It's now been a week ago that we tried making some homemade ice cream. We had this freezer for several years and I have no idea why we didn't use it before. My friend had found it for me at Rio Mall. A week before that we had tested it and the motor was OK. A day later we plugged it in again and it didn't work. Zach said, "I'll fix it." So he took it apart and cleaned up the motor and the rust and plugged it in and it worked! We opted for the instant kind of ice cream. We poured the contents into the canister, plugged the motor in, heard a few grunts, and then it quit. Now what? We all scream for ice cream!!!!! Zach took the thing apart again and sprayed some WD-40 on it. Another grunt. We went back and forth like this. Sometimes the motor would work, most times not, and it surely wasn't powerful enough to churn ice cream.
So I sent Zach for a vice grip. If nothing else worked, then why couldn't we just churn the thing by hand? And that's exactly what we did. Zach, Allison, Landon, and I took turns. One of us turned the canister one way while the other one turned the vice grip the other way. We kept lots of salt and ice in the wooden barrel.
The results: homemade ice cream! And it was delicious. Next time though, we'll opt for another freezer. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have to buy a manual one instead of an electric freezer. It's a little more trustworthy. That's the nostalgia of homemade ice cream, isn't it?
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Allison has been begging for me to teach her how to sew. One of my weaknesses is hands on teaching with patience applied. So I suggested she set up the sewing machine and teach herself. She dove for the challenge! I gave her a few basic instructions showing her how to thread the needle, change the bobbin, and set the machine to the slower pace. Other than that, she was on her own with the sewing machine manual by her side. She immediately went to work and cut out some patches. She spent most of the day Thursday with a pair of scissors and the sewing machine. When I saw she was cutting patches and her thoughts for a comfort, I pulled out one of my 6" patterns so that it would be more precise. She had a blast! She designed this purse all on her own and ended up with this pile of patches. I am one proud Mama. I just think I may have a seamstress. Now her sister is asking for the 2nd machine.
Sewing reminds me of my learning experience. I didn't learn till I was 16. I had no desire, but Mom thought I should learn. She helped me cut out the dress, then went to the cemetery to mow while I was supposed to know how to sew this dress. I sewed and ripped and ripped and sewed some more, mostly ripping. I don't know how many seams I ripped, but it was an awful lot. It took days to finish. I was one perfectionist and this dress wasn't turning out that way. Finally after days of toil and when all the seams were in the proper place, the dress was done! It ended up being my favorite thing to wear!!! Thanks, Mom. I thought it was so mean of you to up and leave me be while I thought you should have stayed by my side. But I have come to walk in your same shoes. I find it's easier for me to tell the girls what to do and then leave them alone to learn. To this day, sewing isn't my thing. I don't mind mending and occasionally, I enjoy a day of sitting at the sewing machine - IF I get started.
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