Archive for February, 2008
February 24, 2008 @ 9:18 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
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Warner Brothers seems to be pulling Spike Jonze & David Eggers off the movie version of the Sendak picture book.
February 24, 2008 @ 6:45 am | Filed under: Books
I was excited about this book long before I knew one of my own novels had been included in its pages. It combines two of my most favorite things (not just my favorite things, my most favorite things!): books and yarn.
Great Yarns for the Close-Knit Family by Mary Gildersleeve is about to hit the shelves, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. What a gem of an idea: Mary has taken twelve children’s novels, read-alouds her family loved, and created knitting projects to go with each one.
Imagine how tickled I was when I saw my own name on that booklist!
Here’s a peek at the books and their projects, courtesy of the author’s website:
1. Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
a. Pinocchio Doll and Clothes2. Canadian Summer by Hilda vanStockum
a. Mr. Magic’s Gnome Hat
b. Arthur Purcell’s “Gay” Sweater3. The Hobbit or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkein
a. Bilbo’s Backpack
b. Bilbo’s Traveling Jacket4. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
a. Ma’s Boot Socks
b. Pa’s Red-White Checked Mittens5. Little House in the Highlands by Melissa Wiley
a. Mittens for Laird Alroch & Auld Mary
b. Tullie Greyshanks Doll and Clothes6. The Lost Island by Eilis Dillon
a. Fisherman’s Jersey
b. Wool Socks for the Journey7. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
a. Mary Poppins’ Carpetbag
b. Mary Poppins’ Fur-trimmed Gloves8. Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
a. Captain Cook (penguin doll)
b. Mr. Popper’s Cozy Scarf9. Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle
a. Otto’s Chain Mail
b. Otto’s Scabbard and Belt10. Redwall by Brian Jacques
a. Matthias’ Over-sized Habit
b. Asmodeus the Snake11. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
a. Colin’s Rug and Cushion
b. Mrs. Sowerby’s Cloak12. The Wheel on the School by Meindert deJong
a. Lina’s Stocking Cap
b. Thick Wools Socks for Linda & Jan
I can’t wait to see that Tullie Greyshanks doll, but I think I’m most excited of all about Bilbo’s Traveling Jacket. I want a Bilbo’s traveling jacket!
I can also say for a certainty that Asmodeus the Snake will be crossing my path in days to come. I’m betting that’s Jane’s first project out of the book.
If you pre-order a copy from its publisher, Hillside Education, you’ll receive a free set of wooden knitting needles. Pre-orders are available through March 8th. I think the book will hit the shelves in mid-March!
February 23, 2008 @ 9:18 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
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Oh my.
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Not bad! Big selection, free, easy navigation.
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Hat tip: Patience at Knitting the Wind
February 22, 2008 @ 9:20 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
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Do toys hinder imagination?
February 22, 2008 @ 7:49 am | Filed under: Photos
Photo by Funny Grandpa.
The burns are healing beautifully and she is back to her old tricks. Such as wrapping Daddy around her little finger. Business as usual.
February 21, 2008 @ 9:22 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
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More book reviews–good stuff there!
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Delightful video clip of animal photos set to the rollicking Irish tune “All God’s Creatures.” Fun indeed! Thanks, Love2LearnMom.
February 20, 2008 @ 9:22 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
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Blog carnival hosted by Po Moyemu
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“Tomorrow night’s eclipse will officially begin at 5:43pm with the most dramatic effects visible between 7 and 8 pm then ending around 9:00pm. The moon will turn shades of red and perhaps even turquoise, according to the folks at NASA.”
February 20, 2008 @ 7:37 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
The enchanting Allison of Homeschool Hacks wrote such a nice post about Tidal Learning yesterday.* Aww…
Homeschool Hacks, if you don’t know, was created by Shannon Entin, aka PHAT Mommy, and has recently been taken over by Allison, aka Mrs. Fussypants. It’s a fun site full of tips, links, and resources for homeschoolers. Check it out!
(P.S. Whale watching update: they didn’t see a single whale! Not one, though the captain searched the waters from La Jolla to the coast of Mexico. Ah well, they had a wonderful time on the boat, saw pelicans and seals, and got rain check tickets to come back another day and try again.)
*Broken link fixed, thanks to Rebecca and JoVE. Yes, the first link went to a Duran Duran video. This probably tells you everything you need to know about me.
February 19, 2008 @ 9:21 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
February 18, 2008 @ 5:25 pm | Filed under: Family Adventures
Approximately. But I forget what they were. I am tired. We have all been sick, and some of us are still being sick, and though I am sick no longer, the annoying cough lingers, the unpleasant souvenir of a particularly ruthless cold. My Body Went to Virus Land and All I Got Was This Lousy Cough.
Poor Jane was hit the hardest: she gave us quite a scare the other day. Valentine’s Day, I think it was? Or the day before; it’s all a blur. The combo of high fever and not having eaten breakfast yet caused her to pass out on the bathroom floor. I heard something fall and called to her, and she didn’t respond, and then I found her there all limp limbs and tangled hair. When I knelt beside her, she roused and said, "What? I thought I was in my bed," which was funny a long time later. I got her to her feet and then she began to moan and her body began to sink, heavy in my arms, and I lowered her back to the floor and her eyes were wide and staring and there was nobody there.
Not my favorite moment of motherhood.
Beanie was standing behind me shrieking What’s wrong with her??? as shrill as a teakettle at full steam, and I sent her for the phone while I shook Jane and shouted at her, and after what seemed like forever but wasn’t really, Jane blinked and came back and wanted to know why she was on the bathroom floor and what was wrong with Bean. I dialed the doctor whose nurse made the whole thing even scarier by saying in a voice taut with alarm: "Get her to the ER immediately," adding that if I couldn’t get Jane to the car without her passing out again, I should call an ambulance. But then she said that it was probably just the fever and empty stomach. Which is what five hours of tests and waiting, mostly waiting, at the ER confirmed.
So that’s good.
The next day, Jane was still feeling lethargic. Her little sister decided to help perk her up with cup of mint tea. She left the mug steeping too close to the edge of the counter, and Rilla pulled it down upon herself.
That was a bad moment.
She was scalded on her neck, ear, and shoulder, but I got cold wet cloths on it immediately and the burns were not severe. Thank God. It was awful for Rilla and awful for me, but perhaps worst of all for the tenderhearted sister who had unknowingly left the mug in baby’s reach.
All in all, a rough week for my poor girls. Every one of them was laid flat by the fever at some point and suffered sleepless nights due to their own coughing or their roommates’.
Ah, but Saturday morning brought an upswing in our spirits with the happy arrival of my parents and my eleven-year-old niece. Nothing in the world beats grandparent therapy. We stuck pretty close to home on Saturday, battling the last day of Beanie’s fever, but by Sunday the older girls were well enough to go to church and then Scott and I snuck away for lunch together. In the late afternoon my folks took all the kids except the baby—who is still, today, feverish and crabby, and who gave us quite a wretched night last night, what with the crying and the fevering and the being original and adding throwing up to the mix, which none of the other kids had thought of doing—for a walk at our favorite nature center. And today? Oh my children are so lucky. As I type, they are on a boat on the Pacific, looking for whales. Whales! And dolphins! Yes, I am jealous. But of course my two littlest people are not really candidates for three-hour boat tours even in prime health, and most definitely not today.
I can’t wait for the girls to come home and tell me all about it. Perhaps the mental image of whales fluking, or whatever it is that whales do, will replace the pictures I can live happily without, thank you very much: Jane’s blank staring eyes; shrieking Rilla drenched in hot tea. My friend Sarah used to work as a pediatric nurse, and she told me that to this day she cannot walk out into the first crisp day of autumn without thinking about how that weather always meant a rush of toddler patients with burns from cups of coffee, tea, hot cocoa left carelessly in reach.
That night I served fish sticks for dinner (Friday in Lent, doncha know), and as I forked them onto plates I remarked casually that they were too hot to eat yet, they’ll burn your mouths…and I heard a gasp from Rilla’s direction and saw her sitting in her chair with both hands clasped to her mouth, her eyes huge with horror. I guess she understands burn now.
Whales! Dolphins! Salt spray, wind in hair!
Yes, that’s better.
