Monday the 18th

Too much going on, not enough time to write it down!

Today:
—speech
—Jane glued to her old Jacob's Mathematics (which we never used as a math text, it has always just been fun reading for her), working on drawing 'impossible shapes' a la Escher, reading us all interesting tidbits about everything from satellites to lizards.
—Rose reading Milly Molly Mandy, playing lots of Harvest Moon
—Bean ditto the Harvest Moon, I forget what she was reading
—more garden work for me
—many phone calls re the frustrating IEP question
—painting class for Jane, who came home with some AMAZING pictures
—intense discussions between Bean and Rose re farming strategies, ore mining, profit margins, time management, growing season, cookery, and jewelry making (thank you Harvest Moon)

Today, hastily

Great day!

First thing this morning I packed a bag full of sketch books, art supplies, etc, for easy hauling to the backyard. Project Bubbles, day 2—though still no actual bubbles yet, as I haven't been to the store!

The girls and I began reading As You Like It. It's fun to have enough people to fill parts right in our own family. I was really wishing Scott could be in on it, though. Beanie did a fantastic job with her parts (Oliver and Touchstone, so far)—I was pretty impressed, considering her age. Rose makes a lovely Celia, and Jane dove into Rosalind with spirit. This is going to be fun.

Mid-morning, time to change things up. Cinnamon toast was proposed, prepared, munched. Yum. Rilla and went outside (baby in tow) and cleaned up the backyard. I'm falling behind on the weeding, though. Have to catch up this weekend.

Semi-lunch, kind of snacky, all still full from the toast. Quiet time: Rilla seems to be giving up her nap. I watched a couple of Signing Time episodes with the littles while the big girls read, played, crocheted.

Then Jane hung out with littles while I mowed the lawn.

Big girls took turns on Runescape. An hour each. I went out back with littles & the art bag. Rilla and Wonderboy had such a good time painting. A girl down the block dropped by to play with Jane. They started a game of Blokus. Rose and Beanie came outside and discovered their new sketch books. (I'd bought them for Christmas and forgotten all about them! Found them in a box with some scented pencils this morning.)

5pm, inside for a tidy-up and dinner prep. BBQ chicken (crockpotted), baked beans, roasted broccoli & tomatoes.

Baby fussy, time's up, more later maybe.

Project Bubbles, Day 1

Trying a little experiment here. Am going to use this blog to keep notes on it. Forgive the incoherence!

Today:

speech
piano
journey north

Spent time before piano helping Jane work on her JN clues. We think we have figured out where her city is. We need to get hold of some Chinese sun cakes for the party in two weeks!

Ran into Henry's for produce, bread, cheese during Rose's piano class.

Home with the 5 youngest while Jane was at JN. Lunched on butter rolls (a happy impulse buy at Henry's). Little watched a Signing Time while I cleaned up. Big girls played Runescape.

Afternoon: took the old blue tablecloth outside to spread on grass. Took cheese and crackers, Rose made lemonade, Rilla got so excited: "We're having a picnic?!" Watched hummingbird at feeder. Big girls played tag. Jane brought out her book & crocheting. Littles played on slide. Baby got passed around. Lovely perfect weather, delightful after yesterday's heat. Took photos of the sunflowers.

Went inside for diaper change and the outdoor play seemed to collapse the second I was gone. Interesting. I played puzzles with Rilla. Beanie was dying to play dollhouse with Rose but Rose wanted to finish her book first. A bit thorny at that point.

Big girls got back on Runescape. Littles watched Backyardigans while I made dinner, talked to Eileen Smithdeal on phone. :) Potato soup with leftover ham.

Jane Stickle quilt: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Block A-2. Lots of little pieces. Came out pretty well, just that one wonky triangle. I'm battling a cold and my head was so fuzzy while I pieced this...I had to pick out one seam three times because I kept sewing the fabric on backward over and over.

RbjA2
Yikes, blurry pic. Will replace it later.

Since this quilt is going to take me years to complete (heck, could be decades), I think I'll jot down notes about what was going on when I made each block. This one was constructed mostly on a rare rainy Sunday, during another one of Scott's marathon work-weekends. Most of us have this ugly cold. Jane spent the day crocheting a blue & white striped skirt. I moved the ironing board & cutting mat into the craft room and was able to work much more quickly without having to trot back and forth to the laundry room. A little hairy, though, with the hot iron by the bookshelves. We'll have to see if we can come up with a better arrangement.

As I was sewing the pieced strips together, the girls did a long overdue Heavy Cleaning of their room. The baby was in his chair at my feet, and Wonderboy felt it was his solemn obligation to entertain his baby brother. Rilla emptied a drawer full of pencils. I tracked crushed chalk all over the big blue rug.

I'm pinning the squares to my bedroom bulletin board as I finish them, and I have to say they make me so happy every time they catch my eye!

Firsttwosquares

Saturday, March 21

Garden notes: planted red salvia, freesia, chives, sweet alyssum, lobelia, lavender. Started a ton of herb seeds left over from last summer, some in pots, some in the flowerbed. Basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram, chives, nasturtium. Also planted some old zinnia seeds in the mulch bed. Staked/caged the tomatoes, sort of.

Quilting notes
: only a sliver of time for sewing today. Started the next Jane block, A-2, Buckle-my-shoe. It's pieced in six sections. I did two and a half, but I might redo one of them tomorrow.

Jane Stickle quilt: Pinwheel Gone Awry

Block A-1. Only my second attempt at foundation piecing, and joining the strips was tricky. I botched some of my points, of course. Up close I'm only seeing the mistakes, but I pinned it to my bulletin board and it looks MUCH better from across the room.

A1pinwheelgoneawry

Tues Mar 10

math
Latin

Bean:
Hillyer
poetry
Princess & Goblin

Read aloud:
Red Sails to Capri
Theatre Shoes

Jane: 

CKLH

Kidnapped Prince

researched stimulus bill for paper she's writing


Tues Feb 17

Jane: The Kidnapped Prince
Bean: Charlie & Great Glass Elevator

All: Acts, Landmark History (Quakers)
narration

Bean: looked at Quaker pictures
math

Rose: math, Latin, journal, read Warriors

Jane: Plutarch

Jane played phonics fridge game with Rilla

Jane: Bravewriter Boomerang: Murder on the Orient Express (Think Piece #3)

Beanie: copied out stanza of funny poem from Charlie & Great Glass Elevator

made blueberry muffins

lunch, took turns at Zelda

quiet time (read books, sculpey)

cleaned house

more Zelda

Thurs Feb 12

Thursday:

Acts
Landmark History (Puritans cont.)

Bean: written narration on Puritans

Jane:
—readings: Story of Soul, CKLH, Tokaido Inn (finished)
—written narration CKLH

Rose:
Latin
worked on story inspired by Warriors

Played outside w/ umbrellas
Quiet time

Shakespeare rehearsal this afternoon

Tues Feb 10

Home day.
Acts, Iliad, PP (Apollyon)
William Blake poetry

Bean:
math
copywork passage from Understood Betsy
read some Wind in the Willows, didn't get into it
started Five Children and It

Rose:
math
Latin
journal

Jane:
Latin
Sense & Sensibility

Plutarch

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What's This Blog?

  • Shortly after I began my main blog, Here in the Bonny Glen, I created this companion blog as a place to record—informally and usually in a rush—notes about how my children and I have spent our days.

    Originally this blog was hosted by a different platform, but in March of 2006 I moved it over here to Typepad.

    Bonny Glen Up Close is a family journal of sorts, a chronicle of the books we read (some of them, that is; there's no way I could keep up with all the books the kids read on their own), the movies we watch, the places we go, the projects we undertake, the recipes we enjoy, the conversations we have, and all sorts of other daily minutia. It is not a complete record, by any means; rather, it is a kind of memory book, filled with snapshots of our busy, happy, jumbled-up days as a young and growing family.

    Up Close Archives

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