A Little Woman

And the fact of the matter is that being on a budget is nothing to be ashamed of: Having parameters helps edit the overwhelming number of choices out there, and economy often begets creativity. My most inventive friends are the ones who go junking (usually with strict self-imposed spending limits-"nothing over twenty dollars"), or who are true do-it-yourselfers and avid recyclers, or who live away from the lure of big-city stores and have to be more resourceful. They are creating the trends instead of following them, and fashioning highly personal enviroments that you won't find on the pages of every catalog or on the floor of every showroom.
-Jill Kirchner Simpson Mary Emmerlings Smart Decorating

Hanna's skirt is made out of a dress I wore to a wedding. The top didn't fit Hanna any more, so mom took it off and made an elastic waist band.
http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/2008/06/quick-skirt-for-bella.html

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We made these cupcakes with a recipe from Country Home. They are decorated with jelly beans and chinese noodles. Yum!

Purim started on Monday March 9th this year. To celebrate Purim, we made Hamantashen, Jewish cookies made for Purim. Then, that evening (after sundown, Mom read the story of Ester. Every time she said the name Hamon, we would yell and clap and try to blot it out!

Here is a recipe with a story:
http://www.highlightskids.com/Stories/Fiction/F0399_grandmasNickel.asp

Here is the recipe we used. We made the poppy seed filling.

Favorite Hamantashen Cookie Dough and Fillings
Yield: about 5 dozen

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 4 cups flour (approximately)

PRUNE FILLING:
• 1 lb prunes, stewed 10 minutes, pitted & chopped
• 1 cup raisins, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juice & rind
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp honey

POPPY SEED FILLING:
• 1/2 lb poppy seeds
• 4 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp sugar
• juice of 1/2 lemon

HAMANTASCHEN: Combine the ingredients in the order given, using enough flour to make a soft dough which is not sticky Let stand 15 minutes. Divide dough into 4 parts. Roll to 1/4" thickness on a floured board. Cut in 4" circles. Place a tsp of desired filling in the center of each circle. Form triangles by folding the sides in towards the middle. Brush with beaten egg. Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

"Did you ever think how
a bit of land shows
the character
of the owner?"
-Laura Ingalls Wilder

"During my first spring here, I wheelbarrowed in
rhododendrons and three beehives, because you can't live
without rhododendrons or honey, can you?"
-Tasha Tudor Tasha Tudor's Garden by Tovah Martin

We are working on quilting at craft club.

Hunter is making a doll blanket...

...and so is Hannah.

I am making hot pads.

It was Hannah's birthday, so I made a vanilla cake for craft club. It was really good. I got the recipe from:
http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/2009/02/vanilla-cake-again.html

I filled the middle with strawberry freezer jam and frosted it with vanilla butter cream frosting with chocolate chips.

Tuesday was the one hundreth day of school. We made a snack. Each person (mom and dad included) picked a snack and counted out one hundred of it. That is our math lesson for the day. This year we counted them out on Monday night since Tuesday is such a busy day.