Friends,
Eat.Drink.Americano is an o so chic restaurant in LA. Guess what, they have our chairs!!!
The stools look exactly like ours, purchased at World Market. Who would have thought we are oh so trendy….Gotta tell you, they are not that comfortable. But they hold up to six kids so they are like gold.
See you back here on Friday!
-Sofija
Pictures found via bforbonnie.wordpress.com
This post is by my 14 year old son, Finn. You can find all his book reviews in the “Books Series for Young Readers” section.
Ranger’s Apprentice Series:
(The Ruins of Gorlan, The Burning Bridge, The Icebound Land, The Battle for Skandia, Erak’s Ransom, The Sorcerer in the North, the Siege of Macindaw, The Kings of Clonmel, Halt’s Peril, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, The Lost Stories).
The Ranger Corp is responsible for policing the kingdom and being the king’s informants on events in the kingdom, among other things. Their skills at archery, stealth, knife throwing, and knife fighting are second to perhaps a rare few. This series follows the life and adventures of Will, a boy who is trained to be a Ranger. Over the course of the series, Will changes from a young, inexperienced boy, into one of the most skilled rangers, if not the most skilled, in the land. Along with his master, Halt, and a few close friends, Will defends the kingdom from invaders and other threats. A fun series with plenty of action and sarcastic humor.
I recommend this eleven-book long series for ages ten and up.
Friends,
A few weeks ago my husband took me shopping for my birthday. We took the scenic route to Santa Fe through the mountains. One thing I love about New Mexico are the little quaint churches in every town. This one is in a ghost town, and the church is all that is left. Take a look.
I think it is in Golden, near the quirky hippy town of Madrid, if you ever want to venture there. As I make my way through New Mexico I plan on taking pictures of the little churches in remote places.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
Friends,
How was your week? Any exiting plans for the weekend? After struggling with my middle schooler through Geometry and weather patterns all week, I’m looking forward to a three day break.
I’m so exited to show you what Benetton has come up with for their spring collection. Their theme is the “all Italian family”. Take a look:
Rolling, green hills, great food, sheep everywhere. Who wouldn’t want to visit their nona in beautiful Tuscany??
I didn’t think Benetton could top the creativity of their fall shoot, but maybe they did.
Have a lovely weekend!
-Sofija
Friends,
how is your schooling going? Are you close to the 100 day mark? Do you have a big party to celebrate? When my oldest went to private school, the 100th day of school was a big deal. I’m sad to tell you, when I school the kids I get so busy that organizing a party seems like way too much work. So when my friend Mimi invited me over to celebrate I was thrilled.
Here are some ideas my friend came up with to get you started on your party.
It was a fun party and a fun way to break from the school routine.
-Sofija
Hi there,
One of my favorite artists is Makoto Fujimura. On top of being an accomplished international artist he is also a writer, speaker, and this is rare for Christian artists today, a cultural shaper. He trained in Tokyo and became a National Scholar in Nihonga (Japanese-style painting). Take a look.
His paintings are so serene, yet full of expression and beauty. If I could ever afford his art I would buy the painting on top, Olana, and I would stare at it for hours. He used real gold for some of his paintings. You can find all of his work here.
I think I’m going to encourage my kids to paint today.
-Sofija
Paintings featured from top to bottom:
Olana, Mathew Six
Golden Fire
Charis-Kairos, The Tears of Christ
Soliloquies, Genesis
John, In the Beginning
Hi there,
How was your week? Is everybody settling back down to a normal routine? I was surprised how easy it was for my kids to go back to their school schedule. I expected it to be harder after two weeks.
It’s been cold where we live and I imagine it is not much better where you are. Here are some pictures to warm you. Australia is in the middle of summer right now. Did you know that there is a vibrant array of Australian kid’s fashion? I had no idea, but then, I have no idea what goes on in Australia in general.
Take a look.
I like how Oobi (great name by the way) combines elegant with playful. The blue tutu is pretty sweet, and how about the strawberry dress with matching hat and purse?
Australian kid’s fashion has made it on my favorite list for sure.
Have a wonderful weekend, see you back here on Monday.
-Sofija
We have had a bit of snow lately and I am always in awe how beautiful the high desert is in the winter. Nearby us is a Bosque del Apache, a National Wildlife Refuge. Thousands of birds descent on it every year. One photographer who has captured this event beautifully is our friend Sam Mulder. He is a father of four, scientist and a home-school dad, who does wildlife photography in his spare time. Take a look.
He goes to the Bosque several times a year trying to photograph and then catalog all the wildlife that lives there. One time he took my oldest son who helped him spot a few animals. What an opportunity for my son to see what it takes to be a wildlife photographer. There is a lot of hiking involved, and patience.
If you come to New Mexico in the wintertime, make Bosque del Apache one of your destinations. Stop by at Buckhorn and eat their famous green chili cheeseburger in San Antonio (NM) on the way (call first to make sure they are actually open). The best times to be visit the Bosque is at sunrise or sunset.
Have a lovely day,
Sofija
Friends,
this post is about what would be a dream come true for me: a designer helping a home-school mom to design a room where she can teach her kids. Can you imagine?? Edie from Lifeingrace had the good fortune to do just that. That is after her previous house burned down and they had lost everything. So don’t be too jealous. Take a look.
Here is what Edie says about her room:” The multitasking type of room has long been a dream of mine. A room that’s like me—–that reads and does laundry and blogs and dabbles in paints and maps and printing and child-rearing and bird watching. We’ve only lived here two weeks but I can’t even count the hours we’ve already spent in here.”
A place for everything, even the works of Luther. Love it.
Here comes the surprise. Not only is this room a school room but also a laundry room!!! This makes total sense to me, since that is what my days are all about: schooling, blogging, and laundry.
Edie assures her readers that her room is NEVER this clean and organized. The green table for example gets cleaned about 27 times a day only to be cluttered with new projects again. The family spends their whole day in this room, first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
Friends, this rooms speaks to me on so many levels. When you are home with children all day you want it to be a happy and aesthetic place, and one that functions well. We use our front room as a library/school/play room. Now I need to work harder in making it look prettier. However the washer/dryer will stay in the laundry room…
How about you, is your space working for you? Is it pretty enough where you want to spend all day in it? I know most of us can’t afford a designer, still the smallest changes like drapes, pillows, and a couch cover can make a big difference.
Happy decorating!
-Sofija
Hi there,
how was your weekend? Did you try to squeeze in as much fun as you can before school starts up again? My kids certainly did. Thanks to dear friends they got to go ice skating twice and sledding. Here are some pictures my 11 year old daughter took when she went sledding. I must say this girl takes some good pictures.
The picture of the girl is Esther’s good friend. Looking at these pictures makes me sad I missed it. I did make it into the mountains once, I’ll share pictures soon.
Have a lovely day, and good start back to school!
-Sofija
Teach Where You Live 