Month: March 2006

  • One Project Done

    Well, it’s Friday of spring break, and I officially have one project completed. Rachel picked out the fabric and pattern for me to make a dress for her American Girl doll.  I just finished it tonight.  Of course, I poked myself with a needle while sewing on the flowers and bled on it, but that’s typical. (And, you can’t see it in the picture!)



    Libby completed her Red Cross babysitter training course today. She said that she didn’t learn anything new, but I’m sure it was helpful.  In the afternoon, we went bowling with the Wilsons where I bowled horribly, but Rachel got seven spares in two games!  (We all use bumpers, which gives me even less of an excuse.) Michael was one pin away from a turkey!  (He had two strikes in a row, and on his next ball, he knocked down nine.)  No one is amazing–Nathan pulled the high score at 123.

    The Good Doctor seems to be on the mend, although we are glad he has another few days before he starts back to work. I’m quite glad that I still have a few more days left in spring break.  I wonder if I can have a two week break?  Sigh.

    I’ve become interested in the life of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, so I’ve requested a bio of him from the library.  I’ll let you know if his life is fascinating.  He was a playwright in the early 1800s, if you were trying to place his name.

    I’ve fixed up the site in a less fussy way, although it’s still a bit…something.  Well, I’ll leave it for a while and be Miss Pink.

  • What Do You Think?

    So, honestly, is the new design just too busy? I’m really not much for busyness in design. But, it is readable, which is first and foremost.  I did figure out how to stitch two pictures together in Photo Studio, which made me happy (the picture in the background). 

    We just got back from a very nice trip to Curwensville (my mom’s). Nathan spent the night at my dad’s getting his new bow set up. Watch out, helpless woodland creatures!  The Good Doctor has relapsed, can’t breathe through his nose at all, and slept horribly last night.  Poor thing.  We are all glad we didn’t plan a spring break trip anywhere with fevered Nathan for four days and the sick doctor all week. 

    Speaking of spring break, it’s going TOO FAST!  How can I slow down time? Can I take two weeks of spring break?  Although I’m getting a lot of things done, I have so much more I want to do!  Yesterday, I sewed an American Girl doll dress for Rachel (and will post a picture once the pinafore is done), but I have two others cut out to sew.  I got one set of timed essays done and a multiple choice set graded, but I still have more timed essays to grade!  I’ve not had that full day of sitting in the chair and just reading (although I did stay up until 2:00 last night reading, which might count).  I suppose I’m being unrealistic in my time expectations, and those of you who know me well know that I am horrible with time expectations!

    I’m really in the mood to write a story. In my AP class, the kids are writing a round-robin story (and I had to horn in on the fun!).  Also, LaDamedeShallot is writing a story, and both of these events have my brain churning.  But, for everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.  Story writing and the like will have to wait another seven weeks until the AP class (and subsequent grade setting) are over.   By then, I’ll not be in the mood probably! 

    A very funny thing happened today when we were leaving my mom’s house.  The Good Doctor (who is quite sick and tired, recall) wanted the kids to gather up their things. Seeing David’s electronic game on the table, he said, “David, don’t forget your Playboy.”  We had a wonderful laugh while TGD explained that he got Playstation and Gameboy mixed up!  The other funny thing was that neither Michael nor David knew to what “Playboy” referred! Ah, the blessing of sheltered children. 

    I finished The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton Porter, and here’s the promised review.

    This novel, written by the author of A Girl of the Limberlost and Freckles, begins at the end of WW I (The Great War).  Jamie MacFarlane, an American of Scottish descent, is languishing in a California hospital, the wound in his chest not getting any better. He is far from God, alone in the world, and sure he will soon die.  He overhears that he is to be sent to a different hospital, one rife with tuberculosis.  Instead of submitting to certain death, Jamie walks away from the military hospital and embarks on a “Great Adventure.”

    From his first interactions with people (and because the author repeatedly tells us), we can see Jamie is a man of fine moral character–trustworthy, honest, wholesome, and helpful.  Eventually, his Great Adventure brings him to the point of death, or so he thinks. Then he stumbles upon a lovely little house by the ocean. A man appears at the gate and calls for help.  Jamie, forgetting his own near-exhaustion and certain death, rushes to the aid of the elderly man and telephones for help.  The man, The Bee Master,  asks Jamie to live in his house and manage it and care for his bees and plants until he is able to return.  (Because, he could see immediately that Jamie was an honest, wholesome, trustworthy fellow.)

    The story progresses with the addition of new characters–the Little Scout, a genderless neighborhood child and “partner” of the Bee Master who befriends Jamie and provides all sorts of sage wisdom and childish fun; Margaret, the kindly neighbor who cooks and cleans for Jamie while living through her own struggles; and the Storm Girl, a mysterious woman who unburdens her heart to Jamie and is helped by him.

    The story progresses in a satisfying way. Porter spares no expense in her discussion of nature. Bees and their workings, the native flora of California, the scents of the garden, the landscape of the area–all are worked in as an integral part of the story. She also make sure to express her views of the morality of the time and stresses the sorrows of young people and their modern, “oversexed” ways and the wearing of too much makeup while playing up the ideas of patriotism and the American melting pot.  The ideas of working hard, prayers and thanksgiving, helping one’s fellow man, and forgiveness are all woven in to this tale.

    In addition to all the wholesomeness and nature study, the book is also a romance.  Who is the mystery girl? Will she and Jamie ever get together? Where is Margaret’s daughter?  Will Jamie’s wound heal? Will the Bee Master return to his home? What are the secrets of his past? 

    As far as objectionable material, a woman becomes pregnant out of wedlock (but pays heavily for her indiscretion), and Jamie thinks about his Storm Girl (but not in an inappropriate way).  Many tomatoes are eaten, although I doubt any would find this objectionable.

    All in all, The Keeper of the Bees is a clean, wholesome read which adults and teens alike would enjoy.  The plot would be a bit much for a younger reader (elementary), but the material would not be objectionable.

  • Grading Essays

    I’m in the middle of grading timed essays, but my eyes and thoughts are going all swimmy, so I thought I’d take a break. It’s really one of my favorite timed essay questions. The kids get to compare and contrast Mr. Collins’ proposal to Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice with Bradley Headstone’s proposal to Lizzie Hexam in Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend. But, I needed a bit of a break.

    Speaking of break, it’s day two of spring break, and if I weren’t sleeping in so late, I bet I could accomplish more!  (Yes, I do mean late–10:00 plus!)  It’s a beautiful day here, although still chilly. The kids wanted to go for a walk/bike ride after lunch (uh, breakfast for some of us…), so we did.  Strangely enough, we heard fire truck sirens, something rarely heard in the country.  A fire truck went past us and about 15 volunteer fire police fellows in various vehicles.  Curious (like all the other neighbors), we investigated. Seems it was a grass fire which burned about one to two acres of grass/weeds, but there was no damage otherwise.  Just something to liven everyone’s day! 

    Nathan has had the flu for 2.5 days. The Good Doctor is also sick on the couch, but I think he’s just worn out and feeling miserable. He has no fever. (EDIT–TGD read this blog and said, “I really AM sick. I’m not just worn down.” Poor man. Not only is he sick, he gets no compassion from his wife.)  Michael had this illness last Thursday. I figure others will fall prey.  I’m nursing a headache, but I think it’s because I was so sluggish and slept for too long.

    (Section for Grandparents) Some results have been posted for 4-H shooting.  At their weekly practices, sometimes they shoot “postal matches.” Nathan took first place on his team and appears to be 5th in the STATE! If you want to see the results, go HERE and scroll down to the PA section. 

    Libby has babysitter training at the Red Cross on Friday. She’s excited about it!  I can count it as a day of school. Yeah!  She is also excited about the new kites we got.  (Sing along with me just like on Mary Poppins!) Let’s go fly a kite! Just not into the power lines!  Let’s go fly the kite we bought at Wal-Mart!

    I’d like to update the look of my site, but since I don’t want to make it unreadable with a picture behind it, and I don’t want to pay for premium Xanga, I’ll have to be clever.  Does anyone know how to make the text in white boxes so that you can still have a picture and have the text be readable?

    I’m almost done with The Keeper of the Bees. It’s a good read, and I’ll have to review it when I’m done.  I’m planning to make fish sticks and that yummy (totally unhealthy and high in sodium which is why I’m not on the granola blogring) Velveeta macaroni and cheese with muffins and some token veggie for supper.  Mmm!

    EDIT AGAIN–Just playing around with the site. I’m not planning to keep this odd combo. BTW, can anyone see the blue background picture? Thanks again, Ransom.  I guess I really do need to finish that superhero costume…

  • I Got A Valentine!

    “Well, so what?” you might be thinking. Valentine’s Day was almost a month ago! Ah, but this particular valentine had a fair distance to travel.  You see, the charming young men in my AP class (masterminded by Stephen, who is forgiven for cheating so shamelessly on my blog quiz) sent a valentine’s card around, and each of them signed it with a nice message for me.  Now, lest you think, “So? Some kids passed a card around class,” think again! You see, my class is totally online, so this particular card, after bouncing around to several different cities in PA also made its way to New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Arizona before it came to rest in my mailbox.  Is it any wonder I love teaching so?

    The Good Doctor and the boys made it safely to IN.  They are having an absolutely marvelous time. It seems that the only Penn State fans who drove to IN are the families of the wrestlers and coaches, so my family is having a ball hanging out with the Yonushonis and Davis families and others.  It’s like spending seven hours sitting with the parents of (insert your favorite sports’ star here).

    The girls and I had a good day as well, although I got a bit tired of shopping by the end of it.  I did manage to end a two-year quest and find a new spring coat. My needs weren’t terribly complex. I just couldn’t find a non-plasticky (not really a word) zip-up jacket with a hood! But, tonight I did, and I was a happy pup.

    After shopping, we came home and watched Pride and Prejudice (2003), which is an excellent movie–totally clean and funny!  It’s Pride and Prejudice set in 2003 with some modernizing plot changes. 

    I have to go finish my Bible study for tomorrow’s Sunday school class.  I don’t think anyone from class reads my blog, so I’m safe in confessing I’ve not even started the part I was to study for tomorrow! But, before I leave, thanks to Anna for the cool blue border thing which I pilfered from her website, which is by far the best Lord of the Rings website ever made.

  • Spontaneous Doctor

    Many of you who know the good doctor know that he is not given to bursts of severe spontaneity. Sure, we might stop at Dairy Queen or something like that, but what he’s done this weekend is quite out of character. Now, others of you know that the good doctor is also a big fan of Penn State wrestling, so you might not be surprised. Thursday night at 10:30 pm, he decided that he and the boys were going to drive to Indiana (the state, not Indiana, PA) to spend the weekend watching the Big Ten wrestling championships.  Nineteen hours of driving; fourteen hours of wrestling.  Is it any wonder the girls and I didn’t want to come along?

    So, this morning, when we ascertained that Michael was mostly over the flu which kept him couch-ridden all day Thursday, I helped everyone pack up. When the good doctor finished teaching his class, he came home with snacks for the trip (including a four pound bag of Skittles and a four pound bag of Dum Dums and a four pound bag of Starbursts and five large bags of various M-n-Ms and twelve full-size Kit Kats and some other things–he’s a VERY GOOD dad! Wouldn’t YOU like to be in a van for 9.5 hours with Michael with that lot on board?) He then ate a quick lunch (hamburger, not candy!), and they were off!  I waved with a big smile on my face, full of plans as to what the girls and I could do this weekend. We’ve never had a weekend at home with just the girls before.

    So, after the menfolk left and we washed the cat makeup face paint (full face!) from Rachel, the girls and I went out shopping and to Olive Garden for supper. Then, we came home and watched A Cinderella Story (Hilary Duff).  Now, exhausted Rachel is in bed and Libby is scratching away happily in her notebook on her latest story.  Tomorrow, after sleeping in late (Did someone say, “Caffeine soda for dinner?”), we will lounge around the house watching cartoons and grading AP timed essays (respectively). Then, we’re going to Target and Wal-Mart (where I am picking up a housewarming present for The Hand and Jess) and to Bath and Body Works to use some coupons. For food, we’ll get the $1 popcorn and soda at Target and an Auntie Ann’s pretzel and lemonade at the mall. Then, home again to watch more movies!

    Speaking of movies, I now own all the Pride and Prejudice movies except the really old one from the 1930s. Yes, it’s money well-spent. HA! 

    I am just tickled because I got tagged! I’ve never been tagged before, and novelty is a thrill.  So, thank you, Mathmom, even if I didn’t happen to be the Mary to whom you were referring.

    1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
    “The reason a great adventure is and adventure is because…”  (The Keeper of the Bees by Gene Stratton Porter)
     
    2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch?
    Air

    3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
    I just finished watching a video, but as to “real TV,” uh, a few minutes of CNN? Thirty-five seconds of Cyberspace?

    4. Without looking, guess what time it is:
    9:22

    5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
    9:18

    6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
    The parakeets which eatyourweightincheeesepuffs loves to hear!

    7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
    Coming home from Olive Garden and carrying in groceries (started couponing again and saved 50%!)

    8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
    My AP board and a Crush Finder Quiz  (although I’m not in the market for having a crush, except on the dear doctor!)

    9. What are you wearing?
    My two-piece black and pink flowered jammies and a polar fleece jacket (and slippers and socks) 

    10. Did you dream last night?
    Yes, I seldom fail to dream

    11. When did you last laugh?
    I’m glad I can answer this one definitively as some days it seems that I don’t laugh very much.  Today, I stopped to get gas, and when I got out of the car, I sort of playfully tweaked  Libby’s nose and said, “Bonk.” Except it really wasn’t a tweak. It was some lame movement.  She said nothing, but several hours later, she commented how odd it was that I had done that. She was so right. Even after I did it, I thought, “Boy, that was stupid.” We laughed like fools then.  I’m laughing right now even as I type. Guess you had to be there.

    12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
    White plaster. Someday I’ll get around to painting in here, but since the walls are almost totally covered by bookshelves, it doesn’t seem to be a pressing need.

    13. Seen anything weird lately?
    Um, not lately, but this question reminded me of a woman I saw one time when I was visiting a Goodwill-type clothing store.  She was a “woman of size” (but smaller than some). She was wearing (I kid you not) a black “teddy” and garter stockings which showed.  I thought she was trying something on, and I was embarrassed for her that she didn’t stay in the dressing room until I realized that it was her outfit! It was a Saturday afternoon. (Guess you had to be there. Good thing you weren’t.)

    14. What do you think of this quiz?
    It’s the very first I’ve ever done, so I have a particular fondness for it.

    15. What is the last film you saw?
    A Cinderella Story on DVD. In a theater, Narnia.

    16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
    A new mattress and a big pool

    17. Tell me something about you that I don’t know.
    Stumper. I had a really funny but slightly gross story to tell, but I won’t. You can email me if you want to hear the Olive Garden story.  Instead, I’ll say that my GPA my first semester of college was 1.76.  (Or something equally dismall causing me to switch majors!)

    18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
    Um, I always answer these questions wrong. I know now why Miss Americans always say “World Peace.”  I think I’ll say that religious persecution everywhere would stop.

    19. Do you like to dance?
    In a general sense.  I like to cavort around the kitchen and stomp around the living room. Baptist, you know.

    20. George Bush:
    Was the name of two presidents 

    21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
    Well, his name was going to be “Elizabeth,” but I had to wait until the third to use that particular name.

    22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
    I’m not having to imagine very hard. But, we considered naming him Zachary, but I wasn’t brave enough to name anyone with a “Z” name.  

    23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
    In a heartbeat!

    24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
    “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master!”
     
    25. 4 people who must also do this quiz:
    Far be it from me to force someone to take a quiz if s/he doesn’t enjoy this sort of thing, but I’ll tag Anna (because she likes long blogs), Debbie (because she still has the weekend of spring break), Krista (because she might like it), and Nathan (because I’m his mother and I said so).  (But feel free to feel tagged even if you are moving into a new house or have a broken computer or are really too busy for this sort of thing or have never posted to Xanga yet even though you have an account!)

     

  • Join Me in a Whuppity Scoorie Celebration?

    If you are so inclined, we can celebrate this fine tradition of Lanark, Scotland, held every March 1, by doing the following:  first, we gather before 6:00 pm at Saint Nicholas church. Then as the “wee bell” rings the hour, we run
    round the church three times counter-clockwise while swinging balls made of paper and tied with a piece of
    string around our heads.

    Sound like fun?  Okay. Fine. Be that way.

    In other news of March 1st, I suppose there isn’t much. 

    I’m really looking forward to spring break next week, even though we aren’t doing anything in particular.  It seems that the rest of our acquaintances are headed to Florida. To be honest, the thought of packing up for a trip and traveling sounds daunting. I’m looking forward to nothingness.

    Well, actually, that’s not really true. I’ve got my list o’things to do for spring break.

    1.  Finish all AP grading!
    2. Work on my quilt which has been untouched for about a year.
    3. Sew a fancy American Girl doll dress with Libby.
    4. Go bowling with Wilsons.
    5. Spend a day sitting in a chair just reading.

    Actually, maybe I’ll flop myself on the couch. We have an incredibly comfortable couch, but I rarely sit or lie on it.  It would be nice to be a sluggo–maybe watch craft and home makeover shows–all day! 

    What would you do for your week of spring break if you didn’t take a trip anywhere?