Classics Challenge 2020 Wrap-up

I finished! The Back to the Classics Challenge is the only one of my challenges I fully completed and I had to pick re-reads and mysteries instead of harder stretching books that I usually do but I'm okay with at. Also, as I get older, I find I really like re-reading books because I can see my growth as a reader and a person. There are upsides to getting older. My back hates it but my brain doesn't. I'm still really glad I did this challenge. I'm not sure I'll commit to the full 12 next year (although I say that ever year and every year I can't let it go!) but I've already pulled a few classics off the shelf to put in my "next year pile. 

1. 19th Century Classic. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

2. 20th Century Classic. The Man in the Brown Suit

3. Classic by a Woman Author. Laddie

4. Classic in Translation. Silence 

5. Classic by a Person of Color. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas

6. A Genre Classic. Trent's Last Case

7. Classic with a Person's Name in the Title. Mrs. Mike

8. Classic with a Place in the Title. Death on the Nile. 

9. Classic with Nature in the Title. How the Heather Looks

10. Classic About a Family. Mansfield Park

11. Abandoned Classic. The Odyssey

12. Classic Adaptation. Sanditon / Emma. 

Classics Challenge: Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park is my least favorite Jane Austen. But even my least favorite Jane Austen is still a book by Jane Austen. This is at least the third time I've read it but I can't be sure it isn't more.  

I keep hearing about how this book improves upon reading multiple times or deeper readings - or maybe just the age and experience of the reader. That was certainly the case for me with Persuasion. I thought it was boring as a teen but love it now and would say it is one of my favorites (just don't ask me to name them because I might come up with 4 :-) But Mansfield Park is just...not my favorite. 

I reread this at a friend's suggestion, focusing on relationships and parenting. I did find her Austen's observations about those areas very interesting and I always enjoy seeing her commentary on life through her characters and descriptions. That part is great. But Fanny. I really want to love Fanny for her uprightness. I do. But she's so boring. No, its not really her fault she's boring but she is. And even being boring, she deserves better than Edmund. 

I know I should read it as one really should read all Austen novels, not just a romance novel or even predominately a romance novel but as a book about society and norms. I get that. And I won't say it isn't objectively good. It is! I just don't like it as much as her others. I'm sure I'll revisit it again in a decade or so and maybe I'll end up kicking myself for not liking it as much as it deserved. Maybe. 

Mansfield Park is my Back to the Classics Challenge Book about a Family. 

My 2020 Reading life comes to an end

So you may have noticed my Classic Challenge reviews filling up the blog lately. Which is good because something has needed to! 

I actual read most of those in the first part of the year but didn't get around to posting/writing the review until recently. This year started out very strong in reading, even during the initial Covid stuff. But as the craziness of my life increased, my reading life diminished. I prioritized the Bible and did pretty decent with that (thanks to the Bible Reading Challenge) but by December was feeling pretty lame about the rest of my reading and wasn't sure I'd even recap the year. But I'm a creature of habit so I had to anyway. 

I did finish the Back to the Classics Challenge. I did more re-reads or easier level reading for me than I typically do but there were some pretty challenging reads in there too and I finished it! 

For the Literary Life 20 for 2020 Reading Challenge, the only things I didn't get to were Greek Play and the Book of Essays. I lost the paper where I wrote the titles and I'm too lazy to figure it out again but you can trust me :-)

Schole Sisters 5x5- well, I kinda let that one go. It was more like a 2x3. Although to be fair, most of my selections for that were either going to be new books or library books. I haven't had access to a non-digital library for most of the year and my book budget when to supplying my kids with books because they haven't either and unlike me, they don't typically use e-books (although Lucy's started to because her beloved Jessica Day George books are available there - although I gotta remember to go remove them from my goodreads account. They automatically get added and everyone is probably wondering why I suddenly love reading middle school level books about dragons). I could have filled in the categories with other reads but I'd rather just read the books I really wanted to read later on when I get them. 

But instead of thinking about what I didn't get to, I thought it'd be fun to go through what I did read and give some awards. Everyone likes awards, right.

Book I'm Most Proud of Having Finished - The Odyssey (Fagles translation)

Book I'm Most Proud of Having Picked Up - Silence by Shusaku Endo

This makes it sound like I didn't finish it but I did. It's just that the hardest part of this book for me was starting it. I don't like to read emotionally upsetting books and I knew this would be. But it was worth it. The ideas stuck with me for a long time. I'd find myself just thinking over things at the sink, dish washing paused. 

Book that took the most endurance - Undaunted Courage. It was good but it wasn't the type of book I enjoy so I had to force myself to pick it up. It helped that it was a pre-read for future AO years. But I just kept going and I finished it!

Best kid's book I didn't read to the kids - Sweep by Jonathon Auxier

I really like Jonathon Auxier and I'm excited to see what else he comes out with - especially as my kids get a little bit older and more of them can become read-alouds. They weren't quite ready for this one but I was and I enjoyed it a lot.

Best Parenting Book - Differently Wired OR No Longer Little

No Longer Little is fairly narrow is scope. It's really just a couple of points they hit. But they are really good points! I needed this when I read it and I expect I'll be reading it every 2-3 years as different kids hit this stage. Just laughing along with someone else who's been there, done that, was really helpful. 

Differently Wired is a book that I read not long after we got a diagnosis for our own 2e differently wired kid. It's a niche book and even within the niche, I know it has mixed reviews and I do understand why but I also needed to hear some of the things it said. Take the good parts, spit out the bad. I also really like Sally Clarkson's Different for a parenting coming to terms with a diagnosis or just one processing what life with a different kid is going to be like. It takes a completely different angle (Differently wired is more practically focused with some mindset points, Different is more of a encouraging memoir from a mom who's not just survived a season or two but helped her kid become a fully functioning adult who loves God - and that means a lot on hard days!)

Best Mystery - I read a lot of mysteries and Dorothy Sayers are always top notch but if you only count new ones and not re-reads, Agatha Christie's The Man in the Brown Suit was my favorite. I need to visit some used bookstores around here (when I can, we moved up to Tier 3 now so essential only but don't they understand books are essential! I guess not) and get a big stack of golden age mystery novels because I feel like I've read everything my library has an an ebook now. 

Best Re-read. The Great Divorce. I liked it the first time I read it but re-reading with the Literary Life Podcast just brought out so much more. I'm working my way through Till We Have Faces with them as well and I'm guessing it will make my list next year. 

Best Read-Alouds - I'm not even going to try and narrow these down, we just read some really great books together this year:

Squanto by Feenie Ziner - There is a reason people are desperate to get this reprinted. So good. 

Twig by Elizabeth Orton Jones - Norah made me read this to her three times in a row before I said we needed to change it up. 

Urchin of the Riding Stars (Mistmantle #1 - We will continue these). Craig has read Green Ember 

series and started the Wilderking series with the kids so I'm excited that I get to the one who reads this one with them.)

Adventures with Waffles - So funny, I had to stop more than once for us to catch our breathe from laughing. 

Owl in the Family - Another one if you need some laughs.

Tom Sawyer - It's a classic for a reason. 

The Wild Robot - I can't remember if this was this year or the end of last year but we really enjoyed it. 

That said, I'm always looking for new fun light books. I have a good stack of classics to get to with them but I like to mix in the funnier easier books between them. I will try and get to the next Vanderbeekers but I'd love suggestions for other laugh out loud read alouds, let me know!

So actually, when I look back over the year and the reading challenges, it wasn't nearly as dire as I expected. No, the second half was lighter than the first but that's okay, I still got some really good books into my soul. Now I have to go make my lists for next year - onward and upward!

Classics Challenge: Mrs. Mike

I found Mrs. Mike in my books while I was sorting for the move. I'm know it came from my mom was she passed a bunch of books on to me but I can't remember if I had read it before. I think I had because I knew it was about young girl marries a mountie and has to learn to adapt to a much harder life than she's accustomed to.. But I decided to read it again. 

 (Side note: After reading this, I did finally give in an watch When Calls the Heart after ignoring Netflix's suggestions for months. Apparently winter in quarantine made me long for Canadian and Alaska themed stories?)

 That was back in March. Today in December - I remember its about a young girl who marries a mountie and has to learn to adapt to a much harder life than she's accustomed to. That's it, that's all I've got. I did like it because I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads and even more importantly, lent it to a friend because I thought she would like it. So apparently I think its worth reading but not worth remembering? Or maybe its been a rough mental year. Probably that. 

Okay, with further time I do remember thinking that I wish it had handled her interactions with the local people with the same skill as Catherine Marshall did in Christy. I can't think of any examples to back that up because - memories. I guess I didn't really think Mrs. Mike was awful or I wouldn't have recommended it to others but I know Marshall did such a wonderful job balancing the truthfulness of someone's feelings coming into a new experience with her desire to know and love and care for people and get to know them and the Freedman's lacked that skill. Christy is probably in my top 10 books list thought so that might be too high of expectations and  I don't discount books because of issues like this because the author's viewpoint is as much a part of the story when reading historical fiction written in the past...but I can still wish it was done better! 

Mrs. Mike is my Back to the Classics "Classic with a Person's Name in the Title" pick for the 2020 challenge. 

2020 School Year in Review (Year 2/Year 5)

We finished exams for Year 5 Term 1 and Year 2 Term 2 this week, doing the last tiny bit Christmas eve. I'd feel guilty about this but our exams are short so even an "exam day" is normally less than 30 minutes and the kid's actually did extra work the week before to finish up there readings so we would have time to have exams. The thought of skipping exams was completely unacceptable to them! Which in and of itself should make me happy (and it does!)

Now, the exams were a bit hard on me because I had to delete a lot of questions before we even started. I've mentioned before that I tend to go into exams feeling kinda beat down and harshly judging myself and this was no exception! Recitation, folks songs and hymns, handicrafts, french, nature journal entries - didn't get to, didn't do formally, not at all, and weren't even cracked open. I love the Ambleside Online exams so this isn't a reflection on them but I was fighting the feeling of failure before we had even started them!

At this point you may be asking yourself if I was really berating myself for not doing handicrafts and french with my elementary students while managing an international move during a pandemic. That would be correct. And I wonder why some of my children struggle with perfectionism! 

But I quickly slapped myself in the face (metaphorically speaking) and reminded myself that it was a split term. This summer in Colorado we did a lot of what Charlotte Mason mom's sometimes refer to as the "riches" so our lunch times were filled with poetry and recitation and songs and read-alouds and we did lots of nature study and hiking and exploring, I just hadn't packed our journals with us on that road trip so we observed but didn't journal.  This fall was readings and math and a bit of writing throw in among unpacking - and that's okay. I also added some questions to reflect the unique things we did end up learning. I'm feeling better now. But I will keep saying this because I can't believe I'm the only mom who feels this way! 

So here is a bit about we did do these past few months!

- The kid's did great learning amidst the chaos and I am really proud of how well they did on the exams they were given. And not just exams, I'm really proud of how they grew as students this term. Lucy is getting more and more independent which is great (and sad - I want to read those books with her!) and most of her narrations are better when she reads it herself. She also has some really strong opinions about our history and Plutarch readings and its fun to watch those come out. With Lucy, we seemed to be slowly than most to shift to independent reading (speaking specifically about AO reads) and I just had to trust my mom instincts and understanding of CM principles even when other moms said their kids were doing all/mostly readings on their own by year 4 and that wasn't us. She did some on her own starting in year 3 and they were increasing every term and it has been pretty clear (by her narrations and understanding, not just by her attitude/desire!) how that should go and its has worked well. By the end of this term she was doing all but a few (Plutarch and Marvels with me, Inventions with her dad; She could handle Marvels on her own but I don't want to miss it). I feel like understanding CM principles and not just memorizing a few of her lines about making kids read as soon as they can helped me to be confident in this and not worry we "were behind." 

Samples from  Lucy's Exam

What do you know about the Monroe Doctrine?

It was a document that said no European country could interfere with America and that America could no interfere with Europe. It was made by President Monroe and he made it because England was capturing Americans and forcing them to join their navy against their will.

Tell what you know about Lewis and Clark.

Napoleon needed money and at that time France had all the land west of the Mississippi and so, he’s like “well, if you give me this much money, which wasn’t a lot, then I’ll give you this land” and President Jefferson said sure, we’ll do that and he gave him the money and then Jefferson sent for Lewis and Clark to be the captains of the expedition to explore the new land. And Lewis and Clark set out with a lot of men and they started at the Missouri and it was very difficult and there were a lot of Indians and they traded and some were friendly and some weren’t and there were a lot of grizzly bears and Lewis (or Clark, I can’t remember which) was almost killed by one. he was in the woods hunting when I big grizzly bear came and he couldn’t get up a tree so he threw down his gun and jumped into a river and yelled and the bear look at him in astonishment and just ran away. And then one time they came to a fork int eh Missouri river and the crew thought it was on way and the captains thought it was the to her way so Lewis went with part of the expedition to the south to see if that was the right way. And it was and there was a big waterfall and they kept going. At one point they couldn’t take the big boat they had to take everything in the small canoes. And at they meant an Indian tribe and there was an Indian woman who came with them named Sacagawea and she had a little baby boy and then they reached the Pacific. And when they went back to Missouri, only one single man in the entire party had died.

Would you like to live in Sparta? Why or why not?

Not. Ever. Ever. Ever. I’d rather live in a desert island by myself than in Sparta. Because people all walk around naked. And people have to steal their own food but they get punished if they get caught stealing their own food. And everyone shares meals, they come together and shares a meal of a disgusting soup. Also, if someone wants to come into the group to eat together, they have to be voted on, and if they don’t like the person they squeeze their bread real hard before they throw it into the basket but if they do like the person they put it in nice and light and fluffy and if even one person crumples their bread, the person can not be entered. Lycergus was the leader and he said he wanted a republic and wanted everyone to have free choices but they couldn’t ask questions or suggest things, they could only say Yes or No to laws so it didn’t quite work out.

Describe a picture from this term’s picture study.

Our artist was Turner. There is one where it’s in the middle of the ocean and it’s all stormy. And they said he insisted on being tied to a mast in the middle of the storm so he could get a better view of everything. And he survived. In the picture, there is a boat being tossed and turned and there is a city behind it. 

- Jonah started doing some of his books and audio with recorded narrations and less hand holding. He really likes listening and narrating on his own. I'd like to say that is because he is a dedicated learner or even perhaps because he can concentrate better without little siblings in the same room. But honestly, he's told me its because he can go play legos while he listens. But he gives really good narrations this way so I don't mind the legos - or the honesty! He's also gotten better about adding details (Lucy's been my detailed narrator, Jonah normally gives basic ideas and is ready to move on. Both are learning balance). Other things I've noticed - he's starting the story at the beginning and moving chronologically through the story without having to backtrack too often to add to previous sections and his narrations are starting to take on the tone of the original author which is so great. Obviously, you can't hear his tone in my transcription but I think the energy of it comes through a bit. I love narration in general but seeing the ages and stages as my kids move through them is fascinating and exciting.  

Samples from Jonah's Exams:

Tell about the Siege of Calais or Wat Tyler's rebellion.

The Siege of Calais. So, the French had put a siege on Calais and they were surrounded and a siege is where they surround the city and if they ever come out they kill them and people can’t get food to them so they eventually run out of food and have to give up otherwise they’ll die of starvation. So they didn’t want to do that and they couldn’t stop and it was a long time, so the leader wrote a letter to the king of I don’t remember, the king of someplace to come and help them. And then he sent the letter. So it was 3 months and then the king came but he didn’t do anything so they all waited and waited but he didn’t do anything and then, a long time later, he went away without doing anything. So they were angry and then they said “we have to give up” so they did and they said “spare us” and they said “the rest can go but pick 6 men and I will do anything I want with those men” so they said “well, we have to.” So the bravest and wealthiest and best man of the city said “I will go” and the best other 5 men said the same thing so the king said “we will put you to death” but the queen said “NOO! Don’t” and then she said “I will set them free with food and clothing” but the king said “I wish you weren’t here but I will do it” so he gave them to her and she gave them food and clothing and some money and sent them off.  

Tell your favorite part of the Wind in the Willows.

So Toady was going, going, going, going and singing while he went. And then he saw a motor car and he was so happy. And it went poop, poop, poop and then it came closer. But then he said “Oh, no” and then he fainted – because it was the very people he had stolen the motorcar from! So he fainted. And the people inside the motorcar said “Oh, no, there is a poor washerwoman!” And then they took her up and then he started to feel better so he sat up and said “oh, my, could I sit in the front seat” “Oh sure” said the person next to toady. And then he said “Oh, can I drive the car?  I’m sure I have watched you good enough” and they said “okay” and then he started slow but went fast, faster until he was zooming. And then he went “I am no washer woman, I am the masterful toad!” and he drove it right into the pond. And the he was singing a song a bit like this “The motorcar went poop poop, all down the road, and who should drive it into the pond, Ingenious Mr. Toad!” but before he was singing he was saying “oh, drat, oh, drat,” but that was before he was driving the car. And then he said “oh, no a policeman and ran away from the policeman.

Describe your favorite picture from this term's picture study.

So it’s in a temple sort of thing and they are looking at a bunch of pictures, like we also did, and there are two people and there is a big view of Rome and its open at the side and there are some statues and art and its like a temple or something like that. 

- Growing into the hard books. Its pretty common for me to panic when I look at a hard book that I'm adding to Lucy's schedule, especially the first term of each year which always seems like the biggest jump up. Now I know to trust AO and that she will probably grow into it. And yep, at the beginning of the term I felt like King Arthur was too much, that we'd always be behind and I was frustrated there was no audiobook of the version I picked. But by the end she was done reading the chapters by Tuesday or Wednesday of each week, sad that she had to wait a few days to read the next part! I don't panic as much Jonah because I've done those years before but we finished Little Duke a week early and Wind in the Willows was his favorite so he's growing too.

- Potty Training. Enough said. Actually, I will add one thing. Potty training in a small house is a LOT easier than potty training in a large house, especially if you are trying to keep school going or pay attention to your other children at all. 

- That stuff we didn't get to. The kid's have been filling in themselves! Lucy begged me to help her with a book binding project we bought supplies for before we moved so we've finally started that. Craig had the big kids off at a volunteer project last week and Jude was napping and when I asked Norah what she wanted to do, she asked to do something with yarn. So I taught her to finger knit and she loved it. I foresee lots of random finger knitting streamers will be decorating our house soon. Jonah's room has lots of science and nature diagrams scattered about. And the big two kids were so excited to get their piano back and have been learning/playing Christmas songs in the afternoon just for fun all month. Seeing them start to take ownership of the skills they've learned in the past and grow themselves.

And just yesterday morning I found a snail as I was starting my morning walk with the dog. I put it on our step and not surprisingly, he was still there when I got back an hour later. We made him a little home and had a blast observing him. Not sure how long we'll keep him but he's a fun little pet for now. He's got way more personality than I expected! And because I was feeling pretty lame about us not having put any entries into our nature journal, I had kids grab them and they all did great entries. 

This is Norah's (she still has a clipboard because a real "nature journal" is a 6 yr old privilege in our family. She's counting down!) I love the beginning nature journal entries because while the pictures aren't normally great by art standards, its a lot easier to actually see their observations. She's got the body's ruffled bottom and the long eyes and shell.

-Lots of fun read alouds. Stretching books are great and all but sometimes you just need to sit back and enjoy a good laughing book. And we did! It's not easy to read aloud with all four. I get interrupted ALL the time and it drives me crazy. I have to tell people not to touch each other (or to stop humming or to stop putting there hands and feet between my eyes and the words on the page) way more than I should by now. But I don't think we built our family culture faster any other way. And we happened to read some really great books together the past 6 months. 

-  Novel writing. On a similar note, Lucy's been writing a novel in her afternoon free time. She's finished the first draft and working on the illustrations before she does any last editing. I'm excited to see her finish it. She's written a 3 book series in the past but this was a considerable longer project and she's really stuck with it. Here's some of the illustrations to whet your appetite!

Lucy's not the only one who can write a novel so I'll wrap this up with just a few of my focus points for next year. We didn't get to as much of the non-reading things as we normally do because my afternoons were busy doing - not school. And the next few months will still have me busy getting us more fully settled so instead of spreading all our afternoon stuff through the week, I'll be lumping it into two days but putting us on a loop. I'm not longer upset that I didn't get to those things before but I really want to prioritize those riches now that I can and get us back into "together time" (aka morning basket, circle time, etc). Last two goals will be stretching Lucy that last bit to independence by having her manager her chart a bit more instead of relying on me. And bringing Norah into the fold. She begged for reading lessons and I bought All About Reading (because she LOVES workbooks and wanted something that seemed like real school) but have only made to through Lesson 2. Her fault, not mine. So she's going to get her 20 minutes a day this term if it kills me! (might not always be reading lessons but something. 

Classics Challenge: Laddie

I did a lot of re-reads this year, a lot of Austen and cozy mysteries. If I did venture into new books they were typically 1) well vetted or 2) an author who was reliable. In other words, I wanted to know what I was getting. 

You definitely know what you're getting with a Gene Stratton-Porter book. They are sweet, old-fashioned (maybe a bit "dated" in some regards so keep that in mind) and sentimental novels focused on nature and relationships. They also have a bit of an mystical/romantic fairy tale land façade over top. I don't think I'm describing that well but its the best I can do.

 This one was very family centered. Laddie is narrated by a young girl but the main story focuses on her brother Laddie and his growing relationship with the neighbor's daughter "The Princess" (okay, side note, I find GSP's use of nicknames like this really annoying. She does it in other books too and it was just as annoying then. Maybe that adds to the other wordly feel I mentioned above but I still don't like it. Okay, end rant) I did think Laddie was funnier than many of her others, probably because it was family-centered so we get the kid hijinks along with seeing things from Little Sister's view. It wasn't my favorite GSP novel but definitely worth the read. 

Yes, GSP books are sometimes slow and a bit wordy with too many amazing coincidences and all the bows tied on all the happy endings. But underneath that, there are some great glimpses into life back then - the parenting, the values, the slow life. And sometimes, especially during a pandemic, its nice to read a well written book with a happy ending and some beautiful descriptions of nature and love along the way.

Laddie is my Back to the Classics "Classic by a woman author" selection.  

Classics Challenge - Adaption - 2 for 1 deal! Sanditon/Emma

My plan was to read and review Sanditon. I did read it. And I liked it. Of course, it's greatest flaw is that it is unfinished. I read it in the form of this  which was completed by another author. The Austen part was a great set-up and I have no doubt she would have finished it well. Some of the secondary characters like Parker siblings are just classic Austen figures. I loved them. So much potential, why did she had die so young!

And while for the purposes of this review, I'm pretty much sticking to the classic part, the ending which I believe was added in the 70s, was not horrific. Unlike the PBS series which started out promising with a few odd sections (like what is going on with those "siblings" and why does the heroine never wear her hair up!) and within a few episodes was cring worthy. Then the ending made a bad situation worse. Just don't. Don't. It was so bad I just couldn't even make it my Classics Challenge selection because I need to pretend that adaption doesn't exist.

So because that was so vile, I had to get the taste of bad Austen out of my mouth and started re-reading some of her other works. Some in written form, some in audio. While I often struggle with audiobooks for initial reads, I find them great for re-reading books I love and know well. Because I'm not totally lost if it gets loud for a second or I zone out and it prevents me from skimming and forces me to really take in the story at a slower pace. And with the quarentine, I went ahead and got Emma. so now I can at least have a good adaption to ponder for my real Classics Challenge selection.

Emma. My first Austen. My favorite Austen for many years . It might be surpassed by Persuasion now. But nostalgia comes back when I read or watch it so I'd actually have to say its a tie and whichever I'm currently reading is my favorite.

It really does hold up to repeated reads. It's so witty and funny. The characters are both amusing but also not dickensian. You can imaging actually meeting these people.  A lot of time you might not want to, but you can! I was struck by how different Emma feels from other Austen's works in that it was so very home centered. Emma didn't travel to Bath or London. It's all about her home and community which seemed very relevant right now.

I've heard others say it isn't the best introduction to Austen but I think for teens, it's great. At least it was for me. I totally felt like Emma as a teen. I wanted to do something, to be somebody and at times, I thought it all figured out. As does Emma. But as a teen (or 30-something) when you figure out that maybe the world still wouldn't be perfect if everybody just acted the way you want them to and you don't have all the answers, it's nice to have the idea of Emma and the family and community that still love her, faults and all, to depend on.

Now onto the movie. It was surprisingly good. I'll admit I was skeptical.

I knew it would be beautiful. And it was.

I knew the costumes would be aamzing. And (with a few oddball pieces as exceptions - Why was Frank Churchill wearing stretchy pants?), they were.

It was just so enjoyable to see onscreen. And hear, the music was delightful. It features a bit more prominently than I was expecting but I did like it.

 But my worries were that the previews had portrayed it almost farsical. And besides knowing Miranda Hart would make an excellent Ms. Bates, I wasn't so sure about some of the casting.

Johnny Flynn did not strike me as Mr. Knightley. But, it was kind of amusing but at the time I was watching it, I was also reading Mansfield Park and it struck me as similar - although I'm not sure that's a compliment to myself!

Her brother was not handsome: no, when they first saw him he was absolutely plain, black and plain; but still he was the gentleman, with a pleasing address. The second meeting proved him not so very plain: he was plain, to be sure, but then he had so much countenance, and his teeth were so good, and he was so well made, that one soon forgot he was plain; and after a third interview, after dining in company with him at the Parsonage, he was no longer allowed to be called so by anybody. He was, in fact, the most agreeable young man the sisters had ever known, and they were equally delighted with him. 

So he did grow on me. It's a very different sort of telling of Mr. Knightley's part of the story than Gwenyth Paltrow version that I am also fond on, I really liked him in the role. He played the line between showing his emotions and frustrations and being a bit more privately bumbling and still being the dignified gentleman in public. He might have been my favorite actor to play him which is saying a lot because Mr. Knightley is my favorite male book character. Yes, he beats Mr. Darcy. Now, I still really like the Jeremy Northam's Mr. Knightley a lot too. Neither is quite the book Knightley but there is room in my movie life for both versions.

Ms. Bates and Mr. Woodhouse were as expected, wonderful although they didn't get a lot of screen time. In fact, I can't say I disliked any of the cast. Emma herself wasn't my favorite part of the movie but she did a good job and Anya Taylor-Joy does a good job with her faces.

But my one disappointment was that it really did rely on the facial acting and the scenery and costume to tell a lot of the story. They did the job well but I found it didn't have the verbal wit I love about Austen's works. I am pretty flexible with my views on adaptations in that I don't mind them changing lines or scenes as long as they stay true to the book's ideas and don't stray towards obnoxiously anachronstic. I like both the the movie and the books endings of North and South for example. I didn't mind the nosebleed nor have a problem with Mr. Knightley's tuches making an appearance and I don't really fault this version for not having the verbal wit because it just went a different direction, I just missed it. On of my favorite scenes is when Emma and Mr. Knightley have there little verbal spat over Harriet and I think it is so because its on of the few where the words are really flying in a way that reminds me of the book.

Emma/Sandition is (are?) my Adaption Classics for the Back to the Classic's challenge. 

Classics Challenge: How the Heather Looks

Wrote this post in June and forgot to post it (hence the "going there soon" part - although soon wasn't as soon as we expected)

How the Heather Looks is a travel memoir about a family with two young kids who explores Britain by visiting places they know for children's literature. It's also an Ambleside Online book from Year 7.  I liked this but not as much as I expected too. It just felt uneven. Some chapters were lovely and some were a bit draggy, I did enjoy hearing about the way one traveled 50s. The lack of information and pre-planned stops would have given me a heart attack before we even got there! As much as I love books, I felt like they didn't really experience the best of Britain in their travels, or maybe the author just didn't record them. 

And part of it might just be personality. As much as I love books and Britain, I don't really focus on setting in the way the author does. I'm perfectly happy to imagine Toad Hall and leave it at that and while I am excited about traveling to specific spots to learn about certain authors but I wouldn't have thought to look for the Hundred Acre woods. Although perhaps that is a benefit of the book, thinking about how author's locations and the scenery of the life becomes a part of their stories. I do think reading this knowing I'm going there soon may have put me in a different frame of mind reading it than my kids will have when they reach year 7 so it will be interesting to discuss it with them.

(And for goodness sakes, don't read the afterward. Enjoy the slice of life of the family for what it is. And that's all I'll say about that!)

How the Heather Looks is my Back to the Classic Challenge selection for the Classic with Nature in the Title category. 

The Man in the Brown Suit

I definitely hit the mysteries, especially golden age/cozy mysteries pretty hard this year. I feel no guilty in this. But of all that I read, The Man in the Brown Suit (published 1924) was a favorite! I've always said that I like Agatha Christie but I wish I liked her detectives more and this proved my point. 

I love a plucky young heroine and Anne is just that. She's so fun. This whole book is fun and fast-paced and a great escape read that is still well written. It's hard to talk too much about mysteries without giving things away but as far as the mystery itself goes - I didn't see it coming and I loved that!

I know 2020 is coming to an end but the craziness isn't so if you too are looking for a few more light-hearted mysteries in your life, definitely check this one out. 

The Man in the Brown Suit is my Back to the Classics 20th century classic selection. 

Classics Challenge: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

I'm sure I've read this in the past but I have no idea when that was. This time I read this to the two big kids (8 and 10 yrs old) and I know I enjoyed it more as a read-aloud than I would have by myself. For one, the dialogue is a lot of fun and I really like doing voices. 

 It's also fun to be able to read it and see the bigger pictures of what Twain is trying to say (less so in this than Huck Finn but he still has his points to make) while the kids are enjoying it on a more face-value, but no less enjoyable, level. They just fell apart laughing at the school-teacher episode or the playing pirates chapter and were wide-eyes when Tom and Becky were in the cave.

Also, boys have been boys from the beginning of time. Having my own boy who does not see the point in showers or full sets of clothing and who is kind hearted and hard working but also completely willing to trick his sibling into doing his work for him brought a motherly level of humor to this selection - especially read to said boy and watching him scoff at the same antics in others. 

Overall, it reminded me that before classics were "classics" they were just books that people liked. Ones kids read because they wanted to not because they were supposed to. I'd be a bit sad to leave it behind but we have A Christmas Carol and some Tolkien's Christmas letters to get to so I don't have time to miss it. But I'll put in back on the shelf to be read again to all the kids in a few years.

The Adventures of Tom Saywer is my Back to the Classics 19th Century Classic selection. 

A bit of an update

I figured it was time for a little update. We've been in the country for almost 3 months now and have been settling into our house/village about a month. 

And it's good. And hard. And good. Lots of highs and lows.

I'm loving our house - but not the cleaning/set-up. The kids have risen to the challenge of increased chore load especially considering in some ways we were starting from scratch (we tried to maintain chores while in Colorado at least but hotel living isn't conducive to that) so I think it will be managable once I have my routines but I gotta get to that point. And just hanging curtains here is proving to be a multi-week activity. But it's coming along. 

We're loving village life. I know Brits aren't known for their small talk and outgoingness but I have not found that to be true. Maybe it's Covid and everyone is more appreciative of face to face time or maybe we just live in a very friendly village (which is what we've been told) but everyone from the neighbors to the people waiting in line with me to post a letter have been quite chatty and friendly. I even spent almost an hour walking the dog around the village fields with a lady after running into her at a dog running field. And the village FB page just makes me smile, people putting out extra apples to share or updating people on the status of their sheep and reminding us that when lambing starts, we're welcome to pop over and help out.

 Lucy loves walking around the village by herself, exploring all the many little paths and nooks or even running over to the market by herself. The littles love the great playground and I love all the footpaths and dog walking spots. There are lots of areas where she can run free and its been a lot of fun for her although I normally come home caked in mud - and sometimes I have "fun" stories to share. Like how Lizzie found a hole in the fence of a field once, ran through and I had to climb over barbed wire and through a super muddy field to where she was rounding up sheep to get her back. She was obviously very proud of her sheep rounding skills but I was soaked and much less enthused. I'm just glad no one except Lucy was around to watch me because I was definitely channeling Anne Shirley and the cows in the cabbage scene! 

Lockdown is over! Except when your a big family, that doesn't change all that much. Meet-ups of more than 6 people are for the most part prohibited. And we are a family of 6. So, yeah. Still no playdates. But we were able to go to the pub for a meal and out to a store to get curtains and even to a estate to wander the gardens and enjoy the Christmas decor.

The highlight of last week was a Wild+Free nature study meet-up. It was supposed to be about winter birds but we ended up learning all about the fungus, King Alfred's Cakes. Ours our drying and we'll probably give them a test run as a fire starter today. This was such a great day for all of us. Turns out, socializing is really important and when you don't have any face to face interactions in 3 months, it starts to wear on you. Who knew :-)

Waiting for Santa to drive down the village in his tractor :-)

The lows - its been a long, hard transition period for us and while we are normally a jump right in and get involved kind of family, that isn't really possible. I am looking into sports for after the holidays because those aren't as limited as church interactions seem to be.  But for now, nerves are a bit raw and homesickness is in full force. We've definitely stepped up Christmas decor this year. Partly because we are in the heart of the village so don't want to be lame. But also because we needed it. Our couch came through the move ripped and covered in mold so our living room was looking pretty sad and lonely before our big gorgeous tree filled up that empty space. We actually have two trees this year. That's new for us! And while some of the little people here are upset we can't do some of the traditions outside our home that we have done "EVERY YEAR OF OUR ENTIRE LIVES" I am doing what I can to keep our family traditions intact as much as possible. We did St. Lucia's day this morning and the older the kids get, the better it is for me. I helped the kids make the St. Lucia buns last night but they made their own crowns and came down in the morning to make the hot chocolate themselves. All I had to do was show up! And turn on YouTube for us to watch Hanna's Christmas being read by the author. It's all about Hanna having her first St. Lucia's Day and Christmas in a new country and dealing with homesickness. The perfect book for us!

Kid's only wanted Christmas tree for lighting. That means we had a nice slow breakfast - with really bad pictures!

 (On a related side note, I've been trying to come up with Christmas movies for us to watch. When I heard the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," for a split second I thought we'd add Meet Me in St. Louis to the list until I remembered the storyline. I'm pretty sure that would have us all in tears. Crisis Averted!)

So we are also opening the very same Christmas pictures books we open every advent lining our new window sills. And our very same advent wreath and our very same advent chapter book (Jotham's journey series on rotation). Although hanging stockings on a real mantle has been a change everyone can get behind !

Advent with a fire is fun - even if it takes a lot of work to keep the toddler safe still. He is learning though!

I'm slowly getting used to cooking over here with all the different temperatures and measurements and ingredients. It's almost the same - but not. Sometimes I think its a great, fun challenge and sometimes I just want my canned tomatoes to actually have juice! But I love getting eggs from a regular grocery store and finding a little chicken feather stuck to them and a nice bright yellow yolk inside. Or swinging by the local Milk Shack to pick up fresh milk and the best tasting yogurt I've ever tasted in my entire life. I'm hoping for a kitchen scale for Christmas (hint hint Craig) and I think that will take care of most of the "cons" of cooking here, leaving me a happy chef. Especially since I can always send Craig to the military commisary to buy some dill pickles and "normal" bacon if I get desperate for what are apparently my american staples. 

Since I want this to be an honest record of our experience, I have to say that all the tradition keeping on top of dealing with country changes (everything takes more effort. Even a trip to the store to get a lightbulb might take three tries to get right - luckily the store is a 2 minute walk!) and home set-up (plus potty training and homeschooling and regular cooking/cleaning) has me pretty close to burn out. I'm just exhausted. That said, I don't think I've ever looked forward to a Christmas break so much! One more week and I'm going to pause, not just school, but all attempts to hang things on walls or organize or almost anything productive and switch to our plans for cookie baking and gingerbread house making and puzzles and crafts. It's making my advent thoughts really reflect the true seasons - the advent of waiting and hoping with desperation and the knowledge that Christmas is coming! 

Sunset at the playground. Of course, this pictures was taken before 4pm but that's what sad lights and vitamin D drops are for. 

And we have these moments of just joy - a kid using a cute British expression. My turning down a cute little footpath or driving to my doctors past these fields and just smiling because it's so poetically beautiful here. Little things that make me realize I'm living my dream. I really am!

I've had to go to the hospital 4 times to get my regular thryoid prescriptions set up again but I got it all worked out - and the view on the drive is pretty fantastic. 

So overall, I'm pretty confident we will love it's gonna take some time and pushing through both regular assimilation emotions with a Covid induced cherry on top. 

On we go to London town

Bad news on the permanent home situation. Well, not BAD news, just delayed good news. We'll move into it eventually, I'm just having to be patient. If we've been homeless 3.5 months, what's an extra week or two...well, its the straw breaking this camel's back but we'll survive. 

Good news is that we had a free weekend and we took advantage of it. Since Lizzie can't be in our current home, she's being boarded nearby in someone else's and we're getting picture updates. She's having a fine time going on long walks and making friends with their cats leaving us free to easily leave for the whole day! We took the train into London , walked across the London bridge (not very interesting but as they say, the best part is that you get to enjoy the views with the other bridges in them!) and visited the Tower of London. 

Covid stinks and its messed up a lot of our plans BUT the upside to that is the places we are able to go to around here are pretty empty. We had the train car to ourselves but when we were talking to the housekeeper here, she said normally by our station its standing room only! The Tower of London had a short line at the entrances because they checked tickets, did tracking check-in and bag checks, but after that it was smooth sailing. We walked right in to see the crown jewels and kids were shocked when I pointed out the metal queue railings that were often used. 

This is a random shot but that plaque on the floor says that according to Tradition, this is the spot where Henry III died. Now, we aren't trying in school work to our travels but our Ambleside Online, our main curriculum, starts with a heavy British history focus before it continues to American so it just so happened that the very day after we saw this spot, we read about Henry III in our Island Story!

C only took one photo so of course we had a blinker. But I had Jonah's camera so we might have a better one on that, I just haven't been able to check yet. 

After we finished up, we headed back to the train via the Tower Bridge (seen behind us here). It's much prettier.

And of course since our train switch happened to be a King's Cross Station, we had to find Platform 9 3/4! We had just enough time for pictures and a quick walk through the store and look at the wands before popping onto the next train and heading "home." 

The professional photographer helps you pose even if you don't buy the stores photos and just use your own but Jonah wasn't having any of that. 

Norah took a couple tries before she was brave enough to go. She wanted me with her but then refused to look at the camera and opted for the realistic shot of a kid sad they are headed off to school. 

Our permanent home will be a slightly longer but still very reasonable day trip train ride to London which means we get to explore it just one or two attractions at a time.  I wasn't sure how well they'd all do but it went really well and I'm excited about doing it again! (Although next time, I need to make sure I'm in at least one photo at our destination! 

Finally, an update!

We're here! In the UK I mean. It has been a crazy few months. I thought I had fairly reasonable expectations for what an international move with 4 kids and a dog would be like. Then Covid hit. Then I was patient and didn't mind if things were delayed as long as we didn't end up in "limbo" but guess what happened!

I've tried to be really positive about it all on social media because:

1) We clearly are not the only ones affected by Covid and not nearly in the lifelong ways others will be

2) This is still a dream come true, and most importantly 

3) It wouldn't have been healthy for me or anyone that follows me for me to turn into a complainer. 

I did have a few very good friends who were praying for us that I could trust to listen to me AND always make me turn back to the truth that I knew about how God had a plan and would provide all ours needs if I started to go too far down the pity party path. Good friends are such a blessing.

But now that we're almost out of it all and I can see God's provision I do want to come on here and record a bit of the craziness while I can remember it. My own Ebenezer stone of sorts. And really, this isn't all the craziness, just the highlights!

End of June - We have movers scheduled. Start to worry because visa office hasn't reopened and we need visas to leave on our July 21th flight. We're told it will "open shortly." Pretty skeptical but we aren't in charge of scheduling so press on.

July 10th - Movers come and start emptying our house. 

July 12th - Move into a hotel. Are told visa offices are opening but website isn't letting us book an appointment. 

July 14th -  Heard "through the grapevine" (this grapevine will be very important this summer as almost no information is given officially, its just word of mouth and people sharing via text and reddit) scheduling for visa biometrics online opens a week before that site's office does. Instead of waiting for St. Louis to open end of July, Craig spends hours refreshing website to get us dates in Indianapolis. We snag them but they only have one appointment available a day. We need 6 appointments. Grapevine also tells us that because of the official details of the type we need, they SHOULD be able to fit us into one day as long as we all have appointments booked, even if not for that date.

July 15- 20th - Finish house stuff so its ready for renters August 1st. Except the Septic tank. We've been on the waiting list to get a new septic tank installed since February I think. We told it would definitely happened by end of July....still no word. 

July 20th - Road trip to Indianapolis. 

July 21st - Go to visa biometric office. All we need is fingerprints/headshots. Show up, told everyone has to leave building because we are 20 minutes early then Norah and one guardian can return but no one else. This is NOT what we were told previously. Leave building, text friends to pray. C looks for paperwork while kids and I sit in grass and pray they change their mind so we don't have to spend a week in Indianapolis as a hotel for 6 daily 20 minute appointments. Someone comes down out of building to say they were wrong, we can all come in through security now and they should be able to fit us in today. Go through security to desk. Told only Norah would be processed. Confused again. Someone else comes out and says, "oh wait, no, we can process you"....30 minutes later and we're done! See a bit of Indianapolis.

July 22nd - Back to St. Louis. Try to think up a plan on where to live while we wait for visas because hotel life with all 7 of us is not working. Timeline - indefinite. 

July 24th - My dad's rearranged things so we can live in his spare house is Kansas city for a few days while we come up with a plan. Information trickling in from grapevine about how long it is taking to process visas is very inconsistent. Pre-covid was pretty regularly 15 business days. Someone we know got his back in 8. Do we stick close to town in a hotel because its only going to be a week? Do we head out to a nicer place to stay that is much farther from our departure city? Decisions, decisions. 

Also, get word that work on septic tank has begun. Good news! Followed quickly by bad news! Pipes are worse than expected. Add a week and four thousand dollars to estimate! Also, half your front deck is gone. Hope you don't mind. Good news - renters are okay with pushing back move in by a few days. 

August 3rd - Head to my aunt and uncles' cabin in Colorado. It's a long drive through not much but kids are super troopers. We listen to the entire Story of the World Volume 1, all of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and about half of Heidi. 

August 4th - Arrive in Colorado on Jude's birthday. We celebrate with family a few days later. No presents but pretty tasty strawberry shortcake and he got to blow out a scented candle they had lying around. He loved it and clapped and clapped so big kids sang all over again! Breathe a sigh of relief that we aren't in hotels anymore. Kids actually get some sleep which means we actually get some sleep. And the surrounding nature starts to reduce our stress a bit. 

August 13th - Dog gets really sick. Not sure why but she's pretty lethargic so we rush her to ER. She's got a fever so spends a couple hours there. I'm worried because she's supposed to fly (soon?). 

Speaking of the dog, Heathrow Airport is getting backed up with pets so flights are being cancelled. You can't book a dog flight more than 14 days in advance but when we try to book, we're getting bumped farther than that. Really, really appreciate our dog shipper and her hard work keeping us informed on options and so thankful that we, normally pretty frugal and DIY people, decided to pay for help with this earlier this spring. Finally get September 14th flight for her. Clock is ticking now. 

All of August and first week of September - expecting visas "any day now." Were told they were delayed, then that they were on their way, on wait, no they aren't. 

In the midst of this, try and give kids a "fun vacation." C is teleworking but we find time to hike and paddleboard, play in the river, and try some tasty take-out. 

September 7th - No official word but its d-day. We've got to either commit to leaving the nice house and yard we've so graciously been given the opportunity to use to get back for Lizzie's September 14th flight, assuming visas will come in time. Or push it back, not knowing how long it will be before we can get another schedule and stay here until we have the visas in hand. Another pray request sent out for C and I to agree and be at peace with our decision. C finds a long stay hotel that fits us all and I decide we can do it. We look at schedule and know that as long as we get word visas are in mail by Thursday, they should arrive by Friday and we can get dog to flight by Monday and fly on Tuesday ourselves. 

September 9th - Back in St Louis. Being here makes me want to cry because it feels so good to be somewhere familiar - but its not actually home right now and I have to say goodbyes all over again. Have a couple play dates scheduled and take pictures and give hugs. Also pick up leftover luggage and massive dog crate our renters graciously stored in the basement of our house for us. 

Thursday September 10th - Take Lizzie to her pre-flight vet appointment. Still no visas.

Friday September 11th 8pm - Visas on their way. But we can't pick them up until Monday morning. And Lizzie is supposed to be dropped off at 10:30am in Chicago to fly. We ponder.

Sunday Septermber 13th - I take Lucy, Norah, Jude, Lizzie and a massive SUV full of dog crate and luggage to Chicago. Craig and Jonah wait for visas in St. Louis. 

September 14th 10:30 am - I drop off Lizzie. Happy Flying!

September 14th - 11:00am - Craig and Jonah get visas. Drive to Chicago. Stuck in hours of traffic due to an accident. Arrive at 8pm. 

September 15th - Let's fly to England! Jude decided to throw a massive tantrum while we were trying to get 6 people, 3 car seats, 8 check-in bags and 7 carry-ons up to the counter but a special shout out of thanks to the lady who "oh so kindly" kept informing us that it was our turn next (sorry, I try not be sarcastic but it was a bit ridiculous. We were going it was just taking multiple trips and did I mention the toddler screaming and thrashing in my arms trying to get away). Check-in lady says you need to be tested for Covid. No, that's not true. Are you kidding me? Oh wait, never mind she says. 

The flight was actually really uneventful. It was only about 1/3 full and I love how there is so much less micro-managing on international flights. People know what to do and they do it. Kids watched movies, ate dinner, and slept. Once we landed, Norah decided she to wanted to go back to sleep and did so on floor in line for the passport check but it was the family line so no judgment occurred and other moms and dads with kids draped over them or piled in strollers just smiled knowingly. 

Actually, I have to say more, the kids did awesome! They all had to carry heavy bags (we were told our wagon would be able to be gate checked like a stroller but once we got to gate they said no, so they checked it which meant the carry ons and Jude's Dioni (steel framed, really heavy) car seat, most of  which I had expected to wheel, had to be carried by us through passport check to baggage claim. They were exhausted, we got off the plane at 1am St. Louis time, and it was quite a walk because trams were down. Norah and Jonah both fell over from fatigue more than once and I wasn't sure I could get them back up but they rallied and we made it with fairly little complaining. I was super proud of them! 

We've been here in the country for about a month now. Quarantine was a loong two weeks but we've been able to get out an about a bit, play at some playgrounds, see some sights. Friday we have to leave this temporary housing place for another temporary housing place and drop off the dog to be boarded nearby because we couldn't find another house that took dogs. This process itself was convoluted as is the process of getting our phones figured out but we're making it! We've got a great permanent home lined up so I hope I'll be back in a few weeks to show it off because we've been able to move in! Pray that actually occurs! I'm beyond ready to be in our own space again. As are the kids. I need to move on or I might cry from homesickness again. Not homesick for our country, just for a home. 

Blessings I don't want to forget - 

Our renters. We got word of mouth renters. They use Ambleside Online and we have lots of mutual friends. We joked that we're sad we're moving because we could tell we'd be great friends. Having a family we could easily communicate with made the whole septic issue so much less stressful. And knowing that our house is "safe" feels really good too. God was clearly orchestrating that for us both which is so amazing to experience. 

Our month in Colorado. Okay, our time there was intense and emotional because we had to keep making decisions but somehow we always made the right ones and it worked out. A lot of prayer was involved. But it was also really good to have that time us all together. Craig was still working out of our house for much of the spring so this was the most together time we have every had and we actually got to enjoy it by hiking and relaxing together. Plus seeing some family. I can't go so far as to call it a vacation but I'm still really glad we had it. 

Technology - It's given us fits, its driving us crazy (please confirm this via text even though you don't have that text number anymore but to do that you need to change X which also can't be changed until you update Y - but wait, you have to do via text. Kinda like how you need a UK address to get a bank account but guess what you need to have to rent a house - a bank account! That's been fun) BUT I don't know how we'd do this without it. Keeping in touch with family and friends, ordering groceries to be delivered during quarantine, using GPS to figure out what exit from the roundabout we want, k-dramas for me to binge watch when life is a bit too much, technology is getting a thumbs up from me today.

Friend's van - Super awesome friends just happened to have a mini-van available for our use this summer. This was amazing! That meant we could ship our van as originally scheduled without having to rent a mini-van for months which wouldn't really have been feasible. God provides and I'm so thankful for the generous friends he provides through!

No wait for our stuff - The delay has meant our stuff is here already instead of us having to wait 6+ weeks for it. We picked up our mini-van and I've successfully passed my driver's test and driven it around. Having my own car back felt really nice, like at least one physical spot is familiar and mine. All our goods are also here and waiting for us to have a house to put them in so not having to wait for those next month will be nice. 

So, TLDR - turns our, making your dreams come true can be really difficult. But we've all enjoyed takeout fish and chips, Indian, afternoon tea, and then for fun, actually went into a pub and had a Sunday roast. We've seen some pretty landscapes, sat in the gardens and drank tea, and visited a cathedral. Pretty much all the cliche things that I don't even care are cliche because they are also super delightful. As is Norah asking me to put something in the rubbish bin for her. So it's going to be okay.