Adventures in Reading

OK, perhaps not so much an adventure, but we read a nice "quiet book" today.
http://www.amazon.com/Tye-Magic-Brush-Molly-Bang/dp/0688115047/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282170729&sr=8-1

Not really sure how I happened upon this little book. I requested it from outside our county, so I must have heard about it from somewhere. :)

This is a cute little book, a quiet book. What is a quiet book? As I classify it, a quiet book is one that may not be full of excitement, action, or suspense. The plot may be simple. But however simple, the book resonates with you, makes you think about it long after the last page has been turned, creates a niche in your heart. Tye May and the Magic Brush by Molly Garrett Bang is one such book.

We went to the library today, and I now have the second book in The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander! I also picked up first book in The Westmark Trilogy, Westmark, also by Lloyd Alexander. I may have to wait for those since I have a few other books waiting for me already! Two and 1/2 weeks to go before our trip, and so much reading to do!

The boys and I have quite a few tombs we are trying to finish up before going. Here's to good luck with that! Our school for the past month has been all literature! Literature one month, geography, geology, history, social studies, and US culture another month!

I think I have decided upon the books we will read while on our trip. I have a Dr. Doolittle's Carnival by Hugh Lofting, George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt by Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking, and The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. I half to pull all three out and see if we need them all. It might just be Dr. Doolittle and the Stephen Hawking book. Both of these books are sequels to books we have read recently. While The Mysterious Benedict Society is the beginning of its' own series.

Any ideas out there for good reading?

Books, books, books

Those of you who know us, know that finding good, appropriate, challenging books is a constant quest for me. Keeping up with the boys reading needs is a tiresome but rewarding task. I have come to find some sources of book recommendations are better than others. I treasure the ones I have found to be reliable, avoid the ones that aren't like the plague.

Recently, I happened upon a book, 1001 Children's Book You Must Read Before You Grow Up (http://www.amazon.com/1001-Childrens-Books-Must-Before/dp/0789318768/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282087017&sr=1-1). This book has led us to doing some author studies. We look up the author using Google. Find out whatever bits we can. I confess, I do this the night before by myself, then with the boys the next day. Why? Anyone know anything about Lewis Carroll? Whew! Wouldn't want that surprise with the kidos!

Anyway, before we research the author, we look in the library and scarf up any and every book we can by said author. It has been quite fun. We compare different stories by the same author, compare one author's style to another. Comment on some literary techniques used. We get to see how sometimes authors and illustrators pair up. We pay attention to copyrite's - why are there copyrites after the author's death? What is a copyrite?

Somehow, this author study approach has led me, and now the boys, to Lloyd Alexander. Lloyd Alexander, author of The Prydain Chronicles(basis for the Disney movie "The Black Cauldron), Time Cat, The Gawgon and the Boy, The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man, and more.

These books are not twaddle. They are well written, full of imagination, adventure, and fun. Alexander does have one book entry in the 1001 Children's Book book mentioned above and four books mentioned in Great Books for Boys by Kathleen Odean. What level reader are these for? Here's my soapbox moment....

I think that good books, the ones that have timeless tales to tell, can be read by all. I think it is a shame when people think a book is below them. There is value in well written picture books. We have "read" books where they were no words, just illustrations, that made us laugh. That said, I think these books can be for just about any level. Whether read independently or aloud, the stories are there for the enjoying.

There is sorcery in several books, and what could be perceived as a ghost in at least one. If these are things you do not want in your children's reading, then steer clear. If these topics do not bother you, may I suggest going on the adventures Alexander provides? If you have read them, know you and your children can share your enjoyment with us!

Felted Basket

Dempsey and I went to a NEW yarn store last weekend http://www.the-mannings.com/mannings_catalog.cgi. Yarn, yarn, and more yarn. Much to my delight, they had a decent amount of crochet patterns and were not snobs when I told them I crocheted, like other yarn shops can be. I do not understand it. I can buy yarn just like a knitter. And as one of my friends points out, I need to buy more since crocheting uses 1/3 more yarn. But this yarn store appreciates fiber artists of all genres, and the casual shopper too!

One pattern that caught my eye was for a felted basket. It is by Fiber Trends and includes a pattern for a felted rug and baskets of two sizes. I opted to make the smaller basket first.




These two pictures are of the basket before the felting process. Floppy and full of holes.




The basket made up quick enough. The instructions were clear, after the first step. And the first step was clear, just awkard and unusual. I had to stop myself from thinking and just follow directions. Awkard.

But following the directions yields the following:





I really like the yarn I used, however the next time I make this basket, I will chose a more chunky yarn. I think that would make the end product more stiff than what this one turned out to be. I guess that means another trip to the yarn store.......:)

A new collection, a little mishap and our trip.

While Palmer and I were in GA, I picked up a couple of plates at an Antique Mall. Hadn't really been trying to buy plates, but when we were browsing the booths they kept calling to me. Then when we came home, I went to the local Goodwill and they had the Currier & Ives plate - the big blue one on the top and the green Spode's Copeland Camilla plate on the right. I figured I had a good start to a collection and would start to hang them on the wall.

Just as we were starting, Hubby was holding a couple of them up and accidentally let go of the Currier & Ives plate. So that one is no more. But I think I still have a good start at a neat collection. Hubby felt really bad. But I hadn't had it that long and it cost me under $2.00. I think we will all be on the look out for another. I have likes plates like this for awhile, and finally succumbed to the inclination to begin a collection.

One of the places we went in GA was Bald Mountain, the highest elevation in GA at 4,784 ft. The view is gorgeous and you can see Hiawassee(where Grandma lives!), and neighboring NC and much more. The lake in the picture is Lake Chatuge(Sha-toog). What appears to be different bodies of water is all the same lake. And Hiawassee is nestled among the mountains and the lake.

Clouds were moving in, so pictures had to be snapped quickly. Thank goodness for the new camera(Kodak 26X Optical Zoom - a dream!!!). The parking lot at the bottom right on this picture is where you park before hopping on a shuttle or trudging up the trail to the summit.

Palmer and I opted for the easy - take the shuttle up, walk back down route. The road is very steep!

On one of our last days in GA, friends asked Palmer and I to go fishing in the Taccoa River. Despite fishing in a spot where the river had just been stocked, only two fish were caught! Palmer's theory is they should have used worms. We had a great time skipping rocks, fishing, and chatting.

Going to GA is always an adventure. We have lots of fun and beautiful scenery. But the best part by far, is being with Grandma!

Happy Birthday America

So how did you spend our countries' birthday? Thanks to my in-laws, we were fortunate enough to spend our Fourth partaking in this:

Eating crabs is a wonderful thing. I say that, but after 3, I was done. Palmer ate none, Dempsey ate one. Hubby ate a few more - we don't count how many he eats!

Courtesy of my sister in law, we also had the pleasure of water play.

On a VERY hot Monday, we spent another afternoon at the ball fields. Dempsey is part of one of the All Star teams for the town.

The outcome wasn't one we wanted, they lost. The good news is it is a double elimination tournament. So they get at least one more chance. That chance will come later this week. Here's hoping they do better!

Hiking at Catoctin National Park

Yesterday in Central MD was a gorgeous day - not too hot, not too humid. What a treat!







Dempsey, Palmer, and I took advantage of the nice day and did some hiking in Catoctin Mtn. National Park. This hike ties into our learning about Leonardo daVinci. Why are we learning about daVinci? We are going to see an exhibit on him at the National Geographic Museum in DC in August.



This is the beautiful view the Thurmont Vista has to offer. True to form, the boys said they could see the ball fields from here.








Our job was to observe nature, just as Leonardo did when he was a boy. Dempsey spotted this "flutterby" along our path. Our path was very pretty as you can see here:



Our final destination was Wolf Rock. While we never got as close to Wolf Rock as Dempsey would have liked, we did have a nice place to sit, have a rest and a snack before making our way back to the car. The sky was such a pretty blue.



How fortunate I am to be able to spend days like this with my boys!

The Boys of Summer

We had "Dempsey's" end of season baseball party. This marks the end of the regular baseball season here.

We get to embark on a new experience this seaon - Little League All Stars. Dempsey made it to the towns' 10-11 team, WooHoo! First year in LL and he makes it. He is so happy. He practiced twice last week and will practice every night this week. Here's hoping the team goes far!

"Palmer" made it to his All-Star game this year as well. But at the level he is in, he had an exhibition type game, one night and over.

It will be odd because hubby will be sitting next to me on the bleachers since he isn't coaching. It's nice he can join me a bit.

Plans for the cross-country trip are continuing. We need to print out maps, info on the parks, and the itinerary. I want to make a three ring binder full of the information.