Monthly Archives: April 2014

Faberge Eggs for Easter

It all started with Scooby Doo, The Princess asked me explain Faberge eggs. She had been watching Scooby Doo Cyber Chase and there was a joke in the story about Daphne’s mom trying to boil Faberge eggs. And they say TV makes you stupid!

After explaining my limited knowledge of Faberge eggs (essentially that they were made in Russia for the Zcar and they very fancy and covered in jewels), we decided to make our own eggs.

We came up with two versions. One is made of tin foil with jewels glued on it. Super easy!

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The second involved the kids taking clay and sticking the jewels straight into the clay. This was developed by The Princess, after all she is only five and anything with jewels qualifies as fancy right?

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We also added construction paper eggs and a basket. This was way less work than actually dyeing eggs. No one ever eats the boiled eggs so they got to waste. Plus I end up getting dye everywhere and the eggs end up the color vomit! So this was a happy solution.

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The Three Edwards by Thomas Costain

The Three Edwards (The Plantagenets, #3)The Three Edwards by Thomas B. Costain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For his third book on the Plantagenets, Costain does it again. He continues to tell the story of the English Kings while adding interesting side notes on the period and the people of the realm.

One of my favorite side notes was his discussion of the origin and use of the button!

Additionally although he seems to favor King Edward, Costain does provides a very fair re-telling of the king’s treatment of William Wallace.

I also enjoyed Costain’s discussion of Mortimer’s escape. He took the time to present the story well.

If you like his other books on this famous family, you will enjoy this too.

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The King’s Grave: Reviewed by Booky MoM!

The King's Grave: The Discovery of Richard III's Lost Burial Place and the Clues It HoldsThe King’s Grave: The Discovery of Richard III’s Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds by Philippa Langley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

England’s cruelest king? Just about everyone has heard of the “two princes in the tower”. And, most people know it was evil uncle Richard who sent them there. And, to be honest that’s about all knew either — until now.

The book mixes the discover of Richard’s bones with a look at the history of and surrounding the king.

It’s a quick and interesting read. And, we get an accessible look at excavating and archeology. As an American interested in the topic, it never ceases to amaze me what is hiding just under our feet-particularly in Europe. Of course we have digs of native Americans in the US. But finding a king in a car park is just wild!

Readers are treated to the role science plays in teasing out history. And, we are treated to an understanding of the physical challenges facing Richard.

As for resurrecting Richard’s reputation, I am not sure the book fits the bill. The author is clearly pro-Richard, but she does a nice job of still presenting the facts.

I did find a few parts about the project to be filler and or an ego trip. So I simply skimmed them.

All in all, a fun read.

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Emma of Normandy is such an AMAZING figure… She deserves a better book!

Emma: The Twice-Crowned Queen: England in the Viking AgeEmma: The Twice-Crowned Queen: England in the Viking Age by Isabella Strachan

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Almost every book I review gets 3 or 4 stars. So you know something is great when I give out 5 stars or really not great when I give out 2. Sadly, Emma The Twice Crowned Queen is not that great.

Her story is amazing and belongs up there with other other British Queens such as Eleanor and Elizabeth. However, this author provides us with a rather flat story that drums along recounting history without getting us dancing to the beat. The writing is dry and really forces the reader to plough through.

I wanted to give up on the book and it took me months to read. But, I made it. Still, I would not recommend it to others.

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