Jamesport and Weaving (or stocking up and learning how to make do)

September 23, 2014

While the kids were at school, my sis-in-law, Mandy, her mom, Kim, Aunt Jennifer , cousin, Kate, Uncle Tom, and I drove up to Jamesport, MO.  Every year near the end of September, Jamesport and many of the Amish people who live there, host an auction consisting of various items - things like mums, pumpkins, home-canned goods, homemade autumn crafts, etc.

So, we headed up there to see if we could get a good deal on some pumpkins for Halloween.  And we did get a good deal on the pumpkins!  We bought a flat of them (a G.I.G.A.N.T.I.C box full) for only $1.25 each!

There were lots of other things that looked intriguing enough to buy, but I was too nervous to bid against so many professional bidders and left that to Mandy's mom, Kim.  She did the work and did it marvelously. 

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins.

A few days later, at our ward party, they taught us how to make our own yarn and weave a huge hot pad, or a very small table cloth...Anyway, it was pretty interesting!  At each ward party, we are taught some thing to help us learn self reliance.  Other than the making our own yarn, since we've moved in, we've learned how to make jam, jelly, and applesauce; how to make our own oven; how to sew our own shoes, aka moccasins and boots; and I think someone was teaching us how to skin an animal and make our own jerky (I think) - but I forgot to pay close attention to that at the time.  It was a little heebity jeebity.