Family Schooling Summary: Art Class and Pottery Lesson

This our third time visiting a pottery studio.  We purchased a formal lesson this time though. Ms Jenny let the children roll out the clay and imprint leaves into the inside before laying it over a plaster bowl shaped mold. Then they made hungry caterpillars to decorate the rim of the bowls with. It was great!

Ms Jenny even let them throw clay bowls on the wheel.  She said that most teachers would say that they are too young to try it, but she likes to let people try things while they are interested in it. 

Big sister A had a very steady hand and succeeded in making a nice bowl shape.

This week we studied Winslow Homer in our "Meet the Masters" class. The kids (and I) learned about value and contrast.

I just thought this picture was a funny crime photo. They were supposed to be working on their art projects. I bet you can guess who dun what.

Family Fun

In the last days of preparing to sell our house, things got a little crazy.  Most of the toys and books were put away.  We had some library books and a few toys from the fair.  We had to get creative with our kid entertainment activities. 

We also had a lot of meals like this.  Sitting on various boxes and containers eating pizza and rolls.

We are staying in my brother P's basement until we get tired of each other or build our house, whichever comes first.  The cousins are so happy about this arrangement.  S. and JJ. hung out together sharing their mutual interest in loud rug cleaning trucks.

Big sister A had her first 2 horseback riding lessons at a local stable.

Cousin L joined during her second lesson. She is taking private lessons for now.  That is what the instructor recommended until she gets the hang of everything.

We joined the cousins for their local town fair. The sun was so bright no one could look at the camera.

I think these are the same 9 piglets that we saw at the county fair a couple weeks ago. They grow fast.

And we also tried to help with some of the typical homeowner fun that my brother's family has had going on recently. Leaking pipes and also a leaking HVAC system in the basement.  I love the way the 2 young cousins are just eating dinner watching the antics. 

Family Schooling Summary: Science Museum

Last year we had a family membership to the National Zoo.  This year we decided to get one to the Maryland Science Center. It was on sale through Living Social.  

We have been twice already and discovered new exhibits each time. Our favorite spot is the kids corner. It's gated and geared for kids under 8.  They can just run free and explore that whole area. 

Sew Special: Chairs and Quilts

I recovered all the chairs in the dining room before we started showing our house:

I also finished off a pair of small quilts for my Frenchies' 2 sons. They have 2 different car maps on the backs, but the same USA map on the front.  That way their beds could be matching.
I machine quilted around the USA map features. They are small, just 45" x 45".

Recommended Reading: August-September

I know. I know. We are very behind on blogging. Technical difficulties. They have mostly been resolved and we are back on track.

Lots of riding in the car from my brother P's house, where we are staying in his basement during the house sale, to our lessons, old neighborhood etc, means that we have been able to do a lot of reading in the car. I finally received a book that I put on hold months ago: Citizens of London - Americans Who Stood With Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour.  It was worth the wait. I love a well written story especially when it is all true. The story follows three American men who played crucial roles in Britain during WWII.  I was struck by several things. First, I did not realize that Britains suffered so many shortages during the war and well into the 1950s. While the US was enjoying the economic windfalls of wartime production and the baby boom, the British lost most of their colonial economic advantages and would never again be the world power that they were before the war. Things like clothing were rationed in Britain long after the war.  They did not get to come home and celebrate like the Americans did.  Their towns and cities were the buffer and bore the brunt of bombing, reconstruction, and also civilian casualties. Before the Americans joined in the fight half of the supply ships trying to bring goods to Britain were being sunk by German U-boats. Then American soldiers inundated Britain, taking over whole swathes of the country to make army and airforce bases, particularly during the ramp up to D day. Also, the American soldiers were hugely spoiled compared to all their British and European counterparts. Their ration allotments, pay, and uniforms were all incredibly generous relative to the meager allowances of our allies.  I could go on.  A wonderfully written history - Highly recommended!

We have also done a lot of reading aloud with the kiddos.  Here are the ones that I remember:

All great books. I would say that all except the Spiderwick series are pretty girl focused.  I remember reading King of the Wind when I was a kid and loving it. Glad that A loves horses and reading now too. I had already read the Penderwicks books too and am still loving them the second or third time reading them.

Frenchies' Visit Part II and Outdoor Fun

Photos from Daddy's phone.  Here is A. at the pony ride during the county fair. She is so excited for her first real horse riding lesson later this week.

Big sister A was super brave and volunteered to participate in the magic show at the fair in front of a large audience. She won a magic kit for doing a great job.

 Here is a cute shot showing how much the kiddos liked visiting with our Frenchies.

The older kiddos went to the fair a second time to meet up with the cousins and ride the rides.

Big sister A went to the Daddy Daughter campout. She has been looking forward to it all summer.

We met up with hubby's best friend James, who recently returned with his family from a tour in the Republic of Georgia. We took him on a surprise nature hike through a wetlands park. We saw all kinds of birds, including osprey and heron, as well as frogs and beaver homes.

 Baby L kept wanting to get down and stand on her own two feet.

Our House is For Sale!

Here is one of many sites that has the listing: http://www.estately.com/listings/info/5-highland-avenue--13