Here’s a very cute idea from a tip in the Good Housekeeping’s Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries, 1922. You could easily adapt this using a child’s quilt and the cloth books for infant’s that are readily available today.

A CHILD’S BEDSPREAD
A spread that will help entertain a sick child can be made of blue galatea or solid-colored gingham. Make the spread any desired size; then pull apart the pages of a linen story book and stitch these on the spread, leaving spaces between the various pages. I have known a child to be entertained for an hour at a time with this spread.
Mrs. C. P.B. Tex.

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Today’s post in Grandmother’s Patternbook – Slippers for Him – crochet

Today’s post in Grandmother Wren’s Pantry – Boil that Cabbage!

Today’s post in Thrifty Creativity – Welcome Spring with Pussy Willow Notecards

Outside my window… a warm/cool, sun/clouds, spring/late winter sort of day

I am thinking… about something Russ said earlier. He wants to go with me to church on Sunday, he wants me to follow through on my plans to join in the pot-luck dinner. I would like that very much.

I am thankful for… Maya and her happiness that shines with such ease.

From the learning rooms… Maya enrolled in kindergarten for the next school year on Friday of last week. Looking over the paperwork, I see that she has already accomplished the learning skills she is expected to start school with. (way to go, kid!) We will be focusing our attention on nature study for spring and summer.

From the kitchen… Corned beef and cabbage, carrots and boiled potatoes for St. Patrick’s day. We’re a day early because Maya will be visiting her Daddy tomorrow and having dinner with him.

I do most sincerely regret the pungent odor of cooked cabbage that I smell in the entryway outside our door. Maybe our neighbors also plan on cooking cabbage for St. Patrick’s day so they won’t notice? Maybe next year I should cook enough to share to make up for the aroma?

I am wearing… pajamas and my poncho. I’m late again…

I am creating… Over the weekend I discovered that if I substitute yarn for crochet thread and alter the needle size, I can adapt almost any Barbie doll pattern to fit the Terri Lee dolls.
I’m off and running!

I am going… Back to the doctor’s tomorrow where I can happily report that the new meds already are working very well after only one month.
So…
this visit I’m ready to ask the hard questions – like What is it that I’m dealing with, exactly? I’m not sure there is an exact answer to that – from what I’ve read and been told, autoimmune and connective tissue disorders overlap a lot and are difficult to pin down.
What’s likely to happen next? What are the best actions for me to take to give me the best outcome? Another question without a sure answer, I know -
What I want is an Educated Guess.

I am reading… Happy Jack by Thornton Burgess to Miss Maya.

I am hoping… that Spring is truly here to stay.

I am hearing… the news on TV, but not the dishwasher. That reminds me…

Around the house… it is time for Spring Cleaning!

One of my favorite things… Walking with a Dog.

The condos on one side of us and the apartment complex on the other side both allow dogs. Ours does not. I hear and see the number of foolish little dogs that live in both of those communities and it reminds me why I don’t really want to live in a building that allows dogs. (okay, not one that allows other people to have dogs. I don’t think I’m likely to find a building that lets only me own a dog. Unless I go blind)

So what I’m thinking…
I might put a notice on the mailbox shelter (there are always notices of some sort on the malbox shelters) offering to walk someone’s dog a couple of times a week.
Someone’s nice dog that does not bite small children.
I don’t want to be paid because I don’t want to have any sort of schedule. I just want to walk the dog.
Any takers for this?
Hard to say….
It’s certainly no more odd than the notice asking if anyone had a VCR because someone wanted to watch a video and only had a DVD player…

A few plans for the rest of the week: another long ramble through the park with Maya and Grampy; a music and dance program at the library;  I should go grocery shopping; I’d like to visit my parents.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

hard to believe that the First Day of School will be here at the end of August. Where did that baby go???

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today’s post in Grandmother’s Patternbook – an Irish crochet jabot for St. Patrick’s day

today’s post in Grandmother Wren’s pantry – Corned beef and slaw salad (still fooling around with the gelatin cookbook – now this is an Unfortunate Food !)

today’s post on Thrifty Creativity – a St. Patrick’s Day brunch menu and recipes (it’s a bit heavy handed with the booze, but then again, if you plan to include the corned slaw thing, you’re going to need to do some drinking)

From Thrifty Fun -

- A Hanging Leprechaun for your front door

Family Fun has

- Leprechaun Traps

From Jan Brett

 ~ Saint Patrick’s Rainbow Coloring Page

~ Hedgie Leprechaun Coloring Page

~ Saint Patrick’s Day Coloring Placemat

~ Saint Patrick’s Day Email Postcards

~Leprechan takes a Hedgie Ride Coloring Page

~Bookmarks for Saint Patrick’s Day

From About.com

- a beautiful mini scene from a mint tin – free printables!

1. Vermont Maple Syrup – Vermont AITC K-8 Standards-Based Maple Unit - a K-8 standards-based unit on “Maple Sugaring in Vermont”. This unit is divided into two sections, Grades K-4 and Grades 5-8. Every activity in each section is aligned to the Vermont Framework of Standards and corresponds with the 4-H Life Skills.
You can download the entire curriculum, free of charge, from the AITC website

2. How Maple Syrup is made in Connecticut

3. An Iroquois Legend – How Maple Syrup May Have Been Discovered

4. A Guide to Maple Tree health

5. Virtual Tours through the process of producing Maple Syrup

6. Maple Recipes

7. Maple Syrup production for the hobbyist

8. A unit on Maple Syrup, developed by elementary school teachers for classroom use

9. Environmental Education for Kids (EEK!) Those Marvelous Maples

10. Science project – Maple Syrup Candy

11. Another Maple Syrup Production lesson plan

12. Maple Syrup Printables – free Worksheets and Coloring pages at About.com

13. Maya’s visit to the Maple Farm

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Grandmother’s Other Blogs

Today’s post in Grandmother’s Patternbook - 13 Free Pattern Resources from around the web

Today’s Post in Grandmother Wren’s Pantry – Retro Kitchens and other cool stuff – links for my new blogroll

Today’s Post on Thrifty Creativity – A collection of Free Rug Patterns from around the web

Chameleon from Coffee Break Today.com came to visit my Daybook on Monday and had this wonderful response to the picture of Maya and Grampy busily working with stencils:

Chameleon said

“Oh, my gosh, is that kitchen table one of the old enameled metal tables? I grew up with one of those in my grandmother’s kitchen…”

Let me tell you about my table, the table that has now taken its place in my kitchen.

It is indeed one of those old enamel top tables, with two sliding leaves along each long side and a drawer for storing utensils.

Like Chameleon, I grew up with this table in my grandparent’s kitchen. My mother came from a large family, when we all came together for a meal we would use the large table in the dining room – but for everyday use, this was the table.

After my grandmother passed away, my grandfather continued to live alone in that big house. Most of his time he spent in the kitchen, reading and watching TV in the evening on a lounge chair placed between the refrigerator and the wood burning cookstove, across the room from this table.

My mother and her sisters took turns each week making dinner for their father. Thursday was my mother’s dinner day. Every Thursday, when my father came home from work, my mother would pack our family’s dinner (and us) into the car and we would drive to my grandfather’s house to share a meal with him.

At this table.

Reflecting on Chameleon’s comment, I realized again just how far in our family’s life this table has travelled.

My granddaughter Maya now happily sits and eats her meals, or plays with her playdoh; bakes with Grammy or works on projects with Grampy – all at the same table her grandmother and her great grandmother once sat.

Her great great grandmother’s table.

Thank you, Chameleon, for helping me to remember. Let’s all go over to Chameleon’s place and have a cup of coffee there.