Author: amanda

amanda

Sartorial Saturday–Oktoberfest

For the first time, I had national dress to wear to Oktoberfest! I went with my newest piece from Rare Dirndl, the Herbology dirndl, and I dressed it up with my fanciest apron:

I planned my outfit carefully, including some lovely Edelweiss accessories and a not-quite-Alpine hat:

I even painted my nails in lovely fall colors for the occasion!

I decided to try something different when it came to footwear…I went with ankle boots, and I love how they went with the outfit!

I’m really happy with how this look came together!

Here’s a pair of photos from the event:

And some pictures of the event itself:

It was so much fun to be able to dress for the occasion!

2022-23 School Year–Week Five

We spent a lot of time this week watching coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, but we did manage to get a lot of schoolwork done, too.

Ladybug factored polynomials in algebra 2. She read about Alaric and the Visigoths, and the division of Rome, in history. In chemistry, she learned about light, including wavelengths, amplitude, and frequency (having visited the ocean this summer made it easy to picture these concepts!). She finished finished Act III of Romeo and Juliet. In grammar, she worked on identifying infinitive phrases. As we continued to read The Fellowship of the Ring, we baked spiced pear and cranberry muffins from Recipes from the World of Tolkien.

Chickadee reviewed estimating sums and differences in math, and she also did some multi-step word problems. We read about different kinds of bears in science, including black bears, polar bears, and panda bears. In history, she learned about Shamshi-Adad and the “Epic of Gilgamesh.” We also read about Heidi’s return home to the mountains in literature. In grammar, she reviewed adjective and adverbs.

I was hoping for another outdoor field trip next week, but I don’t think that’s going to happen as we’re expecting a heatwave, but hopefully it won’t last too long, and we’ll have some fall weather to enjoy soon!

A Final Look Back at Our Disney Vacation

Here’s one final look back at the Disney portion of our vacation, focused specifically on a few pictures that didn’t seem to fit anywhere else, starting with me at Epcot’s World Showcase at the two places in the world I’d most like to visit: Germany and England (with Eeyore, of course!):

I managed to get a selfie with each of my daughters on a ride they really liked (the teacups, Dumbo, and the carousel):

And another pair of pictures of me at the Magic Kingdom…same day, but with an outfit change!

I think that’s about it for things I wanted to share…it certainly was the trip of a lifetime!

Tasty Tuesday–The Tenth Disney Dinner

Our tenth Disney Dinner was all about taking a second chance on the rib recipe that didn’t turn out earlier in the summer, but before we get to that, a drink I put a lot of effort into coming up with, the Frozen Sunshine from Disney’s Beach Club Resort. The more Disney Dinners we had, the harder it was to find drink recipes that didn’t include alcohol, or that could at least have the alcohol substituted out. I went through pretty much all of the recipes in our cookbooks, so I turned to the internet for copycat recipes, which is where I found this Creamsicle in a cup!

I was still upset about the “Disney Disaster” we had previously, so I gave the hoisin chili sticky ribs from Delicious Disney based on Chef Morimoto’s recipe from his restaurant at Disney Springs, Morimoto Asia, another shot, substituting baby back ribs for spare ribs. They were perfect…definitely the best ribs I’ve ever made!

For dessert, we had Mickey Mouse-shaped beignets with lavender sugar. Can you have too many Mickey-shaped treats?!?

This was a fun meal, and I really enjoyed the redemption when making the ribs!

Lake Eufaula Motor Lodge

I saw a second vintage road sign on our trip, also for a defunct motel…the Lake Eufaula Motor Lodge in Eufaula, AL. It’s a little worse for the wear, but that only enhances the vintage feel!

Sartorial Saturday–Smile with Lucy

I could not be more excited about the new Miss Candyfloss autumn/winter lookbook, “Smile with Lucy!” The entire collection is inspired by one of my favorite icons, the inimitable Lucille Ball.

The very first release from the collection included the Mandisa-Dora tartan swing dress, and as soon as I saw it, I fell in love:

The dress is made of a wool blend, which worried me a little, but somehow, it manages not to be itchy at all.

I accessorized with a few Splendette duchess bangles perfect for fall, and a lovely gold brooch from Erstwilder. I even got out my velvet gloves (even though it’s really too hot to wear them yet).

The tartan print is so pretty!

This is a great dress for early fall…even though it is a wool blend, it’s not heavy, and the short sleeves make it easy to wear while it’s still warm out.

I can’t wait for the rest of the collection to be released…everything in the lookbook is fantastic!

2022-23 School Year–Week Four

This week has been more…complicated than I expected. It started out pretty well, with a day off on Monday so we could see Moose march in the town Labor Day parade. And then on Tuesday, we had a field trip day to the Missouri History Museum (for the first time in almost three years!), to see the new Coloring STL exhibit. We had a really great time…how often are you encouraged to color on the walls of a museum?!?

Even I made a small contribution, because I found something mid-century marvelous!

On Wednesday, we got back to our regular work. Ladybug reviewed radicals in algebra 2. She began Act III of Romeo and Juliet. She learned about mixtures and compounds in chemistry. In history, she read about Flavius Theodosius and the Roman Catholic Church. Her creative writing course had her rewriting sentences to make them more interesting and less repetitive. We continued reading The Fellowship of the Ring, and baked Barliman Butternut’s Blackberry Pie, which was delicious!

Chickadee reviewed calculating area and perimeter in math. In science, she continued learning about order Carnivora by starting a chapter on bears. In history, she read a brief history of the Jewish people, focusing on Abraham and Joseph. She learned how to add adjectives to a sentence diagram in grammar. We continued reading Heidi, and to my relief, we have almost reached the part where she gets to go home to the mountains.

On Thursday, our school day was interrupted by the developing news in the United Kingdom, and we spent most of our day watching the BBC. Today, I decided we should continue to focus on the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, so we watched The King’s Speech and some of our royal documentaries. Hopefully, next week we’ll have a little more success staying on task!

Elizabeth the Steadfast

It is a day we knew was inevitable, and yet one we somehow thought, against all odds, would never come.

Queen Elizabeth II has passed away.

Inexplicably, with each milestone she surpassed, each new record of age and reign she set, despite her advancing years and emerging mobility problems, it seemed more and more like she would be queen forever.

She has been on the throne for my entire lifetime; for my mother’s entire lifetime. Sometimes described as the the “most photographed woman in the world,” she was there for her country, her commonwealth, and even the whole world, through dark times and celebrations. The woman who dedicated her “whole life whether it be long or short” to the service of her people was, in the words she used to describe her own husband, the “strength and stay” of so many, from her family and friends to her subjects to her admirers from afar.

She was never meant to sit on the throne. Born the eldest daughter of the younger son of a king, she never should have been queen. But, as we know, her uncle abdicated his throne after less than a year, forcing her father to take his place. Even then, she was never known as “heiress apparent,” due to the male-preference primogeniture that was law at that time in the United Kingdom; instead, she was “heiress presumptive” until the day she took the throne herself.

It is hard to imagine a world without her. She was always there, with her bright smile and bright wardrobe, setting people at ease, leading with grace and dignity. She brought a continuity to her government and the world around her that is almost unheard of…in her time, she had 15 prime ministers, dating back to Winston Churchill himself! She saw other world leaders come and go, but she was always a constant. It is hard to remember that the words to “God Save the Queen” have another variation; hard to comprehend the idea of a king on the throne of the United Kingdom.

She was a most remarkable woman in every way. The second Elizabethan Age has come to an end. She now rests with the Lord she served so faithfully for so long.

Requiescat in pace.

The Queen is dead. Long live the King.