Anceint Egypt

The girls are having a great year so far. They love their new curriculum, Tapestry of Grace. We are using year one and just finished studying ancient Egypt. Both of them learned an amazing amount from the wonderful books, numerous hands-on-projects and thought provoking questions and activities sheets. It would take much too long to tell you all we did so I will just hit on the highlights.

The picture above shows the girls in costume with their paddle dolls waiting the arrival of the other families for our end of Egypt feast. Their crowns are made of card stock and tinfoil. They made the beads for their necklaces out of sculpty clay, baked them and strung the necklaces. It is hard to see, but they are standing in front of our timeline. This has been a great project this year. It covers the entire door! Each Friday, we add the figures we studied that week. It is a great way to review!

Here Sarah works on her paddle doll. Both girls are glad they have American Girl dolls instead of these!

The girls had a blast creating these edible maps of Egypt. There are large sugar cookies that the kids frosted to depict the geography they had been studying. We used blue and green frosting for the Nile and the fertile land along its banks. Crushed graham cracker was perfect for the arid desert sand. Chocolate chips became pyramids. And red hots the cities. I'm not sure if the kids enjoyed making or eating the best.

Feast day finally arrived. All the kids had a great time and didn't think the food was too bad either. We had an Egyptian marinated chicken (thanks Molly), Tiger Nut Dates, Hummus and Pita Bread, Chicken Soup, Pomegranates and Mango. Each child had a cartouche with their name in hieroglyphics as a place card. Can you guess whose this is?

After feasting it was on to the main event - Mummification! Each of the kids mummified a doll. It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience. They performed each of the steps on their doll. First we talked about removing the organs. This we couldn't do, but the children drew a red heart to remind them that the heart remained in the body. Then they washed the dolls and massaged them with spice scented oils. Next they were packed in salt to dry them out. While they were drying, everyone cut amulets out of foam sheets. These would be hidden in the layers of linen wrappings. Next it was time to wrap the mummies. We use a water and glue mixture for the resin. This was great fun and I think everyone learned a lot.

The finished mummies look great! Some of them even smell pretty good too!

The day ended with the kids doing their best rendition of "Walk like an Egyptian." Aren't they adorable! A great success, we can't wait to get our families together for the next unit celebration.

Graduation Day!

What a big day for Mr. D. Not only did he graduate from the police academy, but he was #1 in his class. He worked hard and deserved this honor. The class ranking was kept a secret until the award was presented so it was a great surprise. I am so glad that his parents were there to share the evening with us. Good luck in your new career. We are so PROUD of you! And thanks to the girls for being so understanding and supportive of their dad this summer.

Spring has Sprung! - Finally

The snow is finally gone and my daffodils are blooming. This is one of my favorite times of year. After the long New England winter the bright yellow is truly a ray of sunshine. I can see this garden from my kitchen window. I love to sip my morning coffee and watch the robins search for the early worm among the flowers. And doing the dishes is a little bit more enjoyable with the view.

The red, pink, and orange tulips should be right around the corner. Then the daisies and iris. Oh how blessed we with the beauty that God the Father has bestowed on us. I love to take it all in. He truly is the greatest artist. My garden always reminds me of His love for us. It reminds me to paint my world beautifully to show my love to my family. The first step will be to cut some of these for the kitchen table.

Aren't They Cute?

We went with our homeschool group to a local goat farm. There were a bunch of babies. This little guy is about six weeks old. There were a few babies born yesterday that were still with their mothers and a few mamas still waiting to give birth.

The girls had a great time petting the goats and tasting the milk and cheeses. Hannah loved the cheese - what a surprise. we brought home a quart of milk to make yogurt. Yummy!

We learned so much about goats. Did you know. . .

• That a goat produces a gallon of milk per day?




• That more goats are milked in the world than cow?




• That goats milk is more easily digested than cows milk?

Oh how the girls and I wanted to bring home a couple of goats. Wouldn't it be great to have fresh milk every day? Unfortunately we don't have the property for a pair of goats. Maybe at the next house.

First Day of T-Ball

The girls had their first T-ball practice today. They both completely enjoyed themselves. Sarah is playing short stop and Hannah is in center field. It was so cute to watch all of the kids. Most of them had never played before. I had to chuckle as the ball rolled between legs, balls bounced a couple of times before reaching their target, and children ran the bases backwards. Their coach was wonderful, praising the kids and giving them pointers. Both girls can't wait until next week. Go Bears!

Rebekah's Dedication

What a glorious day. Today, in front of family and friends, we dedicated Rebekah to the Lord. It was a beautiful ceremony, filled with so much love for our Lord. As always, Rebekah was the perfect angle. It was amazing to watch her little face as Pastor spoke of our family's commitment to the Lord and her. It was as if she was affirming every single word. Oh how strong the presence of the Lord was. I pray that presence will continue to surround little Rebekah all the days of her life. That she will be blessed with a close and loving relationship with Jesus everyday. And that she will always know what a blessing and miracle she is to our family. I thank God for her everyday.

Wonderful Day

What a wonderful day the girls and I had. We woke up to a blanket of snow. Not my idea of the best weather for April, but it was beautiful. The girls and I actually finished out morning chores early and enjoyed a breakfast of warm blueberry muffins. Yummy! School even went off without a hitch. Hannah's reading is coming along amazingly. I am so proud of her.

The girls spent the afternoon having tea parties with their American Girl Dolls, while I finished a sewing a skirt I cut out last night. It turned out quite well for a novice sewer.

Sarah made lasagna for dinner. She did a great job. It was so good. She is becoming quite the little cook. She served it with grilled garlic toast, salad, and brownies for dessert.

We are supposed to get another 6 inches of snow tonight, so we are all bundled in with the wood stove roaring. Now to join the family for a game of Blockus.