The Angelovic Corner Garden - growing and blooming

[img[http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/52923507/2924509]]\n\nWe enjoy reading books! If you have some reading suggestions, we'd love to hear them. You can check out our lists here:\n\nBooks we are CurrentlyReading\nRecentlyRead books\nUpcoming BooksToRead\n\n[[Homeschool-related books we use, available at Amazon.com|AmazonLinks]]\n\n\n

[img[http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/52923507/2924509]]\nSo many books, so little time...\n\n''Books on our "To Read" list'':\n\n*''for Hunter:''\n//The Battle Of The Labyrinth//, by Rick Riordan\n//The Calder Game//, by Blue Balliet\n//Superior Saturday//, by Garth Nix\n//Lord Sunday//, by Garth Nix\n\n*''for Drew:''\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Golem's Eye//, by Jonathan Stroud\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: Ptolemy's Gate//, by Jonathan Stroud\n//Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague//, by Brandon Mull\n//Eragon//, by Christopher Paolini\n//Eldest//, by Christopher Paolini\n//Brisingr//, by Christopher Paolini\n//The Battle Of The Labyrinth//, by Rick Riordan\n//Dragon Slippers//, by Jessica Day George\n//Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow//, by Jessica Day George\n//Goose Girl//, by Shannon Hale\n//Dancing on the Edge//, by Han Nolan\n//April and the Dragon Lady//, by Lensey Namioka\n//The Borrowers Afield//, by Mary Norton\n//The Borrowers Afloat//, by Mary Norton\n//The Borrowers Aloft//, by Mary Norton\n//The Akhenaten Adventure//, by P. B. Kerr\n//The Blue Djinn of Babylon//, by P.B. Kerr\n//The Cobra King of Kathmandu//, by P.B. Kerr\nAnne of Green Gables series\n//Sense and Sensibility//, by Jane Austen\n//The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew//, by Margaret Sidney\n//The Witch Family//, by Eleanor Estes\n//The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle//, by Avi\n//An ~Old-Fashioned Girl//, by Louisa May Alcott\n//To Be Young in America: Growing Up with the Country: 1776-1940//, by Sheila Cole\n//Walk Two Moons//, by Sharon Creech\n//Pleasing the Ghost//, by Sharon Creech\n//Chasing Redbird//, by Sharon Creech\n//Bloomability//, by Sharon Creech\n//Annie, Between the States//, by L.M. Elliott\n//The Host//, by Stephenie Meyer\n\n*''for Duncan:''\n//The Battle Of The Labyrinth//, by Rick Riordan\n//The Akhenaten Adventure//, by P. B. Kerr\n//The Blue Djinn of Babylon//, by P.B. Kerr\n//The Cobra King of Kathmandu//, by P.B. Kerr\nThe Warriors series, by Erin Hunter:\n1. //Into the Wild//\n2. //Fire and Ice//\n3. //Forest of Secrets//\n4. //Rising Storm//\n5. //A Dangerous Path//\n6. //The Darkest Hour//\nWarriors: The New Prophecy series, by Erin Hunter:\n1. //Midnight//\n2. //Moonrise//\n3. //Dawn//\n4. //Starlight//\n5. //Twilight//\n6. //Sunset//\n\n*''Misc:''\n//Where the Red Fern Grows//, by Wilson Rawls\n//The Only Alien on the Planet//, by Kristen D. Randle\n//The Blue Fairy Book//, by Andrew Lang\n//The Green Fairy Book//, by Andrew Lang\n//The Black Cauldron//, by Lloyd Alexander\n//The Castle of Llyr//, by Lloyd Alexander\n//Taran Wanderer//, by Lloyd Alexander\n//The High King//, by Lloyd Alexander\n//Here Lies the Librarian//, by Richard Peck\n//The Witch of Blackbird Pond//, by Elizabeth George Speare\n//Johnny Tremain//, by Esther Forbes\n//The Good Earth//, by Pearl S. Buck\n//The View from Saturday//, by E.L. Konigsburg\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand//, by Jonathan Stroud\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Golem's Eye//, by Jonathan Stroud\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: Ptolemy's Gate//, by Jonathan Stroud\n//My Side of the Mountain//, by Jean Craighead George\n//Julie of the Wolves//, by Jean Craighead George\n//The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking//, by Astrid Lindgren\n//The Egypt Game//, by Zilpha Keatley Snider\n//Dogsbody//, by Diana Wynne Jones\n//The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 1: Charmed Life / The Lives of Christopher Chant//, by Dianna Wynne Jones\n//Chronicles of Chrestomanci: Magicians of Caprona and Witch Week//, by Dianna Wynne Jones\n//Mixed Magics: Four Tales of Chrestomanci//, by Diana Wynne Jones\n//Dark Lord of Derkholm//, by Diana Wynne Jones\n//Charmed Life//, by Diana Wynne Jones\n//The Magicians of Caprona//, by Diana Wynne Jones\n//The Lives of Christopher Chant//, by Diana Wynne Jones\n//Castle in the Air//, by Diana Wynne Jones\n//Howl's Moving Castle//, by Diana Wynne Jones\n//The Thief Lord//, by Cornelia Funke\n//Persuasion//, by Jane Austen\n//Gifts//, by Ursula K. Le Guin\n//Voices//, by Ursula K. Le Guin\n//Little House in the Big Woods//, by Laura Ingalls Wilder\n//Farmer Boy//, by Laura Ingalls Wilder\n//Little House on the Prairie//, by Laura Ingalls Wilder\n//On the Banks of Plum Creek//, by Laura Ingalls Wilder\n//By the Shores of Silver Lake//, by Laura Ingalls Wilder\n//Alphabet of Dreams//, by Susan Fletcher\n//Ender's Shadow//, by Orson Scott Card\n//Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life//, by Wendy Mass\n//The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: The Pox Party//, by M.T. Anderson\n//The Book Thief//, by Markus Zusak\n//Braid//, by Helen Frost\n//An Abundance of Katherines//, by John Green\n//Gossamer//, by Lois Lowry\n//The Lost Years of Merlin//, by T.A. Barron\n//The Great Tree of Avalon: Child of the Dark Prophecy//, by T.A. Barron\n//The Great Tree of Avalon: Shadows on the Stars//, by T.A. Barron\n//The Great Tree of Avalon: The Eternal Flame//, by T.A. Barron\n//Peter and the Shadow Thieves//, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson\n//Victory//, by Susan Cooper\n//No Flying in the House//, by Betty Brock\n//The Sea Fairies//, by L. Frank Baum\n//The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906//, by Laurence Yep\n\n*''for Lillian:''\n//Talking to Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Generation me : why today's young Americans are more confident, assertive, entitled--and more miserable than ever before//, by Jean M. Twenge\n//Marriage of minds : collaborative fiction writing//, by Nikoo & James A. ~McGoldrick\n//Ender's Shadow//, by Orson Scott Card\n//Speaker for the Dead//, by Orson Scott Card\n//Xenocide//, by Orson Scott Card\n//Children of the Mind//, by Orson Scott Card\n//Eat, Pray, Love//, by Elizabeth Gilbert\n//Heat//, by Peter Micheels\n//Jesus the Christ//, by James E. Talmage\n//The Secret Life of Bees//, by Sue Monk Kidd\n//The Mermaid Chair//, by Sue Monk Kidd\n//The Kite Runner//, by Khaled Hosseini\n//A Thousand Splendid Suns//, by Khaled Hosseini\n//The Last Promise//, by Richard Paul Evans\n//Leadership and self-deception: getting out of the box//, by The Arbinger Institute\n//The anatomy of peace: resolving the heart of conflict//, by The Arbinger Institute\n//The Ivy Tree//, by Mary Stewart\n//My Brother Michal//, by Mary Stewart\n//Trainman//, by P.T. Deutermann\n//The Time Traveler's Wife//, by Audrey Niffenegger\n//Dark Angel//, by Karen Harper\n//Grave Endings//, by Rochelle Krich\n//Song of the Bones//, by M.K. Preston\n//Authorized Personnel Only//, by Barbara D'Amato\n//Capital offense//, by Kathleen A. Antrim\n//Plum Island//, Nelson ~DeMille\n//The General's Daughter//, Nelson ~DeMille\n//Night fall//, Nelson ~DeMille\n//Five In A Row//, by Jan Coffey\n//Where Are The Children?//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//A Stranger is Watching//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//The Cradle Will Fall//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//A Cry in the Night//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Stillwatch//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Weep No More, My Lady//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//While My Pretty One Sleeps//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Loves Music, Loves to Dance//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//All Around the Town//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//I'll Be Seeing You//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Remember Me//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Let Me Call You Sweetheart//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Silent Night//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Pretend You Don't See Her//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Moonlight Becomes You//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//You Belong to Me//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//All Through The Night//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//We'll Meet Again//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Deck the Halls//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//On The Street Where You Live//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//He Sees You When You're Sleeping//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Daddy's Little Girl//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//The Second Time Around//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Nighttime Is My Time//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//The Christmas Thief//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//No Place Like Home//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Two Little Girls in Blue//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n//I Heard That Song Before//, by Mary Higgins Clark\n\n----\n\nCurrentlyReading\nRecentlyRead\n\n\n

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[>img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/LillianAFamily.jpg]]\n\n[[Lillian|LillianA]] may be reached at: lillian at cornergarden dotnet\n[[Hunter|HunterA]] may be reached at: hunter at cornergarden dot net\n[[Drew|DrewA]] may be reached at: drew at cornergarden dot net\n[[Duncan|DuncanA]] may be reached at: duncan at cornergarden dot net\n\n

<html>\n<font size="1"><a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">\n<img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" />\n</a>\n<br />This \n<span xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text" rel="dc:type">work</span> is licensed under a \n<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License</a>.<br>That means you may use what I have here as long as you attribute it accurately, you don't use it for commercial purposes, and you don't use it as a building block for something else.<br>Some photos on this site may be licensed under similar CC licenses, and are identified as such in their properties data.<br>Copyright 1996-2008<br>Lillian Horne Angelovic</font>\n</html>\n\n\n\n

[img[http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/52923507/2924509]]\nBooks we are currently reading...\n\n''by'' [[Hunter|HunterA]]:\n//The Titan's Curse//, by Rick Riordan\n\n''by'' [[Drew|DrewA]]:\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand//, by Jonathan Stroud\n\n''by'' [[Duncan|DuncanA]]:\n//Stargazer//, by Patrick Carman\n\n''by'' [[Lillian|LillianA]]:\n//The Art of Possibility//, by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander\n//The Best Year of Your Life//, by Debbie Ford\n//Twilight//, by Stephenie Meyer\n\n----\n\nBooksToRead\nRecentlyRead\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/Recital06-2.jpg]]\n\nDance is [[Drew's|DrewA]] second passion. [[Gymnastics]] takes up an awful lot of time and energy (and money!) but I am going to insist that she take ballet //forever//. We love her wonderful teachers at Dance Innovation in Centerville. She got to ham it up as a villager in the studio recital production of "The Princesses and the Peas" last June. October through December 2005 she also had an awesome experience as one of the cute little buffoon dancers in the [[Ballet West|http://www.balletwest.org]] production of The Nutcracker. Those photos actually survived TheFire, too! If I ever find them in storage we'll have them around again. I can't put them up here or Ballet West will happily sue me for the $.04 in my wallet.\n\nSurprise! [[Duncan|DuncanA]] started studying ballet last fall and really enjoyed it. He learned fast and actually ended up in the Ballet II/III class because he was the only Ballet I student. He thinks that's cool. He really wants to study tap dance and also expressed an interest in learning Irish dance, but he may end up in a clogging class if we can fit it into our schedule. So far he's not had a class with another boy in it. As a result, we expect all of this will help him learn some respect for women in addition to the obvious dance skills, and develop his poise and balance. That's good for things like football and martial arts, too!\n\nThis year Drew and Duncan both danced solo roles in their studio's end-of-year ballet recital, "Three Fairies in the Woods", and got to dance together in a jesters scene in the recital, as well. They practiced hard together at home and had a great time! Drew was accepted into BYU's summer ballet workshop but there was some confusion about applying for a scholarship, and in the end she opted not to go this year. NExt year we'll know better what we're doing.\n\nI'm also currently putting together a regional amateur ballet competition, which I plan to have up and running for spring competition season, 2009. Dreams are good. Don't pop my bubble, please!\n\n

[[Welcome]]\nTheFamily\nCreativeCommonsLicense

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/Bright-350.jpg]]\n\nDrew is a busy 12-year-old girl with a lot of talent, and enjoys showing it off for others. She will tell you that she is a level 8 [[competitive gymnast|Gymnastics]] and a [[ballet dancer|Dance]]. She is also a reader, a crafter, a Girl Scout, and a very socially-oriented person. She is quick to make friends and remembers almost everyone she meets. She has a talent for quickly recognizing and identifying actors' faces and voices from having seen them in [[Movies]]. Her skills at memorization has led to a joke in our family that she knows everyone's name, birthday, and their pet's birthday - though it really isn't too much of an exaggeration. (Do you know Rocket the Ferret's birthday? She does. She even made him a birthday card.) Drew's favorite color is pink. She loves cute girly things but can play Dynasty Warriors like a pro!\n\nDrew's favorite school subject is literature. She loves to read and especially loves the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series, but has enjoyed most everything she has read - from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice to Mr. Popper's Penguins.\n\nThis winter she and [[Duncan|DuncanA]] are dancing in [[Ballet West's|http://www.balletwest.org/]] production of The Nutcracker. Drew is a blue soldier who gets chased off the stage during the fight scene by a mouse.\n\n[>img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/DrewCrop.jpg]]\n\nDrew may be reached at: drew at cornergarden dot net\n\n\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/Bluebird-400.jpg]]\n\nDuncan is a 10-year-old boy determined to do everything better than his older siblings. He has so far enjoyed learning MartialArts and [[Dance]]. His favorite school subject used to be math, but that seems to have lost some of its appeal recently. He also loves Pokemon and video games. He is very competitive and determined, but is also our family's "class clown" and loves teasing everyone. Put him in a class somewhere and he'll proudly tell you that he sits with the girls because they are quiet, respectful, and listen to the teacher. As soon as he's outside, however, he's chasing and being chased - determined not to be left behind.\n\nDuncan will tell you that his favorite food is egg noodles with alfredo sauce, but we all know it's really chocolate and sugar-filled desserts or snacks. His sweet tooth is matched only by his heart. He also loves animals and has a sweet spot for cute little creatures of all kinds.\n\nWhen Duncan was four-years-old he got to go to the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and decide he wanted to do the [[skeleton|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeleton_(sport)]] when he got older. He still doesn't have permission to do that, but has been given the OK to pursue other interests such as a Ph.D. in mathematics or going to dental school to become an orthodontist. The kid is all about wild and crazy career paths.\n\n[>img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/DuncanCrop.jpg]]\n\n\n\n\nDuncan may be reached at: duncan at cornergarden dot net\n\n

[[Hunter|HunterA]] has recently become very excited about researching the Angelovic Family History. That meant that [[Lillian|LillianA]] got all wrapped up in it and occasionally can't stop herself from staying up all night hunting for long-lost ancestors. It gets complicated once you try to go back to Slovakia, however! We're currently collecting the facts about great-great grandfather Stephen (and Mary) Angelovich's family and their descendants. If you happen to be an Angelovic or Angelovich, we'd love to chat with you and find where you fit into the family. From what we can tell, there are so few Angelovics in the world and they all seem to come from the same place, so if you have that name, we're related! You can check out our family tree at [[Ancestry.com|http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/person.aspx?tid=635865&pid=-2066112144]], if you are registered there (it's free). They also have a cool new feature where you can look up famous people that you are related to. It's very fun!\n\n[img[http://farm1.static.flickr.com/6/76762002_b6543682da_m.jpg]]\n^^Lillian Ross and Daniel J. Davies.^^\n\nWe've also been learning about our other family ancestors in the Horne, Davies, and Greenhaulgh families. Family history research is fun and addicting! You can read about our 2007 Memorial Day visit to the Salt Lake Cemetary [[here|http://ladanea.blogspot.com/2007/05/cemetery-tag.html]] on [[Lillian's blog|http://ladanea.blogspot.com]].\n\nI recently discovered that portions of the book //The Sultan of Vezirs: The Life and Times of the Ottoman Grand Vezir Mahmud Pasha Angelovic//, about a famous Angelovic in history are available online. Go to [[Google Book Search|http://books.google.com]] and search for Angelovic. I learned a lot!\n\n----\n\nEmail Lillian at lillian at cornergarden dot net\n\n

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//This is the form my kids will be using to review films we watch.//\n\nTitle: \nRelease Date: \nDirector: \nProducer: \n\nCast: //actor – character//\n\nGenre: \nTheme(s): \nAwards: \n\nPlot: \n\nReviewer’s comments: \n\nWhen/Where viewed: \n\n\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/movieicon.jpg]]\nThis is the beginning of the list of films we have or will be watching in our ongoing study of cinema. Linked films are those we have already seen.\n\n[[All Quiet on the Western Front|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020629/]] (1930)\nLittle Caesar (1930)\n[[Cimarron|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021746/]] (1931)\nThe Public Enemy (1931)\nCity Lights (1931)\nDracula (1931)\nFrankenstein (1931)\nScarface: The Shame of the Nation (1932)\n[[Grand Hotel|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022958/]] (1932)\nA Farewell to Arms (1932)\n42nd Street (1932)\n[[The Private Life of Henry VIII|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024473/]] (1932)\nDuck Soup (1933)\n[[Little Women (1933)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024264/]]\n[[King Kong (1933)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024216/]]\n[[It Happened One Night|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025316/]] (1934)\n[[The Thin Man|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025878/]] (1934)\nBride of Frankenstein (1935)\nA Night at the Opera (1935)\n[[Top Hat|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027125/]] (1935)\n[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026752/]]\nThe 39 Steps (1935)\nThe Great Ziegfeld (1936)\nModern Times (1936)\n[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027996/]] (1936)\nThe Lady Vanishes (1937)\n[[Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029583/]] (1937)\n[[The Life of Emile Zola|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029146/]] (1937)\n[[The Awful Truth|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/136356.html]] (1937)\n[[Stage Door|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029604/]] (1937)\n[[The Good Earth|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/138442.html]] (1937)\n[[A Star Is Born (1937)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029606/]]\n[[The Adventures of Robin Hood|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029843/]] (1938)\n[[You Can't Take it With You|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030993/]] (1938)\nBringing Up Baby (1938)\n[[The Wizard of Oz|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/]] (1939)\nNinotchka (1939)\n[[Gone With the Wind|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031381/]] (1939)\n[[The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031826/]] (1939)\nThe Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)\n[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031679/]]\n[[Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031385/]]\nStagecoach (1939)\nLove Affair (1939)\nWuthering Heights (1939)\nDrums Along the Mohawk (1939)\n\nRebecca (1940)\nFantasia (1940)\nThe Grapes of Wrath (1940)\nThe Philadelphia Story (1940)\nThe Letter (1940)\nForeign Correspondent (1940)\nAbe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)\nHis Girl Friday (1940)\nPinocchio (1940)\n\n[[A Star is Born (1954)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047522/]]\n\n[[The Magnificent Seven|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054047/]] (1960)\n[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/132751.html]]\n[[A Man for All Seasons|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060665/]] (1966)\n[[2001: A Space Odyssey|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/]] (1968)\n\n[[Enter the Dragon|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/]] (1973)\n[[Star Wars|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/]] (1977)\n[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075860/]] (1977)\n[[Alien|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/]] (1977)\n\n[[The Empire Strikes Back|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080684/]] (1980)\n[[Raiders of the Lost Ark|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/]] (1981)\n[[E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083866/]] (1982)\n[[Amadeus|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086879/]] (1984)\n[[Aliens|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/]] (1986)\n[[Predator|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093773/]] (1987)\n[[Henry V|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097499/]] (1989)\n\n[[Beauty and the Beast|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101414/]] (1991)\n[[Babe|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112431/]] (1995)\n[[Toy Story|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114709/]] (1995)\n[[Little Women (1994)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110367/]]\n[[Titanic|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/]] (1997)\n[[Amistad|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118607/]] (1997)\n[[Saving Private Ryan|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120815/]] (1998)\n[[The Matrix|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/]] (1999)\n[[Toy Story 2|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120363/]] (1999)\n\n[[Fantasia 2000|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120910/]]\n\n

[img[http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/flickr_logo_gamma.gif.v1.2]]\n\nFlickr is an awesome website where anyone can store, sort, search and share photos online. Since I don't have any photos at this website yet (I'll get to it eventually) you can go to my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladanea/ to see what's available online.\n\nI'm currently taking donations to pay for a Pro membership there, so they'll stop holding our older photos hostage. The meanies!\n\n

@@Xbox@@\n''Xbox games the boys play and like:''\nStar Wars Knights of the Old Republic\nNeed for Speed Carbon\nHalo\nHalo 2\nLord of the Rings: The Two Towers\nDark Alliance II\nMechassault 2: Lone Wolf\nGhost Recon: Island Thunder\nSpiderman\nShenmue II\nOtogi: Myth of Demons\nFull Spectrum Warrior\nMadden 2005\nMTX Mototrax\nOutrun 2\nPanzer Dragoon Orta\n\n''Xbox games we have that almost never get played:''\nSega Soccer Slam\nESPN Baseball\nStreet Vol.2\nNFL Fever 2003\nSega GT 2002\nTOCA Race Driver 2\nSega GT Online\nPrject Gotham Racing\nNBA Live 2004\nGrabbed by the Choulies\nKakuto Chojin\nSoldier of Fortune II\nCapcom vs. ~SNK2 EO\nDead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball\n\n''Xbox games we used to have and the boys miss playing:''\nDynasty Warriors 4\nCall of Duty: Medal of Honor\n\n@@Gameboy Advance@@\nPokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team\nConnect Four/Perfection/Trouble\nSuper Mario Advance\nPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men's Chest\nWolverine's Revenge\nHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets\nSuper Mario 3\nDynasty Warriors Advanced\n\n''Gameboy games we used to have and the boys miss playing:''\nCastlevania\nHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire\n~YuGiOh!\n\n@@PSP@@\nStar Wars: Lethal Alliance\nAvatar: The Last Airbender\n\n@@Computer@@\nThe Sims 2\nRollercoaster Tycoon I and II\nStar Wars Empire at War I and II\nAge of Empires I and the expansion\nAge of Empires II and the expansion\nArt of Magic\n\n

[>img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/gift.jpg]]\nGift ideas (including lots of links - scroll your mouse over or look for the purplish text):\n\n''Kids''\n* //The kids have all asked for the following books://\n><html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCandy-Shop-War-Brandon-Mull%2Fdp%2F159038783X%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">The Candy Shop War</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>\n><html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHarry-Potter-Prisoner-Azkaban-Book%2Fdp%2F0439136350%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html> (book 3)\n><html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHarry-Potter-Goblet-Fire-Book%2Fdp%2F0439139597%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html> (book 4)\n><html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHarry-Potter-Order-Phoenix-Book%2Fdp%2F043935806X%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html> (book 5)\n><html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHarry-Potter-Half-Blood-Prince-Book%2Fdp%2F0439784549%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html> (book 6)\n* //And the following DVD movies://\n><html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHarry-Potter-Goblet-Two-Disc-Special%2Fdp%2FB000E6EK3S%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html> (#4)\n\nDuncanA\n* Duncan (and Hunter) always want video games. Platforms we have: Gameboy Advance, Xbox, Xbox 360 (at their dad's house), ~PlayStation Portable (PSP), and PC computer. They have specifically requested: The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, and Super Mario Brothers for Gameboy Advance. They are NOT picky about new/used games, but the boys are always bummed when they get a game that is too easy and they can beat it in a day or two. I suggest checking [[reviews of games|http://www.gamerankings.com/]], and also GamesWeHave before buying.\n* Duncan (and Hunter) also loves Legos - the basic blocks, or kits with little Lego people in them. Harry Potter characters and Star Wars characters were the favorites, but I think you can probably only get them on [[eBay|http://www.ebay.com]] or [[Lego.com|http://www.lego.com]].\n\nDrewA\n* Drew always loves cool new socks - colorful, fun kinds of all lengths.\n* Drew needs a bicycle helmet.\n* Drew wants the <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDisney-Channels-School-Musical-Board%2Fdp%2FB000HA78CQ&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325" target="_blank">High School Musical DVD Board Game</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>.\n* Drew has asked for the <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLittle-Voice-Sara-Bareilles%2Fdp%2FB000R7I3LY%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Sara Bareilles CD "Little Voice"</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>, and the <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FJonas-Brothers%2Fdp%2FB000OZ2CO8%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Jonas Brothers CD</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>.\n* She also wants the ~DVDs of <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHairspray-Widescreen-John-Travolta%2Fdp%2FB000W4KT6E&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Hairspray</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>, <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPride-Prejudice-Special-E-1996%2Fdp%2FB00005MP58%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Pride & Prejudice</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html> (BBC miniseries), and <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLittle-Women-Collectors-Winona-Ryder%2Fdp%2F0767851013%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Little Women</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html> (1994).\n* Drew loves reading and has specifically requested a copy of the fourth //Land of Elyon// book: <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FInto-Mist-Elyon-Patrick-Carman%2Fdp%2F0439899524%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325" target="_blank">Into the Mist</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>, and <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FFairest-Gail-Carson-Levine%2Fdp%2F0060734086&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Fairest</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>.\n* She also wants a nutcracker.\n* Mom recommends the CD <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSteadfast-Immovable-Songs-Youth-2008%2Fdp%2FB000YMZMT8%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325" target="_blank">Steadfast & Immovable</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>\n* Mom also recommends <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F0061472573&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325" target="_blank">The Daring Book for Girls</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>\n* Beading supplies! Drew loves to make little rings, bracelets, and necklaces for herself and her friends.\n* Drew loves Klutz activity books. She has the embroidery book, beading book, and friendship bracelet book, wishes she had the braiding book, and would be thrilled with anything else like them.\n\nHunterA\n* Hunter has specifically asked for a lightweight backpacking/camping stove, and a new (longer, to fit his taller body) backpacking sleep pad.\n* He wants to learn to ski, but we can't afford the gear, let alone the passes. If you can find some cheap boots & skis he would LOVE you forever. (Of course, you would have to know how to fit them to him. If you do, you know more than I do. Good luck!)\n* Hunter has read the <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FEye-World-Wheel-Time-Book%2Fdp%2F0312850093%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Wheel of Time series, by Robert Jordan</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>, and wants a copy of all the books for himself now.\n* Hunter is a handyman. He loves tools and treasures all he has. He doesn't have any kind of saw - electric or not, so I think that's next on his tool wish list.\n* Hunter wants a laptop computer. Of course, no one is going to buy him a laptop computer, but he asked, so I'm putting it on the list anyway.\n\nLillianA\n* From my Amazon .com Wish List: <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000H4MZU2%2F&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325" target="_blank">Podcasting pak</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>, and a <html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSanDisk-Sansa-Fuze-Player-Silver%2Fdp%2FB0015KYV3Q&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">SanDisk Sansa Fuze 8 GB MP3 Player</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>.\n* Winter boots. I wear size 7-8.\n* A mountain bike. Used is great. I just can't run fast enough to keep up with the kids on their bikes. ;)\n* A CD player to replace the stock radio in my car, so we can listen to books while we're driving.\n* Anything from my:\n<html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/15Q84FD66ADQO/ref=wl_web"><img src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/gifts/registries/wishlist/v2/web/wl-btn-129-b._V46776269_.gif" width="129" alt="My Amazon.com Wish List" height="42" border="0" /></a></html>\n\n\n\n----\n\n__Birthdays:__\nLillianA - August 21, 1968\nHunterA - June 24, 1994\nDrewA - June 2, 1996\nDuncanA - February 11, 1998\n\n\n

[>img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/splits.jpg]]\n\nGymnastics is [[Drew's|DrewA]] passion. She begged and begged to learn gymnastics from the time she was three-years-old, and I finally relented the October after her fourth birthday. By the next January she was in a pre-competition class with a Russian coach and I was trying not to panic. Coach Katia became a second mom to Drew, and coached her until this past spring, when she moved to Colorado where her husband is now a coach for the U.S. Olympic team. Drew then worked with Coach Katia's former coach, Natasha, and her husband Yuriy for two years. Her current coach is Ilia Belov and she trains at USA Gymnastics World in Bountiful, Utah. She's a methodical gymnast - not anxious to take risks, but willing to learn and work through whatever is necessary to progress her skills.\n\nDrew competed at junior optionals level 7 the past two years and is now working toward level 8. You can see video of her level 7 meets at [[my YouTube channel|http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Ladanea]].\n\n\n\n\n

[<img[http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/52923696/2924509]]\n\nSchool? What's that?!?\n\nWe are an eclectic homeschooling family. We plan to homeschool forever. As the kids get older I plan to have them take some community college classes or high school classes, and then send them to college when they've finished high school-level studies. Drew may have to register with a more formal correspondence school if she wants to shoot for a college gymnastics scholarship, but that's still a few years (and a few gymnastics levels) out.\n\nLast year I expanded my overall curriculum plans to include an individual curriculum for each child through high school. Some of them I'm going to have to wait - such as Hunter's language arts sequence - because what happens in the future will depend a lot on what happens now, but simpler subjects such as math, science, and religious studies I've got planned out for them all already.\n\nI haven't had a chance to work on the school plans for this year yet, but here's the details of what we were doing last year:\n\nThis year in addition to the usual math, handwriting, and grammar we are studying:\n>History from the Renaissance era to early modern times\n>Weather\n>A history of film (see [[Movies]])\n>//The Book of Virtues//\n>//Gospel Principles//\n>A wide variety of literature selections (see [[Books]])\n>Musical studies on the recorder\n>//[[The Book of Mormon|http://www.mormon.org/learn/0,8672,1090-1,00.html]]//\n\n[>img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/BackStepGarden-300.jpg]]\n[[Hunter|HunterA]] is forever working on memorizing all those language rules the rest of us learned more naturally. This is most irritating to him, but he plugs along and is slowly improving. This fall he and I are working up a focused plan for language arts including grammar, spelling, writing, and cursive handwriting. He also has his usual keyboarding, math, individual [[reading|Books]], and work toward his Boy Scout goals. He is learning life science through [[CyberEd|http://www.cybered.net/]]. This year we plan to add swimming and woodworking to his homeschool studies. He's also beginning computer programming studies along with me.\n\n[[Drew|DrewA]] also has daily studies in [[reading|Books]], writing, grammar, spelling, keyboarding, and math. She is participating in the NationalMathBee. She is doing [[Pokemon Learning League|http://www.pokemonlearningleague.com/]] and will also do life science through [[CyberEd|http://www.cybered.net/]] later in the spring. This fall she added [[Russian]] to her personal educational plate, in a class with one of the coaches at gym, a homeschooling gymnast friend, and her best-friend neighbor. She is still studying ballet and training for her second year of Junior Olympic level 7 gymnastics.\n\n[[Duncan|DuncanA]] is working on his [[reading|Books]] studies, keyboarding, grammar, spelling, and math. He is doing [[Pokemon Learning League|http://www.pokemonlearningleague.com/]] and also participating in the NationalMathBee on a 4th-grade team. He started cursive handwriting and his very own grammar program this fall, plus ballet! This year he is working toward his Cub Scout Webelos awards, and continues studying MartialArts.\n\n[[Lillian|LillianA]] is not exempt from learning! Education is a life-long pursuit, after all. I am currently working at learning more computer programming (CSS is next on the table), more about strength training, running, knitting, writing, podcasting, and the [[New Testament|http://www.mormon.org/learn/0,8672,1091-1,00.html]]. \n\nIf you're interested in a more detailed description of our study plans, you can check out our [[HomeSchoolCurriculum]].\n\n

[<img[http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/52923696/2924509]]\n\nThis is the "Want to know more?" section.\n\nOur HomeSchool curriculum uses __<html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393047520?ie=UTF8&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0393047520">The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0393047520" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>__ ([[welltrainedmind.com|http://www.welltrainedmind.com/]]) as the jumping-off-point, but doesn't actually "follow" that book. Instead, I have designed a flexible series of "courses" for my children to progress through, much like one progresses through college, with higher-level classes giving greater depth to their prerequisites.\n<html><center><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0393047520&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></html>\n''Language Arts''\nI am a language arts freak, and have a rather complex program for this broad subject. I taught my kids to read using //Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons// until __[[The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading|http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Parents-Guide-Teaching-Reading/dp/0972860312]]__ was published. That book is by far the best reading program in existence - homeschool or otherwise - and believe me, I have seen a lot of them. It's what finally helped my very frustrated dyslexic son learn to read and we still use it as a resource. My kids have daily reading assignments from their [[booklists|BooksToRead]] and have always had assignments to read to each other, as well. [[Hunter|HunterA]] now uses audiobooks to help him with his reading skills and they have been a welcome resource.\n\nFor handwriting we have used daily copywork assignments and found the __<html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00027T7R8?ie=UTF8&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00027T7R8">StartWrite Handwriting Software 5.0</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00027T7R8" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>__ invaluable for that subject.\n\nFor spelling we are using AVKO's [[Sequential Spelling|http://www.avko.org/Webstore/Sequential_Spelling.htm]] because I think it best works with my son's dyslexic mind and can only make spelling easier for "normal" minds, as well.\n\nFor grammar, we are using __<html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0971412928?ie=UTF8&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0971412928">First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0971412928" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>__ and __<html><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0936981148?ie=UTF8&tag=angecorngard-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0936981148">Easy Grammar Plus Workbook</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=angecorngard-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0936981148" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></html>__.\n<html><center><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0972860312&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>\n\n<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00027T7R8&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>\n\n<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0971412928&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>\n\n<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0936981148&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></html>\nWriting assignments use [[LiveJournal|http://www.livejournal.com]] for book reports, history study reports, and movie reviews. Drew has also enjoyed writing and editing at [[wikiHow|http://www.wikihow.com]]. We're not doing a lot of creative writing right now because I am trying to focus on the basics. Future writing courses include: Writing Essays, Creating Stories, Creating Poetry, Persuasive Writing, Fiction Writing, and Technical Writing. (Eventually I'll even include debate in there as something more official than "what to do when you want to watch a different TV show than your brother.") Despite his language issues, [[Hunter|HunterA]] loves writing and I expect him to take off with it one of these years. However, I believe that it is important to expose creative minds to great creations first. Thus...\n\n''Literature and Film''\nLiterature is a //vast// subject for our family, and our reading may be tracked through our [[booklists|Books]]. We make extensive use of audiobooks for group literature studies. Otherwise the kids get to listen to me practice my much-neglected voiceover/acting skills while I read out loud to them. I love doing that, but it is dangerous to do while driving so we think audiobooks are a better choice whenever they are available.\n\nOne //enormous// part of our culture that I believe is erroneously ignored by most educators is [[film|Movies]]. I believe it is our modern culture's addition to literature, and should be studied as such. Thus, we have a very open film curriculum that currently involves tracing the history of movies through Academy-award-nominated titles. In addition, I toss in random flicks I think my kids need to see to get a well-rounded education in their own so-called western culture, as well as exposure to other cultures. We watch these together and I always have comments, observations, and explanations regarding the stories and content. (Those of you who disapprove can go away now. I will not listen to lectures about movie ratings and impressionable minds. Attempts to do so will result in a lecture from me. So there.) This coursework is a joy for the folks at [[Netflix|http://www.netflix.com]], who surely rub their hands together in glee over our family's obvious addiction to their service. I expect to include some television history as well, but haven't bothered with that yet. Maybe by the time I get around to it there will be a worthwhile college-level course on "The History of Television" that I can insist my kids take from the local community college as teenagers, along with the already-expected "History of Film."\n\nWe often watch a movie version (or version//s//) of a book we have read - almost always //after// reading the book first. Sometimes I purposefully do this backwards when the subject might be better appreciated when introduced in the simpler film version first (//The Good Earth// is a recent example), but the basic rule is: You must read the book before you can watch the movie. This can lead to disappointment when the movies don't live up to the books (example: //Eragon//), but that's an important lesson to learn, too, right?\n\n''Mathematics''\nWe are currently using [[Math-U-See|http://www.mathusee.com/]] and love it. We started out with [[Saxon Math K|http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1182653830-460861&subject=10&category=4]] for preschool/kindergarten and then switched to [[Miquon Math Labs Workbooks|http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1182653830-460861&subject=10&category=116]] for first- through third-grade levels. My kids generally memorized math facts "naturally" through use, although I used the [[Audio Memory|http://www.audiomemory.com/]] addition, subtraction, and multiplication ~CDs to drill math facts (usually in the car) at certain times when they needed it. We also used [[wrap-ups|http://www.rainbowresource.com/proddtl.php?sid=1182653830-460861&id=005123]] ([[learningwrapups.com|http://www.learningwrapups.com/wrapsOverview.asp]]) for multiplication and found them very fun and helpful. I think the [[Saxon math|http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1182653830-460861&subject=10&category=8]] program is a very good one - especially when used with the D.I.V.E. CD's - but it did not fit with my family's learning style, so I chose to continue with [[Math-U-See|http://www.mathusee.com/]] beginning at the Gamma level, instead. I expect my kids to be ready for calculus on a college level - in community college classes - as teenagers.\n<html><center><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1565770102&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>\n\n<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000FDBNJE&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></html>\n''History and Geography''\nWe use the [[Story of the World|http://www.peacehillpress.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=2]] books as our basic history texts, then pursue more detailed studies through a huge variety of books, online resources, and videos. I am a library addict, and you can usually tell what we are studying by checking out what we've got checked out. We also have encyclopedia-type history texts at home, such as the [[Kingfisher History Encyclopedia|http://www.amazon.com/Kingfisher-History-Encyclopedia-Family-Encyclopedias/dp/0753451948]]. Usborne books have a ton of awesome history texts, too. In-depth geography and cultural geography studies follow the basic history studies and I plan to involve world travel in their "coursework" in years to come.\n<html><center><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0971412901&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>\n\n<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0971412936&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>\n\n<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0971412995&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>\n\n<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0972860339&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>\n\n<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0753457849&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></html>\n''Science''\nWe follow a progressive plan that cycles through the subjects of biology, astronomy, earth science, chemistry, and physics. As with history, I have encyclopedia-type books at home ([[Kingfisher|http://www.amazon.com/Kingfisher-Science-Encyclopedia-Editors/dp/0753458861/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_k2a_2_img/002-4232299-2160026]] and Usborne titles, again) that we use for reference, along with lots and lots of library books and videos. I believe in hands-on science study, and am still rebuilding my personal collection of a favorite science series from Reader's Digest/Dorling Kindersley: [[How It Works|http://www.amazon.com/HOW-IT-WORKS-series/lm/R3911JCR3DPXCY/ref=cm_lmt_dtpa_f_2_rdssss0/002-4232299-2160026?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=listmania-center&pf_rd_r=0309S8KG9FYXWNEEJDRX&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=253462201&pf_rd_i=0895774119]]. I believe that chemistry and physics are better-appreciated after the student has completed Algebra II, so we will not be broaching those subjects beyond the basics until the kids pass that point in their math studies.\n\n''Computer Science''\nWe currently have daily keyboarding assignments to study with our pal, Mavis Beacon. I expect my children to learn all the standard Microsoft Office programs: Word, Excel, Access, and Powerpoint. I also expect them to eventually learn all the common programming languages as well as PC computer construction and repair. They'll be using their father as a resource for this, as well as lots of library books and ~CD-ROMs.\n\n''Music and Art''\nFor music studies, we have been working our way through a list of great composers, gleaned from //[[The Lives and Times of the Great Composers|http://www.amazon.com/Lives-Times-Great-Composers/dp/0195222180]]//. We are also learning to play the recorder, using the //[[Nine-Note Recorder Method|http://www.ninenote.com/]]//. In the future I plan to have my children study at least the basics of piano and voice, then let them choose an instrument to study in-depth, play in an orchestra/band, and sing in a choir. Again, I expect them to take a history of music class on a college level - in community college classes - as teenagers.\n\nWe are finally to an educational point as a family where I think I can introduce extensive art studies, including learning about great artists and exploring many kinds of art and crafts. We have previously learned some knitting, origami, basic drawing, and embroidery, but have not done a lot of "official" studies with this recently. I plan to use //[[Drawing With Children|http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Children-Mona-Brookes/dp/0874778271]]// and //[[Discovering Great Artists|http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Great-Artists-Hands-Children/dp/0935607099]]// as well as doing a lot of hands-on projects and lessons in subjects such as tie-dyeing, fabric painting, embroidery, beading, ceramic mosaics, weaving, knitting, crochet, origami, woodworking, watercolor, oil painting, handbuilt and wheel-thrown pottery, sculpture, and photography. I will expect them to study history of art on a college level - in community college classes - as teenagers.\n\n''Languages''\nLearning languages is absolutely necessary to a full education, I think. That said, I've not pursued this subject by throwing my very young children into immersion programs and expecting them to be bilingual. That would have been ideal if //I// were really bilingual, but I am not. Instead, I plan to teach them English the best I can first, then branch out into other languages - beginning with basic Japanese because I can help teach that one. Spanish classes or tutoring will be required of all of us - including me - because I think it is becoming a huge part of modern American culture. In addition, I think a basic knowledge of Latin is very important, and I want to hop on board for that learning course, as well. [[Drew|DrewA]] naturally loves this subject and I expect her to excel in it. Beyond the basics, though, I do expect my children to choose at least one non-English language to learn and then pursue it on a college level - not necessarily as teenagers. Spanish and Chinese will get top billing from me purely for their usefulness factor, but Japanese, Slovakian, and Russian also get points as languages-of-interest in our family culture.\n\n''Personal Values, Religion, and Life Skills''\nThis is the stuff that public schooled kids don't get in any formal setting outside of church classes, and which I think are absolutely vital to their development into responsible adults. It's something we study every day unconsciously, and I go to great lengths to teach it consciously as well. We regularly read from //[[The Book of Virtues|http://www.amazon.com/Book-Virtues-Treasury-Great-Stories/dp/0671683063]]// now, and will move on to include the following books, among others: //[[The Moral Compass|http://www.amazon.com/Moral-Compass-Stories-Lifes-Journey/dp/0684803135]]//, //[[The Children's Book of Heroes|http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Book-Heroes-William-Bennett/dp/0684834456]]//, //[[Way to Be!|http://deseretbook.com/store/product?sku=4463110]]// and //[[Standing for Something|http://deseretbook.com/store/product?sku=4139226]]//. We also participate in family service projects. Our most successful, ongoing project has been helping the MOMS Club of Salt Lake by staffing the children's activity room (i.e. playing with the kids) during monthly meetings.\n\nIn our religious studies, we strive to read daily from //[[The Book of Mormon|http://www.mormon.org/learn/0,8672,1090-1,00.html]]//, work on completing youth awards (Faith in God, Eagle Scout, Young Womanhood Recognition) encouraged in the LDS Church, and memorize scriptures. We also include family history work, missionary service, and humanitarian service in our curriculum, and will focus more on these individual subjects - as well as other scripture studies - as the kids get older. I expect my children to attend and graduate from high school-level LDS church seminary classes, attend church institute classes when they are in college, and serve as full-time missionaries.\n\nLife skills are those things that I think we should all be expected to do as contributing members of society. I use //[[The Parenting Breakthrough|http://deseretbook.com/store/product?sku=4931238]]// as my basic text for this subject. I have a specific, yearly plan for every life skill that I think my kids need to know - from scrubbing toilets to mowing lawns to sewing-on buttons. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and even 4H Club also fit in with this topic, and we have used them all.\n<html><center><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=angecorngard-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=068481353X&fc1=330066&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=8B7355&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></center></html>\n''Exercise and Sports''\nWait, isn't this "extracurricular" stuff? Nah. It should count! We have a curriculum here, too, beginning with basic lessons and progressing into advanced levels for the sports the kids decide to pursue further. The list so far includes swimming, dance, ice skating, soccer, gymnastics, martial arts, fencing, archery, rock climbing, running, basketball, baseball, softball, football, skiing, and weight training. I try to get my kids involved in all of these things, but have so far only required that they all learn to swim. Still, all three of them have participated in soccer and ice skating, [[Hunter|HunterA]] and [[Drew|DrewA]] have both studied dance and gymnastics, and the boys are both learning multidisciplinary martial arts. [[Hunter|HunterA]] has also studied fencing, baseball, and skiing. [[Drew|DrewA]] has ventured to learn some archery and rock climbing. [[Duncan|DuncanA]] has watched his siblings do all of these things and decided he wants to try ice skating and football. Finally, [[Lillian|LillianA]] is determined to become athletic in her old age and learn running, martial arts, basic ice skating, rock climbing, archery, and weight training.\n\n----\n\nFinally, I have to thank (and plug) [[Peace Hill Press|http://www.peacehillpress.net/]] because they sent us brand new copies of the //Story of the World// and //The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading// after TheFire - no questions asked! I have been totally impressed with every publication I have seen from them, and most of them have become an integral part of our family's basic educational tools. They are flat-out awesome!\n\nMy absolute favorite homeschool curriculum resource is [[Rainbow Resource Center|http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php]]. I have ordered from them for years and always been happy with the //totally amazing// selection of products, the very helpful reviews for each product, and the unbeatable prices. My other favorite online sources of books and school materials are [[Amazon.com|http://www.amazon.com]], [[eBay|http://www.ebay.com]], and [[Half.com|http://www.half.com]]. For reading books, I have also started using [[PaperBackSwap.com|http://www.paperbackswap.com]] and found it useful.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

[>img[http://farm1.static.flickr.com/48/140437258_308754f2b2_m.jpg]]\n\nAfter TheFire, I started a blog at [img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/bloggerlogo-mini-icon.gif]][[Blogger.com|http://www.blogger.com]], and will be keeping it up throughout the rebuilding process. The name of the page is long, but it was all I could think of at the time:\n\nhttp://lilyscornergarden.blogspot.com\n\nHey, how cool is it that our house has its own blog?\n\n\n\nYou can even view the page from here:\n\n<html>\n<iframe src="http://lilyscornergarden.blogspot.com"\nwidth="98%" height="400"\n>\n</iframe>\n</html>\n\n\nJust remember that if you click a link in the embedded box you can't navigate back, though you can refresh this entire webpage to get back, if you need to.\n\n\nI keep three blogs, and read many others. It's a really bad habit that I do not recommend.\n\n\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/Fencing-400.jpg]]\n\nHunter is an organizer. If our lives were a movie, he would be the 14-year-old Assistant Director. He likes fantasy and adventure stories and intends to write a few books of his own some day. He also enjoys games of all kinds, Legos, Boy Scouts, video games, creating both art and useful things, and teasing his siblings. He has enjoyed learning the techniques of multidisciplinary MartialArts at [[MuShin Self Defense|http://www.mushinselfdefense.com]] and recently earned his junior black belt. He's not really a fighter, but enjoys learning and teaching what he learns.\n\nHunter loves reading - especially adventure and fantasy novels. Some of the first books he ever read on his own were the entire series of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. He also loves video and computer games, and is a master at Halo and Halo 2. His favorite school subjects are history and science.\n\nWhen he was younger, every time I asked Hunter if he would be interested in learning to ski he emphatically replied, "No!" Then his church group decided to take the kids spring skiing and he was suddenly excited to go along. They rented skis for him, got him a pass, and taught him the basics. He came home with the announcement that he wanted ski gear and a season pass to Alta. The next year he and [[Duncan|DuncanA]] took some classes with a homeschool group, and this year they got those season passes to Alta. I like to think this will give me a good excuse to explain why I live in Utah and yet don't ski.\n\n[>img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/HunterCrop.jpg]]\n\nHunter may be reached at hunter at cornergarden dot net\n\n\n\n\n

[img[http://cdn.nflximg.com/us/pages/corporate/mediacenter/library/colorlogo.gif]]\n\nA few upcoming movies from our [[NetFlix|http://www.netflix.com]] [[Movies]] queue:\n\nto watch together:\nThe Indiana Jones series\nThe Star Trek movies series\nLots of Doctor Who\n\nfor Lillian:\n[[The Queen|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436697/]]\n[[My Big Fat Greek Wedding|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259446/]]\n[[Bend It Like Beckham|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286499/]]\n\n\n\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/Scriptures178c.jpg]]\n\nThe ~YahooGroups scripture-of-the-day list I created and have managed since 1999. You can read about and even join it at:\nhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/LDS-SOTD/\n\nYou can now also follow ~LDS-sotd through Twitter!\n\n<html><div style="width:176px;text-align:center"><embed src="http://twitter.com/flash/twitter_badge.swf" flashvars="color1=10040115&type=user&id=9665102" quality="high" width="176" height="176" name="twitter_badge" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /><br><a style="font-size: 10px; color: #993333; text-decoration: none" href="http://twitter.com/LDSsotd">follow LDSsotd at http://twitter.com</a></div></html>\n\nI've got further Web 2.0 additions for Facebook, etc., in the plans. Watch for them!\n\n\n\n

Ladanea was the name of a character I created and played for a few years in the online game Everquest. Today Ladanea is my online alter-ego - my public label. The name doesn't mean anything, and I think it was a total coincidence that it begins with the same first letter as my name.\n\n[[Ladanea The Blog|http://ladanea.blogspot.com]] was born back in 2003. I had intended to use it to do some writing, but I didn't know what I was doing and I ended up ignoring it for a few years, for reasons explained [[here|http://ladanea.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-procrastinate-lot.html]]. It was reborn May 12, 2007, when I finally remembered my password. It is now called ''Messing Up the Averages'' because I tend to do that.\n\nYou can go directly to it at: http://www.ladanea.com\nsubscribe to it:\n<html><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ladanea/~6/1"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/Ladanea.1.gif" alt="Messing Up the Averages" style="border:0"></a></html>\nor you can view it right here:\n\n<html>\n<iframe src="http://ladanea.blogspot.com"\nwidth="99%" height="400"\n>\n</iframe>\n</html>\n\nJust remember that if you click a link in the embedded box you can only navigate "forward" with links. There is no "back" button, though you can refresh this entire webpage to get back, if you need to.\n\nI keep three blogs, and read many others. It's a really bad habit that I do not recommend.\n\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/PurpleandGold-400.jpg]]\n\nOh, you know me. In case you don't, here's my little bio:\n\nI'm Lillian, a homeschooling mom with a love for writing and editing. I studied broadcast journalism, creative writing, Japanese, and political science at the University of Utah, graduating with a B.A. in Communications. I also served an [[LDS|http://www.mormon.org]] mission to Sendai, Japan. I now HomeSchool my three children and work an overnight shift at a local hospital as a security officer. For several years I have also worked part-time as a real estate assistant/photographer (my day job that's really my moonlighting job.) I even drove a taxi for a few weeks during the 2007 and 2008 [[Sundance Film Festival|http://www.sundance.org/festival/]] to make some extra cash! Eventually I expect I'll have to go back to school for something - computer programming? maybe go wild and get an MBA? law school? - but I'm avoiding it at all costs right now. Instead, I'm currently plotting a series of podcasts that have grown out of my [[LDS Scripture of the Day|LDS-SOTD]] project, and a regional amateur ballet competition.\n\n[<img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/nano_participant_icon_small+border.gif]]If I could choose a career all over again, I'd really want to be an editor when I grow up. I have been known to read grammar books for fun, and writing is my first love. Years ago, when first introduced to fantasy fiction, I announced, "I can write something better than this!" with no intention of ever doing so, but later stumbled into writing a still-unfinished fantasy-related trilogy which has once again become my main writing focus. I have written two (yet unpublished) children's books, and am working on others in various stages of production as well as assisting my brother with a nonfiction book about fasting. I also have partial outlines for another suspense novel and an ~LDS-fiction novel. In 2007 I tried my hand at [[NaNoWriMo|http://www.nanowrimo.org]] with a finished outline of the first novel in my fantasy trilogy, but couldn't fit that sort of intense writing time into my schedule. So much to write, so little time, and even less follow-through! I'll get there eventually. In the meantime, I keep three blogs, and read many others. It's a really bad habit that I do not recommend.\n\nIn 2007 I trained for 6 weeks and ran the 5k portion of the [[Salt Lake City Marathon|http://www.saltlakecitymarathon.com/]]. I wanted to do the half marathon, but got started too late. This year I did the half-marathon, walking all but about four miles of it. I was thrilled just to finish. In 2008 did the half marathon, but walked most of it. I was planning to run it in 2009 and each year after that, but have had big setbacks in the form of bad knees, so I may end up walking it every year instead. \n\nI founded the Salt Lake chapter of The MOMS Club, which we still participate in somewhat, even though my kids are all older now. I also enjoy online roleplay gaming and am a proud member of the Orgrimmar Knitting Club. I used to play Everquest, so if you ever knew a Ladanea Effrena in that game, it was me. I still have one funny EQ claim-to-fame [[here|http://www.geocities.com/ladanea/DearMennix.html]], and a classic tale from the 2002 Winter Olympics, my WinterOlympicsJournal.\n\nYou can also find me online at my blog, [[Messing Up the Averages|LadaneaBlog]], and at [[Twitter]], [[Facebook|http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=547690438]], WikiHow, my HouseBlog, [[Flickr]], [[YouTube|http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Ladanea]], [[Ancestry|FamilyHistory]], [[LiveJournal|http://ladanea.livejournal.com]], [[Utterz|http://www.utterz.com/~h-Ladanea/list.php]], and [[Wordie|http://wordie.org/people/Ladanea?wl=10551]], or up late pounding alliance forces in World of Warcraft.\n\nThis being the internet, I feel I must state for the record that I am permanently separated from my husband, but consider myself unavailable for anything other than friendship relationships. (In other words, I have all the boyfriends I need, and access to girlfriends if I somehow felt the need for that. Sorry!) But I would love to meet up with old friends again, so please contact me if you once knew me.\n[>img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/LillianCrop.jpg]]\n\nYou can email me at lillian at cornergarden dot net.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

That's me, this website's author, tour guide, and all-around [[Mom]]. You can find more about me in my very own [[Tiddler]]: LillianA.\n\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/FamilyPhoto06crop-mini-icon.jpg]] TheFamily\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/homeschoolkey-mini-icon.jpg]] HomeSchool\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/netflixlogo-mini-icon.gif]] [[Movies]]\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/HomeschoolIcon-mini-icon.jpg]] [[Books]]\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/grandmalilliangrandpadan-mini-icon.jpg]] FamilyHistory\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/daisiesdetail-mini-icon.jpg]] LadaneaBlog\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/bloggerlogo-mini-icon.gif]] HouseBlog\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/twitter-t-miniicon.png]] [[Twitter]]\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/flickr_logo_gamma.gif.v1.2-mini-icon.gif]] [[Flickr]]\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/wikiHow_logo_5-mini-icon.gif]] WikiHow\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/tiddlywikifavicon-mini-icon.ico]] TiddlyWiki\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/gift-mini-icon.jpg]] GiftIdeas\n[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/LillianAFamily-mini-icon.jpg]] ContactUs\n\n\n<html>\n<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ladanea/~6/1" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Ladanea/~6/1" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><br>Subscribe to my blog</a></p>\n</html>\n\n\n\n

\n<link rel='alternate' type='application/rss+xml' title='RSS' href='index.xml'/>\n\n\n<style type="text/css">#contentWrapper {display:none;}</style><div id="SplashScreen" style="border: 3px solid #ccc; display: block; text-align: center; width: 320px; margin: 100px auto; padding: 50px; color:#000; font-size: 18px; font-family:Tahoma; background-color:#eee;">Please meditate for a moment while <b>The Angelovic Corner Garden</b> is loading<blink> ...</blink><br><br><span style="font-size: 10px; color:red;">Requires Javascript.</span></div>

[>img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/JiuJitsuTourney07.jpg]]\n\nThis is [[Hunter|HunterA]] and [[Duncan's|DuncanA]] place to fight and get away with it. We absolutely love their awesome sensei, Brian Yamasaki of [[MuShin Self Defense|http://www.mushinselfdefense.com]] in Woods Cross, where they study Multidisciplinary Martial Arts (MMA). He is totally down to earth, shows immense respect for the kids in his classes, and is a wonderful role model for these two boys.\n\n[[Hunter|HunterA]] has been studying there for a few years now and has earned a junior black belt. [[Duncan|DuncanA]] started three years ago and has earned his purple belt.\n\nYou can check out the video of Duncan at a grappling tournament on [[YouTube|http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Ladanea]].\n\n\n\n\n

My favorite job. The reason I haven't quit yet. What I'd really like to put on my IRS tax form every year - if only I could get paid a bit more in the position.\n\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/movieicon.jpg]]\nAfter TheFire we decided it was time to turn off the video games (for a while) and get serious about watching some movies! We subscribed to [[NetFlix|http://www.netflix.com]] and are currently working our way through some awesome films from the 1930's (mostly Academy Award winners and nominees), science fiction and fantasy classics, decades of //Doctor Who//, the entire collection of //All Creatures Great and Small//, a bunch of anime, lots of historical dramas and documentaries, and even more in between!\n\nRecentlyWatched\nInTheQueue\nFilmStudyList\n\nI also have a FilmReviewForm for my kids to use when writing reviews in their ~LiveJournal journals.\n\n\n

[img[http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/52923507/2924509]]\n\nBooks previously read...\n\n* ''As a'' ''family'':\n//The Bronze Bow//, by Elizabeth George Speare\n//The Whale Rider//, by Witi Ihimaera\n//Little Women//, by Louisa M. Alcott\n//Bridge to Terabithia//, by Katherine Paterson\n//Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony//, by Eoin Colfer\n//The End// (A Series of Unfortunate Events, book 13), by Lemony Snicket\n//The Sisters Grimm: The ~Fairy-Tale Detectives//, by Michael Buckley\n//The Book of Three//, by Lloyd Alexander\n//Dragon Rider//, by Cornelia Funke\n//The Penultimate Peril// (A Series of Unfortunate Events, book 12), by Lemony Snicket\n//The Grim Grotto// (A Series of Unfortunate Events, book 11), by Lemony Snicket\n\n* ''by'' [[Hunter|HunterA]]:\n//Knife of Dreams//, by Robert Jordan\n//Crossroads of Twilight//, by Robert Jordan\n//Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban//, by J.K. Rowling\n//A River of Wind//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Golden Tree//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//To Be a King//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Coming of Hoole//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//Winter's Heart//, by Robert Jordan\n//The First Collier//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Outcast//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Hatchling//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Burning//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Shattering//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Siege//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, by J.K. Rowling\n//The Path of Daggers//, by Robert Jordan\n//The Rescue//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Journey//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//A Crown of Swords//, by Robert Jordan\n//The Guardians of Ga'Hoole: The Capture//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//Lord of Chaos//, by Robert Jordan\n//The Fires of Heaven//, by Robert Jordan\n//Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith//, by Patricia C. Wrede\n//Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones//, by Patricia C. Wrede\n//The Shadow Rising//, by Robert Jordan\n//Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace//, by Patricia C. Wrede\n//The Dragon Reborn//, by Robert Jordan\n//The Great Hunt//, by Robert Jordan\n//The Eye of the World//, by Robert Jordan\n//Mr. Popper's Penguins//, by Richard and Florence Atwater\n//The Artemis Fowl Files//, by Eoin Colfer\n\n*''by'' [[Drew|DrewA]]:\n//Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, by J.K. Rowling (again!)\n//Harry Potter and the ~Half-Blood Prince//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Dreamer//, by Cathy Hapka\n//Pollyanna//, by Eleanor H. Porter\n//Hold on Tight//, adapted by Laurie ~McElroy\n//Miss Bianca and the Bridesmaid//, by Margery Sharp\n//Fire Diary//, by Lily Rosenblatt\n//~Betsy-Tacy//, by Maud Hart Lovelace\n//Hannah Montana: Truth or Dare//, adapted by M.C. King\n//Hannah Montana: Super Sneak//, adapted by Laurie ~McElroy\n//Hannah Montana: Face-off//, adapted by Alice Alfonsi. \n//Hannah Montana: Keeping secrets//, adapted by Beth Beechwood. \n//Whale Rider//, by Witi Ihimaera\n//The Wanderer//, by Sharon Creech\n//Which Witch?//, by Eva Ibbotson\n//The Star of Kazan//, by Eva Ibbotson\n//The Doll People//, by Anne Martin and Laura Godwin\n//Ella Enchanted//, by Gail Carson Levine\n//Ballet Shoes//, by Noel Streatfield\n//Mr. Popper's Penguins//, by Richard and Florence Atwater\n//People of Destiny: Helen Keller//, by Norman Richards\n//Helen Keller's Teacher//, by Margaret Davidson\n//Meet Molly: An American Girl//, by Valerie Tripp\n//Hope in My Heart// (Sophia's Immigrant Diary, book 1), by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane//, by Kate ~DiCamillo\n//Dancing Shoes//, by Noel Streatfeild\n\n* ''by'' [[Duncan|DuncanA]]:\n//Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone//, by J.K. Rowling\n//A River of Wind//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Golden Tree//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//To Be a King//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Coming of Hoole//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The First Collier//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Outcast//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Hatchling//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Burning//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Shattering//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Siege//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Rescue//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Journey//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//The Guardians of Ga'Hoole: The Capture//, by Kathryn Lasky\nTheLittles\n\n* ''by'' [[Lillian|LillianA]]:\n//Absolute Beginner's Guide to ~Half-Marathon Training//, by Heather Hedrick\n//Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time//, by Michael Downing\n//Knife of Dreams//, by Robert Jordan\n//Crossroads of Twilight//, by Robert Jordan\n//The Star of Kazan//, by Eva Ibbotson\n//The Knitting Circle//, by Ann Hood\n//Winter's Heart//, by Robert Jordan\n//The Path of Daggers//, by Robert Jordan\n//A Crown of Swords//, by Robert Jordan\n//Lord of Chaos//, by Robert Jordan\n//The Fires of Heaven//, by Robert Jordan\n//The Shadow Rising//, by Robert Jordan\n//Vagabond//, by Bernard Cornwell\n\n\n\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/movieicon.jpg]]\n\n''Previous films we have watched together'':\n\n[[Identity|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/139745.html]] (Lillian)\n[[The Departed|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/134095.html]] (Lillian, on Oscar night, even!)\n[[The X-Files: Season 1|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106179/]] (Lillian)\n[[Pitch Black|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0134847/]] (Lillian)\n[[The Descent|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435625/]] (Lillian)\n[[Ghost in the Shell|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113568/]] (Lillian)\n[[Legally Blonde|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250494/]] (Lillian)\n[[Kill Bill: Vol. 2|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0378194/]][[The Life of Emile Zola|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029146/]]\n[[The Other Side of Heaven|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250371/]]\n[[The Dark Crystal|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083791/]]\n[[Curious George|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381971/]]\n[[Ladyhawke|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089457/]]\n[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027996/]]\n[[The Goonies|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/]]\n[[Legend|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089469/]]\n[[Clash of the Titans|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082186/]]\n[[Lady in the Water|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452637/]]\n[[2001: A Space Odyssey|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/]]\n[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026752/]]\n[[Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383574/]]\n[[Wallace & Gromit: Three Amazing Adventures|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326969/]]\n[[The Abyss|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096754/]]\n[[Top Hat|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027125/]]\n[[The Brothers Grimm|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0355295/]]\n[[X-Men 3: The Last Stand|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376994/]]\n[[The Thin Man|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025878/]]\n[[My Neighbor Totoro|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206013/]]\n[[The Devil's Arithmetic|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0179148/]] (only Drew & Lillian watched this one)\n[[Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0828151/]] (only Drew watched this one)\n[[My Neighbors The Yamadas|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206013/]]\n[[Twelfth Night|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364717/]]\n[[Twelfth Night|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117991/]]\n[[Conquest of America|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430831/]]\n[[The Cat Returns|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347618/]]\n[[The New World|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402399/]]\nNational Geographic: Jamestown\nLandmarks of Western Art: The Renaissance\nGreat Adventurers: Sir Walter Raleigh\nWilliam Shakespeare: A Life of Drama\n[[Elizabeth I|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465326/]]\n[[The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031826/]]\nSchubert: A Concise Biography\n[[Equilibrium|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0238380/]]\n[[All Creatures Great and Small: Series 2 (1979)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075472/]]\n[[Elizabeth|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283332/]]\nGalileo's Battle for the Heavens\n[[Whisper of the Heart|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113824/]]\nLeonardo da Vinci: Renaissance Master\n[[A Man for All Seasons|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060665/]]\n[[The Eruption of Mount St. Helens: IMAX|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080694/]]\nRing of Fire: IMAX\n[[The Private Life of Henry VIII|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024473/]]\n[[The Six Wives of Henry VIII |http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358884/]]\n[[The Madness of Henry the VIII|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497406/]]\n[[It Happened One Night|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025316/]]\n[[Reign of Fire|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0253556/]]\n[[X2: X-Men United|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290334/]]\n[[X-Men|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120903/]]\n[[Conquistadors|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291114/]]\nMayans & Aztecs\n[[Grand Hotel|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022958/]]\n[[Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250052/]]\n[[Pom Poko|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110008/]]\nCirque du Soleil: Cirque Reinvented\n[[All Creatures Great and Small: Series 1 (1978)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075472/]]\n[[Predator: Collector's Edition|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093773/]]\n[[Alien: Collector's Edition|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/]]\n[[Super Size Me|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/]]\n[[High Plains Drifter|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068699/]]\n[[Enter the Dragon: Special Edition|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070034/]]\n[[Cimarron|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021746/]]\n[[Porco Rosso|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104652/]]\n[[Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121766/]]\n[[Grave of the Fireflies|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/]]\n[[All Quiet on the Western Front|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020629/]]\nC.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia\n[[Emmanuel's Gift|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0447016/]]\n[[Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Wererabbit|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312004/]]\n[[Chicken Little|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371606/]]\n[[The Magnificent Seven|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054047/]]\n[[Howl's Moving Castle|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347149/]]\n[[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363771/]]\n[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330373/]]\n[[Amistad|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118607/]]\n[[Nausicca|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087544/]]

[img[http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/52923507/2924509]]\n\nBooks recently read...\n*''by'' [[Hunter|HunterA]]:\n//Stargazer//, by Patrick Carman\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: Ptolemy's Gate//, by Jonathan Stroud\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Golem's Eye//, by Jonathan Stroud\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand//, by Jonathan Stroud\n//The Titan's Curse//, by Rick Riordan\n//The Sea Of Monsters//, by Rick Riordan\n//The Lightning Thief//, by Rick Riordan\n//Snakehead//, by Anthony Horowitz\n//Ark Angel//, by Anthony Horowitz\n//Scorpia//, by Anthony Horowitz\n//Eagle Strike//, by Anthony Horowitz\n//Skeleton Key//, by Anthony Horowitz\n//Point Blank//, by Anthony Horowitz\n//Stormbreaker//, by Anthony Horowitz\n//Artemis Fowl: the Time Paradox//, by Eoin Colfer\n//Faerie Lord//, by Herbie Brennan\n//Ruler of the Realm//, by Herbie Brennan\n//The Purple Emperor//, by Herbie Brennan\n//Faerie Wars//, by Herbie Brennan\n//Breaking Dawn//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//The Book of Enchantments//, by Patricia Wrede\n//The City of Ember//, by Jeanne ~DuPrau\n//Talking to Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Calling on Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Searching for Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Exile//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//Dealing with dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Lady Friday//, by Garth Nix\n//Sir Thursday//, by Garth Nix\n//Drowned Wednesday//, by Garth Nix\n//Grim Tuesday//, by Garth Nix\n//Mister Monday//, by Garth Nix\n//Charlie Bone and the Beast//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//The Keeper's Shadow//, by Dennis Foon\n//Freewalker//, by Dennis Foon\n//The Dirt Eaters//, by Dennis Foon\n//The House of the Scorpion//, by Nancy Farmer\n//Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague//, by Brandon Mull\n//Inkheart//, by Cornelia Funke\n//Charlie Bone And The Hidden King//, by Jennie Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone And The Castle Of Mirrors//, by Jennie Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone And The Time Twister//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Midnight for Charlie Bone//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Into the Mist//, by Patrick Carman\n//The Tenth City//, by Patrick Carman\n//Beyond The Valley Of Thorns//, by Patrick Carman\n//The Cobra King of Kathmandu//, by P.B. Kerr\n//The Blue Djinn of Babylon//, by P.B. Kerr\n//The Dark Hills Divide//, by Patrick Carman\n//The Akhenaten Adventure//, by P. B. Kerr\n//Eclipse//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//New Moon//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, by J.K. Rowling\n//The Candy Shop War//, by Brandon Mull\n//From the ~Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler//, by E.L. Konigsburg\n//Peter and the Starcatchers//, by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson\n//Tuck Everlasting//, by Natalie Babbitt\n//Twilight//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//Indigo//, by Alice Hoffman\n//Chasing Vermeer//, by Blue Balliet\n//Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star//, by Brandon Mull\n//New Spring//, by Robert Jordan\n//Fablehaven//, by Brandon Mull\n\n*''by'' [[Drew|DrewA]]:\n//The Titan's Curse//, by Rick Riordan\n//Stargazer//, by Patrick Carman\n//The Second Summer of the Sisterhood//, by Ann Brashares\n//The Sea Of Monsters//, by Rick Riordan\n//The Lightning Thief//, by Rick Riordan\n//Breaking Dawn//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//Talking to Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants//, by Ann Brashares\n//Artemis Fowl: the Time Paradox//, by Eoin Colfer\n//The People of Sparks//, by Jeanne ~DuPrau\n//Breaking Dawn//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//The City of Ember//, by Jeanne ~DuPrau\n//Calling on Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Searching for Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Dealing with Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Charlie Bone and the Beast//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone And The Hidden King//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone And The Castle Of Mirrors//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone And The Time Twister//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Midnight for Charlie Bone//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//The Princess Academy//, by Shannon Hale\n//The Borrowers//, by Mary Norton\n//101 Dalmatians//, by Dodie Smith\n//Fairest//, by Gail Carson Levine\n//Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep//, by Gail Carson Levine\n//Into the Mist//, by Patrick Carman\n//The Tenth City//, by Patrick Carman\n//Beyond The Valley Of Thorns//, by Patrick Carman\n//The Dark Hills Divide//, by Patrick Carman\n//Eclipse//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//New Moon//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//Twilight//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star//, by Brandon Mull\n//Fablehaven//, by Brandon Mull\n\n*''by'' [[Duncan|DuncanA]]:\n//Mr. Popper's Penguins//, by Richard and Florence Atwater\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: Ptolemy's Gate//, by Jonathan Stroud\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Golem's Eye//, by Jonathan Stroud\n//The Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand//, by Jonathan Stroud\n//The Titan's Curse//, by Rick Riordan\n//The Sea Of Monsters//, by Rick Riordan\n//The Lightning Thief//, by Rick Riordan\n//Brisingr//, by Christopher Paolini\n//Into the Mist//, by Patrick Carman\n//Eragon//, by Christopher Paolini\n//Eldest//, by Christopher Paolini\n//The Tenth City//, by Patrick Carman\n//Beyond The Valley Of Thorns//, by Patrick Carman\n//The Dark Hills Divide//, by Patrick Carman\n//Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague//, by Brandon Mull\n//Faerie Lord//, by Herbie Brennan\n//Ruler of the Realm//, by Herbie Brennan\n//The Purple Emperor//, by Herbie Brennan\n//Faerie Wars//, by Herbie Brennan\n//Eclipse//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//New Moon//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//Calling on Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Searching for Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Dealing with dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Exile//, by Kathryn Lasky\n//Charlie Bone and the Beast//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone And The Hidden King//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone And The Castle Of Mirrors//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy//, by Jenny Nimmo//Charlie Bone And The Time Twister//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone and the Time Twister//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Midnight for Charlie Bone//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Twilight//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Harry Potter and the ~Half-Blood Prince//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star//, by Brandon Mull\n//Fablehaven//, by Brandon Mull\n\n*''by'' [[Lillian|LillianA]]:\n//To Kill a Mockingbird//, by Harper Lee\n//Fantasy Lover//, by Sherrilyn Kenyon\n//Schooled//, by Gordon Korman\n//The Lightning Thief//, by Rick Riordan\n//The Host//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//Artemis Fowl: the Time Paradox//, by Eoin Colfer\n//The People of Sparks//, by Jeanne ~DuPrau\n//The City of Ember//, by Jeanne ~DuPrau\n//Breaking Dawn//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//Calling on Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Searching for Dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Emma//, by Jane Austen\n//Dealing with dragons//, by Patricia Wrede\n//Charlie Bone and the Beast//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Inkheart//, by Cornelia Funke\n//Thinking Like Your Editor//, by Susan Rabiner and Alfred Fortunato\n//Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague//, by Brandon Mull\n//Charlie Bone And The Hidden King//, by Jennie Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone And The Castle Of Mirrors//, by Jennie Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Charlie Bone And The Time Twister//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Midnight for Charlie Bone//, by Jenny Nimmo\n//Peeps: A Novel//, by Scott Westerfield\n//Damn! Why Didn't I Write That?//, by Marc ~McCutcheon\n//Wuthering Heights//, by Emily Bronte\n//A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier//, by Ishmael Beah\n//Going Gray: What I learned about beauty, sex, work, motherhood, authenticity, and everything else that really matters//, by Anne Kreamer\n//Eclipse//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//New Moon//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//Sense and Sensibility//, by Jane Austen\n//Twilight//, by Stephenie Meyer\n//Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star//, by Brandon Mull\n//Mean Girls Grown Up//, by Cheryl Dellasega\n//Indigo//, by Alice Hoffman\n//Fablehaven//, by Brandon Mull\n//Eat That Frog//, by Brian Tracy\n//Podcast Solutions//, by Michael W. Geoghegan & Dan Klass\n//Getting Things Done//, by David Allen\n//Podcasting: the do-it-yourself guide//, by Todd Cochrane\n//Podcasting Now//, by Andrew J. Dagys\n//A Walk to Remember//, by Nicholas Sparks\n//Body of Evidence//, by Patricia Cornwall\n//The Friendship Crisis//, by Marla Paul\n//The Good Guy//, by Dean Koontz\n//Postmortem//, by Patricia Cornwell\n//Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//, by J.K. Rowling\n//Blaze: The Forensics of Fire//, by Nicholas Faith\n//Summer of Storms//, by Judith Kelman\n//Absolute Certainty//, by Rose Conners\n//Fire Cops//, by Michael and Charles W. Sasser\n\nYou can also check out titles NotSoRecentlyRead.\n\n----\n\nBooksToRead\nCurrentlyReading\n\n\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/movieicon.jpg]]\n\n''Films we have recently watched together'':\n\n[[The Last of the Mohicans|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104691/]]\n[[Born Free|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060182/]]\n[[Broken Bridges|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477392/]]\n[[I am Legend|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480249/]]\n[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084726/]]\n[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079945/]]\n[[The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499448/]]\n[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/]]\n[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087469/]]\n[[Raiders of the Lost Ark|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/]]\n[[Vatel|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190861/]]\n[[To Kill a King|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302436/]]\nDoctor Who: The Beginning\n[[Stardust|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/]]\n[[Superman II|http://imdb.com/title/tt0081573/]]\n[[Superman: The Movie|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078346/]]\n[[Cocoon|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088933/]]\n[[Dragonheart|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116136/]]\n[[Secondhand Lions|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327137/]]\n[[Shiloh|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120118/]]\n[[Hairspray|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427327/]]\n[[The 13th Warrior|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120657/]]\n[[King Lear (1974)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076269/]]\n[[Transformers|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/]]\n[[Akeelah and the Bee|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437800/]]\n[[King Lear (1971)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064553/]]\n[[Sleepless in Seattle|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108160/]]\n[[Dragonslayer|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082288/]]\n[[Willow|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096446/]]\n[[Sky High|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405325/]]\n[[An Affair to Remember|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050105/]]\n[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031679/]]\n[[Shogun|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080274/]]\n[[Flicka (2006)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434215/]]\n[[King Kong (2005)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360717/]]\n[[Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031385/]]\n[[King Kong(1976)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074751/]]\n[[Wild Weather|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450949/]]\n[[King Kong (1933)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024216/]]\n[[Gone With the Wind|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031381/]]\n[[Noir|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0294154/]]\n[[Aquamarine|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429591/]]\n[[Whale Rider|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298228/]]\n[[Little Women (1994)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110367/]]\n[[A Star is Born (1954)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047522/]]\n[[Little Women (1933)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024264/]]\n[[Miracle|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349825/]]\n[[You Can't Take it With You|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030993/]]\n[[The Work and the Glory: American Zion|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457530/]]\n[[Grumpy Old Men|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107050/]]\n[[A Star Is Born (1937)|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029606/]]\n[[Alien vs. Predator|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/140046.html]]\n[[The Good Earth|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/138442.html]]\n[[The Legend of Johnny Lingo|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/138442.html]]\n[[Aliens|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/]]\n[[The Awful Truth|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/136356.html]]\n[[Saints and Soldiers|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/134830.html]]\n[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/132751.html]]\n\nYou can also check out previous films we have seen on the NotSoRecentlyWatched list.\n\n----\n\n<html><center><embed src="http://widget.flixster.com/static/widget/widget.swf?getRev=http://widget.flixster.com/servlet/publishrate/userId:714955005;listId:715074005&bkgd=CC99FF&fgd=ffffff" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#dddddd" width="200" height="165" /><br /><img src="http://www.flixster.com/servlet/embed/widget/714955005.jpg" width="1" height="1" /><div style="width: 200px"><div style="float: left"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/servlet/embed/widget/link/714955005">Are we movie<br />compatible?</a></div><div style="float: right"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/user/ladanea">My Flixster<br />profile</a></div></div></center></html>\n<br>\n\n----\n\n''Films Lillian recently watched //without the kids//'':\n\n[[Stardust|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/]]\n[[A Dog's Breakfast|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796314/]]\n[[The Work and the Glory III: A House Divided|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460611/]]\n[[V for Vendetta|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434409/]]\n[[Sweet Home Alabama|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0256415/]]\n[[Sahara|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/154750.html]]\n[[Noir|http://ladanea.livejournal.com/139745.html]]\n\n\n\n\n\n

Books we've read, as listed on my Shelfari bookshelf:\n\n<html><embed width="640" height="220" src="http://sws.shelfari.com/shelfH.swf" wmode="transparent"FlashVars="UserName=Ladanea&ShelfType=user&verE=s1.1&booksize=large&Alpha=0&BGColor=FFFFFF"></embed></html>

//growing and blooming//

The Angelovic Corner Garden

http://www.cornergarden.net/

#displayArea {background: #fff;\n\n.viewer iframe { border: 1px solid blue; }

[>img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/FamilyPhoto06crop.jpg]]\n\n''We're the Angelovics!''\n\nWe have a habit of living in cozy little basements, and currently occupy the basement of TheHornes' brand new, rebuilt home. Our life tends to get rather more exciting than we would like, but it's certainly never boring!\n\nOur biggest adventure was TheFire, about two years ago. Less exciting but more toward the fun (and normal) side of life, we HomeSchool and are involved in a lot of "extracurricular activities" such as [[Gymnastics]], MartialArts, [[Dance]], Boy Scouts, reading lots of [[Books]], watching lots of [[Movies]], and even researching the Angelovich FamilyHistory. We like exploring just about anything, anywhere, anytime. \n\nYou can find out more about each of us by clicking on our names:\n\n[[Lillian|LillianA]] ........ [[Hunter|HunterA]] ........ [[Drew|DrewA]] ........ [[Duncan|DuncanA]]\n\n\n\n\n\n

[img[http://farm1.static.flickr.com/48/140437258_308754f2b2_m.jpg]]\n\nIt's a news flash, a painful life experience, and an adventure all rolled into one! There's danger, intrigue, adventure, glory, and even sappy drama! And the bonus feature of //no kissing scenes//!\n\nMay 2, 2006, my parents' house - where my kids and I had also been living - burned in a fast-moving fire. You can read all about it on the Blogger HouseBlog I created to document the experience: http://lilyscornergarden.blogspot.com. In brief, the house is now completely gone and we're trying not to hold our collective breath while waiting for it to be rebuilt.\n\nAlthough we lost almost everything we owned, it has been quite an experience - and surprisingly more positive than negative. After all, everyone was safe and the rest is just stuff anyway, right? Maybe I'm nuts for thinking that way, but it sure beats sitting around crying over burned furniture. We are all very grateful for the wonderful support of friends and family who have helped us get back on our feet following this personal disaster.\n\n\n

My parents - David and Barbara Horne. They're our reluctant landlords and super grandparents. My mom is slowly turning Drew into a 1/4-scale miniature enthusiast, and my dad is still trying to avoid admitting that the boys' picky eating habits could possibly be related to his.\n\n\n

For anyone searching for the correct order for this series, we've figured it out!\n\n[[The Littles Book Series - in the Right Order!|http://www.amazon.com/The-nbsp-Littles-nbsp-Book-nbsp-Series-nbsp-nbsp-in-nbsp-the-nbsp-Right-nbsp-Order/lm/RN7LM9CXTFTMM/]]\n\n1. //The Littles//, by John Peterson (1967)\n2. //The Littles Take A Trip//, by John Peterson (1968)\n3. //The Littles To the Rescue//, by John Peterson (1968)\n4. //The Littles Have A Wedding//, by John Peterson (1971)\n5. //The Littles Give A Party//, by John Peterson (1972)\n6. //The Littles and the Great Halloween Scare//, by John Peterson (1975)\n7. //The Littles and the Trash Tinies//, by John Peterson (1977)\n8. //The Littles Go Exploring//, by John Peterson (1978)\n9. //The Littles and the Big Storm//, by John Peterson (1979)\n10. //The Littles Go to School//, by John Peterson (1983)\n11. //The Littles and the Lost Children//, by John Peterson (1991)\n12. //The Littles and the Terrible Tiny Kid//, by John Peterson (1993)\n13. //The Littles and Their Amazing New Friend//, by John Peterson (1999)\n14. //The Littles and Their Friends//, by John Peterson (1981)\n\n\n\n

From the developer:\nA 'tiddler' is the name given to a unit of ~MicroContent in TiddlyWiki.\n\nTiddlers are pervasive in TiddlyWiki. The MainMenu is defined by a tiddler, plugins are delivered in tiddlers, there are special StyleSheet tiddlers, and so on.\n\nOther systems have analogous concepts with more prosaic names: like "items", "entries", "entities". Even though "tiddler" is undoubtedly a ~SillyName, it at least has the virtue of being confusingly distinctive rather than confusingly generic.

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/tiddlywikifavicon-mini-icon.ico]] [[TiddlyWiki|http://www.tiddlywiki.com]] is (to quote directly from the developer) a free microcontent ~WikiWikiWeb created by Jeremy Ruston and a busy community of independent developers. It's written in HTML, CSS and ~JavaScript to run on any modern browser without needing any server side logic. It allows anyone to create personal self contained hypertext documents. This is revision 2.1.3 of [[TiddlyWiki|http://www.tiddlywiki.com]], and is published under an open source license.\n\nYou can learn more about it at the website [[here|http://www.tiddlywiki.com]]. An awesome beginner's tutorial may be found at [[TiddlyWiki for the rest of us|http://www.giffmex.org/twfortherestofus.html]] (where I found this nice lilac color scheme.)\n\nAs you're browsing around you may notice the little links at the top of each tiddler. They allow you to view and even change the tiddlers, but it doesn't make serverside changes so HA! You can vandalize and it only changes in your browser window. Honestly, reading [[Books]] is more enjoyable, but if that's how you choose to spend your time, have fun!\n\nSince I am very much not a computer programmer, anything I do right with ~TiddlyWiki is entirely due to its ease of use. Really, I have not a clue what I'm doing. I started using ~TiddlyWiki as "my very own reusable non-linear personal web notebook" to make a sort of day/lifeplanner that works the way I think - which is definitely not linear. I love it! Mine lives on my little traveldrive, and contains everything I ever need to organize my life, such as notes, lists, plans, goals, and schedules. I then decided to use it for our webpages because it is incredibly simple to use and navigate. It feels rather like a cross between a blog and a more traditional webpage - minus all the loadtimes. I finally got around to editing the colors, adding photos, and embedding my blog content. That's the coolest feature ever! I also want to use it to organize recipes and make a photo album, but don't hold your breath. I have other priorities. Besides, I still don't know more than the first thing about computer programming.\n\nI apologize if you came here expecting to find cute dancing bears or flashing lights. I just figure if someone really wants to bother looking-up our website, they should get the facts without the hype. If you're bored, again, I suggest you take up reading [[Books]] or at least watch some quality [[Movies]].\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/twitter-miniicon.png]] is my new favorite way to update the world on my crazy life:\n\n<html><center><div style="width:176px;text-align:center"><embed src="http://twitter.com/flash/twitter_badge.swf" flashvars="color1=10053375&type=user&id=5978122" quality="high" width="176" height="176" name="twitter_badge" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /><br><a style="font-size: 10px; color: #9966FF; text-decoration: none" href="http://twitter.com/Ladanea">follow Ladanea at http://twitter.com</a></div></center></html>\nYou can join (for free, of course) and then IM, txt, or go to the website to post short messages answering the question, "What are you doing now?"\n\n\n

[img[http://www.cornergarden.net/images/GardenPond-400.jpg]]\n\n//Welcome to our little corner of the net! Thanks for stopping by!//\n\nFeel free to browse around using the ''menu to the left'', or by clicking on the purple ''bolded'' text within the capsules (aka "[[Tiddlers|Tiddler]]") that pop up. You can also browse ''All'' the tiddlers from the ''list on the right''. The ''Timeline'' feature even allows you to see which sections have been most recently updated.\n\nWhile you're here, you can also [[read the blog|LadaneaBlog]]. //Enjoy!//\n\n

[img[http://www.wikihow.com/skins/common/images/wikiHow_logo_5.gif]]\n\nI discovered [[wikiHow|http://www.wikihow.com]] in 1995 and absolutely love it! I served as an administrator at the site for a couple of years, and although life has been a bit too crazy lately to do much more than patrolling recent changes there, it is definitely one of my favorite places to "hang out" online. After all, where else can you learn [[How to Slice a Banana Before it is Peeled|http://www.wikihow.com/Slice-a-Banana-Before-It-Is-Peeled]] or [[How to Name a Fish|http://www.wikihow.com/Name-a-Fish]]?\n\nMy user page: [[LillianA|http://www.wikihow.com/user:Ladanea]]\n\nThe very first article I created on a whim:\n[[How to Have a Great Conversation|http://www.wikihow.com/Have-a-Great-Conversation]]\n(I'm much better at writing about it than I am at doing it, so please, don't hold this great advice against me!)\n\nI also started:\n[[How to Teach Your Children to Do Laundry|http://www.wikihow.com/Teach-Your-Children-to-Do-Laundry]]\n[[How to Overcome Serious Regrets|http://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Serious-Regrets]]\n[[How to Solve the Flash Mind Reader|http://www.wikihow.com/Solve-the-Flash-Mind-Reader]]\n[[How to Wash a Leotard|http://www.wikihow.com/Wash-a-Leotard]]\n[[How to Fast for a Religious Occasion|http://www.wikihow.com/Fast-for-a-Religious-Occasion]]\n[[How to Care for a Grow a Frog|http://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-a-Grow-a-Frog]]\n[[How to Remove Coloring Washed in to Clothes|http://www.wikihow.com/How-to-Remove-Coloring-Washed-in-to-Clothes]]\n\nMy other "pet" articles:\n[[How to Homeschool Your Children|http://www.wikihow.com/Homeschool-Your-Children]]\n[[How to Make up a Bed Neatly|http://www.wikihow.com/Make-up-a-Bed-Neatly]]\n[[How to Begin Running|http://www.wikihow.com/Begin-Running]]\n[[How to Do a Cartwheel|http://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Cartwheel]]\n[[How to Do a Handstand|http://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Handstand]]\n[[How to Name a Fish|http://www.wikihow.com/Name-a-Fish]]\n[[How to Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich|http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Peanut-Butter-and-Jelly-Sandwich]]\n[[How to Edit Music for a Gymnastics Floor Routine|http://www.wikihow.com/Edit-Music-for-a-Gymnastics-Floor-Routine]]\n\n[[Drew|DrewA]] has started editing and writing gymnastics articles, as well. Her first-ever article, [[How to Do a Valdez|http://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Valdez]] was a featured article on December 25, 2006. You can find her user page [[here|http://www.wikihow.com/user:GymGirlD]].\n\n\n

Lillian's "journal" entries during the 2002 Winter Olympics (copied from [[my old website|http://www.geocities.com/ladanea/wgjournal.html]]):\n\n''Our Winter Games Experience Journal''\n\nOur family lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a quiet downtown neighborhood known as Marmalade Hill, just northwest of the State Capitol and a few blocks north of the soon-to-be-famous Olympic Medals Plaza. We live in a small apartment where there is no off-street parking, but where we have a great view of the LDS Church Office Building with its present decoration: a 20-story-tall banner with the delicate image of an ice-skater. Out our back windows we have another great view of sunsets on the Great Salt Lake, and to our east looms the small mountain peak known as Ensign peak, where pioneer Brigham Young proclaimed this city would be “an ensign to the nations.” \n\nOur family consists of me, Lillian, a stay-at-home-mom, my husband Kurtis, a computer programmer, and our three children, Hunter (age seven), Drew Natasia (age five) and Duncan, who will turn four-years-old on Monday, February 11th. We are an otherwise normal bunch (though I can hear the snorting from some of you who know us), and our only real difference with our neighbors is that we homeschool our children. This usually just means I don’t have time to make scrapbooks like all the other Utah moms, and we get to take more field trips. It also means our kids didn’t get any of the free Olympic tickets handed-out to Utah schoolchildren, so a year-and-a-half ago we spent our meager savings on tickets for four events and a medals ceremony at the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Since we expect this to be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for the entire family, I thought it would be fun to share our experience with the world, as well!\n\n//Thursday, February 7, 2002//\nThe Olympic Torch Relay entered Salt Lake City this afternoon and I would have liked to have greeted it as it came through City Creek Canyon and arrived at the Capitol Building, but Drew’s gymnastics workout conflicted with the events and I needed to finish some last-minute shopping. We crossed that activity off our schedule and worked toward greeting the torch tomorrow morning when it will be coming right up the street by our home on its way to Bountiful and back around the Salt Lake Valley before it makes its final stop at the stadium for the Opening Ceremonies. \nThe recent cold temperatures have slowly brought me to the realization that we are not quite prepared to take three young children into the mountains for day-trips to Winter Games events. Usually even sub-freezing temperatures aren’t enough to keep coats on the kids, and most of the time we just run from the house to the car, from the car to wherever-we’re-going, and the reverse when we head back home. We drag our coats along but they end up stacked on the extra seat in our little SUV (no it is NOT a minivan!) Knit mittens and gloves collect in a basket by the front door or lose their mates in a coat pocket. Boots stand-by for occasional use in the event of a snowstorm. This adventure is going to be different, however. We need to dress as if we were going on an arctic excursion! \n\nTonight I spent another large amount of money (can we say: pretty much all of this month’s food budget?) on new gloves, mittens, head warmers, hats, thermals and loads of socks for the entire family. I bought-out the last of the pocket hand-warmers at Albertsons in an attempt to ensure we all had enough for our hands and feet at three-days-worth of events. I still think we need more! The cashier at Garts Sports didn’t even bother to ask what I was going to do with all that gear. She got right to the point and asked which events we were going to! Then the bagger at the grocery store was curious as to why I was buying eight loaves of bread, gallons of milk, and loads of yogurt, pudding packs, and water bottles. When I explained that we were not only going to Olympic events but would also have to leave our cars parked for the next two weeks or risk losing our parking spot, he became even more interested and wished us well on our adventure. \n\nWhen we arrived home, Kurtis was playing a computer game and watching the news. This is not normal. Well, the news part isn’t, anyway. But apparently he had turned it on and watched the report of the torch’s arrival at the Capitol. It seems the entire neighborhood and many more had turned out for the event, which included the first lighting of the Olympic Rings on the mountainside. This is one of those things that some of the local citizens had fought against doing – much as many did against hosting the Olympics at all – but which is a thrilling event when it finally happens anyway. I was a little disappointed at missing that, but know that we have much more excitement yet to come! \n\nIronically, one of our friends called later to give an exciting report of his family’s adventure with the torch relay tonight. Mind you, this is a man who originally said “Bah Humbug” to the Olympic Games and was planning to take his family to Hawaii for the duration. Instead he excitedly told me how they had waited to see one of his friends run with the torch, taking the flame from retired Utah Jazz basketball player Jeff Hornacek and passing it off to SLOC chief Mitt Romney himself. His sons ran alongside and had their picture taken with the torch afterward. It sounds like the excitement is spreading! (Hey Mike, “Light the Fire Within!”) \n\nI put the children to bed in their clothes so they could just throw on their shoes and winter apparel on the way out the door in the morning. I am exhausted but excited with the anticipation of tomorrow’s “beginning.” \n\n//Friday, February 8, 2002//\nTorch arrival time: 5:35 \nHunter and Drew woke up earlier than I could have expected. They were awake and raring to go at 4:30 a.m.! A check on the weather showed 48 degrees – a whopping 38 degrees warmer than it had been the same time yesterday. We drove around our silent neighborhood. Not a soul in sight. Not even a breeze to disturb the leaves, which were showing through the last remnants of snow. No ice. (Yay!) It felt like spring, but I knew that really meant a storm would be here within a few hours and we would have snow for the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. \n\nI wondered if anyone would even come out this early in a neighborhood which had just experienced a more exciting and “official” version of the torch run the night before at the State Capitol Building, just four blocks up the hill. At 4:45 we saw the first sign of life: 3 cars driving slowly through the neighborhood, obviously staking out where they would be waiting. I wanted to wave and cheer “See you in a little while!” We drove to the nearby 7-11 to pick up doughnuts and a drink to keep Kurtis awake. Another man and two boys were leaving the store and walking across the street. I could tell what they were there for! \n\nBack home at 5:20 we decided to hurry down to the corner. We had spotted some neighbor friends and their children scurrying down the hill earlier, but they were nowhere in sight. Instead, Hunter’s primary teacher from church, her husband and their rather excited black dog were walking quickly down the street. We joined them and jogged to the corner. A small crowd had collected there and spread out across half the street, blocking the way so well that when the police motorcycles arrived minutes later they didn’t even bother to set up a road block on that side. I pulled out the camera and snapped a couple of photos of the family, wishing I had a digital camera so we could see the pictures right away. A Coca-cola truck wound its way up the street and around the corner while accompanying promotions people handed out little flags with the slogan “I saw the flame,” and I remembered our five little U.S. flags still at home, tucked inside my new mittens. \n\nIt was so warm outside that I had just thrown on a hat (ok, a beret, but I figured it looked better than my silly wool one) and left my coat and mittens at home. The kids had coats and hats, but I couldn’t see any reason to put mittens on them, either, at nearly 50 degrees! However, within a few minutes the kids were all complaining that their hands were cold, so I offered to run back home for the mittens and flags. I sprinted up the hill, grabbed the three pair of new insulated mittens for the children, left my own mittens behind with my coat, and jogged back down the hill. \nAs I rounded the corner I could see a windstorm blowing up the street at all the gathering spectators. It hit our little group and everyone took a step backward, surprised by its force. Dust whipped around and the exposed leaves took flight. It looked and felt like a whirlwind had hit. What a sudden change in the weather! Drew picked up Kurtis’ drink from its spot on the ground next to us and hugged it to her so it wouldn’t spill, but I took it away and zipped her into her coat and gloves. Duncan, half asleep still, had climbed into Kurtis’ arms and was hiding his face in Daddy’s shoulder. Hunter stood stiffly, clasping a Coca-cola flag in each hand. I switched the promotional flags for our own American flags and helped him into his mittens, which seemed to make a difference as he relaxed a bit and began to move around more. Kurtis was wishing for a warmer coat and hat. I was still quite warm, although my fingers were beginning to cool off in the wind. I was more concerned about all the dust blowing into my eyes! \n\nNot only could we feel the electricity of the event in the air, but we literally saw it as lightning flashed in the sky over our heads. “The sky’s turning blue!” Hunter exclaimed after one flash of nature’s fireworks. Just after 5:30 we heard cheers erupting from down the hill. This time the flashing came from lights turning the corner and heading up toward us: a motorcade of Salt Lake City police officers, all on motorcycles and wearing yellow parkas. Drew began jumping up and down, cheering and waving her little flag. They drove slowly up the hill ahead of a shuttle bus containing what appeared to be torch runners, headed first down the route to wait for their turn. \n\n5:35. This was the scheduled time for the torch to arrive. My hands were now starting to get cold but it was too late to make another trip back for my own mittens. I hung onto the camera and snapped another photo or two. \n\nHere it comes! We could see more flashing lights, cars and a shuttle bus turning up the hill. The caravan included some Chevrolet cars and behind it all: the runner with the Olympic torch. He looked chilled in the wind like the rest of us, but was grinning and jogging along, waving at the small crowd. Drew jumped up and down like a little cheerleader, and Duncan emerged from his hideout on Kurtis’ shoulder. I snapped photos as the small parade turned the corner, and we all began jogging along with the runner, cheering as we avoided the last few patches of icy snow in our way. Hunter raced ahead against the wind, a flag in each hand. Drew didn’t notice us leaving until I yelled back to her, but she quickly caught up and sprinted ahead. One block later the caravan stopped momentarily and the runner passed the flame to the next torchbearer. We stopped and cheered as the caravan pulled away, leaving most of the crowd behind. \n\nI tried to snap one last photo and fumbled for the button on my camera. My fingers were now so cold that I couldn’t feel them! Kurtis had hoisted Duncan up onto his shoulders at the torch’s arrival, and as he turned away from the departing caravan the previously reluctant boy’s face crumpled into tears. “No!” he shouted into the wind. “I want to go that way!” The kids were excited but complaining about the temperature, and I wondered how on earth we could manage to stay out for hours in similar weather at any of the event sites. I was very glad to have invested in all the extra layers the night before. We will be needing them! \n\nThe family and friends of the torch runner had gathered and were happily embracing. They raised a large American flag into the icy wind and we turned back toward our home. When Drew complained of the cold again I told her, “You think you’re cold! I’m just wearing a sweatshirt, and my hands are ice cubes!” She replied, “My face is an ice cube!” Back home it took about ten minutes before my hands had unthawed and I could move them again. I vowed to take my mittens with me “next time” (wherever that would be), regardless of the temperature. \n\nAt 6:15 the first tiny snowflakes appeared. By 7:40 – just an hour after our torch adventure – the neighborhood was engulfed in a blizzard and there was already a quarter-inch of snow on the ground. Winter has returned. Let the games begin! \n\n7:00 p.m. The Opening Ceremonies \nDrew asked me at least every hour all day long, “Is it time for the Olympics yet?” Finally, at 6:45, she was spotted falling asleep on the couch in front of the television. When Kurtis suggested that she go to bed, she woke up just enough to pad off to the bedroom in tears. She knew that she was just too tired to stay awake any longer and would certainly miss the long-anticipated, anxiously awaited event. I gently shook her awake at 7:00 and asked if she wanted to come back and watch, but she said no, rolled over, and went back to sleep. Looks like we’ll get to see the whole thing again tomorrow, next time without the commercial breaks! \n\nMy reaction? But of course! The Opening Ceremonies were fabulous! I can only imagine what it would have been like to actually sit in the stadium, but watching on television in the warmth of my home was still a great thing. Despite the sometimes-hokey slogans and the heart-clutching sentimentality that always characterizes the media portrayals of Olympics, I couldn’t help but catch my breath at the beauty of the choreography, the costumes, the graceful movement of the skating, the physical power of the dance and music – most of all the beauty in the use of light. I poked fun in yesterday’s journal of the theme “Light the Fire Within,” but I do have to admit as a collector of words, those four hold great power. And as an American citizen I was moved by the presentation of the flag from the World Trade Center, along with the Star Spangled Banner sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Since my sister-in-law, Jennifer, sings in the choir I am excited to hear some of the stories she certainly has to tell about her experiences with the Olympics, particularly these Opening Ceremonies. In the meantime I should find out if my sister Sylvia, who works at the Salt Lake International Airport, has any celebrity sighting stories to share. \n\nI have heard two Opening Ceremonies stories already, the first about my former neighbor who attended the dress rehearsal on Thursday. A somewhat cynical, retired television journalist, he is hardly one easily impressed by gala, but according to his wife he hasn’t stopped talking about the show. I can just see him wandering back into whichever room she is in, adding another comment to an ongoing editorial, then going back to his own work only to return a few minutes later with more comments. The second story involves the Tabernacle Choir and a rehearsal last month with Sting, who was apparently moved to tears by the choir’s performance of his music. The closest I can say I ever came to that was when I was nearly moved to tears years ago on the front row of Sting’s Dream of the Blue Turtles concert tour! But I digress… \n\nSpeaking of concerts, yesterday the Salt Lake City Mayor’s office sponsored a contest to win tickets to the Olympic Medals Plaza on “Salt Lake City” day at the plaza, when country music stars Brooks and Dunn are slated to perform. To win, contestants were told to submit a joke by email to the mayor’s office beginning at noon. The first 200 entrants would win tickets, and later the best jokes will be chosen and more tickets given away. Since my watch, the clock on the wall, and my computer’s clock all constantly disagree about what time it really is, I turned to the internet and the Atomic Clock, and sent in my joke about 20 seconds after noon. This afternoon I received a phone call from the mayor’s office and… I won! Looks like we need to find a babysitter! Woohoo! Maybe I’d better check out some Brooks and Dunn tunes so I know what we’re in for. The Olympic research never ends… \n\nIronically, in the middle of watching the presentation of the athletes at the Opening Ceremonies we received a phone call from the SLOC MVE – the Mountain Venue Express buses for which we have tickets to take us to our events next week. The recorded message repeated the same things a previous call and an email also said: we now have two places from which we can board the MVE buses. Both are close to here, but I still think we’ll be hunting for a ride to the bus departure locations. I have no great desire to haul three tired kids a mile or more in either direction at 5:30 a.m., let alone back home at night. Getting to the corner and back this morning was enough, thank you! Grandma, can we have a ride?\n \nFinally, my apologies to Kurtis, who waited through the entire Opening Ceremonies for his plate of spaghetti. I tried, but apparently I can’t cook and watch TV at the same time. \n\n//Sunday, February 10, 2002//\nIt appears that our fears have not come true. I am very surprised that for the past two days there has been no more than normal traffic and absolutely no one parking in the neighborhood! This is especially surprising considering all the attention given to last night's Dave Matthews Band concert at the Medals Plaza. It looks as though we're still just far enough away that those who decide to drive in downtown manage to find a parking spot before they get this far down the street. \n\nThis is very good, first because it means we can perhaps manage to live our normal lives in the midst of the Olympics. It also means we can drive our car to the park-and-ride lot tomorrow and not have to beg to have someone drop us off and pick us up again. I am very nervous about this first day trip because I don't think that Duncan will eat anything they have to offer at the event sites, yet we are not allowed to take food in. Somehow I doubt there is much kid-friendly food there. My plan is to stuff everyone with food -- PBJ sandwiches, pudding, and marshmallows (Duncan's favorite, for his birthday) -- on the bus up to Soldier Hollow, then stuff one last sandwich in each child's pocket. If they get patted down and the sandwiches are confiscated, then the security volunteers can eat them for lunch! If not, maybe the children will manage to not starve. \n\nDrew watched some pairs skating last night, and then the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualification runs and finals today. She cheered and chanted "~U-S-A!" with the crowds, jumped around the room when Kelly Clark won gold for the U.S. team, and sang along with the national anthem. Now she is complaining because Duncan wants to watch Scooby-doo but she is busy watching the Olympic coverage. What kind of weird 5-year-old turns down Scooby for Bob Costas?!? \n\nTomorrow: Women's 15 km Individual Biathlon at Soldier Hollow, plus the 3-hour bus ride up and back again. There is still so much to do to prepare. I need to make sure everything is ready so we can just leave first thing in the morning. \n\n''We're Baaaack! ''\n//*Note*//\n//Wednesday, February 13, 2002//\n10:30 a.m. \nThere is more to tell than I can possibly write-up and post quickly here, but suffice it to say for the moment... We're all alive. No one got frostbite. No one got lost. No one was murdered by their parents for uncontrolled whining. And no one was arrested for abandoning their backpack in the middle of the medals plaza. Right now my house looks and smells like it was attacked by a pack of hyenas searching for a lost glove. Everyone's hair is still plastered to their heads. (You thought hat hair was bad just from a baseball cap? You haven't lived in a wool hat for 2 days straight.) And please do not look at the kitchen table! I know how long that hamburger has been sitting there, and it does not have mold growing on it yet so there is no need to call the health department. \n\nI am going to take a shower and then attempt to clear the clothing, bags, blankets, gloves, hats, and dropped french fries from the floor. Then I will sit down and give my report. So, please, go watch the Olympic TV coverage and check back later. \n \n//Thursday, February 14, 2002//\nHappy Valentines Day! You will have to wait some more for the play-by-play, but for now you may enjoy this as an appetizer: \n\n''Some Do’s and Don’ts for Experiencing the Olympics ''\n\nDO: Go to the Summer Olympics. \nThis will help avoid problems associated with a serious side effect of the Winter Olympics: snow. The icing effects of snow as it delicately graces the mountains, seen out a window from a heated room, where you stand dressed in your most comfortable clothing while toasting the medallists with your favorite beverage, is simply lovely. However, snow is the devil’s favorite joke when you’re sitting on a mountainside in four pair of bunchy long underwear beneath $200 ski pants that you’ll never wear again, with three pair of wool socks on your feet which are jammed into your boots so tightly that you can hardly walk, and your backside is frozen to a blanket, which is frozen to the mountain, and all there is to drink is cold beverages because the official Olympic beverage company is Coca-cola and they’re conveniently out of hot cocoa. \n\nDO: Get a babysitter \nOh yes, experiencing the Winter Olympics as a family sounds like a wonderful experience that your children will remember for the rest of their lives. Just leave out the wonderful part because after the four-year-old wearing slick ski pants tries to sit on your lap of slick ski pants, and then the both of you attempt an impromptu luge run down the mountainside, you will begin to wish you had spent the ticket money on a new Gamebox and locked the kids in at Grandma’s for the week. Believe me, they will never forget that either! In fact, they will likely sing your praises for months afterward until Sony comes out with another $300 computer game console and they start whining for that. And you will all be saved the painful memories of being accosted by FBI agents for leaving your backpack unattended on the ground right next to you. \n\nDO: Gawk and point at the women in floor-length fur coats and matching hats. \nThese are not real people. They are not there to attend events. They are bait to lure unsuspecting animal-rights-activists from the crowd. The activists, upon spotting the fur coats, will immediately attempt to strip in protest. This is really not a problem for most spectators, who would likely cheer and wave their flags. Instead, security officers hope to identify these protestors and return them to Protestors Square where they can strip without disturbing the events. I shudder at the thought of what could happen to a moguls skier who spots such a protest at the bottom of the hill. \n\nDON’T: Listen to the advice of so-called experts. \nWhen they say to wear three pair of socks, ignore them. Instead, wear three pair on the right foot, and two pair on the left foot. This prevents “smashed left foot syndrome,” which results in an otherwise healthy adult who cannot keep up with the four-year-old, who has started running – as fast as an Oompa Loompa can – toward the secured/media area and a group of armed National Guardsmen. \nWhen those same experts tell you that there will be a massive traffic jam all the way up to the Olympic mountain venues, where they will not allow any outside food and security is as high as the mountains themselves, don’t believe it. If you allow the “strongly recommended” four hours to travel, park, and go through security, you will travel through light traffic to the venue parking area, arriving before the security is set-up and thereby prolonging the agony of standing in the cold for an extra three hours. Then when the security crew is finally ready for you, they will quickly thumb through your bag: camera – turned on so the battery will run down before you can take any pictures – check! Contraband peanut butter and jelly sandwiches – check! “All right then, go on through, Ma’am.” At this point the alarm will sound and you will be electronically strip-searched by a wand, which quickly identifies the gum wrappers in your pocket as carefully disguised plastic explosives, and you are allowed to continue – sandwiches and gum in hand – to the venue. \n\nDON’T: Waste your time on expensive tickets to the ice skating events. \nInstead, take a little trip to the mountain venue parking lots, where the ground ice has been carefully groomed to a perfect thickness. The thousands of arriving spectators provide a howlingly funny version of the skating events – for free! You can even take along cards with scores for technical and artistic merit. Be sure to clap and cheer, and don’t forget to sing your version of their national anthem as they go by! \n\nDO: Finally, come home and watch the events on television. \nWe all know Bob Costas can be irritating, but at least your feet are warm and the only real concern is when Grandma will be released from the hospital after an entire week with the kids. \n\n//Monday, February 18, 2002//\nToday I have a link to a fun little item sent to me by my sister-in-law, Jennifer. She says this is one of her "newly acquired prized possessions". Check it out! \n[[Sting's Thank You|http://www.geocities.com/jennifafa/sting.html]]\n