Teenage Girls

I am the mother of a teenage girl. I didn't realize that I was that old that I forgot what it was like to be a teenager, but then again, times were different then. Bullying didn't exist like it does now. And certainly not in so many different ways. I guess I don't remember wanting so desperately trying to fit in that I would do things that are not necessarily the right thing to do. I thought that we raised a bright, intelligent, strong girl with strong Christian values. And we did, but we didn't realize that there is no self-confidence and that is what is needed in order to hold your own in this world of bullies and mean girls.

Trying to build confidence is like trying to swim across a crocodile infested pool.  It is a lot harder than it seems.  I am not sure that by repeatedly telling her that what she does is good and trying to build up her confidence that way is working.   Especially when she keeps on feeling that what she is doing is not good enough.  Especially when it comes to schoolwork.  Nothing less than an A is really good enough and even though we keep telling her that getting a B or a C is okay, she doesn't accept it.  She is really hard on herself, and when it is extremely hard for her to get A's, it makes it tougher.  I don't want to build up confidence by telling her she is beautiful (which she is) because I am not sure that is the right message to send.  So we are trying to build up confidence by listening to what she has to say, acknowledging what she says, and either agree with what she says or gently (tough word to actually do) telling her what is right and wrong.  In some ways she is still a child trying to navigate her way in a grown up world, dealing with self-confidence issues, and still come out ahead of the game.  I feel as long as we keep encouraging her, keep teaching her the word and keep being there for her that she will become a strong confident young woman.

The Double Crochet

If I thought the double half crochet was frustrating, then why did it take me so long to get the double crochet (dc) correct?  I hope I am doing it correctly because it certainly doesn't look like the pictures in the books that I am learning from.

I just don' think this is the double crochet.  But I am going to try master the treble crochet next and I will be comparing what they look like together.  Maybe then I can say that this one is the double crochet.

Mastering the Double Half Crochet

This has got to be, for me, a very frustrating stitch.  I am not sure I am doing it right.  The pictures that I have looked at in the books look very confusing.  I have the turning chains down pretty good, and also the single stitch, maybe I need to make the sample bigger.  In patterns it will be abbreviated “hdc”.  There will be a lot of memorizing for me, but after a while, I think I will get it down.  Just like anything else. 

I think that I have done this stitch sample about 3 times, ripping out after each time because it wasn’t right.

Below is my final sample.  I think I finally got it right, it looks so much better.

Beginning Crochet

Well, I think that I have mastered the chain stitch.  I have even gotten pretty good on turns.  This is my small swatch and the edges look pretty even.  The only thing that is hard to do is count stitches!  It was so hard to do because my stitches are a little on the tight side.  I have tried to make them looser, but I think the yarn has something to do with it.  Maybe a more thread count yarn would make a more looser stitch.  I am not sure if a fluffier yarn would make a more looser stitch, I think that it would make it more harder to see the stitches.

I am now going to try the half double crochet (abbreviated hdc).  I forgot to say that the single crochet is abbreviated "sc".  I guess it makes it easier in the directions, instead of writing out the words "single crochet" in a pattern to write down "sc", and the directions would be shorter.  

Beginning Crocheting

I am going to start learning how to crochet.  Actually, I am going to re-learn the art of crochet.  I was taught by my grandmother eons ago, but I chose to do needlework instead.  I felt, at that time, that it was more creative.  Little did I know that both are forms of art and both are very creative.  I need to do this because my daughter wants to learn.  She was taught a few stitches by my mother, then she forgot about it.  Now she wants to pick it up.  It would be very easy to have my mother teach her, but my mother lives 3 hours away and we don't go there as often as we would like to.  So, that means that I have to learn to be able to teach her.  My mother did buy her some books on crochet plus some needles and some thread. 

I went out and bought my own thread so that I could show her and wouldn't have to rip out the sample for her to try.

Now there are many different hook sizes, but after reading through the crochet book and looking at the paper sleeve that the yarn was wrapped in, I noticed that the needles have sizes on them in the middle where the flat area is.  It is also stated on the paper sleeve.

If you notice, the paper sleeve will also say "worsted" - 4.  Which I think means how many threads twist together to form one yarn.   (I did take the yarn apart and there were 4 threads.)  This particular brand of thread does not specifically say 4 ply, that is why I came to the conclusion that is what worsted meant.

Now I am not a professional, so some of my words may not be exactly the correct ones.  

This is my slip knot. 

After looking at the pictures in the book, which for me were very confusing, I remembered how to make a slip knot and then I showed my daughter.  It just seems so much easier than what the book described.

This is my Chain Stitch.  Not bad.  But of course I kept ripping it out and starting all over again to make sure that I knew how to chain correctly.  Then I tried to do a turning chain to make another row of chain stitches.  

 This one did not turn out correctly.  The turning chain was more of a round chain stitch and was not what I wanted.  Back to the drawing board.

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day

I made this cake for my husband’s birthday because it falls around St. Patrick’s Day and this cake has green in it, plus mint. I love mint candies, so I thought this would be perfect. I have been sitting on this recipe just waiting for the right time to try it, and I finally tried it. If you like mint and chocolate, then this recipe is good for you. I will tell you that it is even better the second day, if it lasts that long. 
 I found it in the Betty Crocker Super Moist Cakes® book back in 2008. (That’s how long this recipe has been sitting in my house.) I was almost ready to throw out the cookbook, well actually, give it to Goodwill ®, when I looked through it one more time. This cake was on the cover of the book, which is why I probably bought the book in the first place. The recipe is as follows:

                                                             Grasshopper Fudge Cake 

 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist®white cake mix 

1 ¼ cups water 

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons mint extract 

3 egg whites 

12 drops green food color 

2 jars (16 oz. each) hot fudge topping 

1 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed 

5 drops yellow food color 

Thin retangular crème de menthe chocolate candies, unwrapped and cut into pieces, if desired. 

 1. Heat oven to 350º F for shiny metal or glass pan (or 325ºF for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13 x 9 inch pan with baking spray with flour 

2. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil, 1 ½ teaspoons of the mint extract and the egg whites. Reserve 1 cup batter. Stir 3 drops of the green food color into reserved batter; set aside. Pour remaining batter into pain. 

3. Drop green batter by generous tablespoonfuls randomly in 12 to 14 mounds onto batter in pan. Cut through batters with metal spatula or knife in S-shaped curves in one continuous motion. Turn pan ¼ turn; repeat cutting for swirled design. (I used a toothpick).

4. Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour. 

5. Carefully spread fudge topping evenly over cake. In medium bowl, stir whipped topping, remaining ½ teaspoon extract, remaining 9 drops green food color and the yellow food color until blended. Spread whipped topping mixture evenly over fudge. Garnish with candy pieces. Store covered in refrigerator.

Junior High School Years

As a parent you want to protect your children the best way you know how. You tell them the stove is hot before they touch it, you tell them to not run out in the street, to look both ways before crossing, that the internet/social media (at this age) is not good for them, you teach them right from wrong. And you feel that you have done your job. But what about the other parents out there, do you know what they have done to teach their children? Why I am asking is because what makes a bully? Our typical ideas of bullies are the tough guys from 1950's with the slicked hair and a cigarette hanging from their lips, demanding lunch money from the weaker boys. Can we say they come from a blue collar family or a family that has family members that have gone to prison, or families that are constantly fighting? We can't put a label on what a bully looks like anymore. A bully could actually be your child's best friend, or a friend that they hang out in a group with. It could be someone on the internet. It could be someone who goes to church every week and has an innocent looking face. And what about the children who are being bullied? What do they look like? Do they look like the computer geek/nerd, someone with a disability, or just a normal looking child with self-esteem issues? There is no mold for bullies or for the children being bullied. I know this because my daughter is being bullied and the girls who are the "bulliers" are just normal looking girls. The school says it will talk to the girls who have bullied my daughter. My question to the school, is okay you will speak to them, but will it stop? Will she feel safe enough to go back to school? Will WE feel safe enough to let her go back to school. There is no internet/social media/texting between the girls and my daughter because she isn't allowed to get on those sites, nor does she have a phone, so that part is okay. But just because the school has a talk with the bulliers; they might stop for a while until they feel that it is safe, then they can start up again. So when the school called the second time about my daughter being bullied, the decision was made. We decided to pull her out because the school system could not protect our daughter. They can not protect her 24 hours a day, nor the complete time she is in school, during recess or lunch. They can't put a guard next to her so no one will bully her; that is much more damaging I believe to the child. So we are now homeschooling our daughter. She loves school, so she misses it but we felt it was the best decision at the time. Homeschool IEP Move to another school Stay in present school