September wrap-up {almost}

 

:::WEEK THREE:::

 

• A barn/shed just adds so much to a misty sunrise photo!

 

• I visited Maggie at her house to cook up a storm for supper, but we kept it calm and just made biscuits.  And then we had to convince Connor to taste and like them.  Silly boy.  {they were perfect!}
• I finished the August blog posts… yep, mid-September.

• I have new resolve to purge the basement of a few dinosaurs.  ahem.  Which are still there, and not listed for sale on line. Yet.

 

• Don’t cry over spilt…

  

 

• Fridays seem to work well as Kitchen {Baking} Day… hence the granola, garden tomatoes to can, pizzas for Denise, bread for us & for my brother.  And brownies of course {hence the cocoa on my floor}

 

• Science experiment day while we’re at it!  Testing the freezing point of various liquids.  Amorphous solids.  Weird, but fun.

 

:::WEEK FOUR:::

• Sept 21, Sunday evening:  Good New in the Park.  Complete with someone’s marvelous model of Noah’s Ark.  Sunshine, ice cream and hot dogs.  And a bzillion mosquitos.  Give or take. 
• My mom had promised Daniel a care package with his favorite oatmeal-raisin cookies… she also asked me for some other ideas for him as well as the girls.  We combined a few things together and mailed them off to some really happy college kiddos.
• I stitched up several baby blankets – I think I actually finished my ‘stash’ of flannel!  Just need some more girl babies to give most of them to…
• More tomatoes from the garden?!

• We are having a good year so far with history {my main ‘teaching’ class with the kids}  A variety of books to read aloud.  They WROTE something for their first ThinkWrite – yes!  I found a pile of 1812-ish books at the library for them to peruse {be distracted from other duties}.  And a pretty good YouTube video with Tchaikovsky’s Overture 1812.  Which I am failing to embed, but hopefully the link works!

 

• You know the saying about the best laid plans of mice and men?  Well, my recent Thursday was a particularly brainless day.  Why? I do not know.  But several miles down the highway, I remembered that I needed identification paperwork for the Cattleman to get his permit.  Ugh.  {We did remember the driver’s ed paperwork for the Cowgirl, but I was hoping for ONE stop at the DOT…}  So, while we skipped the DOT, the Cowgirl did demonstrate her capable driving skills while we went the loooong way to Target.  At least we found a pair of shoes for the Cattleman there.  And they went on to piano lessons in a timely fashion.  While I finished shopping.  And forgot to remind the carry-out guy that I’d paid for softener salt.  {sigh}  Putting it on next week’s list now.  And the receipt back in my purse.
• Tim - and crew - started combining both soybeans and corn on Friday.  His 15th harvest of this Iowa residency. 
• the Cowgirl finished a sewing project for next month’s wedding {centerpiece décor for the reception}.  And she helped the Popper package her egg rolls for our supper Saturday night.

 

 

 

… and September of 2014 is almost gone!

what's up with "common core"?

Watch this video to hear David Barton explain...

cleaning house

 

More like, decluttering our house.

The following items are way overdue on leaving our house… Thus, they are available to the highest bidder {beginning at postage, if you are not local} – and will soon find their way to the local Bible college bookstore if no one else claims them!  Soon.  Did I mention I want them gone yesterday?  : )

 

Most are quiz/test booklets and their keys from A Beka Book. 

Please leave a comment if you need details like copyright dates ~ Thanks!!!

History reading

 

To motivate myself... and eventually my children, I’m looking through our reading options for history this year.  And maybe it will prompt our real-life friends and family to ask them about what they’ve learned??  : ) 

Beginning with the older students…

Miss Artist and the Computer Geek are both Seniors!  But I’ll not go off on a rant.  I can remain calm and oblivious and just explain that they have been reading through most of the TruthQuest History guides as a review of world history.  And I gave them an additional reading list, of course.  Most of which my book-devouring Computer Geek has already read along the way, at least once.  But here’s the list anyway, the so-called “must-reads” are in bold.

 

 

• The Story of Liberty by Charles Coffin
• Sweet Land of Liberty by Charles Coffin
• Trial & Triumph: Stories from Church History by Richard Hannula
• How Should We Then Live? by Francis Schaeffer
• Invitation to the Classics by Louise Cowan & Oz Guinness
• Six-volume series Basic History of the United States by Clarence Carson {covering the years 1607-2001}
• Postmodern Times by Gene Edward Veith
• Seven Men Who Rule the World from the Grave by Dave Breese
• History Through the Eyes of Faith by Ronald Wells
• The Law by Frederic Bastiat
• the Uncle Eric books by Richard Maybury ~
• Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?       
• Whatever Happened to Justice?
• Ancient Rome: How It Affects You Today               
• The Money Mystery
• The Clipper Ship Strategy           
• The Thousand Year War in the Mideast
• World War I: The Rest of the Story     
• World War II: The Rest of the Story

 

 

So You Will Comprehend What Liberty Has Cost,

...and What It Is Worth

 

The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture

We also have the DVD version from Francis Schaeffer, which I thought was a much easier way to absorb it all  : )

 

While I’ve heard people complain of Carson’s writing style, I must confess that Tim & I find his perspective fascinating!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the risk of being redundant, I’ve added a few other books to our shelves that might fit this list as well ~

• Understanding the Times by David Noebel
• Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt
• Basic Economics by Clarence Carson
• Basic American Government by Clarence Carson

 

 

 

Have you read any of these books??

school books 2012-13, part two

 

For credit, the Cowgirl, the Computer Geek, and Miss Artist will study Bible from A Beka with our beloved Mr. McBride {dvd}, but I’m hopeful {determined} that we will all watch it together each morning  : )  First semester is based on Genesis, the second in Revelation.

                

 

Miss Artist and the Computer Geek will also have Mr. McBride for A Beka’s dvd course in American Government.

For world history, they will continue their review using the last two guides from TruthQuest History.

     

 

They will study English Literature from A Beka Book, but without the classroom instruction.  {video samples were just too dry…}

   

 

For their English grammar review, we will use Easy Grammar ~

And Jensen’s Format Writing for composition instruction ~

 

Miss Artist will continue with Advanced Biology {Human Anatomy} from Apologia ~

The Computer Geek might also study anatomy {methinks} – He’s still hoping to find an online course in Advanced Physics instead.

 

They will both use Math U See ~ Miss Artist in Stewardship and the Computer Geek in Calculus ~

         

 

And last but not least, they will both continue in Elementary Greek  : )

   

 

I think that’s everything we have planned ~ The Lord will provide much more through daily life’s opportunities to learn!