Thanksgiving Blessings- Decor

Thanks to Kelli for the holiday inspiration and encouragement to be deliberate about Thanksgiving. It's been fun to think about how we are going to celebrate this year!

Our Holiday Centerpiece. The lighting doesn't do it justice- it looks too 70's here but it is really quite lovely = )

Door Decor. We are going to take time to write our blessings on the leaves together this Sunday.

Thanksgiving Blessings- Food & Thanks

Our Thanksgiving Day Menu

Appetizer
Jalapeno Pepper Jelly* with Cream Cheese on Crackers

Main Course
Turkey with Cornbread dressing
Corndogs : ) **
Cranberry salad
Sweet Potato Souffle
Smashed Red Potatoes
Pumpkin Bread
Ice Box Rolls
Spinach Salad with craisins,walnuts and oranges
Peaches*

Desert
Chocolate Fondue with Fruit
Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream
Frozen Fruit Fluff

Drinks
Apple Cider
Chocolate Mint Tea*
Coffee
Iced Water with Lemon

** Flower added Corndogs to the menu and I figured might as well. We were all talking about our T'Day Menu last night with everybody piled on our bed ('cept Cub who was on the couch with a book- his big vote was for Turkey and after that he didn't care) and Flower started crying. Really, really crying. Miss. R won't be here this holiday- she's taking intensives at college during break and can only afford to fly home once. She is having T'day with the grandparents and not with us. Flower said it was too sad to even think about Thanksgiving without her big sis. Daddy reminded her that R will be home for a couple of weeks at Christmas but that just made her more sad becasue she won't stay here for forever at Christmas. So, corndogs don't truly replace our oldest dd (betchyer glad to hear that, aren't ya Miss. R?) but they compensate just a wee little bit.

Holiday Literature

After 18 years of homeschooling we have a few books to choose from in our home. We made a basket for the holiday and have been reading through them. My favorite is "Eating Plates" because it talks about the culture of the New World. We also love Samuel Eaton and Sarah Morton's Day, put out by the Plymouth Plantation. We were there when Miss R. was less than 1 year old. It was a freezing New England Day but full of adventure, nonetheless.
What are you doing to prepare for the holiday?

WW: Playmobile Rocks.

Photos by the talented Miss Elizabeth (KB)

Can you guess which historical event is being re-inacted here?

Thanksgiving Blessings-Laughter

For all of those who participate in the annual turkey wrestle- this is for you- Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L3bGKlxzGE

Thanksgiving Blessings

Kelli at There is no place like home is having a fun and fabulous contest this week- sharing our Thanksgiving plans, decorations, menus, cleaning schedules (well that part might not be so fun), and plans to celebrate a day of Thankfulness.

We've been studying poetry this past summer and fall and memorizing a poem a week. This week we are memorizing a poem/prayer by William Bradford.
"Thus out of small beginnings greater things have grown by His hand Who made all things out of nothing, and gives being to all things that are: and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light enkindled here has shone to many, yea, in a sense, to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise. ~Wm. Bradford, circa 1630
KB has been creating pockets of decor around the house. Here is the front porch welcome that resulted from Sunday's burst of creativity. Wouldn't you agree that she is talented?

Silver Friends

Have you ever been parched and not known it? Not even realized it until a soft and melodious shower comes and gives you a gentle soak? Yesterday, despite cold winds and driving snow a gentle rain came and quenched our thirst.

Dr. Howard & Janet Morgan

We drove a total of over 9 hours to meet some (for me) new friends. Viking Man has been corresponding with Howie by phone and email for over a year and since they were "in the neighborhood" (when you live in the boonies, the neighborhood gets larger) we had a serendipitous meeting! We spent the day with a truly delightful couple, the Morgan's, first at a deli which featured excellent food and attentive service, and then at the home of thier friend. Their friend's home was wonder in itself, a room-sized aviary, rugs on top of rugs, awards from their world class stables, glitter on the carpets -glitz & glamour, which delighted Flower to no end. They travel the globe, building up the church, discipling, healing, reconciling, befriending and laughing. And, honestly, while Howie is talented and dynamic and Janet is gifted and sharp you watch them and know that their's is a case where 2 are better than one. We've been blessed in life with a couple of couples that have exemplified what we want and hope to be as followers of Christ and as a couple- Gloria & Don, Brian & Annie, Howie & Janet.

If you'd like to gain a deeper understanding of the "Hebraic" mind-set check out thier web-site-I know that you'll be challenged and blessed. http://www.howardmorganministries.org/menu.html

WR: Memory Work

I thought I'd share a really bad picture of our large white-board which hangs in our dining room, which is not only my favorite room in the house (it has 6 walls due to an "eyebrow") but also serves as our main school room.

Our memory work is listed each week- on the left- English grammar. On the right, our Bible verse. We have it down in English but we are still going over it in Latin almost daily. Next is our history sentence, then science, geography, Bible and math. I don't put our weekly poetry on the board. This week we opted for a poem by Wm Bradford and, while only a paragraph long, it has proved tricky due to middle english and unusual punctuation. It is beautiful though! I also don't list VP cards. We add a certain number each week and when we are done with them we'll do the presidents. This is the second year we've done the VP cards and all but Flower can recite them to where we are at without looking. This summer I plan to introduce the Bible TimeLine cards (160 as well). Some of them overlap so I don't want to practice them at the same time.

On Mondays I generally employ a smaller lap size white board to write a subjects memory work on. Then I erase a portion at a time as we say it over and over and over...

Frankly, memory work is hard work. But is so enriching to hear the kids recite poems that we worked on in July, or to hear them talk about Old Testament people in the context of Persia and what was going on when because they have memorized a history timeline as well as Biblical characters and maps. Another bonus is that they are memorizing info more and more quickly. It is hard work, yes, but time well invested.

Coffee Break.

KB and I have been inspired lately by some talented ladies- particulary Kelli, over at There's no place like home (see my blog roll for the link to her site). Below is a card KB made, complete with leaf rubbings, chalking, and actual leaf. The picture doesn't do the richness of the colors justice. Here is the accordian-style envelope card she is sending to her long-time pen-pal at college in TX. There are 5 pockets which she has filled with tea, candy, a thin beeeswax potpourri and a letter...

and "Smarties"! HaHa.

I just had to throw in a picture of our adorable pooch, Diamond. Isn't she wonderful? My dad bought her for the three of us with August b'days the year I was pregnant with Cub- she is my "hormone puppy" -an Akita by breed and THE best dog (if ya have to have a dog).

KB, Flower and I spent yesterday evening making paper crafts and then creating a Thanksgiving corner. Below is one of the lovely built-ins that we immediately fell in love with when we looked at our house. Sorry the pictures are so blurry- I can't seem to figure out how to keep the camera stead enough! The cross stitch heart on the left is one of several that I made years and years ago in CT when Miss R was a baby.

What are you doing to cozy up your corner of the world?

Oven Dried Apples

Last year was the year of corn. We were gifted with about 200 lbs., which Viking Man cheerfully hauled home and the kids & I shucked, blanched and froze. This year was the year of the apple. There were apples everywhere in our part of the world! We picked and picked and then picked some more. We canned applesauce, apple butter, froze some for winter baking and ate many fresh. And finally, we began drying them. We don't own a dehydrator, so I tried the oven- it worked beautifully.

Step #1 -Wash your apples. Ours weren't sprayed, but there were fields nearby that were. Peel and core. I have a nifty corer, slicer thingy but you can use a paring knife, too. We did a whole bunch at once and then stored them in lemon juice in the frig. You wouldn't have to use the lemon if you didn't want to- it keeps the apples from discoloring and they'll be brown in the end anyway = ).

Step #2 - lay your sliced apples on a cookie sheet. Don't overlap or they won't dry as quickly. Set your oven to it's lowest temp -say 175 degrees. It will take several hours to dry the apples and they will shrink considerably.

Step #3 - I turn the apples mid-drying, so they look a little "rumpled" upon completion. If you don't turn them, they might be difficult to remove from the sheet at the end of drying. You can very lightly oil your cookie sheet to keep the apples from sticking too.

Step #4. When completly dry, store in an airtight container. They should keep for several months (if they last that long).

As easy as 1, 2, 3. I wondered if it was worth the time and energy to make these until I went to the health food store and saw them for sale at $11.95 a pound! I am now convinced! Everyone loves them and they are 100% good stuff.

We also had great success this year oven drying tomatoes (if you haven't tried them- they are delish!), parsley and basil.. How 'bout you?

Time for a Change. So soon.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/11/exclusive-obama-deletes-agenda-from-transition-web/
"Re-tooling." When I was in 8th grade we learned that this was called "Bait & Switch" and it was actually a dishonest business practice.

FOG

FOG

The fog comes on little cat feet.

It sits looking over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then

moves on.

~Carl Sandburg

Fog is one of the shorter poems that we've memorized in the past several months and I love it for its simplicity and clear picture. It strikes me that it captures perfectly the growing sense of disatisfaction and dis-ease that I have with the pillars of our society- government, education, religion. Fog infiltrates and makes it difficult to clearly see what is right in front of us- carnality, socialism, narcissism, greed, a lust for the hip at the expense of the just, entitlement, compromise.
I find it interesting that the media, enamored lover of the Obamas,’ has been actually commenting on the size and shape of campaign promises now that the election is over and their favorite won. Did the pre-election fog clear off? Will the love affair wan and grow bitter? I wonder at those who choose to make their lives public, are they strong enough to withstand both the adulation and the disparagement that will come with their public lives? Will they have the fortitude, friendships and faith required to withstand the ficklenss of a restless media that is always looking for the next conquest?
I received a non-complimentary Michelle O’ email, accompanied by bitter words regarding her quote, “The truth is, in order to get things like Universal Health Care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of the pie so that someone else can have more;” this in light of a $447 lunch receipt paid for by the future Mrs. Prez, enjoyed at the Waldorf Astoria.
Fog, looking over city and harbor, obscures the view.

All in a Day's Work

Chopped, hauled, stacked. Warmth for the days ahead.

Election Week Report

Individual Studies - Flower continues to cruise through phonics, Cub finished his ALAbacus B book, Feche-Boy continues to slog through the discussion questions related to Confessions, and KB completed 2 more IEW Rhetoric assignments; another excellent IEW choice even for those who've used IEW for years like we have- there is still more to learn!

Memory Work - we continued memory work in general and added another poem to the repertoire. Tuesday eve as we were driving to town we took turns reciting poems - we have 22 under our belts ytd. The difficult part of poetry memorization, from my pov, is the sequence and pattern of the words. The word picture is readily accessible for all of us global learner types but it's the specific order and detail of the words and phrases- the difficulty, and also the beauty, of poetry. I have love, love, loved teaching The Grammar of Poetry by Logos at co-op. The kids are rocking out on writing, memorizing and defining. Truth be told they are far better at coming up with examples for the tropes than I am. If we are done by the end of this semester, which it looks like we will be, I'm hoping to do the Logos Shakespeare study with a play at the end of the semester.

We are gearing up for Tantara, The Festival of One Act Plays. It's a tragedy year and we have a pick that is sure to make people cry- WWII Czech concentration camp. We're going to have to build some props this year and the kids are so excited they are busting at the seams. We'll do a mini-unit study along with. Start date: December.

IRL - Every campaign that we worked on lost. The kids and adults had invested time canvassing, praying,talking, researching, writing and listening about issues and candidates. The mood was sober on Tuesday evening as we joined others who had worked on Initiative 11. We left just as McCain was giving his concession speech. Hats off to a man willing to sacrifice for others, hats off to a hero. The big lesson of the week was that effort is not in vain even if you don't win.

Frankly, I had a few moments of doubt this week. What is the point of teaching our kids logic and rhetoric when the world is run by ideologies that are in conflict with both; definitions and promises are moment-by-moment rather than meaningful and binding. The audacity of narcissism; " What I want is what I'll get even if I have to cheat and swindle and lie and make promises I don't intend and so can't keep to get there." Oh, and if you ask for accountablity we'll thrown in "you misunderstood" or just plain old name calling. I'm not being party specific here- I think that who threw away their vote on an independent 'cause the candidates weren't pro-life enough for them were throwing as much of a hissy fit as those who called us "stupid, just stupid" because we didn't just acquiesce to thier pov. This doesn't boil down to vote my way or I discount you. My frustration has to do with the lack of reasoned arguments. Name calling and condescension were more common than not and those who were shouting the loudest about what a "Christian" campaign Obama was running were the ones who were just plain rude. Funny, that. Post-modernism as it's finest- which isn't very fine.

I've been thinking a lot about the 9.9.9 reading challenge (using dots instead of dashes just cause I like the look of it better - how is that for a bit of Republican snobbery?) and considering categories and books. As I cruised the education section of a large retailer I see titles such as "From Crayons to Condoms" and "Educations End -Why Our Colleges and Us Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life." These are secularist educators simply commenting on the demise of education. Is the government educational system in decline or just being what it was intended to be all along? I see a lot of what went on with this election, the behavior during it, the Black Panthers showing up at polls to "ensure a black man gets in office" and the outcome on Tuesday to be tied awfully close to the material in the education section. I think the Durants were on to truth when they said, "education is the transmission of culture." If that's the case, fasten your seatbelts, cause the ride is about to get a lot bumpier.

It's winter here where the cold wind blows. Tuesday was a fine 70 degrees and today is windy with snow on the ground- the remains of the blizzard that hit the western part of the state on Wednesday. Viking Man's persona for the day is Buzz Saw Louie, out cutting wood into furnace-feeding sized chunks. I am starting to make dishes for the holidays to freeze; sweet potato souffle (and even though I am most certainly a Yank, it is divine) to work on my 9.9.9 and get ready for the holiday's list and to torture my littles with a leetle more schoolwork today. The sun still shines (albeit hidden by clouds) and life goes on.

Rockin'

Talent & humor all rolled into one.
Please take four minutes of your time to watch this absolutely hilarious YouTube video

Gratitude.

Today I am grateful:

71.For the privilage of casting my vote.
72. For the dreams and ideals that America was founded on.
73. For a Republic.
74. For a place where a man of color or a woman can hold high office.
75. For the children and adults that we have raised. Deep calls to deep and it is a joy to share the deep things of the heart with them, even when it means sharing a loss.
76. For Feche-boy's prayer last night. The depth of his theological and Biblical understanding, coupled with a faith that permeates his being blesses me to the core.
77. For KB's willingness to spend many hours campainging and praying for many different races in this election.
78. For a young pastor in E.Europe who shared a good word today.
79. For the beautiful thoughts my Catholic friend, Ann, shared today.
80. That my citizenship is not earth-bound.

WW: Ballooning

Nihil.Vita.

“But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish, you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life, that both you and your descendents may live, that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days. (Deut 30: 18-19)

Watched Expelled last night. It was disturbing. Athiesm is alive and well in the world and it is ugly; you are born, you die and life is determined; nothing beyond ourselves. Egad, that would be enough to cause me to want to off myself right there. A willing return to void, darkness, nothing.

Yessiree bob, God saved me from nihilism, that I know full-well. Thank God for Life, new life, this Life, Eternal Life. I choose LIFE.

photo from linnealenkus.com
There's a vote on Tuesday. The personal is political. If you're not privilaged to vote Yes on Initiative 11, pray for the state of South Dakota, which will be. Pray that eyes will see a personal choice in light of a political vote and Choose LIFE.

WR: still campaining

KB worked with Tammy a couple of days this week on her campaign. She came home drained one day - some of the other helpers spent a lot of time talking about how ridiculous it is to learn grammar in addition to sharing their views that the world was going to end soon. I don't think that KB felt particularly edified by the exchange, especially as she is now teaching grammar on Fridays.
The littles continue to move forward on Latin and are having a lot of fun throwing around Latin vocab and sayings. We finally got a CD for the Foundations memory work so Flower has been singing the Monroe Doctrine song for whoever has ears to hear! Flower is reading ETC 2 with ease, though she'd rather be doing the ETC pages that focus on writing than reading. She has been leaving adorable little notes all around the house and made me a "little Bible." She continues to be the coloring/craft queen and spent a lot of time this week doing Kumon workbooks- mazes, cut and paste and crafts. They're all good! She officially started math becasue she's had too much time on her hands and she is thrilled that she gets it!
Cub is almost done with his 2nd science book for the year. I think I'll have him read "The History of Science" next. He is cruising through math; working on carrying with addition. He started throwing a fit about doing school today but came back in a minute and apologized!! woohoo!
Feche Boy is happy to read, write, draw and do math but doesn't really want to do Omnibus assignments or Logic. Not sure what is up with that other than that it he has to think on a different level.
The weather was beautiful today and we took a loong walk. The boys came back home through the fields while Flower played at the river waiting for them.

The kids want to tackle another neighborhood for Initiative 11 in the afternoon so I think we'll forgo art and hit the streets. They are all invested in this election on many different levels. The opposition has brought in some big dogs for this one. Seems to me, that's a good sign.

White & Nerdy

In case of needed laugh: wath this! The background dancer it's Donny Osmond making it that much better!

WW: Contending for the Unborn