Late in August it appeared that we were going to get to go to Ken Ham's Creation Museum and to visit my dear friend in Springfield, Illinois. We were so excited and she sent me the web page for their new Abraham Lincoln museum, I enjoyed browsing it but knowing who I am and how I'm wired I knew that books in the book shop would be a big temptation. So, I checked this one out from our public library to preview in advance so as not to waste my money and all.

Well, as things go, we didn't get to go but I did thoroughly enjoy this book. It is a novel, but a very seriously researched novel, so although it reads like a novel it has the feel of being true.

I know Mary Todd Lincoln has a well deserved reputation for being a difficult woman- but my sympathies for her began years ago when I read I, Mary by Ruth Painter Randall. The Emancipator's Wife draws you in right from the start with the gripping drama of her arrest and trial for insanity. Betrayed by her only surviving son and stripped of her rights she is institutionalized for about 3 months. Her story unwinds during those 3 months through flashbacks.

Was she insane? I don't know, she always was known as difficult,scheming and unpredictable. She endured so much pain though- the deaths of 3 of her 4 sons, her husband being murdered at her side, the whole debacle of the Civil War and all that entailed of family estrangement, the Chicago fire.... up against all that is her obsessive spending, necromancy, fiery temper, debilitating headaches, female health problems... It seems the insanity verdict was a wake-up call for her to pull herself together.  And she did, on June 15, 1876 the court reversed its decision, affirming her sanity. She never again allowed herself to fall in the deeps of those weeknesses she so struggled with.

As a novel would have it there is a fictional sub-plot running through the story of a runaway slave who becomes involved in Mrs. Lincoln's life at significant times- I finished this book a few weeks ago and can't find the direct quotes but, early on in the book Mrs. Lincoln asks this runaway slave what he would do with his freedom if granted. He becomes defensive and annoyed with her- as if a person had to have a worthy plan for deserving freedom, as if freedom were earned, as if it was in the power of some to withhold freedom from others. Towards the end of the book he is in a postion to help her regain her freedom and he, likewise, asks her what she will do with freedom- and as she thinks, her response mirrors his quite strongly. I wish I had marked the specific quotes but didn't realize their sigificance until I was reflecting on the story. Makes one think, the irony of her losing her freedom because after all she was the Emancipator's Wife.

5 stars

We have done this scedule for 2 weeks now- and it's working!!! Even sick ;-P We've had head colds here this week but still managed a good deal of quality work. The asteriks are for the books/subjects we do together. 

September 2007  Grade 7  1^st quarter schedule:

 Monday:             

*Bible memory, Poetry, Home Comforts

Copy Book

Math

I, Mary – 1 chapter w/ written narration

*More Than a Carpenter

Zoology- w/narrations and notebook entries

*Pride & Prejudice

Geography/history w/ J

LLATL

 Tuesday:           

*Bible memory, Music (Marsalis), Nature walk & notebook

 Copybook

Bible – Genesis 1-11 Exodus 20 w/Hold That Thought Notebook

Math

Story of the World – ½ chapter w/ written narration

Ordinary Genius

Zoology – w/narration and notebook entries

*Pride & Prejudice

W/ J stuff

LLATL

Rosetta Stone

Wednesday:           

*Bible memory, Art- Da Vinci, Signs & Seasons

Copybook

Bible- 1 chapter per day w/ notebook entries

Math

I, Mary- 1 chapter w/ written narration

*More Than a Carpenter

Story of the World – ½ chapter w/ written narration

*Pride & Prejudice

W/ J stuff

LLATL

Rosetta Stone

Thursday:           

*Bible memory, Arts & Crafts(clay or paper)

Copybook

Bible – 1 chapter w/ notebook entry

Math

Ordinary Genius

Freckles- 1 chapter w/ written narration using narration cube

*Pride & Prejudice

W/ J stuff

LLATL

Rosetta Stone

Friday:            

*Bible memory, Signs & Seasons, Home Comforts

Copybook

Bible

Math

Freckles- 1 chapter w/written narration using narration cube

*Pride & Prejudice

W/ J stuff

LLATL

Rosetta Stone

The school year is well under way. Only one scholar left to teach....Tomorrow I will post the schedule we are using. It seems to be working fine. I'm always second guessing myself am I planning too much or too little? It's easy for me to go overboard but this plan seems workable. It's a barely recognizable Year 6/grade 7  from AmblesideOnline 

 ENGLISH:                 

Poetry:  Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg

Reading: selections from free reading list

Literature: Pride & Prejudice; Sense & Sensibility; The Hobbit; Animal Farm

Copybook & Penmanship:  daily

Oral & Written  Narrations:  daily

Grammar & Spelling: Learning Language Arts Through Literature- green book, Common Sense Press, 1992

MATH:                      

Saxon Math 76;  Saxon Publishers, Inc., 1992

 Money Matters for Teens (11 – 14) by Larry Burkett

 SCIENCE:   

Exploring Creation with Zoology 1; Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 2005

Signs & Seasons: Understanding the Elements of Classical Astronomy; Fourth Day Press, 2007

 Biographies: 

Ordinary Genius- by Stephanie McPherson;

Archimedes & the Door Of Science – by Jeanne Bendick;

Galileo & the Magic Numbers

 Nature Study- weekly nature walks and notebook entries

SOCIAL STUDIES:   The Modern Age: 20^th Century-

The Story of the World volume 4 by Susan Wise Bauer;

TruthQuest History: Age of Revolution IV (America and Europe, 1865-2000)

History Tales & Biographies-

Trial & Triumph by Richard M. Hannula

A Passion for the Impossible by Miriam Huffman Rockness

Genesis: Finding Our Roots by Ruth Beechick

Never Give In: Winston Churchill  by Stephen Mansfield

Geography-

Explore the Holy Land by Ann Voskamp

LIFE SKILLS & TECHNOLOGY:    

Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping House By Cheryl Mendelson

Regular computer usage. videography

 HEALTH:                 

I Am Joe’s Body by J.D.Ratcliff

 MUSIC:                     

Composer study: Handel, Ives, Stravinsky, Marsalis

Folk songs, hymns

  VISUAL ARTS:           

Artist study: Leonardo Da Vinci; Rembrandt van Rijn;  Jan Van Eyck

jewelry, clay, weaving, origami and other paper art

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: 

swimming, bike riding, outside play, and other seasonal activities

LIBRARY SKILLS:  regular use for pleasure & study

OTHER:                   

 Foreign Language: Rosetta Stone- French

 Bible:  How To Be Your Own Selfish Pig by Susan Schaeffer Macauley

Beautiful Girlhood by Mabel Hale

More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell

The Holy Bible: Genesis 1-11; Exodus 20; John; Romans; 1Corinthians 15;  and Revelation 21-22

Memory Work: Genesis 1 – 2:3; Exodus 20:1-17; John 1: 1-5; Romans 12; 1Corinthians 15: 33, 51-57; Revelation 21: 3-4, 22-27

"I hate pleasure. Cocktail parties, air travel, silk underwear, late-night banquets, lying on the beach, ring-side seats, disco music, and anything jolly. I'm not especially puritanical; that word doesn't come close to describing or explaining my negative feelings. Nor am I other -worldly, ethereal, or whatever you want to call indifference to the five senses. I just don't think the common notion of pleasure retailed by the ad-men and enforced by peer preasure comes close to whatever it is that makes me happy(whatever that means).

"Being happy is dirt under your fingernails, wearing old clothes, having a good idea get better the longer you work at it, starting a new bed, giving plants away, and listening to rain....

"Gardener's must take their pleasure where they can find it, often alone; their high points are little spots of color, tiny oases of neatness, a whiff of perfume, hairs on a leaf, everyday pleasure."

I picked up this gardening book today at the library, "The Opinionated Gardener", and while browsing through it came across this little essay on pleasure and happiness. Made me smile, it did. I can relate to this guy- except lying on the beach is a definite pleasure for me, and even though I do enjoy giving plants away I also like to be given new plants to play with.....

I have been having a good time in my gardens this year. Even though we're rather in a drought here, it sure beats the very soggy, cold and not very nice summers we've had in recent years. I started, with much help from Jack, a large circular herb bed right smack in my "close to the house backyard" (we have a pretty large yard). It doesn't have a lot in it yet but what is there seems to be doing good: lavender, rosemary, chives, echinacea, parsley, thyme(2 kinds), sage, russian sage(one large right in the middle), hyssop, lemon basil, calendulas, and nastertiums......and there is plenty of room for more!

Between the back door and the outside cellar entrance has been a muddy weedy triangle the animals make a mess of. Last year I put some overflow plants there, fenced it off a bit to discourage the dog,  and they took over and it is looking very healthy and green there this year. In that bed is lemon balm, echinacea, tansy, chocloate mint, balloon flower, sundrops, and a few annuals. I'm greatly encouraged. Since moving here, near the river, I have had trouble growing things, too many bugs and slugs and molds and fungus', but the lack of rain this year has allowed me a fighting chance to keep up and it brings me pleasure.

I haven't posted anything in almost 2 months! There is a couple of reasons for that. First Homeschoolblogger got troublesome and Jack was going to help me move my blog somewhere else. We didn't get around to that yet.  Also life has gotten really messy here.  It's still messy with no end in sight, I may blog about it sometime but not right now.

This is sort of a test post, something short that I don't have to compose in my head, in case it gets lost in cyberspace.  See, I'm going to share a portion of an A.W. Tozer essay. The essay is about the lack of spiritual discernment.

"Mere evangelism is not our present need. Evangelism does no more than extend religion, of whatever kind it may be. It gains acceptance for religion among larger numbers of people without giving much thought to the quality of that religion. The tragedy is that present-day evangelism accepts the degenerate form of Christianity now current as the very religion of the apostles and busies itself with making converts to it with no questions asked. And all the time we are moving farther and farther from the New Testament pattern.

"We must have a new reformation. There must come a violent break with that irresponsible, amusement-mad, paganized pseudo-religion which is being spread all over the world by unspiritual men employing unscriptural methods to achieve their ends.

"When the Roman church apostasized, God brought about the Reformation. When the Reformation declined, God raised up the Moravians and the Wesleys. When these movements began to die, God raised up fundamentalism and the "deeper life" groups.

"Now that these have almost without exception sold out to the world- what next?"

...that is one of my New Years Resolutions. I know I'm a little slow in posting this but I think it is worthwhile anyway. For quite awhile now I've been challenged by the Deputy Headmistress over at the Common Room to "use what's in your hands". In other words, when at all possible, try to use something you already have rather than run out to buy something new.

I like it when

I want to spruce up my home- because of having a lot of work done here by contractors over a year ago we have A LOT of paint on hand, much of it in various *colors* of white. So it was rewarding to paint our dining room and kitchen recently without much outlay of cash.

or need gifts- I like to sew and quilt and have a stash of fabrics, kits, and books and patterns. So, I'm working from what I already own. It makes one feel so resourceful to actually put a gift together at home without running out to buy.

or read- this one is a bit tougher. Not because I don't have plenty here to read, but I do so love buying more(books and fabric are my 2 stumbling blocks). But I recently took a book challnge(see previous post for update) to read 5 pre-owned-never-read-before books by the end of January. It's been good for me because I can tend to get flighty in my reading and have too many things going at a time. Makes me feel so...disciplined!

or cook a meal. I don't mean that I'm not buying groceries. But I am taking the time to make meals out of what I buy and what I have on hand instead of getting pressed for time doing other things and settling for something quick to pick up and fix. This will not only save money but is much healthier- and more appreciated by my family.

All around the blogosphere I've been reading these amazing ladies' posts about abundant living- not buying more but spending(pun intended) a year celebrating the abundance the Lord has already blessed us with. I talked it over with mrbeaver and he LOVED the idea! . 

Our own special plan with this is not to swear of all extra spending or put ourselves on a tight austerity budget but to purpose to be content with what we have, to practice abundant living by enjoying what the Lord has given us, and whenever possible to "use what's in our hands". I have this little game I play in which I try to see how many days I can go without spending anything. It's even more of a thrill than splurging on yourself because there is no guilt involved- and you feel so proactive, so intentional, so discilplined.

We'll try this again. I wrote this post once already, last night and it disappeared on me......

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and is enjoying a Happy New Year.  I had a pretty productive break from school considering all the holiday things. I made several Christmas gifts- quilted placemats, penny wool table runner and table topper, quilted book cover and bag. After Christmas I made new pillow/cushion covers for all the pillows in the living room- it is such an improvement. The old ones were getting ratty enough but the new fabric is so much nicer. We also finally got the wallpaper up in the kitchen. And I did some reading, not just the book challenge but that is what this post is about.

I have finished 3 out of the 5.

Elisabeth Goudge's "A Christmas Book" was exactly what I expected. Each chapter was a Christmas chapter taken from a book- most I had read already and they were good. The last chapter in the book was a literary re-telling of the Christmas story. It was worth the whole book! I have heard Bible teachers say that it is the hardest Bible story to re-tell because it is so familiar to everyone.  It was charming and interesting and fresh. I even read part of it aloud to my kids at our school Christmas party. Highly recommended.

"The Christmas Bower" was dull, I thought. It's a story about a department store that decides to use real birds in its Christmas display. The birds get loose, cause havoc and are finally removed from the store. All but 1 rare pair. A family who works at the store has an odd ornithologist uncle and son who play heavily into the story and are naturally the heroes at the end.

"Once There Was a Farm" was quite good. It is a childhood memoir/tribute to the author's mother. A remarkable story about a pretty unique life set in the warm atmosphere of the early 20th century. It's a hard life full of challenges but you see it through a child's eyes.

I am over half way through "Cross Creek" - autobiography of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings(The Yearling). It  is set in rural Florida, I think in the 1930's. She is funny and descriptive of the place and the people. Good reading.

I am also almost half way through Madeleine L'Engle's "The Irrational Season". I read her other two books in the Crosswicks Journals, and liked them better. She usually makes me think but often leaves me frustrated because I want to argue some conclusion of hers or something. I came across something a couple of days ago that I really like and am trying to act on it. She is talking about the love Christians show-or don't show- to each other and others. Here it is:

"When this young man was a boy he had read A Wrinkle in Time, which he said he still rereads occasionally. So I said, "Okay, remember when Meg has to go back to Camazotz to rescue Charles Wallace from the power of IT, the naked brain, she knows that if she could love IT, her love would defeat IT. And she can't do it, so she turns to Charles Wallace because she can love her little brother, and that love is strong enough to defeat the cold intellectual power of IT. I came to this ending from my own experience, because there was someone I knew I ought to love, and with every effort of will I tried to love and I couldn't do it. But I found that if I turned away completely, and thought about those I could love, my husband, my three children, then I could get back into love, and then I could turn with love to the person I had such difficulties with."

"And later I said, "But in A Wind in the Door Meg has to make the next step into mature love; she has to learn to love Mr. Jenkins, and Mr. Jenkins is not an easy person to love."

"We love wherever we can love, and the power of that love spreads until the circumference of the circle of love grows wider and wider. At least that has been my own experience, even though I know to my rue that the circumference of my love is still much too small."

Isn't that good stuff?

Here is one more thing I really liked, it's a quote she includes and credits it to someone called Rilke. It's about marriage. " It is a question in marriage of not creating a quick community of spirit by tearing down and destroying all boundaries, but rather a good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude, and shows him this confidence, the greatest in his power to bestow..."

I like the intimacy of that- appointing the other the guardian of your solitude.

Tomorrow I'll update you on how Jack & Lily are doing on their stacks, and hopefully share my New Years resolution

From an old English parsonage down by the sea

There came in the twilight a message to me;

It's quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,

Hath, it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.

And on through the hours the quiet words ring

Like a low inspiration: "DOE THE NEXT THYNGE."

Many a questioning, many a fear,

Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.

Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,

Time, opportunity, guidance, are given.

Fear not tomorrows, child of the King,

Trust them with Jesus, doe the next thynge.

Do it immediately, do it with prayer;

Do it reliantly, casting all care;

Do it with reverence, tracing His hand

Who placed it before thee with earnest command.

Stayed on Omnipotence, safe 'neath His wing,

Leave all resultings, doe the next thynge.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,

Working or suffering, be they demeanor;

In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,

The light of His countenance be they psalm,

Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing.

Then, as he beckons thee, doe the next thynge.

-unknown

We are downright giddy here. We are officially on Christmas break- hence why I am up so late.

Lily's contata was last night and this morning and she did a great job. Mrbeaver's birthday was today and we had fun celebrating. He actually made his own birthday dinner(lasagna, I've never made it, I can't eat it), and Jack made a delicious chocolate cream pie for dessert.

I am busy finishing up some gifts, and need to still do some shopping and all the wrapping. We have some cookies made and frozen and a few more types to bake up this week. But the tree is up and the house is decorated, and the school work is done AND put away!!!

In reading through my emails I came across this hilarious version of The 12 Days of Christmas. I am having such a good time chuckling to myself(everyone else is in bed you see) and I wanted to share it with you guys. It is funny because I have been homeschooling for 16 years(gasp) and I have indeed answered all these questions at some point.

The 14 days of Homeschooling (sung to The 12 Days of Christmas)

On the first day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Can you
homeschool legally?”

On the second day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Are they
socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the third day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Do you give them
tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the fourth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “What about
P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool
legally?”

On the fifth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “YOU ARE SO
STRANGE! What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized,
can you homeschool legally?”

On the sixth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “How long will you
homeschool, YOU ARE S0 STRANGE, what about P.E. , do you give them tests,
are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the seventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Look at what
they’re missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what
about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you
homeschool legally?”

On the eighth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Why do you do
this, look at what they’re missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE
SO STRANGE, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they socialized,
do you homeschool legally?”

On the ninth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “They’ll miss the
prom, why do you do this, look at what they’re missing, how long
will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E. do you give
them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?”

On the tenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “What about
graduation, they’ll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what
they’re missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what
about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you
homeschool legally?”

On the eleventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “I could never
do that, what about graduation, they’ll miss the prom, why do
you do this, look at what they’re missing, how long will you homeschool,
YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E., do you give them
tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the twelfth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Can they go to
college, I could never do that, what about graduation, they’ll miss
the prom, why do you do this, look at what they’re missing, how long
will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, What about P.E., do you give
them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the thirteenth day of homeschool I thoughtfully replied: “They Can go
to college, yes you can do this, they can have graduation, we don’t
like the prom, we do it because we like it, they are missing nothing,
we’ll homeschool forever, WE ARE NOT STRANGE!, We give them P.E., and we
give them tests, they are socialized, AND WE HOMESCHOOL LEGALLY!

On the fourteenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “How can I
get started, why didn’t you tell me, where do I buy curriculum, when
is the next conference, WILL PEOPLE THINK WE’RE STRANGE? I think we can
do this, if you will help us, we’ll join a sports team, and we’ll
homeschool legally.

In the way that important days also seem to be busy days I have not gotten around to posting recently on days that I had something specific to say like Veteran's Day, Aunt Anne's 80th birthday, Thanksgiving, and yesterday, C.S. Lewis's birthday.

So this post is going to tie the last two together a bit. I was thinking about what I am thankful for (the Thanksgiving part) and what I would want to share about that. Besides all the really obvious things- my Lord, my family, my home, my friends, all the ways the Lord has blessed and kept us- a specific memory came to mind. Last December we were sitting in the theater watching the long anticipated movie of The Lion,The Witch, and The Wardrobe (this is the C.S. Lewis part)- me, my family and some good friends. But one of us was not there. It was a dark time to me. As the following scene played out(this is from the book) it struck me as significant and I wept with grief and with *hope*

"We have come - Aslan"

"Welcome Peter, Son of Adam," said Aslan. "Welcome Susan and Lucy, Daughters of Eve. Welcome He-Beaver and She-Beaver."

His voice was deep and rich and somehow took the fidgets out of them. They now felt glad and quiet and it didn't seem awkward to them to stand and say nothing.

"But where is the fourth?" asked Aslan.

"He has tried to betray them and joined the White Witch, O Aslan," said Mr. Beaver. And then something made Peter say,

"That was partly my fault, Aslan. I was angry with him and I think that helped him to go wrong."

And Aslan said nothing either to excuse Peter or to blame him but merely stood looking at him with his great unchanging eyes. And it seemed to all of them that there was nothing to be said.

"Please- Aslan," said Lucy, "can anything be done to save Edmund?"

"All shall be done," said Aslan. "But it may be harder than you think." And then he was silent again for some time.

Early in January The Still Small Voice whispered to me in my heart, "It's going to be alright." And I really did experience the peace that passes all understanding, nothing changed outwardly, all looked as bleak as ever- but there was peace and there was HOPE- the hope of being sure of what you can't see.

In February things began to turn around and I thought, "this is IT, this is the fulfillment of that promise, it's going to be alright". Of course it wasn't that easy or that complete. Many times for every 2 steps forward we took 4 steps back and it has been a year of struggle. No denying that. But God has been near and working in all of us. I am thankful for His word of HOPE in my heart and I am thankful for the memory of the grief I felt a year ago and the joy and the peace that are there now.  I can honestly give thanks for the trial and for the hope that still springs in my heart, and the good things I see happening in this situation.

One thing that I learned that I want to share with moms out there, especially moms of teens, and I stumbled on this serendipitously(is that the word?) and I wish I had realized the power in it sooner. Keep telling your kids their story. They forget. Some lose sight of who they are really and adopt someone else's story. Share with them again their birth story, toddler stories, funny things they've done, endearing things they've done & said, talk about vacations, holidays and family traditions. Show them pictures and videos if you have them. Keep identifying them as the person you've known for years. Don't be afraid to confront the lies they are believing head on and call them lies!

Another nod to C.S. Lewis- from The Horse and His Boy

"It was I who wounded you,' said Aslan. "I am the only lion you met in all your journeyings. Do you know why I tore you?"

"No, sir."

"The scratches on your back, tear for tear, throb for throb, blood for blood, were equal to the stripes laid on the back of your stepmother's slave because of the drugged sleep you cast upon her.You needed to know what it felt like."

"Yes, sir. Please-"

"Ask on, my dear." said Aslan.

"Will any more harm come to her by what I did?"

"Child," said the Lion, "I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own."

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm You're probably in the final stages of a Ph.D. or otherwise finding a way to make your living out of reading. You are one of the literati. Other people's grammatical mistakes make you insane.
Dedicated Reader
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Non-Reader
Fad Reader
What'>http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_kind_of_reader_are_you">What Kind of Reader Are You? Create'>http://www.gotoquiz.com/">Create Your Own Quiz

***You Are 60% Left Brained, 40% Right Brained***

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.
Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.
If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.
Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.
Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.
If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.
Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?
http://www.blogthings.com/areyourightorleftbrainedquiz/

  I read about this challenge over at U Krakovianki and got excited about how we could implement it here- Me, Jack & Lily.

So I put it to the kiddos like this: choose 5 books from our book shelves that you haven't read yet, read through them from now until January 30, make at least 2 literature notebook entries by January 30, and I will take you out to lunch(actually I only offered a choice of Chineese food or subs).

I made this incredible offer a couple of days ago and told them to have their booklists to me in 48 hours if they wanted to accept the challenge. They were on my desk by that afternoon!! But my book list....oh, I agonized over choosing which 5 books I would commit to read. I knew I needed to choose some Christmas books or I would not get through December. But now I have my list and I must admit I am excited to get started!

My List:

Cross Creek   by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Once There Was a Farm   by Virginia Bell Dabney

The Irrational Season  by Madeleine L'Engle

The Christmas Bower   by Polly Redford

A Christmas Book  by Elizabeth Goudge

Jack's List:

Compassionate Conservatism  by Marvin Olasky

History of the English Speaking People by Winston Churchill

A Man Called Intrepid by William Stevenson

Don Quixote  by Cervantes

The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean

Lily's List:

A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Mossflower  by Brian Jacques

Little House on Rocky Ridge by Roger Lea MacBride

Alice-all-by-Herself by Elizabeth Coatsworth

Anyone else care to join us? Not for lunch , I mean to read 5 never-read-before already-owned books by Januray 30.

school quarters that is. Actually we finished last Friday on the 2nd. It just took me a week to do reports, put stuff away and organize and get started on The Second Quarter. Next year I'm scheduling a week off between each quarter.

I am so pleased at our progress, we normally do the most in the 1st and 3rd quarters for obvious reasons(Christmas & spring fever). Jack and Lily both did a bang up job of getting all their work done and keeping on schedule.

In case you think all I read is novels- this past quarter Lily and I read A Chance to Die, Amy Carmichael biography by Elisabeth Elliot. I knew when I chose it that it would be challenging. We had to read it EVERDAY without fail or fall behind, some days we had to read 2 chapters. Some of the vocabulary was rigorous. But we persevered and had some really excellent discussions. I am so glad.

We also buddy read through Tom Sawyer. You know, I think it was the first time I'd ever read the book through. I knew most of the episodes but don't think I'd had it all strung together before.

Lily is enjoying Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels for geography. I'm pleased with her narrations, she's beginning to imitate his voice.

Jack and I endured, I mean read through Shakepeare's Henry V together. It gets a little confusing with only two- but we managed. He was always King Henry and the Chorus and I was *all* the women roles(not too many of those) and then we split up everybody else as necessary. The internet is a great thing, I found Spark's notes to help the *teacher*. Jack was getting disgusted with the anti-war bilge in Brightest Heaven of Invention, and I'd never even read the play(it isn't even in Lamb's or Nesbitt's!!!). I am eagerly awaiting his final papers on it. They are due tomorrow a.m.

Now, I'm ready to go for the next quarter(not really- I want a month off!). Lily and I will be reading Across Five Aprils and The Shaping of a Christian Family(a biography of the family Elisabeth Elliot grew up in- very good). We will all continue with Stranger on the Road to Emmaus for our Bible time. Vermeer for art, Longfellow for poetry, Schumann for composer study and lots of other good stuff....and Christmas!(vacation)

Happy Reformation Day!

On this date in 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door, a bulletin board of sorts. He wanted to call for discussion on abuses and errors in Church teaching. His Theses were posted in Latin, the language of the Church. A student of his saw the bulletin and took it to the printer and had it translated into German, the language of the people, and distributed throughout the country in pamphlet form.

The Reformation was born.

This is what we choose to celebrate on October 31 at our house. Last year we had a party with several other families. It was really a lot of fun. We used the book A Night of Reformation by Pam Forster (from Doorposts)- very helpful.

This year we're not having a party. It's just the four of us but we are celebrating nonetheless. We had weiner schnitzel, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut & beans for supper and German Chocolate cake for dessert. (In honor of martin Luther) and after dishes and all are done Jack & Lily will be giving their scripture and poetry/Shakespeare recitations.

"The destiny of mankind is not decided by material computation. When great causes are on the move in the world...we learn that we are spirits, not animals, and that something is going on in space and time, and beyond space and time, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.

~Radio Broadcast to America on receiving the honorary Doctor of Laws degree from University of Rochester, New York, June 16, 1941 - Winston Churchill.

Aren't these striking? I picked up these hexagonal quilt blocks at a yard sale over a year ago. They seem to be quite old- fraying and tattered in places, they don't appear to have ever been incorporated into a quilt. They are all handsewn, some of the little pieces are actually pieced themselves. They aren't exactly uniform and most don't even lay entirely flat but they look beautiful framed.

My very creative friend, Dar, gave me this great idea in framing them and the feedsack material used as a background and even the frames!!! They are a little crowded hanging up here but I wanted them in a group, in my livng room.

Does anyone know the name of this quilt block? The stars are all made of the same recurring shape- diamond- actually the whole block is the same recurring shape except on the very outside edge. I thought the use of orange to surround all the inside stars was interesting too.

Thanks Dar- and mrbeaver who helped mount and hang them.

Wow! It's been a long time since I posted an entry. I've been busy, busy in many, many ways.  We've had some illnesses and house problems...

Saturday October 21 Bertie and Eliza were married. Small ceremony at our church. It was nice.

The Fall weather has been disappointing and the leaves never did get vibrant. But that is nearly all past and the leaves from our trees/yard are pretty much down and taken care of- usually a huge task. I can see the river now from our windows. I especially like bare trees for that purpose, also for spotting birds better. This morning I saw a pair of American Redstarts(funny they are called that, they look sort of like a sparrow with yellow markings). I know they are fairly common birds but I think this is the first time I've seen them -to recognize. So that's a little thrill for me  I'm easy to amuse.

Lily is practising in the adult choir for the Christmas contata! She even has a solo piece. If you know her at all you know she is LOVING this.

Jack is helping me do these cool new things on my blog, doing school, working on his movies and making awesome banana bread!

Arthur & Guinevere are both busy with school and waiting the arrival of their baby in February.

Mrbeaver has been handling the leaf issue nearly single handed (yeah!!! mrbeaver) and dealing with the leaking roof, clogged sewer lines, trying to get the bedroom rebuilt, and doing things for me. oh, yeah and going to work.

I've been doing some sewing- placemats, handbag, quilt blocks, and trying to finish a Turning Twnety flannel quilt to keep Lily warm. I need to start on her *Narnia* dress soon- as she keeps reminding me, it's promised for Christmas.

Isn't that a catchy title? It's the title of a book. It's a very good book, I enjoyed it immensely- and I love the title. This summer I read another book by this author, also because the title reached out and tickled my fancy. That book, The Full Cupboard of Life , was my introduction to Alexander McCall Smith.

As an aside here, I first spotted these books in September of 2004 in the airport bookstore while Arthur Pendragon was preparing to fly to London for a semester. The titles and the covers interested me then, but I'd forgotten- until one very hot day last summer when I was hiding from the heat at Barnes & Nobles.

About a month later I picked up the first in the series, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, at a library book sale, and the most recent read I bought at WalMart. I'll be looking for more.

I am not normally one who looks for *detective* or *mystery* books. I'm a gentle fiction reader who doesn't like cursing, too much intense action(if my heart is going to work that hard, my body should be accomplishing something!), or details of the characters sex life- it's like a bowel movement I can just assume they have one, I don't need the details. So, you can imagine I don't often find much browsing through newer releases. I often depend on book lists and books being recommended from friends.

These books are fun, think of Jan Karon, Miss Read type stories. They are set in Botswana, Mma Precious Ramotswe is the only lady detective in the country and she solves mysteries for people and finds lost things and is just very wise and observant. They speak and think in a very simple, very polite fashion that is quite charming. She is an avid tea drinker, it comes into all the stories.

"Certainly Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni would not have done that- and indeed she had never seen Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni touch the kettle in all the six months since their marriage and his arrival in the house on Zebra Drive.  Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni liked tea, of course- it would have been difficult to marry a man who did not like tea- but he very rarely seemed to make any tea for himself.  She had not thought about this before now, but it was rather interesting, was it not, that somebody might believe that tea just happened along? Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni was not a lazy man, but it was remarkable to reflect how most men imagined that things like tea and food would simply appear if they waited long enough."

"We are very fortunate," said Mma Makutsi. "We know that."

"And you now have that nice new house," the neighbor went on, "and that interesting job of yours. People must ask you all the time: What is it like to be a private detective?"

Mma Makutsi smiled modestly. "They think it is a very exciting job," she said. "But it is not really. Most of the time we are just helping people to find out things they already know."

I don't know why that is- she isn't adopted or anything. Flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones- everyone else in our family LOVES book sales. They are #1 choice of family outings for our family(well maybe #2 behind vacations or out for supper or something, but pretty fun) Lily has never appreciated them. She likes to read and will read the books we choose for her, but she complains The Whole Time- her feet hurt, she is tired, she is hungry, she is thirsty, are we almost ready? etc. Lest you think we are in the habit of catering to these complaints, ask her- we aren't usually compassionate just annoyed.

Friday we went to one that was ok, not fantastic. She got several hardcover Narnia books(she is very hard on Narnia books, I bought her a paperback set so she would quit toting the family hardcovers all over kingdom come with her. She doesn't seem to remember she owns them) to keep in her room and travel where she wishes. She chose a hardcover copy of PollyAnna- she has read it and loves it but ours is just a paperback. A copy of Elizabeth Enright's The Melendy Family , Understood Betsy- another of her all time favorite stories(we only already own 2 hardcovers but this was a small paperback in excellent condition, hard to pass up),The Best-Loved Doll by Rebecca Caudill, her original copy perished in the fire, and an American Girl book But *she* chose it!

Overall I think she had not-too-bad-a-time, maybe that was because she had a hot pretzel and got to pet the cutest puppies at the pet store on the way out.

But the truth is that Lily does not like book sales and I Do Not Like Colds. But we're a family so we share those things.

Thanks, Lily. Now we're even.