Homeschooling/Child Education Corner
Deirdre, who now has six children and lives not far from us — and belongs to the same homeschooling group she grew up in! — hosts a poetry group for children. It meets monthly at her house.
She recently sent out a summary of the goals and methods for recitation, and I asked her if I could share it with you! I removed it from here and re-posted it in its own separate post here. I also added our poetry anthology recommendations and put the comments below into that post so they wouldn't get lost.
Kitchen Renovation Corner: Soapstone Counters
As promised, today we will talk about counters!
I love my soapstone!
How did I choose it? As I was going through images of kitchens I love and pinning them, I noticed I love the yellow of cabinets with black counters.
I did so much research into every sort of countertop! And what I have to say here is really about my preferences, so please don't feel bad if you chose something different. There are beautiful things about all the types. Even my old white formica had its advantages! I could bleach it; it didn't break the things I clumsily dropped on it.
My preference is for real stone. I like the idea of things lasting a long time and being traditional.
I also wanted wood counters over on the side with the vintage sink, but in the end, I found out that it's so long a run (11′), butcher block meant either settling for one with such tiny slivers of wood that it looked ridiculous, or getting it made custom, which would cost almost as much as stone and take way longer. I do love the look of wood counters — it just didn't end up being practical.
So for me, this meant granite, soapstone, and marble were my choices. I love marble so much, but in the end — and believe me, there was agony of indecision right up to the last minute — knowing myself and my propensity to strew lemon juice everywhere and spatter tomato sauce and in general not be very careful when in the throes of my work, the staining/etching problem was decisive.
I don't mind the patina/wear on marble at all. I am, as you can tell, not a perfectionist. I almost got it.
However, I think it looks best with darker cabinets and I was definitely going with the yellow. And the actual marbles I saw were very gray; the nice lady told me that the quarries have been sending gray more and more. This is for Carrera. I know there are other kinds, but I wanted Carrera if I was going in that direction (among other reasons, for the budget; but I also love its connection with the other marble in my house, in the fireplace mantels and surrounds).
What I love about the soapstone are these qualities: it doesn't etch or stain, at all; it is actually antibacterial; it's black! Here in New England, soapstone has been used for centuries and really holds up to all sorts of wear. In fact, I can remember the soapstone counters in my high school lab in New Jersey, so it was used all over, really!
Mine is very dark, even when it hasn't been oiled. And that is the upkeep of it: if you want to, oil it. No sealing. Since I scrub my counters all the time, running an oily cloth over them is no big deal. And if I don't do it, they are still pretty.
I thought I would not want any hint of green in the veining, but I actually just love the warmth of the veins and the ever-so-slight green in them. I truly do! Again, it's so hard to see how things really are in pictures.
It's honed — soapstone is soft enough so that it can't be polished, and I would have gotten honed marble had I gone in that direction. I love the muted light on it, and the actual softness (if stone can be said to be soft) is a bonus for butter-fingered me!
The island's stone has an ogee edge, just to be fancy that way. I wasn't sure I wanted everything black (and that was part of the agony — should I get marble for the island?? aaarghh — but in the end, I couldn't find marble the right color, and I'm very happy with the black and don't think it's to much at all!).
I thought I would get channels cut in the drainboard next to the sink; the installer forgot to do them and then very remorsefully offered to come back right away to put them in. But I am truly happier this way (and got that $$ back).
It's funny how some things that seemed very important in the planning turned out to be not a factor at all. (Not that I was even tempted: but I would say a pot-filler tap over the stove is an example of such an element. If you love yours, great, but I have no need for it at all.)
I wholeheartedly recommend the fabricator, by the way — not an ad, just a very happy customer of OB Marble and Granite. They were super patient with my nigh endless ditherings and uncertainties, answering every email and text and also doing their part as fast as they could.
I cannot recommend enough that when you are choosing the countertop material, you go to several warehouses and look at stones — touch them, imagine living with the pattern and color. The downside is that those places are poorly lit if indoors (which is better for the stone, as opposed to being outside).
It's so hard to know what the color really is, on the one hand, in there. On the other, there's no substitute for looking at the material in real life and comparing the various options. I feel that once you see actual marble and soapstone, you won't love manufactured varieties. (I know granite is popular; it's just not what I wanted.)
But there are also differences among the stones. Some of the soapstone I saw seemed sealed or somehow imbued with something on the surface, or was not as veined as I wanted. Some of the marble had weird spots or was too gray, which might not have come through in pictures sent to me from the fabricator.
When I saw the stone I chose, I knew right away it was the one. After a frustrating search, I spoke to Natalia at OB and she showed me some of what they were already working on for another customer; she found that the warehouse had something similar. That warehouse, Boston Granite Exchange, had the friendliest staff (and many of the ones I went to were very friendly, though some were not) and the vastest inventory. The lady who helped me was free with her knowledge (and also likes traditional stone, so that was nice) and very patient while I looked at So. Many. Stones. Again, not sponsored, just my experience.
And it's amazing how much experience you get! I had had no idea that there were these different aspects — fabricators, warehouses — each with its own part in the process. I had no idea how many of each there are in my area, at least. Literally dozens if not hundreds. The fabricators I got quotes from were all super nice, friendly, and helpful. And you should know, if you only have a small area to put a counter on: they have yards full of remnants! If I had a small bathroom counter to do, I would definitely check in to see if I could get a bargain.
You can see what a beautiful job they did here with that curved part of the counter.
By the way, here is the “before” of that counter with the Berkey:
I wasn't totally happy with where it was, but didn't exactly know what to do. Rosie suggested getting a stand for it, but I am honestly sick of buying things for the kitchen at the moment!
But on Thursday I was at a consignment store, and looking down (always look down!) lo, what did I see! A Berkey stand for $5.81 to be precise!
And amazingly, it fits perfectly right there between the sink and the shelves. I was even sort of questioning why I didn't have the shelves go right to the window! But if I had, it wouldn't have fitted here.
Here are two other things I got there: a Polish Pottery bowl and a ceramic soap dish for a bathroom the soap holder of which I was recently noticing needed replacing.
(Fork for size reference.) I decided a while ago that if I'm going to scramble a couple of eggs or mix up salad dressing, I'd just as soon do it in a nice bowl!
So, in short, love the soapstone.
Love it.
Speaking of the sink, we'll talk about my sinks in another post, but I wanted to say quickly that contrary to what you might have thought, my main sink is double! It has what's called a low divide. This means I can put a large pan in there but I can also be dealing with a chicken on one side and not contaminating the other.
Plus, each side is big enough to hold my large lasagna pan (10 x 14″).
This is another decision I made not quite knowing if I'd be okay with it, but I do actually love it.
I think that's it for the counters!
bits & pieces
- As I always say, use the time when your children are little to learn self control and to become well read and informed, especially on matters of education. Here's a nice article on the subject: Early days for learning virtue. (I would only caution against listening to something with earbuds while your children are awake; it's important that you have awareness of what they are doing; even if it's not anything dangerous or trouble-brewing, you learn a lot from overhearing their chatter and may even be delighted with their independent play — another part of your own development.)
- Elizabeth Lemme, whose work I've linked to before, alerted me to her new Bury the Alleluia coloring page she created for the approaching Septuagesima Sunday and/or Ash Wednesday. I love her delicate work. The Etsy links are here for home use, and here for parish/classroom use. (These are downloads, so you get them instantly.) The difference between them is the number of copies licensed with the purchase. It's kind of on the honors system – with the $2.50 purchase, one can make as many copies as they want for their household. With the $15 purchase, a pastor or catechist can make as many copies as they want, each year, for their parish. She also has a Jonah and the Whale Alleluia drawing for coloring! The home use is here and the parish use is here.
She writes: The Bury the Alleluia is a loose tradition that could be done very simply at home, or at church with a great deal of fanciness. For a Bury the Alleluia at home, each of us in our family colors an “Alleluia” coloring page, and on the eve of Septuagesima Sunday (today is the eve!) we bury it because of the Alleluias disappearing from the liturgy until the Easter Vigil. (Families who follow the new liturgical calendar could bury the Alleluia on the eve of Ash Wednesday). One year I just stuck the coloring pages in a coffee table drawer, and then brought them out on Easter to display on the wall. Another year, the kids hid them in a secret place and they were excited to surprise everyone and bring them out on Easter Sunday. This year, however, there has been some talk amongst the boys that they will actually bury it in the backyard! It will be interesting to see how my six-year-old plans to package the coloring pages so as to waterproof them! I believe the Benedictines of Ephesus bury theirs outside. Our own pastor had the kids in catechism class color an Alleluia and write one virtue they want to work on throughout Lent across the top of the page. He will bury all of their alleluias at the church and then resurrect them on Easter.
- A review of some books about angels, with a nice long excerpt from one of my very favorite authors, John Saward.
from the archives
- Last year I had a lot of success with my winter sowing. Especially the beets, which we are still eating now!
liturgical living
As I mentioned above, tonight is the eve of Septaugesima, the time of preparation before Lent begins in the old, traditional calendar. I have learned to appreciate being given, liturgically speaking, a heads up. Some thoughts on the matter.
Last chance for Candlemas prep before I see you again! It wouldn't hurt to get your Advent candles blessed, you know what I mean?
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Victoria says
Thanks for sharing these poetry ideas! We have similar suggestions and guidelines for the recitation portion at the end of our co-op day. It’s a 10-minute bock, we have 14 families, so we have a rotation for turns, and if there is time leftover, I take volunteers. In our co-op, we don’t require memorization, but we do ask for excellent diction and audibleness. Most kids have their work memorized after all of their practice, anyway. Another rule we have is the the poem has to be from a published author. Some children who love to be on stage have a temptation to recite a poem or story they are making up on the spot. 😉
It’s something most of our students look forward to with excitement–our more reserved kids feel challenged, but I notice a lot of pride of accomplishment when they take their turn. We also take Shakespeare dialogues and segments of literature if it comes from a particularly poetic (in the broader sense of the word) portion of the story.
Leila says
Wonderful!
Mrs. Bee says
e buried our Alleluia in the backyard last Saturday: our girl drew it in fancy lettering years ago so we reuse it, we put it folded in a little ziplock bag, and we have a little procession with a candle. We dig a shallow hole, then we make a little cross with twigs to mark the “plot” – it becomes a reminder not only of where we buried it exactly, but also of the season we’re in while play goes on or whenever we glance out of the windows.
The black soapstone counters are very elegant! It’s true they go very well with the cream cabinets, but also with the pine floors and the island stain. I’m glad you can now enjoy all the beauty and forget about the stress of choosing. I’m also happy to see your big sink gives you the best of both worlds – my biggest issue is washing big cutting boards in my square single sink… May I ask why you’re still using the Berkey? I thought it was something temporary while construction was going on, but is this now your normal way of getting drinking water?
Leila says
Thank you! I am happy to be able to wash a big cutting board!
We always used to brag about the niceness of our town water, which comes from an artesian well. But recently the quality has not been as good. I still do use tap water for cooking and occasionally drinking — it’s not bad. But having filtered water seems like the way to go right now.
Amanda says
Just wanted to chime in and tell you that our Anglican Catholic parish buries an actual cloth Alleluia banner every year on Septuagisima in the side yard of the church. Digging it up on Easter Sunday is an exciting event for all the kids… In a small city in SC!
Margaret says
Thank you for sharing Deirdre’s poetry write-up. It’s an excellent summation of the why and the how and I will share it with my homeschool co-op group.
The memorization and recitation of poetry has been a joy and delight in our family but, admittedly, I have flagged this past year and floundered to select poems which get me excited (which, in turn, helps to get the kids excited). Perhaps these things ebb and flow. In my experience, the attitude of the first-born child to the poem often shapes that of his siblings. The compliance or resistance of that child can make or break our experience (though I won’t easily be out-stubborned!).
I’ve kept a list over the years of all those poems that we have committed to memory. Do you or Deirdre have any favourite poems that are dear to your hearts?
We started our poetry recitation adventure when my firstborn was four years old with Christina Rosetti’s lovely poem “Flint.” My son recited it to an extended family member while on vacation at Gunflint Lake in MN (hence our focus on flint). He received much encouragement and I was so proud of his earnest recitation. A year or two later, to my immense satisfaction, my children memorized William Blake’s “The Lamb” and recited it to the sheep at our County Fair. What fun!
Variety makes for fun: it seems that it can be helpful to have a mix of funny (“The Vulture ” by Hillaire Belloc), inspirational (“If” by Rudyard Kipling), historical (“The Charge of the Light Brigade” and “In Flanders’ Fields”), Shakespearean, narrative (“The King’s Breakfast” by A. A. Milne), cautionary (“Jim” by Hillaire Belloc).
I would welcome any suggestions! Do you have favourite types of poems?
Thanks again for sharing! It’s so nice to hear of the experience of others and so encouraging that others find poetry worth committing to memory and reciting with enthusiasm!
Margaret
Leila says
Thanks for these suggestions, Margaret!
Yes, we have our favorites and I will share them — had a separate post ready to go but the site was getting worked on and I wasn’t able to post it. I hope I will be able to today.
I will transfer these comments over there as well.