That’s it for the 2022-23 school year! This was a pretty light week, focused on wrapping things up. Ladybug and Chickadee took their final tests and finished what they needed to in various books. We also had one last field trip…a visit to Grant’s Farm for Maifest. I thought this was a great way to end the year, especially since our Christmas School was focused on learning about Christmas in Germany, and Chickadee has so diligently studied German with Duolingo this year.
We ended the year the way we began…with a Disney-themed Lego set. This one is an art set of Minnie Mouse that is a companion to the piece we built back in August, and they actually connect to make one large picture!
In some ways, I don’t feel like I put in as much effort as I should have this my 15th year of homeschooling. It was a complicated year, schedule-wise, and I felt stretched pretty thin. I’m already looking forward to all of the things we’ll be doing next year, though, and hopefully I’ll make up for the lack of energy I had this year!
After we visited the library on Monday, we took a little walk through our downtown, and came across this bright, cheerful door. Of course Chickadee wanted to take a picture in front of it…it’s almost as happy as she is!
We did things a little differently this year since Moose has a band concert tonight. So let’s start with a look at her birthday dinner, which we actually had on her Birthday Eve! She chose two recipes from Destiny: The Official Cookbook…tortilla chicken soup with all the toppings, and “Coldheart,” a green smoothie with kiwis, banana, mango, avocado, and spinach:
For dessert, she turned to The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Online Cookbook, where she found a recipe for “Princess Pudding,” which was a type of lava cake:
She waited until this morning to open her presents. It was a very Stitch themed birthday!
Is it even a birthday in our house if there aren’t Legos?
I still have royalty on my mind following the coronation, so I decided to use two of the three shades from the “Holo Royalty Trio” (Glamethyst and Royal Crush) for a kind of striped effect. I still can’t believe how pretty the colors are, and just how glittery the nail polish is!
This was a day I both hoped would never come (because to get here, first Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had to pass), and one that I have eagerly anticipated. The Coronation of King Charles III was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me (to date, anyway), and I loved reading through the detailed order of service and watching every moment. It was a beautiful ceremony, and all of the history and tradition contained within it both made a connection with the distant past as well as pointed the way to the future. The music was lovely, from “I Was Glad” and “Zadok the Priest” to “Christ is Made the Sure Foundation.” It was clear watching it that it doesn’t matter if you are crowned when you are young, as was Queen Elizabeth II, or after a lifetime of preparation like King Charles III, the truth of the saying “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” was evident, as you could see the weight of it on both of their faces in archive footage and on live TV. The Princess of Wales hit the perfect balance between tiara and headpiece (although I still wish she’d worn a full tiara), and it was lovely to see her in the robes of the Royal Victorian Order. Princess Charlotte in her matching outfit and headpiece was adorable, as was the way she kept a watchful eye and gentle hand on her little brother. The Princess Royal, as always, “stood tall among men,” riding horseback in uniform in the procession in order to serve and protect her brother the King. I loved seeing the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh front and center, in a place worthy of such hard-working, dedicated (but sometimes overlooked) royals. It was such a thrill to see St. Edward’s Crown being worn, even for a short time. Young Prince George was a splendid Page of Honor, and it was moving to see him carry his grandfather the King’s train. There is something special about seeing the crowned heads of Europe (or their representatives) gather to see an important moment for one of their peers (and often an extended family member, as well). The touching moment when Prince William, “liege man of life and limb,” paid homage to his father and king, as representative of the Royal Family, was one I will always remember. Is there anything more splendid than seeing the coordinated “hip hip hooray” of thousands of soldiers? Prince Louis was so well-behaved at the Abbey, and so animated on the balcony. Hearing “God Save the King” brought a tear to my eye. Even though I was worried the low clouds and rain would prohibit the flypast, we were treated to a grand display by the Red Arrows.
The day began for me at 3:45 a.m., but it didn’t end when the Royal Family left the balcony. I planned a tea party to celebrate this auspicious occasion:
The star of the meal was the “Coronation Quiche,” prepared according to the recipe shared by the Royal Family to be enjoyed this weekend, and especially at “Big Lunches.”
I made a few other favorite items, including chocolate chip scones, an orange-poppyseed cake, and three types of finger sandwiches: egg salad, coronation chicken (ok, turkey), and cucumber:
I dug way back into my files to find a crown we made in school for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 for our centerpiece, and I also tried a new napkin fold called “The Crown.”
The tea of choice was Darjeeling…I don’t know if it’s actually enjoyed by King Charles III, but it’s one of my favorites! It was a lovely lunchtime celebration!
For dinner, I threw it way back to the last coronation, and made coronation chicken (again, actually turkey) served over rice:
And for dessert, what’s more English than a trifle?
I even planned a coronation-themed outfit in Animal Crossing!
This was a very special day, and one I know I’ll always remember!
I guess my invitation was lost in the mail (ha, ha, ha), but that didn’t stop me from planning a very special outfit for the occasion…I even added my wedding tiara to complete the look that features the Miss Candyfloss Sacnite-Lee dressing gown I picked up last spring with the Platinum Jubilee in mind:
The tiara is the main accessory, but I also added my favorite pearls (of course!), crown earrings from Erstwilder, a pair of glittery Duchess bangles from Splendette, and the Royal Collection replica brooch I always pull out for events featuring the British monarchy:
My daughters also think that this would be the perfect Disney Bound of Queen Elsa, and they’re not wrong!
I also added my most sparkly shoes, for a regal look from head to toe!
I love that if I try hard enough (and am creative enough), I can pull together an outfit for any occasion from what I already have in my closet!
May the Fourth be with You! (But watch out for the Revenge of the Fifth!) We’ve had another fun two-day Star Wars Day(s) celebration. Most of the recipes we tried this year were new, starting with yesterday’s breakfast of Keshian Spice Bread from Star Wars: Galactic Baking (a new cookbook in our collection):
Dinner last night was a repeat (but so worth it)…I made Ronto Wrappers (flatbreads) from the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge cookbook, and Batuuan Ronto Wraps from The Official Disney Parks Cookbook (just like we had at Disney World last summer and so delicious):
I also made the iconic Star Wars Blue Milk from a recipe on the Disney Food Blog…this one was pretty hit or miss, but it looked pretty!
Dessert was Hoth Cocoa Cream Puffs from Star Wars: Galactic Baking…they were amazing!
For dinner tonight, I made Nerf Kebabs from the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge cookbook, and served Wawaatt Sprouts from The Life Day Cookbook with them:
I modified the recipe for Lothal Spicebrew from the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge cookbook to make it non-alcoholic…it was much more popular than last night’s drink!
For dessert, I baked Sith Cookies from Star Wars: Galactic Baking. The were soft and delicious.
This has become one of my favorite bonus holiday celebrations, and I’m really excited that there’s another Star Wars cookbook coming out later this year, so we can try even more recipes!
The penultimate week of the 2022-23 school year is complete!
On Monday, we visited the Missouri Botanical Garden for the “Chihuly in the Garden” exhibition. The glass works are beautiful, and we’re looking forward to going back next week to see it at night!
We spent a lot of time wrapping things up this week. Ladybug completed the last chapter in her algebra 2 book, which was on vectors. All she has left is the final exam. She finished the chapter on kinetics in chemistry, and all she has left is the exam (do you sense a theme here?). She also finished reading “Everyman,” and just has to write one last paper on it. In history, she about Henry IV, the King of Germany (as well as Holy Roman Emperor)…she just has a few more chapters to go.
Chickadee learned how to read different types of graphs in math (she still has a full week of math lessons to go). We continued to read about dinosaurs in science. We finished Smoke on the Wind and started reading Meet Felicity…I’m hoping to keep reading those books over the summer. She had her last spelling test of the year this week, too.
We don’t have too much left to do next week, and a good bit of it is just for fun (including one last field trip I hope doesn’t get rained out)…stay tuned!
