blog post, I'm also reloading all of my music onto my laptop and iPod from my CD collection, much of it bought at Brightlight.  Two of my daughters also gave me iTunes gift cards for my birthday -- an excellent choice since digital music and apps don't take space on my shelves and I can choose what I want!  I save more by only buying individual songs if I don't want a whole album.  Among other things, my husband gave me a CD called All That I Am by Annie Herring, who was one of my favorite artists in the 1980's. (Do you remember the Second Chapter of Acts band?  That was Annie and her brother and sister!)  I'm listening to it right now!  

Another of my daughters, after reading my blog post in which I mentioned a quote I had seen about books, hired my friend Taraleigh Davis of Inspired. Simply. Etsy (see also on FB at Inspired. Simply) to design this print with it.   My photo doesn't do it justice at all.  I'm sure you could order the same one from her if you like it, or tell her what you want on yours.  She does custom orders!

This daughter also gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers in a mason jar.  She used these jars as lemonade and tea glasses at her country style wedding reception last year.  Very stylish!

Baklava

Boneless beef ribs

My husband grilled a delicious (belated) birthday dinner for me tonight. He found boneless beef ribs half price at Aldi today, and I bought a tray of baklava half price there the other day.  Yummy food!  Both of our married daughters, a son-in-law, and two grandsons came over so we had a very nice time. 

As a little bonus to this blog post, a song from the CD I just got:

Grace,
Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

This post will be linked on: 

Simple Design's Share Your Thrift Haul series.

Food on Fridays

 

Raising Homemakers 

 

Domestically Divine Tuesday

What I LIKE About Home Schooling (And NOT)

A friend asked me the other night what I like about home schooling.

To be honest, I was in a rather cynical and melancholy mood at that moment, and I think I replied something like, "I don't always LIKE home schooling, even though I've done it for 20 years and I have written books and blogs about it."  The past few years have been particularly challenging for me.  That's not necessarily because of home schooling, but the ups and downs of life have certainly has affected my level of enthusiasm and patience in that area.  We continue to home school (while also sending one to public school) because that's what some of our children need.  

What I struggle with most is keeping my kids on track so that their homework assignments can be turned in on Monday at our co-op classes.  Some of them aren't as independent as I would like.  While I love to plan lessons (especially for my English class) I don't like the follow-up of grading my own children's work. I don't like to nag, but I do it anyway.  Blech.  And I don't like explaining something to one of my kids -- like how to do a math problem -- and then watch them get frustrated with me that I am not explaining it clearly enough, when the real problem is they aren't listening with an open mind.  What they think they know is getting in the way of what they need to know. I guess we're all that way.  Oh, and when two or three of my children suddenly need me to help them at the same time.  And they can't seem to find anything else productive to do while they wait so they either waste time, or worse yet, start distracting someone else.  Yeah, conflicts suck the life out of me.

So that's what I DON'T LIKE about home schooling.

But I didn't tell her what I LIKE about home schooling, and there is plenty.

I like reading with my kids, no matter how old they are.  Books are simple. You open and read.  Nothing terribly complicated about that.  They impart a lot of information quite effectively and efficiently.  Books are also profound, changing us, sometimes imperceptibly, sometimes dramatically, even more as I experience them with my kids.  Books shape me as I: Read. Reflect. Respond.  












I saw this sign in our library's used bookstore yesterday and asked if I could buy it.  They said no because I guess other patrons need the same inspiration: "Books are apt to be lifelong friends.  While being read they stir our imagination, emotions & intellect.  When finished they serve as reminders not only of the stories they told but of who we once were & who we have become."

I like seeing my kids get it - finally.  There has always been this jaw-dropping experience when they take off with reading.  It might be at age 4 or closer to age 7, but it is stunning.  One minute they are laboring to read the word hat and it seems like I blink my eyes and they're blazing through real books.

I like impromptu.  There is so much flexibility with home schooling either to learn something just because it interests you or because a teachable moment pops up and you want to strike while the iron is hot. Yesterday, on a worksheet about proper nouns, my daughter had to supply a specific name for ice cream.  I suggested Baskin-Robbins, but she didn't know what that was.  Poor deprived child.  We almost never go out for ice cream.  Later in the afternoon, only she and her next older brother were home, so I took them out to Baskin-Robbins for ice cream, paying a whopping $2.49 per scoop. I explained to them that we usually buy ice cream at the store because you can get a half gallon for less than that.  That was our economics lesson for the day.  Sweet. :-)  (See Sunday Sundae.)

Those are just three things I LIKE about home schooling.  I don't have a lot of time to write right now, because I need to get along with me school day.  However, many years ago, while I was writing The Real Life Home School Mom, I compiled the following list:

The Benefits of Home Schooling

• nurture a lifetime love of learning in a natural, affirming atmosphere
• grow in unity as we spend time learning with and about each other
• watch our children blossom and know that we played a major role
• refresh our own knowledge of school subjects
• direct the education and upbringing of our children (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)
• present issues in the context of our family's values and beliefs
• select and customize effective methods and curriculum for each child
• give individual attention so each child can work at his or her own level
• weave school subjects together logically and creatively
• delve deeper into fascinating topics, while cutting out busy work
• let our children pursue personally motivating interests and projects
• find out what truly works for our children with learning disabilities
• protect our children from physical dangers rampant on school campuses
• reduce peer pressure and competition, while offering positive training and opportunities for socialization
• set our own daily and yearly schedules
• train our children in the work ethic and responsible living
• stay in touch with our child's environment
• deal with problems promptly in accordance with family policies
• teach children to make wise choices and set solid standards for excellence using the Bible, good literature, and mature adults as resources.

Reading that is... convicting!  I have a long long way to go here.

Nonetheless, If you'd like to read the whole book free on-line, here's the link! The Real Life Home School Mom 2011 Edition by Virginia Knowles

Four more for your reading pleasure -- with a whole lot more to like about home schooling!

• The Mom's Alphabet
• What We're Doing for Elementary School This Year
• What We're Doing for Middle School This Year
• What We're Doing for High School This Year

Grace,

Virginia Knowles

www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

This post will be linked at:

P52 Photo Project Week #36 on September 8: Back to School

Raising Homemakers and  Domestically Divine Tuesday 

 

The Mom's Alphabet

Accept, admire, affirm, and appreciate your family.

Boldly believe our big God for beautiful, bountiful blessings.

Calm courtesy communicates care and combats chaos.

Diligence and delegation dutifully do daily deeds.

Encourage by enthusiastic example.

Face, fix, forgive, and forget foolish faults.

Grace is given where grace is needed.  Glory to God!

Have a happy, humorous, harmonious, hope-filled home.

Include imagination, inspiration, and interesting information.

Juggle your jobs judiciously and joyfully.

Kiss your kids!

Listen, then lovingly lead.

Meet many marvelous mothers.

Notice new needs.

Overcome obnoxious offenses with optimism.

Pray, prioritize, plan, and prepare for productivity and problem prevention.

Quick and quiet, not dawdling or riot.

Rules without relationships reap rebellion.

Serve sacrificially.

Take time to teach and train truthfulness and thankfulness.

Understand until united.

Virtuosity is victorious.

Wise words will win.

Xpect excellence.

Yackety yack, no talking back.

Zippety doo-dah, zippety ay, my oh my what a wonderful day!

I wrote this many years ago and have shared it all over the place, but I just realized it's not on any of my current blogs!  I need to ponder this freshly myself!

Grace,

Virginia Knowles

www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com

Linked at:

Raising Homemakers 

 

Domestically Divine Tuesday