Oh my goodness I am sleepy after a half week of workshop. Back at it for awhile.

It has been a little bit since my last post.  I came home from vacation and really just started sewing quilts and quilt tops to get caught up.

Very soon after my lovely cousin emailed me and said, "I don't suppose you want to teach for a co-worker that has a concussion?  I said no and then pondered it.

I decided to inquire as I know there is such a shortage of FACS/FCS teachers everywhere.

So long story short I am back at it.  I have had 3 days of workshop and I am so tired I can see the words I am typing.  All a blur.

O.k. that may be a dramatization.

Anyway, I have been watching all of the great posts on Facebook about getting rooms ready for this school year. I have been noting curriculum that I want to use and will help me get through the next few months.  My job is an undetermined amount of time.

Wish me luck!  I am nervous and excited about doing Foods 1 and the energy that comes with a class full of 9th grade boys....but as I say to my students, I control my own destiny.


Take care,

With love from your retired but back at it FACS teacher,
Jane

Motorcycle, Travel and Fabric in Southern MO and Northern AR

Each year my husband and I like to do a pretty long vacation on our motorcycle.  Last year we had the opportunity to travel 15,000 miles during the summer on two vacations.  We most often plan our trip in the winter and book hotels early so that we know we have a place to stay.  When you are on a bike it is difficult to travel from town to town not knowing where you might stay.  We book them between 200 and 300 miles apart so that we don't get too cranky.  The sun, potential rain, and your back end are all major factors.

One thing that I like to do while on the bike is stop at quilt shops.  Fabric is fairly small when folded and can also be shipped if I go a little too crazy in my shopping.

This year we were very disorganized in our trip planning.  We literally planned our vacation one week before we left.  We have been trying to sell our home, have been moving to our new home and neither of us could get it together.

We went to the Ozarks, even though we didn't really have the time or the cash, which was amazing. There are wonderful motorcycle roads filled with curves, rolling hills and beautiful country side.

I had planned one stop outside of the Ozarks and that was Hamilton, MO.  They are know all over the Untied States for their 14 quilt shops in this tiny little town.  Missouri Quilt Star is worth the side trip. My husband was kind enough to schedule 4 hours of shopping for me.  (Even though he is allergic to fabric stores.)  Just in case you have not heard of this place let me give you a quick review.  Each store has a theme (although they are all owned by the same family).  The fabrics are grouped by type of fabric, solids, children, flowers, modern, themed, civil war, etc.  There is also a shop just for men to hang out, play pool or cards etc.  There is also a nice Tap room in town that my husband discovered, thank goodness.  It was a great stop.  The employees are helpful and kind.  They also sell on line.  There prices are generally $1 less than many quilt shops because they do a large volume of business.  Shipping is $5.00 or free if you spend over $100.

I had two other stops, both were not planned but great finds.  They do not do on line business but they are fantastic!

The first was in Salem, MO.  It is called MeLear Fabrics.  They have a wide selection and also have very affordable long arm quilting available.  It might very well be worth it to ship your quilting there because of the great price and service.  The fabric prices were mostly $3.99 to $5.99.  The newer prints were $10.99. Needless to say I went a little crazy on my selection because of the great value and the great service.  I could have very easily purchased more but I had my super patient husband outside waiting for me.  I needed to ship this box too.  Across the street is a fantastic Barbecue restaurant by the way, so don't eat on your way there.

The second was Thayer Fabric and Rug in Thayer, MO.  It is on the border of MO and AR.  I saw this giant bill board on the highway that just said FABRIC.  I begged to stop.  I could not believe this place.  I can only say, "Wow, wow, wow."  The prices were $2.99 to $5.99.  But most fabrics were $4.99.  It is run by an elderly couple that has a connection to someone in the manufacturing industry. There was so much fabric I couldn't stop grabbing.  I wanted to stay longer but I knew someone was getting a bit anxious for me outside in the heat.  But he was very kind considering how much I purchased.  We made a trip to the post office to send this stash off too.  If I lived anywhere near that place I would visit it on a regular basis.  Seriously, if you live close by make a trip with your fabric friends.   There is an o.k. Hotel next to the town if you need to stay over night called Mammoth Spring Hotel.  There is also a very lovely state park for fun.

We had a great vacation and I used up my fabric purchasing power for the next 4 months.  I know, I am ridiculous.

A sideways look at me in front of the Missouri Star Quilt Co

Barbecue in Salem, MO

Hotel to stay at in Thayer, MO

With love from your retired FACS teacher, Jane

My heart hurts.

Recently my husband and I were on our motorcycle vacation enjoying the country side.  We do this each summer and have most often stayed in rural areas because it is an escape.

We drove to St Louis from eastern Iowa to visit with my aunt and cousins.   As we live in a technical world we use a GPS to navigate and my husband never deviates.  Occasionally it irritates me.  Just
Saying.

On this trip we were directed through the city of St. Louis.   We crossed the river in Alton and went through the residential area of North St.  Louis.   I have seen similar housing in Detroit but as I felt then, my heart just ached for those living in this so called housing.  Shame on us for letting society call this housing, shame on me for not knowing that people are living in falling down apartment buildings not fit for anyone. 

Shame on anyone for saying just get a job and you could be better off.  There was no industry in the area and very little retail.  How can we sit by the side and say we have a better place when people are living in this poverty?

I was told that St. Louis is known as the most racially divided city in America and I believe it after my recent visit.   There was an instant line and noticeable difference the minute we crossed it.

I don't know the answer to the issue but I do know that there is not always equity in our society.   I do hope that if you are an employer you do not look at race but qualified candidates.   I hope that if you are in education you do everything you can to encourage children to seek a vocation that brings them financial success. I hope that we all do just a little something to change the horrible tensions in our country and bring peace.

I hope that you and I care about all in society and that we all have a goal of helping people become self sufficient members of society. I hope that all can someday be able to work equally, in fair conditions with fair wages.  And, as I type this it makes me sad because this is what the fight during the 60's was about.  Shame on us for thinking the fight is over.  No it is not, it is an allusion and escape for those of us living in privileged society.

With love, hope and peace from your retired FACS teacher,  Jane

Thank you to Curtis Duffy, Ruth Snider, and Michael Muser.....Because of your generous, kind acts combined with hard work, dedication and artistic ability FACS has been noticed.

I independently chose to become an advocate for Family and Consumer Sciences because I loved my profession.  But, I must say that my love for the profession grew from the dedication and kindness that I received from my then "Home Ec" teachers in Junior High School and High School.

One, Ruth Gregerson-Burg noticed my gift for sewing and let me sore beyond my classmates in Junior High.  She, Jan Walsh and Roxanne Ebnet helped me hone my leadership skills, and continued to let me grow with textiles skills through out high school.  I thank them for that and appreciate what they did for me personally and for my education.

This blog is not about me it is about the life a wonderfully successful man, Curtis Duffy, who chose to acknowledge Ruth Snider for her kindness and positive involvement in his life.

On the Family and Consumer Sciences Facebook page, one of the 4000 members remarked about the documentary on Curtis Duffy and Michael Muser.  I immediately watched it (with tears) and felt an instant, "well finally" feeling in my heart!

Many times we hear successful people talk about their teachers and how they helped them but it is often in the general sense and very rarely do we hear about FACS professionals.  Curtis states very clearly, in his story both in the newspaper, and in the film that Ruth did not teach him his skills but introduced to him an art and a skill that he felt good about, gave him purpose, that he wanted to pursue as a career.  He could have very easily talked about Ruth as his teacher and not included the "Home Ec" title but he chose to give her that label with dignity and pride.

For those reasons I thank the group of you in this film.  Your food, service, ambiance, staff all appears to be fantastic (well dah....3 Michelin stars) but really thank you again for sharing your roots.  As educators dealing with life long lessons we often get over looked,  poopooed, and told "anyone can do that".  As FACS professionals we often sit by the side knowing that we are most often strong, family oriented, people that work more hours than the average due to our diverse content area!  For those reasons I can not thank you enough for your acknowledgement of that fantastic woman, in that small town, in Ohio that gave you a breath of life through food.  Because really, there are many more like her!

Your love for each other, the food that you prepare, and work that you do, shines very brightly in this documentary!

With love from your retired FACS teacher,

Jane

A note of thanks to the documentary folks, Kevin Pang and Mark Helenowski for bringing this film to the public.

For FACS professionals looking for this film, you can find it on Netflix and Amazon.

So "Mom hair" is now a thing.....What is wrong with it? And, why do we ALWAYS have negative connotations associated with MOM?

Recently I was listening to talk radio while the personalities were talking about the article written about "Mom hair".  I became a bit outraged while driving in my car.  With out reading the article it was implied that because someone became a mom they instantly became frumpy, drab, and became even more so when they cut their long hair into a reverse bob.

Seriously??????

Here is the public link to the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/23/fashion/mom-hair-tips.html?_r=0

As I read it, it talked about Mom's feeling bad about their appearance and so the instantly cutting their hair to make them feel better but it often does the opposite because it makes them look chubbier.  Say what?

I am a Mom of grown children and yes, I and several of my friends have this hair cut.  Guess what, some of our grown girl children say that we are with it, we are vogue, we don't appear our age.  So what about the Mom hair is an indication of your old and out of touch?  Someone, please, explain to me why having your hair manicured and styled is frumpy and bad.

Over the years we have attacked Mom's about their clothes, their body shapes, their personal appearance, now their hair and along with many other things.  How about we salute Mom's and be grateful for the things that they do and have done for their children.  How about we praise them for the items they give up so that their children can have more.

How about we give Mom's a break for not being slim, trim and having a tummy from birthing children and maybe drinking one too many cocktails during their relaxation time.  What Mom, with children, has time to take an hour out of their day to run to the gym and exercise for an hour several days a week?  What Mom hasn't given up the "new" jean silhouette so that she could provide more for her children?

Mom's are super heroes!

The average mom sacrifices so much for her children and her family.

She gives up her personal time, clothing budget, personal space, social time with her spouse, often while working too and keeping up the home.

Is their a way to help Mom's with out criticizing what they do?  Is their a way to make a mom feel like she doesn't need plastic surgery and lypo suction to be attractive?  Is their a way we can help society make Mom feel like she is a wonderful, kind, giving beautiful person just the way she is?

Let's celebrate Mom because she is Mom.  Let's not judge each other but celebrate each other.  Let's be at peace with who we are in the moment.  Let's just be.

Because with out Mom, her love, her giving, her kindness, her understanding; we wouldn't be the people that we are.

With love from your retired FACS teacher and yes a lady with "Mom hair".

Jane

P.S. Mom is spelled with a capital M with intention!

My reuse and recycle continues: Buffet from the 1940's moves on to the contemporary present. MY HOW TO.......

We moved from a home that had a great deal of space.  That home had a very traditional dining room and living room.  Our new home has just enough living space for us but it has a much more casual environment.

In the first year of our marriage we purchased a dining table, chair and a buffet at an auction for $280. We really thought we were going over the top on spending that much money at the time. We used the table and chairs for 15 years.  We have never stopped using the buffet.  After our move I wanted to make it feel casual like our home.

It seems like most everything is painted these days to make it "current".  This actually makes me chuckle, because there was a time during the 70's that my mom put paint and antiquing on everything. I see that phase again and I hope it lasts for a while because I do not want to strip these items because someone says I ruined them with paint.

This buffet is a replica Ducan Phiffe from the late 1940's.  In this picture the top two are pictures of the buffet before the remake and the lower two are the NEW version of my buffet.

Advice and steps for a project like this.

Things you need:  Sand paper, disposable paint brush(es), paint ( this project took the small can of paint), handles, some sort of drop cloth, drill and drill bit, screw driver, wet towel or attachment for drill. (Note for beginners:  your drill has a reverse on it so that you can remove screws with your drill very quickly.  Do not forget to change it back when you are putting handles on or drilling.)

1. Carefully decide what you want to do before you act.  Occasionally we think we have bright ideas and we act before we think and the cartoon bubble in your head does not resemble your finished product.  

2.  I removed the handles on the buffet.  

3.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to paint the entire buffet so I started with the top, doors and drawers.  I used Rustoleum furniture paint which I love!  

a.  Sand surface that you want to paint with fine sand paper.  This helps the paint adhere.  

b.  Make sure you place cardboard or newspaper on the area that you are painting because no matter how careful you think you are you will spill.  

c.  Always have a damp towel or rag at your side for slip ups and spills.  

4.  After the buffet dried I decided I love the partial painted look.  

I purchased handles that had two holes to attach to the buffet (the previous had one).  If you do this make sure the hole is going to be covered.  If not you will need putty that matches your surface and fill the hole.  I then measured the distance that the holes needed to be drilled and made a template so that the handles would be placed evenly on the project.

Note that I chose a handle color that matched the hinges on the doors.  You would not want nickle plated handles with brown hinges.  The type of handles that I used are traditionally known as CUP handles.

You want to make sure that you have a drill bit that is the correct size.  If it is too big your handles will slide around.  Also make sure that your bit is sharp so that you can drill through the wood quickly.

5.  After your markings and holes are done you can then attach the handles with the screws provided.

I love how my buffet turned out.  My husband came home and though that I had purchased new furniture.  This goes so well with the more casual look that we have in our home now and feels like it is NEW.  

I spent about $25 on this remake, well worth time and money that it saved me, versus purchasing new furniture.

What ever your project might be, I hope that you might have fun with it!

With love from your retired FACS teacher, Jane

Reuse and recycle still works.....Lawn furniture getting a perk!

As my husband and I are getting our new home organized (which might be totally organized in several years) and trying to fit old things into different spaces I have been modifying several items.  I will talk about one today but oh, there are several more to come in the future.  We never expected to move and had built our dream house.  When my husband lost his job 6 years ago we purchased a business as we realized he was at a difficult age to get a job.  In the last 5 years his commute of 30 minutes kept getting longer and longer.  We decided we would move only if we found a house that we both loved.  We found that home.  It was difficult to leave our friends and the community as we have been in our previous community since 1989.  

Our previous home had a patio and a deck.  We had metal furniture in the front of our home that was purchased during the early 90's.  The deck had furniture with cushions that we purchased in 2006. Both were in pretty tough shape but I didn't want to spend money on new things right now.  As most of you know a move is never inexpensive, always has one or two surprises that you don't expect, and often requires $.  Always things that you don't care about but have to take care of when trying to make your new home yours.  (For us, everything is smaller....including the dishwasher.....seriously, our square everyday plates do not fit in the dishwasher.....what?)

Our new place has a 38 foot deck that overlooks the Mississippi River (yes, we are very lucky and we love this little spot).  We are using all of our furniture combined and we know that it doesn't really all go together but we will make it work.

I made a trip to the local hardware store and purchased some spray paint that prevents rust.  I brushed off the chairs with a whisk broom and sprayed away.  These chairs look brand new and we love them. We hope that they last another 10 years and if the rust peeks out again I sure know where to get more spray paint.  They will NOT be available in our future garage sales. Ha!

a close up

I like to spray in the grass.  You can cut off the spray and destroy the evidence.  

With love from your retired FACS teacher, Jane