As I have mentioned I have been trying to find different ways to do math with the girls. The sort of do math at school, but big-sis is pretty quick and sneeky, so she has figured out that she can do everything with her fingers and doesn’t need to memorize anything.

So today as I was downloading Killer Soduku puzzles from the Times Online about Tetsuya Miyamoto. He has developed a new way of motivating kids in math through puzzles (Times Article). Here’s is his official website. You have to love Japan.

I have a thing for old books. The picture above is from Grandfather Stories. It has a great version of the Bremen Town Musicians. When I was little we lived about 35 miles north of Bremen for two years in a town called Osterholz-Scharmbeck…fascinating I know, but it was very cool living so close to a real fairy tale.

My latest favorite are the Harper’s readers from the late 1800’s.

This is from the third reader. The illustrations are amazing, and it is interspersed with science, history, poems, and stories.

Here’s a list of some of the books available in Google Books.  I could spend days on these!

Not the most exciting thing ever-but we are practicing addition. This is a worksheet math puzzle. You do the problems and then fill in the blanks to get an Egyptian joke.

Anything to try to make 9 + 5 more interesting….

The witch Hazel in the front yard. This was a Mother’s Day girft the year after we moved in, so 2004.

We got started on the garden about 3 weeks ago. In addition to these we planted peas and beets. We are far enough south that we have about a month until the lettuce spinach and such bolt, but they make good baby-veggies salads.

The bucket on March 15th:

Here’s the bucket today:

And the peas:

The blue bucket is the girl’s old toy bucket…it took some maneuvering, but we finally sod them on the idea of “recycling” it.

I was looking at college pennants online to get some ideas about font for something I am planning on making the girls.  Over at Antique Athelete I spotted this:

We’ve had a busy week…spring break and all. We’ve been learning about quilting this week, so a lot of sewing. We checked out a ton of kids books on quilts from the library, and spent an afternoon looking at all of my old family quilts. Here’s the rundown.

Monday: The husband’s family stopped by for several hours. We had scones and tea.

Tuesday: The husband took the day off to work on the new room we’re adding on. More on that in a latter post.

Wednesday: The girls and I went out to the park, and library and fabric store. I’ll be honest, the park and library were totally a bribe for good behavior at the fabric store.

Thursday: we went to the Valentine Museum here in town with my parents. They have a lot of textiles and we were hoping to see some quilts, but not much in that vein was out. Then over to St John’s church…it’s where Patrick Henry gave his “Liberty or death” speech. That part was sort of a hoot. There were at least 7 guys dressed in colonial garb. They were doing a reenactment of the speech for a reporter from the Pilot & Ledger Star. We skipped the speech, but the girls still liked all the “old fashioned” people.

It is from a pattern I made a while back. We’ve adjusted it so it has the exact right amount of twirl.

And as a funny postscript today she asked if we could take creme-brulee into school instead of cupcakes. Hard to say no, but I do not think they’s appreciate the blowtorch.

For all the dress encouragement. Amanda over at Bulldog Knits is so right about the Dress a Day blog. Amazing stuff.

( Shirt for big-sis. Ottobre Summer 2006 Tunic Top-from yesterday’s sewing-marathon)

I do need to tackle some sewing for me. It is so fun to sew for the girls, and they are so appreciative I need some of their attitude. Big-sis always talks about the things I make for her being full of “momma magic”. I need to wave that wand my way. Funny how it always seems easier to do for someone else, I am so much less judgemental…

My Nemesis for years has been button up shirts. I tried years ago, and in all fairness the pattern I picked was a bit baggy…I need some shape. I have a pattern in hand now…better shaping. McCalls 5138. My plan is to try it in some leftover calico, and tweek from there.

Of course my biggest concern is needing to carry around a fan to blow my hair like the model…

I am in love with this dress:

It is from Bowden.

The funny thing is I wouldn’t hesitate to sew something like this for the girls, but I am totally chicken when it comes to sewing for myself. I’ll wear stuff I knit all the time, but somehow sewing on a bigger scale I see every flaw.

Which is a total shame, since I will not have $128 for dresses any time soon.

I am not even looking at my last post date. The girls and I are on spring break, so it is a perfect time to get back in the swing of things around here.

Tonsils are out. Little sis has now been 4.5 weeks without a fever. She hasn’t gone that long since August. I have had both influenza A and B, and yes I did get a flu shot. Big sis is actually mad at me over that one. I talked her into the shot last fall with a lot of mumbo-jumbo about not getting as sick this year. Well that worked out.

So there is quite a backlog of non-illness related stuff to post on. My current obsession? Ginham Embroidery-also called Chicken Scratch. Apparently it was often used on Aprons.

This is from Posie Gets Cozy. It’s a detail from a smocked skirt she made…is it not amazing??

We are pretty much sewing obsessed around here. I am starting the girl’s spring wardrobe. Lots of orders for skirts this season, so I am perfecting the tiered skirt I made for big-sis’ first day of kindergarten last year:

Not the best photo ever, but big-sis has worn this skirt almost every week for over a year and a half. It is very well loved. Maybe even enough that she’ll forgive me for the flu shot…

OK, with the tonsils this week I have had a lot of TV and internet time. And a lot of frozen dairy around the house. I am off sugar for lent and it is taking self control not to pig out.

And in my wanderings I came accross Social Innovation Camp. It’s a four day camp in April…to quote “Our aim is to find ways that easy-to-build web 2.0 tools can be used to develop solutions to social challenges.”

How snappy is that? They have a whole page of ideas folks have submitted. My fave is the one about personal cycling routes in London. I realize I do not live in London, and I rarely get to cycle anywhere, but it still sounds fun. My sis would be all over this.