7 Reasons I'm Excited about the Up- Coming School Year

*1* 

Classical Conversations. Our local Challenge Community has grown from 6 last June to over 24 + for this coming year! What's the draw? Classical, Christian Community. Our kids are growing and laughing together, being challenged to do more than they realized they could, growing in their understanding of who God is and what their personal repsone to Him is. Is it because CC's program is magical? No. It's a program. But it's a program based on time honored principals, a Biblical foundation and leadership that takes their mandate as Christians, "To Know God and to Make Him Known" seriously.

*2* 

Challenge B- woohoo, baby. We are going to drown a little in Logic before we really learn to swim, keep mastering and loving Henle Latin, delve in to Current Events (during a crazy election year, no less), read and write Short Stories (sing my literary love song!), participate in Mock Trial, do a semseter long Science Fair and create a Famous Scientists time-line and so much more. Sure, Challenge is serious academic work, but it is peppered throughout with A-Mazing projects.Yeah, I'm in love.

*3* 

Challenge 2- hang on to your hats, boys and girls. It's going to be a wild-ride through all of Henle 1, Brit Lit (be still my heart), Policy Debate, the Arts (super love), writing mock art-grants. I mean, really? All done with an amazing Lead Learner (Thank-you, God, for Kari!) and amazing, like minded friends.

*4* 

Morning Symposium. Morning hang-out with my peeps.

*5* 

Music Lessons- piano and violin, taught by our sweet, lovely country neighbors. They are both still in high school but terrific, patient teachers Love having home-made music in the house!

*6* 

Kempo Karate, baby. The kids work hard, laugh hard, are learning amazing self-defense moves and making all sorts of crazy, fun loving friends to boot. Small town bonus, right there.

*7* 

Speaking of babies. Mr. Samwise is pretty fun to hang around with! 

Isn't that the cutest little face? 

KB and Mr. V have already picked out Homegrown Preschool for this little guy,

Throw in as many Old Western Culture DVD's we can fit in (all of them- we love them that much!),Grammar of Poetry, a couple of plays, TeenPact alumni events, LifeLight and hanging our with our friend, Pesach Wollinki from the CJCUC, the County Fair, Youth Group, trying to keep up with the other awesome Bibliophiles on Plumfield and Paideia  and other regular life events and it should be an awesome year! Full, and have I mentioned busy yet?, but good.  

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@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Shakespeare Camp 2016 Edition

This is the 6th consecutive year that my kids have been involved in Shakespeare Camp. This years performance was a fun and festive rendition of Much Ado About Nothing, complete with song, dance, and revelry.

Formed by two enterprising homeschooling Mommas eight years ago, it's been a main-stay of our summer for over a 1/2 decade.
You can read about a few of the other plays my kids have particiapted in here:
Love's Labors Lost
King Lear, Shakespeare!
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Tempest Roar's 

Performers are rising 7th graders and above. The scripts are the Dover Edition of the chosen play. Roles are assigned to the participants and Actors/ Actresses are expected to have their lines and cues memorized before the first day of practice.

 Practice takes place over 6 days, with costumes and props created during the week by dedicated Mommas. 

Day 6 includes practice, dinner for the cast and crew and a 1-2 hour performance.

Literally Shakespeare in the park. 

Friends, family and community turn out to watch and be entertained. The littles sit on blankets and the rest of us bring folding chairs for an open-air evening of festive entertainment. 

This year's cast was one of the biggest- at 38. Sometimes parts are shared, but always the take-away is that it's the best darn way to learn Shakespeare evah! 

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

My Grandmother, My Grandson

Two weeks ago we stopped by Gram's house on our way out to meet the newest member of the family, our first grandson. Gram was born in July, 2016. We had a sweet visit- talked about flowers and weather and her plans to accommodate her failing eye-sight. When we left she squeezed my hand, looked into my blue eyes with her lovely brown ones and said, "Go with God." Her hand was firm, her grip strong, her voice steady. This woman has loved me my whole life. I have adored her all of mine.

Then we meet KB and Mr. V and little Baby V for a couple days of helping with the house flip, vacationing/conventioning and holding Mr. Cutie Pie who loves to be snuggled and talked to and shown the sites. I'm smitten, but seriously, look at that little face! 

And then we got a call that Gram had had a heart attack and was in a coma. So we stopped back by the Windy City to see her one last time. 

And then we drove home. And then we got a call that she had passed from this life to the next so we drove back to Chi-town for a funeral. 

It's been two weeks of contrasts, farewells, joy and grief, family and sorting a house chock full of childhood memories and sounds and smells and pictures of people I have loved so much. 

But it was a good week. A beautiful funeral, many loving tributes from neighbors and friends, and the knowledge that Gram died in her own home, which is just where she wanted to be. Laid to rest between Grandpa and Uncle Hank, under a tree. 

We brought back peonies that she brought to the house when she married Grandpa in 1936, pictures and history; hers, mine, ours, others. Her life was full and rich- full of friends and family, disappointments, hardship, hard work, joy, faith and love. 

Little Samwise spent the week with us and his parents and our family- celebrating the good, long life of his Great, Great Grandmother. 

 New life and old. 

My Grandmother.

My Grandson.

I am so grateful for Dorothy Irene's influence and love in my life. I hope that I can be every bit the amazing Grandmother that she was to my sisters and I, and all the many people that she touched and influenced. 

A life so very well lived. See you on the other side, Dear One. 

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2. 

"All I know is that Gram gave me great riches, and we wold, all of us, be less than we are if it weren't for those we love and who've loved use who have died." 
~Madeline L'Engle, An Acceptable Time

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Interview with a Homeschool Mom

Check out my blogger buddy, Jenny Morris' series, Interview with a Homeschool Mom. 

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Best Day Ever

This girl made Memory Master last spring (way back in April). 

It was hard work and her courage waned a bit mid-year. We told her she could pick a reward (within reason) if she made it. She chose a day at the Omaha Zoo (which rocks), stipulating that it had to include the Bros. Feeche gave up a day of first week of college week-end fun and Cub gave up Ballroom Dancing and DQ with his peeps to make sure Flower got her wish. Best big brothers, evah!

So yeah, 5 months later we finally all had a free week-end to go! 

Do you see the Monkey in the Middle? 

And the tall kid?!

We left sorta early to meet Lynn and Paul, friends from Seminary, for brunch. 1/4 century old friends are some of the best; love them! And they promised to make it up to our place for more Gun Fun before Thanksgiving. Which totally made Cub's day, but makes us all happy. They are readers and thinkers and love to travel, learn and eat good food, so we never run out of things to talk and laugh about. 

And then 5 hours at one of the best zoos in the country, with perfect weather. It was absolutely glorious out and we took turns at exhibits together, breaking up and going separate ways, some of us sauntering, while others speed walked to the last couple of places before we closed the zoo down. 

We tried a new place for dinner; Cheddars, which is always dicey, given food issues and a few unnamed people who like to stick to the tried and true. Phenomenal service, huge portions of yummy, healthy food and did I mention the great service?! (It's near the mall on 92, sit in Mark's section). 

Such a fun, fun day. I asked Flower if it was worth the hard work AND the wait. 

Totally. 

And now back to your regularly scheduled crazydays programming. 

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Circe Institute 2015 Annual Conference

Circe Institute 2015 Annual Conference in Charleston, SC. The break-out sessions were good  but it was the plenary sessions that I loved. Holy Buckets, these guys can make it all come together. The crowd consisted of Classical Educators from private, public, university model and homeschools. In other words people from all over the country (and some from beyond) with the common purpose of using the vehicle of classical education to bring the Gospel to the hearts and minds of others. Super love. 

Not many vendors- but the ones that were there were amazing- IEW, Lost tools, Roman Roads Media, 8th Day books. What made it so good, so refreshing, so fulfilling? The great food, great conversations, great teaching  had something to do with it. But also, the common vision of Goodness, Truth and Beauty, the fellowship of the Saints who believe that God reigns in the midst of crazy educational philosophies, political foolishness and a world gone a little skewed. 

If you haven't had the chance to get to a Circe conference yet, make it so. Worth it on so many levels! 

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

July Wrap-Up

July went by in a technically disastrous blur resulting in this monthly smash up versus weekly wrap-up. It was a crazy and wonderful month- full-up with friends, travel, work.

*1*

Shakespeare Camp got the month rolling. Feeche ended up there several days, coaching the younger boys, while Cub and Flower spent the week with Enak and Co.

*2*

Beach, baby! 

Week 2 found us traveling to SC, visiting family on the way to and fro. Dr Dh and the kids spent time doing touristy things like  Ft. Sumter, the Yorktown, the Laffey, Ft. Moltrey, the H.L. Hunley and the Aquarium. Oh, and the beach, which was the biggest hit of all. Our prairie loving kids L,O.V.E.D the ocean, no surprise. Because if there is the great outdoors, water or wildlife around, they are happy , happy people.

*3*

Andrew Kern, Founder and Prez of Circe Institute

Meanwhile I was at the 2015 Circe Conference, soaking up great conversations, meeting amazing people from all over the country and listening to Tracey Lee Simmons, Wes Callihan, Ken Meyers, Martin Cothran and Andrew Kern and so many other Godly, amazing thinkers. After a June that oozed with Classical Conversations, July was pretty lean on CC- other than meeting Heather Shirley, Matt Bianco and a host of other CC peeps at Circe. Love that. 
(check out the Circe Blog for more on cultivating wisdom and truth)

*4*

Wes Callihan, flanked by David and Daniel Foucachon, founders of Roman Roads Media,

Circe found me hanging out with the talented and terrific team from Roman Roads Media.  If you haven't check out RRM yet, do yourself a favor and DO IT!  Their products are GREAT, the company is founded and run by bi-lingual, smart, funny, kind and generous homeschooling grads and their Master Teacher's are names you already know and trust- Wes Callihan, Jim Nance, Matt Whitling. Still need convincing? Check out my reviews: The Greeks, The Grammar of Poetry.

*5*

In between all of the fun and inspiration I worked my day job and wrote reviews 

With Lee in Virginia
Shape Whiz
Project Passport- Homeschool in the Woods 

as well as wrote the next installation in the Homeschool High Shool Blog Hop

Frosting on the Cake- Electives, Work and College Prep
Don't Panic! -Homeschooling High School

*6*

And in between all of that the kids and I have taken down more decrepit chain and barbed wire fence, tons of fence posts (no small feet as they are usually buried posts, cemented in),reclaimed a few more "lost" areas behind sheds, built another brick sitting area, put up and painted the wooden picket fence and gardened. Dr. Dh has been incognito because of a new position at work and a major event he is planning.

*7*

Read much? Not as much as I'd like but I did make it through  "In My Father's House" by Corrie Ten Boom on the way to SC- delightful testimony of how God weaves even the most innocuous threads of our lives together. I also started "A Carless Rage for Life" - a bio about Dorothy Sayers. Love her.
Flower is still reading Pride and Prejudice. Cub is desperately waiting for the next SWB installment (History of the Ren World and Science) and the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis. He'll have to fight me for it. I've read it several times but Lewis is always a good idea, right?!

How was your month?

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Shakespeare Camp -Love's Labor Lost

Shakespeare Camp is the brain-child of Super Mommas, Ana and Caitilin. Caitilin is our intrepid director every year, taking on the task of teaching, directing, feeding, cajoling and whipping into shape the motley crew that assembles every summer for 6 hours rehearsals and a 2 hour performance. 

This was the 7th Annual Shakespeare Camp and the 5th year that at least one of our kids have been involved. This year, both Cub and Flower participated. 

This year, pink- T-shirts were in order. 

We had seasoned pros on stage and a few new faces.

Cub wore the same attire that Feeche did a few years ago in King Lear

It was Flower's first year on stage at Shakespeare Camp. 

No lines, and burning up in a dress she insisted was made of carpet.
It was a bit hot the day of the performance! 

Mr. T had all the moves!

and Mr. F added some local color. 

A king and his men.

and Mr. I in an incredibly cool Russian hat. 

Incredi-buds- on stage and off.

Scorned by the princess, regardless of incredibly cool Russian hats.

Incredi- king-Cub, spying on his Lords. 

Sir J, striking a pose. 

Most of the whole crew. Miss. M made a fabulous princess and her ladies in waiting were beautiful, too. 

Flowers for Producer and Director. Another fantastic Shakespeare Camp, thanks to Ana and Enak! 

Enak and some of her crew with part of mine. 

Our kids spend the week at their house, eating good food and sharing great books, good memories and a lot of laughs!  

@Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Panic!

So, let me 'splain. My 14 month old lemon of an expensive computer died. Quickly and without warning. I got a new computer and madly worked to make up for the week of limping along on ds's computer at work. I worked a 50 hour week while the kids were at Shakespeare camp. We left for SC. I could not access my blog.
At. All. In fact, it looked, from a dashboard side, that I had no blog at all. Finally, 3 days, multiple hours and various browsers loaded later, I have access to my Golden Grasses dashboard.

My blog is such an old outdated piece of work, but I love it.
It's good to be back.
And I have a TON of pics and stuff to load- Shakespeare Camp, thoughts on the Circe Conference, Roman Roads Media love, South Carolina love, and Reviews galore. Stay tuned, because I will be writing and posting in between bed-bug de-toxing, working, working out, CC planning and tons of meetings and people over.

Thanks for reading!!

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag30/Lisa_Nehring/siggywithflower_zps2ffa66ba.png @Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Tales from the Circle C Ranch- TOS Review

Circle C Adventures  by Susan K. Malow might sound familiar to you, as we reviewed Thick as Thieves by the same author at the end of March. This time, we had the opportunity to read  Tales from the Circle C Ranch.

Flower dove right in and didn't put the book down until she was finished with it. Upon completion, she picked up Thick as Thieves again and re-read it. Many happy sighs were heard as Flower read these books. They are perfect for tween girls (and big brothers who read them on the sly) who like excellent adventure writing and strong "G rated" values. 

This book allows us glimpses of Andi's childhood, spent in California in the 1800's. Flower found the writing interesting and thrilling. While this book consists of vignettes, the character development is what grabs you, pulls you in and you feel like you have become part of Andi's life. It's easy to relate to Andi's feelings and thoughts. The book ties everything to a relationship with God and living a life of faith- the family goes to church and scripture is used throughout the story. 

That being said, these stories are in no way pedantic, preachy or stuffy. The faith of Andi is blended throughout the story so that my tween daughter felt like it made sense. Andi's struggles and resolutions addressed some of Flower's feelings and struggles and offered kind and Godly resolutions to real life problems. In that, Malow allows the reader to transcend their own issues, relate to someone else and come to a resolution. That, my friends, is great writing. 

This story is true to the time period-"very historical," states my history loving daughter. The author writes about universal issues that young people face, regardless of the age in which they live. This series is very much like Laura Ingalls Wilder stories, with a different setting. 

Flower's over-all assessment of Tales from the Circle C Ranch? She is a total fan-girl and let me know that we needed to buy each and every book in the series as soon as possible! That is a huge endorsement from my history loving daughter.  Cub (aged 15) picked the books up on the sly, and read them too, so don't limit the books to girls only. They will have a wide-appeal and would be a perfect read-aloud! To view all of the books in the series, go to 

Circle C Adventures

There is also a lap-books available for your craft loving children: Andrea Carter's Tales from the Circle C Ranch Learning Lapbook, making this book  a terrific option for co-ops and class days as it covers topics related to California, life in the 1800's, and much more! 


Follow Circle C Adventures on Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/CircleCAdventures
http://twitter.com/SuzyScribbles 

As always, find more terrific reviews from the fabulous Crew:

 @Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!