Gutenberg printing potato

We're up to pre-Reformation history in school. It's very exciting to read of brave men like John Wycliffe and John Huss who wanted the people to know that the Bible taught God's grace as FREE and not something which could be purchased. They so desperately wanted the Bible to be in the peoples' hands that they hand-copied portions of it to be read to the common folk (like you and me!) This week we've taken a little mosey into the life of Johann Gutenberg. The first book he printed was the Bible, in Latin, so that people could read it for themselves. One of the projects included making a potato printing block. The girls and I made them yesterday and admitted that Gutenberg must've been through a lot of potatoes as he worked his idea of movable type in the printing press. (The pictures aren't in the right order)

Lydia worked away at her "L" only to realize that it had to be carved in the reverse in order to print properly. Thankfully Abigail and I chose "reversible" letters!
It made us all the more thankful to have men of great courage and determination in our church family history!

We also learned about limericks in Grammar. Here's our interdisciplinary limerick:

John Wycliffe and John Huss

They caused a terrible fuss,

They knew the Word

Should be preached and heard,

The people, in the Pope could not trust.

Spring??

Happy Valentine's Day! We celebrated this event in a non-event fashion by giving gifts early and taking advantage of free (second row!) seats at the Symphony on Saturday night. Kevin and I had a wonderful time--watching a piano concerto played from 10 feet away. It was really amazing. Kevin gave me these beautiful roses which are brightening our dining room.And here they are...the crocuses--our first sign of spring! They are bravely fluttering in the wind in the front yard heralding the arrival of warmer weather and the promise of longer days!
Here are our hyacinths also making a brave attempt from the square foot garden. They are multiplying each year, and I can't wait to smell their fragrance in the breeze.
The boys helped me transplant a rose bush yesterday. From behind I heard this little voice, "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap," and found Simeon with all the cones on his head mimicking the peddler in Caps for Sale. I really don't care for that book because I think it's weird, but it is a staunch favorite and I have read it many, many times.

Here Comes the Band

Another impromptu moment when the boys struck up the band. Simeon tooted away on his recorder and Philip followed with the world's tiniest cymbals.I love these moments and know that one day they will be so embarrassed to see these photos! Right now they are really into a (free download) song from the Sovereign Grace album "Walking with the Wise" called "Lazy Bones". It has a fun beat and reminds them to be more like the ant, than the lazy bones so that we glorify God in all our work!

Decoding

A few weeks ago, Simeon asked me to tell him about "McMuglan." I asked him numerous times to repeat the word, and he would just say more slowly and deliberately "Mc-Mug-lan". I had to give up and say, "Sorry Buddy! I just don't know what that is." He'd sort of give an "oh-well" kind of shrug and the day would move on.
Today we were rushing about getting ready for cheerleading and he picked up a book and said, "McMuglan!" I turned to see him holding "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel." Of course! McMuglan--Mike Mulligan. I just had to wait long enough for the word to reappear in context and then I got it!

Of Finger-Knitting and Andy Griffith

We are in our last week of break. Ah, the reveling in sleepy mornings, second cups of coffee, children who delight to play with each other without even a hint of arg...yeah, right! Our breaks are generally filled with fun visits to friends' homes, friends filling our home, mom drinking more than 2 cups of coffee in the day (mostly decaf) and her recognizing greater and deeper areas of instruction which get brushed over in school time! So, while it is definitely wonderful to have a change of pace, the Lord uses it to also humble the parents--which is painful.

Anyway, this week, the girls and Philip went to my parents' home on Monday and spent the night. It was Philip's first sleep away from home and he did marvelously. I had Simeon at home with me and spent lots of time rearranging the school room, throwing away sheet after sheet of paper, looking through the remainder of the curriculum, re-evaluating the curriculum, you know all the fun stuff. On the Tuesday morning, Simeon said, "Want to go the barm with me (yes, he calls it a barm rather than a barn) and we can see horses, and cows, and sheep, and chickens." "Well," I said, "how about we go and see puppies and kitty cats and fish and birds!" I had designs for us to do some shopping errands and I'd throw in a look-see at PetSmart as his treat. He actually really loves being the only child, so he sort of looked serenely out of the window in the van and sucked his pacifier and kept his hat on--all things which are interfered with by older siblings.

When the children returned, the girls had learned how to finger-knit. I am now the proud owner of a finger-knitted necklace. It's a pretty neat thing and the girls picked it up really quickly; anything which keeps them occupied is fine with me!

The top photo is of our newest Andy Griffith collection. If you come by our house on any given weeknight around 5 p.m, you're likely to find me hovering over a stove and the children crashed out in the living room watching an Andy Griffith episode on the computer. We have already seen the first and second seasons a number of times, so today we acquired the 3rd season. The kids are delighted! And it buys me 21 minutes of sanity!