Fountain of Books

My bookish fever has found relief. Today, I got my 11 books for 30 dollars from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. ---WARNING----this is not a promotional thing the site has going on. It is merely my saavy book finding skills! Yay!

I am proud to introduce to my bookshelves:

Tao Te Ching - Lao Tze

The Analects - Confucius

The Theory of the Leisure Class - Thorstein Veblen

On the Social Contract - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Common Sense - Thomas Paine

The Importance of Being Ernest - Oscar Wilde

English Romantic Poetry, An Anthology

Emily Dickinson Selected Poems

English Victorian Poetry, An Anthology

Famile Happiness and Other Stories - Leo Tolstoy

A Jounral of the Plague Year - Daniel Defoe

Love it!

Just found this cute "Get The Look"dining room on http://www.casasugar.com/. It really is too sweet, I am a girlie girl all the way!

Spring Cleaning!

There is nothing more reviving than spring cleaning to me. It is when I make my "New Year" resolutions. January is just too dreary to consider any grand life changes. This was/is also the perfect time to do so as it was also my "red letter" 30th birthday last week.
I am resolute in the promises that I WILL regularly iron, I will keep a "pretty place" to practice metitation and yoga, and I am strong in my conviction that I will become a master at making all my our cleaning products.

Of course I am in deep-cleaning mode, but it is really the removal of the the junk that has accummulated throughout the winter; along with what I thought that I would used at some point even before the passing season. I am going to par down the "cute stuff" buying. It really is a problem of mine.
So, I have started the momentous task with good results so far, although I lost steam throughout the weekend. Like I said, I kinda hit a bump, it is sorta like "cleaners' block". I am just surrounded with the widdled down bits here and there. What should stay? What should go? I am honestly thinking about trashing it all. Then the only thing left would be dealing with the large stack of bills, records and homeschooling stuffs that it half strewn across my floor, desk and shelves.
I sound like a live like a sloven pig, but really I just tore everything about when I went into turbo-cleaning mode. It feels more thorough that way.

To make for a happy spring-cleaning experience go to www.gloveables.com and get yourself these precious girlie cleaning gloves!

Spring Things...Cupcakes!

I adore me a good cupcake. I am constantly astounded by the masterpieces created in the cupcake world. Too Yummy! If you are digging spring-ness in the air and have mouth-watering morsels on the mind try this creation: http://http//familyfun.go.com/recipes/n-is-for-nest-cupcake-686182/

It looks fantastic and I love the creative flair.
I try to copy a picture, but alas, Fiona, (my computer) is as stubborn as even.

I also enjoy the perfection in the imagery of me baking these fab mini-cakes with the cute aforementioned apron. Yes, I would like to fancy myself a domestic goddess, (although truly I have much to do to live up to the title) looking the part does help on the motivation side of things at least where I'm concerned.

Today is the eve of my 30th birthday. This, not surprisingly, it a big milestone for me. I totally embrace this new decade and with all my heart hope for a less eventful 10 years then the last. My twenties were a whirlwind...some times good, sometimes not. And since this is also the eve of spring here in New England, I am definitely feeling the renewal vibe in a big way. I am totally going to celebrate all aspects of this new beginning and embrace my inner "domestic goddess" and do all the little things that give me a thrill during the season.

I will try to post this via photo ops as they happen, but not promises....I am nothing if not inconsistent!

Apron Love

I seriously need this apron. More then that I need to seriously start making my own. Just need to figure out that confounded sewing machine!

Am I really the only one that finds chores and cooking more fun with an apron on?

Manners DO NOT go out of style!

Check it out, I hope that other schools and families adopt this:

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/arizona-teacher-adds-etiquette-to-lessons/19355240?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Farizona-teacher-adds-etiquette-to-lessons%2F19355240

I always like to be treated like a lady. This is shocking, seeing as how I AM a lady. 

Our society that claims to be so progressive and about gender equality, seems to equate these "old fashioned manners" as sexist. However, we find it acceptable that today's man can overtly think and treat women as objects for sexual fantasies and perversions. At the same time men being no longer "saddled" with the obligation to be the main provider and breadwinner; they also are more and more content to let the women do that too, as well, as still being the primary caregiver. Equality? No.

Now, I am not dissing all men in under the pretense of "evil doers", or saying that all women are selfless saints. Nor, do I think that allowing women to own property, to vote, educate themselves and persue careers or have a fair shake within the legal system were not fights that needed to be won.  I just think that the relationships and dare I say-"gender roles" are seriously askew. In the wake of the feminist revolution; manners were the first to go. Why?

My self worth is not degraded when a man opens the door for me, or seats me at a dinner. I do find it degrading when men think that as a women I deserve nothing,more than the divinity of their presence.

That being said, I met a few southern gentlemen a few years back on a business trip - their manners were inpeccible!  I was in my early twenties and having never experienced anything like it...I felt like a princess. I had doors opened for me, chairs held out, men stood when I stood or enter/left the room and they held any parcels that was in there ability to carry. They also addressed you in the most charming way. As a New England girl for life, I believe that the south could teach us in the north a thing or two.

Rant Done.

Please Remember your Manners!

HELL-o

I am not really into nail polish. Don't get me wrong; I love a French manicure as much as the next girl, but I stink at painting my own nails. It looks that the bottle had an accident on my fingertips. I also have a hard time paying for someone else to do something for me that I SHOULD be able to do for myself.

However, I have discovered a passion for the OPI nail color: Friar, Friar Pants on Fire! The color is so fantastic that it totally makes up for my shame in having someone else do the dirty work!

It is my nails' heart song! 

Do it Daily

I just found the greatest website.... http://www.dailylit.com/

Check it out, esspecially if you are pressed for time but really would like to get some reading time in. Pick out a book and really short excerpts are send daily, or every other day via email. You can even request the time you want it to arrive in you inbox. I love it. Currently I am reading a few at once ( a nasty habit of mine),Cousin Bette by Balzac, Walden by Thoureau and my favorite of the bunch Anna Karinina by Tolstoy.

Blue Bird Pas de Deux

My daughter just danced in her first ballet recital, and lucky me, it was to my favorite... Sleeping Beauty! I can wait for more to come, this spring's production will be Giselle! I am absolutely mesmerized by ballet. It is so beautiful to watch, I often want to cry by the sheer beauty and grace of the movements.
I recently got Elements Ballet Conditioning DVD, and man, it is ROUGH! I feel way beyond my 29 years. Truthfully, I can not even may it through the whole workout. Those dancers are fierce. The strength they have in their obscenely lithe bodies is insane. I am totally jelaous.
Besides all that I am definitely a girlie girl and I LOVE those ballet costumes.....who doesn't love a tutu?

To Joana

Love and Friendship - Poem by Emily Bronte:
Love is like the wild rose-briar,
Friendship like the holly-tree --
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms
But which will bloom most contantly?
The wild-rose briar is sweet in the spring,
Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again
And who wil call the wild-briar fair?
Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now
And deck thee with the holly's sheen,
That when December blights thy brow
He may still leave thy garland green."

Lady Likes

I often aspire to look something like this; with big black sunglasses and a pair of fabulous driving gloves. (This is my mini-fantasy of the day.) It is a work in progress sort of thing.

Today my mission is to find the perfect red lipstick.

Vintage Valentines

Create Vintage Victorian Valentines: www.vintagegolidaycrafts.com

Full Speed Ahead

Ok, so I took a hiatus from the blog I have barely started. I needed to really sink my teeth into this homeschooling adventure and January flew by as a result. I was hoping to use thig blog as my pseudo-log for are daily doings, but found my self scribbling on papers and sticking them in to a pretty but unorganized tab folder. I am hoping to correct that, but only really time will tell if I succeed.
At this point in time we have tackled quite a bit. I am really glad that I was able to create a cirriculum that was tailored to our needs, it makes it easier then following another's model.

One website that I really recommend for chemistry is http://www.chem4kids.com/, the site also follows the other sciences, but I can only speak to the chemistry component. Great foundation material.

I also totally recommend The Story of the World Series by Susan Wise Bauer. It is excellent. The series also includes activity and test booklet (sold separately). I have the test booklet that I use for pretests, but I fill in the readings from the book with my own activities. We have a great time and it is very interactive, which is something we enjoy.

On other fronts, I have started to meditate; this is something that I never had the capacity for but miraculous overcame just recently. I stumble across I website that really helped be "get in the zone". A gem of a site called http://www.wildmind.org/. Good Stuff.

Personal Book Recommenation: The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim. Awesome. Coming of Age story set in Japanese occupied Korea.


"I am fortunate indeed. Whenever I make a mistake, there is always someone to notice it."
-Confucius

Signing off,

Ms. LittleWhiteGloves