Miss R: May Fast Day Photos...

Miss M: May Fast Day Photos...

Miss A: May Fast Day Photos...

Scandinavia Unit: Rainbows...

I thought for science since we are studying Norse mythology, we would add in a bit of bifrost with a sprinkle of aurora, and study light.

We started with this book:

Which is great.  I especially like this quote:  "Since no one sees exactly the same rainbow, that rainbow you see belongs to you."

Japan Unit: The Undones...

I always, thanks mostly to pinterest, have so many awesome artsy things I want to do, and we just didn't seem to get to it...  Maybe next time around?  Or as a review sometime?

This one was a definite I was going to do, no questions.  And... I didn't.


Hokusai Art Project

And how did we not make a koi flag!  We celebrated Children's Day!  Big fail.

Koinobori Craft

And I pictured us all sitting calmly listening to Japanese traditional music on pandora (we did that- the listening; not the calmly) while working on sashiko (um, no).

Japanese Embroidery

And I planned on painting some kokeshi.  I still might get around to this.  I like painting peg dolls in general, and go through streaks where I paint a lot.  Plus we found one at the thrift.

So hopefully we re-visit Japan in the future!  Well, especially since we are hopefully moving there at some point.  There are lots more things I want us to learn about and do.

Scandinavia Unit: Books...

I am really enjoying the books this time.  Perhaps it's my latent Scandinavian heritage coming out?  Maybe my genes are vibrating a little extra hearing these stories that my ancestors listened to around their winter hearths?

I have a new favorite author.


These books that take place in Iceland are seriously wonderful.  Funny and simple, I found myself laughing along with the girls as Miss M read them.  (Part of that, I don't want to seem to brag, because it's not really my doing, is Miss M.  She reads with great expression, and is just made to read aloud.)



Look at these illustrations!  Do you not want to drop everything and go to Iceland?


This was a beautiful, gentle story with perfect illustrations.
And it reminded me that I have owned, since age five? a book by the same author that was given me by German visitors when I had the chicken pox?  Who knows; it's all a jumble, but I have this beautiful book.

Which Miss M read today and we loved it.

More blasts from my past:


Is everyone in Scandinavia just lovely, wholesome, and gentle?  Because their children's literature sure seems to be.  I love it.

Some others we've read:







The above book was horrifically sad, to me at least.  The girls loved it.  And the illustrations are amazing.  Miss M was inspired to make this drawing:

It shows Sunnymede, the land the children find, with Matthew and Anna laying under the birch trees next to a brook.

Scandinavia Unit: Billy Goats Gruff...

We decided to do a comparison of different versions of the Norwegian folk story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff.  Here, in order from Miss M's favorite to her least, are the ones we read:




These two tied for best, "Because, in the end, they all start getting along!  And that's nice."
I liked them too.  Although my island accent in the first was pretty laughable.

Next is a version in a book I have had since I was a little girl.

"I didn't like that this troll kept lots of little people on his hat.  And I did like about this story I liked the illustrations."


A basic easy reader.


And another.


I didn't really care for this one, because they called the boy "Ugly Boy Bobby."  Which I think is mean.


I liked this one, although Miss M didn't as much.  I love wood cut illustrations.  We picked this copy up at the thrift for a few cents.


And lastly...

The Yard...

I have been quite pleased with our yard this spring.  Last year we got a new driveway and this new sidewalk.  The perennials I planted after have mostly done so well!  The french lavender mostly died, but I had too much blue in there anyway.  And, all of the victoria blue salvia came back after the winter.  And... the dahlias!  The winter seemed bitterly cold and awful and long to me, but I guess it couldn't have been too bad.

The above picture was before the roses and peonies started blooming.

 The peonies have been huge.

I also love this double daisy I found at a nursery.  (The nurseries here stink.  I haven't found anything to compare with good old Willard Bay Gardens...)

Here's a shot of the eastish side of the house.  Needs a good cleanup.  The dusty miller grew right through the winter and now needs a good chop.  I've planted a plumbago since I took this.  I've tried and tried to get bleeding heart, both the regular and fernleaf, and brunnera to grow, and they just won't.  Soil too acidic maybe?  I guess I'll have to stick with the hostas and heucheras.

 The westish side, which the girls call Stony Way (the year old project to make a path out of the cement chunks taken out of our driveway is stillllll not done...), has a long bed of roses and other perennials.

 Here's my herb pot on  the west side.

 Lots of roses.

 And a jasmine arbor, which is making the whole yard sweetly fragrant right now.

 The back yard is coming along.  I edged the play area with logs for the girls to walk on.  Built two square raised planters (which I still need to stain), and just finished a brick edged bed for raspberries.  Still lots to do back here.