Kathryn and I spent a lovely lunchtime recently discussing our dream of having a little farm, with goats and chickens, a big vegetable garden, and an orchard full of fruit trees! We'd dry our laundry out on a clothesline. We'd harvest our veggies and can them for the off-season. Kathryn requested to be in charge of feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs, and I'd milk the goats. This dream may never become a reality, and our residential zoning laws prohibit us owning any livestock where we currently live, but we certainly can expand our veggie garden and learn many of those old-fashioned (but never out of date) home-making/homesteading skills. Any of these things that we learn to do will be time spent well, and may even save us some money, which is definitely a good thing.
One areas where I have good intentions, but sometimes lack follow-through, is in doing handiwork. I don't want to make macaroni necklaces; I want Kathryn to learn real skills! In keeping with that, we're going to start doing handiwork more often.
I've had this little project for months, and only just got around to doing it. It's a pattern to make a little stuffed bunny. I helped Kathryn a little, but mostly just helped her figure out what to do next and showed her how to pin the pattern paper on the fabric before cutting it, and so on. She did almost everything herself, including every bit of stitching.
While she sewed, we talked more about our homesteading dreams. She said if she learns to sew well, we can make quilts, and horse blankets. She was impressed when I reminded her that I have made a few quilts (but no horse blankets). A little later she asked. "When [if!] we live on the farm, will you let me wear farm dresses every day?" I think she is picturing Laura Ingalls. I said that would be just fine -- if she learns to make them.
I've been experimenting with some settings on my camera, so I was clicking away while we talked. When she was talking about how the silly goats might not cooperate when it was time to go to the barn, she made a funny face, and I caught it. {hee hee}
I had goats and horses when I was in high school (sounds like some photos I need to dig up), and when I was a child, we had a few chickens. Kathryn asks over and over again for me to tell her every story I can remember about these farm critters, and she thinks it's really cool that I know (or knew, anyway) how to drive a tractor. I wasn't really a true farm girl, though, and didn't learn all I would want to know if I had the opportunity to live on a farm now.
Kathryn's little project turned out very cute. I love this picture of her talking to the bunny, and you can see its little pom-pom tail.
She gave this one to Granma as an early Easter present, but she's planning to make more. She added some lavender from our flower garden into the stuffing for the bunny to make it smell lovely! Granma loved it.
One areas where I have good intentions, but sometimes lack follow-through, is in doing handiwork. I don't want to make macaroni necklaces; I want Kathryn to learn real skills! In keeping with that, we're going to start doing handiwork more often.
I've had this little project for months, and only just got around to doing it. It's a pattern to make a little stuffed bunny. I helped Kathryn a little, but mostly just helped her figure out what to do next and showed her how to pin the pattern paper on the fabric before cutting it, and so on. She did almost everything herself, including every bit of stitching.
While she sewed, we talked more about our homesteading dreams. She said if she learns to sew well, we can make quilts, and horse blankets. She was impressed when I reminded her that I have made a few quilts (but no horse blankets). A little later she asked. "When [if!] we live on the farm, will you let me wear farm dresses every day?" I think she is picturing Laura Ingalls. I said that would be just fine -- if she learns to make them.I've been experimenting with some settings on my camera, so I was clicking away while we talked. When she was talking about how the silly goats might not cooperate when it was time to go to the barn, she made a funny face, and I caught it. {hee hee}
I had goats and horses when I was in high school (sounds like some photos I need to dig up), and when I was a child, we had a few chickens. Kathryn asks over and over again for me to tell her every story I can remember about these farm critters, and she thinks it's really cool that I know (or knew, anyway) how to drive a tractor. I wasn't really a true farm girl, though, and didn't learn all I would want to know if I had the opportunity to live on a farm now.Kathryn's little project turned out very cute. I love this picture of her talking to the bunny, and you can see its little pom-pom tail.
She gave this one to Granma as an early Easter present, but she's planning to make more. She added some lavender from our flower garden into the stuffing for the bunny to make it smell lovely! Granma loved it.
