lists

I'm supposed to be, you know, getting stuff done while the ziti bakes itself (actually it's penne - the recipe called for any tubular pasta. Bee, I expect you can describe the difference between penne & ziti? Merely size? Some obscure qualities?) but instead I'm going to make a list, because apparently it's List Friday and I can't resist bandwagons.

Crafts...

-I went to a Waldorfy school where we learned to knit, amongst other things. Remarkable projects included a stuffed cat with an exceedingly long tail, a case for my sewing needles (only I think that wasn't knitted - I recall stitching and using cardboard) and other sundries.

-We sanded our own knitting needles out of dowel rods. I think.

-During storytime we sat with beeswax in our hands, warming it, and then modeling it into figures from the story.

The only drawing I've ever really enjoyed was when we'd watch our teacher do a watercolor and then copy the figures. The smell of the paints takes me back to standing in line to wet our sponges.

-Every Valentine's Day for several years, we threw a party with all the usuals - a heart-shaped cake with pink frosting, ditto cookies, tea, tiny sandwiches, punch, etc. But the pinnacle of the event was, of course, the actual Valentines (especially the year that my brother ate too much and distributed pink vomit over the table). My sister and I would spend weeks ahead of time carefully creating cards out of construction paper, paper doilies, glue, and gold & silver pens. Then we would construct our mailboxes with a hole at the top, similarly festooned. Our friends would come over in their frilliest outfits and we'd eat and drop Valentines in each other's boxes.

-Bronwen & I once created a very authentic medieval castle in 6th grade. We even used salt on the walls for a realistic gritty feel. It took forever.