I’m so excited to finally have my black and purple plaid Long Jun skirt from Pinup Girl Clothing! I’ve been looking forward to it for months, ever since Laura Byrnes previewed a sample of the fabric. I’ve been wanting a plaid skirt, and to be able to pre-order one in purple…it was a dream come true! I decided for the first wearing, I’d go bold and pair it with a PUG peasant top in Baton Rouge:
If the plaid didn’t have enough of a Scottish feel, this lovely Jacobite rose brooch from Daisy Jean Floral Designs (an Australian company that is pretty new to me), has me wanting to visit the highlands! I also went with all my favorite purple and grey Splendette pieces (Duchess bangles, a glitter bead necklace, and earrings), to finish the look:
I only had one concern about the skirt when I ordered it. It isn’t made of the standard cotton sateen that I think every other Pinup Girl Clothing skirt I own is made of. Instead, it’s a poly/rayon/spandex blend, and I was especially worried that the weight of the skirt wouldn’t be meet my standards. My concerns were totally unfounded, though…the fabric is not at all flimsy, and has a nice heft for twirling!
This skirt is completely gorgeous, even more so than it looks in pictures. The colors are so lovely and vibrant and saturated, and I’m just in love…it’s definitely going to be a fall staple for me! I just wish my wardrobe had more plaid in it now!
After so many busy weeks, this week was actually fairly laid-back, which I really appreciated!
Turkey and Bunny continued to work with reference angles in pre-calculus this week. Their physics studies were related to that, as they practiced vector addition. They completed the chart they created to keep track of the five parts of each cornice in the “The Purgatorio.” In history, they read about Saladin. They also finished the chapter on interpersonal relationships in health.
Ladybug reviewed adding and subtracting fractions in math, as well as converting fractions to decimals. She started learning about simple machines in science, beginning with the lever. In history, she read about the end of China’s Ming Dynasty. She finished The Hobbit…we’re looking forward to starting Anne of Green Gables next week! She also created a brainstorming map for her next writing assignment.
Chickadee worked on “magic squares” in math. She continued reading Tales from Beatrix Potter…”The Tale of Benjamin Bunny” was a favorite. She has also been reading through a biography of Mister Rogers with me. She’s still working on nouns in First Language Lessons, and she’s also memorizing her third poem.
And finally, a photo not from school, but so fun, I had to share. We saw the Stanley Cup car in St. Louis, so of I course I had to take a picture!
Yesterday before catechesis, Chickadee and I stopped in downtown Belleville to check out one of the new art installations that was recently painted on a building as part of the Belleville Mural Project. It is lovely and vibrant, and Chickadee was excited that she got to be part of the scene…an interactive design is such a fun idea! I can’t wait to see what murals pop up on Main Street next!
This is our, what…12th year of homeschooling? And we have a school name, and a school room, but we’ve never had a mascot…until now. Meet Hugsy, our school-time penguin pal:
Yes, this is Hugsy of Friends fame. You know…Joey’s bedtime penguin pal. I have wished I could get a Hugsy replica for years. And when I saw that the Friends25 pop-up shop had him in stock, I was ecstatic. But I didn’t think I’d buy him, because he was kind of spendy. But Ryan told me that I’d regret it if I didn’t buy him, and the children said we needed him, so after looking at how much money I had, I figured I could make it work, but only if he had a position of prominence in our family. Albert (and family) is already our pet, so schoolroom mascot seemed like the perfect occupation for Hugsy. And so, there he sits in my (new) chair when I’m not in it…our school-time penguin pal!
I have to admit, I was surprised by my own reaction to seeing (and touching) the Stanley Cup. I was excited about it, and thought it would be fun, but as we got closer to the front of the line, my heart started racing and my knees started shaking! And even though I can be something of a germaphobe, I actually kissed the Stanley Cup!!! It was an incredible experience and something I’ll remember forever!
What a week! I keep wondering when things are going to slow down, but at this point, almost a quarter of the way into the school year (!!!), maybe I just have to realize they’re not going to…
Turkey and Bunny finally reached something in pre-calculus that made them pause (a bit)…they started a chapter on reference angles. They were a little confused, until they realized that they were basically learning about the same thing in physics in regard to vectors, and then it all came together, which was exciting for me as a teacher to watch! Their US history lessons focused on troublemakers in colonial America: Roger and Abigail Williams (surprisingly, they were unrelated!). They practiced utilizing different points-of-view in writing.
Ladybug worked with metric conversions in pre-algebra, which was pretty easy. She is almost done with her literature study of The Hobbit. We were sad when Lake-town was destroyed! In history, she read about the self-imposed isolation of Japan in the late 1500s. She practiced composing different styles of introductions and conclusions in writing.
Chickadee started her study of Tales from Beatrix Potter in literature, beginning with the story of Peter Rabbit. We also read the “Tippy Bunnies” stories by Candace Fleming, because they have so many things in common with the story of Peter. She worked on carrying numbers to the hundreds place in math. She also finished the chapter on Mercury in science…Venus is up next!
We also played a new game this week. While we’ve already enjoyed Chrononauts and Chrono-Trek, this is the first time we’ve played Early American Chrononauts. Turkey and Bunny are edging closer to the Revolutionary War in their study of US history, so I thought this would be a fun addition, because I really like talking about the domino effect that is events throughout history, and this really helps us visualize just how differently things could have ended up. I hope to play ÜberChrononauts with them soon!
And for a little extra fine arts education, we attended two different organ recitals this week. While we are very familiar with organ music within the church service, it’s a completely different experience to hear the organ playing on its own, especially when you have the opportunity to hear an artist like Christopher Houlihan play on an exceptional instrument!
And finally, we did get to go on another field trip this week, this time to Grant’s Farm, because not only was it pleasant out, it actually felt like fall!!! This is the outdoor field trip I’ve been saving for really pleasant weather, and we weren’t disappointed. And even though we’ve been to Grant’s Farm countless times, we all learned something new (and we heard the call of an elk for the first time, which was something special!).
