The most important reason I teach.

On Thursday, one of my  third students needed to present a biography of a famous person.  Her gen. ed teacher came to tell me the student hadn't read a biography.  I did a quick search on Betsy Ross.  I found enough information at  Destiny's reading level for her to learn facts about her character.  From  her reading she had to come up with 12 questions for the class to ask her about her famous person.

We were able to find a dress in a fourth grade classroom which students wear when they have their " Little House In the Big Woods" unit.   Wednesday night I sewed a flag for her to use as her prop and found a basket to call her sewing basket.



  The answers to the questions she couldn't remember we wrote on sticky notes and put them in the bottom of the basket.

 These are some of the facts Destiny found:
*Betsy Ross was the 8th of 17 brothers and sisters.
 *She lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
*George Washington asked her to sew a flag in June, 1776.
*Gen. Washington asked her to make a square flag.
*Betsy made the flag a rectangle because she thought it would fly better.
*The thirteen stripes and thirteen stars represent the thirteen original colonies.
*Her flag first flew with the reading of the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall on July 8, 1776.

She was pleased and did a great job!

Thank you.

                    Land of the Free, Because of the Brave 

 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.  John 15:13

Yesterday morning on our way to church there were two pair of Canadian Geese swimming on the pond across the road.  Usually there are 4-6 goslings.  Each pair only had one goslings.  

One afternoon after school Kasey and Cole came home with me.  DS#1 and DH were in the field.  DS asked if I would feed the calves in the barn across the road.  The grandkids love helping Papa or Dad feed the calves.  They were sure that grandma didn't know what to do.  They insisted on showing me how to shovel feed into the buckets, dump feed in front of calves, open hay bales, and how to feed the hay to the calves. 



 




Nine days of school with students.   They will be very busy days with piles of paperwork to finish.
It is unreal how things have changed during my teaching career.  The number of hours spent on paperwork takes away from the time that we could be spending prepping for special things to do with the students.  


I am making my mental list of all the things I hope to accomplish this summer.  Many things on my UFO piles to finish.  Hopefully, before long I will be able to post pictures of finished quilt projects!!

Working With Daddy and Papa

Warning.....Grandma posting a picture!!!

Cole (5)  and Colby (2) love farming with Daddy and Papa!  DS#2 and DH added "Buddy Seats" to a couple of the tractors.  They are a specially designed seat for a child complete with a seatbelt. I think we should try to remember to take a picture every year of the two of them standing in front of this tractor!

DH and DS#2 have finished planting corn and are onto planting soybeans.  This is the bean planter. The tractor is four wheel drive with duals on the front and the back. The yellow "bubble" on the top is for the computerized auto steer and GPS control of the tractor.  

These boys are just like their dad.  He would ride in the tractors with DH or myself for hours. Of course, even at 4 or 5 he was able to tell me if I had done something wrong!

One of my para-educators in my classroom  was recently shocked to learn I used to drive the tractors.  I explained that it was just DH and myself.  I spent many hours in the spring, summer and fall driving the tractor before I returned to teaching full time.  One summer when I was pregnant the only place we had AC was in the tractor.  I spent hours raking and baling hay just to be in the AC.  I teased DH that he would have to lift me into the tractor with the loader when I wasn't able to climb into the cab.

My grandfather and father -in -law would not believe the technology used for farming.  Much different from farming with horses when they farmed or a two cylinder John Deere B.

This is my father-in-law in 1949. Times have changed in some ways.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day Friends. 

I hope you have had a special day!

Every year DH brings home three  beautiful red roses for me for Mother's Day.  Each rose represents one of our sons.

 I am so thankful for having had the opportunity to be a mom three times.  This Mother's Day has been a difficult day.   Today I am missing my oldest son who has been a four year old in heaven for thirty three years.  You never know when a difficult day may happen.

 I was able to give a hug to DS2 before he and DH left for field work at 6:30 this morning. DS 3 stopped after church with Granddaughter #3 so I had my hug from him also.

Take the time to give your children an extra hug or phone call today.

Thank you.

Right now I am baking DH his favorite Oatmeal Raisin cookies because I know it is a difficult day for him also.  They should be ready when he returns from the field.  I will even leave some cookie dough in the mixer bowl for him.

Another try! "What did I get myself into?"

In February I attended a small quilt show in Rice Lake with three friends.  A fourth friends exhibits a beautiful quilt every year.  This year was no exception.  It was a wool appliqued quilt from a Primitive Gatherings Pattern.

During lunch at Applebees (after all it was a Girl's Day Out.)  We talked about how amazing her applique looked on the quilt.  Of course she said it was easy to do and offered to teach us.
Our teaching day was last Saturday.  Another Girl's Day Out.

Two of the gals decided they would like to do the geranium. It looked quite daunting to me.  I wasn't sure if I was up to this challenge.  But, I WAS NOT going to miss a day out with these friends.

I made a run to Rice Lake to the Red House Wool  Studio with my list in hand.  It is an amazing shop in Cathy G.'s house where she has wool for rug hooking and applique. She is an awesome artist who helped me select fabrics.

Saturday morning we left for Sheila's with our wool, scissors, fusible, chenille needles, and thread. After instructions and lots of help we were stitching. 

An awesome sewing room with plenty of room and light. 

This friend has appliqued before..she made lots of progress and knew what she was doing.

What do quilters do when they have the opportunity to see a completely hand sewn and hand quilted appliqued quilt that  had been entered at the Paducah Quilt Show?

You get down on your knees and admire it! 

It is amazing! 

Sheila has amazing beautiful quilts hanging throughout her home. 

It was an awesome day.  We learned to appliqued, talked, and laughed until we cried!  We promised to do it again!