Jean Plaidy Queens of England Series

  Jean Plaidy's Queens of England series has recently been republished and repackaged. I grabbed the first one I saw on the public library shelf as my daughter whizzed by me to climbed up to the water fountain where she usually drenches herself. I'll be reserving the remaining books online. The first one in the series is Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of my favorite queens.

Some have been republished with different titles, and you can read all fourteen of them in order. I am beginning with Loyal in Love: Henrietta Maria, Wife of Charles I (A Queens of England Novel)


Jean Plaidy is known for her meticulous research, and her writing style is very engaging(like a good drama) and never dry. Plaidy's series are great for high school students looking to have history come alive with these accurate historical fictions.

Jean Plaidy Republished Novels

Archaeologists Find Relics of Medieval Saint

"The team of Bulgarian archaeologist, Professor Nikolay Ovcharov, has discovered relics of a medieval saint at the fortress of Perperikon in the Rhodoppe Mountains.

The remains of human bones were found inside one of two bronze crosses as the archaeologists were excavating two churches.

... Perperikon, the ancient Thracian city, had later become one of the most important centers of Christianity in the entire region. One of the two churches discovered at Perperikon is the oldest in the region, dated back to 4th and 5th centuries, the rules of Emperor Arcadius (395-408 AD) in the Eastern Roman Empire, and Emperor Honorius (395-423 AD) in the Western Roman Empire, after the division of the Roman Empire in 395 AD."

Read article here.

Castles for Sale.

Just for fun - European castles for sale.

Homeschooling with Working Parent(s)

"As the number of homeschoolers in the United States grows, the number of creative approaches to homeschooling grows too. What happens when both parents need to work? What about single-parent households? These instances do present some very real challenges. For working parents, it does take a bit more effort to manage the daily care, teaching and planning required to homeschool. But if you are dedicated to the idea of homeschooling, you can make it work. "

Read the rest here.

Video and transcript: Homeschooling for Working Parents

Christian Mommies: Busy, Working Parents - 22 Ways To Homeschool Your Kids

Working Parents Homeschooling Support

Many links: Homeschooling While Working information and support

Message board topic: Homeschoolers with working parent(s)

Single Parent Homeschooling Tips

Over 100 Homeschool Resources for Christian Single Moms

Christian Preschool At Home

My daughter is almost four and is just now getting interested in workbooks or formal learning. We are using the Rod & Staff's Preschool series($9.00 for set). My son used this series as well, so it's been fun to revisit it. Great memories! These are wholesome "old fashioned" black and white workbooks published by conservative Mennonites. Simple rural living features prominently in these workbooks. When you click through to the link, each individual book can be viewed for content.

For older preschool children and kindergarten:

Sample lessons here.

More preschool posts here.

Irish Folklore: The Silkie

Norse and Scottish mythology have similar stories, but this one is about the Irish version of a myth of the seal who becomes a girl.

Free and in public domain: Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts By Patrick Kennedy, Macmillan and Co., 1866.

The Silkie Wife:

Those in Shetland and Orkney Islands who know no better, are persuaded that the seals, or silkies, as they call them, can doff their coverings at times, and disport themselves as men and women. A fisher once turning a ridge of rock, discovered a beautiful bit of green turf adjoining the shingle, sheltered by rocks on the landward side, and over this turf and shingle two beautiful women chasing each other. Just at the man's feet lay two seal-skins, one of which he took up to examine it. The women, catching sight of him, screamed out, and ran to get possession of the skins. One seized the article on the ground, donned it in a thrice, and plunged into the sea; the other wrung her hands, cried, and begged the fisher to restore her property; but he wanted a wife, and would not throw away the chance. He wooed her so earnestly and lovingly, that she put on some woman's clothing which he brought her from his cottage, followed him home, and became his wife.

Some years later, when their home was enlivened by the presence of two children, the husband awaking one night, heard voices in conversation from the kitchen. Stealing softly to the room door, he heard his wife talking in a low tone with some one outside the window. The interview was just at an end, and he had only time to ensconce himself in bed, when his wife was stealing across the room. He was greatly disturbed, but determined to do or say nothing till he should acquire further knowledge. Next evening, as he was returning home by the strand, he spied a male and female phoca sprawling on a rock a few yards out at sea. The rougher animal, raising himself on his tail and fins, thus addressed the astonished man in the dialect spoken in these islands:--"You deprived me of her whom I was to make my companion; and it was only yesternight that I discovered her outer garment, the loss of which obliged her to be your wife.

I bear no malice, as you were kind to her in your own, fashion; besides, my heart is too full of joy to hold any malice. Look on your wife for the last time." The other seal glanced at him with all the shyness and sorrow she could force into her now uncouth features; but when the bereaved' husband rushed toward the rock to secure his lost treasure, she and her companion were in the water on the other side of it in a moment, and the poor fisherman was obliged to return sadly to his motherless children and desolate home.

We picked this CD up at the library last week which is appropriate for younger children: Seal Maiden: A Celtic Musical. A review from Amazon.com:

Using such traditional Irish instruments as uilleann pipes, the low whistle, the concertina, and the violin, as well as some of the purest, sweetest voices to be heard on a children's recording in recent memory, Seal Maiden: A Celtic Musical relates a mystical tale. Despite her mother's warnings, a playful seal pup frolics too close to the shore, magically molts her sealskin, and turns into a human. The Seal Maiden's humanness leaves her heartsick and discontented; she misses her mother and can't shrug off an atavistic affinity for biting off eels' heads and devouring them whole, as well as other strictly-for-the-seals behavior. Eventually, though, she marries and has a son. When he discovers his own hidden sealskin, he becomes her gateway back to the sea and the slippery, song-filled life she left behind. If this Emerald Isle legend sounds familiar, that's probably because it was recently given silver-screen treatment in John Sayles's The Secret of Roan Inish. Narrator and lead singer Karan Casey (of the traditional Irish group Solas) is enchanting, especially on "The Song of the Seal" and "Seoithin." Musicians Martin Hayes (violin) and Dennis Cahill (guitar) display near-magical heart-melting powers on "Port Na bPucal," which captures the Celtic spirit beautifully. And then there's this album's intended audience--kids--to consider. Children ages 6 and up will be left spellbound by the Seal Maiden's fantastic saga, and those under 6 will be lulled into sweet dreams by its gentle-voiced, exceptionally talented singers, whose far-off land of salty waves and endless possibilities they evoke so gracefully. --Tammy La Gorce

And there is a 1995 movie about this as well, The Secret of Roan Inish An Amazon Review:
As one of the most respected American independent filmmakers, John Sayles has created a body of work as distinguished in its diversity as for its consistent quality and inspiring originality. He's never been one to march to the commercial beat, but chooses instead to follow his creative impulse wherever it leads him. The Secret of Roan Inish led Sayles to the beautiful and moody West Coast of Ireland; it is a tale of a girl who discovers that her family has been touched by myth and magic throughout the years. Following the death of her mother, young Fiona (Jeni Courtney) is sent to live with her grandparents on the Irish coast across from Roan Inish, the island where her family once lived. She's told stories about the selkies--seals that can turn into humans--who have been connected with Fiona's family over the ages. At first she's not sure if the selkies are real or mythological, but she later realizes that they hold the key to reclaiming her family heritage.

What's remarkable about this film (which Sayles adapted from Rosalie Fry's novel, Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry) is that it's not told as a cute fantasy for children, but as a straightforward, unsentimental story of a young girl's family history. That gives the film--which was beautifully photographed by master cinematographer Haskell Wexler--an understated charm that is completely absorbing in its atmosphere and subtle tone. There's magic as well, to be sure--you could almost swear that the seals and seagulls in the film took direction from Sayles as well as any human actor! --Jeff Shannon

HT to Anne for the movie! I plan to order this via Netflix.

Free Celtic music sampler at Amazon: Celtic Sampler Summer 2009

Heart Smart Tabouli Recipe

Also known a Tipili in Latin America. This is a very heart healthy meal with ingredients known to lower cholesterol. I plan to make mine with dark salad greens, extra tomatoes, and just a little parsley.

3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cracked wheat or fine bulgur
1/2 cup minced parsley
1/4 cup minced mint leaves
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
1 tomato, diced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
3 tablespoons olive oil OR oil substitute (fatfree Italian dressing, liquid from cooking chickpeas*, or reduced vegetable broth)
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
1 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
Pepper to taste
Pinch allspice

See here for recipe.

Here is another one, I'd like to try: Berberé Stew (Ethiopian Lentil Stew) This one uses up your summer tomatoes.

Free Printable Preschool Alphabet Dot-to-Dot

We've been working at these today.

Image from site.

Online Early Learning Freebies

I've been using DLTK's Early Learning site since my oldest was little. Today I saw this Hickory, Dickory, Dock clock craft using paper towel rolls and a paper plate. They have nice templates and great directions. I'll have to wait until I have the supplies, but we plan to work this craft soon.

More nursery rhyme printable activities here.

Check out their Bible activities and crafts. They even have a Veggietales area.

Many of the cut-out templates can be crafted on felt rather than paper. I've been thinking about cutting out double sided felt Veggietales, sewing them together, and stuffing them for little felt toys for my daughter. DLTK is an awesome site for early learning and crafting. There are even extended ideas for learning with older children, and ideas for using alternate materials with different versions of learning.

Check out the sister sites while visiting DTLK. There is so much more for early learning and above.

Extracting Fragrance from Fresh Herbs and flowers

I've been experimenting with my garden lavender attempting to find the best way to extract the fragrance for cologne, insect repellent, and room spray. In the past, I've tried soaking fresh herbs in vodka for a week, but the herbs smelled like they went bad. I tried it again with lavender for a shorter duration, just overnight, and the next day it smelled like it had turned. I could still smell a hint of lavender under a heavy grain smell. Instead of throwing it out, I added water and boiled it in the microwave for four minutes. Somehow this worked, and although it has a brown cast to it, the liquid smelled very good with a light to moderate lavender scent. The heavy brown scent went away.

I'll be using this lavender water as a base for my next batch of insect repellent spray.

Here is a recipe that I'd like to try for rose petal perfume using fresh rose petals. This involves soaking the petals overnight in oil.

Lavender Tea Recipe

This was a very fragrant tea! I added more lavender from my garden than was called for in the recipe. I also added some fresh lemon balm. I had to pass on the sugar.

Ingredients:

* 1-1 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms or 2 teaspoons fresh lavender blossoms
* 2 tablespoons earl grey loose tea
* heavy cream
* sugar cubes

See recipe here.

I enjoyed this tea with just the lemon balm and lavender for a calming bedtime tea.

Homemade Coffee Facial Mask

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons very finely ground coffee(I used regular ground)
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
8 tablespoons whole milk or cream(I used half and half)
2 tablespoons molasses(not in original recipe)
Read instructions and entire recipe here.

Coffee has astringent and antioxidant properties, and tightens and tones the skin.

Milk has antimicrobial and cleansing properties.

Cocoa powder softens the skin and has antioxidant properties.

Molasses has firming, softening, and exfoliating properties which is more gentle than honey. It's also good as a conditioner for damaged hair.

Results: Frightening to look at, but pretty good results! My skin was much tighter, but not dry, and very soft. It helped with a few blemishes as well. I've tried honey masks before and they were really too strong for my skin. This was a perfect blend for my normal to oily skin. I had some left over, so I've stored it in the fridge for next week.

See more at the Make It From Scratch Carnival.

Hair Helper: Beer

Beer supposedly makes your hair shine, helps with frizz and increases volume. Maybe you remember the beer enhanced 1970's shampoo, Body on Tap. The 1970's really was a bonanza decade for shampoos.

How Beer Can Help Your Hair:

"In addition to B vitamins, the proteins found in malt and hops are said to repair damaged hair and boost overall body. Meanwhile, the maltose and sucrose sugars in beer tighten the hair’s cuticles for enhanced shine.

Although it is debatable whether the corn, rice, or wheat protein in beer can actually deposit on your hair to form a strengthening film, there is no question that it makes hair seem thicker. This effect may be attributed to the proteins left on the hair fiber, though beer also seems to slightly swell the hair shaft. Ideal for fine hair, an at-home beer solution is an economical alternative to the $20-40 thickening tonics on the market, since it kills two birds with one stone- adding extra volume while at the same time coating the cuticles with shine. When experimenting with beer as a hair product, it is recommended to use traditional brewed beer made from hops to maximize nutrients and minimize chemicals (since most commercial beers are loaded with stuff you probably shouldn’t be putting in your body, let alone your hair)."

Beer should be used when flat, and some recipes recommend that you reduce it on the stove top, probably to remove the drying alcohol. Here's a nice tutorial.

I've seen several ways mentioned to use beer on hair: as a rinse, as a spray, and in shampoo. I'm going to add some to my shampoo, Dr. Bronner's castile soap, and as a spray for a mid-day boost to control the effects of humidity on my hair.

I also ordered some beer shampoo bars from Etsy. These are great for travel, and I've always wanted to try a shampoo bar.

Just for fun, here were a few of my favorite 1970's shampoos:

Lemon Up was my absolute favorite.

Natural and Organic Henna Hair Dye

I decided to henna my hair, so I've got my head wrapped in plastic wrap, trying not to drip on the camera. I haven't tried this for years, and now I know why. It's messy, and you have to walk around with saran wrap on your head for at least an hour. On the flip side, it's all natural and conditions the hair as well as adds color. This particular henna covers gray. I didn't purchase the indigo which may be mixed with henna for brown. I am hoping for auburn, not a carrot red.

I'm wearing my husband's old t-shirt, and an old towel around my neck to catch drips which happens every time I look down. If I had some cotton strands, I'd stick that under the edges of the wrap. Plastic gloves are a must, and a little Vaseline on the skin around the hairline and ears keep the henna from dyeing your skin.

"After" pictures later....

It turned out great, and my hair is back to normal, dark auburn and curly. I had been getting a light golden color at the ends(?) with dark roots, peppered with gray. This is so much better than the gray, two toned stringy look that I had developed. Completely worth the hassle.

This store sells bundles for different hair colors and types - long and African hair. You just have to scroll all the way down to the Hair Care Directory at the bottom. There is also a free ebook at this link for first timers.

Benefits of Chandrika Soap

Chandrika soap is an inexpensive natural vegetable soap. I got a bar of this healing soap for about 65 cents at Vitacost.com. Chandrika vegetable based soap has been made in India since the 1940's. We use vegetable based soaps for our sensitive skin, and the children need soaps that help their rashes since they are prone to eczema(eczema runs in my family). I tend to like soaps which are not flowery, but have a fresh or exotic scent. Chandrika is not over powering, but definitely has an exotic fresh scent. We use this nice lathering soap as a shampoo for the children. It's strong enough to get an active tween boy's hair smelling extra clean, and gentle enough for my three year old daughter's hair. I wouldn't recommend it for very dry skin. It's definitely a no nonsense cleaning soap, great for summer.From the Chandrika website:

The ingredients are :

Coconut Oil : it nourishes, moisturizes and lightens your skin tan.

Wild Ginger : soothes the skin and helps prevent infections and rashes.

Lime Peel Oil : for a refreshing cooling effect and rich, penetrating lather with an astringent action.

Hydnocarpus Oil : helps prevent skin problems, rashes and outbreaks.

Orange Oil : tightens pores, helps prevent pimples and blackheads.

Sandalwood Oil : to cool, refresh and gently perfume your skin.

Healthy Flaxseed Bran Muffin Recipe

This is the second time making these for the children. I had one delicious bite, but it's not on my diet plan. This was adapted from a Bob's Red Mill recipe. These muffins go fast.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (I substitute 1/2 cup almond flour for wheat)
3/4 cup Flaxseed Meal
3/4 cup Oat Bran Cereal
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt or less
2 peeled and shredded Apples
1/2 cup brown bananas
1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes
3/4 cup Milk(I used coconut milk)
2 beaten Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla

Mix the first seven ingredients well in one bowl, and the remaining in another. Combine wet and dry until dry is moistened, spoon into cupcake pans and bake for about 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees. I accidentally cooked them at 425 degrees(forgot to change it) for 10 minutes, and they came out fine.

Note: These are very moist; a little chopped nuts would really round out the muffin - moist and crunchy. My children don't like nuts in their muffins, so I leave them out.

Make Your Own Platform Sofa

There were no directions with this image that I found online, but it looks very simple. The base is probably made from pine formed into boxes and stained. The cushions are foam wrapped with fabric. I've seen large foam pieces at sewing stores, and Walmart carries thick foam mattresses which can be customized. I just saw the decorative bamboo stalks in the corner at Target. A clever frugal furniture idea for a small place.

Here is another one with no instructions, but easy to make because of it's boxy design. This one is from HGTV and is actually a platform bed made to look like a sofa, or daybed. It can do double duty, and all you need is a standard mattress and cushions.

An interesting idea for the back of a sofa, a repurposed headboard. The least expensive way to make a platform would be to simply reuse the box spring on the floor without the rails(metal frame), and cover it with fabric, staple gunning it to the wood frame. If you take the original box spring fabric off, you may be able to stain the wood, and cover the rest with fabric. Two headboards drilled onto the long edge of a twin box spring could make an interesting sofa back. Add a mattress, cushions, and fitted sheets, and you've got a sofa. Image source.

Here's another design which can be altered by placing the headboard at the long side of the mattress for a sofa back. Simply construct a rectangular box which could be covered with foam padding, stapled to the wood, and then covered with a fabric. Little boxy arms be added in the same manner, all nailed to the platform. This could be free standing as well as a corner sofa. Image source(beam bed). Those legs are actually beams, and the headboard may be made from same.

This platform sofa uses over sized pillows.








Not a platform sofa, but I really liked the colors and style - good for inspiration.