The Impact of Volunteering

Last Thursday, across the United States, the real estate company Keller Williams sponsored RED Day.  Each office has its own projects and activities that aim to renew and energize aspects of the neighborhoods in which they serve.  RED Day initiatives can include refurbishing local parks, giving to food shelters, rebuilding homes, hosting blood drives, or any other project based on a need they see within their community.

I was contacted by Laurie from Keller Williams (in Maple Grove, Minnesota) after she called my parents' church and asked if there may be a family who needs some assistance.  In talking with Laurie, I shared with her some of the ways they have shared their time, talents, and gifts with others.  

My dad used to be the Deacon of his church.  He and my mom were one of the original families who founded the church in the mid-1970s. 

My dad when he was in the seminary to become a priest.

He changed his mind, and later went through training with my mom

to become a Deacon in his church.

Since that time, they both started and led activities and trips with the Gad-Abouts - a senior group at their church.  They stopped leading the group a few years ago due to my mom's mobility issues.

My mom co-started and continues to host the Angel Quilters at her home bi-weekly.  The ladies made quilts that are donated to people who are homeless, been through a natural disaster, or who were in domestic violence situations and are starting thier lives over.

My dad with my brother (right side) and

neighbor/my brother's friend (left side). 

They both became Eagle Scouts while my dad was their Boy Scout leader.

For his career, my dad was a school social worker at two different schools (senior and junior high).  He was a Boy Scout leader, and helped guide many boys to becoming Eagle Scouts.  He led many trips to northern Minnesota as well as throughout the U.S. to help boys learn how to camp, fish, and gain outdooor skills.

He was a Big Brother (as part of the Big Brother/Little Brother program) to many boys who are now men in their 50s-60s. 

My mom led Girl Scout troops, a 4-H club, and has volunteered in many ways through her church. 

Currently, they are both facing health challenges - my dad with Alzheimer's Disease, and mom with mobility issues, diabetes, and vision problems.  They would like to stay in their home, but the upkeep as well as several features make it challenging. 

Keller Williams stepped in and made many improvements to their home to make it safer for them plus help with outdoor maintenance which had been done as well as in the past due to my father having Alzheimer's Disease, and the impact it has had on his skills and abilities.

I was there for the entire day while work was being done by over 30 volunteers.  It was with great joy that I was able to see members from the community give back to my parents - two people who have given of themselves throughout their entire lives.  It was one of most inspiring and meaningful days that I have ever experienced.

My dad is in the later stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, and was having a difficult day initially.  He was very confused and concerned when the volunteers began arriving.  However, when he had the opportunity to walk outside and talk with the volunteers from Keller Williams, he was put at ease by their care and compassion. 

Several volunteers talked with him one-on-one, and provided assurance to him that what was important to him in the garden and yard would stay right there so he could continue to enjoy it.  They affirmed who he is…and acknowledged all the work that he had done through the years.  This was incredibly meaningful, and helped him be more comfortable with and enjoy what was happening that day.

Keller Williams asked several contractors to help address some of the safety issues in the home.  Different individuals worked on various projects, depending on their specialty.  During the day, handrails were installed on the staircases, grab bars were intalled in the shower, a gate added to the vegetable garden for safer access (so my dad wouldn't step over the existing fence and fall like he did last summer), and the dock repaired.  Having these items addressed provides a tremendous amount of comfort and peace of mind to my sister, brother, and me. 

Two new grab bars were placed in my dad's shower

to make it safer as he ages and

deals with the effects of Alzheimer's Disease. 

My parents hope to stay in their home (rather than go to a nursing home), and these improvements to their home and yard will make it much safer for them to stay there.  The double handrails on the staircases also will allow my mom (who has a lot of difficulty walking) to be able to access both floors of the home which was challenging…at best…before the new handrails were installed.

New handrails in my parents' home to make it

safer and more accessible.

A company that Keller Williams contacted donated its time to cleaning my parents' windows. My mom is still talking about the windows and how clear and beautiful they are, now that they are washed.  What a tremendous difference clean windows can make! 

Volunteers also created a bird watching area for my dad which has already brought him a lot happiness. He loves to see them eat and drink water.  As his disease has progressed, he has been spending more time sitting in the chair by the window. 

Now, having all the bird feeders and bird bath set up close to the window so he can see the birds is wonderful, and gives him something to talk about with us as well as his friends at Open Circle (the adult day care program he attends in Hopkins)!

My dad by his new birdwatching area.

Volunteers also made meals at Let’s Dish for my parents so my mom could simply bake meals when her energy is low or she's in pain. Having these dinners will be invaluable to making sure that she and my dad are eating nutritious food. 

Out of curiosity, I looked up RED Day and learned it was an acronym for Renew, Energize, and Donate.  (I thought it simply reflected the color of the Keller Williams’ logo.)  When I read that, I felt like that truly was the perfect description of what happened this past Thursday. 

Collectively, everyone who donated their time and skills on RED Day at my parents’ home renewed their spirit.  My mom, who is my dad’s primary caregiver, has many days that are filled with challenges, disappointments, and grief as she’s watching her husband – the man who she has loved for almost 47 years – progressively lose more skills almost on a weekly basis. 

Volunteers working in the rain on the flower gardens

and backyard at my parents' home on RED Day.

That being said, for her to see so many people from Keller Williams have such positive and uplifting spirits – to be literally singing in the pouring rain – to be so focused and hard-working – to be dedicated to finishing the job despite their clothing being soaked with rain – these are the things that will continue to inspire and motivate her on even her most difficult days.

From left to right: Laurie (from Keller Williams), my dad, my mom

me, and Belidna (from Keller Williams).

As my mom looks at the flowers blooming, and the hostas and perennials growing; as she’s enjoying fresh vegetables from their garden; as she’s watching her grandchildren dip their feet and hands in the lake from the dock…she will always remember and see the many people who came forward to make a difference in their lives. 

By providing well over 100+ hours of time with this project, the volunteers have energized our entire family.  As my father’s health and skills continuing to decline, his ability to maintain the yard has decreased considerably – even from last season to this one.  The outdoor work would have fallen on my sister, brother, and me…in addition to trying to help with other critical responsibilities when we visit.

RED Day also has given a very important long-term gift to our family:  the ability to create memories while we can.  By freeing our time from raking, weeding, and planting, volunteers from Keller Williams are giving us an opportunity to take my parents out this spring and summer to different places as a way to keep them both active and engaged; and as a way to build memories between parents and children; and grandparents and grandchildren. 

Taking my parents to various places during the coming months would not be possible if volunteers from Keller Williams had not done as much as they did.  Our time with our parents would be spent trying to do yard work rather than spending quality and meaningful time with them. 

RED Day has truly given our family the gift of time…and of memories that I know we will cherish in the future.  For this, I am truly thankful and feel incredibly blessed.

52 Books in 52 Weeks ----- Week 20 ----- 365 Thank Yous

I'm getting closer to the half-way point and have quite a few books on my list now that I want to read.  Added a couple more books at the suggestion of a friend who read one of the books I recommended a couple of weeks ago.  She had great ideas for books she thought I may enjoy reading; and I plan to read them as soon as I finish the ones I'm working on now.

During the past week I read 365 Thank Yous - The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life by John Kralik. 

At the end of 2007, Mr. Kralik's life was far from perfect.  His law firm was operating in the red.  After a long separation, his divorce still wasn't finalized; and his girlfriend had just broken up with him.  He was forty pounds overweight, and living in an incredibly small apartment with inadequate air-conditioning. 

At this juncture in his life, at age 52, he felt like he didn't have anything for which to be grateful.  After taking a walk in the mountains by himself, he heard a voice and felt led in a direction quite different from the one in which he was going.

At only 228 pages and written in a conversational tone, 365 Thank Yous can be read very quickly.  Despite the ease of reading the book, the message is one that challenged me to think about the value of letting others know the impact that they have made on my life.

All too often, like the author, I don't make time to sit down and write a nice, personal thank you note.  Instead I verbally thank others for something they said or did that positively affected me....or maybe send an email.  This isn't always the case, but it sure is a lot easier than taking the time to handwrite a message on a nice card, address the envelope, and mail the letter. 

Yet, when I do send hand-written thank you notes, I've heard from the recipients that they received the card and enjoyed getting a personal letter in the mail.  Writing a thank you note is such a simple gesture, but one that can mean a lot to the person receiving it.

365 Thank Yous is a reflection of one man's journey through a little over a year's time, the changes he experienced (from major financial/career/relationship problems to having a new outlook on his life), and some of the thank you notes that he wrote during that time period.

He doesn't include the text for all the thank you notes.  In fact, very few of them are included. Mr. Kralik did not keep copies of the letters...just the rough drafts of some of them.

What was interesting was that he did not know how to spell the word grateful when he first began writing the thank you notes.  He said, "I discovered that I had been misspelling the word grateful - as greatful - for my entire life.  Because I used the word so infrequently, no one had every pointed this out.  Yes, that's right:  I had so seldom been grateful in my life that I didn't even know how to spell the word.  I had been spelling it as if a greatful person was a person full of greatness, rather than a person full of gratitude."

The author referenced a few books that he enjoyed and helped shape his (improving) attitude:

- Pollyanna
- Magnificient Obsession
- Doctor Hudson' Secret Journal

This trio of books sounds like they would be worth checking out from the library. 

365 Thank Yous closes with the author stating that "....At the risk of making an unscientific and directly moral statement, I will say that writing thank you notes is a good thing to do and makes the world a better place.  It also made me a better man.  More than success or material  acheivements, this is what I sought. "

In fact, by the time that he sent 365 thank you notes, he lost weight, ran a marathon, raised money for non-profit organizations, turned his law firm around, reconnected with relatives and friends, and re-established contact with his girlfriend.

After reading the book this past week and thinking about people I'd like to thank, I realized that I have quite a few thank you notes to send.  Although Mr. Kralik's life and mine are quite different and our challenges aren't all the same, the message is worth reflecting upon and considering how it could be applied to one's life. 

52 Weeks of Giving - Week 19 - Ducks Unlimited

This week has been rather challenging in terms of time.  Olivia is now going to the local elementary school for 1 1/2 hours-2 1/2 hours per day three times per week to help address a couple of learning disabilities she has that were recently diagnosed and that are making reading and spelling more challenging.

Olivia also had an orthodontist appointment this week in preparation for getting braces next week.  She has a crossbite that must be fixed, and now is time to do this.  It's about a four-month process, and the one part she's looking forward to is getting to pick out the wire color each week when the braces are adjusted.

In addition to these additional appointments during the past week, I was at my parents' home (the girls' grandparents) for almost a full day on Thursday.  My parents were having volunteers from Keller Williams help them as part of RED Day.

Given the time crunch, we chose this week to support Ducks Unlimited.  I made a donation on behalf of the girls so they could become "Junior Greenwings" (younger Ducks Unlimited members). 

By joining Ducks Unlimited, Junior Greenwings participate in the conservation, restoration, and management of wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people.

According to the Ducks Unlimited website, "there are more than 60,000 young people who love the outdoors and care about protecting wetlands across North America." 

In addition, the organization "...is the world's leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation.  DU got its start in 1937 during the Dust Bowl when North America's drought-plagued waterfowl populations had plunged to unprecedented lows.  Determined not to idly by as the continent's waterfowl dwindled beyong recovery, a small group of sportsmen joined together together to form an organization that became known as Ducks Unlimited.  It's mission:  habitat conservation."   

Kids Clothes Week Challenge - Days 1-5

I'm participating in the Kids Clothes Week Challenge (KCWC), and am trying to make at least two items this week - a skirt for Sophia and a kuspuk for Olivia (a Native Alaskan outfit that is like a dress with a hood and pocket that can be worn on its own or over clothes/jacket). 

The goal for KCWC is to work just one hour per day (or more, if you have the time) and see what you are able to create.

So, on Day 1 (Monday), I cut out the pattern for Olivia's kuspuk, found a pattern for Sophia's skirt, and purchased fabric.  The kuspuk will be a bit large for Olivia, but I don't have a smaller size pattern since I purchased this one when I visited Alaska many years ago. 

I hesitate to do too much changing of the pattern since I've never sewn a kuspuk before.  Maybe after I do one, then I'd be able to see where I could modify the pattern.

On Day 2 (Tuesday), I washed and ironed the fabric.  I laid out the pattern pieces on the fabric for the kuspuk.

Pattern pieces laid out and pinned for Olivia's kuspuk.

On Day 3 (Wednesday), I laid out the pattern pieces for Sophia's skirt.  I also cut out all the pieces for both the kuspuk and skirt.

On Day 4 (Thursday), I pinned Sophia's skirt together and read the directions for the kuspuk and skirt.  I didn't have much extra time on the fourth day because I was with my parents for the day helping them and volunteers from Keller Williams who were helping my parents as part of their Red Day 2011.

On Day 5 (Friday), I sewed (and finished!) Sophia's skirt.  It did not take that long to sew since there were only six pieces (two pieces for the yoke and four pieces for the skirt).  Sophia did not want a ruffle, lace, or trim on the skirt so that made it even easier - just a basic hem.

Simple skirt for Sophia.

She likes the skirts and wants me to make more for her.  "The fabric is really soft!" She also likes it because she chose how tight she wanted the waistband and length of the skirt.  That's something you can't do when you buy clothes in the store.

With this simple skirt done, she has requested now more complicated, multi-layer skirts.  She brought down examples from her closet.  "Can you make me one like this one?" she asked. 

"We'll have to get a pattern at Joanns that matches what the skirt looks like," I told her. 

That will be the next project...after the kuspuk.

52 Books in 52 Weeks -----Week 19 ----- The Go Giver

After a rather sobering (but incredibly fascinating) book last week for the 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge, I picked out an inspiring story called The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. 

The inside cover summarizes the book well:

The Go-Giver tells the story of an ambitious young man named Joe who yearns for success. Joe is a true go-getter, though sometimes he feels as if the harder and faster he works, the further away his goals seem to be.

And so one day, desperate to land a key sale at the end of a bad quarter, he seeks advice from the enigmatic Pindar, a legendary consultant referred to by his many devotees simply as the Chairman.

Over the next week, Pindar introduces Joe to a series of successful “go-givers”: a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial advisor, a real estate broker and “The Connector,” who brought them all together.

Pindar’s friends share with Joe the Five Laws of Stratospheric Success and teach him how to open himself up to the power of giving.

Joe learns that changing his focus from getting to giving—putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives—ultimately leads to unexpected returns.

Imparted with wit and grace, The Go-Giver is a heartwarming and inspiring tale that brings new relevance to the old proverb “give and you shall receive."

The Go-Giver has its own website with a scrapbook of stories that illustrate how people applied the book's advice to their own life, and - in the process - have positively impacted the lives of many other people in their own family, community, workplace, and world.

At the beginning of the book, there's a section where Joe meets Pindar for the first time, and Pindar explains his core philosophy.  Pindar says, "Please don't misunderstand me.  There's nothing wrong with making money.  Lots of it, in fact.  It's just not a goal that will make you successful....You want to understand success, yes?"

Joe nodded. 

"All right.  I'm going to share my Trade Secret with you now."

Pindar leaned forward a bit and softly spoke one word.  "Giving."

There are several "laws" that Pindar shares with Joe that he must, in turn, act on in some way - either at his place of employment or with friends/family.  They are:

The Law of Value - Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.

The Law of Compensation - Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.

The Law of Influence - Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interests first.

The Law of Authenticity - The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.

The Law of Receptivity - The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving.

One of the chapters talked about the reasons for working.  According to Pindar there "...are three universal reasons for working.  Survive - to meet your basic living needs. Save - to go beyond your basic needs and expand your life. And serve  - to make a contribution to the world around you."

Another section of the book discussed a network:  "Now, by a network I don't necessarily mean your customers or clients.  I mean a network of people who know you, like you, and trust you.  They might never buy a thing from you, but they've always got you in the backs of their minds.  ..... They're people who are personally invested in seeing you succeed.  .... They're your army of personal walking ambassadors."

Source: http://www.kathienelson.com/cat/misc-posts/

Since I am not employed outside the home, I began to question how relevant this story was to my life.  However, about midway through the book, there was a part that said, "These lessons don't apply only to business....A genuinely sound business principle will apply anywhere in your life....That's the true bottom line.  Not whether it simply improves your financial balance sheet, but whether it improves your life's balance sheet."

Another section of The Go-Giver shared an example of a woman who was in the real estate field.  She wasn't closing on many homes, and felt like she didn't have much to offer.  She said, "When I said that my life as a mom and household manager left me with nothing the marketplace wanted, I was wrong.  There was something else I'd learned over those years, and that was how to be a friend.  How to care.  How to make people feel good about themselves.  And that, my friends, is something the marketplace wants very much - always has, always will." 

A good thing to remember was this part of The Go-Giver:  "No matter what your training, no matter what your skills, no matter what area you're in, you are your most important commodity.  The most valuable gift you have to offer is you.  ...As long as you're trying to be someone else...you have no possibility of truly reaching people.  The most valuable thing you have to give people is yourself."

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/patlet/4548886126/

Ultimately, what the message and what all these lessons support is: "...The secret to success...to gaining it, to having it, is to give, give, give.  The secret to getting is giving.  And the secret to giving is making yourself open to receiving."

The Go-Giver doesn't take very long to read (it's only 132 pages). It is a thought-provoking book in that it makes one consider how to be of better service...how to be make a greater contribution...to others (whether through one's time or through financial assistance).  I would definitely recommend this book. 

52 Weeks of Giving - Week 18 - Singing for Seniors

For this week's 52 Weeks of Giving, the girls sang at church (at both services) as well as for seniors at Croixdale (assisted living, memory care, and apartments). 

The children's choir carpooled, so I was able to stay at home and catch up with some things around the home which was nice.  So, I don't have a picture of the girls singing at Croixdale.  However, this is where they sang:

They said they enjoyed singing for the seniors, and also liked seeing the resident parrot, Skipper.

Planning the Gardens

Finally...done with planning the gardens for the upcoming season!  Sophia, Olivia, and I looked through all the vegetable, fruit, and flower garden ideas in my files and books, and now have some ideas for maintaining and expanding the gardens.

About ten or so years ago, this map was made of the property by a graphic designer with whom I worked.  It gives an overview of the layout of the farm and where things are located.

Map of the farm.

Since my computer and graphic design skills are rather limited, I did the garden plans by hand.  The first area - and the one that provides some food for us - is located in section 2 (see map above) right off the driveway and near the home.

Current vegetable garden with plans to expand it this year.

The vegetable garden has four existing raised beds as well as one cold frame.  However, they are all more than ten years old and need repair.  That will be the first priority. 

Once they are repaired and compost is added, these areas will have tomatoes, peppers (green, red, and yellow), beets, leeks, lettuce, and herbs. 

Two of the raised beds have fruit:  raspberries, strawberries, and rhubarb.  I want to add one more rhubarb plant, put a covering over the strawberries, and stake up the raspberries since they are overtaking more than their raised bed space. 

There are four new areas that will be added this year in the vegetable/fruit garden area.  These will include: carrots, tomatoes (cherry, roma/paste, pear-shape, and beefsteak), yellow beans, green beans, cabbage, broccoli, and herbs. 

The herb garden will have a variety of herbs that I commonly cook with:  basil, chives, cilantro, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme.

A couple new things I'd like to try this year are scented geraniums and Signet marigolds.  Both of these items can be used when preparing food.  The geraniums come in a variety of scents and can flavor what you are cooking/baking.  A recipe I have is for scented geranium poundcake.  The Signet variety of marigolds (e.g., lemon gem, tangerine gem) also can be used in recipes such as beverages and baked goods.

Signet marigolds on cheese and crackers.

The other vegetable garden is more of a shady one and is located in Section 3 (see map at top of the post).  The girls and I tried potatoes, beets, and beans there last year after weeding it and transplanting flowers that were it.  Unfortunately, by the middle of the summer the surrounding trees had filled in and shaded most of the garden.

So, the new plan is to focus on plants and edible flowers that can tolerate shade to limited sunlight. 

Plan for a garden that gets some sunlight...but is mostly shady.

Towards the front of the garden will be edible flowers - nasturtiums, marigolds, Johnny jump-ups, pansies, signet marigolds, and violets. 

Behind the flowers will be radishes and lettuce.  On the left side of the garden will be spinach and mint.  The back section is left open if there's additional vegetables that can grow in the shade or if there are some perennial flowers that can be grown there that can be cut and used for arrangements in the home.

This garden will have to have a short fence around it to keep rabbits out of it.  The rabbits seem to think that some of the vegetables and fruit in the gardens are planted just for them. 

Some of the vegetables from one night's harvest

during Summer 2010.

Around the garden area - in an area yet to be determined - we will be growing cucumbers and zucchini.  Last year, we had a bumper crop of cucumbers, but the vines were all over the place.  This year, we're going to use bamboo towers to train the vines to grow up (rather than spread out). 

I thought that we would try potatoes again, but this time use tires (again, growing plants vertically).  However, in doing a bit of research about this method, I decided that purchasing potatoes from an organic farmer at the farmer's market is a better option. Apparently, tires leach petroleum distillates and we grow all the vegetables and fruit organically, so that's not a good option for the girls and me. 

One more area that I've been wanting to do something with is the little arbor that my brother put in many years ago.  It hasn't been used much, and I like to something with it since it is next to the lilacs, a birdhouse, and the nature trail.  It's a quiet area that would be a good spot for reading or relaxing. 

I saw in one of the gardening books the idea of using canning or food jars as miniature herb gardens.  Using wire, you create a hanger for the jar.  I couldn't find a picture on the internet, but I did find this picture which kind of gives a similar idea:

Hanging vases.

Source: http://jenadevents.blogspot.com/2009/03/hanging-vases.html

At one time - over ten years - I had a closed loop trail plowed and leveled (shown in Sections 4-9 in the map at the top of this post).  I would mow it and it provided a wonderfully relaxing walk in the mornings or late afternoons as the sun was setting.  Then...a development was put in next door and now houses overlook this part of the farm.  I stopped mowing the trail and it has now become more wild and bumpy (thanks to gophers).

I thought it might be good to re-visit the trail since a row of pine trees is now growing in quite nicely along the east side of the property (which will hopefully block out the view of the homes eventually).  So, the plan would be to plant more trees along the trail that would provide fall color in shades of red, orange, yellow, and gold.  There are some trees and bayberry bushes out on the trail already which is a good start.

Plan for the closed-loop trail. 

Some trees and items (e.g., benches, bluebird houses)

are already in place.  The items with a * need to be added.

The girls and I are excited about planting the gardens this year, and then being able to enjoy the produce during the summer as well as preserving some of it for use in the winter (either by canning, freezing, or drying it).

Kids Clothes Week Challenge

Finding clothes that fit Sophia properly has been a challenge during the current and past few seasons (spring, winter, fall).  She will be going into 5th grade this summer (we homeschool year-round), and has already had a major growth spurt that has made her too tall/large for fitting into children's clothes.

When Sophia and I have looked at the next size up (juniors), the majority of the clothes are not appropriate for a child to wear.  The necklines are cut way too low, the tops are often too short, the skirts too short, and the pants too long.  It's incredibly difficult to find clothes that are comfortable to wear and reflect the age of the wearer. 

So, when I saw that there's a Kids Clothes Week Challenge (KCWC) on Elsie Marley's site, I thought it would be a great opportunity to make the time to sew some clothes for Sophia.

KCWC is (obviously) a one-week time period where participants commit to sewing for one hour a day for 7 days. The purpose is to sew clothes for children (one's own or other people's kids). 

I'm thinking that it also would be a good week to make at least one item to donate to a child in need.  There are a lot of programs out there that welcome handmade clothes for children (e.g., pillowcase dresses for girls in developing countries, hats for newborns)

Olivia showing a pillowcase dress I made for

Little Dresses for Africa.

The KCWC challenge says that knitting and crocheting are fine as well as pattern making, fabric cutting, and seam ripping.  I think my main focus will be on sewing (rather than on knitting and crocheting) since the weather will be hot in a matter of months. 

The last time I sewed for the girls, I made each of them a dress for their First Communion.  My mother (who made a lot of clothes for my sister, brother, and me when we were children and teenagers) helped guide me in putting in the zippers, making sure the sleeves were done right (and comfortable to wear), and ruffling the skirts and attaching them to the bodice of the dress.  I hand-sewed over 200 clear beads onto each of the dresses to embellish the bottom part of the dress and make them a bit more special for the girls.

Sophia and Olivia in dresses

I made for them.

The next step in the KCWC is determining what items would be most useful and worn during the summer; and picking out patterns and fabric. I've taken a look at the Flickr group that shows clothes that people have made (HERE), and saw some cute ideas.  There were some ideas for "re-inventing" clothes and giving them new purpose (e.g., jeans made into shorts).

Jeans to shorts made with homemade bias tape.

Source: http://www.seamsoflife.com/seams_of_life/2011/05/blue-jeans-to-shorts.html

I'm thinking that it may be good for Sophia and Olivia also to learn how to make something easy - perhaps a skirt - so they can learn some basic clothes-making skills as well.  They could also learn how to do applique on clothes. 

One woman who did the KCWC challenge last year embellished a new top that had become immediately stained with food.  She did some cute applique work that covered the stains so she didn't have to throw out the shirt. 

Applique shirt that was made to cover stains on a shirt

so it could be worn and not thrown away.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28868951@N06/4610976425/

As the KCWC website says, "A lot can happen in a week if you put in a little time each day. And with hundreds of people sewing along with you and cheering you on, well, you can't help but make great stuff!" 

Outdoor Hour Challenge Spring Series #2 Weather Observations

This week was a good one to do the Outdoor Hour Challenge's Spring Series #2 Spring Weather Observation since there has been a variety of weather:  warm (in the 60s) and cold (in the 30s); rainy, snowy, and no precipitation; and windy and calm. 

As with other posts:

Bold Typeface - is from the Handbook of Nature Study website where the Outdoor Hour Challenges are found.
Italic Typeface - is used for quotes from The Handbook of Nature Study book.
Regular Typeface - reflects my words.

Inside Preparation Work:


Read pages 851-854 in the Handbook of Nature Study. This section is not exactly about weather, but it ties in nicely with some springtime observations of the sun and its path. You might like to construct the Shadow Stick (page 852 #13) and make observations over the next few weeks and months with your children.

We ended up not doing this because for the majority of the week the weather has not been sunny.  However, it does sound like it would be interesting to do, so we will revisit making a shadow stick during the summer when there are more sunny days.

At the very least, look up your sunrise and sunset times to calculate how much daylight you have now that it is spring in your area.

There's an interesting website that will create calendars with different information that you want that relates to the times of sunrises, sunsets, moonrises, and moonsets as well as other items that you can select for a personal calendar.  We found it interesting to compare the length of daylight and how much it had increased over a period of one month (1 hour and 27 minutes for our town). 

Look in the section "The Relations of the Sun to the Earth" for this week's reading.

Outdoor Hour Time:


Your Outdoor Hour time this week can be spent making observations about the weather. Enjoy whatever spring weather you are currently experiencing and spend 15 minutes outside looking at the sky, clouds, wind in the trees, dew on the grass, mud puddles after a rain, or whatever else you can experience in your part of the world.

Bailey (the pony) joined Sophia, Olivia, and I

on our nature walk this week.

A few things that we observed on our nature walk that didn't relate to weather or clouds were: (1) a robin sitting on her nest; (2) male and female pussy willow plants growing near the pond; and (3) perennials growing in the garden.

A robin sitting in her nest in the oak tree.

I was able to see her build part of her nest

when I was on another nature walk.

The other thing we noticed is that the male pussy willows have moved from the catkin to the pollen stage, and now onto yet another stage. 

Male pussy willow that has been through the

catkin and pollen stages. It's in a third stage now.

In willow trees, male catkins grow on one tree, and different-looking female catkins grow on another.

Female pussy willow. 

The plant has more delicate leaves and

doesn't produce the catkins (as does the male pussy willow).

According to the Naturalist's Almanac, "When bees first start looking for food in the spring, they head straight for the willow trees because willows are among the earliest pollen and nectar producers. The hungry bees gather some pollen from the male trees and then visit the female trees for nectar. The bees pollinate the willows unwittingly while they themselves are gathering food."

After we were done with the walk, we took a quick look at the garden to see how the perennials are coming along.  The rhubarb has grown quite a bit in a few days.

The rhubarb is growing quickly. 

The raspberries are growing leaves (both the cultivated domestic kind as well as the wild kind), the strawberries are coming up, and the catnip had plenty of leaves so the girls could both pick some of it for the cats to enjoy.

Olivia picking catnip for the cats to enjoy (which they did!).

Suggested Observations


Have your children describe any clouds they see in the sky.

These clouds were moving in from the west.  The girls described the clouds as "white" and "fluffy."  They noticed that the entire sky was not covered, and that the blue sky was showing (quite a change from the morning sky which was completely overcast, gray, and very dismal as it rained heavily for most of the day).

A bright sky and bright, white clouds

moving over the farm from the west.

Notice how hard the wind is blowing by how things are moving: leaves rustling, trees bending, etc.

There were little ripples in the pond, but the trees were not moving much.  There have been much stronger (and scarier) winds here...this one was a pleasant, mild one.

There was a slight breeze, but it was warm enough

so the girls quickly took off their jackets.  

Notice the wind’s direction. Where is it coming from?

The girls faced in the direction that the wind was blowing, and determined it was coming from the south. 

The girls and Bailey are walking towards the

south part of the pasture.  Notice the puddles...there's

quite a bit of standing water after a day of heavy rain.

Describe the temperature of the air and/or look it up on a thermometer.

It was 54 degrees around 4:15-4:30 p.m.  It was comfortable weather to be outside and do a nature study.  However, it was about 11 degrees colder than yesterday afternoon at about the same time.

54 degrees means no coats and

almost "shorts weather" in Minnesota.

Notice any precipitation that you may have this week: sprinkles, rain, mist, sleet, snow, fog, hail.

There's been quite a bit of precipitation this week: sprinkles, rain, sleet, and snow.  The pond has fluctuated a bit with its depth and size, but seems to be of some depth which is nice.  There were two ducks swimming in the pond in the late-afternoon.  This is a special treat because the pond usually isn't that deep for waterfowl to swim in - even at this time of the year.

The girls standing in one of the many puddles in the pasture. 

The water in the puddles is quite murky. It may be because

the grass hasn't grown in much yet and

there's quite a bit of dirt showing still.

As we were exploring the pond area, a sudden movement on the ground startled us.  We looked down to spot a frog.  It let us look at it for a rather long time before hopping off to the southwest pasture.

Northern Leopard Frog by the pond in pasture.

We were surprised at how large this frog is - many of the ones that we see here are rather small (an inch or two in length).  They can grow to be 2"-3.5".

According to the Minnesota DNR site, "The leopard frog is called that because it is spotted, like a leopard. This was once the most widespread frog species in North America. But since the 1960s, its population here and throughout the United States has declined."

The DNR site continues, "Minnesota's leopard frog has been on a steady decline since the 1960s. Red-leg disease, pollution, pesticides and the loss of wetlands and other habitat are the main reasons. Leopard frogs are harvested for bait and for use in biology laboratories."

If you made a Shadow Stick, make sure you spend one day marking the board every half hour from 9 AM to 3 PM. This experiment will need to be repeated again in June, September, and December if possible. (see page 852 #13)

We didn't make a shadow stick because almost every day this week it seems like it has been either raining, sleeting, or a raining/snowing combination. We will make one to use in June, September, December, and March.

Follow-Up Activity:


Be sure to complete your Seasonal Weather notebook page. If you completed previous weather notebook pages, pull those out and compare the scenes you recorded in Autumn and/or Winter. Note that your days should be getting longer and any other differences you can find between the observations made in the past and now.

The girls and I each did an entry in our nature journals.  In addition to what is shown below, each journal will include at least a couple of photographs from today's nature study to add a different visual element to the entry as well as bring back memories of the time spent outside together learning about nature.

Olivia's nature journal.

Sophia's nature journal.

Sophia also did a second page in her journal listing some of the things she saw and heard during her time outside. 

Sophia's list of things she saw and heard.

Some of the 26 items on her list included: green grass, mushrooms, moss, a bird house, a baby pine tree,bird calls, the dogs, the sun, and chimes. 

My journal entry.

Extra Information on Clouds


If you observed any clouds, you might like to download this lesson plan and cloud identifier activity for your children. This is a handy tool to use in cloud identification.

A few minutes before we started to head indoors,

the sun began to shine and try to move from behind the clouds.

Another view of the clouds - a bit more

to the northwest than the previous picture.