We have been having a little bit of everything at our dances — we have teaching beginner tips, for people who have never seen a square dance before.
We have “still learning” tips, for people that have had some lessons but are not yet a “mainstream” dancer.
We have mainstream (regular) square dance tips, round dances, line dances — and if we have a full square of plus dancers, we will have a plus tip or two!
Because our beginners have been having fun, many people have asked about taking lessons to move up to the “regular mainstream” dance level.
To meet this need, we decided to offer lessons in a quick series.
The next four Wednesdays, Larry Pfennig will cover the majority of the mainstream square dance moves. Because of the fast pace people are learning, we are condensing the standard ten weeks into four weeks of lessons.
In order to do the “condensed lessons” we need the lesson class beginners to commit to attending all four of the lessons on June 2, 9, 16 and 23. No new dancers will be able to start the lesson series after the June 2nd dance.
Young people 5th grade or older accompanied by an adult (either watching or dancing) are welcome. A few years ago, the question was raised about young dancers and we checked on the rules. Dancers under 16 need to have a responsible parent or guardian present to protect the club and the caller from having any liability in loco parentis. A 16 year old who brings him-or-herself to the dance takes that responsibility upon themselves.
The lessons will be held at The Moose Lodge (400 9th St SW, Minot) from 7:00 -9:30 p.m. $7/person/night or pay for all four lessons on the first night for $25/person.
Also Important — We ALWAYS welcome the single dancers at our dances !!!!!
Square dancing Wednesday night May 26, 2021 from 7:00-9:30 pm at the Minot Moose Lodge to caller Larry Pfennig! $7.50/person
It is Wing night at the Moose if people want to eat there first. Hope to see you there. (It will be open to new people too.)
We have a little bit of everything at our dances — we have teaching beginner tips, for people who have never seen a square dance before.
We have “still learning” tips, for people that have had some lessons but are not yet a “mainstream” dancer.
We have mainstream (regular) square dance tips, round dances, line dances — and if we have a full square of plus dancers, we will have a plus tip or two!
Also Important — We ALWAYS welcome the single dancers at our dances !!!!!
This review is not sponsored by anybody. Clearly I am doing it wrong, because when I review products, I have to pay the retail price for the stuff, just like everybody else.
They did not give me a free box. I will not get a kickback if you buy one of these boxes. I do not have any fancy handy-dandy coupons to offer you — but there are several different coupons out there — look for one. Yes, I did use one of the coupons to buy mine, because ten bucks is ten bucks!
I dithered for a while before I decided, “yes, I will try this.” I read dozens of ads for it. After I clicked on one Fab Fit Fun promo and read it, suddenly every time I went on the internet, several more ads for it popped up.
**insert shocked face here**
I am certain I read either a promo or a comment in several places about it coming to you in a fun, reusable box. Fun, yes. Pretty. yes. Crunched – sadly, yes. Cuts down on that whole “reusable” factor, but we will see. I do have a serious cardboard box hoarding vibe going.
The travel bag / duffle bag — the terms seem to be used interchangeably in the description, but this was the item I chose as my purchase. I actually selected the bag and I selected a bucket hat, which I am hoping will keep my head from getting sunburned this summer. I do not really like wearing baseball caps, so I am hoping this cute bucket hat will work for me. The hat matches the bag, so it makes for a fun travel pair!
I have seen several different versions of how the box is marketed – one version is you pay for eight sample products but get eight full size things instead, one version I saw said you purchase three items and get five free, one said you pick out five items and get three bonus items…oddly enough, no matter how they market the box, you are supposed to get eight items inside it.
The other six items were all surprises. Or bonus prizes. However you want to look at it.
Slippers.
I have never tried this kind of slippers before. My mommy called them “mules” back in the day. Not sure what the current term is for them. The tag does say they are “Splendid,” so that is encouraging!
Island of Italy Bath Gel.
Peach Champaign fragrance. The bottle looks just like my last bottle of dog shampoo, so I will need to read the label before I grab it.
Marina Biome Brightening Ampoule.
Dunno. You got me on this one. Teeny tiny print on the box for the instructions. I will need to grab my Sherlock Hemlock magnifying glass and figure this stuff out.
Cocofloss Tropical Trio Dental Floss
Smells good. Fruity.
99 yards of dental floss. Or, as the cute guy put it “a three year supply of dental floss”
Saie
I read it as “sale.”
Several times.
Puffy things.
At first I saw this product as earmuffs, but it turns out they are “reusable beauty rounds.”
I’m guessing they are an updated version of the powder puff.
Sorbus Cosmetic Organizer Case
This box was also crunched, but the plastic organizer was unharmed. I wonder if I would be more inclined to actually follow through with a beauty routine if I had all my stuff organized? I have good intentions of doing these things, but I do not always succeed.
The new car seat rules suggest that children in a car seat cannot wear a winter coat, so a few years back, somebody (not me!) looked at an old poncho from the 1970s and said, “Hey! If we add a hood to this, it will keep my kid warm in the car seat!” It was a brilliant idea, but I cannot claim credit, as it was not my brilliant idea. At that time, it was not a concern in my world. MY kids wore heavy snowsuits in their metal-framed car seat, but modern car seats are different.
Fast-forwarding to today, the need for a carseat poncho is now real. I looked at a few different sets of instructions available on line, and cobbled them together into a construction method that made sense for my brain. I am not offering these ponchos “for sale” but this is how you can make your own.
Sadly, I have not ever figured out how to make money off any of the “links” but you are welcome to use them if you need to order fabric. (I often see this weird disclaimer on plenty of blogs that states something to the order of “we make money if you shop from our affiliate links”) Clearly I am doing it wrong — fabric stores just TAKE all my money, they never send any to me!
I got the muscle car fabric and the fleece from JoAnn Fabrics https://www.joann.com/ The fabric selection changes quite often, so I cannot promise the same muscle cars are still there, but you will find something that fits your child! I got the cupcake fabric from Seweird Fabrics https://seweird.com/ It was the perfect fabric for the child that adores that well-known mouse!
I had the silly idea that I could whip up two of these in one afternoon. It did not work out that way in the end. The final fitting will require the actual child to be present – there is a possibility the hood might need made smaller and the neckline might need to be larger. Both adjustments are simple, but it is much easier to make the hood “smaller” than it would be to make it larger, and the reverse is true for the neckline!
Step one is to cut a square yard – a single yard of fabric is not a “square yard” because the fabric width is not always exactly 36 inches. As neither fabric was exactly 36 inches wide, I used my trusty yardstick to measure. Fancy seamstresses have this super duper cutting table and fancy grids and mats and a rotary cutter. I have a yardstick and a dining room table and good sharp scissors. LOL No fancy equipment needed for this project! Fold the fabric square in half crosswise, then fold it in half lengthwise. Fold the square in half to be a triangle. At this point, all of the loose corners will be touching. Round off the base of that triangle to make a big circle.
(cheaters tip: if that idea does not make sense, try folding a piece of scrap paper according to these instructions and cutting it. practicing on scratch paper is much cheaper than practicing on your good fabric!)
Lay the circle of fabric on top of your fleece, wrong sides together. Smooth out all the bubbles. You do not need to pin this step, because the fabrics cling together at this point. It made me think of the old flannel board stories I remember from my childhood – was that from Shari Lewis and Lambchop?
Cut out the fleece fabric around the fashion fabric to give you two circles the same size.
The next step is cutting the neck hole from the fashion fabric. Fold the circle into quarters to find the exact center. Mark the center point.
Lay a saucer on the fabric, centering it on the exact center. (try to get as close to the exact center as possible, but it is not rocket science)
Trace around your saucer. Yes, it looks very small. No, it is NOT too small.
The next step is hemming the fabric circle and the neckline.
Stitch down the hem and the neckline. I used a wide zigzag stitch to give it a bit of flexibility.
Place the hemmed circle on the wrong side of the fleece. The pretty sides will be facing out on both sides, with the wrong side sandwiched in between.
Get it as close to centered as possible and pin in place. Stitch over the outside hem stitches.
Check the back side BEFORE stitching to make sure the fabric is flat!
Hood
Cut a piece of fleece 18 inches square. I used my handy dandy high-tech yardstick and cut the pattern out of newspaper.
Hem about an inch on each side of the hood.
Close off one end and turn the hood right side out
Pin the hood to the fabric layer.
Stitch the hood to the fabric, being careful to not catch the back fleece into the stitching. This is the point where the free arm machine is worth its weight in gold!
Lay out the poncho and carefully cut the center hole from the fleece. Cut it a little bit larger than the opening because you need enough fabric to turn under for hemming.
There are still a few more nights to enjoy the lights and music at the House at Pooh Corner.
The photo op has been getting a lot of traffic this year!
A magical unicorn decided to join in the celebration this year.The giant teddy bear really IS soft!Next year, we need a cool hashtag name to tag us on Facebook and Snapchat!The reason for the seasonPatriotic Santa!Welcoming archway!One Toy SoldierSanta and his Elves are delivering Mrs.Claus her Christmas gifts to put under her treeSanta is flying in by helicopter – he will not try to land at Winrock this time!Sometimes the reindeer need a break, so Santa flies his airplane
The Christmas lights are on at the House on Pooh Corner in the Neighborhood of Make Believe
Santa Teddy takes up the front porch, and gives a friendly wave to welcome all visitors
Santa Teddy loves to greet the visitors! Santa and his favorite elf are loading the sleigh, which is parked by the North Pole sign The penguin trio wait patiently by the fish pond, but the fish are hiding inside the house for the winter. Excited Santa is landing his plane by the little windmill Santa has a loaded sleigh, ready to take off to deliver the toys The photo op is getting used on a regular basis, but I have yet to see any of the photo op pictures on social media Soldier Santa stands guard over the sign… The toy soldier stands guard in the back yard Penguin peeks out from beside the arch
Tigger as a vampire is still my favorite inflatableHappy little ghost sitting on his pumplinMom and Dad Scarecrow showed up this year to join the Scarecrow kids on the swingWinnie the Pooh keeps things cheerful!
ter Bunny guards the porch. No porch pirate will get the eggs while he is on duty!
Yes, it looks very small. No, it is NOT too small.
hood right side out
There are still a few more nights to enjoy the lights and music at the House at Pooh Corner.
Santa Teddy takes up the front porch, and gives a friendly wave to welcome all visitors
