Home Sweet Life ~ Week in Review 1/6/17

Welcome to a new year! After giving Arlene most of the month of December off of her bookwork, we decided it was time to get back into some sort of a routine this week. Since I was going back to work on Tuesday, we spent part of Monday afternoon going over her plan for the week. Most of the coursework Arlene is doing this semester is a carry-over from last Fall. 

Arlene spent time on geometry, world views, and her writing. The difference this week is that her writing had a specific purpose, other than editing her NaNoWriMo novel! There is going to be a huge weaving and textiles conference in our state this summer. Arlene has been planning to attend since last summer when she learned about the Midwest Weavers Conference from her spinning and weaving mentor. Now is the time when she has the opportunity to apply for a scholarship to help offset the cost of the conference. This week, and probably part of next week, she is working on her scholarship application letter. If you think of Arlene next week, keep her in your prayers that God might grant her one of the scholarships. She has been saving up to attend the conference, and while she has enough to attend, a scholarship would be awesome, it would allow her to stay on site with her adult weaving friends...and it would leave her some of her hard-earned money to spend at the exhibit hall. :)

I don't think many High Schoolers have a goal to attend a conference about textiles, specifically one about wool, cotton, and other fibers. That is one thing that we appreciate about homeschooling, Arlene can pursue her own goals and interests while still meeting the state requirements for graduation. Electives are wonderful things, they give students a chance to explore so many things!

What else went on this week in our little homeschool? Well, Arlene made some yummy gingerbread cookies yesterday, and today she is spinning some wool. Soon I'll write up a visual post of how the fleece she and Emily were given last summer went from freshly-shorn to yarn. It is a multi-step process, and one I didn't know anything about before the girls joined the spinning team at Conner Prairie a few years ago. Now it is really cool to see Arlene hard at work spinning the wool to make yarn. This time her purpose is to create yarn to sell at an Artisan's Fair in early February. So if you know of any knitters or crocheters out there...send then our way! Her goal is to earn some money to spend in the vendor hall at the weaver's conference. 

Oh yeah, I worked on finishing up Emily's transcript! That is a needful thing since she graduated in December!

What else is going on around here? 

Next week is our first 4-H meeting of the year, and since Arlene is the club President this year, we'll need to sit down and make up the agenda for the meeting. Sometimes it is hard to get your mind wrapped around 4-H in early January when the fair isn't until July! There will also be a 4-H enrollment fair next week that Arlene and some of our other club officers will be helping me with. 

On Monday, before I went back to work for the week, I spent some time working on blog posts. I have also spent some time this week thinking about which books I want to read this year.  I'm currently finishing a book on prayer one of my dear friends gave me for my Birthday. I think its time to read through Charles Sheldon's In His Steps again. Other than that, I've not settled on any specific titles yet. 

In my daily Bible reading I have been in the book of James for a few weeks. It seems a little odd, as I usually read through James in just a few days, but God has me camped out here for a reason. He is teaching me a lot through these words penned by James under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Here was the most convicting verse from this week: 

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." -James 4:17

Ahh, yes, we know the good we should be doing, but so often our selfishness would rather do something for ourselves instead of doing that good thing for someone else. God is working on me about this - a lot! What has God pointed out to you lately?

I won't tell you what the most convicting verse was last week, but if you stick around a while, you'll see it as one of the Scripture Writing posts.

Overall it was a quiet week in our house. That was a good thing! As I'm sitting here typing, upstairs where it is warm, because downstairs it is colder, reminding me that its only nine degrees outside, I'm listening to some music from the group Acappella. Does anyone else still remember this fantastic Christian group that was popular in the late 1990's and early 2000's. If you do, leave me a comment on your favorite song. Mine is probably "Listen to Him."

Have a great weekend, and stay warm!

Linking up over at Homeschool Highlights!