SL Core H Week 27B Sept. 24-30th, 2017 Driveway Repairs, canning, gardening

SL Core H Week 27B 

Sept. 24-30th, 2017 

Driveway Repairs, Canning, Gardening, and Lessons

Hello Friends!

It was such a hot, hot week!  Our area is in a drought so it seems extra hard that we had a few 94 degree days to dry things up even more!  I've had to water my garden both in the morning and in the evening and it is still quite dry, so our potato plants have all died and I've been digging up the potatoes for eating and canning.  

Migraines:

The weather and my hormones combined forces and I've had a rough go with my migraines; which always makes our academic progress decline.  I honestly never did get her Lesson Page done for the week; the sheet that lists what she is supposed to accomplish for the week.  I usually do that during the weekend or on Monday morning, but with my migraine the first part of the week I was behind the whole week!  I spent the entire day of Monday in bed with one whopper of a migraine.  I have to wonder what life would be like without migraines, but then I wouldn't be so very thankful to the Lord for the days that I am pain-free, so I guess that the hard days make the good days more appreciated.

Our Bantam hen, Miss Lemon (Poirot's landlady in the Agatha Christie series on Poirot...)

94 Degree Heat:

The one bonus of all this heat is that I've been able to get so much laundry done---I use the clothes-line and with this heat, it all dries so fast!!! 



Garden:
Garden is still doing great, mostly because of all this very unusual weather that seems more like July than the end of Sept. in Michigan---which is usually a lot colder.

Drive-way:

While I was dealing with my migraines and headaches Dh started work on our crumbling driveway.  By the end of the week, I was able to work with him in making some progress on it.  It isn't "done" but it is good enough for one more winter.  Hopefully, in the spring we can buy more filler/sealer and get the whole driveway covered.

New Kittens:

The two new kittens are doing well, but still spending most of the time in our Sun Room, where Agnes can watch them without having access to them.  She still hisses at them and is jealous, but her curiosity is getting bigger by the day.  

Chickens/Ducks:

With the drought, I am having harder and harder of a time finding greens to feed them.  Luckily, I've been able to find bunches of grapevines that are still green and they are loving that!!!  Pauline, one of my Buff Orpington hens has dropped 95% of her feathers and has spikes coming in with all her new feathers.  She has been sleeping in a nest box - I'm not sure why exactly.

Grace Classes:

The two art classes are going well, but the math (Geometry) is totally NOT meeting our expectations.  Dd and her two friends in the class are not understanding the class time and having to really struggle to get their homework done.  I went in after her class and spoke to the teacher, but she didn't offer any hope.  Her communication skills are very 'logical,' if you know what I mean!  

Canning:

I've been harvesting green beans, various tomatoes, peppers, green beans and potatoes this week.  I'm getting SO much faster at canning now.  I'm still separating out as many seeds as I can so we can grow our spring plants from this year's harvest...hopefully.

Academic Lessons for the Week:

Bible:  

We are continuing to use my Integrated Bible to read through the New Testament in a chronological way.  It is really interesting to compare each story in each of the Gospels.

God's Chosen Servant: Matt 12:15-21; 10:2-4, Acts 1:13

Crowds Follow Jesus: Mark 3:7-12

Jesus Appoints the Twelve: Mark 3: 13-19, Luke 6:17-19

The Twelve Apostles: Luke 6:12-16

Jesus Heals the Sick: Matt 4:23-25

Introductions to the Sermon On The Mount: Matt 5:1-12

Salt and Light Matt 5:13-16

The Fulfillment of the Law: Matt 5:17-20

Murder: Matt 5: 21-26

Adultery: Matt 5:27-30

Divorce: Matt 5:31-33, Oaths: Matt 5:33-37

Eye For Eye: Matt 5:38-42, Luke 6:29-30

Love Your Enemies: Matt 5:43-48

Giving to the Needy Matt 6:1-4 

Prayer Matt 6:5-13, Luke 11:2-4,

Fasting Matt 6:14-18, 

Treasures In Heaven 19-24, 

Do Not Worry: Matt 6:25-34

Judging Others Matt 7:1-2 and Luke 6:37-40

Church, Sunday School, Wed Olympians, Thurs Strings Group, Youth Group

Read Aloud:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

...almost done---such a good book that openly discussed living for God and struggles with the sins of the world.  I never knew it had such a practical, Christian application.

History:

BiblioPlan Commentary on Early Modern History: 
Ch. 12: Freedom of Religion for the Middles Colonies, The Glorious Revolution: Completed

Our Bantam rooster, Poirot!

Reader 1:

Year Of Impossible Goodbye's by Sook Nyul Choi: COMPLETED

Reader 2:

Number The Stars by Lois Lowry: In Process

Fun Reader:

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer: completed

Easy Grammar, Plus

pg 346

Molting Pauline!

Cooking:

Parmesan Tilapia

Art/Sewing:

Dd has been cutting out the fabric to go along with the fabric, but just now realized that "Misses" means smaller size than adult "woman's" size!  She has been making a dress that won't fit her!  Ouch.

A new set of buggies in our garden again this week.  Plus, all those kale and Brussel sprout worms that eat through the greens.  I've spent hours smushing bugs this week and seem to have caught it before too much damage happened.

Drawing:

at home: 4 hours

Painting Studio Class: 2 hours

Botany Art Class: 2 hours

Math: 
Through Grace HS Academy: Saxon Geometry

class: 2 hours

home: 1:30 x 4 for homework 

Volunteer:

Olympians Group/Games

Music Classes:

Strings Group at church: Guitar: 1:00 hour

Intermediate Band: 1:30 Alto Sax

Intermediate Orchestra: violin Chair Test Next Week!

Viola lesson with Christie: 30 min

Music Practice:

Alto Sax: 2:30

Violin: 2:30

Driver's Education:
Next week Dd starts "Segment Two" of her Driver's Training.  She is driving a lot each week and doing really well with that.

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SL Core H Week 27 "A" Sept. 17-23, 2017 Fall Square Dance

SL Core H Week 27 "A" 

Sept. 17-23, 2017

Fall Square Dance

Did I share that I think both our Peking Ducks must be males?  I can stop looking for those big, delicious duck eggs now!  Merry and Pippin, like in LOTR, are both boys!

Hello Friends!

The girls at the Square Dance on Saturday.

Honeysuckle asleep...in that position!  Funny!

We had another busy schedule again this week as we try to do garden, canning, chickens, kittens, and lessons throughout the week.  The saving grace in this situation is that the garden and canning will come to an end fairly soon, that is once these high 90 degree days come to an end.  Our area is in a state of drought currently; which is so odd for this area!  We usually have too much water.  I've been having to water my gardens a lot lately, and see no end in sight.

I canned green beans on Monday

I hope the weather stays nice long enough to grow more veg!

What the Dickens!?!  Here's Dickens and Honeysuckle waking up.

It's great getting to eat our own potatoes!

Chickens/Ducks:

Zeus is back to his old tricks again....he is trying to attack me again...oh dear.  I hope he can get beyond this or he might not survive the winter.  Pauline, a Buff Orpington hen, is dropping all her feathers!  She looks so funny--and sad!  I guess this is what real molting must look like.  Her new feathers are coming right in and she shouldn't look bad for too long.  I'm still foraging around for their daily greens.  Luckily, there are plenty of wild grape vines all over for me to pull down and put in their runs.

Our beans are still growing and producing - I can't believe we never grew beans before; they are so easy and fun.

We got the cover on the pool, but are still working on getting the algae down under it.  Chuch from church is ordering us some algaecide to put in.  We'll put a pump in the water to stir the chemicals in.

Pool:

We finally got the big winter cover on the pool, though the water is very green.  

Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy are all turning red; it is beginning to really look like fall here.  Our front driveway is covered in leaves.

Garden:

I canned green beans, one cumin potato, and tomato paste/sauce this week.  I picked out the last zucchini and then gave all the greens to the chickens.  It is funny to see the bare spot.

I'm still getting my breakfast 'green smoothy' from my chard, radish, and two varieties of kale out of my garden.  I use to spend over five dollars buying bags of greens each week.  It is nice to make my smoothies from the greens I pick out of the garden, plus they are picked and eaten within the same hour so it couldn't be fresher!  

 I worked really hard on some more tomato paste.  I cooked it down for about 24 hours and reduced it more than 50% before I canned it.  I only got 4-pint jars in the end, but the paste should be excellent for some future meal.

Our lessons this week:

The new lettuce I planted has mysteriously vanished; perhaps snails?  Whatever it is has left this section of new kale alone.  The other area I planted with kale is also doing well.  But, it is too bad about the lettuce---I was looking forward to that!

Bible:

We are still reading through the New Testament by using our "Integrated Bible" that lists the NT in chronological order.

Healing at the Pool & The Authority of the Son:  John 5: 1-47

Testimonies About Jesus & Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath: Matt 12: 1-14

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath& Jesus Heals on the Sabbath: Mark 2:23-3:6

I've focused this week on collecting seeds from the three types of tomatoes we are growing to use next year.  I even picked out the seeds from one of the green peppers.  We've not tried this before and hope it will work.  I've spread out the seeds on a paper towel covered cookie sheet and then placed outside in the sun.  I rinsed off the seeds really well before, using various strainers.

On Saturday, Dd volunteered to work the kitchen for the funeral for a church member.  She did a good job helping out.  She and I worked together to make a big bowl of potato salad to bring.  I also made some rice crispy treats for the dessert table, they are gluten free and our church often forgets to have anything GF, so I try to bring something.

Then Sat night she went to the Square Dance at the HSB with her friends.  They had a great time and remembered a lot of the steps from their previous dances.  I had fun chatting with some of the other mom's in the gym.

Daring to Live Life On The Edge by Loren Cunningham

Ch. 6

I chopped up bunches of Basil and worked them into some soft butter, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder, then used a spoon to get similar sizes onto a cookie sheet before placing the tray in our freezer.  After they froze I put them into Ziplock bags and returned to the freezer.  

Dd's Bible:

Romans 3, 7, 8

Church, Sunday School, Olympians (Games volunteer 1:30 hours), Strings Group, and Youth Program on Sunday night.  Our Olympians has been showing a very interesting DVD series called "The Nature of God" 

 If Peter Schriemer has his way about it, however, that will soon change. As creator, host and author of Zonderkidz’s new The Nature of God DVD, book and curriculum series, the award-winning filmmaker and energetic hands-on naturalist hopes to inspire children of all ages to be amazed at God’s creation and to explore the world around them. Most recently seen on the small screen as host of the Smithsonian Channel’s Critter Quest! television series, Peter created The Nature of God specifically for young learners and readers to show them how the Creator’s very nature is reflected in what he has made.

The Brussel sprouts are growing

History:

BiblioPlan: Early Modern History

Ch. 11: Bacon's Rebellion; King Phillip's War: Completed

Ch.12: Freedom of Religion for the Middle Colonies, The Glorious Revolution: In Process

Read Aloud:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: In Process

Our last week having zuchini--I pulled them out this week and fed them to the chickens.  They did so well this year!  Dh made zucchini fritters two weekends in a row and boy, were they delicious!!!!

Foreign Language:

DuoLingo: German - 15 min

Math:
Saxon Geometry at Grace HS Academy 

Lessons 5,6,7,8 plus class 
To my utter dismay when Dd came out of her math class this week she was beyond frustrated and said her teacher didn't explain things very well.  She didn't think she would be able to do her work for next weeks lessons....she is planning on asking Dh for help.

Latin:

Word Roots pg's 93 & 94

I couldn't find the kittens anywhere!

Grammar:

Easy Grammar, Plus pg 335

Eventually, I thought to look inside the old chicken crate...

Reader 1:

The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy: In Process

And look what I saw inside!!!!

Reader 2:

Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi: In Process

Science: 

Apologia Physical Science: Notebook pages 

Honeysuckle on the highest part of their scratching post.  It is really hard to get a good picture of her!

Music Classes:

Piano: 30 min with Wendy

Piano Theory each week

Guitar 1:30 hours with Strings Group

Viola: 30 min with Christie

Alto Sax with Inter. Band 1:30 hours

Violin with Inter. Orchestra 1:30 hours

Music Practice:

Alto: 2:30 hours

Violin: 2:30 hours

Viola: 30 min

Piano: 30 min

Sewing:

Dd has been working on cutting out the shapes for a new pattern for a skirt she wants to make.  She's cut out a few pieces already, but still has a lot to do!

The potato plants are all dying---that means it is time to dig up those potatoes - to eat and can!

Art Classes:

Painting Studio and Botany art class on Friday--went well!

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