My Apologies

If you follow my blog in a reader.  I'm trying to get the hang of the new format and keep hitting the wrong keys or forgetting to click other things.  I'll get the hang of it eventually. In the meantime please be patient. You might come across an empty post or a post that seems like a repeat to you but in reality I unposted it because I  was trying to schedule the post but didn't.  So there it is.

Sunday Book Review: Rise and Shine

Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlin narrated by Carol Monda - A very belated posting of this review.  I started writing it over a year ago.  So take the review for what it is.

I picked this audiobook up because of the narrator. At least I thought I did.  I thought Monda had narrated at least one of the books in the Ember Series by Jeanne DuPrau. I was wrong.  If you like to listen to audiobooks and find you really like a certain narrators voice all you need to do is put the narrator in the author field at the library or on amazon you can find other books the narrator has read.  Just make sure you have the right one.

I still liked Monda's reading of  Rise and Shine. Her voice really seemed to fit for the narrator of the story, Bridget or Brightie as her nephew called her. I found the story compelling although at times hard to listen too. It's hard for me when I know someone has made a mistake even if the character in the book was a jerk. I don't want to give too much of the story away. There is some sad parts in the very end. Over all a very real story and one about relatonships: sisters, family, comittment, love, parenting etc.

Sip it Saturday: Two Hearted Ale

From the shores of Gallifrey



Two Hearted Ale, an ale fit for a Time Lord. A two hearted ale for a two hearted  Doctor. The Tenth Doctor is my favorite.  Sadly I did not take notes on this beer.  I know that it was good and I would drink it again. Yes we got it because of the name.

Fiber Friday : Wonderful Woolfest 2012

I should have taken pictures of all the pretty shops and lovelies at the Winter Woolfest 2012 in Wamego.  This was the first time I was able to go.  I was either sick or there was something close to a blizzard happening.  Not this time! Even better I had a ride thanks to a member of  Knit Lawrence.  And a few other knitters came along as well, so double the fun.

I got some fiber, merino/targhee roving and some local rambouillet fleece, and a spinner's control card. Later in the afternoon we had some coffee then  we stopped at a thrift store and I got a few more the things.  The brown swing top bottle will be for simple sugar for mixed drinks or herbed vinegars.  The photo frames for a photo of course.  The tin now stores my wire and beading tools so now things fit better in the tin that holds beads and jewelry making findings. 

There were several free classes or demonstrations to choose from.  I got to watch Nikol Lohr from Yarn School make batts again.  I needed some reminders so I know how to use my drum carder.



I also learned how to do a moebius cast on created by Cat Bordi.  So I can knit a moebius cowl for Jade.  She geeks out about the moebius.

All in all a good day.  I recommend going if you have the time.  Woolfest is often the 1st Saturday in January. So keep your eyes peeled on the Wicked Stitch  for details.

Thankful Thursday - An Uberlist for 2012

Why Thankful Thursday? It's one of my ideas for this year to write more on my blog and it's on my Uberlist for 2012 to express thanks. What does a to do list have in common with thankfulness? Because doing these things will enrich my life. Anything that enriches my life is something to be thankful for.

1. Enjoy cleaning house for me. I want a cleaner and more organized home. I don't want to resent doing it. It needs doing and it's better to enjoy it than to resent.

2. Be more organized and get stuff done I will say I will get done.

3. Play games with my cool kids.

4. Watch good movies and bad ones too.

5. Walk 3 days a week.

6. Knit a saddled shouldered sweater for Stephen.

7. Get the yoke sweater going for Jade that I will steek! Eeek!

8. Dye fiber and card it on the drum carder. Pick a color scheme. Spin it long draw. Enough to knit a sweater for me! -  I bought a lovely gray fleece.  I'll  dye some of it for the yoke.  

9. Work on long draw spinning. I want to spin soft lofty yarns. - Doing it! 

10. Go on dates with my husband.

11. Visit Wamego with the Fam - we have a coupon for the Wizard of Oz Museum

12. Take walks when it's beautiful outside.

13. Take a camera with me more often to take pictures

14. Dye with my natural dyes, indigo and cochineal.

15. Do some silk scarf dyeing with Jade using Safflower petals.

16. Dye silk scarves inspired by India Flint.

17. Zentangle on some clothes.

17. Make zentangle cards.

18. Get scanner set up in family room. Move printer into garoffice.

19. Set up garoffice so it's easy to put stuff away.

20. Get stuff off old computer and store things virtually and/or on thumb drives.

21. Get something to store thumb drives.

22. Save for Yarn School 2013!

23. Weave or sell the freekin' loom already and save up for the Wolf loom I really want. - Put the loom craigslist but not willing to sell at a loss. 

24. Get the color gamp napkin kit from Halycon or see if Yarn Barn can put one together for me.

25. Get up the nerve to sell my mom's 4H table loom. I can use the money for something fibery cool. - Also on craigslist.  Not takers so far.

26. Make beer for the first time.  - When to a friends house and helped brew and bottle some beer! 

27. Get out more and do stuff.

28. Shelving for the family room on either side of the fire place.

29. Start Blogging again. I have some ideas! 

30. Stephen and I need to get our ducks in a row like if the worst happens and now I take this out of the law. Nothing bad will happen. Nope not going to happen.

31. Start health care savings account. - Done! 

32. Roof on the house.

33. Paint some of the furniture I have around the house to revamp it.

34. New windows. For the whole house but we can start with the kitchen.

35. Read more about Zen practice and set aside specific time for it. - At the first of the year I was doing good.  I will get back to it.  I will. 

36. Attend more events at the UU fellowship in Lawrence.

37. Play piano. Take lessons. Practice. Something!

38. Make amigurumi. I have the urge to make toys again. - Made some toys.  It was fun.

39. Make some picture shelves like these here.

40. Review this list when I get bored.

41. Sew pajamas pants for me and the kids.  - Boy kids are done, girl kids are cut and ready to sew.

42. Sew some aprons - have this idea brewing to use old jeans.

43. Help Jade make jeans skirt. - About halfway done with this.

44. Play more video games with Corbin - at least talk about it lots.

45. Remember to breath.

46. Call and chat with my sister.

47. Keep in touch with family.

48. Go to an unschooling conference.

49. Get a job to pay for it all.

50. Build a time machine so I can do it all. That or find the time turner Hermione used.

51. Remind myself that this list doesn't have to be done this year.

52. Have fun

53. Enjoy life

54. Knit a sweater for Corbin. He said he wants blues.

55. Help Corbin sew some bags.

56. Blog about the uberlist.

57. Dye fiber in colors that work with the sweaters and things I have so I look less like a crazy yarn lady OR stop worrying about it and embrace crazy yarn lady person.

58. Keep going with the budgeting for the most part it's working.

59. Keep using google calender and getting reminders. It helps with number 2.

60. Budget some money so the kids and do some decorating for their rooms. Things like posters etc.

61. Finish painting bedroom doors.

62. Finish bathroom - fix tile - supposed to be on Stephens list.

66. Keep going to swing dancing with Stephen because it's fun.

67. This list doesn't have to end. I can add more to it all year long and cross things off if I decide it's not something that needs doing.

68. Celebrate Summer Solstice this year. I keep saying I want to do that and don't. It would be a nice balance to our Winter Solstice celebration.

69. Return to Uberlist regularly for inspiration. This is on here twice. That's a good thing.

70. Have people over to do more with fiber with others. - Had a Fiber Day at my house in April.   There was six of us.  We are going to do it again.  Yay!  

71. Be thankful. Express thanks.

added after posting

72. Finish working up spiral sweaters and get the pattern written up too so I can sell it!

73.  Get the garden in shape to do some with it this year.  We cut down some trees so we have more sun. 

Getting Started Homeschooling

Hey all you folks who come to see what I have been doing with fiber I regret I've been too busy doing stuff with fiber and spending time with my family to blog. Right now, I'm taking the time to post something about homeschooling because I've been getting lots of questions and need a one stop place to send new hoemschoolers. So new homeschoolers in Kansas and those contacting me locally in Lawrence. Here you go! If you knit, spin and like to cook you might like my blog too. Maybe I'll be around more often this year and maybe not.

So first off, If your kids have been in school you will need to formally withdrawal them in writing. If they haven't ever been in school then you don't have to worry about that. So starting reading:)

Homeschooling in Kansas - How to homeschool in Kansas

Join a local list or two:

Lawrence Area Homeschool Network Yahoo List (LAHN) is a secular, inclusive homeschooling group to support families and encourage homeschooling in Lawrence, Kansas and surrounding areas. LAHN values diversity and requests participants to be considerate to all people and faiths. Our common bond is homeschooling. Most of our meetings will be social in nature, although members are encouraged to share their skills through classes, activities or organizing field trips. This list is pretty quiet these but I assure you we are a friendly bunch and even more so in person. We currently meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. I started this list and group about 7 years ago. I'm not as active in facilitation stuff as I was. I still got to group twice a week.

Topeka Area Homeschool Network Yahoo List (TAHN) We are a secular inclusive homeschooling group whose main focus is facilitating social activities in the Topeka, Kansas Area. We value tolerance, acceptance and respect for individuals regardless of age, race or religion. We recognize and celebrate diversity. Members use a variety of methods to homeschool their children. We recognize learning happens at all ages in a variety of ways and that there is not one right way to homeschool.

So you've dealt with the legal issues and joined a local group. Now what? First you breath. Then start reading anything you can get your hands on about learning and homeschooling. The more you read about homeschooling the better questions you can ask so you can get the help you are looking for. Watch your kids and observe how they learn.

Some good books to read

My top 5 at least it was about 10 years ago!

Learning all the time -John C. Holt

Child's Work: Taking Children's Choices Seriously - Nancy Wallace (might be out of print)

Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense - David Guterson

Homeschooling Book of Answers - Linda Dobson

Deschooling Our Lives - Matt Hern

Meeting Children’s Unique Learning Needs:

Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes-Alfie Kohn

In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Multiple Intelligences - Thomas Armstrong

Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences-Howard Gardner

Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century - Howard Gardner

Dumbing Us Down: Curriculum of Compulsory Education - John Taylor Gatto

Better Than School: One Family's Declaration of Independence – Nancy Wallace

Christian Unschooling : Growing Your Children in the Freedom of Christ-Teri J. Brown, Elissa M. Wahl

The Unschooling Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom-Mary Griffith

Homeschooling for Excellence-David Colfax, Micki Colfax

And the Skylark Sings with Me-David H. Albert

The Unschooling Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom-Mary Griffith

Homeschooling for Excellence-David Colfax, Micki Colfax

And the Skylark Sings with Me-David H. Albert

Homeschoolers' College Admissions Handbook: Preparing Your 12- to 18-Year-Old for a Smooth Transition-Cafi Cohen, Linda Dobson

The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education-Grace Llewellyn

Real Lives: Eleven Teenagers Who Don't Go to School-Grace Llewellyn

If school was a bad experience you may need some time to deschool. Deschooling gives your time decompress from the stress of school and move to the kind of learning you want to do with your kids. Having kids home full time takes some adjustment if your kids have been in school for a while.

While you deschool don't worry about curriculum. Spend time with your kids and learn about homeschooling.

What kind of homeschooling will you do? Eclectic, classical, school at home, unschooling.

Ann Zeise has a fantastic website to get you started here.

My family unschools. I'm inspired by things found on here and here. You can find other posts I've written about unschooling on my blog as well here.

Let me know if this is helpful and anything else you think I might add. Mostly this is the basics to get you started.

Okay the formatting sucks for the book list - formatting is better.

Italian Inspired Phyllo Triangles

The veggies contents of the fridge that needed eatin' on Thursday.



preprepared phyllo, broccoli, spinach, misc greens, green onions, squash, ricotta, cooked red pepers and onions that were used for tacos earlier in the week.

A lot of the ingredients I have are leftovers from making a greek spanakopita. Last time I made that dish I threw away the ricotta because it got bad before I figured out what to do with it. So I am set out to make an Italian inspired spanakopita.




So I chopped up the red peppers and onions as well as the basil and green onions. I cooked the spinach and other greens down just enough and let them drain for a bit. Then mixed it all in a bowl with some crushed garlic about 4 cloves. I also added some marjoram.



I added the rest of the ricotta and 1/4 cup plus if shredded Parmesan cheese.



Then mixed that all together. Now on to the fun part of making the triangles. I melted about 1 stick of butter for brushing the phyllo pasties. I would have used olive oil but we didn't have enough. Also preheat your oven to 425 deg F.

Lay one phyllo sheet on a cookie sheet and brush with butter. Lay one more sheet down and brush with butter again. I used two sheets for each triangle. Then fold the two sheets in half the long way.



Place a dollop of the filling on the bottom. Then begin to fold it into a triangle.







Brush the top with butter and set aside on another baking sheet. Repeat until the triangles are done. Cut a small slit on the top of them. I don't know if this is really necessary or not but I did it. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. I like to turn the pan in the middle so they brown evenly. Take them out and them cool for a bit then devour!



What did I do with the broccoli and squash? Stay tuned for another post someday, maybe.