Life in the Pink Tower: Stitch In Time

Embroidery has been a constant in the Pink House ever since Ruth was a preschooler.  It is my favorite "sewing".  One day this week the three girls were stitching together in the living room as I sat and read to them.  After some time someone knocked on the door and the spell was broken but while it lasted it was as if everything else just faded away and we were in a time all our own.  

I picked the kitchen towels up at Ikea and used a washable marker to draw a design.  I have a pen specifically for this task but the lid was left off and so it was dried out.  The younger the child the larger the needle I give them to assist in threading and keeping track of it.  I demonstrate a running stitch, which  I think they would do naturally, and let them go.  This particular day the little ones also wanted to fill in their designs with this stitch.  The biggest complications are pulling the needle off the thread and sewing the piece to their pants or getting another part of the towel caught in a stitch.  The child will learn to self correct this after a few times.  Sometimes frustration will get the best of them and I offer to help or suggest  taking a break.  Most of the time they come back to it that same day, but if not that's okay.  The key to remember is it is the process not the finished product that will bring the most satisfaction.
 My girls (I say girls because that is what I have) began stitching close to 4 years old.  The small pillow pictured above and the cross stitch were both done in their Montessori classroom.  As you can see from the pillow to the blue gingham table cloth Ruth's skill has grown with her.  Some great projects to get ready for sewing with a real needle are lacing beads, a sew and sew, and wooden lacing board.  

Hunting Seahorses

I tagged along with my mom (an avid garage salee) to a few garage sales recently. I haven't really done much buying for years. We live in a small home and it became more about scaling down and function. But I am getting antsy! I picked up a few things. My favorite being this black Pearl Wick hamper. This summer Mav painted our bathroom white with black trim so this was a perfect addition...and *ahem* functional to boot! (we have one bathroom and 4 daughters, we have to make the most of it!)

The mermaid set Mav had when we married. Aren't they cute? Pink and black, who could ask for more? I guess I could- because I would really love some seahorses like the ones pictured.  I have this great painting of a seahorse, but it has to hang outside the bathroom door because the moisture inside could damage it.  I guess I'll be hitting a few more sales on a seahorse hunt!

Mama's Girl

This is our 13 year old daughter Ruth. I felt I should introduce you to her because it seems I often have the other three girls in my posts. (Not that Ruth wants me writing about her. You remember being 13.)
Anyways she is a great girl. If I went into details you would know I was just biased as her mama. So I won't. You would have to know her to believe it.
She was our first and as an infant threw me for such a loop I didn't want another baby for 5 years! I have to follow this up by saying as difficult as a baby she was she more than made up for it in sweetness since the time she was 2 years old. She attended Montessori through first grade and homeschooled until 6th grade. Now she is in a great art school program. She plays the violin-and HATES it. (It is the only thing I don't give her a choice about) She loves photography and you can often see her photos over on Vixen Vintage's blog. Her and Solanah are 2 peas in a pod. Funny girls! Ruth is also an avid reader and if it weren't for the library we could never afford her habit. She knows vintage well but prefers skinny jeans and converse. She is also an excellent baker of sweets. I'll finish by saying she is the best big sister any one could wish for and there are times she is a better mama than I am.
There you have her folks, Ruth Magnolia.

Life in the Pink Tower: Sandpaper Letters and Zen

This is a well received lesson in our home.  I gleaned this from my time spent in the classroom as the sandpaper letters is always a favorite with the children.  It is easily the "work" I have the most experience with and am most comfortable guiding them through.  As always I take my classroom experience and tweak it to best fit our home.  Here you see Grace using the sandpaper letters which we have expanded to include a sand tray and the "Red Letter Book" on this particular day.  Sandpaper letters are generally introduced at about 3 years old, Grace is 5.5 and has been working with sp letters for several years.  This has been an extended process because Grace has an articulation disorder.  Learning letter sounds is challenging when you can not produce the sound.  This rolls over into a lot of frustration.  Montessorians often refer to "following the child".  This is exactly what I must work on with Grace.  Looking to her cues of readiness, not the standard.  I'll post more on the challenges of speech disorder another time.  FOr now back to the sandpaper letters.
In the classroom the sandpaper letters are in cursive.  Children learn to write in cursive rather than print.  I prefer printing, so our sp letters are lowercase print. ( In my mind italicized is ideal.)  Here is a great link http://www.ehow.com/how_4510034_use-montessori-sandpaper-letters.html to give an overview of how to work with the letters.

The lesson I am showing includes the sandpaper letters.  We begin by tracing them with our fingers and repeating the sounds.  The next step is writing them in the sand tray.  This sand tray is actually a small desktop zen garden, easily purchased and simply remove the rocks and rake.  It is wonderful because we use it as both.  Writing letters in the sand (dirt) with a finger is as basic and primitive as writing gets.  Perfect for practice of letter formation.  When she was done writing her letters we looked for objects in which we hear those particular letters.  Makes great use of those little toy figures she loves so much.  Littlest Pet Shop may not be the most Montessori of materials but they do the job perfectly.
I want to add for each step I give Grace space and leave her side.  She choses when she is ready to move on.  Forcing her to do 'just one more' or saying 'you can't be done already!' or even "are you still making that same letter?"  None of that is beneficial, quite the opposite.  Although if the child begins to misuse the materials (i.e. sprinkling sand on the floor) offer a reminder of the correct way to use it and if the child continues simply put the materials away.  You can let them know you will bring them out another time when they are ready to use them as shown.  I like to think of it as everything has a function and that is what we use them for--Chairs are for sitting, pencils are for writing, blocks are for building, etc... I don't believe this stifles creativity in the least bit.

OKIE GIRL GIVEAWAY WINNER

Beth  is the winner of my Okie giveaway!

Congrats!  The winner was chosen randomly by my daughter picking a number between 1 and 22, the number of entries.  Remember Beth is the grand prize winner but everyone who entered will receive a CD of my favorite Okie Boogie tunes.  I knew after the first few comments I wouldn't be able to chose just one winner.  I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my little blog.  Thank you all.  Please email me with you mailing info.  

Just to be clear if you left a comment here before April 24th, please email me your info so I can get your prize out to you.

For the Love of Boston Terriers

Many of you have noticed our dog Joey making a cameo here and there in my posts.  Let me tell you about  my little man.  He is 10 years old and we have had him since he was 6 mos.  He was destined for life as a champion show dog, but then the unexpected happened, one of his testicles failed to descend.  Apparently to show they have to have both visible.  Anyways it was lucky for us because we were able to purchase him- and I think lucky for him.  Although he has suffered a few breed specific ailments we do plan on one day adding another Boston to our family.
Boston's average weight range is about 15-30 pounds, Joey is at the high end.  At first we spoiled him with people food-boy does he love bacon!  He got up to 35 pounds which triggered one of said breed specific problems, a luxating patella.  Which meant we had to have one of his knees replaced.  We are now much more strict with his diet.
I have to say he doesn't live up to the terrier reputation.  He has always been much more laid back, as I have heard the larger ones are.  (Does anyone have experience with that?)  As he ages he is becoming one of those old ladies type of dogs.  A little (lot) grouchier and louder.   He is great with our girls but we chose to crate him when small children are visiting.  Although I assure you he would be happier if it were just Mav, me and him, as his position has dropped with each baby.  Dotty is crawling now and he is her favorite target.  I don't know what it is but each baby wants to chew his ears.
We have had a cat and a rabbit while having him and he was gentle and playful with both.  But last week while I was walking him our neighbors Lab got out and attacked him.  Yes, traumatizing.  After a trip to the vet, cleaning wounds and antibiotics he is doing fine.  But I seriously doubt it helped his  social skills.
We love him a lot and although we aren't the best pet owners (walks aren't frequent, bowl can stay empty longer than it should etc...)  he is the best pet.  (well except the gas!)

12:28pm And Giveaway Twist

12:28pm in the Pink House

One sick child (the ever elusive Ruth) + one wounded dog + gave up driving for Earth week =

lazy day

Also if you haven't heard I am doing a giveaway.  Find out more here.  Since not many people have entered- and each one who did I want to be the winner.  (because I love all ya'll)  I have decided there will be one grand prize winner but everyone else will also get a consolation prize just for commenting.  There is still time to get in on the action-hurry on over!

Okie Girl Giveaway!

I loved the responses I got from my Okie Girl post. It is such a part of how I view and wear that time period. I can't wait to explore more of it with you. Before I do I wanted to show these short clips to help readers who might not have any idea what I am talking about. Especially my European friends.
Take note I am getting close to 100 followers. (This excites me maybe more than it should-I just can't help it!) So I want to do a giveaway. Keeping with my recent theme I think an Okie themed care package is on order. I am still thinking on the
specifics but I can tell you it will for sure contain the Grapes of Wrath DVD. You just have to see it. It was filmed in 1940 so the costuming is spot on and inspirational. Another thing that will for sure be a part of this giveaway is music--Good ole Okie boogie!


Just leave me a comment if you're interested in being a part of the giveaway. A winner will be randomly chosen on Saturday. Best of luck!

Okie Girl Eats

Have you ever wondered about my name Coedith?  My name is Nichole Edith.  (Say them together) When Mav and I were dating he started calling me 'coedith, as a pet name that reflected my Okie roots.  He took that picture of me in a cotton field where I grew up in the San Joaquin Valley.  Okies are the people who came out to California to escape the dustbowl in Oklahoma during the 1930's.  The term is also used for those from Arkansas and Texas.   They loaded up all they had and headed to Californi-a.  Most became migrant farm workers.  That's the story of my mother's side of the family.  She was actually born in '36 while her parents were hitch hiking to Cal.  She was born in Yuma, Arizona.  Shortly after her birth they hit the road again.  She was born in April and hitch hiking in the desert sun resulted in a sunburn.  My grandma said my mother had practically no skin left by the time they got to the San Joaquin Valley.   That's my family pictured above while still sharecroppers in Oklahoma.  My grandma Lois is the little girl on the right end.  Her parents, Frank and Ehthel, stand on the opposite end.

 This all has heavy influence on how I wear vintage.  I will post on that another time, but for now I thought I would share a bit of my Okieness with you by way of food.   Here you have chili beans and cornbread with a couple variations.  Nothing fancy- pinto beans, ground beef, el pato, and a little chili powder.   Of course the original recipe had bacon grease added. (most things did) Now I must say my mothers childhood consisted mainly of plain beans and fried potatoes.  Occasionally there would be meat to go with the beans, beans that have evolved through out the years into the chili beans I cook for my family.  I bake the cornbread in muffin tins, but originally it would have been cooked in a cast iron skillet.  Traditionally we would have tacos the night before and use the left over meat in the beans.  

I have a picture of the meal plated.  Cornbread crumbled in with a dallop of mayo on top.  My mom was strongly opposed to us eating it this way when we were growing up, although other family members did and once I tried it I had to have it that way too.  My parents simply had their beans with saltines and a sliced onion.  Okies were poor and had to stretch a meal so if there was leftover corn bread you had it in milk for breakfast.  (Buttermilk is best- but not in my opinion.)   If you were fortunate enough to have chocolate cake...yep, you put your beans right on top of it.  (my mom doesn't approve of that either)

Look for more about Okie lifestyle, fashion and history in my posting future! 

Lady Luck

I just wanted to share my luck lately.  I was feeling giddy over my "prizes" and just couldn't keep it to myself.  First I won a giveaway from The Vintage Housewife.  She gave away a great movie I hadn't seen 'The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio' (watch it!) she also sent along a couple of much appreciated bonuses.  What a sweetie!  I really like her.  Her blog makes me want to sit in her kitchen and visit over pie and coffee.

Bakelite Bebe over at Our Life in a Mint Chocolate Ranch awarded me with a blogger award.  I was honored she chose me as one of her favorite blogs.  The feeling is definitely mutual.  I am supposed to give it away to a couple of my fave blogs.  Hard to choose, but since I have to I chose Life In Wonderland and The Lady Choses.  LIW because she reminds me of someone I used to know and brings a shot of youth into my day, and TLC because I find her elegant with exquisite taste-and she also has started translating her page into English- and I like to pretend it is just for me!  We also have in common that we both have daughters and love a tattooer.

Then another surprise!  I ordered some baby bibs from Mommyboops at Etsy.  The bibs are great, but even better she sent a bonus one to say thanks for ordering with her.  Get this-it was a ruby slipper bib.  She didn't even know my baby was Dorothy!  Had I seen it I would have purchased it myself.  I am having to fight off being a little obsessive with the Wizard of Oz prints.  It hadn't occured to me before.  I think because I have been using polka dots for most of her things.  Now I have the inspiration to combine the two.  I haven't purchased the fabric yet as I still have a few projects to complete before I begin any new ones.  But keep an eye out!

This all has got me thinking of doing my own giveaway.  I am getting close to 100 followers so when I do (if I do)  I'll host a giveaway.  Well even if I don't, as soon as I come up with something I'll do one.

Kitchen Envy

The first two photos are from a couple blogs I love.   The first belongs to Bakelite Bebe.  Classic!   I just love it.  While you're there check out the rest of her house and those adorable Boston Terriers!  The second is Mothers Kitchen.  Darling!  Frankie's Wife proves kitschyness is far from tacky with her elegant kitchen. 

Needless to say looking at these blogs has created 'kitchen envy'.  I was satisfied with my kitchen previously...now, not so much.  If you haven't seen my kitchen before but the next 4 pictures give you a little glimpse. My kitchen is large but there is a poor use of all that space in it's layout.  It also happens to be the most popular room in the house.  I want it to be totally functional and beautiful. Mav and I both agree the knotty pine (pictured below) would be perfect.  Don't you agree?

Life in the Pink Tower: Weaning Table

  A weaning table could be  considered the Montessori high chair.  It is where baby sits for her first meals.  I received this as a shower gift for Ruth nearly 14 years ago and all our girls have used it.  Dotty is now sitting up which is one way I know she is ready for her turn with the table.  The table is just the right size and the chair,  a cube chair, has three high sides to help her balance.  I sit across from her to feed her.  We begin with a bowl of Earth's Best apples.  It is a good idea to give baby a spoon to grasp herself while you feed her with another.  It is messy because I do not restrain her hands- although I do keep a tight hold of the bowl.  Ideally the table would be set with a placemat and napkin but I won't introduce those for a few months.  Today I let her feed herself by putting a couple of crackers on the table.  I still sat with her and helped her with the water.  I put very little water in a saki cup, most of it is dribbled -but she loves it!  The girls have learned very early to drink from a cup rather than a sippy.  (We do use sippy's on walks or in the car.)  I try to avoid plastic dishes of any kind to avoid chemicals, but that said I do a have a couple in our rotation.
I am not trying to rush her into a cup but rather respect her desire to imitate what she sees modeled by her family.  I do not think children should be 'pushed' to achieve anything, instead I observe and watch for her readiness.  It is often sooner than expected.  I also think not introducing something when baby is ready for it because 'the books' say 6 months, or whatever, is just as bad.  You know your baby best.  Mine always want to eat around 4 mos.  (Dotty also already has 8 teeth.)
We also have a traditional high chair.  I have used it since the beginning because it fully reclines.  I highly recommend one that does.  It serves the same purpose as a bouncy seat, only I prefer not to have one of those in the kitchen for safety reasons.  If I put it on the floor I worry something may spill on her or if it is on the table I worry another child might pull it down unintentionally.   I don't really use the high chair tray.  I like to pull the high chair right up to the table when the family is eating.  We share with her what we can. (Right now that means a green bean, oatmeal and crackers.)  I also have a small wooden restaurant style high chair that we will use at the table, because I am anxious to get the big plastic one out of the kitchen.
  The last point I would like to touch on is the freedom allowed with the weaning table.  There aren't any straps or buckles.  Baby can make up her mind when she is finished or let me know she would like to eat by climbing into her chair.  She only gets to eat when sitting.  A lot of times parents have the problem once a child moves out of their high chair that the child will not stay seated for a meal.  Giving the child this freedom from the start eliminates this issue.  Food throwing can also be an obstacle for parents when their child is in a high chair.  This can be because the child has no other way to communicate they are done or is forced to stay in their high chair for too long.

  I am very excited we have the table in use once again.  That said I am not a purist and like I said I balance between high chair and weaning table.   As always remember YOU know your baby best!

Cows, Pink Ribbon and Hummus

Here's a snapshot (or two) into Easter at our house yesterday.  It was loads of fun.  Their were about 17 of us sharing a middle eastern meal.  For dessert we had the cutest cupcakes made by my oldest daughter Ruth.  She also made yummy vegan chocolate cupcakes.  The little boy in the photo is my nephew Oliver.  How cute does he look?!!  As you know I love pink and this cherry and pink ribbon table cloth is one of my favorite things- especially when paired with our pink ribbon china.  Do you spy my cow in the back yard?  I love looking out while washing dishes and seeing her.