how Thanksgiving was

Turkey carcass simmering on the stove.  We are having turkey vegetable soup and dumplings this evening.  Our Thanksgiving holiday was simple and easy.  We had a co-worker and her husband over with a friend of theirs', a friend of mine that used to be my co-worker, and our friend from church.  So, there were nine of us.

The Menu:

~Turkey
~Mashed Potatoes
~Gravy
~Sweet Potato Casserole
~Corn Bread Stuffing
~Green Beans
~Rolls
~Cranberry Sauce
~Vegetable Tray
~Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream Pie
~Pumpkin Pie
~Spiced Apple Cider

All the food turned out beautifully.  After everyone left Aaron and I took the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood.  We smelled lots of Thanksgiving meals, saw lots of full houses, and had a nice time alone.  The rest of the evening was spent in a coma, or as near to it as possible.

I worked the day before the holiday and we were ever so very busy.  I also worked today (Black Friday) and we were again ever so very busy.  As the schedule has it I also work Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas.  But, I'm thankful to have a job, a way to help out my family even though it's hard, and sometimes I have to drag myself out of the house to get to work because all I want to do is be home and be June Cleaver.

read

One of my favorite things to do is create reading lists for myself.  It is easy to get in a rut, not knowing what to read, not knowing where to start looking.  So, why bother reading at all?  That's when I'll settle for a magazine (not good literature) or even worse, lull my mind with videos on Netflix.  Now, I'm not one to pass up a good episode of I Love Lucy (I find these on YouTube) but there is something so magical about reading a great book. 

I wholeheartedly believe in the power books possess.  Finding a book that is so good I can't put it down is like finding THE perfect pair of shoes in the store that are my size, my style, my price and the last ones on the shelf.  Like kismet.  Destiny.

Now I don't mean to trivialize books.  They are so much more than a pair of shoes.  Words can take you further than shoes.  They are more comfortable, more inviting, more rewarding.  I love me a good pair of shoes but I love me a good book even more.

Things I gravitate toward:

*  mostly non-fiction, real recounts of events in time (present or past)
*  fiction by female authors
*  pretty covers (vain, I know)
*  cookbooks that are more conversational memoirs than books of recipes
*  Elisabeth Elliot
*  The Cat Who... mysteries
*  true adventures
*  Ralph Waldo Emerson
*  books about good books (so I can feed my hunger of good books)

A great tool that I own is this book by Nancy Pearl a librarian from the Seattle area.

 

 

Other great tools for finding good reads:

 

1.  the library website - there are usually librarian recommendations, recommendations for different genres, and links to outside sources all designed to unite a book with a reader

2.  pinterest - there are lots of boards related to books and reading, if you can find a board that lines up with your interests it could be a goldmine

3.  goodreads.com - meet your next favorite book

4.  what should i read next? - a tool that asks you what you read last and recommends books similar

5.  book reviews in your favorite magazine

6.  browse the shelves at the library if you have a free hour, touch the spines with your fingertips, go slowly, read titles, take time with any title that piques your fancy

 

I find plenty of lemons, reading just one or two pages and knowing it is a relationship that was never meant to be.  And that's ok.  For every five books I try, one is a gem.  But a gem is worth the time.

 

My current reading list:

 

 

 

Grand Ambition by Lisa Michaels

 

 

 

 

Nothing Remains The Same by Wendy Lesser

 

 

 

 

More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin

 

 

 

 

How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen

 

 

There was waking, and there was sleeping. And then there were books, a kind of parallel universe in which anything might happen and frequently did, a universe in which I might be a newcomer but never really a stranger.

-Anna Quindlen

 

 

More lovely quotes about books:

 

"She reads books as one would breathe the air, to fill up and live." -Annie Dillard

 

"No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance." -Confucius

 

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you." -Mortimer Adler

 

"Reading is an act of resistance in a landscape of distraction." -David Ulin

 

 

 

vantage point

From my vantage point here at the dining room table I can see my 14 year old son.  His body sunk down in the couch, feet up on the coffee table, dog curled up on his lap and another dog laying on the floor in front of him.  The picture of contentment as he plays a video game.

Also from my vantage point I can see into the kitchen where there is a beautiful, big turkey, baked golden brown and juicy, cooling on the stove.  He's our bird for Thanksgiving dinner at church tomorrow.  Next to him is a nice pot of perfect gravy.  Across the way on the counter is my favorite sweet potato casserole, also for church dinner.

Blake is off at Caleb's house today.  They have goats and chickens and cats and a dog and a really big house and it is just so much fun there!  Caleb is a good friend for my Blake.  And his family is pretty special too.

We went to see Catching Fire last night.  I think that was the first time I've ever been to a movie on opening day and it was packed!  I've only ever seen a theatre that packed when we went to the movies in San Diego with my sister.  Beth, do you remember how everyone applauded at the end of that movie?  At the end of the movie last night it was mostly groaning because it left you hanging for the third movie.  After all three of them are out I'm going to buy or rent them all and have a Hunger Games marathon, watching from beginning to end in one sitting.  It's already decided.

And for this Saturday that is all I have to say.  I shall continue to drink my venti Starbuck's Americano and finish my to-do list.

*EDIT- apparently the creators of the Hunger Games movies decided to torment us even more and break the third book into 2 movies!!  Next November will be part 1 and the November of 2015 will be part 2.  Sigh.

finally Friday

Outside my window...  The cherry tree is bald.  We've had a couple of frosty mornings recently.  One morning the hummingbird feeder was frozen but it hasn't kept the hummingbirds from stopping in. 

 I am thinking...  my mind is still in work mode.  I had mostly pleasant customers today, with a rude one thrown in.  Those rude people always shake me up because I'm just not used to being treated that way and I certainly don't treat others like that.


In the kitchen...  I'm going to make an oven stew this evening.  It's very simple and baked slowly in the oven it brings out all the best flavors.

 I am wearing...  Still sporting my work clothes with a hoodie thrown over.  I smell like other people's food. 


I am going...  to a bluegrass jam session, with my violin.  If I stay brave and actually go I'm sure I'll share the details.

I am reading...  I'm working on a lighthearted mystery The Cat Who Could Read Backwards.  I just love the main character Jim Qwilleran in these books and there is never anything vulgar.


I am looking forward to...  going to the movies.  We've been saving up to go see "Catching Fire" as a family.  The boys and I have read all the books.  We've had an envelope up on the frig that I've been putting tip money in and the boys added a bit here and there.  Now we have plenty for tickets and popcorn.


Around the house...  I've been working all week so we are sporting the "lived in" look.  Putting away the clean laundry is always last on my list of priorities during the week.


 A favorite quote for today...

 

Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.  -Mark Twain

 

a good solid plan

After a difficult couple of weeks awhile back there was talk of turning our student over to public school.  It is something we've never ruled out of the realm of possibilities as we always want to be open to God's leading.  We just keep that possibility in the back of our minds and agree to discuss if the time ever arose.  The time arose not too long ago while in deep discussion with our eldest. 

The words first came out of his mouth and knocked the wind out of me.  "Maybe I should go to public school."  I did not dismiss his idea nor did I show approval.  I let his dad know the conversation and we both separately took that day and a couple more to think/pray. 

Over the following weeks we kept the conversation open, we continued to pray, we continued to monitor our son.  God gave us great peace about keeping our son at home.  Planning for high school ensued and we kept our student in on the discussions, asking for input, giving explanations of what it all means.  We all agreed to continue on in homeschooling while using every available resource from the high school.

It is a renewed purpose.  It will probably be renewed again.  Because there are difficult days.  There are doubts that pick at the very core of me.

But at the heart of matter I must remember that my children are my children before they are my students.  I am their mother before I am their teacher.  And it is their hearts that have been entrusted to me to train and nurture.  Growing up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is not about textbooks and lesson plans and homeschool and public school.

It is a difficult thing to keep in perspective when I am up to my elbows in school on a daily basis.

I recently completed the "Course of Study" four year highschool plan using Donna Young's example shown here.  My husband and I took a couple of evenings to plan our homeschool's credit requirements as well as our graduation requirements.  This was all such a process and I will admit it STRESSED me out!

Breathing easier now with a good solid plan.

These are our four year requirements:

4 credits English/Literature
3 credits Mathematics
4 credits History/Social Studies
2 credits Foreign Language
.5 credit Health
1 credit P.E.
2 credits Fine Arts
1 credit Career/Technical
4 credits Biblical Theology
2 credits Electives

Our students will not be limited to just two electives but only two full credits are required.  I think they can do as many as they have time for.  LOVE the freedom we have here.  We also have it set up in such a way that come Senior year there will be time for a part time job if the opportunity arises.

I'm humbled by the great privilege I have of seeing my children grow before my very eyes.  As we tread these teen years I see time speeding up, changes happening so fast, like I'm caught in a whirlwind. 

It is that very realization that causes me to dig my heels in and pay attention to the moment because it will never happen again.  I grab hold of the details and savor them because I know that so soon they will be the memories I return to.

composing high school

 

 

As I sit here and ponder our strategy for homeschooling through high school I am serenaded by such wonderful composers at Boccherini, whose Cello Concerto No. 9 is colorful and alive, and Rachmaninov, one of my personal favorites for the depth and passion in his pieces.  And I all at once wonder, is it in us to achieve this lofty goal of graduating highschoolers?  We who were public schooled.  We who were not acquainted with the homeschool way.

Our firstborn went straight into kindergarten in a public school.  I joined the PTA.  I assisted in his class every Friday, with my little three year old in tow.  We had playdates at the park with the other moms and their kindergartners.  In February of that school year I pulled him out of the system and began homeschooling.  Meager attempts at times, failures, hiccups, and victories.  I had no idea what I was doing.

Yet here we are, that five year old mister and his three year old brother are in the 9th and 7th grades.  And we are still chugging along with this homeschooling thing.  And now looking at transcripts, graduation requirements, credits, electives.  I know others have navigated this course before us, but we never have. I never have.  I'm thankful for good resources I've found on the internet (my form of support group).

We've gone the way of support groups.  I always felt "sized up".  And I always came away feeling like a failure.  Mostly this was of my own insecurities.  After all, that homeschooling family has 8 children and all their kids excel at foreign language, chemistry, and chess club whilst keeping a farm with chickens, a mule, and goats (whose milk is inevitably turned to cheese by the 6 year old).  And my children, well, they didn't eat glue this week.  The best support we had was at our church years back.  We had co-op classes, field trips, parties.  It was great fun and I certainly miss it. 

So anyway, the internet (my support group) has provided great resources to push me on my way.  Great ideas for electives, forms for transcripts, etc...  A guideline I'm going to use (guideline only) will be our high school's credit requirements.  They are:

• Credits. . . Subject
• .50. . . . . . Pacific NW History
• .50. . . . . . American Government
• .50. . . . . . Modern World Problems
• 1.0. . . . . . U.S. History
• 1.0. . . . . . World History
• 4.0. . . . . . English
• 3.0. . . . . . Math
• 2.0. . . . . . Science
• 1.5. . . . . . Fitness
• .50. . . . . . Health
• 1.0. . . . . . Career/Technical
• 1.0. . . . . . Fine Arts
• 6.5/7.0 . . . Electives
• 23.0 Credits Total 

The school also requires a Senior Presentation as well as a High School and Beyond Plan, and proficiency and course exams.  Our state doesn't have set graduation requirements for homeschoolers written into our law so their is a lot of freedom. I will be taking into account the local school requirements, state law, and guides I have found along the way to piece together a working, flexible plan for us.






that kind of day

It is a cello music on Pandora kind of day.  Cup of coffee, magazine perusing kind of day.  Warm lounge pants, pigtail braids, and sweatshirt kind of day.

I was released from work early because the rain had sent people into hiding.  Stopped at the store and surprised my boys with onion rings and chicken strips for lunch.  We rarely get this treat but when we do it must be eaten with corn.  It is just meant to be that way.  Like grilled cheese and tomato soup.  Like fresh baked cookies and milk.

The older boy and I made a trip to the library, venturing out into the rain but we've spent the rest of the day at home.  Schoolwork is done for the week save for one math quiz and spelling tests that we will tackle tomorrow.

Blake had his first experience with Nyquil this week.  We are not much into medications or even pain relievers as a habit but sometimes there just has to be some relief.   So, Nyquil for the boy with the head cold.  The first dose was right before bed so he just slept through the night.  The second dose was mid-afternoon and that boy was downright loopy all evening.  He could not string together thoughts and was very absentminded.  He's Nyquil free now for 24 hours, no twelve step program needed.

Happy weekend!