Monday Message

One of the things I'm trying to learn and add to my skill set is my Toyota knitting machine.

“Church members are responsible for their own spiritual and temporal well-being.....To help care for themselves and their families, members should build a three-month supply of food that is part of their normal diet. Where local laws and circumstances permit, they should gradually build a longer-term supply of basic foods that will sustain life. They should also store drinking water in case the water supply becomes polluted or disrupted." (LDS Church Handbook 2, Section 6.1.1)

http://foodstoragemoms.com/2015/10/quick-and-easy-muffins-made-from-scratch/ - muffins, I am a muffin person. I love bakery style muffins.

http://www.livingonadime.com/inexpensive-halloween-costumes/ - here are a few inexpensive ideas for costumes. When my kids would be trying to decide a costume for Halloween we would go to goodwill and find what we could in the limited dollar amount. They had fun... got those creative juices flowing!

http://basichomemakingskills.com/chores - I thought this was a pretty good list of chores and ages. Are we teaching life skills? Are we learning skills?

How I teach myself…

I will use tatting as one of the things I wanted to learn.

What is needed to do this?

I went to freecycle to ask if anyone had tatting supplies as a list of things needed were not in my budget. I got one response and the supplies I now have are thanks to someone who is no longer tatting. If it is in your budget you can just get from the store.

Find someone who could show me, that someone was my wonderful mother-in-law. She got me familiar with how to start.

Research. I cannot tell you how important this is. I read everything I could get my hands on but still I needed more.

I looked at terminology on the internet.
I found free patterns on the internet too.
I found a free online class (this is still on going for me).
I found YouTube videos for just about every technique, some were not too helpful but many were extremely helpful.
Practice a lot of this.
I kept a learning journal that I can add too and can see my progress.

I am still learning. It is getting easier to understand. I can look at a picture and almost tell what is in the pattern.

I learn when I can and I try to find time when I can’t but I continue to learn.

I am just using my approach to learning by myself. I find that I can understand most of the abbreviations.

I have several things going that I am trying to learn…how to weave on a floor loom, I can tell you I am learning and can tell you it all has it’s own language!!!

I am trying to learn a Toyota knitting machine I got from a yard sale. I took a few classes but was starting to get fibromyalgia and she had me learn on a brother machine where she knew the difference but it only confused me. So I have a set of books that I got with the machine that are written for rural people who did not have access to teachers. So I am using those and more research is needed.

I am not telling you this because I think we all need to do the same but just to show you how I go about learning and to show that you can learn everyday and it does not have to be expensive

http://shwinandshwin.com/2010/10/girls-cuts.html this is excellent

http://shwinandshwin.com/2010/10/boys-cuts.html most helpful

http://shwinandshwin.com/2011/03/resizing-polo.html be thinking about dad's old shirts
http://shwinandshwin.com/product/baby-ringer - free onsie pattern

http://imgur.com/a/p36rk I suggest printing off the jumping car directions and put with your jumper cables and in your trunk.

http://readywisconsin.wi.gov/winter/HowToMakeAKit.asp - while you are at it get those winter kits made and in your trunk.

http://toteachwhatisgood.com/?p=416 here are some skills and my favorite scripture.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/wheat-and-wheat-grinding-101-the-wheat-types-where-to-buy-and-what-to-make/ my favorite wheat is white wheat

Keep working on your goal to be actively building your food storage. Send me a list of skills you are working on or would like to build, I love hearing what you are doing.