Elaine > Recent Status Updates

Book one, part one completed. I think I’m keeping the characters straight, but goodness there are a lot of them!

I had to share the carrot ice cream joke with my daughter who hates carrots. Marya Dmitrievna is my kind of old lady!

The writing is uneven in this part of the book. I think as she gets closer to our own time, it’s harder to pull together the evidence because there is so very much information.

Reading aloud to Cy for AO Y4.

Might be my favorite chorus intro in a Shakespeare play.

We really liked the prologue!

We left Pinocchio in peril before Thanksgiving, so it was good to pick up last night and get him safe for a moment.

Finally getting started on this with the Scholé Sister.

I realized I was one short in my Scholé Sisters category, so I’m listening while prepping for Christmas. It’s easier than Moby Dick was a few years ago!

His conviction that faith leads to no fear of death is quite convicting.

This is so helpful as I prepare to teach 1984 next semester. Huxley is coming back to Orwell over and over and explaining connections to Hitler and his present (1954).

“The advertiser of dairy products would dearly love to tell his readers and listeners that all their troubles are caused by the machinations of a gang of godless international margarine manufacturers, and that it is their patriotic duty to march out and burn the oppressors' factories. This sort of thing, however, is ruled out, and he must be content with a milder ap-proach.”

Murder Must Advertise!

War and Peace is loaded on my kindle and ready to go as soon as the AO forum discussion gets started.

“Progressive contamination of the gene pool” and other inhumane phrases about “congenitally insufficient organisms” make it difficult for me to consider his argument about overpopulation.

I’ve wrapped up enough of this year’s reading to get started on next year’s books. Reading along with the Scholé Sisters.

This book is lightly edited to modernize the language just a tad and substitute the various animals. Because my kids are older and familiar with the story, we are listening to the Tim Curry audiobook and following along for the delightful illustrations.

Still plugging away. My daughter thinks it’s ridiculous that it’s taking me so long to read Built to Move, but I’m reading about 20 other books and I have to force myself to read non-fiction if I have fiction available.

Finished Lewis’ introduction and the biography of Athanasius. Very commonplaceable!

A pink washcloth ended up on the table, and it became a multi-purpose narration prop for Lesson 9. It was Crassus’ black robe, the river, the block of soldiers, and the disguises of the enemy. Made for a very fun day!

Reading for FLAME, a girl leadership retreat. I’m already excited about what this might mean for my leadership at home and in the classroom.