Saturday

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Excuse me while I continue to celebrate here!

How many of me?

(Sounds like a great Dr. Seuss title.)

I found this fun link on Renee's and Linda's blogs. I may have posted this here before, but it's worth doing again.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 10 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

(Just a note of caution on this link, the two ads I've seen are not particularly family friendly.)

When I run my maiden name, I am told that there are 0 people in the U.S. with that last name, and therefore there are 0 people with my name in the U.S.!

End of the road

I'm calling it quits. Over, done, and OUT.


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What more sure way is there to strip all enjoyment of something? Being forced to do it! I am dropping out of the Project 365. I want to blog, I want to enjoy it. Instead I find myself scrambling every day to find A picture, ANY picture. When everyone's relaxing, one way or another, after dinner, I am trying to plot out computer time: hook up camera, download photos, open Picasa, photo edit, save, open Faststone, resize, save, open Firefox, post. Because everything takes time, I don't do it all at once. I walk past the computer, do something, and return endlessly.

I'm beginning to hate it.

I've often wondered if working in Baskin-Robbins would make me sick of ice cream. Probably.

I don't want to look so forward to the end of the year, JUST so I can be done with this. I want to enjoy blogging again. I want to like my blog again. I want to post several times a week WHEN I WANT TO, not just because it's one more day I "must" add.

So I'm taking a break for a few days. Maybe. Maybe not. But no more 365 posts!!!

And that feels SO GOOD!!!!!

***

Meanwhile, I'm rethinking Holly's Project 365. She's doing it for art this year. She hated art before, and she's beginning to hate this project now too. I can't blame her. We're figuring out how she can still do this, yet not post every day. She'll probably be choosing a few pictures a week; we'll see. The last thing I want to do is make her dislike this too. How in the world would THAT be any benefit???

***

Wow, this is like going on vacation!!!!!


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Project 365: Day 72

The Spoils of Shopping




Holly and I went down to North Carolina today to do a little shopping at Kohl's. It was well worth the drive. We shopped a little, went to Wendy's for lunch, went back to Kohl's and shopped some more.

I'm glad she's set for a little while. She got two pairs of capris, several shirts, pajamas, a too cute bathing suit, shoes and more. Neither of us enjoy shopping very much, but this was a fun day.

Project 365: Day 71

Spring is in the air!

Daffodils are out. After not seeing (or smelling) one skunk since we've moved here, in the past two weeks, we've seen more than a dozen roadkilled. We saw our first groundhog poking around since fall. We have new birds at the feeder, and the cardinals have been going crazy (still none at OUR house though).

The neighbors' dog Simba came out to see Trevor and me when we walked today.



Trevor rolled around, enjoying the green grass and commenting that it needs mowing.



And the ladybugs are back. Well, not really back--but out. We've had two in our bathroom all winter. (I don't know how they survive, but they are ever hopefully waiting at the window.)



Tonight there are 14 ladybugs. They are quite literally coming out of the woodwork. The ladybug invasion happened in November, when they swarm the houses and take refuge for the winter. They are kind of cute. I keep hearing that they emit a terrible smell when frightened, and we're reluctant to put that to test. For now, we'll enjoy them. This year, anyway.

Trevor's book report

The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly was first published in 1928. This story occurs during the 15th century in Poland.

There are two chief characters in this story. There names are Joseph, a fifteen year-old boy, and his father, Pan (Sir) Andrew Charnetski.

At the beginning of this story, Joseph and his family travel to the city of Krakow. The problem in this story is Pan Andrew owned the Tarnov crystal that contained alot of energy so people would try to steal it.

I think my favorite part in this story is when Joseph and his father get captured. I felt excited!

I (surprisingly) did not learn anything about God from this book (because they were Christians). However, I did learn about the Unfinished Melody.

Trevor
3/12/08

Project 365: Day 70

Lots of car time for me today. Later in the afternoon, Trevor and I took Holly to her riding lesson and decided to go for a walk in the neighborhood.



This was the third place we saw llamas. Actually, we were looking for a different animal here. We didn't see what we were looking for today, but eventually I'll get a picture to post and it will be a surprise!

Very picturesque, lots of old buildings mixed in with the homes.



It wasn't the best timing for a walk, as the clouds came in and I was cold. We went back to the car and waited for an hour. It was a tad boring, but at least we had a good view of Holly jumping. Trevor talked on the phone a bit, and we scrounged up some scrap paper to play tic tac toe and hangman. Next time, we'll head back into town, and at the very least, go mall walk with the (really) old people!

Weekly menu

manicotti, salad, french bread

chili dogs, macaroni salad

quiche, spinach salad

shrimp in garlic wine sauce, rice or noodles, broccoli

BLTs

Barb's macaroni/hot wing thing

giant burritos or YOYO


Lunch (with or for):
smoothies
grilled PB&J
Linda's Marinated Mozzarella
parmesan pesto things

On the back burner:
taco salad
something with beef chuck roast
soup
Laura's chicken thing??

Project 365: Day 69

You've got to be kidding. This is NOT me, NOT us, absolutely NO WAY are we this old. And even if we WERE this old, we wouldn't LOOK like this.

I think it's my grandparents.

* * *

Holly's photo from cutting ranch yesterday turned out really well. I'm envious. She took her pictures right after I did, she even used my camera. And hers turned out waaaay better. I need to stop sharing and make her use my old camera.

* * *

I volunteered at the library tonight for the first time. I figured it's the least I can do, since they work so hard for me. One of my favorites there said, "Now that you're volunteering, I can finally ask you something that I've always wanted to know." (Isn't that a great set up?) "Where," she asked, "does your middle name come from?" (It's on my library card.)

My middle name is my Slovakian maiden name, very unusual, whether it's spelled the real way or the Americanized way. There are only two families in Pennsylvania with this last name, and I'm betting we were related further back in Europe. In my California high school, the vice principal called me in to his office just to ask if I was related to an old classmate of his in Montana. (No, it was probably the Butler, PA family.)

Back to tonight. The library girl said, "The more I looked at it, I began to wonder if it was Japanese." I'm adding this part because I know my sister will SOOOOOO relate.

Now you really know what an obscure Slovakian name it was.

* * *

It was kind of cool having such an odd last name. It certainly doesn't rank in the top 55,000 most common U.S. surnames. No one ever asked, "Are you related to _____?" (The exception, of course, being my high school VP.) It was two short syllables, and people pronounced it right 75% of the time.

Now I have the 900th most common surname. And people pronounce it right 25% of the time. Go figure. (Actually, I HAVE figured, and the problem is that 75% of our population does not know English phonics.)

Project 365: Day 68

In the presence of cows, it's hard not to take a Pioneer Woman-inspired photo.

Holly's 4-H club visited a cutting ranch today. In addition to the barn tour, the girls were able to practice conformation skills they've been learning by comparing several horses in two different groups. They were also treated to a cutting demonstration. I am so grateful to the leaders and other parents who provide the club with these unique and fun opportunities! They finished up the afternoon with their monthly meeting at a pizza place. 4-H continues to be an excellent activity for Holly this year.

* * *

As I post this, Trevor just threw up. Let's hope it's not a sign of things to come. Sigh.

Book Review - Redemption by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley

Recommended by Cynthia, this is Book One in a four part series collaboration of fiction writer Karen Kingsbury and relational expert/author Gary Smalley. The series centers around John and Elizabeth Baxter and their four adult children. This was a good story, good pleasure reading, and I have already requested the next book in the series.

Thanks, Cindy!

Project 365: Day 68

I was taking a few pictures of our cat Vader. He was sitting on a chair, but it kept turning out too dark, and I knew a flash would ruin it. I started messing with the camera and took this close up. I didn't see the final result until I looked at it after the shutter snapped.

It'd be great for Halloween!

I woke up feeling a LOT better today. We had blue skies, sunshine, high 50s, then rain, wind, a 20 degree drop in temp and even a few snowflakes in the air. Meanwhile, Holly's riding lesson was again canceled, and Robert and I took a nice drive.

Usually I look SO forward to Daylight Savings Time, but even I'm thinking early March is too early!

Project 365: Day 67

GAME DAY!!!!

We used to have a Game Day every month. Over the past year or two, I have become rather lax in scheduling it regularly, so when Trevor asked for one last week, I added it into this week's calendar.

Game Days are great and definitely count as school days. They promote a variety of math skills (logic, strategy, and counting for starters)--not to mention sportsmanship and character building. The variety of games we've played has naturally evolved as the kids become older.



I know I had a few more things planned today (literature discussion, Latin flashcards, and science lab), but I still feel lousy and never even looked at the schedule. Conveniently, it rained, and Holly's riding lesson was postponed.

Holly and Trevor wanted hot dogs for lunch. Fine, I told them, but if they wanted barbequed, they'd have to do it in the rain.



It was such a cute picture!! (Of course I was well enough to take shots, I just didn't want to stand out in the rain!)

Curriculum Review!

Trevor finished his Spectrum Writing book last week. I figured he'd be done with it early, and I've been waiting to jump back in to Shurley. I like Spectrum Writing just fine; this is the fifth year that one of my kids has used it. But as soon as I open up that Shurley book, I get excited all over again. (I obviously don't get out quite enough.)

Shurley is pretty intense for elementary grammar. It is written to rely a lot on memorization of jingles and a specific order of questions to determine different parts of grammar within a sentence. The Level 5 book is full of all kinds of fun things: predicate nouns, indirect objects, antecedents, adverb exceptions. ("Fun" meaning I have no idea what these things are.) And to be honest, while I learned most of these three years ago with Holly, I can't tell you today what any of that means.



We were first introduced to Shurley when Holly attended the part time school. I didn't understand any of it, but Holly took to it like a duck to water. (Sorry, Holly!) She was taught Shurley there for 2nd and 3rd grade. When we withdrew her from the school, we tried two other grammar programs, both of which were huge flops AND colossal wastes of time. By the time 5th grade rolled around, I took the plunge and went back to Shurley.

It's expensive compared to other grammar choices. It's time intensive, and the teacher needs to have a good grasp of what's being taught. If not the teacher, then the student--even though Holly had not used it for a year, and had skipped a level, she took off like she had never stopped. This was helpful to me, since I'd never taught it.

It worked so well that I bought Level 2 for Trevor a few months later, and he did Level 3 last year. Since I already had the Level 5 Teacher's Manual, and since we're doing Latin this year for grammar, and since I didn't want to spend money on Level 4, Trevor's jumping back into Shurley Level 5.

In addition to teaching grammar, the lessons cover punctuation/capitalization rules, usage, vocabulary and dictionary practice, and writing lessons. I am not a big fan of Shurley's writing, much preferring Spectrum and IEW. But the lessons are easy to fit to my family; we've never used the jingle CD; Holly's never done vocabulary and Trevor's not doing it this year; neither have used the writing portion. (One more ding, really, against it, because of the cost.) But it's worked best for us, and I really am glad to be using it again.

Project 365: Day 66

Trevor had friends over to play. In addition to playing Knights and Squires, they played Saxons and Normans. Nothing screams "homeschooler!" quite like familiarity with Saxons and Normans, lol. And the two older boys both read children's versions of Ivanhoe in the past two weeks.

On top of fighting this cold from my kids, I'm still trying to recover my emails that are temporarily lost in Thunderbird. Ugh!

But the weather was great today, we had windows open, and daylight savings time begins this weekend, yay!!!

Book Review - No Use Dying Over Spilled Milk by Tamar Myers

Okay, I have DeEtta to blame thank ______ for this one. (I'm still not sure.) This is book 3 of the Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery series. Magdalena Yoder is a Mennonite bed and breakfast proprietess who solves Amish mysteries in her spare time.

Yikes. This book drove me batty. I muddled through the simple storyline, getting stuck in sentences such as: "Susannah's snores generally sounded like a pig fight at a slop trough, with the occasional snore reminiscent of that time Papa accidentally backed over our prize boar, Samson, with his tractor." The book was ridiculous, obnoxious . . . and yet it was entertaining and campy too.

I was drawn to it and have absolutely no idea why. And I'll definitely be checking out book 4 as soon as I can. Even though I do have other things to read, lol.

Thanks, DeEtta! (I think!)

Project 365: Day 65

There were a zillion stars out. Okay, so I need to practice with my camera a little. I clearly know nothing about shutter speed. Or how to compensate for the sky. But I did finally open up my tripod that I got for Christmas!

(eyes rolling)
Okay, so I need to pracitce

Project 365: Day 64

Thanks, Trevor, for making the closet look great again! Both of the kids worked hard today, making lunches, washing fruit, cleaning bedrooms, taking care of laundry, going through clothes that are too small. And that was all on top of a full school day. Whew!

I'm taking a cue from Kathy and going to bed. Good night!

Book Review - Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph.D.

Recommended and lent to me by another mom in chess club, this is one of the most eye opening books I've ever read.

Why are boys of today more apathetic and disengaged than ever before? This is epidemic in our country, reaching over social and racial lines.

I was hooked within the first few paragraphs.

The author presents five reasons:

–Education theory/practice: academics are presented earlier, before children (more so boys) are ready; the lack of hands on curriculum; non-competitive school environment
--Video games
–Medications: overprescribing medications for ADD/ADHD, depression, and outbursts
–Environmental factors: widespred artificial female hormones, including plastic bottles
–Lack of proper role models

Each chapter expands on the different reasons and effects. The last chapter is devoted to "detoxing" boys, providing strategies to employ to help boys gain back motivation and enthusiasm for life.

I admit, I was doubtful when I first heard about this book. I mumbled (to myself of course) something about overblown hysteria. I don't think that anymore. The author is well regarded and his points were not hysterical but well thought out, with plenty of documentation.

Wow. Wow. I highly, highly recommend this book. Consider this: "[T]he average young man today has a sperm count less than half what his grandfather had at the same age." Track down a copy to read for yourself. I am returning the book to my friend tonight, but I want my own too. For more info, see the website here.

Project 365: Day 63

63 days of taking pictures. My kids have staged a revolt. It should be obvious; when was the last picture of them? Yesterday's riding pic is the exception.

I don't get out of the house enough, and I'm even getting complaints about the pictures at home that I'm posting. When I DO get out of the house, I have to hope for an oddity such as a llama, a stuck truck, or some other goofy thing. (I don't think the policemen today would have appreciated my stopping on the highway and getting pics of the 3 car smashup.)

At 9:30 tonight, I'm totally stuck. My desperation shot: My view from my kitchen window, which of course shows a black night, will have to wait.



So here's my hall closet. This is why I need a mudroom. It's the catchall for muddy/dirty shoes, Holly's riding boots (caked with mud and I don't even want to know what), Trevor's big remote toys, and anything else that can easily get tossed in.

All I really care about is that 1) I can shut the door, and 2) I can find my Crocs in the morning to go get the paper.

I've taken an idea from Kathy and begun incorporating "Life Skills" into our day. We're taking baby steps, but I'm quite happy at the enthusiasm that Holly and Trevor are showing.

And it's an easy decision to assign this project to Trevor tomorrow. (I wonder if I can assign them the task of finding me good photo ops?)

Weekly menu

pan fried cube steak, oven fries, Caesar salad

pizza

spaghetti, salad

grilled cheese sandwiches, very veggie guacamole

quiche, spinach salad

YOYO

shrimp in garlic wine sauce, rice or noodles, broccoli

Lunch (with or for):
smoothies
grilled PB&J
Linda's Marinated Mozzarella
parmesan pesto things

On the back burner:
taco salad
Barb's macaroni/hot wing thing
chili dogs
something with beef chuck roast
manicotti
soup

Quote from Holly

I'm brushing off my resume, which includes a blurb about "technical skills."

* * *

Holly: You don't have any technical skills!

Me: What about all the stuff I do on the computer?

Holly: Mom! You still don't know how to work the t.v.!!!

* * *

Ouch.

Project 365: Day 62

It was a great day for Holly to ride. We're in the spring mode here; notice her t-shirt? Trevor wore shorts. I wore my Crocs without socks.


Stickville, VA:
Saturday, high of 55.
Sunday, high of 63.
Monday, high of 70.

Colorado Springs:
Saturday, high of 75.
Sunday, snow, snow, and a little more snow.
Monday, high of 36.

I am SO not missing it one bit. Robert and Trevor would love to see snow. But they are out of luck. Big time.

:)

Book Review - Mozart's Sister by Nancy Moser

How many times have I said it: I wish I knew where I first heard of this book. I thought it was possibly in a hs curriculum. I requested it with Holly in mind, believing it to be a Young Adult book. Coincidentally, author Nancy Moser is the co-author of the Sister Circle series that I just finished.

It actually is from the adult section. It looked so good that I kept it to read first. But Holly picked it up and flew through it in two days, before giving it back to me.

Mozart's Sister is a "fictional biography," telling the story of Nannerl Mozart. Nannerl was five years older than her brother Wolfgang. Their father Leopold was an accomplished composer, and he spent several years traveling with his children and wife throughout Europe in the hopes of bettering their financial and social standing. Eventually pinning his hopes on Wolfie, he frequently left his wife and daughter at home in Salzburg to continue to promote his son's career.

The book, written from Nannerl's perspective, is based on extensive letters that the family wrote during their separations and saved. Nannerl feels abandoned and unloved by her father; and the family's circumstances are greatly affected by Leopold's precarious position within the Salzburg court.

It was an excellent book, and I'm eager to read more by Nancy Moser. While I've never been particularly interested in Mozart, I am more so now after this story. Definitely recommended.

Project 365: Day 61

Gorgeous day outside, this photo does not do justice to the blue sky!

It's the first day of March, and I'm finally hitting that "beginning of the year slump." I'm so ready for truly warm weather--but I'm thankful that we haven't had much cold weather at all, and I'm not sick of school yet either. :)

Book Review - The Parting by Beverly Lewis

I have long enjoyed Beverly Lewis's many book series that take place within the Amish Community. This was not one of my favorites.

The Parting is the first book in the new Courtship of Nellie Fisher series. Nellie's family is grieving over her teenaged sister who has recently died in an accident prior to her baptism into the church. There are rumors among the People as to the circumstances of the death, which occurred during her Rumspringe. The father of Nellie's new beau is concerned about the rumors surrounding her family.

Meanwhile, a growing number of the farmers begin to drift away from the Amish teachings and begin reading the Bible for themselves. Another group begins to wish for tractors and other modern conveniences.

Recommended for anyone who's already a Beverly Lewis fan. For anyone else interested, I'd suggest the Abram's Daughters series, or the Annie's People series.

Project 365: Day 60

Mega problems with Thunderbird. Killer headache from trying to get this figured out since last night. And it's still not working. (Um, Lori, this is a desperate cry for help, if you know anyone who can easily help me)

Solace to be found in candy. Well, maybe not, but it's worth the shot.

Project 365: Day 59

I don't know what the deal is.

Okay, I DO know. There are a lot of hills here and the streets aren't very wide.

We continue to be surprised by the number of semis that we see stuck. Two weeks ago, we passed a truck halfway in a ditch, in serious danger of tipping. We detoured around as they waited to be pulled out. All the while, I was thinking that I should pull out my camera.




When we saw this truck today, I was ready. The truck driver had given up and was gone from his truck. AND the driver of the blue truck on the left was nowhere to be seen; I can't imagine where they both went. But Dairy Queen is right up the street. And they're hiring.

Project 365: Day 58

I'm backdating this to Wednesday since I didn't have a chance to post it last night.

I was too busy obsessing over a new-found website, www.veromi.com. Go ahead, give it a try. Run your name and freak out, then spend hours searching up people you know.

Project 365: Day 57

A drizzly day.

Trevor woke up with a cold but didn't feel too badly. We canceled plans for the library and chess club.

The kids played ninety-three games of LIFE. I played two games with them and lost, thereby proving their point that I don't know how to live. Or I don't have much of a life. Or something like that.

Holly and I cooked Greek food for dinner.

Holly whisked away my book Mozart's Sister and will finish it before me.

We cheered and jeered American Idol.

It all sounds quite boring, and it probably was. But it was also A Very Good Day.

Project 365: Day 56

Trevor's long looked forward to medieval history this year so he can spend a lot of time studying knights. I'm thankful that our curriculum goes in and out of British history for several months, giving lots of "knight" opportunities.





He's been reading plenty of outside material, so much that he's giving ME more information when we're reading. He's drawing a picture here of a squire preparing his knight for battle.

Also in history, we've been watching the Leelee Sobieski version of Joan of Arc, which goes in line with Holly's history this week. This is an excellent movie; we remember it quite vividly from three years ago. Last time, I was able to find it at my library; this time I was quite happy to find it at the movie store.

Interesting range in our Beautiful Feet curriculum. For middle school, one of the readers is The Door in the Wall. It's pretty easy, more appropriate for younger children (and I read it aloud to both kids three years ago). Contrast that with the selection for this week, Churchill's A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. Incredibly, I made it through several paragraphs before giving up. It looked like a great book, and I could even understand half of the context. We have other Joan of Arc sources written in English. American English anyway. Haha.

Project 365: Day 55

If I Were a Seagull . . .



I would not be 200 miles from the ocean

Especially in 40 degree weather.

I would not be in the Kroger parking lot.

I would be two blocks away at McDonald's

eating french fries.

Weekly menu

smoked pork chops, frizzled cabbage, crescent rolls

chicken souvlaki, coucous, pita bread

French onion soup, salad

roasted chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions

YOYO

manicotti

grilled cheese sandwiches, soup




Lunch (with or for):
smoothies
grilled PB&J
Linda's Marinated Mozzarella
parmesan pesto things

On the back burner:
quiche, spinach salad
taco salad
Barb's macaroni/hot wing thing
hot dogs, pasta salad
cube steak, mashed potatoes, _________
chili dogs
shrimp in garlic wine sauce, rice or noodles, broccoli

Project 365: Day 54

Spoils of War:



Another all day chess tournament.

Kids gather early, returning to the table for a short time before heading off for another game.

Snacks are grabbed, lunch is eaten.

Teammates are consoled and congratulated.

Wins and losses are replicated, to see what went wrong, and what went right.

Moms sit in chairs endlessly.

After 6.5 hours, I looked about as good as the table.

Book Review - A Place to Belong by Vonette Bright

This is the fourth and last book of The Sister Circle series. The characters have grown, both in the books and on me personally, as the series progressed. A Place to Belong neatly tied up the pertinent outstanding story lines--even though the big surprise would be clear to a reader who's been paying attention. (How's that for not giving any spoilers?!) And they all lived happily ever after . . .

Project 365: Day 53

Yikes, another crazy busy day. I had a chance to read, throw some math books at the kids, and give Holly a spelling test before Trevor and I took off to the lake.



It's quiet this time of year, perfect for a friend's birthday party. Eight kids, four moms, a couple of pizzas, and oodles of nickels for the arcade.

We went back to the birthday boy's house for cake and presents. Trevor had a great time, and I enjoyed the company of the other moms.



We came home for dinner, and I took off with Holly to the 4-H Horseless Horse Show.



Several of the girls in her 4-H club participated in many different categories, winning a lot of ribbons. It was very cute, fun to watch, and Holly is planning to show her own horse (or two or three) next year.

And once again, I enjoyed the company of the other moms. :)

Project 365: Day 52

And in my nightstand. I find it pathetic that some of these books have been on my "to read" list for over a year.

* * *

A rushed day today. I'd requested Winston Churchill's A History of the the English Speaking Peoples. Who would know that this is a 4 volume book? My library gave me the wrong one, so we stopped by today to get the volume Holly needs for history.

I don't think this book has been checked out since 1970; I'll be reading it aloud, I need to make sure the poor girl stays awake. The section that needs to be read is really only 10 pages or so.

Holly's riding lesson was changed to today because of bad weather coming in tomorrow. While she was riding, Trevor and I went back into town and mall walked. Everyone else mall walking was over 70. And they were passing us up.

We came home to eat and watch our fifth hour of American Idol this week. (eyes rolling)

I'm praying that our weather advisory is over by noon tomorrow as is currently predicted. Trevor has a birthday party to attend, and if it cancels, he'll be absolutely crushed. I'll cry with him, because he's been soooo very excited about this!