March Arts: Michelangelo, Telemann

The switching over of computers old and new last week has set me back a bit in my blogging efforts.

 

Here is our March Arts of the Month, a few days late.

 

(More about the HOW'S and WHY'S of our Art Studies to come later in the week.)

Michelangelo as depicted by Jean Leon Gerome

Artist:  Michelangelo 1475-1564

Michelangelo Works and information at Art Renewal Museum.  (A free membership is required.)  This is where I find the works to print and laminate for our artist works' and picture studies.

Sister Wendy's Story of Painting :  This book is a treasure trove of information on the history of art.  We LOVE this book.  Love.  We'll read about Mantegna this month in it.

Great Painters:  Couldn't find this book on Amazon so I'll link to it on goodreads.com.  This is a GREAT book and has been SO helpful in our monthly artist studies.  I originally borrowed it from the library but took it out so often I started to think I was being a bit unfair to everyone else.  So I bought my own copy.  

Art Masterpieces to Color 

Michelangelo (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists)

Michelangelo: A Life on Paper

Michelangelo: Complete Works















~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann 1681-1767

 

Georg Phillipp Telemann

Great Composers:  *Ditto on the Great Painters.  Had to buy my own copy.  We use this book every month!

Great Composers (Dover History Coloring Book) (I make photocopies of the pages for the children to color on the first introduction of the composer.  I am always sad when we cover a composer that is not included in this book- something feels MISSING in our study of that composer!)

 Classics for Kids Radio Show: Telemann

 Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought)

 These last two I have not yet had the opportunity to use personally- but want to! :

Stories of the Great Composers (Book & CD) (Learning Link)Meet the Great Composers Book 1 (Learning Link)

Playlist for Telemannon youtube

Poet:  We are continuing on with Robert Lewis Stevenson.

* Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, in which I am paid a pittance when you click through and buy through  my link. Thank you for those who do!

Finances on Friday

Some inspiration (financial and otherwise) by the great Booker T. Washington (since I happen to be on a Booker T. kick in my recreational reading these days.  WHAT an extraordinary man!) :

“Character, not circumstance, makes the person.”  

“Great men cultivate love and only little men cherish a spirit of hatred; assistance given to the weak makes the one who gives it strong; oppression of the unfortunate makes one weak.”  

“Among a large class, there seemed to be a dependence upon the government for every conceivable thing. The members of this class had little ambition to create a position for themselves, but wanted the federal officials to create one for them. How many times I wished then and have often wished since, that by some power of magic, I might remove the great bulk of these people into the country districts and plant them upon the soil – upon the solid and never deceptive foundation of Mother Nature, where all nations and races that have ever succeeded have gotten their start – a start that at first may be slow and toilsome, but one that nevertheless is real.”  

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”  

“In my contact with people I find that, as a rule, it is only the little, narrow people who live for themselves, who never read good books, who do not travel, who never open up their souls in a way to permit them to come into contact with other souls--with the great outside world. No man whose vision is bounded by colour can come into contact with what is highest and best in the world. In meeting men, in many places, I have found that the happiest people are those who do the most for others; the most miserable are those who do the least.”  

“No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.”  

“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.”  

No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/booker_t_washington.html#sUeQXdwSGhQ0H8Wr.99

No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/booker_t_washington.html#sUeQXdwSGhQ0H8Wr.99

Some financial efforts for the week:

Photo by Mattie

* gave all the boys (even the big one) haircuts

* boiled a hambone for bone broth

* boiled a bunch of chicken bones for bone broth too.

* hung quilts and bedding washed by woodstove (on nails in rafters) to dry.  Jeans and heavy things too. 

* replaced our OLD computer with a more updated, new-to-us-but-still-used model.  BEFORE tragedy struck, not after.

* were given 10 buckets, hangers and spiles to use for our own (super small scale) maple syrupping this year.  With this two day thaw, guess what we'll be doing this weekend?

* called my BIL who is a head chef at a restaurant where I could get some large surface area pans for boiling sap on short notice and he is getting some for me to use, no purchase necessary!  yay!  (This totally made my day!)

* picked up a few free buckets from the bakery department at Price Chopper.  I wished they had more but I'll stop in again next time I am in that way. I'm going to use them to hold sap for now until I find something better.

* worked on a crocheted Easter dress for Adele' using yarn I already had on hand.

* Matt and I had our Booze and Budget meeting for the month.  We talked about last months' finances, where the 'excess' money is going to go THIS month and made a few goals for the month.

1) make a list of every fluctuating monthly bill so that next year we can compare usage/costs more easily with the same month.
2) figure out how much principle needs to be paid toward the mortgage to see how much is necessary to pay to get the house paid off in 10 years. (For giggles more than anything.)
3) keep track that we are indeed saving the amount we are supposed to be saving every month.  I have a number of excess dollars that SHOULD be there every month but that I can never really "find" or notice in the bank account, so I need to get on top of that and make sure it is happening.
4) pay property taxes.  
5) Make a list of all unbudgeted expenses for the year so, at the end of the year, we know WHY the savings isn't happening if it isn't and where the excess money went.
6) Try to find a cheaper source for telephone/internet as this is a huge bill.

* Made a batch of homemade orange extract.  I need to go out and buy more vodka because I need more vanilla extract one of these days too (and it takes several months for a batch to be ready to use)

* Went to Lowe's to finally (I've been waiting for months!) buy the meat/cheese slicer I saw in the fall there (using, in part, the $60 in change that Andrew wrapped up last week) only to find that they no longer sell those sorts of appliances.  Bummer.  This is one kitchen purchase that I have been planning on because I consider it an investment.  I hope to be able to make Matt's own lunchmeat/cheese for work lunches instead of buying (or, in most cases, NOT buying) from the deli.  Now, I think I will buy it online.  And I will use one of my own affiliate links to see if this whole affiliate link thing actually works!  ;-)

I've narrowed it  down to four:

1. Continental PS77711 Professional Series Deli Slicer
2. Chef's Choice 609 Premium Electric Food Slicer
3. Kalorik 200-Watt Electric Meat Slicer with 7.5" Blade, Silver
4. Waring Pro FS155 7.5 in. Food Slicer

Matt can help me choose which we should get by I lean toward #3 myself. 

And that's all folks!  Hope your week was wonderful and your weekend is even better!

What about you? 

 

Do you have anything financial/inspiring to share this week? 

 Link up!  

As always~ PLEASE link to your SPECIFIC blog post, not your entire blog. It could be ways you saved or stretched or strategically spent those pennies...or, if you prefer not to be so personal, even inspiration you found online, articles or quotes... but please link to a post about SOMETHING financial! Lastly, please link back to my blog and maybe others would like to share!

Peeking (P,H, F,R)

 

 

 

 

We very spontaneously had to replace our computer over the weekend.

Pro: I have a husband who knows how to do that sort of thing.
Con: I am a stuck in the internet dark ages and rely fully upon him to make everything run smoothly.

When the computers were finally switched over I thought "Good!  Now I can blog!" But then I realized that I could no longer get the pictures from my camera to the computer because something or other had to be installed/uploaded/downloaded/xboxed/ipaded or whatever it was that needed to be done.

(repeat pro and con sequence above)

All's well that ends well and our old computer was replaced before it died, so no pictures were taken to the grave with it.  I'm very thankful for that. (That would be HAPPY.)

I found myself peeking this past weekend- at the sound of a big sister reading exuberantly to her siblings... at the boy and his tractor making donuts on the snow... at the donuts, chocolate covered, on the counter... at the Waxflowers blushing on the counter...at the little girl reading comics while the big girl braids...at the teeny stitches on flour sacks that the Amish ladies down the road made and how they made shadow caverns among the cows...

I take the beauty of my life too lightly, most especially when the stresses and worry of everyday life pile up and weigh heavy.  When moments make you droop with weight like the snow covered pine boughs in late February, it does a heart good to peek. 

Somewhere a woman pines to be married and have babies but goes to bed alone every night, a couch stands empty where babies once were but are no more and a parent mourns their loss, a child lays in a hospital bed, fighting for their little life, bellies rumble with hunger that won't be appeased today-maybe even tomorrow or the next day, the quilt that warms a wall for decoration would serve better warming a soul in need.

When you stop thinking of your own worries and start thinking of others- that's when you realize how small, how light a load you carry.

***

I had to make a trip uptown this weekend to get a few plumbing supplies for Matt and while uptown, I went into Wegmans.  I was anxious, now that February is over, to go grocery shopping FOR REAL.  I piled the cart high with bananas, clementines, lettuce and FRESH VEGGIES and then called it quits. My heart just wasn't into anything else, I just wanted fresh fruit and veggies.  And lots of them. OH, and waxflowers.   Because they were so worth it!  (That would be the PRETTY.)  What a TREAT that first banana was!  How GOOD those clementines taste!  Oh my goodness.  Divine.

I promised the children that after the Nothing-But-Dairy challenge was over, we would celebrate by making donuts.  I've never made real donuts before (I did make baked donuts once), though I have wanted to try for some time.  By Sunday, though, I had the most excruciating headache.  Matt and I both.  We missed church and lazed under blankets watching Lawrence of Arabia or willing the pain to go away.  I got off the couch only to make some homemade chicken noodle soup (it's no fun making your own get-well soup, btw) and donuts.  I did forgo the yeast donuts, opting for a cake donut instead to get them done and over with.  And then, I never ate one.  But they did look pretty and impressive looking.  I did admire them before I plopped myself back on the couch to sulk.  Yeast donuts will have to happen sometime too, when I will actually enjoy the process (and the eating).

The other day I was thinking about Easter , specifically, about Easter clothes.  I never did get around to making anything special for the childrens' Easter outfits last year, which worked fine because they didn't really need them anyway.  Besides, they still fit into the clothes made  for them the year before.

 I got the crazy notion the other day (maybe in my headache fog?) that perhaps I would like to crochet the girls' matching skirts this year instead of sewing something.  Then, I hopped on Ravelry and found dress patterns instead.   Then, I laughed at myself. (That would be the FUNNY.)  Dork, says I.  How would I finish crocheting DRESSES before Easter?!?  Then, for giggles (and because I happened to already have two coordinating cones of cotton yarn) I started Adele's.  And then FINISHED Adele's dress in a couple of days! (For REAL.)  I couldn't believe it!  I might just be able to get them done in time for Easter after all! 

But until they are ACTUALLY done, I make no promises...to children OR blog. 

FOF: Last Week of Nothing-But-Dairy Grocery Challenge!

Today is the last day of February which means my Nothing-But-Dairy-In-February Grocery Challenge is now officially done and over with which means the last time I went on a real grocery trip was back in January so we've been living on our cupboards and pantry for TWO months.

I gotta say- I am SO happy I did it!

Here are some things I learned during the February Nothing-But-Dairy Grocery Challenge:

* Cranberry Pomegranate iced tea is a sorry substitute for peppermint green iced tea (But prettier.  I'll give it that.)

* It is possible to make 100% whole wheat rolls and bread, with not a BIT of white flour, that are still soft and fluffy and delicious.

* I spend a lot of money on milk.

* Ditto on the cheese.  I eat a lot of cheese.  So does my family.  But I SERIOUSLY do.

* We could save a lot of money by cutting back on dairy.  I don't know that I am ready for a move like that though.

* baking all your bread  isn't that big of a deal.  It helps warm up the house, which is always a plus in winter.  Now, in the summer that would be an entirely different matter.

* the above is true if and only if you have not previously spent the entire day not thinking about the fact that there is no bread in the house and the realization comes to you only after you are loading up the dishwasher before bed.  This happened a few times too.  Then it is a very big deal.

* Canned tomatoes make awesome tasting tomato soup.  In about five minutes flat. (I put the recipe up at Kitchen Riches for those of you who asked!)


* Homemade ketchup is delicious!  And fast!  And easy!

* I still have a lot of food left.   Actually, my freezers don't really look like they took a very big hit at all.  The meals would be less and less elegant and more and more redundant (think zucchini...) as I went along but I could totally do another month if I wanted to. (but I don't.  hehehe) I'll have to do this challenge again- maybe around May/June when space (and jars) for harvesting and putting up are a present need.

* People have a lot more food than they think in their cupboards.  Once you get rid of the convenience foods that can be whipped up quickly- it is easy to feel like there is no food in the house.  But there is- you just have to work for it.

*  I kinda missed walking around the grocery store.  When I went to get milk, I bee-lined to the dairy aisle and didn't dillydally so I wouldn't be tempted.  I think I will go nice and slooooow for my big grocery run.

* You don't know how troubling it is to see a food source run dry without the means to restock it until you have actually lived it.  (Even for pretend.)  I was seriously fretting about the flour and egg situation.  I have never before had to worry about the bottom of the flour bowl before.  I think a bit of rationing puts this very spoiled girls' thoughts nicely into perspective.  It is good to be reminded in real (and troubling and even, in this case, pretend) ways that God gives us gifts that we take for granted every day.  Like filled egg baskets and flour bowls.  And a grocery store where we can buy more when they run out.  And money to buy those things to refill them once again.



I bought:

* Four gallons of milk @ $2.79 a gallon........... $11.16  (* I could have gotten these a bit cheaper at Aldi but I did not have time to stop at two places and was already AT Walmart in order to return two items.  I only got four gallons this week, instead of five, in order to try and make up for it.)

* A five pound block of mild cheddar................$14.96 (* I almost didn't buy this because the total cost was so much and would add so much to this weeks' total (Vanity.  All is vanity!) but then I thought "Dork.  It is $3.00 a pound and the smaller 2 lb. packages cost $8.96 anyway so I came back to my senses. I won't buy any cheddar next week.)

Total: $26.12



On the Menu:
(HC means Home canned.  Snacks varied this week but we are running low on (or out of) just about everything snack-ish like beef jerky, apple slices, etc.  Often it was crackers, licorice (our neighbor keeps us in constant supply of this!), apples, olives, cheese, or popcorn.)

22nd: Saturday 
breakfast: cornmeal mush with maple syrup
lunch: ham and bean soup with rolls
dinner: leftovers

23rd: Sunday
breakfast: huckleberry scones
lunch: sandwiches and bean and cheese burritos (the latter for the grown ups!)
dinner: pot roast with potatoes.  Whole wheat knots. (made from leftover pizza night dough.)

24th: Monday
breakfast: scones and cheese slices.
lunch: Homemade Tomato Soup and crackers
dinner: Spaghetti with HC sauce, Peas, Garlic Cheese bread

25th: Tuesday (Knitting class at library right at lunch time!  I didn't have any bread in the house and no time to prepare anything so lunch time today was pretty pathetic (in my mind) and pretty AWESOME (in the childrens' mind).
breakfast: toast and cheese, apple slices
lunch: peanut butter crackers, cheese, Twizzlers
dinner: Meatless Burritos (beans, rice and corn with cheese and HC salsa wrapped in tortillas)

26th: Wednesday
breakfast: Omelets with cheese.  I could stand it no longer.  I NEEDED eggs, despite them being rationed.  I have four left to last until the end of the week. Unless our chickens decide to help out a bit.
lunch: ham salad in pita bread.  (I did not bake the pitas.  I found a bag tucked way in back of the freezer.)
dinner: sloppy joe on delicious whole wheat sandwich buns.  (Thank you for the recipe, Rhonda!) Peas. HC Pickles. HC Applesauce. French fries with homemade ketchup.
dessert: Grape Sorbet (The children and I were feeling under the weather with sore throats and there was plenty of hacking/coughing going on, so I pulled out some grape sorbet I had made during grape season and had been saving for just such an occasion.)

27th: Thursday (chickens gave us FIVE eggs today!  THANK YOU CHICKENS!)
breakfast: zucchini muffins
lunch: leftover soup.  (Mixed all the leftovers -pot roast, spaghetti, meatless burrito filling- up into a minestrone-y like soup.  It was good! I was surprised! hehehe)
dinner: Ham and scalloped potatoes.  Peas. HC peaches. HC applesauce.  HC pickles. Whole wheat bread and butter.

28th:Friday
breakfast: zucchini muffins, slices of cheese.
lunch: scrambled eggs
dinner: Pizza Night!  Not sure what I will be doing about a veggie.  But there will be pizza!  I only have enough mozzerella for one pizza- so one of the pizzas will have to be three cheese.  ;-)  The other?  Not sure about.  I am feeling an urge to experiment...but we shall see.  I don't know why but I am feeling like I could make a sloppy joe and collard pizza taste good...but would everyone be brave enough to try it?


 Other frugal accomplishments: (I was very bad about recording these this week and now I am drawing a blank...)

~ Andrew took down my laundry room coin pitcher and sorted and counted the money (for fun) one day and then, since they were already sorted and in piles, I put the coins in wrappers to take to the bank.  $60.00 richer, thanks to spare change and Andrew!

~ Baked all bread needs without using ANY all purpose flour!  Experimented with this bread recipe and this sandwich bun recipe.  (Both excellent!)

~  Matt worked on splitting more wood over the weekend.  And we probably will this weekend too.

~ saved egg shells for chickens (for calcium)

~ made homemade ketchup for the first time ever.  Another winner!

~ hung heavier clothing to dry by woodstove

~ washed all ziploc baggies

~ borrowed a bunch of books from the library

~ attended a free knitting class

What about you? 

Do you have anything financial to share this week? 

 Link up!  

As always~ PLEASE link to your SPECIFIC blog post, not your entire blog. It could be ways you saved or stretched or strategically spent those pennies...or even inspiration you found or quotes... but please link to a post about SOMETHING financial! Lastly, please link back to my blog and maybe others would like to share!

A Little Bit of Pretty

 I am sensitive to the fact that, while *I* signed up for writing reviews this year for Schoolhouse Review, *you* certainly didn't sign up for reading them.  And it kind of bothers me a bit to have less-than-aesthetically-pleasing reviews in my happy, pretty place.  Because of this, I try to get up a post just as quickly as I can after a "review" post in order to make my 'place' happy and pretty again.  And my readers too.  ;-)

And you- I hope you know that you do not need to read my review posts unless you are truly interested in hearing about that particular product.  I put "REVIEW" in the title of each review post I do so that you can secretly (or blatently) skip those posts if you so choose.  ;-)  I won't think less of you. 

So- in an effort to re-beautify the place, I give you... eggs!  And a glass-skinned lady!  And a certain little grin that I hold dear.  And...well, that's all. 

I am happy to report that our chickens are beginning a slow and steady return to work and just in time too.  I ran out of eggs this week and have wondered just how I'd make it through.  I have been positively DESPERATE for an egg breakfast!

If you look closely, some of those idyllic looking eggs are actually cracked.  :-( This blustery, frigid weather does that sometimes. 

No worries.  It just means I get to eat eggs for breakfast tomorrow.  ;-)
 

See you tomorrow with Finances on Friday.  (FOF to the cool people.)

Review: Science4Us.com

Even though I have a blog and utilize the computer in many ways for our home learning (getting books from the library, watching art videos on youtube, borrowing inspiration/information from other blogs, expanding our learning in many countless ways...) I still am pretty naive at the vast universe of available resources that is the world wide web.  There is so much cool stuff on the internet, ready at the mere click of a button, to expand and round out education, experiences and opportunities for learning..  I am just now figuring this out, as I participate on the Schoolhouse Review Crew this year.  One of these cool spots online is Science4Us.com.  I found out about it when I was given a chance to review the Science4Us.com Online Subscription.

Science4Us.com is a web-based resource that is, as the name suggests, all things science!  Geared toward the very young students in your classroom or homeschool, it provides interesting and entertaining science education and activities for kindergarteners through second grade.   And let me tell you, the site is child-friendly enough to be easily navigated by the children without help...(Warning!!! They WILL want to push all the buttons! ;-) )



The site covers four different scientific categories: Life Science, Earth Science/Space, Physical Science and Inquiries.  While the first three are rather self-explanatory, the more elusive "Inquiry" covers the scientific tools to measure, observe, record and communicate.  Within each category, there are three main actions that the student can choose from to do.  EXPLAIN, EXPLORE, ENGAGE.  The first is a virtual lesson for the child.  The latter are fun activities that reinforce the topic chosen. 

Other than the "Three E's" there are about 9 other fun activities to go along with each lesson within the category.  Some of these fun activities incorporate reading and math into the learning.  "Sillybulls" separates science vocabulary into syllables as the child tries to put them in order to make the proper word.  There are alphabetizing games, matching games, graphing, quizzes and more!  There is even an online notebook which stores the child's observations and artwork.   There are plenty of worksheets, experiments and activities you may choose to print as well. Every activity that the child participates in online is saved in a report which can be Evaluated later  on (Another "E"!) by the teacher/homeschool parent, allowing the adult to see just where the child is excelling/having trouble.  These reports are automated (and printable!) for homeschooling portfolios.  (Now THAT is cool.)


In addition to the student reports, you (as the teacher) are given access to all the lesson plans (how long they will take, what to expect, the activities and vocabulary and other details), teaching strategies, assignments.  There are plenty of video support and virtual tours to help you navigate and figure out  how to best use the site.

I was disappointed with the program in only one regard... when studying Earth Science, their 'history of the world' is skewed to an evolutionary slant and you get the whole "millions of years" jargon as is typical with that crowd.  If you, like us, are Creationists, you'll be disappointed too.  I avoided that area of the website...not because my children aren't very familiar with the theory of evolution-we talk about it all the time (and why its' wrong!) but because it is presented as fact.  That's the only thing I would change.

The program can be purchased on a monthly basis for $7.95 per child for each month at Science4Us.com

Yarn Along

I haven't participated in the yarn along for quite some time.  The reason for this is simple.  There has been nothing to show!  I've been in a sort of yarn funk.  Over a dozen projects lying around half-done but no motivation to do them.  Movie nights is basically when I do yarn projects, but even those have been more a 'turn into a zombie tv-watcher" with my hands being preoccupied holding/being held by Matt's.  Over the last few weeks, I've needed that bit of hand holding, let me tell you.

I am happy, happy, HAPPY to report to you today, though, that I FINALLY finished the first fingerless mits I've ever knit (and the second knit project I've ever begun)!  Going from simple washclothes to four double pointed needles was a huge challenge for me- but the perk is that now plain knitting with two needles seems that much easier and less daunting.  After all, I have been fumbling over four needles on and off for a good year and a half now.

One is slightly longer than the other one- and I didn't discover until it was too late that with varigated yarn you must start at the same color point in the yarn in order to have two MATCHING pieces...but you know what?  I don't care.  I am just thrilled that they are DONE with still a bit of cold left this winter in which to wear them.

The next project my knitting class is going to do is a cabled purse.  It uses bulky yarn and only TWO needles- so it will (hopefully!) be a quicker project to finish.  And, of course, plenty of works-in-progress to pick up whenever I finally get the gumption.



As for reading~ I am on a Booker T. Washington kick.  Up From Slavery: An Autobiography for now.  This One next.  When I am feeling the need for a quick read and a story with some closure, I pick up the The Complete Father Brown mysteries I began back in January.  And when I feel like not using too many braincells, I pick up Chickens in the Road.  I'm not sure I like this book- but I am only 1/4 of the way through it.  It is just one of those books where I don't feel I can relate at all to the author...which is odd because it seemed like I would, it being a "city lady moving to the country and doing country things" kind-of story.