A Path to Plutarch

Not too long ago one of my friends asked me a few questions about teaching Plutarch.  Her son is in late elementary school, and according to Charlotte Mason's timeline, it's about time to introduce a bit of Plutarch.

I've been asked to give a couple of talks on Plutarch at a couple of (small) homeschool conferences, and the one sense I always get from mothers at these conferences is that they are straight-up intimidated by teaching Plutarch. I understand that, because I was, too: I barely knew who he was when I began teaching his Lives in our homeschool co-op a number of years ago.  So I'm not an expert; I just have some experience. 

{That's Plutarch! From a Wikipedia photo.}

I thought that I'd write a few blog posts about my own experience teaching Plutarch.  I may quote Charlotte Mason here and there, because in general I do follow her methods and wisdom in our own homeschool. But I've also learned a lot from just teaching Plutarch.  

Here's what I plan to cover in these posts:

Part One: Why? When?

Part Two: Beginnings

Part Three: Teaching Plutarch

Part Four: Group Teaching Tips 

I hope to publish one each Monday in December. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions about teaching Plutarch, or any advice/wisdom of your own to share, do feel free to speak up.  We learn best when we learn from each other!

My Great-Grandmother's Pillowcases

 For a few years we've had cafe curtains (that I found at a thrift shop) in our master bathroom, but I knew they were just placeholders.  Once our bathroom was finished, I decided to figure out the new curtain situation.  I wanted something a bit more linen-y than the cotton ones I had, and not too sheer.  

My aunt has given me a large collection of old things that used to belong to my grandmother and great-grandmother.  I found two similar pillowcases, both beautiful linen, tatted and embroidered by my great-grandmother.  I decided to turn them into the new curtains for our bathroom--the aged softness of the linen is a wonderful foil, in my eyes, to the cold porcelain tile.  The pillowcases also blend well with the beadboard wainscoting and the warm wood floors.  They make me happy. 

They were quick to sew and hang; I actually think I'm going to move them up about four inches, but for now, this is what they look like, and I think they're perfect.  I also love the reminder of my paternal great-grandmother every day, just as I love the reminder of my maternal grandmother every day.  

It is good to be surrounded by the memories of the people I have loved, and whose lives have so influenced and impacted my own.  

I have said it before and I'll say it again: I love old things!

The Graylyn Estate

 We recently cashed in Finn's 13th birthday present (he turned 13 in June--but Blogger won't let me update his age on my profile!): a trip to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro.  In reality, Finn would like to go to England, France, or Germany.  I decided to try to bring a little bit of Europe to him during this trip, and we chose to stay at a European-inspired boutique hotel in Winston-Salem. 

As soon as we pulled up to the Graylyn Estate Manor House, we remarked that it reminded us of a smaller Biltmore. After we checked in and unloaded our bags, we enjoyed a tour of the Manor House by Herb, who was a wonderful guide!  During that tour we learned that Mrs. Gray, who designed and had the house built (with her millionaire husband's input, of course!) in the late 1920s/early 1930s, grew up in Asheville.  Ahhh, I thought.  That explains the Biltmore-esque appearance!

The Grays had traveled to Europe and brought back with them some very interesting items for the house, including an arched doorway from France and some wall panels that the French government didn't want to release, prompting Mr. Gray to take the case to the French Supreme Court, who ruled in his favor!  But the French government did require plaster molds to be made of the panels before they could leave the country.  Fascinating!

On the outside of the house you can see the stones of the cantilevered stairs rounding around the stair tower.

The back of the Manor House features a lovely little garden area.  There's also a white garden, which was past blooming when we visited, but I could see rusty hydrangea shrubs shaped into trees, and I imagine that during the summer it's beautiful. 

We stayed in the Mews, a Normandy-inspired area near the Manor House.  

At the Mews, the roses were still blooming--in mid-November!  My own yellow roses are also finishing their season right now. 

Earlier this year, I almost purchased a few sky pencil evergreens for our garden space, but decided against it because I felt I needed to think about it longer.  But now I've decided to do it! Next year....

This was the view from our hotel room.

Finn loved it! He felt like he was in France!  I just wish we'd been able to stay another night.  

We had a quick, early breakfast in the light-filled enclosed stone porch. My husband and I have a longstanding love of stone spaces.  Here he is with his ubiquitous green tea and lots of gorgeous stone. The breakfast was adequate, but not particularly excellent.  However, the wait staff was excellent!

This was one of my favorite spaces in the house. The color of these tufted chairs is my all-time favorite shade of blue, and the Chesterfield-esque shape of them is my all-time favorite shape. Look at that fireplace! And those steel doors!  

After breakfast on Saturday morning, we walked back to the Mews via the stone bridge over a small lake. Very picturesque! 

The grounds are simple and well-kept.  Even the outdoor pool house is consistent with the architecture of the Manor House and the Mews. 

The stay itself was a little higher-priced than I would have anticipated for the actual accommodations. Our room was squeaky clean (my top requirement of any place we stay!) and comfortable, with a sweet little courtyard in the back, which we didn't get to use because we were only there for one quick night. Every other thing we needed was provided, except one. The one thing that would have truly helped bolster the stay would have been an in-room coffeemaker.  Breakfast opened at 7 am, but for those of us who rise long before that and like our coffee, having it at our fingertips at 5:30am would have been really nice!  It would have been particularly nice to enjoy it on our little private courtyard.  Alas!

Graylyn Estate is owned by Wake Forest University, and I found myself half-hoping that Finn or Annie will choose Wake Forest one day, so that perhaps we can find an excuse to go back and stay at the Graylyn again.

Happy birthday to our blue-eyed, blonde-haired, Francophone, Spanish-speaking, artistic, musical, kind-hearted, good-natured, gem of a son. 

We are now parents of a teenager! And what a wonderful teenager he is. :)

A Simple System for Christmas Gift Giving

 Christmas is coming, and the top shelf of my closet shows it: wrapped gifts are already stacked there, waiting for our Christmas tree (which we get the day after Thanksgiving!). 

Over the years I've developed a little system for gift-giving to our children that seems to work well.  I've seen different variations over the years; some people give each child "something to make, something to wear, something they need," et cetera.  I follow a different approach.

Each Christmas, now that my children aren't tiny, we give them:

*a pair of pajamas (which they open on Christmas Eve, to wear on Christmas morning)

*a stocking full of goodies which they open first thing on Christmas morning, before our brunch

After brunch, they open the other gifts: 

*an ornament (we have always done this! in fact, my husband and I began the tradition with each other when we were first married, and now have dozens of ornaments reflecting what we have done over the years!) that has something to do with what we've done or they've enjoyed during the year, and is dated

*a book that appeals to their current interests (this year Finn is getting this one!!! He has the European version and loves it...) 

*some sort of much-desired item, or an item that I know they'll love (this year they're each getting a Lego set)

*maybe one or two other small things that I think they'll like, such as a game or another book.....

and....

*a trip!  I originally got this idea when Finn was tiny, from Anna at Pleasantview Schoolhouse.  I squirreled away in my "one day" mental files, and now "one day" is here because our children are definitely old enough to enjoy trips as gifts.  They don't have to be big trips, either.  This year I think Finn's will be more of a local low-key "day outing" with treats built in, and Annie's will be a longer trip that will involve a nice hotel, George Washington (her hero), and dollhouses........and since all four of us go on the trips, both children will get to enjoy each other's trips. :) 

(This was our tree 2 years ago--not the usual concolor fir, because my husband was so sick from his cancer treatments that we couldn't go to the Christmas tree farm.  My father-in-law picked the children and me up in his pickup and we bought a tree from a local nursery, then he came back and put it up for us so that we could decorate it later in the day with my husband watching......

oh, I'm so glad for health.  So, so glad!! The rejoicing never leaves my heart.)

So that's my simple system for our children: an ornament, a book, a stocking, a pair of pajamas, a "fun" much-desired item, and a trip, with maybe another goodie or two thrown into the mix.  This is plenty! I also appreciate that we can take the trip later in the year, and thus spread the cost out a bit.  I typically do the other shopping in August or September, so that's done and those gifts are wrapped.  November and December are generally very expensive times of the year for us, with insurance payments, property taxes, and post-Christmas travel all coming at us at once, so it's nice to not have the added expense of a lot of Christmas presents all at once. 

And do you want to know the one thing I never give my children at Christmas? Clothes!  Or shoes. 

Maybe next week I'll talk about stocking stuffers. Because that's a whole realm unto itself.

Do you have a Christmas gift system that works for you?  I'm always curious to hear what other people do!

Slipcovered Piano Bench

A couple of years ago we inherited my grandmother's piano.  I have loved having this piano in our main room, where I can listen to Finn practice (our other piano is downstairs from our main living space). But I have to say, the peachy fabric on the piano bench left a lot to be desired. I don't want to reupholster it yet, because I don't want to commit to a fabric just yet.  So I just decided to sew it some new clothes! 

This project was quite easy and I knocked it out in the course of about two hours one afternoon.  I used white denim fabric that I'd gotten ages ago for a song.  I only stuck myself once or twice with the pins and did not have to rip out any seams.  Amazing!

I have discovered that I have a heretofore-unknown love of piping.  I could make and sew piping all day long.  Please, send me something else to pipe!!  It's so fun.

The skirt turned out a bit shorter than I wanted, but it's still super cute and much more my speed than the peach-colored fabric that matched nothing in my house and didn't look right at all.  I'm happy with it!

Cleaning a Tiled Shower

 I just love our new tiled shower (my first-ever experience with tile ownership), but I was daunted by how to clean it. I'm not sure why I was daunted, but it was something about the crystal-clear glass doors, the hard well water, and the grout.  

Ages before the shower was done, I'd already purchased a squeegee for the shower. My neighbor, who is a professional housekeeper (she cleans huge, expensive houses) said that the best way to keep the glass door free of soap scum and water spots was just to use a squeegee* on it after every shower.  So from the very beginning, we have diligently used that after every single shower, and let me tell you: it works!!!  I went for months without actually having to clean the doors because, well, they were squeegeed every day. They were crystal clear and clean, even with our hard water.

The other little practice I implemented was to protect the polished chrome.  Our sink faucet gets water spots easily, so I decided that if we didn't let water dry on the chrome, we wouldn't have to worry about water spots.  So after a shower, we also wipe down the chrome in the shower until it's perfectly dry.

This may seem like a lot of extra work, but the whole thing tacks less than two minutes onto each shower, which is well worth it to me. And it means I can go for much longer between deep-cleanings, which is a great timesaver.

The grout and porcelain tile, which intimidated me, I was able to tackle with the help of Cheryl Mendelson and this grout brush. I basically used a vinegar and water solution and scrubbed the tile and grout, and nothing horrible happened. In fact, it got clean!  Whew. Our tile man had said that I couldn't hurt it, but I was still scared.  But now I think he may be right!

When I deep-clean the shower, I use the vinegar/water solution on the tile, and the most magical shower door cleaner ever. The girls who help me with my house introduced it to me and it really is magic.  It's a combination of Dawn and vinegar. It works. They don't clean my bathroom; I do that myself.  But they use it on our basement bathroom shower doors, and it's great.

Our children's bathroom is on tap for a renovation sometime in the next year or so.  I think I will choose an aged brass (unlacquered would be ideal, but it's probably way outside our budget) and a shower curtain, because I will not expect my children to keep chrome polished and a door sparkling clean.  This is real life, after all. :) 

*As an aside, isn't this a satisfyingly funny word? I think so.  Squeegee!

Habits Challenge Check-In

 This summer I decided to focus on eliminating one bad habit per month. The first one I wanted to focus on was by far what I consider my worst habit: the habit of eating while standing up!  I started to work on it in July, and I quickly learned how hard it is to break your own worst habit. And that is why I haven't posted anything since!

I would say I'm almost there with this bad habit.  I still find myself grazing when I'm super hungry (the key is do not get super hungry or if you do get super hungry, sit DOWN for the snack!). I still find myself rummaging through the dark chocolate and having a square while I'm not fully focused, which is such an insult to good chocolate, and not the way I want to be at all......

So. I will continue to work on this, with the hope of being completely free of the bad habit by the end of this calendar year.  

And I've also begun working on another one of my bad habits.

Don't laugh, but I have the quirky habit of leaving a drawer or door slightly open.  Does anyone else do this? It's so strange! I think it's because our house is quite small, and closing a door or drawer makes a noise, and I trained myself when my children were young to make as little noise as possible (naptimes, early bedtimes, late waketimes), but it's not serving any purpose now.  

My husband and I laugh about me leaving a drawer one inch from being closed, or a door closed but not shut fast, but in reality, it is kind of an annoying habit--even if it's funny, because it serves no purpose except to not make noise, and it doesn't even make that much noise!

So! I have already started to turn over a new leaf on this, my most ridiculous bad habit.  I'm making a conscious effort to close the doors and drawers!  Popping in to get something out of the pantry?  Listen for the click that indicates it's shut.  Reaching into the mechanical room to get the broom?  Click, shut the door. Getting a spoon to stir the tea?  Push the drawer all the way in.  

So this month I'll be working on sitting down while eating and closing the drawer and doors all the way.  

Oh, humans!  We are such a funny lot. 

My First Slipcover: A Chair with Arms and Legs

This year I decided to slipcover The Gold Chair.  This is a chair I've had forever; it belonged to my mom, and I never really loved the gold fabric, but the chair itself is comfortable and I could never justify getting rid of it. 

I watched the Miss Mustard Seed slipcover videos (here's her playlist, but scroll down to find the videos--they are not the ones labeled "old").  They're so helpful!  Then I just used white denim I had on hand, and I got to work.

I pricked myself a million times when I was pin-fitting the slipcover to the chair back.

One thing I didn't realize was that figuring out how to work around those arms and legs would be challenging.  It would have been so much easier to sew a slipcover that simply covered the whole piece, like one for a wingback chair.  So I tackled something a little complex for my first slipcover, and it took a lot of thinking. 

But I did it! 

I love the white fabric.  It's so bright.

You can't see the ties here--but I did sew cute ties onto the back.

And now Alice the Cat has a comfy place to sleep.  

...and I love that I can wash the slipcover anytime!

The Literary Feline

Annie walked into her bedroom one morning recently and found Alice just like this.

She's such a well-read cat......

 

Natural Bridge, Virginia

This is one of those "pictures can't do it justice" places.

Once surveyed by George Washington, who carved his initials into the rock of the bridge, and later owned by Thomas Jefferson, Natural Bridge is just a beautiful place to visit. On the day we met friends there, there were cars from New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and more there. 

The bridge is easy to access (and Route 11 actually goes over the top of it), and after you marvel at it, you can hike up a very easy, accessible trail to a waterfall vista.  Along the way you'll see a cave, a "lost river" that flows inside the mountain, a Monacan Indian village, and a Tolkien quote carved into stone.

The friend I met there is a Virginia resident, and she was able to enjoy free admission because she checked a "state parks" backpack out of the local library system.  This is such a neat idea! So if you are a Virginia resident with access to a backpack via your local library system, check it out.

I could have stood in gaping awe at the bridge for hours. 

And imagining George Washington and Thomas Jefferson standing in the exact same spot you're standing and admiring the exact same thing you are seeing is--well, it's just wonderful.  

Truly. If you ever drive Interstate 81 through Virginia, stop at Natural Bridge!  It's just off the interstate, awe-inspiring, and the hike is easy and fun for children.  A perfect little outing.

Choosing Paint Colors

 For a couple of years now I've known that our golden walls are not long for this world.  But in my world, "not long for this world" means...I'll paint them within the next five years.  

This year I decided to start taking seriously the search for a new wall color for our main room.  This room includes the living area, dining area, kitchen, stairwell, and hallway.  We live in a very small, open concept home, so all these areas will have the same paint color.  Back in 2005, I painted them (for the first time-they'd never been painted before!) Benjamin Moore's "Golden Straw." It worked well for us for a while; we had a blue sofa in those days and white carpet (!).  But times change. 

You can see the Golden Straw here......(and the fabric strip is a sample of my curtain fabric. I adore my curtains!).

At first I thought I was going for a cream, but I didn't want anything too yellow or peach. 

I spent much of the summer sending paint chip pictures to my cousin, who likes color and interior decor and shares my slightly-obsessive personality.  I'm grateful for her!

I began to realize I really think I need a warm gray, not a cream. Not too cool.  Not too deep.

I made lots of notes on different colors. 

I acquired so many paint chips!

I ordered two different orders from Samplize (I highly recommend them!). None of the six colors I chose from Samplize ended up being the right one.  I had more honing to do....

An interior design friend sent a few 8x8 panels.  I mounted them on posterboard, along with more paint chips. (Ignore the blue; my front door is Yarmouth Blue which is much, much lighter than it looks in this photo!)

And now, at long last, I may have decided on a paint to try--that means, for me, buy a sample pot!  

 I tend to be quite deliberate in making these types of decisions; I'd rather take my time and really think it through and make the right choice than start to paint too soon and then regret my decision.  

I am not in a big rush, although painting sooner would be so nice; homeschooling is very demanding for me this year, and I doubt I'll be able to take the time to paint until next summer.  But I might surprise myself. Until then......

I continue to hone in on the perfect warm, light grey that will play nicely with my curtains, my china cabinet, the piano, and the enormous brown leather sofa that my husband loves--and I think I'm almost there.

Tell me I'm not the only one who does it like this......

Summer Capsule Wardrobe: A (Semi) Minimalist's Closet

 I am a fan of having a small wardrobe.  I think that if you only have a small amount of clothing, life is easier: you don't have as many decisions to make and you don't have to rummage through an overstuffed closet to find something! One of the reasons I love owning fewer clothing items is because nothing is ever languishing around in the closet. I only own what I actually wear or what has sentimental value to me (only a few of those items exist!).  Perhaps I do take this to an extreme, but I think I have too many clothes; compared to most American women, I probably have very few.

This was my summer wardrobe this year:

*4 dresses

*   1 pair of seersucker trousers

*1 skirt 

*3 pairs of shorts (I have several because I bought them before we went to DisneyWorld; otherwise, I wouldn't own any shorts!)

*2 blouses

*2 lightweight cardigans

Not pictured, in another drawer, are a couple of tee shirts that can be worn with the skirt or shorts. 

I don't count my exercise clothes or my swimsuits, because I only use those for a particular purpose.  The majority of the time this summer, I wore the clothes in the photo. 

For church I'd wear a dress with a cardigan and sometimes a scarf or wrap, as well as nice shoes and jewelry.  On a "normal" day of shopping or being around the house, I'd wear the same dress, but with more casual shoes or sandals.  I didn't wear the shorts very often, since they are not as much my style as dresses, but I wore those seersucker trousers with a tee shirt or blouse a lot! They are so comfortable and flattering. 

A friend of mine asked if I have to do a lot of laundry because of my small wardrobe.  The answer is not at all!  In fact, I don't feel like I do much of my own laundry.  With this many clothes, I can wear clothes for at least 6-7 days with no repeats at all (other than the cardigan, if I wear one).  I do not consider washing clothes once a week to be doing a lot of laundry! In reality, of course, I wash clothes a lot more frequently because I launder all our napkins, tablecloths, towels, and all of my family's clothing.  But as for my own clothing?  Once a week is plenty.  

My autumn wardrobe is similarly small (although a little larger; I have more long-sleeved shirts).  It's a lot like it was last year, although this year I've gotten rid of two of those sweaters, and probably need to replace them sometime this winter. 

Last year I meant to show my winter clothing as well, but I never did it.  I'll plan to do that this year, because I did buy a couple of winter dresses last year, and I am enjoying them! I also have a new secret weapon under dresses....so I'll talk about that as well.  But not until the temperature drops below, say, 65.....

There's a lot of freedom in owning less stuff, and that goes for wardrobing as well!