chapter nine of the swiss

This morning the boys worked on chapter nine of our study guide for The Swiss Family Robinson. So far they are enjoying this study as much as Cheaper by the Dozen, especially since I didn't seem to get so carried away with options. Not that that could ever possibly be a bad thing.

Here were the things to ponder for today ...

1. Do some research and compile a list of "noxious insects". Do any of these live where you live?

2. Find the definition for the following words:

copse squadron plumages endeavouring ascertain repast dispelled dispersed bulwark contrive

3. Father, using geometry, figures the angle needed to calculate the height of the tree. Can you, knowing this is a real challenge, devise a way to calcuate the proper angles if the height was discovered to be thirty feet? Could you find the formula needed if not actually discover the numbers?

4. Have you ever constructed your own bow and arrow? Give it a try today, when lessons are finished.
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Bow-and-Arrow

If you do not have a copy of the Dangerous Book for Boys, you might consider picking one up. It has incredible ideas for by-gone games and ideas for "a couple of kids staring at a pile of wood wondering what to do with it". It is one purchase you will not regret.

http://www.dangerousbookforboys.com/

5. Why would father, now up high in the boughs of the tree, remark "with a greater sense of security than I had enjoyed since we landed on the island, (I) offer(ed) up our evening prayers and retir(ed) for the night?"

HIGH Day

You know you're bored when ...

you OFFER to wash out the trays from fetal pig dissection class.

tragedy sometimes strikes

for those of us in "Perils" it has struck three times this month. first, our director lost her mom, then, the next week, our assistant director lost her dad. her sister (and her husband) are also part of our backstage crew. just when we thought we could find some semblance of order for show week, yesterday our leading man, Sidney Slick, lost his grandson, at only fourteen years of age, to a stroke (they believe). opening night without a lead is not good, but it is, after all, just a stupid silly play and doesn't amount to a hill of beans in comparison. no one knew how to think let alone what to say.

frank has decided, rightly so, to NOT go on with the show. in his place was the original Sidney (circa 1976), whose lovely wife wrote Peril at Petrolia. he was happy to oblige us and will act in all three shows. he has blessed us tremendously and is an absolute joy to work with. the priviledge is all ours. he knows how to work a stage like no one I have performed with ... and I hear he is only in his 80's.

what a week.
thankful for much.

trial by fire? HIGH Day

While I am very happy for my husband, anotherblogonthefire, that he was accepted into the prestigious LOOK Show for the second year in a row, I do not, myself, care to be "pushed". Thankfully that didn't happen this morning as I was the head Director at HIGH Day. Our usual "go see Sharon" was sick and couldn't make it. She did, however, have the courtesy to let me know well in advance. I took it all in stride and just did whatever I felt was right at the moment. My list of things to tell her about the day is kind of long, but in the end I would have to say that the worst it got, in my eyes, was that we seem to be at the end of our glue, ruler and eraser supply.

Pigs continued to be dissected, outdoor fires were lit despite the drizzle, food smelled amazing from the kitchen, garden seeds and soil got vacuumed up, it was the wood-carver's assistant and not a student who needed a band-aid, only one wee one pee-ed her pants, most students finally have tap shoes, the roman soldiers finished their shields, all the moms who signed up for nursery actually came and stayed today, we discovered where all the scalpels, magnifying glasses and slides accidentally got placed, magnets and filings were returned, missionary posters came together, little ones found a new room to run in, things were drawn and written, I re-assured numerous moms that "yes ... barb IS coming back next year", I DIDN'T need to give a lecture on gossip, I managed to sing O Canada in one key, no miscellaneous papers were found AND I turned off all the lights ... now I can finish that rhubarb pie from last night, over a cup of tea.

HIGH Day

we started out last session of HIGH Day. I am amazed at the selection of classes offered this term. Jonam is in the movie class, which covers all three classes for him. they are finishing their script, polishing and soon will be filming their masterpiece.

Evan starts the morning out, bright and early at 9am (yes ... that truly is early to me) with fetal pig dissection, moves on to cooking class (seriously. and YES we watch them wash their hands) and ends the morning with a survival class. today the survival kids made a fire in a snowbank. cool. I forgot how much formaldehyde stinks until the pigs got taken out of their bags ... phew! that took me back a few years, for sure.

we began the passport process, which is going to be a load off our minds since it will be mandatory to have them by june this year if we ever want to go see our tennessee friends or even go fill up with gas (cheaper in the u.s.of a usually) or eat at my favourite ... cracker barrel.

things are shaping up nicely. if only I could fit in more teatimes ...

good news indeed

Yesterday, I participated in the Cate's good news thursday post and really enjoyed it, but I didn't think I was released to say what was really on my wee mind. Neal e-mailed me from work and told me, without knowing it was a burden to me, that he felt it was ok to go ahead and post about our impending adventure as no one from his work place reads our blogs or even knows we have them! He needs his current job, you see ... imagine that.

While some have told us this seems "quite sudden", it has, in actuality, been something we have talked about for almost 5 years now. Always the same destination, always the same desire, always shelving it at the end of the conversation and moving on ... almost forgetting about it, until one day we met a certain man and woman.

For a handfulf of you (SmallWorld, Dr.Hibiscus, rcelliott, andijeane, JenIG, bestsister, joyunspeakable ... sorry halfpint, forgot to ask bestsister for your e-mail) this is not news per se, but for the other two of you who read my blog, I have a bit of an announcement to make. Read on ... I think we just might be seizing our divine moment

Dear Friends, old and new,


We are sending out this letter to our friends to let you know what the Campbell family is up to and to ask for your prayer support. We have, as a family, been on a journey for many years. God has brought us through many experiences and we have had the chance to meet a lot of great people along the way. We are now asking if many of those we have met would join with us in praying about an opportunity we have as a family.

For most of our married life (14 years and counting!), Kristina and I have felt that God has been preparing us for some kind of ministry – we just didn’t know how that would shape up or what that would look like. At times we have wondered if possibly this ministry would involve overseas missions, though the questions would come: would God really use us? How could this ever work out? Could I really hang out with guys with bones through their noses?

In recent weeks we have prayerfully considered this more seriously and have applied to New Tribes Mission as associate missionaries to Papua New Guinea.

As associate missionaries, we would have opportunities to use the gifts and experience God has given us to further the work of reaching the lost in tribal areas of PNG. Kristina would be able to finally use her BA and all of the homeschooling experience she has to teach missionary kids and I would work on building and maintenance projects.

There are currently many immediate needs in PNG, including a teacher for this coming school year (which follows the European timetable and begins in August) and we are willing to go if God would have us. However, there is much work to be done in a short time if this is to be.

Please pray for us – that God would provide all of the means and that things would come together in His time and for His glory.

Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

sugar shack, 2008

so,anotherblogonthefire took the rest of today off to go here as a family. we are hoping to meet some friends there but their little girl has had a fever since yesterday morning and they may be staying at home instead. we understand. I will have to post some pictures later of our day out (and of my get together with aforementioned friends to make a ukranian easter egg and perogies. bliss and more bliss).

we go to a sugar shack every year but not usually the same one. we like to get around ... maybe we'll see you there? stranger things have happened.

*UPDATE*

these are some of the pictures I blogged about yesterday. jess's fever broke so we were good to go.

the pancake part of the day (the pancakes are inside, but you have to pay to eat them)
then the ukranian part of the day; making Pysanky. here I am laying down the first part of my design in beeswax, with the kystka, freehand (but based on my sketch)


melting the wax off to reveal the dye. never mind the dopey look ...

super saturday, to meet friends from HSB

anyone recognize these people? we just begged them to come meet us in the flesh happened to run in to them at a timmie's in detroit. they claim to be mature adults here on HSB. I am not so sure ... I mean, just look ...

the kids hit it off, too. I love it when that happens. I think the sugar must have been wearing off at this point. they really were having a good time getting to know each other ... really. I promise.

just to prove we are old enough to drink coffee and such, here is another go ...

henry ford museum, remembering

we visited the henry ford museum in detroit on saturday, after hanging with the elliott family for a couple of hours. it was incredible (yes, both the visit and the museum). my only regret is that I misunderstood how vast the museum was and spent a disproportionate amount of time in the cars/airplanes section. I had to practically run through rosa park's bus

and didn't get to see the declaration of independance or spend time reading about black history like I would have wanted to. so much information and, clearly, so little time. we will most definitely have to go back.

seeing an actual kkk costume really took my breath away. neal and I could feel the evil all around the display. it took me back to our time in pulaski, tennessee, where we were invited to the annual kkk parade by some well-meaning locals. I was shocked and stunned at the suggestion, telling the gentleman that that would never be allowed "back home". he completely ignored my remark stating "oh, it's a lot of fun. they hand out balloons for the kids." our stay in beautiful east tennessee was not quite the same after that.

I also found myself drawn to the quote "if this is freedom, then what do you call slavery?" I am fascinated by black history, if that is even the proper word, especially living so close to the canadian part of the underground railroad. I am going to have to write a curriculum sometime soon ... I can feel it in my bones. maybe as soon as I finish the one I am writing right now. and after another few visits to the henry ford museum.

here is a snapshot of the first time we went to greenfield village, which is on the same property, fourteen years ago ...

supposed to be skiing

we were supposed to go skiing today, but at the last minute we decided we didn't feel like it anymore ... so we did our usual school stuff, ate some bagel bites and fooled around with evan's camera.

all in a day's work ... all in a thursday morning.