Sept. 9-15, 2018 Mom Visit, Hunter's Training, Grace Co-Op begins

Sept. 9-15, 2018 

Mom Visit, Hunter's Training, Grace Co-Op begins

Hello Friends!

I drove to pick up my mom for a 4 1/2 day visit this week.  We hadn't seen her in years.

Van:

Can you believe the van is leaking again?  Dh said not to drive it and he will eventually find time to look under the hood to diagnose what is leaking so he can decide how to proceed.  It just seems beyond my comprehension we would STILL be fighting this.  Maybe our mechanic isn't so good?  He certainly is expensive.

Dh and excited Dd loading up to go to her first Friday of co-op

Grace Co-Op Classes: 1x week (Friday)

Friday began Dd's Grace classes--she is taking:

Geography, Introduction to Graphic Design, Introductory Logic, Algebra I, and Spanish I.  Dd wants to go on a church trip to visit Frontier Bible College in far-away Wyoming.  My only pre-requisite is that she gets all of her homework for the returning week accomplished BEFORE she goes.  This week Dd has been doing homework for this week's assignments and next weeks too.

Henry: Rescue English Shepherd

Henry had to go back to the vet to get his second Influenza shot this week; apparently, the dogs in this area are having an outbreak of flu and it is spreading like fire.  He weighed 44 pounds the last time we took him in and this time he weighed 56 pounds! They said he could still use a few more pounds gained so I'll keep doing my best to spoil him a little.  He still looks too skinny to me too!  He is still acting like a puppy and has to be on leash outdoors and watched carefully whilst inside.  He is a good dog and sticks to his specified toys, but they are falling to pieces and we need to think about buying more fairly soon; he literally tears them to shreds.

Hunter's Training Course:

Dd is keen to hunt with Dh and needed to take an official state-run course to get her license to hunt in Michigan.  Thursday and Friday night and Saturday she attended the course and made a 100% on the written test.  She really enjoyed the class and spent a good deal of time telling us ALL about it.

Volunteering:

Dd emailed the library to see about continuing on with volunteering during the school year and they accepted her to help out with the Family Story Time, with little ones on Thursday mornings.

Dickens, stirring up trouble like he always does best!

Chickens:

Zeus is still having seizures, Ms. Lemon is still brooding, besides that, all the girls are doing well.  I'm still going crazy - daily trying to get in a few buckets (5-gallon buckets) full of greens (various weeds) to them as we get closer to fall and not having access to such a healthy diet for them.  I really try hard to build up their health before the long months of winter.

Migraines:

Sunday I had a big migraine, but that was the only migraine of the week!!!!!  All in all, this was a good health week.

Garden:

The garden is doing fantastic.  Having my mom here put all my gardening chores behind more than a week.  I should have been freezing and canning all week.  I'm behind and stressing a bit about that; I wish I was more calm about it, but there really isn't a big window to get things done with gardening.

Frontier College in Wyoming:

Our new pastor and wife are graduates from Frontier and have offered to take some of the teen girls there for a visit to see college life at a bible college.  Two months ago, one of our twenty-somethings just started attending this college.  In the end, Dd and two other teen girls can make the l-o-n-g trip; which will be two long days of driving each way.  I think visiting a college and getting a chance to see what her next step is will be very beneficial to her concentrating on her academic progress.

Mom outside her apartment

Academics for the Week:

Bible:

Church, Sunday School, and YOUTH PROGRAM (on Sunday night) have restarted again for the school year.  Dd really gets along so well with the other girls in our church.  

This week I've been reading, from the bible, various writings of Paul---Corinthians and Ephesians. 

Art:

Drawing:

2 hours Sunday and a few hours here and there through the week--maybe 4 hours this week.  She has been making illustrated watercolor bookmark pieces.

Fun Reader:

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: In Process

Dd has accepted the responsibility of letting Henry sleep with her overnight for about a month now.  We started off having him sleep in a big metal dog crate but he would bang around all night and keep waking us up; I was getting exhausted without a good rest.  The bad part is that having Henry in bed with her has lead to Dd just turning off her light and going to sleep at night instead of reading for hours.  I'm not sure that is a 'bad thing!'

Audio:

Fahrenheit 451: Ray Bradbury: In Process

This has been a bit of an odd book for us.  One thing, there are quite a lot of using the Lord's name in vain, which is always a bit jarring for me.  Also, it just doesn't ring as true to me as most classics do.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but this book feels a little 'shallow' to me.  I liked the concept of how horrible the world would be if books were no longer allowed, they had me at that storyline, but it just didn't meet my expectations.

Dickens and Honeysuckle being cute

Grace Subjects:

Algebra I: Saxon

Spanish I

Graphic Design

Introductory Logic

Geography: BJU

Next Week:

Driver's Test is scheduled!  She has been doing such a good job driving us all around and working on her parking.

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

Fall Grace Co-op Classes-Fridays 9-3:40 pm

Fall Grace Co-op Classes

Fridays 9-3:40 pm

This year, for the first time, Dd is doing some of her core classes with a local homeschool co-op.  I wish I could say it was just to expand her horizons and grow, but honestly I've been having a lot of trouble getting her to complete the assignments I've given her the past year.  She did two art classes and Geometry (Saxon) with this co-op last year and responded really well to outside orders.  After a summer of very limited educational progress at home, both Dd and I were open to trying this co-op.  I hope she will progress academically and I will try to adapt.  She will still do bible, science, literature, writing, art, p.e.....at home.  Her co-op classes are:
Geography, Algebra I, Graphic Design, Introductory Logic, and Spanish I.

Geography

Book:  BJU Cultural Geography 4th Edition

             BJU Cultural Geography Activity Book

Get ready to pack your bags and sail across the globe as we explore the earth, its resources, and the geographic and cultural features of the people in the various regions and countries of the world. We will learn how physical geography affects the political and economic features of countries and the way of life of their people. As stewards of the resources God has provided, students will develop a new appreciation for the wonders of God's creation and the responsibilities of the mandate that God has given them to exercise dominion over it. This course will be a blended learning experience with much of the course hosted on GRACE Homeschool's Moodle site. All resources and assignments will be managed through Moodle.

Algebra I

Book:  Saxon Algebra I Student Text (3rd Edition)

            Saxon Algebra I Solutions Manual (3rd Edition)

Prerequisite:  Pre-Algebra or its equivalent.

***This is a 2 hour class

Supplies Needed: Heavy-duty 1½" thick 3-ring binder, lots of filler paper and graph paper, mechanical pencils, good eraser. A scientific calculator will be needed for the second semester.

Algebra I builds on the concepts introduced in Pre-Algebra and includes lessons to solve systems of equations in two variables, solving complex rational and radical expressions, functions, graphing linear equations, factoring algebraic expressions, and introduction to 3-dimensional geometric figures. 

A scientific calculator will be needed for the next semester.

Requirement to Enroll in GRACE Math Classes

Intro to Graphic Design

Book: The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams 4th Edition (available on Amazon and Ebay)

Prerequisite: None

Graphic designers create visual concepts with images and text, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and engage. They take creative ideas from a concept and develop designs in a way that can be produced in print, published online, made into products, and more—using color theory, layout, and typography. We will discover graphic design from a Christian perspective, exploring ethics in design, and how we can compete in today’s culture, while keeping our vision clear and our message heard.

This course is designed to introduce the fundamental skills and knowledge of good graphic design to high school students, along with presenting all the possibilities and opportunities for using graphic design skills in today’s competitive career world. Aspiring designers will learn to train their “designer’s eye” without compromising their faith and morals. Students will learn through lecture and presentations, and research and discovery of examples in the real world. Using graphic design software, they will begin to create their own designs, individually and in groups. Offered during the first semester only and can serve as a Fine Arts Credit and/or an Elective Credit

Key Highlights:

Introductory Logic

Book:  Introductory Logic (5th Edition) by Douglas Wilson & James Nance, Canon Press

    Intermediate Logic (3rd Edition) by James Nance, Canon Press

This course will be mentally challenging! The student will learn to analyze a variety of types of statements, arguments, and syllogisms for validity/truth on the basis of many examples and rules of logic. The rewards should be a sharpened mind, the ability to avoid logical fallacies in one’s own thinking, writing and speaking, and the ability to discern inconsistencies in the writings and speeches of the media and elsewhere. These books may be obtained through the HSB Bookstore.

Spanish I

Book:  BJU Press Spanish I, Student Text, 3rd Edition

This course emphasizes grammar and conversational skills, provides training in speaking, understanding, reading, and writing basic Spanish. Lessons feature weekly Bible verses, a focus on Christ’s life, and a strong missionary emphasis. Oral and written exchanges of learned material will help the student to socialize and to provide and obtain information. Animated grammar explanations will help the students achieve accuracy in the communication. Also, in every chapter, the student will be introduced to Latin American culture and have the opportunity to learn about the practices and perspectives of those cultures. Cultural readings are part of the second semester.

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

Sept. 2-8, 2018 Dh Sick, Return Violin, Purple Hair, Migraines, Dietitian, Cranes

Sept. 2-8, 2018 

Dh Sick, Return Violin, Purple Hair, Migraines, Dietitian, Cranes

Hello Friends!

Zeus-still having seizures

Dh stayed home sick on Sunday, which began a whole week of him being laid off for various reasons.  I guess it is good to have a week of being cared for and treated special and he seemed to appreciate the care provided.  He ended up getting sick again on Wed. and had to go to Immediate Care.  He worked from home Thursday and Friday.

Wisdom Teeth:

Dd's mouth is slowly recovering and she only has one open cavity from getting her wisdom teeth removed last week.  She continued to eat liquid foods--lots of soups and applesauce!  She was steadily improving and then on Saturday, she felt up to mowing our yard.  She didn't get far before she got stung by a ground hornet; which REALLY hurt!  Our pool had been so infested with hornets we gave up swimming weeks ago; our problem was that we could never find the hornet's nest--until now!  I sure did spray that nest as soon as the sun went down...finally, after being tormented by them all summer.

Canning Fail:
We worked so hard, picking green beans all week, snapping and storing in anticipation to can on Monday.  Once we got the beans in the jars and loaded in the canning pan we saw the gauge was broken.  



We looked online, trying to find a new gauge at a local store to no avail.  We had to dump out all the beans and agree to blanch and freeze them instead.  We had to order a new gauge and hope it arrives before too long.

Music: Returned Violin

Last year we really kicked Dd's music lessons up a notch because we joined a "Homeschool Partnership," which means that we could spend a few hours every week online submitting information about the classes she was taking so that we could submit our receipts for those classes to be reimbursed by a nearby school; another words, free music classes.  I spent about 2 hours each week typing in the information to keep us meeting their requirements and it was not easy, to say the least!



 But, what a huge blessing for a homeschool family---music lessons for a musical daughter!  We hadn't been able to afford that before and we were so appreciative.  This year the program has flip-flopped 3-4 times - first they wouldn't pay for 1:1 lessons, then they would, then the music store we use wouldn't work with the partnership, then I tried to change how we would pay to make it work and yet, no, the partnership will only work if they pay them directly (no reimbursement). 

Agnes in the cooler

So, no music lessons for Dd this year and I doubt that will change next year.  Hopefully, Dd will practice on her own?!?  Dd needs braces for her teeth and that will be an extra expense each month as our dental insurance doesn't cover orthodontics--the oral surgery or any of the expenses for braces...ouch.  



Dd will still be playing with our church's Strings Group; either on the Ukulele or guitar.  Maybe I can talk her into playing the piano there?  I don't know if people realize it costs $25.00 for 30 minutes of violin lessons!  As homeschoolers in the United States, we pay into the government every day and voluntarily decide not to enroll our children in government education and government music lessons; which has a lot of upsides and a few downsides---like our budget being tiny!!  Dd has decided she will focus on her academics more this year instead.

Purple Hair:

Ah, the parents of teenagers can probably relate to my parenting dilemma this week---purple hair.  Dd has wanted to do all sorts of *fun* things to her hair since we've moved to Michigan which probably has nothing to do with Michigan and more to do with her age---16.  The past three years Dd was enrolled in a homeschool band that had strict rules about the student's appearance and especially didn't allow wild hair on girls so it was a simple 'no' to all her pleas for experimentation.  



This year she isn't in the band and wanted to finally do something fun and decided to try PURPLE HAIR!  I struggled with that---I'm the kind of person that doesn't go out to look for attention, quite the contrary, and it was difficult for me to agree to do something so 'attention-grabbing' as she was wanting to do.  But, as a forty-something mom, I do wish I would have tried some fun and outrageous things with my hair when I was young.  This week after church, on Sunday, Hailee came home with us and the girls spent the afternoon together---having fun and dying her hair.  Fortunately, it will wash out in a couple of weeks.

Cranes:

We went from really hot and humid to cold and 'fall-like' weather in the course of two days!  Along with the chilly, breezy weather came lots of falling leaves and lots of cranes flying overhead to their winter destinations.  I love hearing the cranes!!!!

Out my Window:

Friday morning I looked out my window and was surprised to see a big doe (deer).  



Then I noticed a few Blue jay birds were throwing a fit and looked up and saw a hawk sitting on a branch above the deer---just sitting there, ignoring the fuss from the Bluejays.  I got down my binoculars and was enjoying all this nature when a Hummingbird came to look in the kitchen window!  Oh my---out of that window, in the span of minutes I have so much nature blessed to me...thankful!

New Trail:

I've added another big section of walking trail for Henry and me to walk on.  I literally take our beaten-up, old push mower, push aside all the trees and branches and mow a path through the woods!  I just wonder what our neighbors think?  There is a good chance they can't see me so they might not know, but I just wonder if they catch glimpses of me mowing out in the woods or carrying around my big five-gallon bucket and filling it will weeds and greens for the chickens to eat...they must wonder about my sanity!  The new trail is great!!  I think a family of deer have been living in our section, each time we go down there we stir-up a few deer and we can see them jumping off back farther into the woods out of our view.  I feel bad forcing them to move for our walks, but don't know what else I can do?  They could just hunker down and ignore us, but I guess they don't like that option.

Migraines and Headaches:

Still another week of pain.  I went and had an MRI done to have that looked at.  Since going off the Amitriptyline I've been struggling, especially when I am sleeping at night.  I hate being in pain the whole time I am sleeping; I wake up tired. 

 

Olympians:

Our church's youth program on Wednesday nights has started back up.  Dd is still volunteering to co-run the Games portion of it and perhaps will also work in one of the classrooms as one of our leaders had to back out this year due to cancer in the family.  We had nine teens/adults for the three children!  Next week we should have two more kids that were on vacation this week, but still, we have a lot of helpers for the few children that make it out, unfortunately.



Pool:
I've been vacuuming the pool and trying to get it looking good so we can close it down, but it isn't working with me at all....hours of work I know won't amount to anything.

Academics:

Bible: 
Church & Sunday School
I've been reading the book of Matthew to Dd this week.



Driving:
Dd worked with Dh in church parking lot to master the two parking drills that she will be tested on-parallel parking and backing into a spot.  She has been doing 90 percent of the driving these past few weeks to prepare for her upcoming test.



Music:
Dd practiced guitar on Monday



Math:
Algebra test for Grace Academy

Henny Penny

Buckbeak

Audio:
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: In Process
I'm continuing to order classic audio's from our library.  This one has been the least impressive so far.  I really love the concept behind the book, but something just isn't clicking great with us. 


Movie:
Animal Farm
We finished this book a few weeks back and finally got around to watching the movie--an odd animated version by John Halas.



Science: Apologia Biology: 3 days this week
a few pages farther along this week.

Next Week: BIG WEEK!
Starting: Grace Co-Op Classes: Fridays from 9-3:40pm
Hunters Training classes--Thurs, Fri, and Saturday
Pick-up my mom (now in Ohio) for a little visit, I think she has seen Dd four times in her lifetime.
.......

Aug. 26-Sept. 1, 2018 Wisdom Teeth Removed

Aug. 26-Sept. 1, 2018 

Wisdom Teeth Removed

Hello Friends!

Monday Dd had all of her wisdom teeth removed

Well, to top off our rough August, it seems fitting to end it with Dd getting all four wisdom teeth removed. She literally was on the sofa for four days; miserable, swollen, bruised, and pitiful.  Of course, I heard from friends how easily other kids recovered from their surgery, but Dd was one of those that struggled with recovery.  She didn't get any real 'academic' work done this week!  But, she is healing up!!  Now she can meet back with the orthodontist about getting her braces.

Her jaw turned black and blue

Henry:

Our rescue dog, Henry, is still growing more and more comfortable with us; which is nice in some ways, but he has lost his 'roaming' privileges and is back on the leash until he can come when called instead of redirecting himself towards the road!!!  Nothing worse than a puppy seeing you, hearing you call his name, and then see him make the decision to disregard your plea's!  Dd has already taught him to sit, down, and shake!  He does the 'come,' but only when he feels ready to do so...typical puppy behavior, not a surprise, just something we need to work on for safety's sake.

Henry tears his stuffed animals into shreds of thread by the end of it; here are new ones for him to destroy

Walks:
We sure are enjoying our walks back into the woods around our house, under the guise of 'walking Henry!'  The old trails have been getting freshened up and cleared up as we walk each day.  I'm getting ideas of how to lengthen the trails so we won't have to do so many circles and loops.  I am thoroughly enjoying spending more time in the woods and luckily haven't seen one tick this year.  



Headaches and Migraines:
I went to the doctor this week complaining of a huge increase in headaches and migraines---instead of 1-2 weeks of issues I have had problems this entire month.  I'm afraid that Amitriptyline I went off was helping me more than I knew.  I still don't know if I can rally without it or if I need to reevaluate the benefits of this medication.  I hate to mess with body, but having 13 bad days out of 31 isn't a great score.  I'm tired of feeling awful.

.
Van:
The repairman fixed the van and we picked it up on Tuesday.  For now we have 3 of 4 auto's working.  I'm hoping all three of these auto's will keep running for at least a month!!  I pray!

Some of our produce this year

Chickens:

It must be molting time of year again as the number of eggs has been down all week.  They are all doing really well.  I'm really working hard on getting as much fresh greens and weeds as I can since the weeks are winding down on being able to gather them.  I remember our first October here and it was feet and feet of snow!  

Garden:

The garden is doing really well; I just need more time and especially more energy to get the canning started.  Everything is growing well and coming along nicely.

A picture with ALL THREE cats in it!  That doesn't happen

My Bible Study:
I've been wrapping up the few pages left on Entrusted: A Study of 2nd Timothy, a Bible study from Beth Moore and begun a new one I saw on Amazon called Seamless: Understanding the Bible as One Complete Story by Angie Smith.

Audio:

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee : COMPLETED
(I've requested the movie from the library to watch next!)

Cooking:
A good amount of cooking this week---we bought lots of different kinds of soups, apple sauces, sorbet, and other 'liquid' foods for her first days after her teeth were removed.  On Friday, feeling better she made me some No Bake Cookies and tried eating some solid foods.  She soon realized that she had to stick to the liquid foods as anything solid, even cereal, went into her wound and caused problems trying to get it back out.

Music:
Piano one time this week

Fun Book:
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Dd doing a good job keeping us supplied with No Bake Cookies this summer!

Movie:
Dead Poet's Society
I remember watching this movie in high school and feeling so motivated to Seize The Day and live a full life.  I'm not sure how Dd felt about it, but she said she liked it.  I somehow forgot that one of the main characters commits suicide---you'd think I would remember that key part!

Driving:
We scheduled Dd's driving test for next month, she only has her parking left to master.  She worked with Dh this weekend on her parking.  She has been doing almost all of our driving the past few months and doing really well at it.

Agnes

Next Week:

The church's Wednesday night children's church program, Olympians, starts back up.  I assume Dd will continue to volunteer to co-run the Games portion and I will continue to help with the classroom work. 

..........

Aug. 19-25, 2018 Truck home, Van in Shop, Grapes turn Purple, Shipshewana Trip & Play

Aug. 19-25, 2018 

Truck home, Van in Shop, Grapes turn Purple, Shipshewana Trip & Play

Hello Friends!

Oral Surgery Evaluation:
Monday was our long awaited evaluation at the oral surgeon's.  Dd needs braces and the first step is getting her wisdom teeth removed.  What a slow process, it took weeks to see the orthodontist, then another six-eight weeks to see the surgeon...  Surprisingly, they had a cancellation which made an opening for next Monday!  At least this way we won't have long to fret about it and we did fret!  We also went grocery shopping for all the foods on their list---soups, pudding, jello, sherbet, etc. etc.  I think Dd had fun picking out all her 'recovery foods!'  The orthodontist (who puts on the braces) won't be able to fit us in until mid-October!  I guess it is nice that this isn't a fast-paced process.  The upcoming surgery seemed like a little dark cloud hanging over our heads this week, as a result, we really didn't even pretend to get much academic work done.  



Henry:
With two weeks under his collar, Henry is adjusting nicely to his new home.  Last week Dh tried walking Henry without a lease on our paths out in the woods and he did very well.



 Now he can run, at full blast speed, around the trails and really get his energy bursts out while outside, which has been really good for him.  Dd has been teaching him all sorts of things--sit, down, come, stay, and she has started on "shake" for shaking his paw. 



 He is a very smart dog and doing so well.  He is afraid of our outbuilding/barn; it must have to do with the fact he was rescued from a Mennonite barn where he wasn't being fed or cared for, it must bring back bad memories. 



Truck/Van:
I drove Dh to and from work on Monday, as the Subaru was the only available running auto.  Monday night we took the van to the repair shop (45 min away) and left it to be fixed and drove the newly fixed truck home.  At least now we have two auto's running---only two more to be fixed before all is right in our auto world!  It has really been an amazing expense this summer; very overwhelming!  We were totally blindsided by all this; though the Lord knew!  I'm glad we haven't had to borrow or rent a car as we get the auto's repaired.  A friend at church actually offered for me to borrow her car; which was such a kind offer, one that doesn't come very often in this world!



Red leaves: fall 
As our pool continues to be empty, the hornets pleased with their numerous victories of running us off time after time this summer, the leaves have quietly started to change color.  Besides noticing red leaves on the ground I've also witnessed the gusts of wind pull whole blankets of leaves off the deciduous trees by the dozens.  It is unbelievable that fall has arrived already, but it so clearly has!



Purple Grapes:
A bonus of the fall arriving is that the same time the leaves started turning the grapes also turned!  One by one, the grapes are turning from green to purple.  They taste bitter still; but they are coming around.  Now, what do I do with them???!!!!



Chickens: Visit
Dh sells our eggs to a few people that he works with and I had been selling to one homeschool friend during our music classes in Grand Rapids.  She asked to come out to our little home after not being able to meet us during our shopping visits when we were in GR.  This was her first visit out to our house.  In the past, I would have to have my kitchen perfect, dining room table cleaned off, and much effort put into making our house look presentable, but the past ten years I've been slowly convincing myself that it is okay to portray myself for the imperfect person that I am and put down the facades.  It is hard for me, but I encourage us all to be real and honest and show each other that we are not perfect.  She really liked getting to meet our chickens and see my garden.  In the end she only had about 30 minutes for the visit, but it was nice for me to be a mini-hostess on Wednesday.

Green Beans: Garden
What a wonderful green bean kind of week!  Dh and I have been eating them almost every day!!  I've done a better job cooking them this year, in a way that tastes pretty good!  I'm glad to have fresh veg!  We are enjoying eating tomatoes and potatoes too!  With things being way too busy I just don't have time to post all our harvesting and processing this year---maybe in a few weeks.

Field Trip: Blue Gate Theater:Shipshewana, IN.
Our church has some field trips every now and then and before we adopted our dog I thought it would be a great idea for Dd and me to go on one of these trips.  Of course, between the time we signed up and the actual trip we adopted Henry!  It all worked out fine; Dh went in late and came home early so Henry wasn't alone for long.



Amish In Shipshewana (Shipsy"):
Our field trip is to a town that has a large Amish community.  The "Amish" are a group of traditional Christians that are similar to the Mennonite people.  They usually dress and live separate to modern people...limited electricity in their homes, most clothes are homemade and in dull colors, women wear hair coverings...  These are just some generalities that depend varying from person to person.  

The field trip was to Shipshewana, Indiana to the Blue Gate Theater to see a play-- Stolen.  

https://www.riegsecker.com/shipshewana/blue-gate-theatre/schedule/
The church van had recently died so we all divided up into small groups and drove in our own cars and met up there.  My migraine, a very nauseous one, started almost as soon as I got into Chuck's car.  I honestly had the worst day.  I forgot my nausea medicine and fought the urge to vomit ALL day, minute by minute.  I couldn't enjoy the buffet that I pre-paid for, but watched everyone else eat.  I managed to keep up appearances and only Dd knew I was ill.  

When we arrived we walked around the Amish town, going in a few shops and especially enjoying the music store.  Then we met back up with our group for the buffet lunch, which looked okay unless you were Gluten Free.  After lunch, we were lined up and taken into the theater for the play.  The play was an Amish murder mystery; which was ironic because the town we were in was a major Amish hub!  Lots of horses and carriages and Amish folks going about their business.



Our first eight years of marriage were spent in southern Indiana on Dh's family farm.  Our town had a fair amount of Amish families and the waiting room at my chiropractor was always shared with Amish families, so I am used to seeing Amish.  It was interesting to compare the Amish from Shipshewana (offer referred to as "Shipsy") to the more rural southern Indiana Amish, sort of a 'Town Mouse' and 'City Mouse' analogy comes to mind to me.  The Shipsy Amish were a lot more fancy, way less farm-looking, fancier clothes and shoes.  It was very interesting for me to compare.  I bet, for the Amish, it has to be very different just in living in a community with so many Amish as opposed to being in a small minority in the south.  The Bulk Store had dozens of carriages and you got a feel that the Amish here were really thriving.

Academics:

Bible:
Church and Sunday School

Dd and I did a "Blooming" pot of tea this week

Fun Book:
A Walk to Remember: Nicolas Sparks

Audio:

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee: In Process

This book is eleven disc's long!  So it will be a while!  

Driving:
The past few weeks Dd has been doing most of the driving and set her goal to master parking so she can take the Driver's Test and get her license.  She just has the two types of parking to get 100% comfortable with--the 'backing in' parking and parallel parking.

Next Week:
All bets are off for next week.  Dd has her wisdom teeth removed on Monday and she generally isn't a 'bounce back' kind of kid.  I've not been feeling well all month, fighting migraines, not sleeping well, and not feeling very well.  Next week is not going to be an academic week either, but things will start back up soon as her Grace co-op classes start on Sept. 14th!  Her plate will be very full when that starts!

......