I've been trying to begin Wuthering Heights for the past few days, but it's been chaotic around here.

Finished both Little Women and Little Men this week, in addition to harnessing our bread machine. Made oodles of bagels, two loaves of Amish bread (so ironic that I made it in a machine...) rosemary-olive oil bread, and one ill-fated oatmeal-wheat loaf that Papa insisted was delicious. I'll be sorry to go back to school tomorrow...

Now for Jo's Boys and Eight Cousins!

Can't be sure...

Have I read this before? The opening lines are so familiar...maybe I listened to it on tape...




"I suspect that the real attraction was a large library of fine books, which was left to dust and spiders since Uncle March died...The dim, dusty room, with the busts staring down from the tall bookcases, the cozy chairs, the globes, and, best of all, the wilderness of books in which she could wander where she liked, made the library a region of bliss to her. The moment Aunt March took her nap, or was busy with company, Jo hurried to this quiet place, and, curling herself up in the easy chair, devoured poetry, romance, history, travels, and pictures, like a regular bookworm. But, like all happiness, it did not last long; for as sure as she had just reached the heart of the story, the sweetest verse of the song, or the most perilous adventure of her traveler, a shrill voice called, "Josy-phine! Josy-phine!" and she had to leave her paradise to wind yarn, wash the poodle, or read Belsham's Essays by the hour together."

The Princess Bride

a lucky find at the used bookstore--finished in three days!

making paper...

I went to the library, only to find a massive section on every craft I've ever wanted to learn. But there was research to be done, so I stuck to the topic of my paper for Bookmaking--how to make paper. Though Michaela and I have done it a few times, we've only ever used ripped up bits of paper to make our own. I'd like to learn the process of actually using sawdust or rags or corn husks...