Essential Oil Uses : Fluid in Ears

The last few days, several around the place have been having "junk" in there. Throats. Ears. Chest. Sinuses. Whatever it is, we've got junk in it. I try, whenever possible, to work out treatment of minor issues at home. We have great medical coverage in the event we need it. When my 7 yr old said her ear felt "heavy" and like it had water in it, I assumed it was just some fluid since she hadn't had any pain at all. She did have a low grade fever, but she is prone to them and it isn't alarming with this child. I used a few drops of an essential oil blend along with a few drops of olive oil lightly massaged behind the ear. Three times yesterday I did this , along with pushing water and lots of rest. This morning, she beat me up and was ready to go out to play. No fever. She says there is a little fluid in there but not much. She's at about 95% today. And that makes this mama's heart
happy.

Friendly Winter Harvest : Scallions / Green Onions

                                      

We have a fabulous neighbor who does far-and-away more gardening and farming adventures that we do.  And the season comes when these little gifts begin showing up on my porch.  I love them!  I love the smiles they come with, too!

Today it is scallions, I guess.  We call them "little green onions" but I suppose they have a technical name. Love these!  And, they regrow themselves, I'm told.  My husband eats them as a side with any beans I might serve.  I chop them  and sautee' in just about anything. 

As you enter our home today, the aroma is all about the entryway. And I can't stand smelling like onions just because I cook with them.  But today, it's okay.  It is near 80 degrees and it's February!  It's giving us the tease that spring is here and I'm feeling like getting in the garden  and that makes it OK to smell onions as my "home fragrance" today!!

Pre Cooking Without Cooking : Homemade Convenience Mixes

 

I've done freezer cooking.  Still do, when it suits.  Done OAMC.  Still do, when it works out.  This is one variation of pre-cooking that we use. 

My daughter made up these brownie mixes that are just as good (or better) than the store-bought cookie/brownie mixes.  She used the recipes found here and combined dry ingredients in glass jars.  The pint jar contains ingredients and instructions for the small batch (9X9 or so) and the  quart jar is a double batch. 

Instructions on the lids are just on little Post-it type sticky notes, with amounts of wet ingredients, temperature and time.  We all know how to mix it up, right??!

SO easy to just dump in a bowl, add eggs/oil and stick in the oven for afternoon snack or even a quick dessert, since I usually forget to consider that. ;)

Copywork on Sick Days

This is just how it goes some days. My youngest recently came down with a tummy bug. She wanted badly to be up bouncing around with the rest of us. By the third day, she even wanted to do school with the rest of us. Since stomach issues are grounds for quarantine, this is what she got - simple, portable and not intensive. She stayed in bed and still got to participate in school stuff.

Five in a Row and Additional Subjects

Many moms who consider using FIAR for their students have one concern right out if the chute: Is it enough? The quick answer is No. However, it quickly becomes enough when you further evaluate how it can be used to deepen studies and spread across the subjects. For example, copy work can be related to any subject you choose. Further study on the geographic region , time period, etc., can offer enrichment. An artist from the time period could offer in depth art studies. Adding a biography of any person related to the scientific, historical or artistic areas related to the title is always a good idea to bring depth for older students. Also, a poet of the time period, a poem on one of your topics or created by the student can add language arts value. Words that the student encounters in any area of study can be used for vocabulary and/or spelling study keep this area practical and not
an added drudgery. Systematically, math is not taught. It is added in applied lessons. You may opt to expand the math lessons and allow that to stand for the student's math studies for the day, but a separate curricula is suggested. So, the in depth, detailed answer is YES🙌 FIAR is more than enough.

Giving Planner Perfect a Go

And so far, so good. My planner has got my meals lined up, appointments made, notes from my days that I want to remember. Moments of gratitude, dates to remember, improvements to make, places to be and planning to plan ;). If you need another planning technique, not just a new planning book, scoot on over to Planner Perfect

No Naked Bears

So, Christmas has come and gone and Build a Bear Workshop was a  part of ours ;)  However, anyone who knows me  knows I am not paying what they want for clothing for these guys.  And my girlie wanted some of those clothes soooo badly. 

This pair of bear pants were only TWO....2....1, 2  two seams!  I used recycled jeans of my daughter's.  They were made a smidge bigger than this bear...but only by a hair ;)  I made them because this is not the creature they are intended for.  My daughter picked out the bulldog (and promptly named her Uga, as any good Georgia peach would).  And Uga is a smidge more pudgy than the average Build a Bear.  So, these directions might be give-or-take about 1/4 inch here or there.  Not too hard to manage when you are sewing too big and NOT too small ;)

Here is my template

Here we go with the tutorial....in as many pictures as possible!!

 I lined up the hems of an old pair of jeans with the bottom of my pattern piece.  This means no hemming required!  Easy Peasy!!

Lay the pattern piece (which is meant to be placed ON a FOLD) on the fold of the outer leg seam.  I slit my inseam so that it would lie flat.

The hem of my jeans are exactly on the bottom edge of my pattern piece.

 And outer seam is lying flush with the edge of pattern piece.  Pin then cut.

 This is what it should look like :)

 Repeat.  These jeans were purchased with embellishments already applied, so if you'd like something nifty on yours, apply it now!

 With the right sides together, fold each piece in half and pin.....

 then stitch.

 Turn ONE of them right side out.

 And slide that one inside the other to match up crotch seam

 Pin.

 Great time to remove this extra plate if you have a removeable one!

 Stitch the crotch..and it will look like

 this!

 Turn under about a 1/2" waist band.  PRESS.

 It will look like this.

 Stitch all the way around it, except for about 1 1/2 ".

 If you have a bodkin with which to thread your elastic through, use it.  Otherwise a safety pin will work just fine.  This piece of elastic is not the best one for this project..it just turned out to be all I had, after destroying my notions box.  Sooo....anyhow.....it is about 16"-18" long...

 When it comes through to the other side, pin it then size it on your bear.

 While I was sizing, I marked (with disappearing ink) where the tail slit will go.

 Once you've sized the elastic on your bear and pinned it at the size it should be...

 stitch it together

 and then complete the waistband stitch, which encloses the elastic!

 Ripping out the tail slit..

Thought it needed a bit more than I originally marked

 Stitched around it in buttonhole shape..NOT with the buttonhole stitch. Although you could, if you wanted to, but I don't expect these to last forever so I'm not putting a ton of effort into tiny details!!

 Here's my guy!

I can't figure out how to rotate this picture, so I won't worry about it now!