A Peek at How I Teach

   Many a Sunday morning I can be seen toting this and that from car to class in preparation for a wonderful learning journey. The beguiled glances lead to curious questions ... What on earth do you do? I teach. When I teach my desire is to engage the entire being of the child..I want them to experience the lesson with every fiber of their being. My husband use to say I would stand on my head if it meant they would remember it..and he is absolutely right! Let's walk through a sample Sunday lesson.

Join me in the classroom for a peek at how I teach.

A Crux of Creative Chaos

   Doc presses his nose against the kitchen window wishing I would pass him an apple as a woodpecker hammers a tree in the distance. Yogurt is culturing on the stove and the sewing machine is moving at a steady hum. All the while my mind churns and turns with creative chaos.
   Have you ever been there? Where your brain seems stricken with idea after idea..images flash like a slide show..and where is my notebook when I need it? Even in my sleep my mind dreams of little motifs and a perfect layout for those new blocks I tried. Members of my family laugh when they catch me in a quizzical daze...need a pencil?

   The bad thing is, organizing the chaos. Ideas flow and grow....a pencil hurries to scratch out the details..but what happens next? A page is turned and another day passes. In reality these ideas will most likely never leave the page..living only here on paper as sketches and notes. Creative chaos is quite difficult to get together.
    So, what's running rapid laps around my mind? Seeds, soil, pinwheels, and prairie dolls...soaps and scents with labels and raffia. Herbal designs with shadow quilted 'recipes' and a race car fabric 'trip around the world' quilt top edge to edge with loop-dy loops backed with checkered flags---John Deer fabric whole cloth quilted with the image of my favorite wind mill..cross hatch and tractors in the corners..or sheaves of wheat. A seating area under the pines where I can sketch or write during the early mornings..maybe expanding the green house to accommodate plant orders. See what I mean..aagh.
    My pencil rests there on the crowded paper; a deep breath comes as my eyes close. Time for a trip to the barn. There coffee is sipped as goats nuzzle and hens scratch near my feet. A turkey flaps his mighty wings and ambles over to see me. For a moment my mind is calm..relaxed even, here in this comforting place. Until...a barn with hens at the corner of a milk can...a quilt with.goats peeking through the door while a donkey munches nearby..corn in rows beneath sunlight...where is my pencil when I need it, 'cuz here we go again! 

Frame or Hoop?

   Hand quilting often brings to mind images of grandmotherly women perched around an old wood frame, needle in hand, stitching and chatting. Well, let me say, that is a rare sight. Most of us quilt alone in our homes one project at a time. As quilting habits have changed over the years, so have quilting frames.

Join me in the sewing room to read more about my journey along the frame.

Sunday

   This week the preschoolers and I stand in awe at God's glorious creation. Our eyes will see, our ears will hear and our hands will touch leaves, herbs, soil and water. Can we sit with child-like wonder at the feet of our Creator just breathing in the glorious revelation?

Genesis 1: 1-19

King James Version (KJV)

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

² And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
³ And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
⁴ And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
⁵ And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
⁶ And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
⁷ And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
⁸ And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
⁹ And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
¹⁰ And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
¹¹ And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
¹² And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
¹³ And the evening and the morning were the third day.
¹⁴ And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
¹⁵ And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
¹⁶ And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
¹⁷ And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
¹⁸ And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
¹⁹ And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Weekend Gardening: Lettuce

   As January makes it's presence known, many southern gardeners know that the garden season has crept up on us. Already seedlings need to be purchased and planted before our soil temps get too warm. The problem for me has always been timing and type. Lettuce planted too late yields a peppery, often bitter taste, while planting the wrong type of lettuce can bring frustrated results. It has taken me many a cried over garden row to come to a place where lettuce works for me.
   First key to lettuce in my garden is timing. This tender green prefers cool soil ranging from 60 to 65 degrees. Well, hello..that temp doesn't hang around here often. While needing cooler soil is an issue, we can work the system a bit with well composted soil and using drip irrigation and row covers. These won't give me lettuce in the heat of summer, but they will extend my lettuce season a bit longer than not using them.
   The second key in the lettuce leaf is type. Iceberg and romaine heads may grow bountifully in the northern climates, but let me share from experience..they fail miserably here. Many a seed company (and local chain store) waits to prey on the gardener unaware; believe me I have been one. Instead, it is important to find reliable sources tuned into the southern climate we live in and be aware of the lettuce varieties well adapted to our soil and heat.

     The bare facts:
     Direct seed in well drained soil between January 1 and March 1. (Temps ranging from 40 to 70)
     Small plot succession planting recommended.
     Common Southern Varieties:
     Black Seeded Simpson- leaf
     Royal oakleaf, red or green- leaf
     Deer tongue- hearty leaf
     Buttercrunch- soft head
     Mesclun- leaf mix
     To curb bitter tendencies place fresh cut lettuce in fridge 2-3 days before eating.

 My personal seed resource favorites are Producer's Co-op, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, and Territorial Seed.
***please note I am no longer using Territorial Seed as a source due to their affiliation with GMO seed.

 If you intend to save seed, be sure to plant open pollinated/heirloom varieties allowing the strong plants to develop their flower head. Once ripe seed pots are present, gather them in paper bags crushing gently to release the seed. Store seeds in a cool dry place for up to a year. Often lettuces will direct reseed themselves
right in the garden.

 Now, let's get growing!