Artist Study, Term 2 (2014-2015)

So, on realizing I was probably due to post this I checked my previous posts only to find that I either didn't post term 1 either, or it isn't linked to my above tab. I'm not sure which it is and I don't have time right now to figure it out. Term 1 is history now, though, right?

So the Artist Study in the Ambleside Online rotation for Term 2 for this year will focus on
Diego Velazquez (1599-1660; Spanish Baroque). Self portrait (1640):

 I feel so "parked" in this era! Not in a bad way, though, but because there is so much to study. We are reading about Wallace and Bruce (circa 1200), and Columbus (circa 1500), so this artist is a perfect fit.

Learn more about Diego Velazquez HERE.

Six paintings are recommended for study of this artist.

   1. Old Woman Frying Eggs, 1618

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   2. The Waterseller of Seville, 1623

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   3. Juan de Pareja, 1630 (And I am totally going to pull out the book, I, Juan de Pareja, by Elizabeth B. De Trevino, which won a Newbery Medal in 1965. Purchase)

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   4. Aesop 1639-40 (Did Velazquez know Aesop? Is this what he really looked like? I hope I find time to research this...)

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   5. Joseph's Coat Brought to Jacob, 1650

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   6. Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor), 1656 - What I love about this one is the self-portrait of Velazquez embedded in the painting - he is painting a painting in the painting!

Menu Monday for 1/19/15

Here is my menu plan for this week.

Sunday (1/18):

Date night – dinner out

Monday (1/19):

Minestrone soup (p 87, fok), yeast rolls, salad

Tuesday (1/20):

Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread

Wednesday (1/21):

Brown lentil stew with avocado salsa (Forks over Knives, p. 127) over brown rice, green beans

Thursday (1/22):

Fast pasta and greens, wasa bread

Friday (1/23):

Lemon chicken, V (“Black bean and succotash salad” (page 161)), broccoli, white rice

Saturday (1/24):

Ratatouille (p 176)

Today's Worship Selection - 1/20/15

Here is the music selections we chose today in our morning worship time:

Be Thou My Vision

The Pantry - Week 2 of 34 Weeks of Clean Challenge

Okay, here is where my participating in the "34 Weeks of Clean" challenge becomes more of an attempt to humor my readers than to participate in the challenge. Let's just say I am taking a "By" week (or is that "bye"?).


I was very busy and did not do this assignment. I did, however, go through my spices and got rid of old and duplicate spices (by gifting duplicates to another woman's kitchen). Didn't take a "Before" photo. Here's "After":

Menu Plan Monday - 1/12/15

Here are this week's foodie plans:

Sunday (1/11):

Baked beans and hamburger (page 89), bread

V “Reboot Salad”(page 160)

Monday (1/12):

Ravioli, sauce, salad, bread

Tuesday (1/13):

Lemon chicken, V (“Black bean and succotash salad” (page 161)), broccoli, white rice

Wednesday (1/14):

Brown lentil stew with avocado salsa (Forks over Knives, p. 127) over brown rice, green beans

Thursday (1/15):

BSA Fundraiser – Potomac Pizza, Kentlands

Friday (1/16):

Out

Saturday (1/17):

Minestrone soup, pumpkin muffins, salad

Christmas Clean Up - Week 1 of 34 Weeks of Clean

Week 1 of 34 Weeks of Clean - Christmas Decorations

This post is a little late, and will be light on photos because I did Christmas clean up around here before I thought to post about it and join in the "34 Weeks of Clean" challenge at Family, Faith and Fridays Blog.

So, one of our family traditions, implemented by mom and dad and not necessarily appreciated by the rest of the family is our practice of cleaning up our Christmas decorations on the 1st day of the year. This is practical for us because 1) it is a holiday, and therefore 2) everyone is home to help.

We started by disassembling the tree onto the dining room table. From there we separate ornaments according to who they belong to. I came to see the wisdom of this method about a decade ago, when my oldest was approaching adulthood. It had occurred to me that at some point each child would be setting up their own household, and they (and I) would want their personal ornaments to go with them. These ornaments start with ornaments they made at co-op ornament events, and expanded to include specialty ornaments purchased for each of them each year. I certainly cannot keep track of what belongs to whom, and boxing them each year means they are "labelled" the next year when they come out of storage, and that helps us to eventually keep them with the right kiddo.

Once the tree is "empty", we drag it outside. Usually, as we dump it off the side of the deck toward where it will go out the gate for recycling, another ornament(s) is found on the tree. This year was no exception. Didn't break, though, so all was good.

Effort is made to locate and put away every decoration. When the decorations were brought out, other decorations were stored (in the Christmas storage boxes) to make room for Christmas. These non-Christmas decorations are returned to their normal "homes" as the manger scene, et. al. are put away.

Inevitably certain items get overlooked, and these decorations will eventually end up in the attic near the Christmas decoration boxes, but they won't fit inside the boxes this year. Time to declutter those decorations again! But I didn't take any time to do that this year. So the wall-quilt Nana made,

and the wreath on the door


have yet to be put away, but other than that we're finished with clean-up assignment #1 for the 34 Weeks of Clean challenge. (And I think maybe the wrapping paper hasn't quite made it to the attic yet, either... Oops! Just found one more straggler:

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you keep finding little decorations here and there for weeks!

A Sneak Review Preview

So, I'm not sure if I'll manage to do this with all the products I review this year, but I just got word that I'll get to review a really great product by Heirloom Audios, a dramatic audio presentation of G.A. Henty's story, In Freedom's Cause! Review will post in mid to late February. Watch for it!

Here's a video preview:

Word for 2015

So, I though of not posting a "WORD" for 2015. I mean, last year I posted my word for the year as "INTENTIONAL", and as the year spun past (somewhat out of control), the real word seemed to be "SURVIVAL".

Now, as I reflect on 2014, and where our home school plans are compared to where I think they should be, a new word has been brewing in the back of my brain. As I have made tweaks to the school planner, and compared it to the calendar, with wishes of applying complete integrity as I create my son's 9th grade entries on his transcript...

For the year 2015, I have concluded that my word needs to be "DILIGENCE". There were many words competing for the first place slot. I considered "flexibility", but my brain was translating flexibility (in my situation) as "lazy", or at the very least, "disorganized". "Enthusiastic" is a word I need, but don't see myself able to achieve this year. "Encouraging" is in the same category (particularly respecting my home schooling). I'm trying, but these certainly aren't words for the year.

As we finish 9th grade this summer, I am already considering ways to do 10th grade differently. I am wondering if I can get "The Boy" to take some outside classes this time, like maybe Geometry or Algebra II, and/or Chemistry, Spanish (...::sigh:: ---everything?).

As I begin this, my 23rd year of home schooling, it would be fair to conclude that I'm ready to be done home schooling. I've been there, done that. It's hard to stay excited, to be there for my son as he experiences high school Biology class for the first time, watching a video of a puff ball mushroom exploding under someone's foot.

For the most part, my student is finding his encouragement through excelling in his grades, which makes my job of correcting school work important. It needs to be done, and it needs to be done quickly.

So that brings me back, once again, to "DILIGENCE". I need to be diligent in planning, implementing, and following up on our school work. So, there you have it.

Do YOU have a word for the new year?

Hymn Study for January 2015

Come down, O love divine, seek Thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with Thine own ardor glowing.
O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear,
And kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn, til earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let Thy glorious light shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness become mine inner clothing;
True lowliness of heart, which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power of human telling;
For none can guess its grace, till he become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling.