Friday, August 24, 2012

Scattered thoughts from a busy week

Are "quick takes" for Fridays?  If not, I'll still use the concept as an excuse for scattered thoughts...


1.  Our family tried St. Louis Catholic's recipe for French dip sandwiches (see the comments section of this post), and yes-- it's THE recipe!  Incredible flavor. My husband loved it; I loved it; and it was unbelievably simple to make in my slow cooker...  Thank you, Mrs. Timman!!  This meal is going on our regular schedule.

2.  Lately naps have scarcely overlapped at all, so I've had very little free time during the day-- although I'll admit that I've been carving out an early-morning coffee hour by letting the girls hang out in their cribs a bit longer before breakfast.  (So long as they're not crying...!?)

3.  With my toddler, I've fallen into an unfortunate habit of using videos as a distraction during diaper changes and her baby sister's pre-nap feeding/rocking session.  True, she watches (what I consider to be) good stuff: excerpts from The Nutcracker ballet, orchestras playing classical music, scenes from Disney's Cinderella, a half-hour alphabet video from Sesame Street...  But I can see that video is becoming an addiction for her, as she's constantly requesting it outside of the normal times.

4. With regard to the above, I'm beginning to create my own short videos of the toddler's books-- sort of a virtual storytime.  With the camera zoomed in close to the page, I read, point out fun bits of illustration ("Do you see the puppydog?" etc.)...  While of course this can't possibly replace actual storytime, I figure that this sort of video has to be a cut above Cinderella!  Especially if our toddler has the books, too, in her hands, so that she could potentially follow along... Again, not ideal-- but perhaps a slight improvement.

5. One final thought:  Our seven-month-old does better push-ups than I do.

Have a great weekend!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Your Neighborhood, 100 Years Ago

Have you ever wished that you could step back in time-- just for a moment-- to experience your neighborhood as it was long ago?

Photographs offer a glimpse, of course; but while photographs convey the look and feel of a place, they usually don't reveal the area's layout.  For example, if you lived in this spot 100 years ago, where would you shop?  What might you do in your spare time?  What sources of light and heat were available? Sanborn maps-- detailed city and town records maintained by the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company-- can help you to visualize a neighborhood at this level, as they show and label individual shops, residences, churches, and other community resources.

And now, these addictive maps are online!!  (When I first encountered Sanborn maps in grad school, one had to go to the city library and page through them, physically.  It was fun, but also a lot of trouble.)

For example, I'll link you to the following images at the University of Missouri:

... Old St. Patrick Oratory (Kansas City, MO) in 1896
Zoom in, and find surrounding hotels, offices, dwellings (coded "D"), shops ("S"), the public library, the YMCA, a laundry, a drugstore...

... St. Francis De Sales Oratory (St. Louis, MO) in 1909
You'll see nearby tenements, flats ("F"), movie theaters ("moving pictures"), pool rooms, saloons (abbreviated "sal"), a laundry, etc.


Kansas residents can find many of their maps here, at the University of Kansas Libraries.

Whatever your city/state, be sure-- if you're interested--to check the online resources of your public library!  Many county libraries have begun to offer digital access to their local maps... Keep in mind, too, that the Sanborn Company began these records in 1867 and updated them throughout the 20th century, so many different editions may be available to you.  If your local library offers only maps dating from 1920- 1930, for example, look at the holdings of your area academic library-- there could very well be more!

Wouldn't this research make an interesting homeschool project in History?!

PS:  Here's a helpful key to common Sanborn map abbreviations (University of Michigan).

Monday, August 6, 2012

Snood sighting!

Chances are you're already well acquainted with Regina Coeli Creations, Delena's online shop specializing in pretty, Mass-appropriate headcoverings. However, if not-- or if you haven't been there recently-- check out the cuteness (and feminine dignity, of course!):

In case you missed it, Delena's also offering 15% off your next purchase.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Jacob's Toy Box

Christine, a local Catholic homeschooling mother of six, has opened an online store for her beautiful handmade dolls and other toys.   I find the dolls especially enchanting:  they have that old-fashioned, Laura-Ingalls-Wilder appeal that makes a mom feel so good about her daughter's delight in them!


The store's name-- Jacob's Toy Box-- has bittersweet significance.  On the accompanying blog, Christine writes:

This spring I was anxiously awaiting the birth of our 7th child, Jacob.  For each of my children I have made a special blanket or quilt before s/he was born.  While at the fabric store getting material for Jacob's blanket, I saw a pattern for a stuffed animal and decided to make one for my soon to be born son, Jacob.  The stuffed animal turned out adorable.
      

Tragedy struck June 2, 2012.  Jacob died at 32 weeks gestation.  The doctors don't know what happened.
      

While grieving for our son, I needed a way to honor and remember him.  I thought of the joy I had sewing the stuffed animal for him and decided to start the business Jacob's Toy Box...   [source]

Please pay her a visit.  Her creations are simply beautiful!!