Books and Spices

Normally, we just power through most holidays, except Christmas, but I'm feeling like we'll be taking Martin Luther King, Jr. day off, at the very least, and depending how things go, we might do a light week next week.  

We're already 111 days into our school year, so we could totally skip a week with no repercussions.  I'm just sort of feeling like focusing on other things right now.  

What better way to start off our week than with a new stack of books??  

The Fallout cookbook was a special request from Josiah, which prompted us picking up several new spices.  We also spent 90 minutes in the grocery store, hunting down obscure ingredients.  We ended up having to order browning sauce from Amazon, since the staff said our store has been out of it for months.  

Kind of fun that this coincided with our study of India, known for it's spices.  We're supposed to have done a turmeric science experiment over a week ago.  I finally bought the turmeric, and it still hasn't quite happened yet.  I think we need a couple more days to fully finish India up right.  

Josiah made several recipes from the book, to create a whole meal, including a drink.  

Stuffed baked potatoes with corned beef and a horseradish/dill sauce.  

Burgers on pretzel buns, with sauce made using the cola recipe.  We did substitute muenster cheese for swiss, since I'm not a fan of swiss, and Josiah doesn't like cheese at all.  

Cheesecake with strawberry glaze.  I got to teach him how to fill a pastry bag, and how to pipe a star.  Since it's not often I get to teach my big boy anything, this was fun.  

I also showed him how to put air in the tires this week, since Matilda [the minivan] doesn't like the cold, and often tells me one of the tires is low if I leave the house while it's cold.  She's a little bit of a diva.  

I finished reading my second book for this year.  A Cat's Tale - A Journey Through Feline History was a cute book.  It was heavy, physically, since the pages are glossy, and there are lots of pictures of this cat in various costumes.  It starts in Egypt, and tells stories of cats from then forward, eventually ending up in the United States.  The book mentions Dewey, and it reminded me to put the kids' version of the Dewey book that I read last year on hold at the library for the girls.  

Speaking of cats, this pampered feline got a new perch from which to disapprove of us.  It's between my sewing room and bedroom, in the master suite, where he hangs out the most.  

This was a project Hannah did from the Cattastic Crafts book.  It... had some hiccups along the way.  

I was trying to get a picture of Grumman playing with this new toy, but, well, he's a cat.  So, what we have instead is a picture of Josiah, making the grocery list for his video game meal.  With a fluffy photobomber.  

Speaking of felines, we watched a documentary about Leopards on Disney +, and the girls watched Secrets of Wild India.  Aside from some evolutionary content, they were pretty good.  

We're currently in the tail end of Year of the Rat.  The next year coming is Year of the Ox.  
 

The girls haven't noticed the pattern yet, but I've been having them draw Chinese Zodiac Animals this week.  

With 12 animals, I figured we'd use the last week of India, and still be able to finish all of them while we're learning about China.  

I think I might have them do a small version of all 12 together at some point.  Maybe as a library bag.  

Sigh.  Can you tell the guide paper was printed landscape?  

Tuesday was Rubber Duck Day.  We got a free duckie from the car wash.  It's the little things that make me happy.  

More books.  Starting to set aside China books for when we get to that.  

Also got a couple of books about the White House, as this seems relevant to current events.  We don't watch the news on tv, so the girls haven't heard anything about the storming of the Capitol, or the coming inauguration worries, but it seems like a good idea to give them some additional civics knowledge at this point.  

We did some more "real world math" using furniture ads.  I asked the girls to pretend they were setting up their first apartment, and choose the furniture they would need.  The next day, I asked them to make a list of at least 10 (non-furniture) things they would need.  The resulting discussions were really eye opening.  I had to explain a lot about what comes in an apartment and what doesn't.  I ended up drawing on the white board the floorplan of my first studio apartment with all the provided amenities in brown, then using the orange marker to fill in furnishings that I added to it.  

One of the girls said she wouldn't need a dresser; she'd just keep all her clothes in the closet.  So I asked if she had hangars on her list.  Then I asked if she was planning on hanging socks and underwear and pajamas.  We talked about laundry rooms and the need for a laundry basket or bag, so you don't drop your underwear in front of your neighbors.  We talked about all the different types of soap you'll need to buy.  We talked about the different types of towels they'd need.  They knew they'd need beds, but neither had sheets, blankets, or pillows on their list.  

This project was a little disheartening to me, with questions like, "Do I have to buy a bathtub?" and "Doesn't a house come with a table?"  Hopefully, this helped them begin to understand what various items cost, and the things they'd need when they're on their own someday.  

More books.  I'm feeling a little bogged down in books right now.  The last couple of times we've gone through the pile to sort out which ones we're ready to return, there were a lot of books that one girl read but the other hadn't yet.  Hopefully lots of reading will occur over the 3 day weekend, and we can get down to a manageable number again.  

I recently said that Grumman is not a lap cat.  But he's a contrary beast, and so, one day while I was eating lunch with my feet up in front of Netflix on the iPad, he came over, looked up at me, hopped into my lap, and settled down to melt into the space heater with me.  He stayed longer than I expected.  

I sewed!  I recently showed some masks on Facebook, and had requests for more Valentine and Shamrock masks, so I went to the fabric store to pick up heart and St. Patrick's Day prints.  I saw this USMC fabric and had to get some for my favorite Marine.  

I made pillowcases, and I was rather pleased with myself for making one open on the left and one open on the right, so the words are up on both when they're next to each other on the bed.  

Getting the room ready for Sam, I put the pillows on the bed, and Grumman immediately hopped up and asked me to open the blinds.  He loves windows, and will pat the blinds and look at me to open them for him.  Hoping Sam doesn't mind a little cat hair.  

Oh Grumman.  

Our Week

This week, we're learning about India!  I need to get motivated to visit the Indian market to pick up some treats.  Good thing we're in most countries for two weeks.  

Big milestone!  We finished Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day!  Many people use this as a year long curriculum, but we kind of "flew" through it faster than that, and it ended up being more of a semester long program for us.  (They recommend doing science twice a week, but we did it 4-5 times per week.)  We will be starting Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day as soon as our notebooks arrive.  

Our Global Art project last week was a modified version of the No-Ruz centerpiece.  Instead of a bowl, we used a dessert plate.  Instead of a box, we made round placemats.  And instead of magazine pictures, we used stickers.  

The seeds quickly sprouted, and started arcing toward the window, which prompted more discussion and learning.  

When I showed the girls that the sprouts could be eaten, they were shocked, but I notice there are a lot fewer sprouts on Katie's plate now.  

A friend posted a challenge to do more art/engage in more creative pursuits in the new year, so I was inspired to fire up Crikey and get started on Chinese New Year cards and envelopes to send to the adult children.  

Here's hoping Year of the Ox turns out better than Year of the Rat has been!  

In the spirit of making things, I stopped at the fabric store to celebrate surviving the dentist.  (I had a loose crown.)  Brianna loves rocks and crystals, so this material reminded me of her.  I snapped the pic to ask her if she needed a crystal mask.  

Turns out, she did!  So I made Valentine, St. Patrick's Day, and animal print masks while I was at it.  I've got quite a few cat and dog print masks.  Might need to donate a batch to the animal shelter.  

Katie made a pipe cleaner chameleon.  

Ah yes!  There's something that shows that we're learning about India!  The Taj Mahal.  

Our reading list was kind of skimpy on Saudi Arabia, so I got the girls book on several other Middle Eastern countries while we were working on Saudi Arabia.  Fortunately, there are a lot more recommendations for India, plus the additional books I come across when I'm searching.  

Hoping I make it to the library today, as I have 16 more books waiting for us, and then I'll be able to start requesting books for our next country:  China!  

I grew up with peacocks living in the field/hills beside and behind our house.  You hear them, but their cries become part of the background noise once you get used to it.  Peacocks are native to India, so this seemed like a good time for us to read more about them and learn to draw them.  

It's unfortunate that the zoos are closed, because one of the semi-local zoos has peacocks roaming the grounds, and even had a gorgeous white peacock with albinism last time we were there.  It would have been fun to visit and see them again.  

Grumman, as usual, being super helpful when I try to set something up to take a picture.  Sneak preview of a book we'll be reviewing soon.  I just noticed I don't like the lighting here.  I'll have to try these again.  Minus the cat, if possible.  

If you have Disney +, we watched India From Above this week, and it was really interesting!  From a polling place for ONE person, to military camels, to an ultra marathon up a mountain, we saw a lot of fascinating things.  I'm looking forward to the coming week, in which I hope we'll watch a documentary about India's Wild Leopards, and do a peacock craft.  

Books of 2020

I started keeping track of my reading in 2019, and I really enjoyed being able to look back and see what I'd read.  You can see my Books of 2019 wrap up here.  

While I'm a little disappointed to have read fewer books in 2020, we can all admit that 2020 was a little crazy, so I'm trying to extend myself some grace.  My total for the year was 62.  

I discovered that I read more in the winter.  I read 9 books in January, and 12 in December.  

I vastly prefer fiction to non-fiction, but I'm trying to read more non-fiction.  I read 12 non-fiction books in 2020.  Which is not great, but it's up from the 4 non-fiction books I read in 2019.  

Starting with non-fiction:  

Animal lovers, if you like cats, you might enjoy Dewey, and Dewey's Nine Lives, both by Vicki Myron.  If you like dogs, you might enjoy Until Tuesday, by Luis Carlos Montalvan.  

If you're interested in the military, you might like Inside Marine One, by Ray L'Heureux.

Are you a WW2 buff?  Have you read Blitzed - Drugs in the Third Reich, by Norman Ohler?  Eli suggested this one, and I was really glad I read it.  Super interesting.  My favorite was the advertising claiming that meth chocolates make housework more fun.  I'll bet they do.  

Up for a different sort of 9/11 story?  The Day the World Came to Town - 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim Defede was an inspiring tale of a town coming together to feed and house literally thousands of displaced passengers, whose 38 planes were sent to small town Canada when the USA closed it's airspace.  

Brushing up on Black history?  How about Hidden Figures, by Margot Lee Stetterly, which helped open my eyes to the different experiences of blacks and whites during the space race time period.  The Other Madisons - The Lost History of a President's Black Family, by Bettye Kearse was also eye opening.  Books like these made me vaguely uncomfortable, in a good way.  Or Hidden in Plain View - A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, by Jacqueline Tobin.  

Fiction:  

 

Hidden in Plain View is actually the perfect segue to fiction, because I really enjoyed Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts series, particularly the historical ones that deal with the Underground Railroad:  The Sugar Camp Quilt, The Lost Quilter, and The Union Quilter.  

I read the last couple books in the Shopaholic series, by Sophie Kinsella.  I kinda "love to hate" these books.  The main character is soooo shallow, but the books can make me laugh aloud.  

Speaking of laugh aloud, I read Twisted Twenty Six, and Fortune and Glory (27), as well as a couple lesser known novels by Janet Evanovich.  I refer to the numbers series as "junk food for the brain."  They are great, hilarious, escape reading.  

My most-read author of 2020 is Susan May Warren, with a total of 9 SMW books this year (up from 5 last year).  A couple of these were review books.  

Runner up for most-read is Joanne Fluke, with 5 books read this year, up from one last year.  

Honorable mention goes to Irene Hannon, with 3 books read this year and one last year.  Also, if you like her stuff, you'll enjoy Terri Blackstock, too.  Same niche.  I read one of hers this year, too.  

I still haven't finished The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes, started in 2019.  My copy is over 600 pages, so it's a little intimidating.  

In summary, I'm crazy grateful that our libraries have continued to function, via curbside pickup, during 2020's shenanigans.  While we were stuck at home/safe at home, books allowed us to travel the world, go on adventures, express feelings, and learn new things.  I don't have a specific number goal for reading in 2021, but I'm hoping my total, whatever it may be, is higher than the 62 I managed in 2020.  

Our Happy New Year Week

We did it!  We survived what has been, for most of us, a difficult year, full of the unexpected.  

It felt good to get back to our school routine, and I'm looking forward to getting even more into the swing of things next week, when we start learning about India.  

Hannah and Katie painted nutcrackers this week.  

As we wrapped up our time learning about Saudi Arabia, we did a simple experiment to explain why camels have big feet.  As Katie demonstrates, it's very easy for a pencil to sink into the sand.  

And Hannah is showing that when you tape a quarter to the bottom of the pencil, thereby increasing the surface area, the pencil is much more difficult to sink into the sand.  (There's also a glimpse of one of our custom designed library bags.  I'm hoping the girls' artwork brings a smile to the staff.)

We had rainy weather, so the girls drew umbrella pictures on black art paper.  We used our acrylic paint markers for these.  

I think I'm going to write a separate post about books again this year.  Spoiler alert:  I didn't read as much in 2020 as I did in 2019.  

But here's something I did more of!  I sewed a grand total of 707 masks this year, which is crazy in so many ways.  

One of our projects from Global Art involved sprouting seeds.  

I'm not sure how successful we'll be, as I keep the house warm enough to dry out the paper towels fairly quickly, and Grumman either licks the towels (and seeds) when they're wet, or knocks them off the table to scatter on the floor when they're dry.  

City perspective pictures.  These started from pre-drawn (printed) guidelines, and they turned out great.  

I talked to the girls about how they've really come along in their drawing by using these guided prompts, and how it's okay to deviate from them a bit and make the drawing more their own.  "For example," I said, holding the prompt for an orange kitten, "since we have a gray kitty, you might choose to make your kitten gray like Grumman."  Nope.  Katie's idea of different was to claim her cat is sitting in the snow, so she doesn't have to color the background.  Sigh.  

Since we pulled the Christmas napkins out of circulation this week, I decided it was time for a few new napkins.  I originally bought the veggie print for napkins, but most of it got used for masks.  I only had enough left for one double sided napkin.  That's okay.  I used up some purple and yellow calico for the rest.  I generally make our napkins from one layer of print and one layer of flannel, for maximum cleaning power, but we'll give these a try and see how they work out for us.  Sometimes I forget that everyone's growing up, and I probably don't need certain "little kid mom" habits any more.  

I taught the girls a trick to remembering the names for one hump and two hump camels.  Imagine a capital "D" laying on it's back.  One hump=Dromedary.  Now imagine a capital "B" laying on it's back.  Two humps=Bactrian.  

One of my Christmas gifts was new blinds for the master bedroom & sewing room, and Paul installed them this week.  

They block more light than the old ones, and they're so much easier to open and close.  

You might be a library addict when having the library closed on New Year's Day makes you impatient.  Most weeks, it's literally the only place I go any more.  

We did something different this week!  Katie's math asked had a word problem involving money and making change.  It asked her what bills and coins the shopper would receive.  She got the math part right, but couldn't do the bills & coins, so I got out the play money set.  

We used store fliers for the next few days.  One day, I asked the girls to make a list of 10 items with their prices.  Then we totaled those up, and practiced making change from a larger amount of money.  One day, Paul drew upon his experience working a food concession stand at the fair and explained making change in that context.  One day, I asked the girls to plan a meal, and list the prices for the groceries they'd need.  

In this crazy time, when they are not going to the store (and people are using less cash, anyway), it was good to do some work on real world life skills.