Pictures and such

My friend Tracy posted much more details about our trip to hear Stephanie Pearl-McPHee. I'll give you the link to her post so you can see the pics and hear about our fantastic adventure!

Tracy's account

Yarn Harlot

The Yarn Harlot was sooooo funny! My friends and I road tripped down to Vero Beach early this morning to get good seats for hearing Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

She's even funnier in person than she is in her books! She talked for an hour about how knitting is good for us and good for humanity and non-knitters just don't get it. Scientific studies even show that knitting is good for promoting the "theta" brain wave!

On our way home, our friend Hannah had to pull a MacGyver and fix her bumper, which was knocked partially loose, with some yarn. Tracy and I were sooo impressed.

And now AJ is stealing Terry's socks. I must rescue them both.

Yarn Harlot is coming to town!

So excited. I'm riding with a friend or two down to Vero Beach for the day tomorrow to meet The Yarn Harlot. Who, according to her blog, had a heck of a time at the airport catching a flight to FL.

Here's to knitting, autographed books and girl time!

My First Mosaic

My First Mosaic

Originally uploaded by staciplonsky

I just learned how to make this really cool mosaic from my friend Alisa Beth (AB's Blog in the link section on my page).

Flaxseed

I read that adding flaxseed to smoothies is a good way to up the nutritional content. I bought a bag today, unground. It turns out that you should grind it before putting it in smoothies, or so I hear. Ancient Greeks and Romans used to eat it raw, like a nut. And I see why--it is GOOOOD!!!

Plus it's healthy. It contains 4 grams of fiber in just two Tablespoons, compared with 1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal! It also contains high levels of lignans, a natural antioxidant. . . and compared 2 Tb of flaxseed, you'd need 30 cups of broccoli to get teh same amount. And, then, of course, it contains Alpha linolenic Acid (and Omega-3). One serving contains 2400mg of omega-3.

Let's see how fast we go through a bag of this! :)

Here are some suggested uses from webmd.com:
"The recommended daily amount of flaxseed is approximately 1-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed, or 1 teaspoon of flax oil (which is best used cold, perhaps mixed in a vinaigrette salad dressing). Morris' favorite way to get her flaxseed is to mix a tablespoon of the ground seeds with 2 tablespoons of honey, and then spread the mixture on toast. "It has a nutty flavor," she says, "and is a great alternative to buttering your toast."

Texas nutritionist Natalie Elliott offers these additional suggestions for adding flax to your diet:

Sprinkle ground flax on cereal, yogurt, or salads.
Mix flax into meatloaf or meatballs.
Add ground flax to pancake, muffin, or cookie batter, or other baked goods such as pie crust.
Coat fish or homemade chicken nuggets in ground flaxseed and oven fry.
Toss salads with flax oil and vinegar.
Or try one of her favorites, "Nat's Flax Snacks":

1 cup Karo corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup ground flax
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups of Rice Krispies


Mix together the first five ingredients in a saucepot over low heat until melted and smooth. Add Rice Krispies to the pot and stir. Pour contents into a buttered 9"x13" pan. Press down to flatten. Stir, cool, and cut into 8 bars."

Reflections

Well, Grace and I have almost completed her first year homeschooling. It went really well, and we're looking  forward to continuing next year. I've selected her math curriculum, and am exploring other subjects for next year. She's been a joy to teach. I feel so blessed to stay home with my children and raise them the way I believe God has called our family to do.

AJ was in preschool from January on. He's matured so much and we're so proud of his development! He has a great belly laugh all of a sudden and gets so silly. 

We were on vacation last weekend in St Augustine and it was bliss. The kids were so well behaved. I was very proud of them. We explored history by morning and the beach and pools by afternoon and evening. Only when you homeschool can you take school on the road! :)

Anyhow, that's a quick update on us. I'm looking forward to seeing the Yarn Harlot (Stephenie Pearl-McPhee) when she visits Vero Beach next Saturday. I think, since it's Memorial Day Weekend, we might make another vacation out of it.  I suppose I should start looking at activities and places to stay. . .

Louis Armstrong

Grace is quite a fan. She saw a picture of him the other day and wanted to know who he was and why his picture was in the magazine. (It's actually a really cool ad for Americans for the Arts.. . here's a blinkie I found at their site!


Anyhow, I found some clips of Satchmo on YouTube. She's particularly fond of "What a Wonderful World." So here was our conversation:

GP: Mom, can I get Louis (pronounced Lew-Is) Armstrong's autograph?
SP: His name is "Lou-ie" Armstrong. And no, honey, he died.
GP: *Gasp* He did? . . . .(pause) When I die, and I go to heaven, can I get Louis Armstrong's autograph in heaven?
SP: That's a great idea, honey.
GP: And can I sing with him? Because I really love to sing.
SP: Sure, Grace. That would be really cool.
GP: Yes, because when I go to heaven, and Louis Armstrong is in heaven, we can sing together!

You know, I love homeschooling. Because I can take teachable moments and USE them. We danced to his music, we watched how he moved his whole body when he sang, Grace noted the piano in the song. We watched him play his trumpet in "When the Saints Go Marching In" and Grace asked about his dark skin. We talked about jazz and how music makes us feel deeper emotions.

With all the cuts going on regarding funding for schools, I would be a fool to place my daughter in the public education system. What will education be like without arts and music and physical education to supplement reading, writing and 'rithmetic? In my experience, the arts gave me a reason to read, write and count. They fill our spirits in ways that we cannot measure.