I was at a homeschool convention Friday and Saturday, and while I was gone Gameboy (9) and Barngirl (12) went to a birthday party.  I was asking him this morning if he enjoyed the party.

Gameboy :  "Let's review what I ate. (Editor's comment:  He really does talk like this.)  First, I had a number of chips.  Then I swam for a while.  Then when the 'real' food came out, I had a hamburger and  corn on the cob, and then another half of a hamburger.  Then I stopped because I was going to explode."

  "After a little while they brought out the 'make your own sundaes' and I decided I would have room for that, so I had the French vanilla ice cream and poured caramel sauce over it and a bunch of sprinkles."

"Then dad came to get me and we were getting ready to go and Dad says, 'They're cutting the cake,' so we stayed and I had half a piece of cake."

"When we got home, I hardly ate anything the rest of the night.....except some popcorn."

We were in Washington, DC for a couple of days last month, and on our way out of town, decided to take a "quick" tour at Mount Vernon.  Well, having never been to Mount Vernon, and not having done my research, I didn't realize we really should have planned for a whole day there!  Unfortunately, we didn't have time for that.

Here's the back of the house:

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We've been reading Amos Fortune, Free Man for our morning read-aloud.  The other day we got to the part where he learns to "read, write, and cipher."  I asked Barngirl and Gameboy if they knew what "cipher" meant.   Gameboy piped-up, "Yeah.  It means to break a code."

"Well, yes, sort of.  In this case it's talking about learning to do math.  He was learning reading, writing, and math."

Then, since we're on the lookout for words that they can learn to spell, I asked, "Do you think you could spell 'cipher?'"

Again, Gameboy confidently informs me, "Of course, Mom.  I've watched National Treasure with the subtitles on.....I can spell C-I-P-H-E-R!"

Well, his tone suggested it, but at least he didn't actually SAY---

We met some friends for a field trip to Middleton Place Plantation last week.  This is my favorite Charleston plantation.....I want to just go and walk and walk.  It's the most beautiful place! 

Gameboy and Barngirl posing with swans in the background:

 

 

First order of business, help milk the cow, Rio:

 

 

 

 

 

Next, visit the pigs:

 

 

Okay, now that we've covered some of the livestock, let's go visit the cooper:

 

We love the cooper.  He's always so complimentary of homeschoolers.  Here he discusses 18th century carpentry and coopering.

The main crop in Charleston when Middleton was a working plantation was rice, brought by the African slaves.  He showed us why barrels for rice were made differently than barrels for liquids.  Then we got to see the rice in its dry, unhulled form, then hulled, then with the bran removed.  What a process!

 

Getting a turn at the wheel....used for "turning" wood for table legs, etc.

I didn't take any pictures of the rice.  You've seen rice, right?

Now, let's explore Middleton Place!

 

 

 

 

Just over this is are the "butterfly lakes," where the kids can run up and down the terraced lawn.

 

Which they did!

 

How beautiful is that?

 

Here's what it looked like from the helicopter ride we took:

 

Just kidding - we didn't get a helicopter ride...this is a picture I swiped from their website.  Psyche!

Regardless, is that not breathtaking?

On another area of the property, there are rows and rows of camellia bushes. 

 Here's Gameboy posing on a stump:

 

Now under one of the trees:

My beautifuly Barngirl.........with her stick.

 

Almost ready to head out for lunch.....hey, where's Waldo?

 

Ah, there he is!

 

Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of the new method to get pictures in the blog....thanks Picasa!  More to come!

I've been stymied in trying to get pictures on my blog....for months!  Very frustrating!  Trying a new online photo storage site to see if I can make it work.  

Here are Barngirl and Gameboy at Drayton Hall Plantation last Friday.

Okay, I got this one in somehow....I inserted the link directly into HTML.  But I can't center it. 

I'll try another one....Drayton Hall....beautiful vista:

 

Hmmm.  Still not centered.  But at least it's THERE, right?  I knew that coffee would help my overworked brain cells.

This is really embarrassing, but I'm pretty sure only my mom will see it anyway.  I'd really like to figure out how I got that top picture so nicely placed.

Here's a photo taken from inside the main front room facing toward what might have been considered the back of the house, as it faced the road and not the river:

 

Well, that's bigger, but still not centered. 

Gameboy and his friend posing on the 2nd floor balcony for me.  Such good boys!

 

Well, that one looks centered.  I goofed with the HTML placement (of which I am totally ignorant).  Just got lucky I think.

 

This is a model of how they think the home originally appeared from the road-side.  The plantation was built on a large piece of land between a major trade route (now Hwy. 61) and the Ashley River.  Building began in 1738, when Geoge Washington was 6 years old!  This is one OLD home!  The building to the right is believed to have been the kitchen, based on archeological evidence.  The outline of the building is still there, and you can see where the central fireplace would have been. 

The other building is less certain, but they think it was some kind of working house for the slaves.

Here is one of the ceiling inside the house:

 

 

Above the mantle in the front , first floor room:

 

Apparently the owner, who was educated in England, wanted local artisans to craft the head of an English Fox to place above the mantle.  It looks more like some kind of wild boar to me.  Our docent explained that it looks like the artist had never SEEN an English fox. 

On the tour, the words we heard over and over were "balance" and "symmetry."  If they had a door into a room, there HAD to be at least the "appearance" of a door to balance the room.  So there were false doors in MANY of the rooms.  They've taken the doors off to show that there was just brick behind.

 

You'll notice the walls look "distressed."  This was not the "IN" look at the time, but this home is PRESERVED in the most original state possible.  All the walls have actually been treated with a preservative to prevent more paint from chipping.  What we're seeing is the original paint, after years (over 250!) of living, 2 wars (Revolutionary and Civil), enemy occupation, generations of families, earthquakes (1886 earthquake destroyed MANY homes in Charleston - estimated to have been 7.6 had there been a Richter scale at that time) and major hurricanes.  It's really remarkable that it is so well preserved!

Even the mouse-holes are symmetrical!

 

On the lines of the generations of familes and paint preservation, these photos are interesting.  The decendents of the Drayton family used this section of wall as their "measurement" area for their kids.  This section of wall is covered with plexiglass to protect the names and measurements, but also so that the public can see evidence of the people who lived here.

 

The reason some of the measurements are so HIGH on the wall is that decendents of the family visit annually, and some want to have THEIR names on the wall, even though they're grown!  I can't really blame them....the history if amazing.  I'd want to be part of it too!

The last owner of the home, who donated it to the National Trust was a lady named Miss Charlotta.  She never had children, so she decided to measure her dogs, who got their OWN wall section!

 

The name at the top is "Nipper," who has a grave and fancy marker on the plantation.  Apparently he was a bull terrier, and very unlikely that tall.  The historians believe that she probably had him stand on his hind legs so he would be the tallest dog on the wall. 

Another interesting part of the house can be viewed in this picture.  This is the servants' stairs, which wound through the center of the house, with doors opening into most of the main rooms.  The small square hole cut into the wall was the 18th century version of a "cat door."  The cat would access the attic through that hole, where he could catch whatever rodents might have taken up residence.

 

This is the main ballroom on the 2nd floor.  James Fenimore Cooper, among others, were said to have enjoyed many a leisurely evening partying in this room.  This was also the room that probably had the most elaborate ceiling, but it became water damaged after the owners donated the metal (copper maybe?... I can't remember) roof flashing to the Confederate war cause.

 

They boarded the ceiling with beadboard and it was never replastered.

This home, like many of the time, had an above-ground basement.  Sea-level isn't a good spot for an UNDERground basement.  Here's Barngirl in front of a storage area:

 

They also had a bunch of stone columns stored down there.  They think they may be original.

 

I can hardly believe it's so well-preserved.

 

View from the outside of the basement:

 

Boys standing by the river.  "Hurry up and take the picture so we can get back to running!"

 

Not a bad way to spend a school day, don't you agree?

 

As for why it's been almost 2 months since I last posted, I can only say that other things have taken priority (with apologies to my mother....sorry Mom!).

If my subject line sounds arrogant, let me explain:

I was just in the kitchen having a conversation with Gameboy (8).  He had asked me to cut-up some cinnamon bread for him to have for breakfast (okay, that's not a good breakfast is it?  On second thought, I stink as a mother).  I sliced a few pieces and told him to leave some for his sister.  I started to leave the room when he took a piece and immediately dropped it and complained it was too cold.  Of course, it's cold, I said.  I just took it out of the freezer.  (Let's be honest.  If I kept it at room temperature on the counter I'd eat a piece every time I passed within 10 feet of it....and nobody needs that!)  So he asked me to heat it up.

"You're giving me a rash, boy," I said.

"That's because I'm RASH-ional," he smiled.  "What's 'rational' mean, anyway?"

I'm thinking of a good definition.  "Well, it's thinking and responding logically without a lot of emotion."

(Hang on, we're getting to the good part....)

"So Lizzy is rational,"  he ventures.

(Getting that mommy/teacher thrill that is sometimes too infrequent)  "Yes, exactly.  And her mother is irrational and out of control emotionally, " I respond.

He continues, enjoying the new word:  "And Lizzy is very rational when Lady Catherine deBourg is yelling at her.  She doesn't yell back but talks normally."

(Color me beaming!)

"And Darcy is so rational he never changes his expression at all,"  he concludes.

My apologies to Colin Firth, but he is not the most riveting actor, though the quintessential Mr. Darcy.

So in conclusion, I had a literary discussion with my 8 year old son this morning, about my favorite book!   Of course, he's not read it, but watched the most faithful film representation of a novel ever made (in my limited scope of reference).

Ergo, I am a success as a mother!

Surely my standard for "success" isn't too low, is it?

My long and depressing career as an unsuccessful (jinxed?) caterpillar farmer has come to an end!

Behold two of my babies:

One of them came from this:

I'll leave it to you to figure-out which one. 

Shortly afterward (I kept going outside to look every 5-10 minutes....the kids were ridiculing me as usual.  But I had the last laugh!):

The same hour, we had another blessed event:

This one fell right out of the chyrsalis, but began to climb-up again to dry its wings:

So then I go inside, triumphant, and spot THIS outside my kitchen window:

I run out with my trusty camera, while the kids stay inside to watch the event:

Is that not the best picture ever?!!

The next moment, he plummets to the ground where I snap this picture:

Our emergent butterfly is on the left..........and I notice this one on the right!  It was a prolific morning!

Unfortunately, only the one of the right made it.  But altogether, we had 6 hatched monarchs and 4 of them lived!

In fact, I saw one flying around the next day and snapped this picture of it in my neighbor's tree (yes, I'm pathetic....what's it to ya?):

So, in conclusion, my persistence has paid off, and my whole family must eat their words (she said, somewhat uncharitably....)!

Haven't blogged in forever, I have a ton of pictures from our vacation, Biltmore Homeschool Festival, and exciting monarch news.....but sadly no time.  I know, I can hear you whimpering your protestations....

I'm just stopping in today to link to THIS ARTICLE.  It is a nearly perfect explanation of how I feel about the direction of our country (and I knew you must be keenly interested in that).  But this is so much more eloquently written than anything I could compose.

Pull up a chair, grab a glass of milk and take 5 minutes to read it.  Let me know your thoughts.

Then, PRAY for America.

Though I admit our front door mat DOES say, "Wipe Your Paws,".........

I would have certainly made an exception had I known Mr. Snail planned to visit............

....she's also a new Jane Austen devotee....so what's not to LOVE?

This is a new friend of mine who just started homeschooling her son.  Stop by her blog and give her some encouragement when you get a chance.  

The following conversations and fragments could be overheard in our home had you been the proverbial fly on the wall (as opposed to the ACTUAL fly on our wall whose flight-paths are driving our cat crazy....):

Gameboy has been wanting to learn to cook pancakes, waffles, etc.  Esp. the cracking eggs part.

Me:  "You know,  you could be a chef when you grow up.  That'd be a cool job.  Like Bobby Flay!"

Gameboy:  "Nah, I want to be a video game tester for Nintendo."  Then he cups his hands around his mouth and whispers:  "But not the Barbie games!"

 

Barngirl is reading a book where one of the characters has a seizure disorder (Red Rock Mysteries....both my kids LOVE them!).  She asks me about it, and I say:

Me: "It might be epilepsy."

Barngirl:  "Isn't that where someone reads letters backwards?"

Me:  "I believe you're thinking of dyslexia."

 

Gameboy spent the afternoon across the street at a friend's house.  When he came home, he shared this little nugget:

Gameboy:  "I was picking the dead skin off my feet at -----'s house, but don't worry.  I didn't throw the dead skin on the carpet......I put it in my pocket."

His don't look that good, even after his expert exfoliating technique......

What is the plural of chrysalis anyway?

Last night when I made my last check, we had 3 caterpillars in their "j" positions in the Butterfly Bush.  That seems like a good spot, because they'll be largely protected from high winds (barring hurricane force winds which may be coming our way by week's end), and I can see them really well from the porch, which is highly convenient.

Sadly, this morning one of them was all limp and floppy and covered in that tell-tale green goo.  I didn't take a picture, just cut it down and disposed of it assuming it was the result of the OE spore.  Hopefully my caterpillar expert (though she claims not to be one) can verify if that green-goo death is indeed the result of OE spore infestation.

Of the two that were left, we did get two chrysalises:

The good looking one:

and the funky-looking one:

I couldn't get a sharp close-up of it, but I think you can see it is malformed.  His "j" ended up looking more like a "u" last time I saw him.

Anyway, while getting these shots, I saw a previously undiscovered one here:

I'm blogging this info specifically to get some help from an online friend who seems to know a LOT about raising monarchs.  She's offered more information than other online sites and even my local Cypress Gardens Butterfly House.

If  you remember the early travails of our school year (they're fresh on MY mind.....not yours?), we had some difficulty getting past some particular sibling dissension.  But we're persevering (what else to do?), and have had some rewarding days to keep me from throwing in the towel and letting Calgon take me away...............to the funny farm.

We're marching through the book of Matthew slowly, just reading a few verses a day and discussing how we might apply them to our lives.  When we got to the 6th chapter, we discussed giving to the poor and needy and not making a big "show" of it.  I told some examples of how Mr. Sockmonkey and I have done this anonymously for people from time to time, and how much fun it was. 

Now the application:  We decided to find ways between the 3 of us to secretly 'bless' the others in some way.  Gameboy and Barngirl were INTO IT! 

So later while I was working with Barngirl on her math in the living room, Gameboy was in the kitchen doing his math.  I got Barngirl started on a problem and ran into Gameboy's room and made his bed.  Back in 3 minutes; mission accomplished. 

A while later I was walking through my room and saw that MY bed was made (not particularly well, but my bed is hard to make, I admit).  Brought such a smile to my face!

Still later when we were getting ready to watch our IEW dvd, Barngirl said our portable dvd player (the only one we have) was up on her loft bed.  She asked Gameboy to get it; he balked.  Then he said she should get it because she had it last.  She was unmoved.

Then my lightbulb moment:  I got up and RAN to her room so that I could get it.  Not exactly a "secret" blessing, but still. 

Later that evening we discussed our little game with Mr. Sockmonkey and the kids wanted to "reveal" what they had done.  Gameboy admitted to making my bed, and at the moment I can't remember what he did for Barngirl.  But Barngirl revealed that she had  "fixed" the job Gameboy did on my bed!  LOL!  She also put some of Gameboy's toys away for him.

Less bickering that day....I think this is a good lesson to carry on.  They still need practice blessing EACH OTHER.  Stay tuned....

A friend just sent me these, and they made me laugh out loud.  Who doesn't need THAT on a daily basis? (h/t Ashley at Jibidee.com)

 

Crop circles are Chuck Norris' way of telling the world that sometimes corn needs to lie down.

The Great Wall of China was originally created to keep Chuck Norris out. It failed miserably.

When Chuck Norris sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack. Chuck Norris has not had to pay taxes, ever.

Chuck Norris doesn't churn butter. He roundhouse kicks the cows and the butter comes straight out.

Chuck Norris is the only human being to display the Heisenberg uncertainty principle -- you can never know both exactly where and how quickly he will roundhouse-kick you in the face.

Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris doesn't shower, he only takes blood baths.

In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Chuck Norris could use to kill you, including the room itself.

When Chuck Norris goes to donate blood, he declines the syringe, and instead requests a hand gun and a bucket.

There are no steroids in baseball. Just players Chuck Norris has breathed on.

We're reading Summer of the Monkeys as our current read-aloud.   So last night we got to a part where the main character and his grandpa are taking a buggy on a 12-mile journey into the town to visit a library (for the 1st time in BOTH their lives).  They decide at the last minute to bring the hounddog along.

So at one point the dog sees some raccoons and decides he has to jump off the buckboard and chase them.

Gameboy:  That dog's gonna get killed jumping out of the car like that!

The rest of us:  It's not a car...it's a buckboard.  Like a wagon pulled by horses.

Gameboy:  No motor?

Me:  No, honey.  It's the late 1800's.  There are no cars, no airplanes, no TVs, no electricity.

Gameboy:  No air-conditioning?

Me:  No air-conditioning.

He's trying to wrap his brain around such incivility.  Then he turns on the "wise guy."

Gameboy (to me):  Did they have air-conditioning when you were a girl?  *Smirk*

Me:  Yes.  I was not born in the 1800's, you little....(redacted)

So later in the story they get to the library and they leave the dog out on the front steps while they go in.

Gameboy:  What if the dog decides to go in and he gets caught in the automatic doors?

The rest of us:  THERE ARE NO AUTOMATIC DOORS!  The library had its doors open because they HAD NO AIR CONDITIONING....because it's 1880!

Pause.

Is this what he thinks my life was like when I was a kid?

 

I will now raise a toast (coffee, of course) to my beloved Dyson!   Cheers!

Thank you all who commented on my last post.  It's nice to hear that I'm not alone!  I thought I'd update you a bit (esp. for my mom....thanks for the encouragement Mom!):

Our week has progressed better, and they've not fought over prayer in 3 days!  I adjusted and had them pray for themselves, so they can "own" their own weaknesses and sin.  Do you know what I mean?  I have one in particular that doesn't like to admit their own sin, so I thought it would be better for them to bring their own struggles to the Lord rather than pointing out their sibling's.  Anyway, it's gone better.

So this morning I was having my quiet time on the porch and intermittently watching the birds.  The hummingbirds were cracking me up, as usual.  There were 4 of them fighting over the feeder, and really, only one of them ever got to drink from it because he lorded over it like he owned it.  When another would even hover within 5 feet of the feeder, Mr. Greedypants attacked with his vicious little chatter and spread-out wings.  This went on the ENTIRE 45 minutes I was out there....constant fighting.

And I heard a still small voice say, "At least your kids don't fight THAT much!"

Today is our first day of the new school year.  I've been planning (off and on,....okay, mostly off) for a couple of months how I wanted this year to "look" and what goals I felt needed to be prioritized.

So after chores and breakfast, we started our day with Bible reading, choosing a scripture to memorize, discussion and prayer.

Or at least, that was the PLAN.  One of MY main goals for this year was in the area of, shall we say, "interpersonal relationship between brother and sister."  This is a constant in our home, and I often feel we take "2 steps forward, 1 step back" when it comes to getting along and honoring one another.  But today was going to be different.  So I asked Gameboy what he would like his SISTER to pray for HIM about.  And then I asked Barngirl what she would like her BROTHER to pray for HER about.  They both chose wisely.  It wasn't exactly brain surgery, since they hear me mention it EVERY DAY.

So we get together to pray, and I sadly have to insist that they hold hands (!).  During the prayer time, Gameboy screams, "She's squeezing my fingers too hard!" and wails in full-tear-mode.  She says she's not, and to quit being so sensitive!  So both get sent to their rooms before I get my hands on any blunt instruments.

Not an ideal beginning.

For the record, she was supposed to pray for him that he would not be so easily offended, and he was supposed to pray for her that she would treat him kindly.

We worked it out (somewhat) later, but this is going to be one long haul.  However, it gave me an opportunity to explain how we have an enemy who hates our family and wants to cause strife, so we must be on the right track.

And tomorrow, Scarlet, is another day.....