2009 ~ A Good Year!

This was the year we married off our first child! Another graduated and got engaged, Hubby and 16 yo son climbed a mountain. We took a long roadtrip back to our old, early-marriage stomping grounds in Boston and all over New England. We camped in Knoxville, TN, visited Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Rhode Island, camped in Plymouth, Mass., Maine (Acadia National Park!), New Hampshire, Vermont, and in Pennsylvania. That was a phenomenal and memory-making trip!!

My Charlotte Mason bookclub continues to grow and flourish, and I so enjoy seeing these friends each month for tea and great discussion! It is a time of laughter and of mentoring, as well!

We visited our married kids in Omaha, NE, for thanksgiving holidays which was really a roadmark of life change, hehe. I also did more updating on FaceBook than on this blog, for the ease of exchange that it provides.

Christmas was spent with my extended family during the Oklahoma (actually the whole midwest!) blizzard of Christmas '09. We have sevaral exciting stories of being stuck and stranded to share :-).

I'll continue to teach and tutor Spanish in the new year, continue bookbinding and vintage book restoration, and will be busy preparing the homefront for another wedding. Will also be getting the next teen in line prepared for taking the SAT.

So, until next year, I bid you all adieu and

░░░ HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!░░░☆☆ ☆☆♥░▓▓▓▓▓░░░░▓▓▓▓▓░░░▓▓░░░░▓▓▓▓▓░♫░░☆☆ ☆☆░░░♫░░▓▓░░▓░░░░░▓░▓▓▓░░░▓░░░░░▓░░♥☆☆ ☆☆░░♥░░░▓▓░░▓░░░░░▓░░░▓░░░▓░░░░░▓░░♫☆☆ ☆☆░♫░░▓▓░░░░▓░░░░░▓░░░▓░░░▓░░░░░▓░♫░☆☆ ☆☆░░░▓▓░░░░░▓░░░░░▓░░░▓░░░▓░░░░░▓░♥░☆☆ ☆☆░♥▓▓░░░░░░▓░░░░░▓░░░▓░░░▓░░░░░▓░♫░☆☆ ☆☆♫░▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░▓▓▓▓▓░░░▓▓▓░░░▓▓▓▓▓░░♥░☆☆


Javamom

Book finished and delivered

New spine created and cloth color matched to the covers

The finished product! The book is all back together again, and good for another couple of generations!

Javamom

Update on Littlest Angel

I'll post more tomorrow, when this should be finished.

Javamom

Took care of some wedding plans today

My daughter and I went on a quest to make some more solid plans toward her and Andrew's spring wedding.


We had a sumptuous palette of colors from which to choose, as all brides (and their helpers) do ~

We narrowed down the colors ~ Our story begins this way. Ky is our only daughter of four children. Our oldest son is already married.

For every Birthday for our daughter, I would clip yellow and cream-colored roses from the rosebushes outside, along with Indian Paintbrush that I'd planted in the yard, or that we'd collected on a nature walk to put in vases for her birthday in the spring. So, she thought it only fitting to have them in her spring wedding, as well!

Possible centerpieces, still needing that red-orange of the Indian Paintbrush:

Flower colors: It may be a little too early for Indian Paintbrush, but we are going to try to force them and coax them out early. Also on the docket: the Yellow Rose of Texas, of course!

Possible ends-of-isle flower holders, with some tulle and extra ribbons or rafia:





Also purchased today:

And one possible pattern, which I will not show you yet ;-)




Happy Javamom

Current Restoration

This is one of the projects that I started recently and will be finishing up this week. This 1940's edition of The Littlest Angel needs a new spine and complete recase. In the forties, most books were made of cheaper materials because of the war, so this is a tender, frail book to work with. I will post more photos of the finished product later this week.




Javamom

Orchard House

The photos are for the daughters of a friend who are fast becoming LM Alcott fans :-)

This is where Alcott wrote Little Women. Many of the stories in the book are real, and were lived out in Hillside, the home that sits to the right of this one in Concord, Massachusetts. Bronson Alcott moved sheds from the property and added them to the initial structure, creating more room for the family. He also did the same thing to Hillside! The wrap-around porch at Hillside (after it was named Wayside) was added by the Lothrop family in the late 1800's.

Ky and me :-)

Our dear daughter. This was part of her graduation present.

Javamom

Of Chore Charts and Scheduling

A friend asked me to post this family schedule/chart over a month ago, and I am finally getting to it. Below, find a photo of my copy of the Alcott Family chore chart that was posted at "Hillside" which was later renamed to "Wayside" by Nathaniel Hawthorne after he purchased the home. This is where, when the girls were younger, they played "Pilgrim's Progress" on the front staircase and made up other plays complete with costumes. (the small trunk and some of the original costumes reside in Orchard House, just to the left next door, where the family later moved after Elizabeth's death).



(our visit to Hillside, aka Wayside ~ summer of 2009)



The Alcott girls were homeschooled by their father for much of their education, and also had a tutor come in (in this chart, it is a Mr. Lane). We know that money Louisa earned from writing went to send May to study art and painting in France.

The family awoke at 5 a.m. and took very cold baths, something that Mr. Alcott was very keen on. (Brrrrrr!) The girls had some 'recreation' aka chores in the early morning, overseen by Miss Foord, and did sewing, had conversation, and reading in the evenings with their mother and Miss Ford. (spelled two different ways on the chart, perhaps b/c of space?)

(click to enlarge)


Note the high expectation of the girls: "Vigilance, Punctuality, Perserverence. Promt, Cheerful, Unquestioning Obedience. Government of Temper, Hands, and Tongue. Gentle Manners, Motions, and Words. Work, Studies, and Play distinct. No interchange of Labors."

Our guide noted how different most of the world is today...and not for the better.

What other significant things do you notice about their routine that stand out to you? Espcially my Charlotte Mason educating friends?

Can't wait to hear from you, and sorry for my laxity in keeping up with the blog of late. I will post on that another time.

Javamom