Celtic Tree Zodiac Sign

1. December 24 - January 20: Birch - a sweater
2. January 21 - February 17: Rowan - A shawl 
3. February 18 - March 17: Ash - I love this one and think I may make a few of them. Leaf Dshcloth
4. March 18 - April 14: Alder - Leg Warmers
5. April 15 - May 12: Willow - a shrug 
6. May 13 - June 9: Hawthorn - cowl
7. June 10 - July 7: Oak - Shawlette
8. July 8 - August 4: Holly - Wine Bottle Topper
9. August 5 - September 1: Hazel - a wrap
10. September 2 - September 29: Vine - a baby blanket
11. September 30 - October 27: Ivy - a wrap, lacy and pretty. It is a pdf
12. October 28 - November 24: Reed - a cabled sweater, for men or women
13. November 25 - December 23: Elder - a cushion or pillow cover

Easter Weekend 2016

Friday, I took the girls and we went up to the Amish area of Ohio. We went to Troyer's Home Bakery and got some sugar free pies for Easter weekend. We went to Navarre, OH to see my husband's great aunt. We went to Shearer's Factory outlet to get some pretzels, chips, etc. We went to Coblentz Chocolate Factory, yum. Then to Walnut Creek Cheese store (which is more store than just cheese). My husband questioned whether I would be able to go there by myself with just the girls. I reminded him that I had been up there a lot without him before we had been married. It was just more fun to go with him as we have found more places and things to do up there, together. I have led him places he hadn't been to before and he took me places I didn't know about. We have fun up there and the girls just go along for the ride. But this time, I demanded that they pay attention and follow directions and help us get from place to place. Their favorite place was the Chocolate Factory. They don't remember going there before, but we have taken them there a few times. It was a good trip and now today, I have to get my food stuffs ready for tomorrow and the house ready and get the gifts for the girls grandfather, cousin and one aunt. It isn't much, but it is something just for them.

I haven't worked much on the emails recently, because of just trying to get other things finished, but I do have so much more going on and can't wait for girls to have some time off from school. They want a few field trips and there are places we can go this week, that will be fun. But I think some things would be better after the other schools go back. They have so many activities coming up in the new month.

I have been reading a book that is called "365 Motivational Starters for a New Day" by Krystal Kuehn. And today's is: It's a new day to remember that light cuts through the darkest night. I have been enjoying reading these motivations for each day. Sometimes they don't fit for me at the time, but then one comes along that really makes me stop and think. That was the one for today.

Afghans:
Crochet Afghan Pattern

Bags:
Reggae Inspired Bag

Gloves/Mittens:
Herbaceous Mitts

Hats:
Baby Jester Hat

Kitchen:
Old Fashioned Pot Holders
Poodle Tissue Box Cover
Coffee Cup Hot Pad/Pot Holder

Socks:
Stash Socks
Best Socks

At the end of the day, it is Easter evening and we had a really good day. The kids had fun with their cousin and my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and father-in-law all seemed to have a good day. Food was ready when they got here and some things didn't have left overs and others had lots of leftovers, but that is good....plenty to eat for the week while we do so many other things.

Happy Easter.

Small Easter Basket

I bought some small "pail" Easter Baskets for my girls to fill with candies and gifts for their sisters. Each got to make for a sister and then hide the basket....no peeking or hunting until Easter. As the month has progressed, we discussed getting candy for my father-in-law and then it progressed to what about something for my nephew, then to what about nephew's mom, then what about the final member of the family coming for Easter...my brother-in-law. Now, I had a problem...not enough baskets and I didn't want to go back to the store (I hate shopping). So I started making a basket. It wasn't hard and it turned out pretty cute and now I am writing out the simple pattern.

Small Crochet Easter Basket

G Hook
1 Skein (any color) Lily Sugar N Cream Cotton

Using magic circle start, put 10 sc in loop, pull tight and join.
2 ch and then put 1 hdc in first stitch, then 2 hdc around...20 hdc
Join, 2 ch and then in next stitch 2 hdc, repeat from here: 1 hdc in next stitch 2 hdc in next, 30 hdc
Join, 2 ch and then in next stitch 1 hdc, 2 hdc in next, repeat from here 1 hdc in next 2 stitches and 2 hdc in 3rd, 40 hdc.
Join, 2 ch and then 1 hdc in next 2 and 2 hdc in 3rd, repeat from here 1 hdc in next 3 stitches, 2 hdc in 4th, 50 hdc.
Join. 3 ch, this will be the 1st dc, put 1 dc in each stitch in front part of the stitch to create an edge. This will allow the sides to come up. Join.
3 ch and 1 dc in each stitch. Join. Continue in the way until you have the side up as far as you want....I went about 4 inches.
Join. At this point you can finish off or you can add a handle.

Handle:
3 ch, then 1 dc for 4 stitches (5 dc over), turn and 3 ch and 4 dc. continue in this way until the handle gets all the way across or is as long as you wish. Join on other side and finish.

Another Week Finished

Another week has gone by and I haven't looked at this blog, only at my mom's recipe blog. I added some more recipes to her blog. Friday, is grocery shopping day and since the Lebanon Kroger has become so bad at keeping items stocked, I will have to go to another store. This means shopping at more than one place. This makes for a very long day. This week, I did start teaching my youngest how to purl. She has been practicing her knitting for awhile and finished a scarf and has been making blocks for an afghan that she wants to make for herself. I had bought several skeins of kitchen cotton from the store (big sale...97 cents vs 2 dollars). I explained to her that learning new techniques on dish cloths was a good way to go, because if you mess up on it, it won't matter, it will still clean the dishes. I have also been trying to read more, but that comes and goes according to what I have to get finished.

As we head into the middle of March, it seems strange to have Christmas items on the patterns list, but in truth anyone making gifts for Christmas actually starts collecting the patterns and making things back in January. I do know that my list has decreased a lot and I don't intend to add anyone to fill in the gaps, especially since one person put in print on her blog (that you can still find if you know how) that she hates what I make and throws it away as she walks out of the parents house. My mom won't be replaced, because there is no replacement, but she also didn't like the things I made, she stuffed them in the bottoms of boxes and backs of drawers. Instead, I will continue to make for my kids, my friends and husband. My mother-in-law loved getting things. I made her two prayer shawls, she would keep them on her all the time. When she passed, my sisters-in-law each took one, to remember her by.

Alternative Gardening Ideas:
Hay Bale Gardening

Homeschooling:
Dumbo Octopus

Afghans:
Setting Sunset or DROPS 99-31
Crochet Hexagon
Prairie Afghan
Galaxy Afghan
Always Pointing North Blanket

Amigurumi:
Cinderella
Owl Stuffy
Crochet Finger Puppets Goes with the Castle
Whimsical Castle
Rainbow Crochet Unicorn
Caped Crusader Doll

Baby:
Lemon Drops Baby Booties
Crocodile Stitch Booties

Bags:
Grab N Go Bag
Large and Medium Bags
Crochet Crocodile Clutch
Crocodile Stitch Beach Bag - this is on Crochet Crowd and Mikey does an awesome tutorial.
Owl Pouch

Basket:
Foxy Yarn Basket

Cats:
Cat Toy
Cat Bed

Christmas:
Mr and Mrs Snowman
Crochet Christmas Trees
Simple Stripe Santa Stockings
Crochet Nativity
Elf Stocking Ornament
Pinwheel Garland
Angel Ornament
Huggable Happy Colors Penguin
Crochet Heart Ornament
Crochet Frosty Snowman
Holly Stocking
Angel Tree Topper
Festive Bird Ornament
Christmas Tissue Box Cover
Reindeer Ornament
Cute Crochet Santa Ornament
Cute Kitty Ornament
Crochet Penguin Ornament
Crochet Christmas Wreath

Dishcloths:
Water Lily Dish Cloth
Dishcloth Overflow Blog What is this? This is from a group that makes dish cloths monthly as a KAL/CAL. Some of these are dishcloths I had not seen before and I want to try them. Great way to break them up.

Easter:
Panorama Egg I remember years ago getting sugar eggs with panorama in them. Loved getting these as gifts at Easter. But one out of crochet could be even better.
Monster Egg - I always have problems with the eggs not staying closed, these are so adorable.
How to Make a Palm Cross I made these last year with the girls. I want to do that again this year....always a good thing to save.
Homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs
Peep Houses
Bunny Basket
Crochet Spring Bunny

Flowers:
Wagon Wheel Flower with a tutorial
Flower Cup Holder Liner
5 Petal Flower
Crocodile Stitch Flower

Gloves/Mittens:
Fox in the Snow Mittens colorwork!
Fair Isle Gloves

Golf:
All American Golf Club Covers

Hats:
Random Factor Hat
Sandy Winter Cable Hat another with tutorial
Popstar Slouch Hat
Spinning Summer Slouch Hat
Shine On Sun Hat
Hadley Hat
Snowstorm Crochet Hat
Fair Isle Ear Flap Hat Fair Isle (colorwork)

Just for Fun:
Pinwheel comes with a tutorial and they use it as a piece of art. But then isn't all yarn craft art?
Crochet IPhone Cozy

Kitchen:
Sunny Skies Hot Pad

Scarf:
Foxy Loxy
Caribbean Dream Scarf
Lovely Leaf Lace Scarf

Shawls:
Lavender Blooms Shawl

St. Patrick's Day:
Lucky Crochet Top Hat

Tutorial:
Crocodile Stitch Tutorial is on this page

We Did It!

Several weeks ago, my husband and I went to Home Depot to get some necessary light bulbs. While we were walking in, I brought up the topic that we both had on our mind....we need a new grill.

When we first moved to Lebanon 11 1/2 years ago, we had a very nice gas grill that we won in a silent auction from a local church festival. It came built and all I had to do was get a propane gas canister for it and it was ready to roll. I was not fond of the gas grill, because I was constantly being eaten by mosquitoes when I used it. But the first summer we lived in Lebanon, we had many wind storms and our grill was picked and flown through the neighbors yards. The next morning, I had to go and claim the grill (in pieces). It was now not usable because the part for the gas was damaged. We then bought a small charcoal grill and used it frequently, but it rusted from exposure to elements (hey, it's a grill and is outside). So we waited for an end of summer sale on grills and bought another charcoal grill. It was nice and we used it, a lot, and it served it's purpose. But now it is rusted and needed to be replaced. So going into Home Depot with all the grills set up, we saw a nice sized charcoal grill with a smoker and it was a great price! So we discussed buying the grill and the man there also wanting one, said that these were the last three grills! Then the man who worked for the store said that the new ones had come in and they had to get rid of the "old" ones. The new ones were almost $200. Yep, we took one! As we were going through the rest of the store, we ran into a friend and he said we should have the store assemble the grill. We said, no, we would put it together at home with the girls. We felt that it was a good project for the girls.

So, today as I was coming home from church with the youngest, I commented that it is a really nice day and since no one else wanted to go to the zoo, we were going to assemble the grill and grill supper outside. We stopped at the store and got charcoal, a new lighter and some smoke chips (yeah, it's got a smoker, we want to experiment with) and went home and told her sisters and dad the plan!

This afternoon, we built a grill! This is the 2nd time that he and I built a grill together (the first being for his sister). It was a bit frustrating because the girls were not as into the process as they could have been, but it was a good lesson for them. When you buy something that has to be put together, check off the list and make sure you have all the parts. Read all the directions! This is important because if there is an issue while you are building you will have to stop and read the directions all the way through anyhow. Then get your tools. This is a great family project as the kids can learn how to put things together and you get something useful in the end (a grill for a cookout)!


My new grill. I am presently seasoning it, so I can start using it. Cheers!

Weekend and Activities

Weekend is finally here, but there is no rest for the wicked. We having writing club today for my children and church and this is time change weekend, so we will go to church on Saturday instead of on Sunday because it is hard enough to get them up on Sunday, who needs the loss of an hour to make it harder. We will also be attending a concert tomorrow. I love being able to take the girls to concerts. They get to hear some wonderful music and if my nieces are performing it is even better! They get to see how talented and wonderful they are and we get to support the girls.

I keep saving patterns for toys, partially because I love making toys. I think they are fun. But I have to get used to the idea that my children are growing up and toys are not part of their wants so much any more, or the toys are more high tech than something I can make with yarn and needles/hook.

Yesterday, on the news they had a story about how to get things finished. Set your goals smaller so that you feel that you are accomplishing something. Given that I have so much to do and can't do it everywhere I go, for instance, I have books that I want to read, but can't read and drive at the same time. My time to work on things goes down. I turn on a computer and get up to do something, like cook, or dishes, or laundry, etc, and come back and someone else is on the computer. So smaller goals, might just help. So instead of 50 a day on emptying the email, whatever I can accomplish. I had a goal of at least 20 recipes a day for my mom's blog, but I think whatever I can get to. Same goes for the knitting and crochet items that I need to finish. I really need to finish things. I have too many WIPs.

Afghan:
Spiral Crochet Afghan
Drop in the Pond
Medallion Afghan
Crazy Ripple Afghan

Amigurumi:
Rocky Raccoon
Dotty the Fawn
Mrs. Nutterson
Francis the Fox

Baby:
Baby Uggs

Bags:
Amazing Grace Tote
Moroccan Market Tote

Basket:
Birch Bark Basket

Christmas:
Santa Ornament
Santa Tag
Mini Santa
Christmas Tissue Cozy - this is something I could use year round....we used a lot of tissues this year, so far.
Mushroom Ornaments they are kinda cute.
Crocheted Wreath for Christmas
Crochet Scrooge
Lily the Christmas Elf
Christmas Cottage

Easter:
Mini Easter Basket

Gloves/Mittens:
Zig Zag Mittens
Doug Fir Mittens

Hats:
Quick Pink Knit Hat
Peaks Cables Hat
Fan Lace Hat
Half and Half Slouch
Avery Slouch
Rainbow Hat for Child

Just for Fun:
Peeking Cat Butt Coaster
Happy Flowers
Police Line Do Not Cross Scarf

Kitchen:
Lydia's Lily Pad Dish Cloth
Dutch Sky Pot Holders
Lacy Butterfly Dish Cloth

Friday, Finally

This week has been so very busy. I have had something every day this week and I am trying a new curriculum with the girls. I am uncertain if this will work with them, but I plan on trying. If it fails, I will be trying something else. I read that it takes awhile to find what works for each groups homeschool, but I won't be sending them back, I don't want to lose my children because of the bullying that I know is out of control in our school district.

My husband and I and our children, took our fathers (and my husband's brother) out to a fish fry in Ludlow, KY. It was a really good meal. The Knights of Columbus did a really nice job and the prices were good for feeding all 8 of us. My middle was shocked at how much she got for her meal. She was not able to finish the meal and we lived too far away to package it up and take it home. It was good to see the dads again and we had a good time.

Afghan:
Log Cabin Arrow Throw - crochet
Celtic Weave Blanket
Color Lovers Crochet Afghan
Star Shell Afghan

Amigurumi:
Cinderella Crochet very cute little doll

Baby:
Crochet Converse

Bags:
Hexagon Market Bag
Making Waves Water Bottle Holder - I need to make about 4 of these to encourage my girls to drink more water.

Children:
Pound Puppy Slippers

Easter:
Crochet Bunny - this is a very cute bunny.
Chocolate Bunny Amigurumi
Carrot Basket
Pretty Pastel Easter Basket

Just For Fun:
Essential Draft Dodger - cute puppy

Kitchen:
Ripple Pot Holder
Milk and Cookies Crochet Hot Pad

Mittens/Gloves:
Wicked Knit Mittens very pretty and fun.


Socks:
Knee High Boot Socks
Fun, Multicolor Crochet Sock
Lacey Toe Up Socks


Birthstone Labeled Patterns:

1. January: Garnet -Gorgeous!
2. February: Amethyst
3. March: Aquamarine -This Month!
4. April: Diamond
5. May: Emerald
6. June: Pearl
7. July: Ruby -My Birthstone!
8. August: Peridot
9. September: Sapphire
10. October: Opal
11. November: Topaz -Reader Favorite!
12. December: Turquoise 

Monday, Again

Wow! A busy weekend is over and a new week is beginning. Friday, I had to get all my shopping for the next week (usually 2, but Kroger was out of quite a few items that I needed, so I have to go back). Saturday, my husband, children and I went up to Navarre, OH to see his great aunt, girls great great aunt. What a great lady! She is so fun. She is now at a stage in her life, where she needs help with daily care and has moved into a nursing home. She has such a great attitude about being there. She compliments the staff and they constantly tell us how wonderful she is. Love visiting with her. But this weekend, we took our dog with us and the dog was not allowed in, because they need to see the paperwork on the dog, showing she is up to date on all her shots. That was okay. We had no way of knowing and she got to see all the girls and her great nephew and we brought her some more pictures (she loves pictures) and a photo calendar.
Great Aunt Flo with her great nephew.
Our dog riding in the back with the children. She is very happy.

Sunday, we started prepping our walls in the family room to paint them. We have lived in this house for 11.5 years. We started painting the hallways and bedrooms different colors. I have been slowly working on painting the other rooms. I try to do it when it is warm outside so I can open windows and try to keep the paint fumes down. My girls would like their rooms repainted, too, but I asked that I be allowed to get the other grey rooms painted first. It will be nice to get rid of the grey. It was a fight to get grey walls and carpet, but in the end, we got really good paint on the walls, in grey, and pretty good carpet, ineptly laid (we had to have them come back and fix it). But the work is beginning. I will work on it at the end of our school day. That way we get in our work and then I can work on this one day at a time.

Last week, I worked on my mom's recipes again. It is good to get more of the recipes onto her blog. I opened this blog, and put the recipes on it. It is the best way to share the recipes with my siblings and we can all have a copy. She collected recipes from everywhere. Things she liked or thought she might like or something she wanted to make. I don't know where they all came from. Some of the cards, are in the handwriting of aunts or the typing of my grandmother. Where possible I have put a picture of the recipe. Nice memory of some of those recipes. My goal is to try and get more in this week. I want to get the box back to my dad and brother. But at least the majority of recipes are already up.

As far as the emails go, well, I got it below 1500, but it has been creeping up to 1500. Time to empty the box some more. A little at a time and it will happen.

Afghans:
Mitered Throw
Cake Icing Afghan
Yo Yo Square

Amigurumi:
Crochet Teddy Bear
Tiny Turkey

Christmas:
Tiny Elf
Holiday Mice
Gift Card Ornaments

Cozy:
Cat Tea Cozy

Dish Cloth/Trivet:
Apple
Patchwork
Wiggle Trivet/ Dishcloth this is a set and is really nice looking. It is from Moogly.
Fabulous Fish
Rainbow Sherbet
Navajo Ripples
Not Your Mum's Hotpad I really like this hotpad, too.

Easter:
Little Egg Monster
Lacy Cross Bookmark
Baby Bunny Amigurumi

Gloves/Mittens:
Elowen Gloves
Emerald Green Handwarmers
Fingerless Knitted Mitts
Fox in the Snow Mittens
Winter Skies Mittens
Glover Gloves

Hats:
Winter Cable Knit Hat
Spearmint Cable Hat
Spring Meadow Seed Stitch Beanie
Guacamole Comfort Beanie Dad Hat
Circus Scrap Hat
Scrap Buster Hats

Links:
Mitered Projects from Red Heart
Winter Animals Patterns

Shawls:
Celtic Cables Wrap
Madison Shawl

Socks:
Sock-a-long
Best Sock Pattern
Business Casual Socks

St Patricks:
Kitrick the Leprechaun
Four Leaf Clover Keychain
St Patrick's Day Dish Cloths

Wedding:
Wedding Favor Bags

Writing:
JK Rowling spreadsheets for Harry Potter I keep telling the girls to write out what they want to say and then follow the plan. This is the perfect example of what I have been telling them.

2nd of March, still a Lion

Yesterday, hard rains, thunderstorms and windy. Today, cold and snow. Yep, it is March. Tomorrow would have been my mom's birthday, our first without her. Lots of firsts when you lose someone.

Today, I was looking at FB and their on this date app showed me some links that I had saved awhile ago, but because I wasn't saving and deleting at the time, they were hidden, time to save them here.

Homeschool:
Tina's Dynamic Homschool Blog she has some wonderful, helpful things on her blog.
Math Calendars
Math Blog
Acid + Base = Reaction
Susan Evans Homeschool Blog

Afghans:
Chevron Stripes
Stripes and Waves Afghan
Slip Stitch Afghan
Mermaid Afghan
Deck the Halls Throw

Amigurumi:
2000 Free Amigurumi Patterns - Horse only
2000 Free Amigurumi Patterns - all the links
Miffed White Bird
2000 Free Amigurumi Patterns - Horses (plural)

Animals:
Crocheted Cat Toy

Bags:
Purple Tote

Christmas:
Crocheted Nativity
Snow Swirl Ornaments

Cowl:
Forest Glad Cowl
Fisherman's Rib Cowl and Scarf

Dishcloth:
Turkey Drumstick Dishcloth
Turkey Day Dishcloths

Hat:
Chunky Cable Knit Hat
Spin Cycle Hat
Rib Flat Hat
Purple Plum Hat
Brain Waves Beanie - the owner requests donations to favorite charity.

Just for Fun:
Wine Charms

Mitts/Gloves:
Fingerless Mitts
Purple Texting Mitts
Cable Experiment Gloves
Cartridge Rib Fingerless Mitts
Thrummed Mittens
Seed Stitch Mittens

Pot Holder:
Turkey Pot Holder

Scarf:
Irish Shepherd Scarf
Reversible Circles of Lace Scarf
Aesthetic Hooded Scarf
Cat Hooded Scarf
Stashbuster Crochet Scarf
Snake Scarf - I originally found this pattern in a calendar pattern a day. I had made this many times for my oldest who loves snakes and she has been sharing with my youngest, who also loves snakes.

Shawls:
Recession Wrap

I am below 1500, finally, in the emails. I will continue to work on this as it makes things easier to find patterns that I really want.

1st of March....In Like a Lion

The old saying is that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. Today, we are supposed to have a storm. It is cloudy and there is a nice wind blowing. I think I will run out and get some things in for a few days work on the emails again, while the girls work on their school work.

Afghan:
Blooming Flowers Afghan
Bold and Beautiful Catherine Wheel Throw
Breaking Bad Afghan

Amigurumi:
Caped Crusader

Christmas:
Crochet Christmas Wreath
Christmas Knitting Wreath

Hats:
Crochet Charity Hats

Just for Fun:
Crochet Wind Sock
Crochet Rice Bag (Hot Pack)

Leap Weekend and Leap Day

This past weekend and Leap Day were gorgeous days! The weather was warm, the sun was out and we were out and about! Having children and wanting to go somewhere means having family passes and going on the Macy Sampler Weekends. Every year, Macy hosts the Macy Sampler Weekends, where families can go to different places and experience them without cost to them. They are lots of fun and the price is the best-free. I used to take my youngest sister to these events when I could. I would figure out where was available and times and take her. I even once took her to the Behringer Crawford Museum. It was much smaller and not as kid friendly. But we also went to the Taft Museum and a few other places. This weekend, my husband and I took our children to the Behringer Crawford Museum for the very first time. At first, they did not want to go and they were acting like the teens that they are or going to be. They drug their feet, but as we explored the museum, they began to have fun and enjoyed the Museum.

 One of the exhibits, is of the Ohio River Valley's River Boat History. It was fun for the girls and they loved the whole area.

We even found a friend's daughter's art work on display and sale at the Museum! 

We moved on to the Overlook. It is called that because it overlooks the city of Cincinnati,

and Covington, KY.



On Sunday, we went to the Warren County park. We were going to go to the dog park with our dog, but it was full to brimming and since she has issues with other dogs, we decided best thing to do was walk her somewhere else. My husband calls this her FB time. She loves to walk and she sniffs the whole time. It was a great day to go out and do something.



On Monday, Leap Day, the girls and I went to the Columbus Zoo. We have had a membership to the Columbus Zoo for 10 years. It is a very large zoo and to do it right takes about 8 hours. Courtesy of the membership, we can go for a few hours at a time and enjoy different sections and talk with the docents and learn different things while we are there.

This is outside the entrance to the Asia Quest. The home of Hanna the Reticulated Python.



She is approximately 20 years old and over 18 feet long. Yep, she is huge.


Red Pandas are fun to watch...but these guys were just a bit tired.
 I have loved watching the rhinos, but only because of a painting or wood cut art that I saw a few years ago...It was created by an artist, after his friend wrote back from Africa describing the animal.

We finished our visit at the Reptile House.


The girls had a good trip. We listened to Jim Dale read "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" by JK Rowling. He makes the story more fun for the girls. We also read the book and then watch the movie and discuss what was added or removed from the movie and why they would do that.

Today, the 1st of March, is a dreary, wet day, but still a good day. We accomplished some more school work and did loads of laundry and cooked a good meal (teaching girls how to use knives and cook meals is paying off...they can make more simple meals themselves).