Living and Learning

My general Internet-grounding is up, although facebook is still on. Although it hasn't been a burden, it is sometimes difficult to remember not to get on the computer- it seems when you spend an abundance of time on there per day, it is habit to get on. I've had to learn to turn to other activities, which was the point of this portion of my punishment. Here is what I have done in the last week or so:

I read The Magician's Nephew, by C.S. Lewis. My grandmother tried reading them to me when I was about 7, but we got half way through and I couldn't let her continue because I was too scared. Of course, now that I look back on that section of the book, it describes a world that is corrupt, trampled by sin for thousands of years. We didn't get to the refreshing part, that describes the creation of a new world, where sin is distant and still runs from God. It is an amazing perspective of Creation, and showed me some of God's great love for our corrupt world.

I played the piano more than I have in years. I took lessons from grade 2 till 5, and hadn't played much since then. Just after we moved here, I found one of my favorite hymns on sheet music in one of my mom's old books, so I struggled through it. For the last week or so, I have gone through a classical music book that I bought back in May. I'm starting to realize that, although my sight reading has improved to the point where I'm pleased with it, I need to work on the patience and endurance of perfecting a piece, working on the tempo and volumes. My favorites to play are Sheep May Safely Graze (Bach); Fur Elise (Beethoven); Minuet in G (Bach); Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach); and Chorale (Schumann). I started with pieces I recognize (hence all the Bach) and I'm starting to spread out to other pieces, now that I'm back to feeling more comfortable with it.

I worked on my quilt! Oh, it's coming along so well! I hope to get some pictures up here. It will (hopefully, if the calculations are correct) a queen-size when it is finished. I finished cutting ALL the fabric the other day (which I have slowly been working on since last summer) and I'm currently working on sewing the blocks. I only have 4 more of the embroidered blocks to do, but I am out of embroidery floss so I'll have to get some more. Then I have around 96 diamond blocks to do- that's what I started the other day. I hope to finish all the blocks before school starts, have the top sewn by November, and finished completely by the time school is up. I'm about to head over to Grandma's as soon as I'm finished this post to work on it more.

I found my camera, so I can take a picture of it.

I also read more of Anne of Avonlea, by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Charming story. I have 44 pages left. I wanted to finish both it and Michael O'Halloran before I pick up another book. I would like to leave you with a quote I found very insightful:

" 'Now my name just smacks of bread and butter, patchwork and chores.'
'Oh, I don't think so,' said Diana. 'Anne seems to me real stately and like
a queen. But I'd like Kerrenhappuch if it happened to be your name. I think
people make their names nice or ugly just by what they are themselves. I can't
bear Josie or Gertie for names now, but before I knew they Pye girls I thought
them real pretty.'
'That's a lovely idea, Diana,' said Anne enthusiastically. 'Living so that
you beautify your name, even i it wasn't beautiful to begin with...making it
stand in people's thoughts for something so lovely and pleasant that they never
think of it by itself. Thank you, Diana' "