School Wind Down

The school year may be winding down, but summer activities are gearing up. I'm so close to the end of the year that I can see the more relaxed schedule coming my way, but I can't enjoy it quite yet. Science, grammar, Latin and math stand between the Artist and her summer. The Engineer has some math and reading yet to complete.

This summer we have lots of plans. Swim lessons will begin some time soon I hope (waiting on the pool folks to call me back). This is always a child favorite.
The Engineer is looking forward to playing T ball. Earlier this spring when we had a few warm days he was able to practice some. I do hope it warms up again soon.

The Artist will be participating in a reading mentoring program at the library. This weekend at the mentor orientation we should learn more about it. I think she will enjoy reading to younger children, especially younger children who are not her brother!
Over the summer the family will keep up with piano lessons, our German program, and the Artist will have a typing course. Knowing the two of them, they will spend the rest of their time reading and bike riding (for her) or playing basketball and riding scooter (for him).

Some Assembly Required

The Artist's biology project in coming along nicely. It is time consuming to wait for one color paint to dry before handling a piece to apply the next color. The Artist says the model is fun to work with because it is fun to paint. She also likes that putting the skeleton together is like completing a puzzle. Just wait till she gets to put the organs in! She said so far she has mostly learned the names of different bones. There were some she knew before the project. I'm glad she can see her own learning.

We made one error on the project. The Artist asked my opinion on some confusing directions, and I see now that I misdirected her. I had her paint one of the clear plastic parts that should not have been painted. Now that the part is good and dry I'm going to try using a little nail polish remover to clean it. I'm not confident that will work on the acrylic paint though. I'm afraid I'll end up giving my fingernails a workout scraping the paint off the plastic fragment by fragment.

The Need to UnClutter

When I returned home from New Orleans I had the opportunity to go through our clutter of travel toiletries. I finally had the will to throw out lipsticks I have not worn in ten years and combine a bunch of half used mini shampoos. I consolidated and straightened and organized. Now I've whetted my appetite and I'm hungry for more.

The house has too small a linen closet so I'd like to add a shelf to the upstairs bathroom to help with some of the closet clutter.

My office (read that as a room in the basement that I use as a storage place for everything I don't want to deal with now) is a grand mess of knitting, home school, gardening, art supplies, hand me downs to go to others, and outgrown clothes to keep.

Rick and I have had a cluttered attic on our radar since Christmas. It needs attention.

So does this blog. Homestead Lutheran Academy has turned into a crazy conglomeration of knitting, homemaking, cooking, and miscellaneous writings ill-fitting under the name of a home school. You may have been scratching your head and wondering about that. Me too.

Around nine and a half months each year school is a big part of my time and energy. And there are thousands of things that can be related to home schooling in daily life. So I don't think I'll be running short of inspiration while keeping this space for school, education and child related writing. It is unlikely that I'll have paid posts on this site.

Now that summer vacation is coming I look forward to writing more often and about other things, especially knitting. The state of the home, family events, the garden, stuff I'm interested in, and things that tickle my funny bone will be posted at

Insert imaginary fanfare here--

Picking Up Pen and Needle.

Since I traded in my boss for a younger model (became a mom) I've not been paid to write, so I look forward to sticking my toe in the water again to see if it is worth a dive or if I've forgotten how to swim! You're all invited over -- come and visit!

Summer Fun

There are things to enjoy in the South that are rather foreign to northerners. Rick and I enjoy waking up and going out on the deck to check the crab traps.
The jet skis gave a thrill to Rick and me, and the Artist who elected to ride in the tube with her cousin and friends on the way out to Lake Ponchartrain, but behind Daddy on the jet ski on the way back home. And in the evening, what says "New Orleans" more than a drive through daiquiri shop? But once again, the photo eludes me. My brother and I went out to bring back frozen treats for everyone. We were directed to the closest daiquiri shop rather than the closest drive through. So you can see an interior view instead. There were about 12 machines churning the daiquiris of various flavors. I guess I'm not alone in preferring the White Russian, two machines were devoted to that flavor.

Visiting Family

We had a wonderful whirlwind trip to visit family in Greater New Orleans. On this trip we had lots of family visit time and we saw very little of the city. In fact, only what we could see from the highway from the airport at 1 a.m. and to the airport, in daylight.

I was happy to see very few homes and businesses with blue tarps. Few enough that I could count them on one hand. And all the junked cars that had been stacked beneath the freeways two years ago are gone. Nor did we see any all-of-our-possessions - sized stacks of rubbish on the curbs waiting for the trash collection.

Still, there are countless homes and apartment buildings that are vacant and in great disrepair, waiting for demolition or major reconstruction. Often they sit adjacent to new buildings boasting "Now Open" or "Newly Renovated" signs.

There were still loads of RVs and trailers around, but my family seemed to think these were largely recreational in use now, no longer a primary living space for most people. I did not see many of the little white FEMA trailers.

In my cousin's neighborhood there are still a handful of homes that are not yet made livable again. But this is the exception there. Once I commented to him that it seemed like there were more boat houses now than I remembered from before. He answered that when everyone built back, they built back better.

We attended an eight grade graduation ceremony and party and a confirmation and party for my cousin's daughter. When I look back through my photos I see that I don't have many that would be all that interesting unless you know the folks personally.

Rick and I are relieved the Engineer enjoyed his first flight. We'll be flying to California later this year for a wedding.

Back in Town

We got back in town after midnight. What a wonderful trip! Newsflash: It is cold in Greater Cleveland (compared to Greater New Orleans).

Biology Project

The Artist is working on a biology project right now. I have plastic guts spread all over the table in various stages of painting. And, it seems, there are hundreds of little pieces of the Visible Woman model waiting for assembly. We're hoping she will look like this when she is done.
I had one of these models when I was little. I remember putting it together with my mom, but I do not remember having to paint the pieces. Maybe Mom did it, or maybe the pieces came already painted. In any case, I was fascinated by it.

Mom must have thought it was a good learning tool too. When I saw that she had purchased a Visible Woman model kit to be a birthday or Christmas gift for the Artist, I knew we would use it for science class. This past Christmas, that was the gift from her grandma that I selected to wrap and put under the tree for the Artist.

The booklet that accompanies the model is loaded with great information. It goes over each body system in great detail. It might be rather dry by itself, but because it refers to the model and the Artist has a connection with that physical object before her, it instead becomes fascinating to her.

A Gift

There is a special feeling you get when you receive an unexpected package in the mail. You are more excited when you see that it came from a far away friend. What can top the feeling you get when you find it turns out to be a present for you? I'm treasuring that feeling now with much thanks to my dear friend Lene at Dances With Wool and Fine Stitches.

She sent me two beautiful skeins of yarn. Sadly, my lighting options and camera do not do them justice. I'm already enjoying them, and I'm still in the very beginning of the imagining-what-I-can-make-with-them stage. I think the green might want to be a pair of socks, but maybe not. They are beckoning the lace needles too.

And look at this lovely bag! It is large enough for a sock or kitchen towel project, and small enough I may be able to stick it in my suitcase for an upcoming trip. Thank you, Dear Leena!

Synod Calling

Out of the mauve, I received a call from someone at LCMS headquarters in St. Louis. She wanted to ask me what I thought about missions. Oh, I wish I could remember the name of the office she called from, but in my ire I've let it slip my mind.

I did interrupt her question to tell her I don't think much at all about her office. "I don't think much of your office. You are firing and recalling pastors and replacing them with English teachers and I think that is abominable!"

I think I startled her. She was very sorry to hear what I had to say, but she told me she would pass it along to her superiors.

After that all I could muster was an incredulous "Yah."

They probably put a big black mark next to my name and phone number.

Cuppa Love

One of the things I love about the way my husband loves me is the delightful, aromatic, delicious, hot-but-not-too-hot-to-drink cup of coffee he brings to my bedside every Sunday morning. Kind of like a little gift to make up for having to wake me for the day. But only kind of. It is more like, he knows how much I enjoy my morning coffee. And my appreciation for that cup of coffee has grown as the advisability that I drink it has sharply decreased.

This is my cup of coffee for the week in most cases nowadays. Sometimes I'll fix myself another cup at church or if we happen to be out to eat, but I rarely do more than hold the hot cup in my cold hands or sip on those.

Pentecost

Time to share another painting that is memorable to me, Pentecost. I especially like the way the heavens are opening and the way the fires dance. Then other times I look at it and see a pail of milk spilling its contents in a flood which is about to wipe out these poor unsuspecting people. The artist is Joseph Ignaz Mildorfer, a Tyrolese who painted in the 1740s.

Playing Big Brother to Mr. B.

While his sister is off on a grand adventure, the Engineer is having a minor adventure of his own. He gets to play big brother to a three year old friend, Mr. B.

His adventure is only a day old as I write this, but I'm pleased with how conscientiously the Engineer is watching over his little friend and letting me know when help is needed. And I'm so happy little Mr. B. is excited to be here, having an adventure of his own. He knew he would be staying with us and he didn't dread saying good bye to Mom and Dad. We'll see how many days that holds up (fingers crossed). I'm looking forward to seeing his face when they call and I hold the phone to his ear too.

Catching Up A Bit

Due to the many ways I found to inflict minor injuries on myself in April I only managed to get 13.05 miles logged on the treadmill. I'm thankful I'm feeling better and I'm thankful Rick suggested we go buy ourselves new shoes. Every little bit helps!

I plan to get my regular walk schedule back in gear for May. I'll need to keep it up as I'll be missing several days when we are out of town.

Just for you, Polly, I've graduated to 11 push ups. It is most disconcerting to do them when your hand is on a squeaky spot on the floor! Well, 20 still seems very far away. But if I can keep up with adding (a measly) one every couple of weeks I'll get there eventually.

A little while ago I mentioned that I was going to read Rhett Butler's People. (Is it cheating that I never have read Gone With the Wind? I saw the movie long before I knew of the book.)I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was vivid and gripping. In parts it was genteel, and base in others, the whole mix making a well-rounded view of life in the South immediately before, during, and immediately after the Civil War. I found myself wondering when a movie might be made of this story! I liked it enough to request Gone With the Wind from my library. It is waiting there for me to pick it up now.

By the way, I'm so glad I read March first. Rhett Butler's People contains no tearing down models of good character, creating dirty laundry for the sake of exposure.

Finally, I made five kitchen hanging towels and ten dish cloths for various households in my family. Then I wrapped them up and shipped them off to my cousin's house where I'll be staying in a few weeks. The whole time I was knitting I had planned to get some photos when I was done. Of course, in the end, I forgot.

Compost

For the last three years my garden has been doing more and more poorly. This year I'm giving it a year off, mostly. I'll probably have some potted tomatoes and let the kids plant something if they like.
To help with turning the tide I've invested in a composter. The tumbler information page speaks of compost in as little as six weeks. I'm very skeptical of that time frame, especially with the amount of grass clippings I have in the tumbler right now. Hopefully with the dry leaves I was able to gather this spring, the compost starter I added, and some hot, sunny days I'll be able to mix some good compost into the garden soil before the end of the summer. If a miracle happens and I do have usable compost in six weeks then I'll hope to give the garden two applications this year.

I'm absolutely tickled with the copper compost pail to keep in my kitchen. I remember a horrid, smelly plastic bucket mom kept under the sink that was always filled with mold. That kept me from doing any composting heretofore and made me an avid garbage disposal user. This pretty pail has not caused any offending odors yet, and it has been filled a few times. Having a lid and using a liner helps I think.

The copper pail has made friends with all the other copper accents in my kitchen.

Take Me Out to the Post Office

In June the US Post Office will release a new 41-cent stamp featuring the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." To read more about it see the Post Office's press release. You'll need to scroll down to the bottom third of the document.

I believe this is the first time a song is the feature of a US stamp. It is a fitting commemoration of the 100th year since the song was copyrighted.

Some of this wonderful Americana will find its way into my desk.

By the way, are there any stamp collectors reading? I have some questions about an old collection for you.

May Day

You heard the screen door open?
You heard the hinges squeak?
You heard the doorknob rattle--
Before you got a peek?

You heard the porch boards creaking
Beneath some hurrying feet?
You saw a little shadow
Go flitting down the street?

And then you found a basket
With flowers inside, you say?
To think you had forgotten
It was the first of May!

By Aileen Fisher