The Sinister Scribe

OK. Actually, it is early. 1 a.m. to be precise.
I am finding that my current eclectic method has many holes. We keep bumping into (or would that be through) them. Today it was contractions, he couldn’t remember how to do them. Ack! *deep breath* Ok, I’ll calm down. This IS our first year after all. I can start planning for next year NOW!

To compound that frustration, I’ve been feeling rather isolated within the HSing group here. Don’t get me wrong, they are a great group of wonderful people. They are also predominantly unschoolers. We just aren’t from what i can tell.

Methodology really isn’t a big issue until I want to discuss things like record-keeping (most don’t seem do much) or planning curriculum for next year or testing. No one seems to plan ahead. Or maybe they just don’t admit to it? So when it comes to these things, I am very much alone in the group. I am frequently given a good natured ribbing for my meal plans (done a month at a time, thank you) and my row of homeschooling binders on the shelf in the living room. Well, that row of binders is about to get bigger!

Tonight on a whim, I dusted off my copy of The Well-Trained Mind . I bought it several years ago. When I first read this, I was so overwhumped with all the information I thought it was too organized for me. Now I’m reading it and realizing I’ve been heading that direction without knowing it! AND the text is making sense this time… or at least more than it did before. I’ve got a lot of reading to do before I can say that we’re going go with the classical/trivium next year. But the validation I’m getting from this book is doing a lot to calm my nerves.

*yawn* With that thought… I think I’ll take those calm nerves to bed now. G’Nite!

I’ve been working on the re-do of Eilidh’s AoA scroll. Got the design penciled in enough to know I’d be happy with it but not so much that if I botch the callig-ing I’d be bummed to loose all that pencil time.
So just about every day/night I’ve been spending a little time practicing my Insular Majuscule. And I’m to that same old point where I can’t get the callig-ing to fit into the area I’ve left for it. I’m using the smallest nib I can and the smallest spaces that will work. But it is not fitting.
Now, I’m wondering if I need to do things in reverse. That is to say, do the callig-ing in the largest area I have available on the scroll. (on practice paper first) Then see what if any is left over and design the illumination accordingly…

Just a thought.

\ee-day-FEEKS\, noun:

An idea that dominates the mind; a fixed idea; an obsession.

*Giggle* When this first hit my inbox I immediately thought of my son and Pokemon. Even funnier, when I told him what the word meant he said, “You mean like me and Pokemon?” LOL!

Sometime in the next few days, I will be changing the hosting plan I use. The hosting prices have gone up quite a bit recently so I’m switching to a smaller plan. I only mention it because I am expecting a minor and hopefully temporary bloggus interruptus.
Later…

Well, maybe I won’t be changing plans after all. After a long and oh-so-enjoyable (NOT!) help ticket session, I am waiting for a new invoice that will reflect the old (and cheaper) pricing structure. Yay! I wanted to ask (but didn’t), why the heck didn’t the first one reflect that?!?! *sigh* Ok, the help ticket session wasn’t that bad really. They were helpful and I know enough about what goes on behind the scenes to know it ain’t always as easy as it should be. Add dealing with trouble tickets on top of that and I don’t envy their positions at all!!!

… is not my best hand. ‘Course I really don’t have a best hand, yet. Maybe I’m being too picky but I want it to look just like the writing out of the Book of Kells. Is that asking too much? I’ll try to post a pic later today. I’ve been practicing a little each night.

Wow! What a day is was yesterday. Very, very busy.

At 10:30 we had a homeschooler’s get together at a local church’s gym. Met some HSers in the area I hadn’t met before. The kids all had a great time running about and amok.

We were supposed to have lunch there, but after preparing ours we left it at home. So we popped back home to walk the dog and eat our lunch, returning for the final half hour of the play time. Hopefully we’ll be having it there more often.  I enjoyed talking with other moms as much as the kids enjoyed playing.
Right after that, Sam had a dental appointment. They were wonderful. The hygienist, Joany (rhymes with baloney says she)  was so great with Sam. She even let Jessie up into the chair too. The dentist was very attentive. We never felt rushed. At first he did not think we needed to go see an orthodontist… then he saw Sam has a cross-bite on the right, back side. *sigh*

I learned a lot at the dentist’s office about my son’s teeth. First, he has 6 adult teeth yet to come in and about 4 baby teeth yet to come out! I had no idea!! Seems I should have known that. :\ The good news is that all his adult teeth are present. The kinda bad  news is that there is no where for them to come in. So, I have cards in hand to make the consultation appointment.

The dentist appointment started at 2:30 and we didn’t get home from it until 4:30! So after preparing a quick dinner and cleaning up, we had a shire sewing night here. I only epected a few (2 or 3 folks) but the doorbell kept ringing. LOL! I think we ended up with 6…? Anyway it was fun to see everyone and see what they’re working on. I really needed to sew a few diapers but they’re not really from a period pattern. I had fun playing hostess and introducing everyone to Rooibos tea anyhoo. Bob warped up the baby inkle again and has a really neat pattern going.

Today will be  a little less hectic thank goodness. Sam does have a play date with a friend this afternoon at 3. He is very excited about that.
More later!

Coolness! Scribblers Guideline Generator: Input your ascender, body, descender and space between in millimeters and it gives you a practice page! Woot.

OK. Gave it a try. Bit disappointing. At 2-3-2-7 mm respectively, my printout is a bit wonky. Every 3rd set has a big space the 2-3-2 part. Views just fine, so I could do a screen print into MSWord if I were desperate.

Butternut and Ham Bisque

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Butter unsalted
• 1 large Onion chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Rosemary
• 2 cloves Garlic minced
• 5 cup Butternut squash peeled, diced
• 1 cup Potato peeled, diced
• 5 cup Chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Milk add extra powder
• 1 1/2 cup Ham cooked, cubed

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a medium soup pot or a large saucepan. Stir in the onion and rosemary. Partially cover the pan and cook the onion over moderate heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute.

2. Add the squash, potatoes, chicken stock, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover the pot. Cook the soup at a low boil for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft. Remove the pan from the heat.

3. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the soup solids and a ladleful of broth to a food processor (do this in batches if your processor is small). Puree the vegetables, then stir them back into the broth. Stir in the pepper, the milk, and the ham, heating for several minutes before serving.

Notes: OMG! This is soooo good. Makes me wish I had smoked garlic to use in it. Mmmmmmmmm! I would imagine that replacing the chicken broth with veg broth and leaving out the ham would make for an equally delectable vegetarian soup.

Used to be one. Loved hanging out there… even worked there. Hung out with Bob there when we first met. He worked there too. ‘Course in Okieville, there wasn’t much else to do. Well, not much that was legal anyway.
Now, I hate the mall. As soon as I enter, my head hurts. And I get grumpy, really grumpy and can’t wait to leave. Maybe it’s having to keep tabs on kids that causes this. You won’t find my kids running and shrieking down the lanes. They may try, but they don’t get far. *insert evil mommy laugh*

Maybe I’m just getting old. I’d surely rather putter about my house doing odd projects (C&I, sewing, weaving, spinning, knitting, etc). *sigh* I AM getting old.

All this talk about going to Estrella has got me really wanting to go. As Bob said, it may be the closest we get to Caid for a long time. Not that we can go this year. But if we want to go next year, we need to start planning… NOW!

So, Viking research has begun in earnest. I still think we should make up some cheaper viking clothing to see how we like wearing that style. I may start thinking to that end now. I’m really unhappy with my current garb and the kids need new. Sew…..
I’ve started a page of viking links I’ve found, you should see an appropriately named link on the right under “Unit Studies.” Yes, I’m going to use it for homeschooling too. Of course this is assuming we all survive living in a house with 2 female cats in heat. *yawn* Mirage is just about done but Jocy is just warming up. OMG! She is sooooo loud! I think they’ll both be sleeping in a room downstairs tonight. If I don’t get sleep soon, “eets a baaaad sceeeen!”