“When something bad happens, there’s no point in wishing it had not happened. The only option is to minimise the damage.” Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey
Author: amanda
Quote of the Day
“All this endless thinking. It’s very overrated… I blame the war. Before 1914 nobody thought about anything at all.” Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey
Quote of the Day
“Harsh reality is always better than false hope.” David Robb as Dr. Clarkson in Downton Abbey
2019-20 School Year–Week Eighteen
We got back to work this week after our Christmas break…never an easy thing to do!
Turkey and Bunny hit the ground running. They started working with the law of cosines in pre-calculus. They also began reading The Hound of the Baskervilles for their next literature study. In American history, they learned about the War of 1812. And in physics, they started a chapter on centripetal force.
Ladybug worked with probabilities in pre-algebra. She continued her literature study of Anne of Green Gables. In history, she read about the collapse of the Indian Empire, and the beginning of the British takeover of that country. Her science lessons focused on different kinds of fossilization.
Chickadee continued learning multiplication facts in math. She reviewed all of the poems she’s memorized this year, as well as all of the parts of speech she’s studied in language arts. She also returned to catechesis for the first time in almost a month!
This can be a dull time of year…I’m hoping for a field trip or two to brighten our days a bit!
Quote of the Day
“A Winchester acknowledges only one 5:30 a day. This is not it.” David Ogden Stiers as Charles Emerson Winchester III in M*A*S*H
Chickadee Thursday
Today’s picture is from the First Friday at the St. Louis Science Center last week…I thought Chickadee was going to explode when she an Ewok walking around!
Quote of the Day
This is pretty solid advice!
“My advice, Daisy, is to go as far in life as God and luck allow.” Phyllis Logan as Mrs. Hughes on Downton Abbey
Tasty Tuesday–Holiday Baking 2019
We never did get around to making and decorating cut-out cookies this year (I think we’ll make that a Valentine’s Day activity!), but I thought it would be fun to take a look back at all of the holiday baking we did do, from Thanksgiving Eve through Epiphany.
16 Dozen Cookies (four different kinds):
11 Pies (a total of eight varieties):
Layer Cake:
Coffee Cake:
Bûche de Noël:
Apple-Cranberry Bread Pudding:
Gingerbread-Eggnog Trifle:
Lussekattes for Santa Lucia Day:
Crème Brûlée:
Epiphany Baklava:
Even without the cut-out cookies, this may have been the busiest year of baking yet…it was delicious fun!
Dinner for a Monumental Birthday
Today is Ryan’s 40th birthday (and Epiphany), so of course I had to make a special dinner!
He hadn’t yet decided what he wanted for his birthday dinner when I ran across whole beef tenderloins on the cheap at Aldi, so I made an executive (chef’s) decision, and bought one, telling him he could choose what I would turn it into.
He picked Beef Wellington, which I’ve only made once before. I think I did an excellent job this time, from the trimming to the preparation, and the sides of mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds, asparagus, and sautéed mushrooms were the perfect accompaniment!
It really was a lovely dinner (if I do say so myself):
Ryan requested birthday pie for dessert, so I made the peanut butter pie that has been a new favorite this holiday season, and our family’s favorite s’mores pie. It’s hard to see, but the candles even “spell” out 40!
Thus endeth another season of festive meals. I’m both relieved and sad that I won’t have another fancy dinner to make for a while…as of now, the kitchen is closed!
First Friday–Star Wars Night
On Friday night, we went to 2020’s inaugural “First Friday” at the St. Louis Science Center, and it was a lot fun, which we realized even before we entered the building!
Yes, the theme was Star Wars, and they went all out for it. There were some artifacts, which even included props from the movies:
There were plenty of people in costume:
And where there are costumes, there are also photo opps:
We saw a lightsaber combat demonstration (from a distance…I think this was the most crowded event we’ve been to!):
And we participated in a campus-wide game, at the end of which, the children got to make medals for being Resistance heroes!
My favorite part of the evening though, was the class we took…a Star Wars cross-stitch class! I couldn’t resist choosing an adorable “Baby Yoda” pattern.
Ladybug picked BB-8, and not only did she finish it, she added a bit to it, which impressed me!
I will admit that I occasionally find these events overwhelming, because there are so many people it’s hard to move at times, and it gets very warm in the building. But there are also a lot of fun activities, and it seems like this geeky occasion was made just for our family!