Fleur de Lis Homeschool Blog

Friday, December 22, 2017

SL Core 100 Week 2 Dec. 10-16, 2017 Christmas Play & Snow

SL Core 100 Week 2

Dec. 10-16, 2017

Christmas Play & Snow

Hello, Friends!

SNOW was plentiful this week! Oh, my! It was a very beautiful week as the snow climbed higher and higher on our new snowman snow measure. Besides shoveling the snow, Dh and I both used the snowblower a few times. It has been a very picturesque week!

Christmas Play:

Sunday night was the Christmas play that Dd was in and that I co-directed.

I just love how things are always 'iffy' in practices and then everything comes together in time for the show.

We had so many players unable to make the practices, some only made it to one practice! But, it all worked out in the end.

I have to admit, I enjoyed getting to help out this year. At camp each summer, we would always do a play each month, in each group, so I have a few plays under my belt. Who would guess that my play practice at girl's camp would be beneficial twenty years later!?!

Christmas Tree Up!

Monday we finally got our Christmas tree up and decorated and Dh put a few ornaments on the tree this year!!! He usually misses putting up the tree, but this year he made it for the last 30 minutes; which was really great!! With two kittens, and Agnes, who is only 1 1/2 years old, we had to put our tree and decorations in our rec. room, that has a door to keep the kitties out! I really miss seeing our tree, but I know we would be pulling the kittens out of it all the time if we had put it upstairs.

Chickens:

As I mentioned last week, Carrie, our Black Sex Link, wasn't doing well so I brought her inside to give her extra care. Apparently, my extra help didn't do much, when I went to check on her on Sunday she was passed. I did a mini-autopsy to see if I could figure out why she died, but I really couldn't tell. I decided not to take pictures of that, perhaps that would cross the line on some front? I watched a few videos on YouTube on how to do the autopsy and that was very interesting to see, though they said the chicken wouldn't smell and mine did - but I had waited a few days. I'm glad Carrie is no longer suffering. If nothing else, at least she died warm, on clean straw, and without other chickens picking on her. I've lost two chickens this fall. Now that Poirot was killed, Ms. Lemon, our other Bantam, hasn't been doing well, she is brooding--not getting out of the nest box, even to eat and drink. I've been bringing her left-over food; feeding her as I hold her. At first she was very reluctant to eat while being held, but apparently, she is liking the good food!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi:

Dd has literally been counting down the days until the new Star Wars movie was coming out. She had planned with her two BFF's to spend Friday night at their house and all go together to see it. Then the snow storms hit day after day and I couldn't drive her the 45 minutes to meet up with them. Boy, was she completely crushed. We tried to reconcile this by inviting her friend, Hailee, to go with us on Saturday to see the movie as a group. Dh, Dd, Hailee, and I all saw the movie together, in town, so the drive wasn't long. One day this week there were 115 car accidents in Grand Rapids before noon. The movie was pretty good, not as magical as some of the others. It was great getting to share Star Wars with Dd, maybe that snow storm made it possible for us to share another movie memory with Dd.

My Add-In Read Aloud:

Lord of the Flies by William Golding: In Process

IEW: Continuation B:

Finished Disc 2, 1/2 of Disc 3

Science:

Apologia Biology: Module 1: In Process

Math:

Saxon Geometry:

1 test, 1 re-do test, 1 correction of test

I wonder what lives in that hole? If I had to guess, I'd say a Pileated Woodpecker; we have a lot of them around, and the hole is big.

Fun Reader:

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

While walking in the woods, I enjoyed looking at all the deer trails I saw. This intersection had three deer trails merge into one! Definitely NOT the road less traveled!!

P.E.:

Sledding in the snow!

Art: (Grace Art Classes on Xmas break)

Watercoloring: 2:30 hours
Oil painting: 1:00 hour

Cooking:

L made coconut macaroons and GF shortbread cookies.

Music Lessons:

Violin lesson with Christie: 30 minutes

Piano lesson with Wendy: 30 minutes

Intermediate Orchestra: 1:30 hours

Intermediate Band: 1:30 hours

Strings Group: 1:30 hours

Dd has been really picking up more violin practice this week. Seeing/hearing the other violin players at the recital on Saturday really energized her! We were so awed by the violin players that it has really challenged Dd to improve and strive higher.

SL Week 2:

Bible:

SL's "Bible Sampler":

pg 14-18

Why Pray? by John F. DeVries

Day 6-10

History:

A History of Us, Book 1:

Ch 13-25

Peace Child by Don Richardson

Ch's 7-12

Next week is the Orchestra and Band Concerts, on different nights, which will make for a very busy week. We'll have activities Mon, Tue, Wed, and Thur evenings...too much!

..............

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Sonlight Core 100 Week 1 Dec.3-9, 2017 Live Nativity, Christmas Play Rehearsals, Violin Recital

Sonlight Core 100 --Week 1

Dec.3-9, 2017

Christmas Play Rehearsals, Violin Recital, Live Nativity in Shiloh

Hello, Friends!

Garden Under Snow

We had a very busy week; which is a great time to start back with our Sonlight! Dd is excited to start Core 100; which is a 36-week course of study on American history. Our weather went from so warm I could pump off the water on our pool cover, to such gusty wind that we lost our power and had to get out the generator, to eventually snow!

Left-side

Making Christmas/Lavender-Filled Felt Birds:

I've been working on making Christmas birds. I've posted my recent birds throughout this post. Some are still in the process of being completed, but I thought I'd share where they are currently. Some still need eyes, wings....

Right-Side

Chickens:

The build-up walls that I added to the chicken's inside coop are working really well. There isn't nearly as much wind coming in, though I do have a door to close them in at night.

Carrie, our Black Sex Link, still isn't doing well. I brought her back into our house, staying in a crate. I'm hoping that she may improve with a little extra TLC. Ms. Lemon is missing her mate, Poirot. She has taken to brooding in a nest box and not eating well. I'm trying to feed her especially since she is not doing well. I fed the chickens some pureed deer organs and they loved it so much they produced two dozen eggs the next day!!! I got in a few buckets of greens each day this week since I know snow is coming and their greens are not going to be available much longer.

Left-Side

Live Nativity:

Dd went to see a "Live Nativity" with her Youth group from church on Sunday night. It sounded really well done! Next year I am going to go along to see it. Besides having people act out the parts of Jesus in the stable they had lots of real animals too; a thorough reenactment of the birth of Jesus.

Right-Side

Violin Recital:

Dd's violin teacher holds a recital each Christmas season, and apparently each spring season too. She invited Dd to be in her concert, held at her beautiful church. Dd's regular violin lesson was held at the church, so we could find the place and see the stage. This was Dd's first violin recital, first time playing her violin in front of people. The program had two little girls, a few young teens, and a few older teens---so it was a pretty wide age and talent gap. The highlight of the program was a Senior fellow that played so amazingly I am at a loss for words. His song, like a few other players, was 15 minutes long! Dd and all of us were totally blown away at the level of playing. Dd brought her friend, Hailee, who plays the violin too, but at her public high school.

Left-Side

Christmas Play:

We had a few practices this week to prepare for the Christmas play coming up on Sunday, Dec. 10th. This post ends on Dec. 9th. I'm helping with the directing. We only had two Saturday practices scheduled, so I've been offering to do extra practices the hour before Strings Group on Thursdays. The only problem is that most of the people that are in the play aren't coming to the practices. The kids that were supposed to be the shepherds and angel never made it to the practices, so I roped in some kids from our Olympians program to help out, although they don't attend our church they were willing to help us out.

Right-Side

SNOW and Winter arrived on Wednesday!

By the look of it, it is officially winter now! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!! The ground was cold enough to hold the snow and not melt it. The news said Grand Rapids had 119 car accidents by noon on Friday! Before the snow arrived I pushed to clean out our garage and make way for both cars to fit in; which helps so much when it is cold and snowy out.

Truck breaks down again:

Incredibly the truck has broken down again! I think it ran for a bit over a week. Dh's other car, the 1990's Camry is still in the garage gathering dust. We are back to two cars running; with one of them being our minivan that doesn't do well in the snow. Prayers appreciated.

Strings Group:

Our Strings Group has been meeting each week and working on Christmas music for two specials this month. Our group consists of four guitars, six ukuleles, and six singers. This week the pastor told the singers (which I am one of) that we wouldn't be on stage with the band for the big special. I have to say that seemed a bit odd. I am still kind of puzzled about it.