Quick Step: Coco Chanel

Just a quick step to learn a little about a fabulous lady! What a remarkable woman, a true rags to riches story!

Seventh Step: Julia Child ~Exploring~

Julia Child has been so much fun to learn about! She was an amazing woman with such spirit and so inspiring! I’ve enjoyed reading her cookbooks, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She was one of those people who just got it. I think that’s why she seemed so happy. She knew what was important and didn’t let anything hold her back!

Julia has inspired us to do a lot of cooking lately! We tried her incredible recipe for Potato Leek Soup. Who knew such a simple recipe could render such a wonderful, flavorful soup? We did add a bit of cream to it, and it is now a staple on cold days here in Chicago! We also have been taking monthly cooking classes at Marcel’s, a wonderful shop with talented chefs and fantastic classes, in downtown Glen Ellyn. The classes were so much fun for Beatrice to attend. They really do a wonderful job there with the kids. While there, Beatrice has made cherry cobbler(which we’ve made at home twice now since the class), pizza pinwheels, dips, sandwiches, salads, and decorated some yummy cupcakes. It’s been a joy for both of us.

We’ve had some other fun experiences too. We expanded our library while learning about Julia and picked up some new cookbooks and picture books that we’ve read and created from. Our love affair with Master Chef Jr. continues, but we also added some episodes of The French Chef with Julia Child into the mix as well. I still haven’t seen all of Julie & Julia, but it’s coming up! For links to all the shows and books mentioned, plus other Julia items, check out our Pinterest board, Julia

Seventh Step: ~Sneak Peek~

Sixth Step: Sacagawea ~Introduction~

To commemorate our adventures in the Pacific Northwest we chose Sacagawea as our next courageous lady! We went from just a few hours from the start of the Oregon trail to within an hour of the end, so it seemed rather appropriate. The Pacific Northwest is an awe inspiring part of the country, the geography is just breath taking. The Oregon Coast is stunning. There wasn’t a day we spent there that wasn’t filled jaw-dropping landscapes and sunsets. Adorable Native American costume and papoose purchased from MainstreetX. Please visit my Sacagawea Pinterest page for other purchases and educational ideas related to my Sacagawea posts!

Fifth Step: Rockford Peaches and the AAGPBL ~Exploring~

Before our big move to Oregon we managed to make it up to Rockford,IL to see Beyer Field, the Peaches home field. There isn’t much left of what was originally there, but the brick entryway where patrons would enter and ticket windows are still there. The field is in the midst of being restored with new amenities being added every year and a new team calls Beyer Field home, the Rockford Starfires. We didn’t get to see a game there but we did get to a little sneak into the Midway Village Museum. Unfortunately, they were closed to the public the one day we could go out there! 😦 However, someone there did let us into the gift shop and we got Peach bobble head, a t-shirt and we got see some pictures of the Peaches that were hanging in the halls. I was so bummed to miss the actual museum. Argh! So, no game and no museum. The trip felt a little like a bust but we did go to fabulous children’s museum while we were in town and the kids had fun and got to see a little bit of history. 🙂

Fifth Step: Rockford Peaches and the AAGPBL ~Wise Words~

Fourth Step: Jane Austen ~Conclusion~

After all this tea and partying we had to try it ourselves at home! The kids each got a little toy tea set of their own to play with and I got my grandmother’s tea set out of storage so that I could play too. 🙂 We prepared by making some yummy cookies. I got 3D printed cookie cutters of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, and also 3D printed cookie cutters of my kids silhouettes to make cookies with(links on my Pinterest page here). We decorated them and baked scones and got some Jane Austen inspired tea by Steep Show Teas(Miss Bennet’s English Pear black tea and Jane’s Regency Rose green tea). We didn’t make tea sandwiches like I had originally planned and cut them out with cookie cutters, sigh. In the end it was hot dogs. You win some and lose some I guess. 😉 Next time(and there will be a next time)! The kids at least tried the tea(not without some lumps of sugar of course), but in the end drank mostly apple juice in their tea cups. We had a fun time and definitely plan to make this more of a regular activity. It’s kind of amazing how a little nice china and beautiful plating and food can bring out the civility in your kids at the dinner table. I’d do this more often just for that!

Mixing up some cookie dough!

Getting ready to ‘paint’ our cookies!

Cookie decorating time!

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy ❤

Silhouette cookie cutters of the kids ❤

Kiddo cookies!

All done!

Yummy Jane Austen tea, loved the pear tea!

Time to party!

Getting a lump

Can’t have a tea party without tea!

Mmm!

Fourth Step: Jane Austen ~Exploring~

Ack! Life has thrown me for a loop the last couple of months and the blog as suffered for it. Time to get back on the wagon! After moving from my lifelong home in the Midwest to the Oregon Coast I have finally settled in enough to whip out a couple of blog posts. Admittedly, part of the problem is that it is summer too. The kids are home. All day. It is exhausting and I don’t get a minute to myself. The days keep slipping by without much getting done, but I’m going to try and embrace it rather than let it drive me crazy. 🙂

For Jane Austen I had intended to do some different activities, but due to the interest of the kids, all activities pointed toward tea parties! I was perfectly fine with that! We got to bake and learn about the history of tea and how to make a good cuppa. A book that I really enjoyed reading and was a great resource was, ‘Tea with Jane Austen,’ by Kim Wilson(see links for many things mentioned and pictured on my Pinterest board for Jane). I also found some Marvel graphic novel adaptations of Jane Austen books such as; ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ and ‘Emma.’ They were right up my alley as a comic fan and fun for the kids to look at because of all the pictures. 🙂 Another fun find was ‘The Beautifull Cassandra,’ a story written by Jane Austen when she was 12 years old. It was great to show the kids that even as a young girl Austen was writing and honing her craft, she didn’t have to wait until she was an adult to do something she loved! While searching for activities for the kids I came across some Jane Austen themed temporary tattoos and had to get them. 🙂 The kids loved them and I’ll admit I got a kick out of them too. Temporary is a relative term for these tattoos, lol! They adhered to the kids skin for weeks! Finally, we used some alcohol wipes to clean them off when we wanted some new ones. I was really impressed with their staying power! They obviously don’t fit in with the Regency era of activities, but I couldn’t pass them up!

We had a few fun outings during our time as well. We went to a lavender festival at Helvetia Lavender Farm here in Oregon and had some lavender tea and scones with berries while enjoying the most beautiful view up in the hills. We also got to cut our own lavender to make some lavender infused goodies for tea parties at home. The lavender lemonade was delicious! We also visited La Tea Da in Tillamook, Oregon, a wonderful tea house that really knows how to enjoy tea! We ate among antique decor on a myriad of beautifully decorated china, and all the accouterments that comes with a proper tea party. They also had a back room with some dress up items for the kids to enjoy. It was so fun, and the food and tea so tasty, we went back again a week later! I think we may finally be ready to throw a tea party of our own! 🙂

Some of our Jane Austen reading…

Fourth Step: Jane Austen ~Wise Words~

Fourth Step: Jane Austen

The beautiful spring(finally!!!) inspired a garden shoot for the blog! Some of my favorite gardens are English, which led me to Jane Austen! It was a sunny and humid morning which brought out all the beautiful colors at Cantigny Parks and Garden, but it made for a sweaty mama, squinty eyes and frizzy hair for Big Sister. I curled her hair before we left, all super cute and they fell by the time we got to take any pictures! 😦 They still turned out pretty cute, but darn it! All the best made plans….. I didn’t quite capture what I wanted the first go ’round(did I mention squinty eyes and frizzy hair?), which might have had a little to do with the fact that I went by myself with 3 kids under 6 and forgot the stroller. I was running around with clothes in my arms, a camera on my neck and a baby on my hip! Little Sister did not like my elbow in her face while I was trying to shoot, lol! So, we made a second trip, this time just me, Big Sister, and lots of glorious sun blocking clouds! It did make for a bit of a chilly shoot, but we braved it and I am thrilled with the outcome of the second set of pictures. I’ve included pictures from both shoots below. Without further ado, I present Miss Jane Austen. 🙂 P.S. If you are interested in where I got the dress or any of the activities I do in upcoming posts you can check out my Pinterest board for Jane. 🙂