By Lynn, on April 21st, 2011%
Okay! How many of you thought I was really gone? Raise your hands.
But I might really say that one day! I might. You just don’t know!
Actually I am still in my little apartment, but I have been thinking of England. Yeah. I remember when Daniel was a baby, my favorite magazine subscription was Victoria magazine. I anxiously awaited each one and then read through cover to cover, holding or watching baby Daniel, all in one sitting. Those were the days.
My particularly favorite issues were the ones about England. If you are a Victoria magazine fan, then you know exactly the ones I mean.
Yep! And…
Yessiree.
Along about the same time, I fell in love with Princess Diana. She was so princess like, not to mention she was a real princess! I began keeping scrapbooks of Diana and the royal family. Oh what fun!
It was quite the challenge to keep up with every new picture of Diana on the newsstand! Oh, it couldn’t be done. No. I gave up. There wasn’t enough pocket change in the world to keep up with the magazines on which her face appeared!
I’ll admit it. I cried when I heard about Diana’s death. She was just a pretty person. It touched my heart. Life is brief, even for a princess.
Fast forward to today, when I am thinking of what I’ll be doing with myself the rest of my life. I mean, hope burns strong, but reality is reality. I wonder where I’ll end up. Don’t think England hasn’t crossed my mind. I remember standing in the office of a college professor, his walls covered with posters of England, and dreaming. I wanted to go there, back then. Why didn’t I? I guess I didn’t think I could. At this point in life, the question I ask myself is why wouldn’t you go?
Then, recently, I was asked to take a look at the website of a school campus in England. Oh my.
My dear friends who don’t have anything else to do and are free to pack a suitcase, would you like to run off with me to England and go to high school and college all over again? Oh, let’s! Please! Just this once?
Actually I have spent the last half hour or so looking around Queen Ethelburga’s school website. There’s a lot of information on the site and I felt a bit overwhelmed at first, but then I watched a film about the school. The film is here. Honestly, they offer so much, I really was impressed. And the location of the school! Can anyone say Brontes? Truly, this took me back to the days when I dreamed of England.
So who’s goin’ with me?
By Lynn, on March 27th, 2011%
I know I mentioned the armloads of books and the consignment shops. In addition to that, I am hosting a sale in my Etsy shop, tonight (starting soon) through April 1st. A new life brings new bills. I’m thankful these days for multiple sources of income and a newfound artistic outlet. I will be increasing my hours to full time and creating new items for the shop. If ever you saw a pin you wanted but were waiting for a good sale, now is the time. Ahhh, the joys of clearing out!
On another note, apartment living has its perks. Small, cozy, single-level living pulls a family in close. We’ve been doing wordfinds at night, reading together, rolling around on the floor with Annie Fatso Beagle, and just being together.
Annie has been a constant friend (and hungry family member) through this entire experience so far. I’m happy to report that Annie immediately housetrained. Can hardly explain except that we’ve been 100% devoted. Once again, it’s amazing what necessity brings about.
More to come.
Lynn
By Lynn, on March 7th, 2011%
By Lynn, on February 24th, 2011%
Just popping in to say, “What a day!”
Based on this one picture, care to guess where I spent my morning?
By Lynn, on February 14th, 2011%
“I love it when we do things together with the children,” I said to Mr. Carpenterman, batting my eyeslashes. So we went on a tiny little picnic over the weekend.
It was very simple, just taking a picnic basket and some egg salad sandwiches, sardines (yes, I said sardines), and other various and sundry things, like apples, sunflower seed butter, chips and crackers. Oh and some iced tea. Yes, it was beautiful and warm enough to run and play.
Four of us drove to some beautiful woods and had fun eating and walking and exploring.
Standing in front of some beech trees
While some of us climbed trees, some of us walked gracefully around and looked for identifying marks on trees and rocks and the like.
Our two youngest had fun getting out some energy. Is there anything better than the woods for what ails you?
We examined trees with odd growths on them.
There was quite the stand of broomsage, and the carpenter said he’d be sure to tell me when it’s green so that I can make a broom.
The Carpenter, who is an excellent woodsman and knows all of his trees, pointed out this and that. I told the children they had to listen carefully because they would be tested before we left to go home. We are homeschoolers after all. They laughed and ran off.
Well, not really. They listened to their daddy explain how this redbud had bloomed last year. You can tell because of the seed pods. He pointed out many a beech tree, silver and white maples, the eastern red cedar, sourwood and more. He talked about the trees like he knew them personally. I think they know him, too.
I love to see these HUGE quartz rocks!
We noticed a deer skull and wondered what had happened to the deer. It was interesting to look at the teeth. These are the molars and premolars.
An outing doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t have to cost much of anything actually. This was just the cost of our brought-from-home food, and it was so much fun!
A great longing for the old days when the trees could talk in Narnia came over her. She knew exactly how each of these trees would talk if only she could wake them, and what sort of human form it would put on. She looked at a silver birch: it would have a soft, showery voice and would look like a slender girl, with hair blown all about her face, and fond of dancing. She looked at the oak: he would be a wizened, but hearty old man with frizzled beard and warts on his face and hands, and hair growing out of the warts. She looked at the beech under which she was standing. Ah!–she would be the best of all. She would be a gracious goddess, smooth and stately, the lady of the wood. Prince Caspian, The Chronicles of Narnia C.S. Lewis
By Lynn, on February 12th, 2011%
By Lynn, on February 9th, 2011%
My dear readers, I was thankful for lovely words in my mind upon getting up this morning.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there by any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Phil 4:8)
Good for copywork, I think.
Yesterday the weather here was really nice.
I took a walk in The Little Wild Garden. I admired Faithful, our dogwood, realizing that I have not journaled about her again and that I need to. Coming soon to a blog near you.
Much to my delight, there were snowdrops in bloom around the goldfish pond. Aren’t they sweet little flowers! I wandered over to see if the hellebores showed any signs of blooming. There is new growth, but no sign of a bloom yet.
The sun was so bright! The air was warm enough to turn the fountain on for the goldfish. My goldfish pond does not have a heater, so if it’s too cold (think ice) I can’t turn the pump on to run the water that climbs up through the fountain and runs back down. I do love that splashing sound.
The birdseed fills the feeder that hangs, of course, from Faithful’s branches. (Note to self: Journal soon about your dogwood. ) The birds make me happy while I’m typing.
I consoled myself (over the fact that here it is cold February, which sometimes can get a person down) knowing that there will soon be daffodils in bloom in The Little Wild Garden. The little neighbor girls will ask if they can have one.
I’ll say, “Yes, take two.”
They’ll make us all very happy.
Finally, friends, it is quite the chore keeping enough food for a crowd. Remind me. Is six a crowd? I thought so.
Anyway, I’ve been buying the organic broccoli that’s on sale locally and keeping it cut up for dipping in Newman’s Own Ranch Dressing (I could drink that stuff). I hate throwing out the broccoli stems, and yet they are rather tough and not as delicious as the crowns for dipping. I decided to cut them into chunks and then run them through the food processor with some sweet onion. Used in a recipe I have for broccoli quiche, with venison sausage, oh my did it turn out lovely! I went ahead and made four of them, because three boys gathered around the table can eat one whole quiche as a “snack.”
Broccoli Quiche – Meant to make one deep dish quiche
Pastry or shell for deep dish pie shell
1 to 1-1/3 cups half and half (I use 2% milk)
6 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz swiss cheese, grated
6 eggs, beaten until frothy
1 bunch fresh broccoli — steamed and chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup chopped cooked meat (in my case, venison sausage)
Combine all ingredients. Pour into uncooked pie shell(s). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done.
Now, I doubled this recipe, using only 12 eggs, 2-2/3 cups of milk, only cheddar cheese (no swiss)–and probably more of it than called for as far as cheese in total, and lots of venison sausage. It came out fine. I made four regular pie crust sized quiches (not four deep dish). The point is, I think this recipe can be altered quite a bit. You just need to have enough egg (and milk/moisture) to hold whatever else you’re putting in. Twelve eggs for four regular pie crusts worked out well, but I did have the added moisture of probably a cup and a half of broccoli and sweet onion for two of them.
Anyway, I am thankful today for food and the fact that I can easily walk, even, to a local fresh market and get good things.
I’m working on my goal to have 10 new things in the shop by the end of the day.
Enjoy this day.
By Lynn, on February 6th, 2011%
Just popping in to say goodnight.
I know I’m hangin’ out at the swingset and still in my overalls and it stills looks light out, but really it’s dark and getting late and I’m tired, so I’m going to bed. But only after I’ve made a few more beads from polymer clay and old paper.
By Lynn, on January 28th, 2011%
How could I not shell out 50 cents? I ask you, would you have spent 50 cents for a lovely, old glass slipper? Does your what-not shelf call out for vintage creamy-white ceramic and peeling red paint? More, more, more!!
I know, I know! I said I was cleaning out, but surely I can find a teency-weency spot on a shelf somewhere!
Couldn’t you?
By Lynn, on January 10th, 2011%
Dear Friends,
Are you up for a walk today? It’s very cold. Brrrrr. But I think it would clear our minds to put Annie on her leash and go out and see what lives and chirps and breathes, outside, on a cold day like today.
Our walking will be brisk, but not so much so that we can’t talk some.
Annie looks lazy. Yes, indeed. But if we say the word, “outside,” she’ll be up in a flash and wagging her tail. (Yes, that’s a picture of her sitting behind me while I work. Thanks be to Michaela.)
We really do need to fill up the bird feeders while we are outside. After all, look who visits me all day at my office window. Oh, and the water in the birdbaths is frozen too. They must have something to drink!
A little house finch.
A pair of finches!
How do they come swooping down and land just right on that thorny rose?!
A cute little black capped chickadee!
So let’s go!
I’ll leave you with a little thought. I’ll be typing today. There’s food in the crockpots for supper! We’re supposed to get ice and snow today! I am working on an amazing doll house, totally built from scraps. I can’t wait to show you! I’m listing pins in my Etsy shop. I am finally, finally tying up a package for a dear, dear friend.
If you make children happy now, you will make them happy twenty years hence by the memory of it.” ~Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1953)
Here’s to creating a happy, innocent, joyous childhood for our true blessings.
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About Lynn
I am the mother of four delightful children: a 23-year-old son, a 20-year-old son, a 17-year-old son, and a bright and bubbly 13-year-old daughter. I share an apartment home with my 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. My little home on the internet is called Rose Cottage because of my love for gardening, roses, and all things romantic and Victorian. Welcome.
I'm a North Carolina girl and I love sharing North Carolina links and information. I do medical transcription from home. My hobbies include making sweet little dolls from clay who are named and have their own stories to tell. I also make old-fashioned brooches. These are for sale in my Etsy shop.
For 13 years continuously, I homeschooled some or all of our four children, but the time came that our homeschool had to be closed. It was the end of a beautiful chapter in my life. I will always be a strong supporter of homeschooling and I will continue to review books and maintain my homeschool website, The Healthy Homeschool. The Players
Lil Ol' Me
Son Daniel, 23
Son, Big Joe, 20
Son, John, 17
Daughter, Michaela, 13
Annie Fatso Beagle
My Symphony
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
William Henry Channing
1810-1884
What You Do Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
Contact Me 
I would  for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
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