{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} ~ June 10, 2012

Joining the girls at Like Mother, Like Daughter . . .

{Pretty} and {Happy}

Here's a picture of Girl Out of the House taken about ten days ago at thirty-eight weeks into her pregnancy. 

The Big Day is this Tuesday, but we all know that babies come when they are good and ready.  Doesn't Girl 1 look {pretty} and {happy}?  We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first baby/granddaughter/niece (as the case may be)!


Speaking of the forthcoming grandbaby . . .  I decided to do a little sewing to welcome the little one.  When I want to sew something, I figure it out as I go.  I'm definitely a beginner!  I bought this pattern .  Notice is says "easy-to-sew."  "Ha!" she says in scorn.  Maybe it's easy for someone who already knows what she's doing, but for li'l ol' me ~ a bear of little brain ~ it was an exercise in mind-reading.  Why, oh, why aren't the instructions clearer?  Why, oh, why is it assumed that you already know what you're doing?  If it weren't for YouTube, I never would have gotten that zipper in!  But it's in, it works, and now I know how to do it.  Yea!  Many hours and ripped-out seams later, all three pieces are finished! And just in time!  I'm very {happy} with the end results and think it's {pretty}. 

Isn't the hat the cutest thing you ever saw?

{Funny}

I think it's mildly {funny} when Man of the House uses very old technology like a clay tavern pipe at the same time he's using very new technology like a Kindle.  (I took this unbeknownst to him through the front door window.)

{Real}

I challenge you to beat our {real} this week.  In fact, I doubt anyone can top our {real} in all the vast history of {phfr}!  Because our mini-van was set on fire this week **on purpose**.  Yes, an arsonist used something flammable to douse the interior and set it on fire.  There were three separate explosions: one from the unknown flammable substance, one from the gas tank, and one from the tank of oxygen sitting in the back.  (All this happened in the middle of the night in the driveway of the person we had lent the car to so said arsonist could go on a burglary spree while the authorities were occupied with our burning car.)  Ol' Reliable has gone to where good, dependable cars go, and we will miss her.  Still, no one was hurt (though there was damage to our friend's house), and we are laying up our treasures in Heaven where moth and rust~ and fire!~ do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Pretty incredible, yes?

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} ~ June 3, 2012

Joining Like Mother, Like Daughter . . .

{Pretty}

We planted two rose bushes this spring.  If all goes well, they will eventually climb the arbor over the patio, meet in the middle, and create glorious, rose-scented shade.  The first buds bloomed this week!

{Happy}



Our garden is growing like gangbusters, which makes us happy for many reasons. One night this week something unusual happened~ I was alone for supper, so I went out to the garden and picked the first of the peas.  I cannot adequately describe the yumminess of those peas!  It was a mixture of sunshine, rain, really good dirt, and fresh air.  I'm looking forward to eating more of these little green bursts of goodness!

There are lots more where those came from!



We have three pea patches like this one.  (Those are green beans planted on the north side.)

In addition to the peas and green beans, we have a strawberry bed, tomatoes, gourds, mini pumpkins, butternut squash, cucumbers, a pepper plant, raspberries, and sweet potatoes. I'm especially proud of the tomatoes because we grew them from seed, which I've been told is difficult but didn't really seem to be difficult at all!

 Blossoms on the tomato plants!



Strawberry Bed

{Funny}

This little guy was sitting on the ledge outside our living room window this afternoon.  I saw him in the lawn this morning before church, too.  I'm sure this is his first day outside the nest, judging by his uncertainty regarding flying and his slightly nervous air.  He sure is a cutey!



Are you my mother?

{Real}

Besides the beach, this is the windiest place I've ever seen!  Actually, it may even be windier than the beach.  It's not so constantly windy, but the wind is stronger at times.  There's nothing in this good, flat land to keep the wind from sweeping down the plains, as the song says.  (No, we don't live in Oklahoma! lol)  Here's what said wind does to my laundry hanging on the line~

Thanks for stopping by!





School's Out!

Today is Girl of the House's last day of the schoolyear.  Yippee!  At her request, though, we will be continuing/picking up a few things through the summer.  She likes learning and sees no reason not to do what she likes over the summer.  How can I argue with that?

Here's a quick run-down of what she accomplished this year~

Math~ Not Girl 2's favorite subject, but she does like being tutored by her brother-in-law, That Boy. :-)  It's helped her tremendously to have someone who's enthusiastic about the subject and highly knowledgeable.  Math-U-See is the only curriculum we have found of the several we tried that she likes . . . well, okay, doesn't dislike.  She thinks Mr. Demme is hilarious!  She finished Zeta this year and has moved on to pre-algebra.  We are doubling up on math this summer so that she can begin Algebra I this fall.  She fell behind during that dreadful eighth grade year when she was so constantly sick, but we keep plugging away and making progress little by little, which is usually best anyway.

(This is how I feel, but I haven't been able to execute this particular maneuver for decades . . .)

Logic~ We got through chapter 6 of Martin Cothran's Traditional Logic Bk. 1.  It kinda sorta fell by the wayside along about December, despite many proddings by Girl 2 to get me back on track, but . . . well, we take another stab it at, picking up where we left off, this summer.  Another subject to plod through little by little.

Christian Philosophy~ This was offered online by some homeschool moms I know virtually.  This was Girl 2's favorite this year!  Girl Out of the House took this class when she was about Girl 2's age and has kept her book and wouldn't give it up, so I knew it was something I wanted Girl 2 to have.  It's important for people to understand the roots of their culture and the ideas that have shaped it.  This class went a long way to achieving that for Girl 2. 

Essay Writing~ About halfway through the philosophy class mentioned above, which required a weekly essay, I realized Girl 2 needed more work on basic essay writing.  We have gotten through the first few chapters of Lucile Vaughan Payne's The Lively Art of Writing and will continue plugging away at it until we finish.  She's also worked through pattern 12 in The Art of Styling Sentences by K.D. Sullivan and Ann Longknife. 

German I~ Girl 2 took this class on-line.  The teacher was good, the book was good, and Girl 2 now has a solid foundation in the language.  It's on to German II next year but with a different teacher since the current one is retiring. :-(

English Words from Latin and Greek Elements~ This is an on-line class taught by Girl 2's dad. :-)  It's an excellent class; I know because I taught it one year.  It teaches students how to break English words into their constituent Latin and/or Greek parts.  I know Girl 2 liked it and learned a lot because nary a day goes by that she's not telling me about the etymology or some word or another.  I think the English language is fascinating, and I'm glad Girl 2 knows that too!

Music History~ This is a class I teach on-line.  It takes students through the history of Western classical music from Gregorian chant to the modern-day minimalists.  There is no textbook; I provide materials through the school's moodle, including approximately 200 audio files.  Girl 2 really seemed to enjoy this class, if I may say so myself.  She was certainly engaged in the material, and now she is equipped for a lifetime of listening to and understanding classical music. 

In addition, we read and watched Shakespeare's King Lear.  I like to use the Oxford School editions along with an audio CD.  We read along as we listen, and then we watch at least one production.  On her own initiative, Girl 2 has been working through the first chapters of Spielvogel's Western Civilization and study guides. (The link isn't for the same edition we use, but I couldn't find one for that.) She reads all the ancient lit. she can lay her hands on (Plutarch, Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Aeschylus, Vergil, etc., etc., etc.), so between her work in Spielvogel, listening to Teaching Co. lectures, and her own reading plus her father's background in ancient lit. and languages, which leaks out all over our conversations and daily interactions, she should be well grounded in the classical world. 

So, like every year, some things stalled a bit and others were very successful.  On the docket for the summer is math (eternal math! *sigh*), logic, and essay writing.  So there will still be plenty of time for quilting, visits to the library, some travel, baby holding, etc.  Happy summer, everyone!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} ~ May 19, 2012

We had a rough time at our house this week.  I had (and still have) the mother of all colds, and as we all know, if Mom is down for the count, things just don't go as smoothly.  I'm feeling much better today, but I'm looking forward to having my voice back at full volume!  Man of the House made many extra trips to the hospital to visit a critically ill parishioner whose time on earth was coming to a close, or so we thought.  He has improved over the past day and is being transferred to a bigger hospital.  On top of everything, Girl of the House's dance recital is tomorrow with the dress rehearsal this morning~too early on a Saturday morning when we all just wanted to sleep!  But there have been blessings as well, such as . . .

{Pretty}

Look at all that lovely beef!  We bought a freezer last month in anticipation of buying a quarter of beef.  We picked the meat up yesterday, and look how pretty it is!  Now don't tell me that isn't a pretty sight; it is!  And the price was excellent too.  (There is also some marked-down pork that I bought at the store.  The beef is nicely wrapped in white paper.)  We have cuts of beef, such as T-bone steaks, that we have never, ever bought before, so we'll have to figure out the best way to cook them.  In the bottom basket is the humbler ground beef and hamburger patties that are regular fare for us.  Next, we'll buy a large quantity of pork.  Yum!

{Happy}

A few weeks ago, Girl of the House expressed an interest in learning the viola. Since Man of the House is an accomplished cellist, violist, and violinist, he can teach her, so the only expense was the viola itself and a book. The viola arrived this week. Girl 2 is already making nice, full sounds ~ not screechy at all. ;-)

Here's my second attempt at growing lettuce indoors.  I'd really like to master the knack so we can have fresh lettuce year around.  My first attempt didn't go so well. :-(  But this time we have a grow light mounted under a kitchen cabinet.  Hopefully the lettuce will do better.  It's also a great place to start cucumbers, winter squash, mini-pumpkins and gourds!

Under the grow light . . .

One housekeeping job I really enjoy is changing the sheets each fall and spring. I mean, changing from flannel to percale in the spring and from percale to flannel in the fall; I wash our sheets each week. I don't mean that kind of changing! lol When the flannel sheets go on, so do extra blankets. I love cozying up the bed for cold nights. Then when the percale set goes on, off come the extra blankets. It feels so light and fresh for the warm months!

{Real}

We planted three dwarf apple trees this spring, but alas, one has died.  At least it was guaranteed and should be replaced by the nursery.



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{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} ~ May 13, 2012

Joining Like Mother, Like Daughter . . .

{Pretty}

I love May because of the prevalence of "Wedgwood Days," which have thankfully been abundant this week!

{Happy}

Girl of the House finished this quilt last week.  She machine pieces but binds and quilts by hand.  She doesn't have a specific baby in mind for this one, so she thinks she'd like to donate it to our local crisis pregnancy center. 

The fabric has a fairy tale theme.  Isn't it adorable?  For the backing and binding, Girl 2 used a pale blue fabric with gold stars.  Very cute!

I'm always happy to see Girl 2 quilting!  I think it's important that young people learn how to do as well as how to think.  Using hands-on skills they have learned gives them self-confidence and a can-do attitude as well as allows them to bless others in tangible ways.  Well done, Girl of the House!

Wedgwood Day

It was a Wedgwood day, with white coulds delicately modelled in relief against a sky of pale pure blue.  The best of England, thought Mrs. Miniver, as opposed to countries with reasonable climates, is that it is not only once a year that you can say, 'This is the first day of spring.'  She had already said it twice since Christmas~ once in Janurary, when they had driven across the Marsh to the sea and it had been warm enough to lie on the sand without a coat; and once in February, when she had taken the children for a lunch picnic in Kensington Gardens.  The grass had been scattered with twigs from the previous night's gale, and by the next afternoon it was snowing: but while it lasted that day had been part of the authentic currency of spring~ a stray coin tossed down carelessly on account.~~Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} ~ May 6, 2012

Lots to share today!

{Pretty} I made this skirt for Girl of the House this week following the same instructions I mentioned here. It's Girl 2's favorite design and since I've made at least a dozen of these, I can practically do it in my sleep. I hesitantly chose the fabric myself, and Girl 2 miraculously approved! Isn't it {pretty}?

{Happy}

We bought this patio set last weekend and Man of the House and his trusty sidekick put it together on Wednesday.  We've had dinner outside everyday since then.  In our previous house, the one with the postage stamp-sized lawn, there was no patio or deck or anyplace to put something like this.  We are {happy} to have it!

Here they are putting it together~

And here is Girl 2 with her vintage typewriter, Remy (short for Remington), getting set up for a writing session~

And here is the colorful brolly we got to go with it~



{Funny}

My father-in-law gave me reusable plastic bowl covers for Christmas last year, which I love because they really cut down on the amount of plastic wrap we use. (We call them "old lady hats" because they remind us of the plastic rain bonnets that elderly ladies use to protect their hair-do's from rainstorms.) They have to be washed and hung to dry, and we usually hang them over rinsed-out beer bottles that collect on the counter. (Man of the House is a brewer, remember?) However, last week I ran short of ready bottles, so I hung one on the teensy-weensy lemon tree that lives next to the dish drainer. Girl of the House thought it was {funny}, but I thought it made perfect sense!

{Real}

Remember that tree or bush or whatever it is that I showed you last week and that I hoped was dead so we could cut it down?  Alas, it started budding this week . . . like the tree in Minas Tirith, as Girl 2 put it. 

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(P.S. Thanks to Girl Out of the House and Quotidian Life for advice on my formatting problems!  Your suggestions worked! :-)  )