More Illustrated Page

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Awhile back I shared a link about illustrated journals. I was thinking of these again last night. When I get too busy I start dreaming of creating things. : )  I started here. Then stumbled upon the 1000 Journals project. The person who hatched the idea sent 1000 blank bks out into the world. Similar to circle journals the recipients complete a page or two and send it on its way. In the 1000 Journals project however they pass the journal to anyone – friend, stranger, you name it. There are no rules attached. The journalists can doodle or write from the heart or chronicle a day.

I was thinking about how much fun it would be to send a blank book out among friends and see how it returns to me.  I am fascinated by the things people put down on paper, the slant of their signature, the bits and pieces of other people’s lives. Hmmmm, I feel a project being born…..

Old Time Radio

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Laurel_and_hardy I ran across this old time radio link online the other day. Found out there are more where this came from too.(below)  We listened to a show or two and had such fun. I tend to live a black and white, vintage-y kind of life anyway.  Ok, except for the computer part lol! Growing up as a latchkey kid I watched way more television than any human being ought to.  My favorite shows were always the old reruns and the classic channel, which btw was also the only channel besides the three networks and PBS.  I know, it’s hard to believe,my 20-something friends who cut your teeth on cable. ; D   But truly we had just that. On a black and white portable set to boot.  Thanks to this beginning I was well versed in Charlie Chan, Japanese monster movies, the original Mickey Mouse Club, Ma and Pa Kettle, and Blondie (the comics spin off movies not the rocker).  These online stations really take me back.

Should you have a hankering for old time entertainment check the links out! 

radiolovers

rusc

yesterdayusa

Say Cheese!

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A few people have asked about our black and white photos. Well, Creating Keepsakes typed up all the explanation for me looks like. This article at their site gives you the info you need to begin playing around with in-home portraits. Twopeas has another tutorial. And more portrait tips. Point and shoot tips explain why you don’t need an expensive camera.

The best advice remains the same:

Light.  Turn off the automatic flash. A caveat there would be if you have a deflector. They bounce the flash away from the subject and don’t leave those cheesey shadows. Otherwise, turn it off. ; )  Find strong natural light. Remember the quality of the light differs based on the time of day and the weather. For black and white portraits I prefer an overcast day and a bright window. Late afternoon sun will give a golden glow to the subject whereas earlier in the day it will be whiter. Light coming from the side is best.

Steady yourself. Most bad shots are the result of poor light and too much ‘shake’. Modern cameras often compensate for shake but it still pays to get as still as possible. A tripod is worth its weight in gold if you are trying to get a professional looking shot. It keeps the camera very still thus minimizing blur. Keeping the children still is another story….

Orig Frame your shot. Closer is better. (You can see the difference in the two pics at left.) Use that zoom but if you have both digital and optical zoom on your camera stick to the optical. The digital zoom feature doesn’t bring the subject closer it just magnifies the image digitally. Remember you don’t need to see the whole outline of your subject. Parts of the head are often nicer than a mug shot.

On that note, try different angles – standing on a chair and pointing down or getting down to eye level with the baby on the floor. Turn your subject so they are facing your shoulder rather than your face.

Play around with the settings. Try the same shot in automatic, closeup, portrait, and so on making notes as you go. Then review Closer_yet the images and see which you like best. This really helps you get to know your camera.

Finally, if you have a digital camera, play around with your photo-editing software. I am techno-challenged but I figured out a few critical functions from even the most basic programs. Cropping your pics can save a poorly positioned shot. The ‘saturate’ function makes your pics either black and white or super richly colored depending upon which way you move the cursor. And, bless him, Asher taught me how to use the lasso tool to outline the subject and then black (or white) out the background(below). This gives the same effect as a studio background. Think DK books. : )

A

Thinking Outside the (bread) Box

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Cheryl is hosting the Loveliness of Baking fair this week which was good motivation for me to gather my thoughts on low gluten and gluten free flours. When I got sick in my mid-20’s I went on an elimination diet.  At the time I was reacting to just about everything, but particularly glutinous flours. Wheat and oats made me break out in a rash. Corn triggered migraines. My diet was pretty sparse while my health was rebuilding but it introduced to us grains that we may never have tried. These have remained staples in our diet even though I am able to enjoy a wide variety of foods again.

Americans in particular tend to have a pretty limited grain repertoire. We stick to wheat bread and crackers, corn chips and tortillas, and oatmeal. If you haven’t branched out too far from those three I have jotted down some things you might find helpful to know.

Gluten is the protein in grains that causes them to stick together and form long fibers in the dough. This is critical for yeast breads and helps to hold up the loaves as they rise and bake. It is also imperative when making things like tortillas. (These two items were very difficult to simulate. The Gluten Free Gourmet series of cookbooks are a help here. ) Those proteins also cause problems in the gut for a lot of people. Gluten has been linked to MS and Rheumatoid Arthritis and autism as well as celiac disease. Aside from that overloading on a particular grain can cause sensitivities. Lots of reasons to try some others.

I use my electric grain mill to grind whole grains into flours. Since low and no-gluten flours have varying qualities and textures here is a primer of sorts to help you get started:

brown rice – it has a gritty texture when ground into flour so it is best mixed with a smoother substance

millet – this is GOOD! It has a similar taste to corn meal but a much finer texture. Makes very light cake like baked goods. My kids prefer my mock cornbread to the real deal now.

buckwheat – not really a wheat at all. Strong flavor.  Good for pancakes or mixed in with other grains. A gummy texture so it works with rice flour. The white buckwheat is particularly nice.

barley – I use this for my all purpose flour in cookies, pancakes, muffins etc. Its light but has enough gluten to hold together by itself.

oats – heavy and clumpy. I add them in small amts to pancake batter or muffins. Obviously cookies <g>

Spelt – a cousin to wheat and lots more gluten than the rest.

amaranth – teensy grains with a bit of a strong flavor. Good mixed in small amts. Lots of protein.

tapioca, arrowroot, and potato starch – all kinda gummy and good to use as binders for rice or millet bases.  Arrowroot is the best of the list for making gravies.

Fwiw, I substitute barley one for one for wheat flour in recipes. Use the gluten free mix linked below if you want to use rice flour instead. Some links:

Blueberry Muffin recipe

Gluten free mix and recipes

wheat free recipes

Keeping the Bridge

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I apologize for some erratic blogging and more erratic email replies. We have faced a series of daunting challenges in the past several weeks and at times it has consumed all our time and energy. Still, there has been an undercurrent of peace throughout for me. Fatigue, discouragement, and concern -yes- but also peace.

I always said homeschooling was every bit as much an education for me as for my children. I was reminded of this today. Allen and I were discussing some difficult decisions that had to be made and pulling together our case for the public comment hearing for the utility project. Sometimes when you survey all the crummy things coming at you it is easy to get demoralized. As we were talking, however, I was thinking of a poem I read to the older boys many years ago, Horatius at the Bridge by Thomas Babington Macauley. 

In this story Rome was under attack by the Etruscans who had to cross a narrow footbridge to reach the city. Their number and the speed with which they approached the bridge overwhelmed the resolve of the Roman soldiers. They decided to cut the bridge but would not be able to do so before the arrival of their foes. Horatius rose to the occasion, realizing he did not have to battle the entire Etruscan army, he had only to face them one at a time. That he could do. He called for comrades in arms: 

I, with two more to help me,
    Will hold the foe in play.
In yon strait path a thousand
    May well be stopped by three.
Now who will stand on either hand,
    And keep the bridge with me?’

Two more joined him, proving that a threefold cord is not easily broken, and they held off the onslaught until the bridge was severed.Horatius was the last man standing on the bridge as the bridge collapsed. He then plunged into the Tiber, amid the jeers of the enemy, and appeared to have succumbed:

And heavy with his armour,
    And spent with changing blows:
And oft they thought him sinking,
    But still again he rose.

But his limbs were borne up bravely
    By the brave heart within,
And our good father Tiber
    Bare bravely up his chin.

Somehow rereading this poem buoyed me up as well. We do not have to slay all these dragons at once. We just have to be faithful at the gate, facing one of them at a time. Our ‘Good Father’ will bear us up as well.

Another poem from my own childhood comes to mind. My aunt had a framed copy of Max Ehrmann’s Desiderata on the wall all the years we shared a room while I was growing up. I know the words well:

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952

No doubt the universe, at least my little universe, IS unfolding as God wills it to be. As to the upset, this too shall pass. Meantime, I am exceedingly grateful for the steadfast support of dear friends who help me "nurture that strength of spirit" to get through crumminess with more grace than I could ever muster on my own. Thank you for keeping the bridge with me over so many years. You know who you are. : )

*if you want to explore Horatius futher you might check out Memoria Press’ study guide. A shorter free study is available here. An accompanying art lesson is here.

The Fast before the Feast

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Pasta_beans Today is Ash Wednesday marking the first day of lent for Catholics.  I have done a bit of surfing for inspiration while making my menus and found some good vegetarian menu links:

One month veg menu

One week menu – Hyvee

OAMC veg plan  (more soy than I would be comfortable with)

Flickr lunch ideas and more FLickr

The Veggie Table a collection of easy recipes and I am all about ‘easy’

more easy recipes

The Cat in the Hat

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Cat_hat the cowboy hat that is. Found one of our barn cats snoozing under the dining room table in a cast off hat that belongs to the little boys. This is one of the orphan kittens we bottle fed last year btw. All three are still around. We have two and a friend has another. They are enormous.

The Well-Ordered Home

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"There is nothing like a well-ordered home to put one in tune with the world. The aspect of such a place where day to day thoughtful care adds to its attraction, its comfort, and individuality, becomes to the lover of home as dear as a loved familiar face and imparts the same sense of rest and peace."   -Marion Harland, The Housekeeper’s Week 1908

Hall I am sure my house is not as well-ordered as I would like it to be but I did find that ‘sense of peace’ Saturday. We moved the decrepit old piano out along with some file cabinets on their last legs as part of the ongoing purging and reorganization project. Every bit of less-than-lovely that moves out the door brings me a sigh of relief. While Allen and the children worked outside I tackled the hardwood floors downstairs. At the end of the afternoon I turned the corner into the hallway and this sight caught my eye.  Yes, rest and peace. : )

Attitudes

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Coming on the heels of St Valentine’s day last week our reading yesterday came from 1Corinthians. It reminded me of a wonderful essay written by Carole Thaxton of Konos:

I Corinthians 13 for Home Schooling Moms and Dads

By Carole Thaxton, co-author of KONOS Character Curriculum

Though I teach with the very best skills,
But do not have love,
I am just drawing attention to myself.
And if I have experience, and knowledge of all the best techniques, And test results proving my effectiveness, But do not have love, I am wasting my time. And if I work hard, sacrificing all my money, my time, and my energy But do not have love, It adds up to nothing.

The loving teacher is patient with her children, allowing them to learn according to their God-given temperaments and developmental rates. She is kind, treating her children respectfully. She does not compare herself with others. She does not brag about her accomplishments, and is not smug about teaching her own children. She does not try to be like anyone else, but acts appropriate to the way God made her. She is not irritable and pushy and insistent upon making her children fit into her lesson plans. She is more concerned with promoting truth and beauty than with criticizing those who do not. She perseveres in developing her own character, believing that God’s ways are always best. She is not a quitter.

Love never fails.
If there are creative ideas, they will be replaced.
If there are great curricula, they will be superseded.
If there are effective techniques, they will be improved.
All that we know now is only a part.
Only later will God reveal education at its best.
When I was a child, I had unrealistic expectations.
As an adult, I know better.

Now abideth faith, hope, and love, these three;
But the greatest of these is love.

Copyright – KONOS, Inc. 1989, 1999