Read Alouds From Last Fall Until Christmas 08'

The Return of the King
The Borrowed House- to Hannah
The Endless Steppe- with Hannah
Over Sea, Under Stone (LOVED this)- listened to in the car on the way to the coast
A Little Princess (audio)
Winnie the Pooh- to the little boys
I, Juan de Pareja- a definite winner
I-Ville to You-Ville- another winner
Harry Potter 3 (not quite finished)
Taren Wanderer
East of the Sun and West of the Moon- D'Aulaire (the kids loved this)
The Wheel on the School (technically only half way so far...)

And heaps of fabulous picture books, as well as the entire Asterix series many times over I am sure.

Books, books, books

Around here they are my main way of decorating, purposefully or otherwise.

On people's stacks these days

Aaron
I am reading him Charlotte's Web- just him and me, together with some tea. I would not trade it for the world.
Asterix- more than I will list here

Caleb
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Hobbit
Random Books on Chemistry

Hannah
Pride and Prejudice
Macrina the Elder (by gentle, ahem, persuasion)
The Dark is Rising (audio)

Ariel
The Prince and the Pauper
The Lightening Thief- the whole series (except the last one)
A Ginormous stack that just left his room on the way back to the library (too numerous to list)

Me
A World Lost- Wendell Berry (by far, my favourite author...and this one is a gem. A whole host of stories from the Port William Membership)
The Incarnate God- working through the major feasts of the Liturgical year
The Brother's Karamazov

I will be transparent with my own list and admit that I read the first two Twilight books and the third (and probably fourth) would be touching down on my bedside table, if not for the fact that the line up at the library is ridiculous, and I refuse to pay hardcover prices for a book I will read in a few hours and definitely never again- entertaining, yes. Enduring, no. Don't even think I can move on to number three for a bit now- not after Wendell Berry.

Morning Time Readings...

We had a nice slow and lazy 'Morning Time' today. Here are the books and poems we enjoyed together...

The Children's Orthodox Bible- Finding a Wife for Isaac

Saint Innocent of Alaska- a few chapters

The Story of Icons- what an amazing book, so engaging and informative. We read about the 'War of the Icons' today.

The Wheel on the School

The Harp and Laurel Wreath- two poems from the Rhetoric section with the questions. Discussed alliteration again.

Read a paragraph about Storks from our animal book (The Wheel on the School is about storks)

Beyond the Sea of Ice: The Voyages of Henry Hudson- we read about the Third Voyage. This is a great, informative picture book that we can all access.

East of the Sun and West of the Moon (D'Aulaire)- we read The Princess on the Glass Mountain, another story of the humble hero Cinderlad (no blood in this one though).

Now it is off to get dressed, tidy up and look towards lunch. It was a lovely morning and the children kept themselves busy while I read- first with breakfast, then Ar and Aa played lego and built some great ships, H. finished painting her still life (a Christmas present for Nana) and started working on her Lord of the Rings crosstich, and Caleb painted a great canvas complete with mountains, lightening , a storm, and a lush green valley (possible prompted by our many rememberings of our home in the mountains!).

Good day to you all!

I was reading on Willa's blog and thought I would try this blog analysis....I would call it sort of accurate. I think I was much more this way pre kids.

ISTP - The Mechanics

The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generally prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.

The Mechanics enjoy working together with other independent and highly skilled people and often like seek fun and action both in their work and personal life. They enjoy adventure and risk such as in driving race cars or working as policemen and firefighters.

The Nativity Fast...

Tomorrow begins the feast of the Nativity.

As our family makes this transition to Orthodoxy this will be the first major fast we will go through together, with the children doing what they can.

I am so grateful for the loving guidance we have had, and continue to have, in this process.

Things I Love

My family~God~the ocean~the mountains~moss~tall trees~lots of oxygen~rushing streams~clean floors~freshly baked bread~balls of new wool~a new book~an old favourite book~fresh sheets off the line~creativity in it's many forms~family meals~simple foods~comfort foods~dark chocolate~books in bed at night~reading aloud to my children~watercolor painting~folk music~friends~jars of canning~vegetable gardening~a basket of fresh veggies~a newly organized space~going through papers and bringing order~sun shining on wood~children reading~children playing~margin~walks~quiet times~prayer~movies with my husband~knitting~tea~an afghan on a cool winter day~the seasons~eighties music with friends~Ultimate~Art~poetry~Natural History~shovelling~ironing~baking~Indian food

Thanks to Susan for the idea.....(this was my off the top of my head list)

On Develping a Writer...

A Wonderful article, once again, from Bravewriter.