The Forum, Rome, Italy Feb. 7, 2017

The Forum, 

Rome, Italy 

Feb. 7, 2017

After we left the Colosseum we ate our picnic lunch and then headed over to the Forum!  It was the best weather of the trip and we spent the whole day outside.  These pruned trees became my favorite trees in Italy.

Dd and Dh enjoyed having a nice day in Italy as much as I did.  Our first few days in Rome were not great, and the Colosseum and Forum made up for that!

Dd and I love to find the timeless treasures of nature that we can find anywhere - anytime.  These pretty daisy weeds might have bloomed in The Forum in it's heyday.

Even though it was February 7th, the off-season, the place still had masses of tourists.

I found this empty snail shell and made Dd take a picture of it for me.  We enjoyed looking at the trees, grass, weeds, the herb gardens and critters all in the Forum.

We got to go inside some of the buildings, and some had some reconstruction or renovation done.  The building interiors were just as fascinating as the exteriors.

They had plaques throughout the Forum that told the story of whatever it was beside.  They did a good job sharing what everything was and the story behind it.  Most pictures/walls were explained.

We started off on the ground and then as we went through one building it took us up higher and higher, and found the view at the top was really amazing.

I *love* moss, and ivy...so cool to find these two things meshed together.

I wore two security purses around my waist and looked a little odd, but it was neat to see this one building with many Fleur de Lis' throughout it.

From our height, we had a good view of Rome.

Blurry photo, but I just caught a glimpse of this European Robin and wanted to share.

We saw these pretty green parrot-like birds throughout Rome.

We saw two cats while in Rome.  One was a black cat, that wasn't doing well (at all), and then at the Forum we saw this cute cat.  He moved to a fenced in area, and then sat down and looked back at us, from safety.  He was a bit 'fluffy' and apparently hasn't missed many meals!

I know I've said it before but these evergreen trees were beautiful.  I went around at the Forum and collected a few pinecones to compare.  The Forum had a wide variety of things growing there.

The line of trees on the left are olive trees, and there was a huge evergreen tree on the right.

Spending so much time at the Forum let the sun spotlight different things as the day went on.  This late afternoon picture really made a bold contrast of the Colosseum.

After the Forum, we got on the yellow tour bus and managed to get a picture of the oldest bridge in Rome.  This bridge has 12-14 sculptures of angels on it---supposedly to protect travelers.

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Chickens Spring 2017 Week One

Chickens Spring 2017 

Week One

 Dd asked to go to Tractor Supply this week....endlessly!  Then when we finally got there, the ducks she had been wanting hadn't arrived! She has spent HOURS researching ducks online, learning which ones to get and how to care for them!  Tractor Supply did have a few tanks of chickens already.  This is the area where they sell the critters.  They don't know when the ducks will come in, so we've been going back every 2-3 days to see if they are there.

Dd made the brooder box last week, with her new updated design that has a pull-out window in the side of the box.  Here Dd is putting the new chicks into their new home.

Aren't they adorable?!!!

It was around 30 degrees outside, so they were happy to snuggle-up under the heat lamp when they got home.  

Agnes our cat can't get into the Sun Room, as she might hurt our chicks, but Sophie just loves to look at the chicks!  She doesn't have access when we aren't with her though!  Have to be safe!

We bought six Amber Link
and six Tetra Brown - they should all be female chickens that lay brown eggs.

And the pooping begins.........

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Sonlight Core H Week 7B Feb. 20-26, 2017 (Time 1600's)

Sonlight Core H 

Week 7B 

Feb. 20-26, 2017 

(Time 1600's)

Dd putting our new chicks in their new home.

Hello, Friends!  

Baby Chickens:

We had a good week, and a step closer to getting back into our rhythm after our trip to Italy.  Our biggest thing this week....baby chickens!  Yep, Tractor Supply received their baby chicks a few weeks early and Dd couldn't wait any longer.  In truth, she is really wanting baby ducks and we went there with that as our primary goal, but they hadn't received the ducks in yet.  So, we keep going back every few days to see if the ducks have come in, and they still haven't arrived.  This year we bought six Tetra Brown girls and six Amber Brown girls.  They are super cute and are growing SO fast!

Tractor Supply--the chicks are arriving, but the ducks haven't arrived yet.

House work:
We have been working hard on cutting down some scrub trees in our 'front yard.' Eventually, we will plant some White Pine, apple tress, and blueberry bushes in that (now) open area.

Carhart sale:

This weekend we made another stop into Tractor Supply to check for ducks, and happened to walk in on their 50% off their discounted Carhart coats!  Now maybe Dd will go collect eggs in her new Carhart and not in her new church coats!  She's all set now for taking care of our critters in snowy Michigan!

I don't know who is the most excited about the new chicks....Sophie, our dog might win this one!  

Violin update:

I don't remember if I shared our problems with our violin teacher in Grand Rapids, but we decided to call and ask to switch teachers.  We were scheduled to start up with our new woman on Monday, but we got a phone call on Monday morning that she was out of town.  I had Dd practice her violin as we waited for our new class next week.

Dd at our church's Strings Group.  The young lady behind the music stand is Dd's violin friend.

Speaking of Violin and the Strings Group:

Dd's best friend at church plays the violin for her public school orchestra and is more advanced than Dd.  We've had her over to practice with Dd and share a pizza.  She helped Dd with her 'intonation' and shared a few tricks.  It was nice for Dd to have this friend over, she is a really sweet young lady.  After pizza I took both girls to the "Strings Group" on Thursday night for practice.  The Strings Group played the church's' Valentine's party, but Dd had missed the new material when we were traveling and so didn't play with them.  Hopefully when the group plays next, at a Sunday morning service, Dd will also play.  Dd has been learning to play the guitar with this group, but one of the women in the group has an extra ukelele and Dd asked to try it.  

Not many people came to Strings Group was few this week, a flu bug has been going around this week.  Some public schools actually canceled classes for two days this week due to the bug hitting people so hard.  

Band:

Dd moved up a chair in her Intermediate Band, playing her Alto Sax.  This week the girl behind her has challenged her to get her old chair back....I hope Dd can keep her spot, but we'll have to wait and see!  The chair tests are really good for giving the students reasons for practicing often. Dd is "first chair" in Beginning Band (Tenor Sax), and she hasn't had anyone challenging her, so her hours practicing that instrument is less than her Alto.

Our lessons this Week:

Bible:

Church and Sunday School on Sundays

I had been looking for: "How the Bible Came To Us" by Meryl Doney for a long time, and finally found it used for $3.00!  So we started this book for our together bible time this week.

Dd has been working on a devotion by herself, and is thinking about doing this as a group, teen girls group/bible study at our home---perhaps in the summer.  

Praying for Your Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart for His by Robin Jones Gunn

(she is really liking it, and wants me to buy her a copy so she can return this one to the library!)

Wrote Bible Verse in Cursive in her copy book

Dd made the brooder box last week.

Art: 10 hours
Dd has been doing some really nice watercolors of women in dresses.  Her goal is to try and get the texture of the dresses.  She easily spent ten hours on her drawings and watercoloring this week.

Read Aloud:

The Ravenmster's Secret: Escape From The Tower of London by Elvira Woodruff

Set in London, England in 1735...good reading!

Dd putting the new chicks in our box.  Tractor Supply crams 12 chicks in that tiny box to keep them warm while in transit.

Read Aloud:

BiblioPlan Companion Early Modern History - 

Ch. 7: New Netherland; the Thirty Years' War : Completed

Ch. 8: The Puritan Migration; the English Civil War : In Process

Geography:

BiblioPlan Advanced Mapping:

Week 5 New France

Week 6: Pilgrims Plymouth Colony

Week 7: The Voyages of Hudson

Week 7A: Thirty Years War

Sonlight Week 7 Timeline and Mapping: Completed

Dd designed a window in the side of the brooder, and upgrade from last years box!

Science: 

Apologia: Physical Science:

Module 3: Completed

Last week she re-studied this material and this week she took a warm-up test and then the final test to pass. 

Math:

Math U See: Geometry

Correct incorrect problems from Lesson 9 on Monday

10 A-E

Dd just loves her snuggly cat, Agnes, and her cuddling ways!  Mom- do you recognize this blanket?  You and Don gave it to for Christmas over 20 years ago.  It has all sorts of Craftsman tools on it...Thanks!  I still love it!

Writing:

IEW SWI-B

Lesson 14: Completed

Brain Inventory 

Audio:

Story of the World, Early Modern

Chapter 15

The chicks were glad to see the heat lamp after being out in the cold on the route home.

Independent Work:

Reader 1: In Process
George Washington's World by Foster: 

pg 140-160

Reader 2:  In Process

Stowaway by Karen Hesse

Our high stress home!  I was reading aloud to Dd and when I saw how cute everyone was being, I decided to snap a pix.

Poetry:

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

reading a mini-biography and these two poems this week:

Excelsior

Mezzo Cammin

Volunteer:

Olympians, Games 1:30 hours on Wednesday nights

Music Practice:

Flute: 30 minutes

Tenor: 2:30 hours

Alto: 4:00 hours

Piano: 1:30 hours

Violin: 2:00 hours

Music Classes:

Wednesday Dd had Begining Band class: 1:30 hours (Tenor Sax)

Intermediate Band class: 1:30 hours (Alto Sax)

Piano Lesson with Mrs. March: 30 minutes

Strings Group: 1:10 hours (guitar)

All twelve in the box.  This years box is smaller than last years.

Home Economics:
Cous-Cous

Chicken and Cat Care

Kitchen - Dishes

Vacuuming and Laundry

Another good week of learning and growing closer to the Lord.

Agnes is a great student!

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Montagnola Park Jan 29, 2017

Montagnola Park, Bologna Italy

 Jan 29, 2017

You can see the old brick in the center of this photo.  I believe this was part of the ruins of the citadel of the Pope from back in the 1500's.  Bologna built around old historical ruins, it isn't odd to turn a corner and see some odd section of some wall that is obviously really old.

  

You can see the man beside Dd and Dh, there were a few shady characters at this park.  There was a 'green' park like area that had more people that seemed homeless.  I wouldn't recommend this park after nightfall.

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