Nostalgia For What Wasn't

I am going through some of our homeschooling books that didn't get a lot of use, so I can sell them. I remember all the plans I made and looking forward to using the books with the girls. I am sorry that my plans never really worked out. Oh, the girls did learn somehow, since they were able to transition into public school. But most of the plans I had didn't work out. The girls and I did have some nostalgic moments, however, going through some of their old work, especially the art work. Which is funny in a way because they don't do much creative art work on their own, but they did seem to enjoy what was assigned to them. So I'm thankful for what we did have, but still feeling a bit of nostalgia for what never was.

Art Department

A picture of the girls' art-related-to-history project: Minoan pitchers, with their own designs.

Little Gardens

Since I can't have a garden outside, I'll have to have my little spots of color where I can find them. For example, the pot of miniature daffodils I bought at the grocery store.

Unfortunately, I discovered that the little daffodils had little bugs on them, so the pot went outside. Not sure where to go from here. I think it's too cold to keep the pot outside permanently, as yet.

Also, here are some rock gardens, one of the girls' art projects from last week. They got the idea from a book that my sister gave them ages ago. The markers recommended by the book with which to color the rocks were $16 for a set of six, and I had to wait to get a sales associate to get them for me as they were locked on the wall to prevent theft. One reason why I don't do a lot of the projects in that book is that many of the projects seem to need items not readily available and perhaps on the expensive side, at least if you don't have a big art budget. I suppose the girls might have just used tempera paint, but I wasn't sure how well that would stay on, so I preferred to use the markers suggested in the book.


This book seems to have possibilities; the girls have already done some projects from it. It touches on some of the basics of art, such as value, texture and space, some of the lessons teach about famous artists, and the projects don't require a lot of expensive materials. All pluses for me!

Needle Arts

Last night found the Scientist, Wildchild and myself bent over embroidery hoops. Yep, the girls are trying to learn cross-stitch again. It didn't go so well last time, but I got them cute little Disney cross-stitch kits for Christmas, and they are willing to try again. I suggested they get them out yesterday for an art project, as the art curricula I'm using with them is not currently going very well. It's basically a lot of drawing, and the girls are not really interested in drawing, so much. It's far different in our home from when my sisters and I were growing up. We had a steady supply of crayons and paper, and were constantly drawing and coming up with crafts to do. My girls don't have that artistic bent, so I'm going to have to come up with something new for them to do for art classes. Sometimes we do projects that are related to history, like our Israelite house. Or when we were studying Egyptian history, the girls each made a cartouche with their name in hieroglyphics. But our history lesson does not lend itself easily to an art project every time, so I'll have to see what else I can find, that they will enjoy, but that goes beyond "hand turkey" level of projects. What do you all do for art?

Now, what got me thinking about the state of handcrafts in today's society is the closing of the fabric (and crafts) store where my friend Debbie works. Also, the small cross-stitch store near where I used to live has closed. And there seems to be a decrease in the number of quilting stores in the area too. I wonder if this is due to fewer people doing handcrafts, or the increase in Internet purchases of fabric and such. I'd guess that the stores are closing due to the former, although with local options disappearing, I'm glad to have the increased options that Internet shopping provides. I have a bias, doing so much sewing as well as some cross-stitch and embroidery, but I think that a trend away from creative pursuits and making things yourself is not a good one. In a time where manufacturing processes can be increasingly automated, the extra touch of something made by hand means that much more. And I think creativity is something special, something that helps us stand out as people, and that can help us stand out as a country. I suppose I'll simply have to foster my daughters' own creativity, and hope that someone who sees creativity in our family, might be inspired.

Zzzzzz

I have a post swirling in my head, but I'm too tired to type it out in a coherent form. So you'll have to wait until tomorrow to read the Latest Adventures of the Evil Genius. Nothing that exciting, just a lot of soul-searching about my job as teacher and the role of handcrafts in today's society -again.

Field Trip Season

Today, we went to see a puppet show featuring the Pied Piper of Hamelin, a little Edgar Allen Poe, and Casey at the Bat. Afterward, we had quite a potluck spread at the house of a homeschooling mom who lives nearby and organized the event. No tuna casserole, though.

Monday, we are going with my sister-in-law to see a special exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Monet in Normandy. Afterwards we will probably partake of lunch in Little Italy for a little ethnic culture. Although it's not that different from a family dinner at my sister-in-law's. :)

On Thursday, May 17, we will be going to a Weather Education Day with the Cleveland Indians. The meteorologists at a local radio station will teach some things about our weather along with the Indians mascot, Slider, and then we will take in a Indians game. Lots of fun to be had!

Babylon, via Deutschland

Imagine that all that stuff I did when I was young might actually have some use someday! Well, in school we are studying ancient history, and I have a map of Mesopotamia for class. I noticed the design at the top of the map and realized it was inspired by the Ishtar Gate in Babylon. Wait, I've seen the Ishtar Gate reconstructed at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin! Hey, I can show my pictures to the girls! Maybe they will be impressed that their mommy has seen it. Well, I can always dream, can't I? Hopefully these pics will at least help reinforce the lesson. I'd like to share some with you.

Sweet!

Wouldn't this get you some looks at the range? Isn't it a purty, purty Bersa? And I have some acrylic paint right here at home.... Okay, I know Jack Bauer wouldn't carry this. I know the Chaplain wouldn't carry this. I wonder if the Pistol Packin' Presbytera would carry this, if it were more of a purple pistol?? (Say "Pistol Packin' Presbytera's purple pistol" three times fast. Ha!) Anybody else think they could survive a day at the range using this? And although the bullets are no longer functional (the paint means they will no longer chamber), yes, the gun itself is still operational. However, since the proud owner does not want to go to the trouble necessary to carefully clean this work of art after using it, the Bersa and bullets are mounted in a glass case. You can see more pictures if you scroll down through the discussion here.