If An Englishwoman Can Do It...

Then surely you can too ;)
HT to Esther over at A Catholic Mom in Hawaii

You Are a Smart American

You know a lot about US history, and you're opinions are probably well informed. Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be.

Are You a Dumb American?

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The Loveliness of Leaves

The very autumnal themed Loveliness of Leaves is up over at Colleen's Footprints on the Fridge blog :)

Fit in 40

I was intrigued... Nissa and the Simple Gifts blog are going to eliminate certain foods, go natural cleaning and more for this challenge!

The group beliefs are here:

I believe that I am a living tabernacle. I want my body to be the healthiest it can be in order to live out His mission for me. I know that whole, natural foods, grown and raised organically contain healing nutrition. I believe that I can make a change in the way I care for myself and the precious family He has blessed me with. I believe that He will give me the grace and strength to live life to its fullest.

The premise as Nissa describes it:

That's the whole idea behind "Fit in 40", BTW. We're going to eliminate foods from our homes, cleanse, fast (the last two are off the list for preg/nursing mamas), and use from scratch cooking and food combining to improve our health. It's a 40 day plan to get to where we need to be. It takes committment every day of the rest of your life to maintain it.

I am leery, because DH doesn't take kindly to change, but I can change for me, right? :) You can go to her blog and sign up if you are interested, it starts December 1st, but all the posts will be archived for those who come later!

BOOKWALK

A chance to win Cay Gibson's New CHRISTMAS MOSAIC (worth it I assure you, especially if you liked her Catholic Mosaic) over at her blog!

HURRY so you have a chance to win!

Daily Work

You can see our daily work over at the Wordpress blog... which is where I plan to keep putting it :)

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A Homeschooler's Best Friend

I thought some of you might find this interesting :) HT To my husband over at Jacobite Musings.

Useful Resources

Sometimes there comes a resource you love so much you almost DON'T want to share it because it is SO good.
Serendipity is one of theses... I urge all those who are starting out to take a look... because you will love what these two hardworking, homeschooling mothers have done!

Serendipity School.

The Beauty of Toymaking October Edition

The October Edition of the Beauty of Toymaking is up over at Soul of the Home, check it out!

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A frustrating Project

You would never believe it, but this 'easy' pinny turned into a nightmare... all because of the bias binding.
Note to people who want to make it:
1. Sew the pieces together first, trimming the edges even if necessary.
2. PIN the binding in place and check you have caught ALL the edges.
3. CONSIDER basting it!
4. Sew from the narrower side of the bias tape.

I think one of my major problems was that my pretty cotton fabric just loves to fray, and that does not help matters much.
Would I make it again? Yes... because I wont let it get the better of me, and also because it really does look pretty once finished.
Next time, I'll try the cotton flannel ;) Or maybe a seasonal print!
HT to Turkey Feathers for showing the way to the pattern... and who made one too ;)

The Trouble with Tribble Toys

A recent aquisition of the original Star Trek Series, has allowed my kids a foray into the world of their parents (and even grandparents) youth.
So, no surprise that they loved the 'tribble' episode of Star Trek. It was, however, a big surprise when M'Lady declared that she wanted one!

I racked my brains.
I could of course, try and buy one on Ebay for a lot of money. Or I could make something resembling a tribble for a lot less.
It was a no-brainer. I took a trip to the local fabric store and picked out a furry fabric, making sure it was soft and strokable.

Then I had to sew it up. M'Lady was impatient, so rather than take my time to make a nice spherical or hemispherical shape, I cut out semicircles, sewed them together and stuffed the tribble.
The tribble sleeps in M'Lady's bed. Rebel will run around the house with squealing tribbles if you let him, but this ball of fluff is definitely a well loved, homemade toy!

This is a Bit Scary!

HT goes out to Drew and Katherine. I think I'd have preferred Bert or Big Bird...

You Are Elmo

Sweet and innocent, you expect everyone to adore you. And they usually do! You are usually feeling: Talkative. You've got tons of stories to tell. And when you aren't talking, you're laughing. You are famous for: Being popular, though no one knows why. Middle aged women especially like you. How you life your life: With an open heart. "Elmo loves you!"

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

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Prayer Warriors

As is often the case when the weather gets cooler, the emergencies keep coming.
Please keep Alice's Mother and Dawn's grandmother in your prayers, and pray for a fast recovery for them both.

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Some things are worth Sharing

For those of you who do not read Elizabeth's blog, go check out her ideas for keeping baby busy (trust me, she has had enough practise to inspire anyone ;))

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Guilty Pleasures

My guilty pleasure... oh dear, unlike Matilda, I don't just have one show I like... but a family! I LOVE the CSI shows and the Mystery series on PBS are great too!
So if I had to pick my guilty pleasure though, it would probably be CSI MIami or Mystery!. I like Mystery! because it reminds me of home, and I love CSI Miami just because. It is so unbelievable it is like the fairy tale CSI :)
And no, the kids are not allowed to watch although they have tried before now :D

HT: Waltzing Matilda

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Maggots, Magnets and Good Ideas

M'Lady came running up to me earlier, her hand held out, squealing about the "weally cute, wittle caterpiwwar" (really cute little caterpillar) she had found. I took one look and squealed... because it was NOT a caterpillar, but a maggot. GROSS!
After making M'Lady get rid of it, I made the kids show me where they had found it... even worse, it was the kitchen floor, right near my kitchen dustbin (trash can to Americans).
I was puzzled... the rubbish was changed JUST last night, and no flies had been in the house for the last few days. Unfortunately for me, we have had a bumper crop of houseflies (bluebottles) this year, much to my disgust (and to the pleasure of the owners of Raid I add-- this is one area I am NOT natural in ;)). Every time you open the door during the day, they seem to get in. I am guessing that this little creature came from one of our weekend visitors. I swept up around the bin. I sprayed the bin with lemon scented Raid (I like the lemon scented one a lot), and I worried. I will be worrying for the next few days, for if there is an insect that bothers me a lot, the housefly is it!

But, life goes on! I saw a couple of great things to share today... Amy at Angry Chicken, has put together a recipe cheat sheet... what a great idea (and time saving too.) I will be making one up for myself, maybe sending a copy off to my little sister who just started university!

And Elizabeth blogs about another brush with burnout, and what she has done to fight it. I mentioned her new collaborative blog yesterday...

And finally the 4Real forums are back up and running, with a new look, and a new purpose! This is such a blessing to the Catholic families out there... and even the non-Catholics who wish for new ideas :)

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Winnie the Pooh and Kanga Too!

Which 100 Acre Wood character are you?
ht to Maria over at Tater tots and Ladybug Love, who was Winnie the Pooh himself :D


Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

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What's going on in Our Homeschool

School has been temperamental recently... there were birthdays, and this past week has been a week of me getting used to contact lenses (YAHY) and trying to fix my blog. Not such a bad thing because Rebel has been reading some of the Horrible Histories books by Terry Deary, although Asterix did sneak in there a bit (he's fantastic for those learning Latin BTW), and we did listen to a couple of Columbus Day shows, one from Homeschool Radio Shows (great site) and the other from You Need a Story (also great!).
There were a couple of parcels from my Mum with some books in (mathematics and English amongst others... the kids have enjoyed these), including some of the aforementioned Horrible Histories. The kids worked some on the books.
Then there was the outdoor time, the library book reading, and the expressed interest in Mars mentioned (Lego Mars Mission was rebel's birthday present) on top of it all.
Finally, we are loosly working with Katherine and Elizabeth over at Serendipity. That is definitely worth a look!

I thought it was autumn...

My calendar says autumn began two weeks ago (on Rebel's birthday to be exact), but I think it got lost along the way!
Yesterday hit 95 degrees here, while today was a fair bit cooler being only in the low 80's. The weathermen persist in claiming the 'fall temperatures' to be coming, but when they are talking about temperatures in the 70's, I just can't agree! AUTUMN is temperatures that necessitate at the least a cardigan or a lightweight jacket!
Now, don't get me wrong, I am not really complaining. If it were too cold, my kids would not be so willing to go outside, and I would not be enjoying October so much, but still, it does peeve me a little when I make an autumnal menu up for the week, only to be hit with temperatures in the 90s on the days I planned to have stew or soup!
That will not deter me, however! Soup is STILL on the menu for tomorrow... after all, the temperatures say summer... but the gardens do not!

Posts and Updates

I have opened a Wordpress Account with the intention of moving all my old Homeschool Blogger Posts there... indeed I have even moved the posts from this blog there too...
Why? When I went to make some changes on the page it had some kind of weird bug in it... NOT of my making, but from blogger... no need to worry though, I will keep this up for now ;)

What Kind of Mother are YOU?

From Motherstyles.com HT to Theresa, who shares her learning style with me ;)

Your type is: intp —The “Love of Learning” Mother

“I keep the encyclopedia in the kitchen so we can look up things together while we eat.”

• Intellectually curious and patient, the INTP mother relishes those times with a child when they are learning something interesting together. Whether they’re at the zoo or computer terminal, she sparks to answering his or her “whys” with in-depth responses or new knowledge.
• The INTP mother is also objective and introspective. She listens to and discusses children’s ideas and questions as she would those of a peer, fostering self-esteem and confidence. Open and non-directive, she allows children the freedom to do for themselves and quietly encourages them to believe they can do it.
• Independence, autonomy, intellectual development, and self-reliance are probably the INTP’s highest priorities for her children. An avid reader, she naturally imparts an appreciation and love of reading as well.
• Drawn to all types of learning, the INTP may also value her mothering experience for all the new insights about life it provides her.

For those with Daughters

HT to Drew:
This ad is part of Dove's "Real beauty" campaign... and boy does it resonate with this Mama!

A New Dove Film : Onslaught
Uploaded by DoveCanada

Please Excuse My Dust

But I am currently working on my blog. I apologise sincerely if you have odd posts popping up on your feed, or weird goings on as you attempt to read the site! I have changed my layout and look and am attempting to implement some widgets on my sidebar. I have not really been very successful, but I will persevere ;)
In the meantime, as I said, excuse my dust and odd postings you get and take a look at my updated look :)

Autumn Meme

HT to Dawn who created it!

A Fall Meme

When does fall begin for you? Autumn begins for me (native Englishwoman that I am) at the beginning of September. Here in Virginia it is more like the end of October!

What is your favorite aspect of fall? My birthday, foggy days, falling leaves, wind, bonfires, conkers and acorn collecting...

What is your favorite fall memory? OOOh, I cant think of one. I liked playing conkers and collecting acorns. I think it was more the birthday thing that drove me though ;)

What do you like to drink in the fall? Right now, anything cold (it's still hot here). Once it gets cold, hot chocolate. I do like the 'punch' (Americans call it hot cider LOL) that other people make ;)

What's your favorite fall food? Soup, I love soup. Potato cheddar soup is good, and black bean soup is delicious! I also LOVE apple pie and apple crumble and my American treat is pumpkin pie. I had never eaten it before I came over. Also sweet potato pie...

What is fall weather like where you live? The days are warm the evenings cool. It is pretty much perfect here in Virginia. Although I am actually wishing for rain on my birthday this year... as a child my birthday ALWAYS seemed rainy!

What color is fall? Oranges, browns and reds, with hints of gold and deeper yellows.

What does fall smell like? Bonfires, wet leaves, frost.

Holiday shopping in fall: yes or no? Yes! I have to get presents to England which means mailing before Thanksgiving.

If you could go anywhere in the fall, where would you go? England! If I could only do a daytrip, then the Blue Ridge Mountains would work...

What is your favorite fall sport? Hate sport! Just not my cuppa tea!

Do you have a favorite fall chore? "autumn cleaning". I go through the house and tidy. I like it only because the house LOOKS tidy though... like certain other people I do not like to do chores very much!

What is your least favorite thing about fall? Definitely the days getting short. I LOVE the long summer days and really don't like the shorter winter ones. I can deal with the cold, but longer days would be MUCH nicer. (And when you grow up in England there is SO MUCH more of a difference!!)

What is your favorite fall holiday? Well, they are mostly new to me. We never celebrated Halloween or Thanksgiving back home. I LOVED Fireworks/Guy Fawkes Night. Since I don't get it here, I guess Thanksgiving is the next best thing ;)

What's your favorite kind of pie? Apple pie with ice cream and custard.

What was your favorite Halloween costume? I never dressed up for halloween... except for one year when a neighbour had a party. We went as witches (my sister and I) with little bat shaped masks for our faces. Mum made the costumes ;)

What was your favorite Halloween candy? Since we never trick or treated I will cheat and say my favourite 'candy' is hands down either mint or caramel filled chocolates. I also have a definite love of liqueur filled chocolates. As a kid I liked bounty bards (they are like mounds).

What was your least favorite Halloween candy? I hate candy corn. Disgusting. I also hate those butter flavoured hard 'candies'. Yeuch!

Which do you prefer, the Farm or the Fair? Never been to the fair. I do like the Fall Fiber Festival though.

Do you have a favorite fall book? Nope. I do like the flower fairy ones though... oh and Susan Branch's autumn book.

How about a favorite fall poem?

I really like this James Whitcomb Riley one, I start reciting it in autumn :) But you can see a whole bunch of autumnal poetry here. I LOVE that site! I also LOVE this Emily Dickinson poem.

XXVIII. AUTUMN.

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.

Happy Autumn!