My Hope Chest Journey:

A Legacy of Guiding Principles

2012-01-30T20:33:00.000-08:00

Tonight, my husband shared this letter with the family. My sister-in-law had recently found this and mailed it to my husband. These were no idle words. From all I have seen about Edward Tuttle, he was a man that lived by these guiding principles. These principles were passed on to his children, through his example. This counsel is as true and vital today as it was when written in 1918.

An excerpt from my husband's grandfather, Edward Mowbray Tuttle, last Letter to Girls and Boys in the Cornell Rural School Leaflet:

Will you let me leave a last message with you? Will you think about it and try to carry it out for the sake of our friendship and for the sake of the men and women you are to be so soon? We have talked of many of these things before, but I want to say them again with all the earnestness I have.

There are many kinds of people in the world, but, on the whole, they tend to fall into opposite groups. There are the true and the false; the pure and the vile; the brave and the cowardly; the strong and the weak; the generous and the selfish; the kind and the cruel; the cheerful and the grumbling; the workers and the shirkers; the lovers and the haters.

Will you try every day to build your lives so that they will follow the first of each of these opposite qualities?

Be true: to yourself, to the best you know, to right, to fair dealing, to your word of honor, to your friends and associates, to your government; play the game of life squarely; the reason there is war is because some people won’t play fair.

Be pure: clean of body; clean of speech; clean of thought; clean of deed.

Be brave: do not shirk the hard things; make yourselves face the tasks you dread, and do them well; stand for the things you believe in, without flinching.

Be strong: not strong to do harm to others, but strong to help others; strong to stand on your own feet and win your own way on the merits of your work.

Be generous: try to think of others before yourself; try to see their point of view; be glad when others succeed, do not grow jealous and criticize them; remember that each person has a right to his own life and that even though it may not be like yours, it may be just as good or better; learn that it is indeed better to give than to receive.

Be kind: everyone makes mistakes and does wrong sometimes; but all want to do better when they see the way; kicks will not help, but friendship that is gentle and tender and understanding never fails.

Be cheerful: smile and keep sweet; learn to say a word of praise and encouragement whenever you can do so honestly; we are all hungry to hear others say we have done well; it makes us try harder all the time; we are inspired by one who smiles on life even when things are hardest; we all dislike the person with a grouch, who grumbles and complains and makes himself and all about him miserable.

Be a worker: the busy person is the happy one; find some good work to do and do it even when you aren’t watched; never try to get something for nothing; deserve or go without.

Love: this sums it all up; learn to love all that is good and pure and true; learn to love the best in the world of books and music and art and nature and your fellow men; believe that we grow through love – a big all round love – as the flowers do in the sun, but that we shrivel up under hate as the flowers do beneath a frost.

In these ways build yourselves day by day without saying much about it. Just try to be true, and pure, and brave, and generous, and kind, and cheerful, and busy and loving. Then all those about you will be glad and will give you in return the richest treasures life can hold, -- their respect, and friendship, and love.

I believe in you, every one. I do hope such great things for you now and in all the years to come. I shall always be

Your friend,

EDWARD M. TUTTLE

Getting Started in Leadership Education

2012-01-17T14:31:00.000-08:00

This was a question posed on TJEdMuse, a yahoo group:

" I am reading the books now for how to best implement TJEd in our home. Our oldest is 12 and has expressed a desire to try for one of the military academies. We're clearly past Core with him and I suppose past LOL as well. Our 2nd will be 10 in February so also past Core and part way through LOL. Third oldest is 7, then we also have a 3 and an infant."

My response:

Reading DeMille's books are an outstanding place to begin understanding Leadership Education!

Are you judging your children's development or placement in the phases by their age or by their actual development?

Core, transition, Love of Learning, transition, Scholar, transition, depth, transition, mission...

I wish to share insight that I hope will be helpful. Here is a visual of the earth's inner layers, from core to the surface, a metaphor for the developmental phases of leadership education.

Rather than thinking of the phases as similar to age, grade advancement or a ladder, think of the phases as the layers of the earth. If the core is compromised or faulty our planet becomes unstable.

You are never "clearly passed core." One does not "suppose love of learning."A phase is not presumed because of age of the child or their desire to attend a rigorous private military academy.

Core is as core does.

Love of learning is as love of learning does.

Scholar is as scholar does.

If they talk the talk but do not walk the walk, they do not have it. A youth can talk military academy, but does he exhibit love of learning, deep values, personal character, work ethic, and a disciplined life? A military academy can be appropriate for some and a place for scholar learning. However, if their core is not solid, it can also become a place of mischief and buckling to peer pressure, exposure to vice, and can undermine true leadership education. Leadership and scholar education with an under developed core can lead to hubris, arrogance, pride, and evil. Just look at our nation's capital!

A person can be 30 years old with a faulty core. We all have a core. Some cores are more stable and directing for good than others and are reflected in the character of the individual. George Washington came across a code civil of conduct in his youth and it was instrumental in directing his life and his leadership abilities. A person can be 12 years old or 30, or 50 and not have a love of learning, and not be in scholar phase, or never have a scholar phase.

I had to go back and strengthen my core when I started TJEd and I continue to do so. I was a good person, and I understood right from wrong; and I knew what was good and what was bad; nevertheless, there was room to grow and still is! The daily study of my central canon, recording my impressions and epiphanies, the aligning of my life with that truth is a life long process. The skills I gain doing this carry over into my scholar phase, depth, mission, and beyond, because they are the discipline of my mind, heart, and hands! The study skills and habits of daily annotating, cross referencing, epiphanies, vocabulary etc. gained in my study of my central canon, prepare me for scholar phase and carry over into my study of other classics.

When I read about classics in DeMille's landmark work "A Thomas Jefferson Education" he sums up that this is where I should begin. I start with myself. I start by establishing my central canon, reading it everyday, aligning my life with it, and using it to measure truth. Then I am to study other classics that support my central classic. My central canon is not one classic among many of equal value, it is the center and my foundation. If it is the only classic I own and have access to, it is sufficient for a scholar phase.

Being a wife, mother, grandmother, and running an online business takes time. I need to simplify enough to carve enough available time to explore, experiment, expand and enjoy learning. In the day to day living there is much to do when one has a large family that enlarges with grandchildren year by year, and especially when I have youth at home. I love to learn, and I always have. However, if I let myself be over scheduled, I can lose or bury that passion for learning, or at least crowd it into a corner where it benefits no one! This love of learning too needs to be continually fed and shared with husband, my children, my grandchildren, the children I work with, and the adults I work with.

From time to time, I feel my scholar mind waning from being crowded out of time to nurture and feed that mind. Amazingly, if 15 minutes is all I can carve out at a time, it adds up and tends to inspire me to find more moment here and there. At other times I carved out time by reading aloud to my children the classics that I am reading. That way I get two birds with one stone! I also have to take a very serious look at what I am doing, be brutally honest with myself, purge the over crowded life, have the courage to say no, and re-prioritize the essentials. First things first, and then choose wisely among many good choices, carefully trying to guard from over scheduling. Less of the good things, means more time for what really matters, more time for the best things that produce the fruit I want.

I did depth phase twice, once over thirty years ago when I earned my Bachelor's degree in fine art, and sad to say I did not live up fully to that privilege. The second time was when I worked on and earned my Master's in Education from George Wythe University. I suppose after all my children are raised, I may go for a third depth phase. Meantime, I can continue to learn.

Presently, while strengthening my inner core, love of learning, scholar, and relying on my depth I am working in mission phase. Basically two towers of home and educational outreach-- freeing the captive, educating the ignorant, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and more. It takes almost all I have and all I am.

This is all a process. Phases of learning are not like grade levels.

I have academically "gifted" children. The one that tested at the 11th grade level when he was seven years old is now a rocket engineer. Even when he was seven and functioning at the 11th grade level, he still needed a solid core phase. He still needed to enjoy love of learning. He still needed time to become a real scholar. He still needed to develop breadth and depth. At 31, he still works on his core everyday, he expands his love of learning with his wife and boys, he still does scholar studies, he has been through depth twice (once as an under grad and once while earning his Master's), and he is living his mission at the same time. I do not see academic giftedness as reason to hurry the phases and push benchmarks.

As you can see this is not a linear progression to be checked off. It is more like layers of the earth's crust. All layers working together. In other ways, because we continue to revisit and strengthen phases it is like a spiral cycle that can move forward and upward. It can also degrade if not nurtured.

In the end, we all get to lead and we all get to follow. When we choose to do good and associate with others who seek to do so, we can be followers. Jesus said, "Come follow me." When we follow in His footsteps we let His light shine through us and become like a "city on the hill," we then become leaders as we do as He did. We have the opportunity to lead in our homes and in our communities, when we exemplify and live according to our beliefs and faith. Leadership education can prepare us to lead and to follow. We need to cultivate joy in the journey.

Did I muddy the conversation or help clarify?

Caramel Making with My Daughters

2011-11-28T15:44:00.001-08:00

I picked up my oldest daughter, Julia, and her daughter today and brought them down to Orem. Julia made her sucker recipe and used it to pour windows for her Gingerbread House. She added peppermint oil and no food coloring so she could have see through windows, as she will have a Christmas tree inside the Gingerbread House. Then my oldest and youngest daughters and I made caramels today. These are melt in your mouth caramels!

Ingredients:
1 cup white corn syrup
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups heavy whipping cream (for the creamiest results use cream that has no additives, including no carrageenan- here in Utah Winder Dairy's cream is full bodied 100% Heavy Cream).

Directions:
Blend corn syrup, sugar and 1 cup of cream in a heavy pan, and cook to the chewy ball stage (test in a bowl of ice water).

Add second cup of cream and repeat cooking to the chewy ball stage.

Add third cup of cream and repeat cooking to the chewy ball stage.

The candy becomes a lovely caramel color as it cooks.

Pour into a buttered 9x13 pan.

Cool. Turn out onto cutting board, cut into small squares, and wrap individual pieces in waxed paper.

Optional:Place pecans (or any other nut) in the bottom of the buttered pan. Pour Caramel over the nuts. Cut, then lay squares on waxed paper and pour melted semi sweet chocolate chips or melted milk chocolate (I prefer Merkins Marquee Chocolate) over each individual square. Pack in an airtight container once the chocolate hardens.

Welcome to My Hope Chest Journey

2011-11-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

I am taking a Hope Chest Journey and I am sharing that journey with my daughters, and in many ways with my sons. Here I may share my journey and thoughts on: Chest Journey; Becoming Queens in Our Homes; Raising Sons and Daughters of a King; Shepherd Parenting; Fit to Be a Queen (fitness and health); The Queen's Table (Menu planning); Lady of the Manor (Creating a House of Rhythm and Order); Victory Ladies; Provident Living; Towne Crier (site News); Spotlights; Reviews; Tutorials; creating a house of learning; Quote of the Day; Recommendations; Beauty and Grace.

This blog-- My Hope Chest Journey, is now my new blog for Princess Academies. When the new website is up this blog will be transferred to a new location within the website. Meanwhile, we invite you to follow us here, join Princess Academies on Facebook and keep in formed.

Though our site is not yet available our store with all its resources is available HERE.

Moving Forward

2011-03-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

OK, I have not been good in posting lately. Mary is learning to cook, sew, and has started an indoor herb garden of basil and parsley. I hope to get some pictures up to show the lovely table runner she made and other projects as we complete them. We will just have to schedule documenting time!

Sewing Away

2010-12-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

Each week my married daughter Julia comes down and I help her further with sewing her quilts.

Our dishwasher has died and my youngest daughter and I have been enjoying hand washing dishes after meals together. Dad and big brother all grab dish towels too, and dishes are done in minutes!!!

This week is a week we will sew and craft up a storm. My married children begin arriving Friday, with my daughter's family from Verona, Wisconsin! Then I will be creating with my oldest granddaughter too! Next week is baking and confections week!
I hope to get pictures up!

The Hope Chest Journey- We are still Here!!!

2010-11-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

Wow! None of us have posted for a long time. I know we are still journeying with our daughters. We just have permitted life to get soooo busy that we do not take the time to share. Let us simplify.

I had a lot of life challenges this year, and it is not easy to get rhythm back, once lost. The rhythm does not need to be the old rhythm, and as children grow, these spurts of chaos serve as growth opportunities and transitions that move us to a higher state.

In February my daughter got toxemia, and with hard work we were able to get it under control, lowering the swelling and the blood pressure, without hospitalization, toxic drugs, or surgery. She was eating healthy, just not enough to provide the nutrients she needed. We improved her diet and worked hard to drop that blood pressure. Yeah, it all worked and she was able to have a healthy baby and a home birth in March. Yeah, another granddaughter! I now have six grandsons and two granddaughters. I love my grandsons as much as my granddaughters. It is just that girls are a rarity in our family.

In April, I helped a daughter through mastitis, twice. We then had an Eagle Court of Honor for my third son, college graduation of a son-in-law, and a baby blessing all in one weekend. I also had a house full of guests and grand kids.

May was hard. I had four adult children move...

One married daughter moved far across country to the mid-west. We keep in touch over skype. That way my granddaughter can be there with my youngest and I while I am working in the kitchen.

My other married daughter moved further north in the Salt Lake valley. Yet, we have been able to work together on canning and preserving since she is relatively close.

My oldest son, moved from an apartment that had become toxic due from a leaking pipe from above which brought mold and sickness to them. Everyone is healthier now!

Then my third son moved from our home to live in Salt Lake to earn money for his mission. His sister and her husband opened a bedroom to him.

I fell twice in May. It is thought that the first fall put me off balance and contributed to the second. I fell while helping my oldest daughter move. Within minutes I became ill and was sick the whole month! Memorial Day Weekend I was on the mend and went hiking with my husband in the Colorado Rockies. I fell head first when we were moving off trail and landed with my head downhill. I had caught a root in the early spring undergrowth. I sustained a brain stem concussion. My NUCCA Chiropractor helped me on the road to healing. I had swelling to my brain stem with accompanying breathing issues and foggy brain. I spent the summer recuperating. I was afraid I would never recover. I just needed patience. It just takes longer at my age!

In September, my brother took me to Hawaii with him for his class reunion. My knee had not recovered from the fall. I was afraid it was torn ligaments and would need eventual surgery. My brother and I visited our sister. She is a massage therapist in very unique modalities. She is one of about three in theirs country that can do what she does. She took a look at my knee and started to work on it. Within minutes I was pain free and was able to actually bend down to pick up something off the floor! So now I can begin walking with my youngest daughter!

My youngest daughter turned 12 and we are beginning our personal Progress journey together, yeah for moms, they can journey officially with their daughters. I bought her, her own sewing machine for her birthday, a Brother cs6000i. Her married sister in Salt Lake bought one too. So, now we can begin our sewing adventure as my two girls learn to sew... All just in time for Christmas!

Rag Doll Making

2010-02-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

This month in our Princess Circle we studied Little House in the Big Woods. Mary enjoyed the book so much that she wants to read the entire series! Inspired by the story, the mothers chose to make rag dolls with their daughters. So for our Heart Warming Bee, we cut out our rag dolls. Each family had chosen different designs.

Mary and I were able to get four dolls cut out of our 1/2 yard of muslin. She will have one, I will have one, and we will make one for each of my two granddaughters. One of those granddaughters will have her first birthday Saturday and the other will be born in April. We chose a design that is simple. Yet, besides basic sewing, the dolls will include learning embroidery for the face.

This is the doll my daughter and I chose to make. I will replace this picture with a picture of our dolls when they are finished. We will share them at our next meeting. Then we will be studying Queen Victoria. She learned to sew by sewing doll clothes for her dolls. So, we will work on sewing the doll clothes.

TwentyTen A New Decade So Many Possibilities!

2010-01-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

A new decade is upon us. What will it bring?
Today, our Princess Circle meets for a Liber Tea Luncheon. Mary and I completed reading Little House in the Big Woods yesterday. The book is such an inspiration for the Hope Chest Journey. Mary wants to read the whole series. The book and the Hope Chest Journey are the main topics of our discussion today. We will be making rag dolls for our activity. I know, pictures! When they are done we will post them. Next month we will study Queen Victoria and we will make the doll clothes for the dolls and learn cake decorating.

For Sharing the Joy today: Mary and I will share the quilt tops we made for the boys. A new adventure lies before us.

Day 38: Denim Christmas

2009-12-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

In our home we patch the knees of jeans when they get holes. I cut off jeans and then hem shorts. We pass them down to younger siblings. When we cut them off below the knee or retire them, they stack in a fruit box to be recycled at a later time. I have saved up 4 orange boxes of adult and child jeans. We are now ready to recycle the fabric into something useful.

Mary and I have been busy cutting out 8 " squares of denim. They will be used to make two quilts for her brothers. Left over denim will go to making stuffed dinosaurs for her nephews, my grandsons, and something for her niece, my only granddaughter, until April!

Back to cutting!!!

BTW, we are getting really good at make home made whole wheat bread.

Day 37: Honey Whole Wheat Bread

2009-11-17T21:39:00.000-08:00

Today, Mary and I made whole wheat bread from a friend's recipe. Mary greased the pans well. James refilled the wheat bucket with more Golden 86. I ground the flour in my whisper mill as Mary watched the wheat go down the funnel. As I measured out the ingredients into the Bosch I explained their role in the bread making process. I had Mary sprinkle the wheat flour on the counter before the final kneading. I cut the dough into 6ths and formed each loaf to fill the pans. We placed them in the cool oven, covered them with a light kitchen towel to retain warmth and let the bread double in size. I removed the towel and turned the oven on and baked the delight for 38 minutes. I loosened the bread, placed the loaves on a cooling rack, buttered the tops and covered with a towel. Since we are getting back into the habit of bread baking, Mary will have more and more of an opportunity to participate in the entire process.

In future times when we bake I won't be focused so much on remembering the process and our conversation can meander into teaching moments:

We can discuss the purpose of leavening and that is what we are to be as the House of Israel, a leaven in the world. I can teach that yeast needs sweetness and warmth to grow, as do those around us.
We can talk about salt and how we are the salt of the earth. Salt has many properties of cleansing, purifying, restoring, preserving, and healing!
We can speak of wheat and tares and how we want to be like wheat, not tares.
I can share with my daughter the story of the widow of Zarephath and how her cruse of oil did not fail.
When I add the lecithin which comes from eggs, we can talk about how oft He would have gathered us as a hen gathers her chicks.
We can discuss Proverbs 31:27 "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." I see the bread of idleness as the shifting of work to others and the wasting of our time.

I could probably go on, but above are a few of the thoughts that came to me today that I can share with my daughter(s) as we make bread. When Jennifer saw my facebook post that I was making bread, she insisted I include her the next time. Lessons abound my friends, in the seemingly menial tasks of our motherly labors.

Day 36: Pumpkin Bread

2009-11-11T22:38:00.000-08:00

I made pumpkin bread, Mary assisted a little, while James watched and helped with refilling the flour container. This was an opportunity to reinforce the concept of working systematically. I put the ingredients on the left and as they are used we move them to the right. As a mater of system, I combine spices and small amount dry ingredients into a small bowl and mix them together before adding them to the flour and mixing again. This way we do not have spice chunks or clumping in our mixture. Four loaves done by 3:30 and they were gone by morning.

Day 5: Adventure Cooking

2009-10-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

Cooking schools abound in Thailand as many tourists like to learn how to cook Thai food. So Laura and I decided to take one together yesterday.

Our Teachers were Perm and Boom. (Not sure if that is how you spell them or not)

Laura and I both learned to cook about 3 different dishes and one the same.

Pad Thai, Drunker noodles, egg rolls, dipping sauces, Tom Yum Soup, Cashew Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Vegetable Stir Fry, and a few others that I'm coming up empty on at the moment.

Drunker noodles

Pad Thai Omelet

We also learned two new cooking techniques. This one is called adventure cooking, who said cooking had to be boring. That said, I don't recommend this technique for indoor cooking unless you increase your fire insurance policy.

This is what happened when we added our ingredients - different dishes the only common ingredient is water.

I didn't realize how easy it was to cook Thai food. It tasted better than most of the places we've been going lately. I can't wait to return home and try out our new cooking skills.

Day 35: Deep Cleaning a Bedroom and an Heirloom Find

2009-10-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

This summer Mary's bedroom became a guest room to a family with two toddler boys. Mary quickly took things from her drawers and tossed them into boxes to make space for their belongings. After about 10 weeks of guests, she emptied some of the boxes into her drawers but she had also removed things from her room over the summer and acquired new things.

Overwhelmed, she has decided to organize her room. The is a great opportunity to learn how to sort and let go of what she no longer uses, and to make space for the things she uses all the time. She started with one box. Going through it she discovered embroidered monogrammed hankies that belonged to her grandmother, Margaret Tuttle. Some had MT, some Margaret, others had Margaret Tuttle, and many just had M on them. Earlier this year grandmother had moved into a senior independent living center. Mary received some costume jewelry and the hankies, among things. She decided to put the jewelry in a dress-up box. Then we decided we would make a lap quilt for grandma affixing the hankies to quilt squares and sewing the squares into the quilt. However, the ones with just an M on them we decided to make into a quilt for her room.

Day 34: Belgium Waffles

2009-10-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

This morning Mary and I made Belgium Waffles for the family. She zested the lemon and learned to fold eggwhites into batter. She really wants to learn how to cook well.

^& Days until Christmas. So we will be learning lots of skills.

Day 33: Canning Applesauce

2009-10-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today, I had Jennifer over and we all helped in canning applesauce. My help in overseeing timing when she had to feed the baby. Mary helped as Jennifer directed and needed. Thirty quarts of beautiful pink Jonathon Applesauce. Each of us took turns with baby Elizabeth so Jennifer and Mary could have the satisfaction of learning the entire process.

Though it has been a while since I posted, it does not mean Mary and I have done nothing. We have been focusing on book learning. Things Mary requested to learn when we did our brain storming session. With 73 days until Christmas we have to get hoppin!

A Hope Chest Birthday Gift

2009-10-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Mary is 11 on the 11th. Her sister, Jennifer, found a hostess set at a garage sale that matched the ones we use for Princess Academies luncheons and thought it would be a nice gift for her sister to start her Hope Chest With.

Our Hope Chest Journey (Restart!)

2009-10-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

Our school year started off with a bang - commonwealth & other things completely overwhelmed me & needed some time being adjusted to. But here we are again, starting Thursday (my computer was overtaken by Savannah as she listened to Uncle Tom's Cabin online), so I am sharing today what we're up to. (BTW Donna, I've been posting all of these on my personal blog too. I don't know if I let you know that or not?)

Day 1 (again) - Thursday

The girls and I ordered our tiaras! We're hoping to have them here by this thursday, which is our next mtg. (These stock pictures are taken by Donna).

Mine

Crystal's

Savannah's

Suzy Q's
(we bought hers when Donna was here)

You can find all of these (& others) at the shoppe on Donna's Princess Academy Website. Athena is somewhat reserved over the whole thing (the other teens we invited didn't have mothers that thought it was important - so sad), but isn't fighting me either. I'm very grateful for that. Venus and I are ecstatic though and when the tiaras come in we'll have to have our picture taken by dad!

Day 2 - Friday

It might be enough to say we concentrate every Friday on education, but this Friday when I got home I jumped onto Facebook to see what friends were up to, and noticed one friend was having a particularly bad time. I immediately had the impulse to do something for her, so Athena made the kids dinner while Iris kept them entertained so Venus and I could run to the store and buy a few do-dads (bagels, cream cheese, etc.) and take them to my friend. On the way Venus learned the value of following the spirit (those little impulses you get) immediately and serving your friends. Athena and Iris learned (because we discussed afterwards) that sometimes it's the behind the scenes work that makes the obvious service able to happen.

Day 32: Pumpkin Bread

2009-09-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

Mary and I made pumpkin bread today. Mary insisted on reading the recipe, measuring all the ingredients, and mixing the dough. She wanted me to be with her, talk to her, but she wanted to make the bread. Tomorrow she will help me deliver the loaves.

Day 31: Simple as Apple Pie!

2009-09-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

I like it on Sundays when family joins us. Today, Julia and Rory joined us for supper and I made Beef Barley Soup at Julia's request and an apple pie at Rory's request. Mary came in and saw what I was doing and asked to join me in the pie making. So, Mary got to help with making pie crust again. There are opportunities all the time for the Hope Chest Journey, we just need to seize them.

Day 30: Creating a House of Order-The Pantry

2009-09-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

Mary and I went into our extended pantry and noticed that things were in disarray. There had been some sales and the cases and boxes were sitting in stacks in the corner. Obviously who ever had put them there was in a rush to get elsewhere.

Mary and I rolled up our sleeves and began organizing and shifting things into order. Mary did a great job as she stacked cans into trains and made isles of cans stacked big to little. In no time there was order and beauty. What is more, we had a good handle on what we had.

My normal system had been interrupted this year. I do not buy cases wildly. I know what we eat and how often so why not take advantage of sales when they come.

Jonathan apples are in, so I counted the bottles of applesauce and pie slices I have left on the shelves, so I would know how much I might want to can. I noted I have jars of apricot puree that need cycling, I can make them into fruit leather.

I saw we had one can of mandarin oranges left, and they are on case lot. I love them chilled in winter, in salads, fruity and in desserts too. So I might sneak out and get a case.

Any way I look at it, reorganizing makes it easy to inventory! A job for another day.

Part of living responsibly and providently is to prepare for the future. Whether it be unexpected guest, economic realities, local or national catastrophe, following the wisdom of those from a long gone agrarian age is what we are doing.

What is nice is we did it together and chatted and discussed things as we went.

Notes from Planning Mtg.

2009-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have had so many things going on I haven't had time to get back to posting on a regular basis. I hope to start up again very soon. However, I want to share with you that we had our Princess Academy Mtg. this past Thursday! We had planned on having two separate groups for older girls and younger girls for the reading discussions, but the older ones said they didn't mind reading the younger books since most of them they hadn't read yet! The only month we are split is the first month. Here are our plans:

This month we are reading A Little Mother to the Others by L.T. Meade or Daughter of a King (picture book) for our first mtg. to be held in October. Some women wanted it kept light because of a new school year, while some of the kids wanted a heavier book, so we gave them an option and will have two circles to discuss at the mtg. A Little Mother to the Others is not on Donna's book list, but is a classic for me from my childhood and is available on Project Gutenburg as well as on Amazon (they just reprinted it in paperback form!) The copy I have of this book is over 100 yrs old and was my Grandmother's. It was highly influential to me as a 15 yr old.

October: We're doing Cake Decorating. We'll be reading Witch of Black Pond.

November: We'll be making hats for humanitarian needs from looms. We'll be reading The Little Princess. Possible extra pizza and pj party planned to watch Shirley Temple version together. Please note pizzas will be handmade by the girls and their moms while they are here. :)

December: We're learning how to make candy, perhaps go caroling to give it away. We'll be reading The Princess Academy.

January: Creative writing or thank you notes. We'll be reading Little Women. Extra Activity planned is to go to Rexburg to go ice skating on the outside skating rink they have there like the March girls did on the pond in the book. :)

February: Place setting and decorating. We wanted the girls to learn not only how to set a table, but how to make it look classy as well. We'll be reading Ella Enchanted.

March: The ladies wanted to concentrate on a service project - whether that meant we went to a soup kitchen or delivered items we collected. Locally needs change, so this project will come more into focus as we get closer to the date - we had one mother in the group that knew many of the opportunities available. We'll be reading Alice in Wonderland.

April: We're learning to embroidery. She is local, so we may be getting together a 2nd time for this. We'll be reading Pollyanna.

May: Discussion of Pollyanna and making plans for the Evening of Eloquence to be held later that month. We didn't want to carry over into June because people are leaving town.

Of course we signed up for the Grace Moment, the Vignette, etc. We're expecting a fantastic year!

Considering Christmas Traditions: Day 4

2009-09-14T05:04:00.000-07:00

One of the things on our to do list is to reevaluate our Holiday traditions. Are they Christ focused?

With this in mind I began a search at LDS.org and found a great article by Elaine Cannon, “Consider Christmas,” Ensign, Dec 1973, 5

The article is broken down into three segments with wonderful ideas in each area.

Unto the Least of These - Service to others
Good Tidings - Sharing the message
My Joy is Full - Traditions

This article seemed to focus on a theme that my husband and I had regarding our Christmas traditions. So at a Family meeting we discussed the article and listen for suggestions. The children liked these ideas.

Unto the Least of These: Plans for a service project will be to members of our ward making felt Christmas Stockings filled with goodies. The girls and I will make the stockings and have help from everyone on a FHE to fill them. http://christianhomekeeper.org/blog/easy-simple-felt-christmas-stockings/

Good Tidings: For this area we are working on a nativity play, reading and Cristmas carol sing. There will be a light dinner of traditional food from our area. We will invite a variety of people to come dressed in costume for our nativity. Guests will have an opportunity to participate in the nativity, reading parts and singing Christmas Carols as they come in the program. The script is just about ready. We haven't decided on time but perhaps Christmas Eve.

Some of our experiments haven't always turned out well but it is my hope that with a little planning and balance there will be valuable experiences and memories for us all.

Hand Sewing Class: Day 3

2009-09-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a goal of mine to be able to teach group classes that are successful. The concept is taught, understood and applied. The class runs at a good pace and project is appropriate for the learning levels present.

Today's journey started with teaching Ginny and her friends simple hand sewing techniques. Laura my oldest who is quite proficient with hand sewing went along to help. We anticipated having twelve girls and hoped that between the two of us we could help them all.

After the request came to help, I started here: http://www.kids-sewing-projects.com/pre-beginner-sewing-lessons.html The lessons are simple and easy to follow.

We used plastic canvas to start as suggested. This was a fabulous idea and helped the girls by having a predefined space. We struggled a bit as I couldn't find yarn needles so we used thread and the needles they would be using for their project. This worked well except I should have started with a contrasting thread to the canvas.

We did the running stitch as shown here then a lock stitch you take one step forward and one back. We talked about why we would use this stitch rather than the running stitch above.

After we were finished practicing their stitches on the canvas until they felt comfortable we moved to the fabric.

It was prepared by:

cutting out rectangles 5" wide by 10" long from muslin cloth
the long edge was rolled to form a casing and I used a decorative stitch to stitch across the top
ribbons to match the color thread at top were prepared with a safety pin at the end
pre-threaded all the needles with thread for their project

We folded the fabric in half so that one side of the bag was completed and we needed to finish the bottom and the other side. This worked really well.

In this photo she has finished the one side of the bag and is starting across the bottom.

This class' focus was to introduce the girls to hand sewing. To me it is important that the girls go home with a finished product. If they tried and didn't like it they wouldn't have this unfinished project on their hands. I brought my sewing machine to finish up any of these projects. Hooray we didn't have to use it for that reason but we had 5 girls that didn't come so Laura gave them a quick introduction to machine sewing and finished up the remaining bags for the girls that weren't able to come.

The class was set to run 1 hour 30 minutes. It took us that long and I was quite grateful to have two ladies helping out. We were busy every minute helping with knots and tangled thread. We had a knot queen and a loop queen at the end. This proclamation helped several very stressed girls to relieve a little pressure. They all did a fabulous job. Their bags are finished and ready for potpourri or my bag will hold soap nuts for our laundry loads. One girl brought several mini skate boards with her and they were in her bag when she left to go home.

Day 29: Holiday Preparations

2009-09-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

Mary stayed home from church today because she was still sick and did not want to spread her illness. I stayed home to be with her. She came out of her room with a paper snowflake but felt she had missed a step or two. So, she asked if I knew how to make paper snowflakes. I was rusty on the folding, so I googled it. I made a snow flake and then she made a snow flake, chains of people holding hands; then she cut out a Jack-o-lantern face, two ghosts, and a gingerbread man. She placed them in a paper folder to keep them neat and to flatten them. She loves paper craft and origami.

Day 28: Getting Inspired

2009-09-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Mary brought me a little booklet called Faith in God. The booklet had suggestions and goals for girls her age to help them draw near to God and walk in His ways. She began reading it aloud to me. She would make comments and evaluate. She wants to add this to her Hope Chest Journey and it meshes quite well.

Our list: Day 1

2009-09-11T00:38:00.001-07:00

This is one category that may need a bit of explanation in the long run but for today, here is the brain storming list we made of things we want to do over the next couple months.

Ukrainian Christmas Eggs

Use natural dyes to make silk scarves and bandanna

Batik dying

Embroider traditional and beading.

Make herb sachets

knitting a bosom buddy - for reenactment piece

Leather working - bookmarks, belts

making home made soap

knitted pot holders

knitted hats to send to local charity

quilts and school bags for One Village Hope

Silk printing

ornaments

dream catchers

new holiday family traditions that are more Christ focus

secret service - Christmas

Personalized church notebooks

art journals

Breakfast Inspiration: Day 2

2009-09-11T00:36:00.000-07:00

The past couple weeks have been filled with opportunities for hospitality and growth. Much of my time has been developing another website for our local homeschool support group and online forum. You can learn more about them at DohaHomeEducators.com

Today Samuel told me that he desperately needed pancakes. He was very happy with the results. :)

The pancakes are whole wheat with fresh sliced nectarines and bananas topped with fresh whipped cream.

1 tbsp. Agave Nectar
1 3/4 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp baking power
1 tsp. salt
2 c. buttermilk (I add 1tbsp lemon juice to milk and let it stand while I mix the other ingredients)
2 eggs
1/4 c oil
1 tsp vanilla (opt)

Slice Fruit of your choice

Whipping cream, dash of salt and vanilla (No Sugar)

Whip cream until it stiffens then add salt and vanilla.

NOTE: In our area Lebanon peaches and nectarines are absolutely wonderful.

Due to health reasons, I avoid sugar as much as possible. Agave nectar has been a great substitute but I still use it with caution.

Day 27: Making Cinnamon Waffle and Cleaning Up

2009-09-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

Mary caught the illness the toddlers had and has spent the last few days recovering. I am tying this as a cinnamon waffle cooks. Yes, Mary and I are in the kitchen working together to make waffles. She has helped me separate eggs before, but today is the first time she understood why we separate them, whip them, then how to fold them into a recipe and why.

She has learned:
* In large bowl one I put the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix them until they are well blended
* In large bowl two I divide the whites from yokes and put the yokes and any white colored residue into a large mixing bowl with the milk and oil. I must separate everything that is not clear in the eggs. Any fat at all will reduce how high the clear part of the eggs will whip into mountainous whites!
* In bowl three (a smaller bowl with tall sides) I put all the clear portion of the egg and then I whip them until lifting the beaters out leaves stiff tall peaks. If we over beat they begin to separate.
* To then take the beaters and mix the liquid ingredients into the dry until there are no lumps.
* To then gently fold stiff egg whites into the smooth batter. We want to incorporate it, but keep it fluffy so the waffles will be lite.
* Then to cook them until the light turns green, or until the steam stops coming.

Then, to enjoy a hot waffle! I like to cook them lite, so that if we pop them into the toaster later, for another breakfast, they do not over cook.

I fried some baked ham slices in the skillet, to go with the waffles, then rinsed a bowl of strawberries and opened a jar of homemade applesauce and set them on the table. Mary had helped can this unsweetened applesauce last autumn.

After we mixed the ingredients and got the first waffle in, we rinsed the other mixing bowls, beaters, cups, spoons, and stacked them in the sink. Then we wiped the counters.

Since we have more people when guests are here than we can sit at the table, we ate in shifts. While waffles cooked, I typed this, now on to putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Clean as we go! Then we cool the waffle maker down, freeze any extras on cookie sheets, then place into a gallon sized ziplock bag. When the waffle iron is cool, we wipe it down and put it away.

One way I teach my children the idea of finishing, is by finishing cleaning the kitchen after every meal- wiping down all counters, stove, and the table. Putting food away. Getting the dishes in the dishwasher and finishing the pans, cleaning the sink. When we all work together it takes us about 15-20 minutes to leave the kitchen clean and have the dishwasher well on its way to finishing the job!

Day 26: Cheering Sick Toddlers

2009-09-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have not posted for a few days. We have had house guests with toddlers and a pregnant mom that has suddenly become very high risk, so no lifting. They are still here. Mary and her brother have been learning how to keep toddlers engaged and occupied. The days are long enough and now the sweet peas are sick, which ramps up the crank-o-meter.

I plan after this experience to help Mary prepare a babysitting kit and train her as her older sisters were, to be responsible and enjoy babysitting. She still has a few years before she can babysit for non family. Mean while she can hone her skils on her nephews and niece.

Day 25: Oatmeal Cookies and Compassionate Service

2009-08-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

Jennifer was out doing estate sales with her husband Alan, and baby Elizabeth this morning. She came by and we enjoyed breakfast together. I shared that Mary and I were planning to make oatmeal cookies today.

Jennifer decided to join us making cookies and had Alan leave her and baby Elizabeth with me. So, Jennifer, with baby on her hip, a 14 month old (not her own), a 2 1/2 year old (not her own), and Mary began mixing oatmeal cookies. I demonstrated how to use two spoons to put the dough on the cookie sheets. Then,I remembered my mini-ice cream scoop. They made the most perfect cookies! Oatmeal Cookie Recipe.

This afternoon Mary and I made Chicken Divan for our dinner and took a Chicken Divan dinner to Julia (Mary's oldest sister) and her husband, Rory.

Day 24: Working in the Kitchen

2009-08-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

Mary came into the kitchen while I was making dinner and asked if I would oversee her loading the dishes into our dish washer. She usually does it as part of the team, but James was at scouts, and Jeremy was in Taylorsville at his brother's. So, she was on her own. I watched and made but two suggestions. We chatted and talked about the school year ahead. She really wants to learn how to cook well this year. She said that learning to load the dishwasher efficiently was part of her Hope Chest Journey.

Day 23: Planning and Becoming a Mother's Helper

2009-08-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

We looked at our list that was brain-stormed when we began this journey 23 days ago and discussed how school would look this fall. Though school does not begin until the day after Labor day she is ready to jump in now. I have house guests arriving tomorrow and some work to do on the Princess Academies, and we have two weeks before we start school. We decided that the next two weeks would be a great time to adjust habits, refine rhythms and she could begin doing some things now.

The home making skills will come as I need to do them, in their proper time and order, and I can invite her to be my helper. She is excited about the school year and especially because we are journeying together. If we do the domestic things as they come, she will gain a sense of the rhythms of life. I feel this is much better than isolating home making skills as subjects to be taught. When you teach toilet cleaning separate from life rhythms, then they learn to clean the toilet, but they do not learn where that job fits in when running a home. So, we will learn home making skills in their proper time and place.

Hand arts like sewing will be done by project and this will help her prepare the gifts she will be giving for Christmas. Yes, starting with the end in mind.

Day 22: Whiter Smile

2009-08-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

Mary said she would like to make her teeth whiter. I showed her how to make a paste with baking soda and clean her teeth. Baking soda has so many uses.

Day 12: Mentor Meetings

2009-08-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

The girls are back, and we talked over what needed to happen this week. The great sun quilt gets pieced together this week. My girls have also asked that we focus on getting the Italian language moving in our house. It seems very soon we will be saying,

Ciao. :)

Day 21: What is the Special Occasion?

2009-08-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Mary and I place a lovely table cloth on the table and then set out my grandmother's heirloom china and the Princess House crystal water goblets my mother gave me as a wedding present. James came in and asked what the special occasion was. What was special? My family, of course and this was Sunday dinner.

When I was 10, I visited my maternal grandmother in Decatur, Indiana. during the summer. She had a hutch in the dinning area off her kitchen. In that hutch was a large set of very old dishes, Virginia Rose- Moss Rose design by Homer Laughlin, made during the Great Depression. Grandma had picked them up at an estate sale back in the fifties, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As a ten year old, I thought these dishes were the prettiest I had ever seen. Apparently, I was not the only person in America that liked them, though Homer Laughlin painted many patterns on the Virginia Rose shaped dishes, Moss Rose was their longest running pattern.

The week after I was engaged I received several boxes from Princess House Crystal. There was no card telling me who it was from. There were 12 water goblets and 12 parfait goblets. I had selected china the night before, I had told no one of my selection, and imagine my surprize as the crystal was a perfect match. I called my mom. I told her what had happened and then I remarked that someone knew me and my tastes very well. She laughed and said, "I sent them you dope." I never did end up with the china that Roger and I selected the night before, which was Bellemeade by Minton.

However, seven years later, my grandmother died and she left me her special dishes I treasured as a child, the Homer Laughlin china set. Apparently, when I was ten and ooooohed over grandma's china, she placed a note in one of the bowls, stating the dishes were to go to Donna when grandma was gone. That is me! The dishes matched the crystal! Grandma was buried on my 29th birthday. She had given me some of my earliest cooking lessons when I was seven. She had taught me about hospitality- Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Hebrews 13:2. It was her favorite scripture. Now grandma is gone to other side of the veil, but her legacy lives on through me, as I pay it forward with my daughters, in our Hope Chest Journey.

O. K. I know, way too much history.

Mary is now ten and I decided it was time to teach her how to use and care for heirloom china and crystal, as part of her Hope Chest Journey today. As I got the dishes out she said she was afraid she might break them. I reassured her that the dishes were best to be enjoyed. So, today we severed a simple Chicken Adobo, Jasmin rice, and green bean dinner on those lovely plates. We drank water in the sparkling goblets. Then afterwords, I hand washed the dishes with Mary. I showed her how to let the goblets sit until they were no longer cold, before washing. We placed a cloth in the bottom of the sink to protect the goblets from getting chipped on the sink. I washed some, Mary washed some, I dried some, Mary dried some. We chatted as we worked.

Day 20: Experimenting with House Cleaning

2009-08-22T22:33:00.000-07:00

I showed Mary how to use Mr. Clean eraser to take scuff marks off our 6" White base boards. Then she was off clearing scuffs.

We cleaned toilets together.

Mary vacuumed while I worked on windows.

I told Roger I wanted to get a micro fiber car cleaning mitt to use instead of Grabits for a dust cloth. He said he had a bag of them that he bought for his show and they did not meet the need he had. I dusted. Great tool. Then I decided I was going to clean windows. Our sliding glass door had wind storm dirt and rain drop stains. So, I ran the cloth under warm water added a few drops Ajax Lemon dish soap and attacked the outside of the glass. It took only a minute to remove all the dirt off the window, I almost did not need to spritz it with glass cleaner and polish. I was blown away. I was able to do the double sliding door, the 30" sidelight to the front door, and our front door in less than five minutes. I then washed the cloth out and tackled walls, door jams, window sills, bathroom counters, and bathroom sinks, rinsing as I went. I would rinse it till water ran clear, in between each use. Finally, I used the cloth to clean the floor. What a work horse the cloth was. Mary learned the power of micro fiber.

I heard lemon oil would clean shower doors. The skeptic I am said that I needed to experiment. Mary and I took a soft cloth and rubbed lemon oil on the glass and chrome, it shines beautifully and the water will not stick to the glass. Mary thought this was cool and quickly took the cloth and went to work. Then we rubbed the cabinets down with lemon oil. Ah, the house smells lemony and looks nice too.

Days 10 & 11 - Caring for the Young

2009-08-22T19:16:00.001-07:00

With Crystal and Savannah gone to Cedar City, Suzy received some one-on-one time learning how to care for her younger brothers. I watched over her as she changed diapers, made simple lunches, and told them stories for nap time. In fact, when I came in to read to them last night, they requested she come and tell them stories instead! She is truly a little mother.

Day 19: Valuing Education

2009-08-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

From 18-21 August Mary and I have been attending Education Week up at the University, a family tradition since 1984. As each child reached 14 they got to attend and would come home full of ideas to share.

Yes, we chose to help Julia recover from an illness and skipped some classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, to do so. Oh, and yes, Mary must be 14 to get a ticket to attend classes. So, how did we do it? We would let her sleep in and pick her up at lunch time and have her join us on campus. She prepared an activity bag with a book to read and took a portable DVD player to watch a movie, which, by the way, it was usually too loud to watch. She would be with me between classes in 25 minute time breaks and we would have time to link arms, chat, meet long lost friends, and just bond. Meanwhile, she was observing the great interest the attendees had in expanding their knowledge. Her sister, Jennifer, picked her up in the late afternoon on Thursday and Friday to spend time with her too. All in all, I am glad I took Mary along, even though she could not actually attend classes.

Though my mother taught me much, as did her mother, my grandmother and mom's sister, my aunt Grace, I am always looking for new ideas. These new ideas are pondered, applied, tweaked for me, shared with my daughters, and then with my outreach. These are classes I attended that are of particular interest to the Hope Chest Journey-
Carrie Wrigley:
-"Male and Female Created He Them" (Genesis 1:27) Understanding, Honoring, and Bridging the Gender Gap- deals with differences in the male and female brain, how those differences play out in our relationships, and how to use this knowledge to enrich and heal our relationships. My husband invited me to join him at this class and we decided to share this with our children and with my outreach.
-- Communication- Promoting Mutual Understanding Through Her Way of Talking and His Way of Talking
-- Closeness- Building a Beautiful Relationship- Blending His style of Bonding and Her Style of Bonding
-- Companionship- Man and Woman Working in Unity, Side by Side, Forever
Barbara Barrington Jones:
-The Confident Woman-Outward Appearance
-- Refinement in Appearance
Marie Calder Ricks
-Home Organization: The Better Way to Live (Part One). Marie is a organizational consultant and has invited people to join her free 8 week course starting in September.
--Food Management The Master Menu, Grocery Lists, Shopping, and food Preparation for Better Meals (her style is very like my own)
--Organizing for Regular Housework
-Home Organization: The Better Way to Live (Part Two)
--Seven Days to Better Organization
--Organizing Closets and Cupboards
--Maximizing Your Time Management Skills: Using Lists for Repetitive Events, Handling Trivia with Finesse, and Effective Filing Systems
Alice Osborne:
- Save More, Spend Less Living Frugally with Style and Flair- Alice is a presenter for Shirley J's. Mary and I attended the Country Carousel Boutique over at Provo High School and talked with Alice, she invited me to her class and I went.
--Spend less for Christmas and other Special Days- Plan Ahead and Get Creative
Rebecca Douglas:
- You Were Born to Make A Difference: Powerful Lessons Learned Serving the Destitute of India. Rebecca run Rising Star Outreach. My daughter Julia heard her speak when Julia was in North Carolina in 2006. This is a wonderful work that Rebecca is doing.
--Break Out of The Comfort Zone!

Yes, I attended other interesting classes on Biblical Archeology, presented by John Hall, with my son Jeremy.

What a week! Mary and I will probably be attending Marie Ricks' free eight week course, on weeks we are not presenting. Mary has four more years before she can attend Education Week classes. Meanwhile, it is still a family tradition and we will make it our personal tradition to share as much as we can of the event with each other.

Days 8 & 9: - Packing for a Trip & The Day After

2009-08-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Crystal and Savannah are both a part of the LEMI Commonwealth schools. Every year they go down to Cedar City,UT to attend the Shakespeare Festival as a group (a reward they have to earn).

This year in the spirit of the Hope Chest Journey, we prepared for the trip together. We made a checklist for each girl, went through collected everything they needed that we already owned around the house, and packed the bags together. I took both of them shopping by themselves for half the things they needed from the store so they would see price comparisons, and have one on one time with mom so we could talk about etiquette away from home. Crystal has been twice already, so there wasn't as much discussion as there was with Savannah.

Finally, sleeping bags were aired and rolled, the suburban packed, and away they went. Suzy and I came home very tired. She watched me feed our family a light supper and play outside with the boys who had taken a back burner while the madness went on. We discussed how the little ones behave better when they get some "Mommy time". She got into the spirit of things and started the bath for her brothers, and helped me with the dog's needs without being asked. Delightful.

Day 18: Healing Herbs

2009-08-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

Today, Mary and I drove to West Jordan again to assist her sister. This time we stopped an picked up some soothing herbs and veggie capsules to fill with those herbs. Mary learned how to fill capsules with a finely ground mixture of several herbs including raspberry leaf, lobelia, ginger, cayenne, and barberry, aides to digestion.

Mary has been my traveling companion and we have enjoyed our discussions. The local University offers an education week each summer. So, when not at my daughter's in West Jordan and not running errands for her, I have been enjoying Education Week, refining my knowledge and skills. Mary follows me to class and reads outside, as she is not yet 14 and cannot attend. I have been enjoying our time together.

Day 17: Becoming A Companion

2009-08-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

In the 1800s, girls were employed by older female relatives to be "companions." We see this tradition in Anne of Green Gables, as Pauline Harris is the "companion" to her aunt, or in Little Women when Jo March was a "companion" to her aunt. My own grandmother, Mary, quit school at eight to help her older sister Ollie when she had her second child.

Today, my Mary got to learn about being a companion to her older sister, 16 years her senior, who had been very ill and needed assistance. Her sister was weak from a stomach flu and had difficulty holding down foods or liquids. So, Mary was there, willing to read aloud, play a game, chat, and serve. However, her sister was not well enough for socializing, so Mary got to serve her.

Day 7: Designing & Improvising

2009-08-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

Since this project is coming out of my head, I tend to do things unconventional. I didn't have a pattern for the sun quilt I wanted to make for the boys, but the big plastic table we have was just the right size - so we drew on it with pencil to make our pattern, and used trash bags to trace the pattern onto (the tissue paper I had planned to use wasn't big enough - we improvised). Then we pinned the trash bag pattern pieces onto the fabric and went to town! Tomorrow we piece it together, and we'll have a sun to show off! That will be all we'll get done for the week - my older girls are leaving for the Shakespeare Festival in Utah Thursday, so it will just be Suzy and I doing the journey together. :)

Savannah drew our design for us
(click on pic so you can see pencil lines)

Designing "pattern"

At this pt. all we needed was the "sun"

Pinning the pattern to cloth

Carefully cutting

She did so great!
I didn't have to help her at all!

I'll post a picture of what it looks like pieced together tomorrow. :)

Day 6: Mentor Mtgs

2009-08-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

Again the girls and I came together on Sunday to review the week. Crystal shared that she had explained what we had been doing to one of the women that had been at the presentation meeting. The woman was impressed by the things the girls were learning. In fact, the girls were too. They were surprised that they could report so much!

This week we have plans to design and cut out the sitting mat for my boys during the school year. Until yesterday they still hadn't caught the vision of it. Again the question was asked, "why are we doing this?" I explained again what I envisioned - their little brothers sitting on the mat for just a few min. everyday while I told them a story and did some songs or finger play. Suzy jumped up and said, "OH! Like the rugs at the library!" When I affirmed, she became very excited - enthusiasm is ours!

We also plan to start learning Italian together, since that's the language my husband already speaks. I also want to do some menu planning, but we may put that off until next week - just depends on how things go.

Day 16: Preparing for Sunday

2009-08-15T23:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight, we were happy to make time to mend Mary's pink linen Sunday dress. It had been washed and dripped dry and was quite wrinkly. So, I demonstrated how to starch and steam iron her linen Sunday dress. Then we snipped a square of an iron-on-patch and slipped it inside the button seam to re-enforce it against future garment stress. Then we pressed the hidden patch in place and I demonstrated how to sew a button on. I am planning a quilt project where she will get to sew a button on, in the middle of each square, where one would tie yarn in doing tie quilts.. That ill give her many opportunities to sew on buttons.

She enjoyed the smooth feel of the starched dress.

While we worked I carefully explained what I was doing and why I did it that way. We discussed tomorrow's Sunday dinner. We will have 17 people here: 12 adults and five children from six months to five years old. We plan a simple Sunday supper of Roast Beef, Potatoes, Salad, and Strawberry Sundaes for dessert.

Day 5: Getting Ready for Sunday

2009-08-15T16:49:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we were in and out all day long, which kept us from carrying on the journey for a day. Today we're getting ready for Sunday. Sunday clothes must be found, cleaned (if they haven't been already), pressed, and shoes laid out. The pantry & the freezer get a glance to decide on what to throw in the crockpot for Sunday dinner. Roast? Mexican Bean Soup? Scriptures and diapers are put into bags.... all three of my girls helped with this process.

And then I looked at my boys. I don't mind a little long hair on little boys, but my boys are looking SHABBY. So Crystal, who cuts her own hair, sat down and started trimming. She's doing such a good job, Savannah and Suzy want her to trim theirs as well. She's already done mine!

Definitely a talent she'll be able to use later on in life.

Day 15: A Princess Diary

2009-08-13T22:51:00.000-07:00

We did not get the mending done today, but Mary and I finished her "Princess Diary" for her to record her Hope Chest Journey in. We need to make her Hope Chest Journey Treasury Binder for her to store any resource material from her hope chest journey.

Day 4: Smart Shopping

2009-08-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

I know it seems we're jumping all around, but it's just the things we have to get done in a timely manner. They present teaching moments so I'm grabbing all that I can.

Today I had the opportunity to take Crystal shopping for clothes. She's going to the Shakespeare Festival next week and when she said, "Mom, I have nothing to wear," she wasn't kidding. Summer growth!

We talked about the budget her father gave us, and where the smart places to purchase clothes would be. We discussed quality vs quantity, how the quality of the fabric would dictate how well it would look in a few washings, and potential shrinkage. Of course while we were out we watched for sales, modesty, and most importantly, what brought out her natural beauty. We had fun, wore ourselves out, and did a lot of giggling.

She came home with four shirts and some accessories. Her dad promised she could go back out next week for more. We found a beautiful dress for half off at Dillard's - we're going to keep an eye for a better sale, and cross our fingers. Another 20% off and it would be in our price range. In fact, we didn't buy anything in that store, but it was fun to look!

We were gone for the bulk of the day, so I didn't get to do much with the other two girls. I hope that doesn't mean I messed up the journey & need to start over.

Day 14: Preparing Clothes for Mending

2009-08-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Before we could mend the linen dress we needed to:

1) Clean the garment. My mother taught me to never mend a dirty garment. The garment is now washed. After it drips dry, we will need to press it so we can bring the fabric together as smoothly and closely together as possible.
2) Match a sturdy patch, as close to the fabric as possible. I was able to find a suitable choice of patches, to select the proper re-enforcement to the button.

Day 3: Oral Hygiene & Handling Gratitude

2009-08-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today I spent the bulk of my time at the Dentist office. It was only supposed to last for two hours, but they found cavities in 3 of the four children who were getting their checkups. Savannah got a warning that she had one tooth that didn't get flossed would probably go South.

Suddenly oral hygiene seemed terribly important.

There was a cancellation that afternoon so the dentist had me bring in the three remaining children (Suzy included) to do fillings. Suzy is committed to using the floss more diligent - she didn't like the way her mouth wouldn't pucker after the injection.

Update: Savannah got all the boys in a line and flossed them right before bedtime prayers, instead of me doing it. It was fun to watch her take an interest in her brothers.

Crystal spent the day watching my twin three yr. old boys at home while this was going on. I told her thank you - it would have been difficult to watch those boys in a dental office for 4-5 hours! She was gracious in her acceptance of the thanks. She got all dressed up and took off for EFY this evening, something we had on the calendar. I reminded her to thank the mother that drove her.

I am hoping tomorrow to get to work on our quilted circle.

Day 13: Life Happens

2009-08-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

We intended to mend the dress today. However, we had unexpected out of town guests. The mother is pregnant and has two toddler boys. The oldest is not three until October and is the size of a five year old and can talk well. People thing he is much older than he really is, and because of that, they expect him to act older. The younger is a mere 18 months. So, the lesson for the day is how to work with toddler boys, instead of sewing. These boys have a lot of energy! Cute little tornadoes:)

Sewing can wait for another day.

Day 2: Presentation

2009-08-11T17:38:00.001-07:00

Today we worked on "decorating cupcakes".

What better contribution to give at a Ward Party than to make easy cupcakes to decorate? We kept it simple - just swirl and sprinkle! Crystal made the cupcakes from scratch using the Hillybilly Housewife recipe for Plain Yellow Cake. Then Savannah made Vanilla Butter Frosting from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Suzy and both the other girls took turns swirling the icing on top, and sprinkling the decorations for the finishing touch.

Normally I would have covered the pan with wrapping paper, but I realized too late I'm out. However, we have found a lovely glass 3 tier pedestal serving plates that will present cupcakes very nice, but could also serve as veggie platters, hors d’oeuvres, etc. We talked about how presentation was just as important as taste - if it doesn't look tasty, no one is interested. Here's a close up of their work today:

Day 12: Planning A Mending Project

2009-08-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

Mary was wearing her Sunday dress and managed to not only pop the bottom button near the hem, but managed to tear the fabric under the button. I looked at it and explained that we will slip a piece of iron on patch between the outer layer of the dress and the facing and press it into place, for added strength. Then sew the button on.

But first! My mom always taught me how to mend and the first rule is to make sure the fabric is clean before you start. So Mary started a load of laundry with her pink linen Sunday dress in it.

Come fall, I will be teaching her sewing at her request. Perhaps I can help her make a few jumpers. A few skirts, and maybe even a dress.

We need to mend this one so she has something to wear.

Day 1: The Beginning

2009-08-10T08:24:00.001-07:00

Hi, my name is Aine and I have 3 princesses taking this hope chest journey with me:

Crystal (15)

Savannah (12)

and Suzy (8) - pictured with me (38).

Last night we snuggled in my bed and started brainstorming things that we'd like to put in their hope chests. Our list wasn't as detailed as Donna and Mary's, but I'll get better at that as time goes on. Here's our list:

Driver's License (Crystal has her permit)
crochet
nutrition
skin care
jewelry making
crafts with dried/pressed flowers
germs
proper handling of food
sketching and other forms of art
learn another language
home decor
Decorating for/Planning parties
Bills/Savings/Budget
smart shopping
menu planning
practice speaking in front of groups
preparing speeches/talks
piece quilting
cross stitch
hair care/special hair styles
sewing
cooking
hygiene
knitting
cake decorating/cupcakes
art & music appreciation
we all want to learn piano
Savannah wants to lean the flute
Crystal wants to pick back up the violin
and I want to relearn my guitar
woodworking (making shelves, tables, etc.)
"glass projects"
Thank you cards
Dating etiquette
How to "prayerfully study" the scriptures
Being kind in speech
Goal setting
Working on all Personal Progress and Faith in God awards.

We probably could have gone on, but we were so giggly my husband kept coming in and telling us we were noisy, so we called it quits and went to bed. I'm excited about how excited THEY are - the older ones were kind of leery of the journey before Donna came to speak here last week. Now they're seeing the benefits and are getting into it. Thanks Donna! :)

Today we are picking out fabric and creating a pattern for a circular quilt I want to use for my little boys to sit on at the beginning of every school day. I'll be posting pictures of it as it comes along - we know we have a short amount of time to work on it before school starts!

Day 11: Elocution

2009-08-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

My husband helped Mary prepare a talk for church. Mary practiced and practiced and practiced. I had training at the family history center, and was not able to be there for her. Yet, she gave her talk as she practiced it with dad and felt confident it went well. Sometimes part of my daughter's hope chest journey is with her dad.

Day 10: Mending

2009-08-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Today, is the church picnic and pool party. Mary chooses to wear surfer shorts (board shorts) over her swimsuit for modesty. The shorts were so comfortable and she wore them so much that she wore holes in them and wanted them mended. So, instead of doing it myself, I decided to teach Mary.

The last hole, we mended together, we had to do so from underneath because we could not find a fabric with a close enough match. This time we went to the fabric store with the shorts, and matched the shorts to ready made patches. We found a match that was so close we decided to put it on the outside of the shorts and even cover the old mend.

We came home and cut the patches to be about 1"+ larger than the holes in the shorts. As I was demonstrating the first patch, Mary with energy said, "I am so excited!" Then we stretched the shorts on the ironing board to make sure the fabric was flat and the tears were close instead of gaping. I demonstrated on the first patch and then Mary was able to press the other patches over the holes. Then we decided to reinforce the edges of the patches because iron on patches tend to not be very permanent. There are several ways we could proceed. She said, "I do not care as long as it is modest and appropriate."
These were our options:
1. Tack the patch from the inside of the fabric with tiny almost invisible stitches. This is fine for nice clothes but not practical and durable for sportswear.
2. Top stitch with a straight stitch 1/8th inch in from the edge of the patch.
3. Get out the sewing machine and stitch and either zig zag or satin stitch the edge of the patch. This looks nice and I have used it for scout merit badges and applique on clothes. I did not want to set up my sewing matching and wanted to teach Mary how to hand mend.
4. We could do a whip stitch around the edge with double thread. This is a strong edge stitch and we chose it.

Mary threaded the needle and I knotted the first one. Then I started the stitches so I could demonstrate how to do a running whip stitch. She asked that I start it like I do quilts. I start by bringing the threaded needle up through the fabric and then the patch from the backside of the fabric. Just before the knot hits the fabric, I stop it with my fingers and start the needle back down through the patch and fabric, and then I bring the needle between the double thread, between the knot and the fabric and then pull it tight. Then I bring the thread up through the fabric and down through the patch about 1/8th inch in from the edge of the patch, then I bring it up through the fabric next to the edge and repeat.

Mary was able to then thread needle, tie knots and whip stitch each patches all by herself!

Make your own patches:
I shared with Mary the process of making handmade patches that can be ironed on. When making clothes, save some scraps for future patches. Either cut a patch of the same fabric or cut a matching (over even contrasting patch) out of fabric. Place the garment to be mended on the ironing board, spread smooth, bring shreading fabric together to clse the gap. Place a single thickness of plastic bag ( the real thin stuff they use to cover clothes at the dry cleaner, or a then vegetable bag from the suppermarket) over the place to be mended. Place patch over plastic. and pin in place. Place a brown paper bag, single thickness over the patch. Iron, being careful not to tough the iron directly to the plastic. The plastic will fuse the patch to the fabric, excess plastic will fuse to the paper bag. When done pressing, gently peel brown paper from the garment. Where the patch is will be fused to the fabric, there should be no plastic residue around the patch. Now you can choose a stitch to reinforce around the edges. When mending I choose a whip stitch when sewing by hand, a zigzag or satin stitch when using a sewing machine.

Scout Badges:
For scout merit badges and patches, I can pin the merit badge to the fabric and press from the fabric side because the badges have a plastic coat on the back. I would still use a brown paper bag between the shirt and the iron to protect the iron. Now whip stich, or do a zig zag stitch using a sewing machine. Be careful to match the edge of the badge with the thread.

To exchange rank advancements:
With a seam ripper gently remove stisches from the back side of the fabric. Then just turn inside out and cover with a paperbag and press with a hot iron to soften the bond and while hot, gently peel off fabric.

Applique:
Just like making my own patch, I cut the various pieces I want in my applique and then I cut the plastic just a little bigger than the patch, then I place the plastic where I want the patch, then put the patch on the plastic and pin secure to the fabric. I place a brown paper bag over the patch and iron. Then I use my sewing machine to add a satin stitch around each piece. I have appliqued designs on sweat shirts and even on hand towels as a gift.

For a no sew applique, fuse the applique to the fabric and then use fabric gel paint to go around the edges, concealing the raw edge with a bead of gel paint, by pulling the the tip of the gel paint smoothly along the edge of the fabric, while gently squeezing the tube.

Day 9: Returning Home

2009-08-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful morning in Burley while Mary played with the daughters of my hostess, Rebecca, and the two moms chatted.

We made a safe, chatty journey home, stopping first at my sister-in-law's to wish my niece happy birthday.

Second, we stopped at my son's home so Mary could give here whale and dolphin to her nephews, the oldest turned five on Tuesday. Then we stopped at my daughter, Julia's, so we could share the trip with her. When we returned home the boys carried everything in. Then Mary and I began the after trip protocol to get the things we brought home, put away. Yes, putting things away immediately after a trip is part of her hope chest journey.

Day 8: Eloquence

2009-08-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

Today, Mary and I enjoyed a leisurely morning at Aine's chatting and sharing ideas. Then we drove from Idaho Falls to Burley for this evening's presentation. Mary has enjoyed this trip, meeting other girls, and making new friends.

Tonight, Mary joined my presentation again and shared about what a hope chest means to her. As she shares this message that means so much to her, she is growing more comfortable in speaking front of groups. I am glad I brought her with me.

Day 7: Healthier Travel and Eloquence

2009-08-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

Mary and I arose this morning, packed, and prepared cut veggies and snacks for our trip. We cut celery, cucumbers, carrots, washed apples, Tillamook cheese and prepared salad greens. Instead of getting junk food and beef jerky for the trip, Mary had asked me to get some veggies, fruit, cheese, and chicken. So, I went to Sunflower market and bought organic chicken breast. We cooked them up in pomegranate Italian dressing, then placed them in a lidded enamelware container. Mary brought up some ice and we put some in the bottom of the cooler, then placed the hot container of chicken on top the ice and added some over the top. I placed a plastic place on top of the ice, so I could place the veggies in the cool but not on the ice where they might be frozen. We packed our bags and headed north on our adventure.

Mary brought some DVDs to watch, but never watched one, we too busy enjoying each other's company. She read to me, a little from "The Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankwiler. " Mostly, we talked and made plans as I drove. We sang. We played the alphabet game. We drove to Iona, Idaho, just outside of Idaho Falls.

I told Mary that I was going to let her share her excitement about the Hope Chest Journey with the women I would be presenting to. She was very nervous, but said she would do it. Mary remembered her lessons from her elocution class and was calm. About midway through the presentation Mary moved to my side and put her arm around me from the side. I let her share what the Hope Chest Journey was to her. Then she was off to play with Aine's youngest daughter.

Day 6: Learning Internet Safety

2009-08-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Mary went to church women' enrichment night with me and learned about the Trojan Horse . Then she learned of computer Trojans and spiritual Trojans like internet pornography and how we can avoid it. She learned about hackers and bot.

Today the sprouts began to fill the jar. Tomorrow we eat them! the sprouts are taking longer because we forget to rinse them. Goofy us. We will get the hang of it someday. Maybe! LOL!!

Day 5: Healing the Sick

2009-08-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Today, Mary and I have taken care of my two boys, 14 and 18. They got a stomach virus and have been very ill. Mary made them Gatorade popsicles for her brothers. Mary had reinforced in her mind the value of colloidal silver and probiotic protocols.

We forgot to rinse the seeds all day. When we went to rinse them they had grown a lot. We may get in a second rinse before bed. Maybe, we will be able to have them on a salad tomorrow.

Day 4: Berry Biscuit Bliss

2009-08-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

Today we had Jennifer, Alan, baby Elizabeth, Julia, Rory, and our friend Panna join us for a Sabbath repast, to end our fast and rejoice in the Lord's blessings in our lives. It was a simple supper of tossed salad, rice, and teriyaki grilled chicken breast.

Berry Biscuit Bliss
Click on words for recipe and on picture to enlarge.

After supper, Rory and Mary helped with the dishes and then Mary wiped down the counters in preparation to make dessert. Mary and I made my Berry Biscuit Bliss Dessert: heart shaped biscuits from scratch, topped with sugared berries (blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries) served with vanilla ice cream.

Day 3: Very Berry Banana Smoothie

2009-08-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today Mary and I made smoothies of 1 cup Raspberries, 1 cup Blackberries, 1 cup Strawberries, 1 Bananas, and 1 cup Vanilla Ice Cream. Yummy!!!

The sprouts are coming along. We need to get regular at rinsing if we hope to have something to eat. It will take a while to overcome our city ways!

Day 2: Sprouting Seeds with Mary

2009-07-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

Today, Mary learned the next step to sprouting. After soaking 1 tablespoon of Alpha-Plus seeds, in two cups of warm water over night we began the process of rinsing the seeds three times a day and draining them well. The Alfa-Plus includes alfalfa, clover, cabbage, and radish, perfect for salads and sandwiches. Wow! The seeds really grew from last night and are nice and plump.

Putting Food By with Jenny

2009-07-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

My married daughter, Jennifer, came over the other night with several bags of apricots she had picked from her in-laws' trees. Jennifer wanted to make apricot freezer jam, apricot leather and pineapple juice soaked dried apricot halves. She had done it before with me, but this time she was excited to do it for her new family. It was not long before Mary and James joined us in the kitchen and we had three batches of jam started at 5 minute intervals and they needed stirring every five minutes.

Julia, lives in West Jordan and we talked to her about what we were doing. She let us know she wants to make leather too.

Day 1 : Starting Seeds With Mary

2009-07-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

Sewing: Mary and I attended an Activity Days dinner tonight and the craft was decorating beautiful satin scripture bags. Mary threaded the needle and learned to sew on a button.

Kitchen Gardening: After we went home, Mary want us to get a bottle out and I teach her how to start sprouting seeds for salad. I used the book "Making the Best of the Basics" by James Talmage Stevens. She was so excited!

Creating Vision

2009-07-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

Though we started our hope chest journey together a long time ago, Mary and I made it official for this site, today.

Today, I asked Mary what she was interested in learning on our hope chest journey. She brained stormed two pages worth. I typed as fast as I could. She said, "mom, I am soooooooooooooooo excited!!!!" She was almost giddy.

This was her starter list that she came up with:
Kitchen
Sprouting
Using Sprouts
Making Tortillas
Making Noodles
Making Pasta
Making Biscuits
Making Whole Wheat Bread
Making Cinnamon pull-apart Bread
Making Cinnamon rolls
Make-a-mixes
Make Pie Crust
Make Cake from Scratch
Make Cookies
Canning
Making Jerky

Sewing
Make a Hacky Sack/Bean Bags
Baby Clothes
Pillow Cases
Pillows
Stuffed Animal/Ball
Quilts and Blankets
Pjs
Oven Mitts
Rain Gear
Bonnets and Hats
Scripture Bag/Purse
Aprons
Cloth Napkins
Skirts
Jumper
Blouse/T-shirt
Pants

Home Management Skills (yes, she actually came up with these and does many of these things with me, she wants to learn the fine art and be able to do it all by herself)

Laundry
Ironing
Mending, Patching, and Enlarging
Gardening: Herbs, Fruits, Veggies, Nuts
Clean a Fridge
Vacuuming
Steam clean the tile floors
Dusting
Cleaning Blinds
De-Cobwebbing
Washing Windows and Screens
Cleaning Mirrors
Making Beds
Cleaning My Room
Cleaning Toilets
Time Management
Menu Planning

Handwork
Applique and Embellishments
Cross Stitch
Crochet Baby Blankets
Hat Making
Hand Quilting
Knitting Socks
French Seams
How to Make Games
Jewelry Making
Hair Bows and Hair Bands
Restore Furniture
Working in Wood

Music
Read Music
Sing
Play the Piano & Tuning the Piano
Play Psaltery & Tuning Psaltery
Play the Guitar & Tuning Guitar
Play the Violin & Tune it

Art
Learn to Do High Speed Engraving
Learn to Use the Cricut
Learn Hand Embossing
Learn Paper Making
Learn to Make Fabric Frames
Learn to Make Greeting Cards
Learn to Make Gift Wrap
Learn to Draw
Learn to Paint

Etiquette
Table Setting
Table Manners
Walking with Good Posture
Going Up and Down Stairs Like a Lady
Sitting Like a Lady
Learn Phone Answering Etiquette
Learn to Write Thank You Notes

Health and Hygiene
Daily Exercise
Nutrition
Hair Care
Skin Care Bathing
Natural Cosmetics and Skin Care
Nail Care
Oral Care
Massage

Academics
Penmanship
Math
Reading Faster
Geography
History
Science
Experiments
Scientific Method
Nature Studies and Nature Notebook
Biology & Anatomy
Technology - Computer Skills

She is not yet eleven, I think we can learn these things and more during the time she has left in childhood. I would have to say that she is in Love of Learning phase. I am so glad she loves learning. This attitude will serve her well in life.