Winding Down

 Sunday was my last day for doing anything with the Sound of Music. There is a cast party at 4pm on December 10, but I won't be attending due to the fact that it's my father's 80th birthday (and he'll be up here that day) plus Nadia and Ian have a Christmas candlelight concert that same afternoon. Monday was Nadia and Ian's last regular Monday night rehearsal with the youth chorale. They have a dress rehearsal on Saturday morning and a short rehearsal on December 4, but we're done with the 2.5-hour commitment on Monday nights. Next fall it will be only a 1-hour commitment because Nadia and Ian will both be in the Valley Singers (high school group). Our six-week session of a small co-op in our home came to an end on Tuesday. I asked Paul to use Oliver's cotton candy machine to make the kids cotton candy as a treat on Tuesday, which contradicted what we talked about in the Health and Nutrition class I taught. The kids did a great job with their speeches. On Tuesday we had seven demonstrative speeches - Ben demonstrated how to clean a gun, Nathaniel demonstrated (outside) how to build a fire, Juliana demonstrated how to make a cheese pie, etc. She served that cheese pie at lunch after it had chilled in our refrigerator for a few hours. Last night was also the last night of The Chosen Bible study for the fall session for Paul and me. The study will resume on Wednesday nights in January.

We are planning to start another session on March 5. That session will likely last somewhere between 8-12 weeks. We're bouncing around ideas as to what classes we will offer during that session. Ideas have included drama (me), continuing the health and nutrition (me), geography (Paul), simple circuitry (Paul), book clubs, and chess club. If we continue the co-op next fall, Paul will teach a chemistry lab as Nadia and Ian will be taking chemistry next year. We've determined that one of the book groups will be discussing The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien, and another group will be discussing a Magic Treehouse or Imagination Station book. If we have a third group, we haven't determined what book they will be reading. I lead the discussions for two of the groups this session (Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince and the Pauper). The Much Ado about Nothing group was on their own although I did supply a list of questions for them to discuss each week. 

Next week, because it's Thanksgiving, we also get one week off of art and chorus at the Christian school. Nadia and Ian usually have those two classes on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Next week is Nadia's last week of her U.S. History class through Grand Canyon University. She will get a week off and then will begin a communications class on December 4. 

More pictures were posted on Facebook from the musical. The photographer took the photos during our dress rehearsal. We were in costume, but we hadn't done our hair or makeup. I wore different jewelry for the performances than I wore for the dress rehearsal, for example. The lack of makeup/hair wasn't a big deal for the pictures of the nuns, but it was more noticeable for all of the other photos. Still, I'm very thankful for these photos to remember this event as I doubt that I'll audition to be in another musical. 

Since I don't have rehearsal tonight, I decided to make plans to do something with my friend before she has shoulder surgery and won't be able to drive for a few months. The kids and I are meeting her to see the movie Journey to Bethlehem and then have dinner with her at Panera.