Your selection does matter….

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There are so many reasons why we homeschool. I added another one just this week. I realized on Saturday just how completely my mostly public education failed me in the area of reading and literture. I know that my parents tried to compensate, and I’m not sure that the elementary teachers are really to blame. The books I remember reading and enjoying the most were read during those early years.

I ask you, how can a person finish a “Survey of British Lit” without even reading one chapter of Jane Austen? any Jane Austen? Charles Dickens? Sir Walker Scott’s “Ivanhoe”? This is the book that brought me to this realization. I’m now reading “Ivanhoe” so that I can discuss it with my 4th grader. Sadly, he’ll probably finish it before I will. I told him that if he wasn’t careful he’d grow up to be a bibliophile, to which he replied “I already am a lover of books”. There’s just something about a well told story.

Two books we will never read in this school: The Heart of Darkness and The Lord of the Flies.

What will we be sure to cover in the coming years: Jane Austen, Alexander Dumas, James Fenimore Cooper, Sir Walker Scott, Gene Stratten-Porter, Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Hans Christian Anderson, Aesop, The Brothers Grim, Charles Perrault, Padraic Colum, Longfellow, Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Lewis Carroll, Pearl S. Buck, Robert Lawson, Tennyson, Ian Flemming, GA Henty, A.A. Milne, James Daugherty, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Richard Atwater, Eleanor Estes, Lois Lenski, Elizabeth George Speare, E.B. White, Rudyard Kipling, Booth Tarkington, Jules Verne, Edward Lear, Elizabeth Montgomery, Gary Paulson, Ester Forbes, Laura Ingles-Wilder and more of the Bible…. this should keep us busy until middle school.

What have we already read? Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Black Beauty, several Marguerite Henry books, the Hobbit, Strawberry Girl, Red Sails to Capri, Betty MacDonald (Mrs. Pigglewiggle), Elizabeth George Speare, Rudyard Kipling (Captain’s Courageous), versions of Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island), Jean Lee Latham (Carry on Mr. Bowditch) – a wonderful book for all ages, a beautifully illustrated copy of Gulliver’s Travels by Swift, countless picture books and the Bible.

We are currently reading “Swiss Family Robinson” by Johann Wyss. In parting I leave you with this poem.

A Book by Edgar Guest

“Now” – said a good book unto me –
“Open my pages and you shall see
Jewels of wisdom and treasures fine,
Gold and silver in every line,
And you may claim them if you but will
Open my pages and take your fill.

“Open my pages and run them o’er,
Take what you choose of my golden store.
Be you greedy, I shall not care –
All that you seize I shall gladly spare;
There is never a lock on my treasure doors,
Come – here are my jewels, make them yours!

“I am just a book on your mantel shelf,
But I can be part of your living self;
If only you’ll travel my pages through,
Then I will travel the world with you.
As two wines blended make better wine,
Blend your mind with these truths of mine.

“I’ll make you fitter to talk with men,
I’ll touch with silver the lines you pen,
I’ll lead you nearer the truth you seek,
I’ll strengthen you when your faith grows weak –
This place on your shelf is a prison cell,
Let me come into your mind to dwell!”

Can it be?

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Rock, Paper, Scissors… Oh My!

My sister-in-law had this neat little on-line “personality” test on her web site today. YIKES! Can it be that all my work to soften the edges of my Type-A personality over the years has been for naught?


You Are Rock


Powerful and overbearing, you intimidate people with your presence.
People know they can’t push you around, and they respect that.
Deep down, you are calm, confident, and unmovable.
You take everything pretty seriously, and you think deeply about all aspects of your life.
You tend to feel smothered by paper people.
You don’t mind crushing the spirit of a scissors person.
When you fight, you: Use all of your strength.
If someone makes you mad: You’re likely to throw something at them.

This last part is totally not true! I haven’t thrown anything in years. And I’m not a spirit crusher!!

Everything in the sink….

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Those who know the real me know how I adore bathing a baby in the sink. It could be anybody’s baby. Admitedly I usually wait until they can sit unassisted and are about 6 months old. The last baby I got to bath in this manner was my niece, Piper. That was until last Saturday.

This past weekend we made the pilgrimage to Roxboro, North Carolina, to visit Mark’s parents. The real reason for the visit was so that the boys could all attend the NC State game, but based on the outcome of that we aren’t discussing it at this point.

Knowing that space in the car was precious and limited, I did not take a “baby bath tub”. I bathed Claire just prior to the trip and expected that we could make it two days without a bath. Not so!! When it became unavoidable, I had no alternatives other than the kitchen or bathroom sink areas. After thorough examination, I opted for the hall bathroom. As you can see, Claire fit nicely in the sink and was able to comfortably recline on a folded towel.

She even seemed to enjoy it. She adores bath time and warm running water. What fun!!!

Traveling Buddies

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Claire has finally introduced herself to her traveling buddies. Yesterday she gave the frog a good swat and was thrilled when he jingled. It’s hard to believe that she’s already seven weeks old today.

Roxanne

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Some of you might remember the movie by the same name from 1987. Roxanne is an amusing comedy about a small-town firefighter, C.D. Bales (Steve Martin), who becomes smitten with a newcomer in town, Roxanne Kowalski (Daryl Hannah). Sadly, he is self-conscious about his exceedingly long nose. Much hilarity ensues when C.D. tries to help a friend “woo” the fair maiden.

One of my favorite lines in the movie comes during a bar scene when C.D. gets involved in an insult-slinging “bar fight”. He’s challenged to come up with 20 insults about his own nose. One of the best… “it must wonderful to wake up in the morning and smell the coffee… in Brazil.” (ha ha ha). Well, I have a new appreciate for that this morning.

Last night, as I was setting up my coffee pot for this morning, I opened a new bag of coffee and it smelled REALLY good. It made me wonder why the coffee this week hasn’t been so tasty-most likely it’s been operator error. But, my quest for an answer sent me to the already open bag of coffee I’ve been using. I lifted a generous mound in the coffee scoop with every intention of sniffing it to determine if it smelled as tasty as the newly opened bag. I could tell as I lifted it that it didn’t have the same tasty aroma, but I sniffed anyway. Somehow, I was distracted in the sniffing process and I sniffed too efficiently. When I got up this morning, I was still blowing coffee grounds out of my nose – yuck.

I can say with complete certainty that the old coffee has lost it’s charm and I’m sticking with the new bag. I may even get a copy of Roxanne from NetFlix this week…. just for old time’s sake.

Catching up in the Kitchen

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This past weekend, Mark took Sam, Sophie and Wilson to his nephew’s wedding where they all had a part in the ceremony. While they were away, Claire and I spent some quiet time together. We also spent way too much time watching the Food Network. I have two recommendations after our initial efforts in the kitchen.

The first is from The Barefoot Contessa for Panzanella. This was a WONDERFUL salad that makes use of so many of the fresh veggies available in the summer garden. I did have to make two modifications: I used regular mustard since I just gave my jar of Dijon Mustard to my Mom, and I didn’t add the capers. But it was delicious non-the-less.

The second recipe comes from this month’s issue of Southern Living Magazine and is found on page 186, Mississippi Mudd Cookies. The cookies were slightly easier than traditional Mississippi Mudd to make, and I like to think maybe they weren’t as bad for me. If you prefer the traditional Mississippi Mudd Cake, it’s in the same article in the magazine. This issue of Southern Living proves better than most of their Idea House issues in the past. Typically, the Idea House issues pay inadequate attention to the recipe and food section of the magazine. This one was surprisingly good, despite the lesser number of recipes included. This recipe, and the others in this particular article, might even be worth purchasing your own copy of the magazine.

Happy Cooking!!

Prayer Request …

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You might remember that several months ago I posted a note about the daughter of one of best friends. She is currently being treated for AML Leukemia in Charlotte, NC. She just turned 10 years old last week and has been amazingly strong these last several months. Her name is Ashlyn and today she’s had some complications that resulted in her being placed into the ICU. Please pray for her and for her family as she continues to fight this disease. If you would like to leave her a message of encouragement, please go to the Caringbridge website. Click on the link to visit a website and type ashlynhunter in the box. I know that her parents read her all the messages left on her site, and that you’re prayers are needed and much appreciated.

What do they like?

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Wilson’s a fan of the “rock-n-roll” as it were. I believe that some of his favorite artists are: Johnny Cash, Bon Jovi, REM (though he doesn’t know that’s their name), Steely Dan and Bruce Springstein. What a boy!

Sophie has a more eclectic taste, somewhat like mine. She’s been enjoying “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper. She also likes “Bouncing ‘Round the Room” by Phish. Some other favorites of hers include: Bruce Springstein, Elizabeth Mitchell, Bon Jovi and LeAnn Rimes. And you should hear her rendition of Gianni Schicchi as done by Hayley Westenra, … oh my goodness. You may know it better from the “A Room with a View” soundtrack.

Sam definately has his own taste in music. He enjoys a couple Neil Young songs from the Harvest Moon Album. He also likes: They Might Be Giants (especially “Birdhouse in your Soul”), Go Fish, Bruce Springstein’s “We Shall Overcome” american folk songs, Justin Roberts, Bon Jovi and Phish. The funniest thing I’ve heard in months…. Sam singing “Don’t You Want Me Baby” by The Human League after a “lost in the 80’s” weekend on the local station.

I am sensing a common thread or two….

Baby must be near….

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Well, we must be getting close to an arrival soon. While Mark had the children at the pool this afternoon, I took a two hour nap. WOW! Where did that come from. Then this evening I rearranged the freezer and made a coffee cake for in the morning. Hopefully, someone will get to eat it in the morning.

I used one of my favorite recipes for this coffee cake. I realized when putting it together that I haven’t made it in over a year. Where has the time gone?? The recipe is from Southern Living Magazine; I think it was February 1998. It’s an easy bake and tastes great!

Raspberry-Cheese Coffee Cake
1 (8 oz) package Crm Cheese (softened)
1/2 C butter or Marg (softened)
1 C Sugar
2 Lg Eggs
1/4 C Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 3/4 C All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 C Seedless Raspberry Preserves
3 Tbsp Powdered Sugar

Beat first three ingredients at medium speed witha n electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla, beating until smooth.

Combine flour and next three ingredients; add to cream cheese mixture, beating at low speed until well blended. Spread batter into a greased and floured 13×9-inch pan. Dollop with preserves, swirl wih a knife.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cake begins to leave sides of pan. Cool slightly, and sprinkle with pwedered sugar. Cut into squares.

Yield: 12 to 15 servings