7 Quick Takes, 7/19/11

I thought I'd use the Quick Takes Friday to catch up on a few things now that I'm trying (again) to get back to blogging.

1.



I mentioned in the previous post that we held a performance of Shakespeare's As You Like It (or rather selections from...) in our backyard a few weeks ago. It was directed by my daughter and some friends. I think it went really well and we sure enjoyed the performance. Here is the first video:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLrOVx1Kxvc]

You can find the rest of the videos here. Unfortunately the quality isn't great as we just had a little Flip Video and we missed a significant chunk in the middle. You can view pictures from the play here.

2.

I was so excited to hear that our friend, Matthew Alderman, is having some artwork published in one of the editions of the New Roman Missal. Congratulations! (hat-tip Robert Gotcher)

3.

I haven't yet put my notes together on the blog from my culture talk at the homeschool conference in Napa. I am working on an article on gratitude that's kind of grown out of the talk for a future issue of mater et magistra magazine. I'm excited about the article and hope to sit down and spend some time on it.

4.

We got together with some friends at a nearby lake last weekend (and has the weather ever been beautiful lately - what a change!!!). I was pretty impressed with what the kids built on the shoreline (and many of them were just little tots):



5.

I really enjoyed this animation of a talk by Sir Ken Robinson. I've been hearing about this educational speaker for a long time (including from my brother Dan) but had somehow neglected to actually listen to any of his talks until this week. Here's the video:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U]

This was a great time to watch this video as I'm trying to get my head into gear for the new school year and I continue to wrestle with conventional wisdom vs. what actually seems to work with my kids. The video also brought to mind a few related items:

a. Lots of bits and pieces from the book Nurtureshock by Po Bronson and Angela Merriman, b. The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph #1937 (we all have unique gifts and we're supposed to share them with each other - not turn out the same as each other!) and c. the article "Listening to Experts Inhibits Decision Making in the Brain" from the Eide Neurolearning Blog.

6.

On Monday, our family sang for the feast day of the Assumption at our local parish. Ave Maria in 3 1/2 parts (a little family joke since the tenor part is a little hit and miss still), and little harmony on several classic Marian hymns (Immaculate Mary and Hail Holy Queen) and also on Holy Is His Name. We love singing as a family and it was nice to get one more chance before Ria left for college.

7.

Before Ria left for college, we had a bit of a movie festival with flicks we wanted her to see. We got through maybe a dozen of them, including Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Premonition, Regarding Henry, A Good Woman, and The Mission. They were some really good, though serious, flicks, and we enjoyed working our way through them with her.

Living Stations at Holy Hill

This was the St. Therese Missionaries' 2nd Living Stations Performance this year. Unfortunately I wasn't able to be there since I was at the Memphis conference, but my husband took these pictures. Click through on the first picture to see the entire set:



Here's a little explanation about the format from a previous year.

Their final performance is on Palm Sunday.

Irish Dance Recital

All of my children performed in an Irish dance recital at a local nursing home on Tuesday. Funny how, now, after the performance, they're psyched up for lots of practice and creativity. :)







Frank even had a little cameo:



Here's the group, a mixture of kids from four different families:



The nursing home residents LOVED the show (which also included four Irish songs - one with the fiddle!) and it was a great experience for the kids.

More Emma

Jane Austen and her "creations", originally uploaded by Chez VH.

Especially for Charlotte! :)

Jane Austen (in the maroon dress) was the witty narrator that brought a lot of clarity and connectedness to the story. (Great script by the way, but it was long and LOTS of work!)

The famous authoress is pictured here with (clockwise from upper right): Mr. Knightley, Harriet Smith, Emma Wodehouse, Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill.

We had our second performance this afternoon. The troupe performed at a nursing home for retired School Sisters of Notre Dame. It's been fun to see these retired teachers' interest in homeschooling. We also put on an Irish Dance performance for them around St. Patrick's Day and they're a very fun audience!

A few random tidbits:

Mr. Knightley is wearing MY boots!

Lyra Face Pencils were a wonderful last minute discovery (and are responsible for Mr. Wodehouse's lovely whiskers in the previous photo - I started with black and then added some white into it). They are definitely going to make the trip to Latin Convention with us this winter.

Most of the costumes were recycled from parents' clothing or rummage sale finds. Jane Fairfax's dress, however, was made by her grandmother.

My one sewing project for the play was Mr. Wodehouse's hat. As long as it doesn't require a machine, I'm good. :)