Sunday Miscellany

* I went to our local homeschooling resource fair yesterday. Our five area American Heritage Girls troops shared a booth during the 2-day fair, and our time slot to work was the last two hours and then pack up and bring the booth stuff home. The fair seemed much, much smaller than in previous years, and my favorite booth, Miller Pads and Paper, wasn't there. I love that place soooo much. It's pretty much my sole reason for going to the resource fair. I love these little bare books and the big batches of construction paper and journals and just everything. So boo.

* I know you are dying to know what I did purchase at the fair. It's so unexciting. I got Duncan's grammar book (Easy Grammar 6) and a Mind Benders book from Critical Thinking for him. That's it. Buying homeschooling curriculum isn't very exciting after 11 years. I know I should be happy that I get to reuse everything from Jesse and Laurel, but I miss buying new and exciting things.

* Speaking of new and exciting, there was a way cool company there called Homeschool Legacy. They sell unit studies that are meant to be done just once-a-week, leaving time for all your "regular" studies. What attracted me was their banner, which said "Boy Scout friendly." Turns out that the unit studies also serve to help Scouts earn merit badge requirements while learning about a certain subject. You can read all about it here. And I was really excited when the owner said, after reading my name tag, "American Heritage Girls! I'm so excited to get to talk to you because next year we are going to be adding AHG requirements into the books, too!" That was awesome. I told her I'd be back next year, when Duncan is a Boy Scout and they have updated their books to include AHG.

* My friend Diane and I decided it would be a fun idea for all our the Jr. Church kids (4th and 5th graders) to make and serve a meal for a different group of people in our congregation each month. Today we served the elders, ministers, and the kids' families. Phew! We have an awesome group of kids, and they did a fabulous job. I, however, am pooped. I am going to take a long, luxurious nap this afternoon. I'm hoping that the sun goes away and a nice rain begins to fall to lull me to sleep.

* I am reading a fascinating book called The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It's the Life of the Mind book for University of TN this fall (where Dr. H. teaches) and also the common book at Belmont University (where Jesse goes to college). This is the story of a poor black woman whose cancerous cells were taken from her without her knowledge in 1951 and have become one of the most important tools in medicine, bought and sold countless times—yet her family can't afford health insurance. Fantastic read.

* Speaking of reading, that's what I'm about to do now, wrapped up in my nice fleece blanket on a Sunday afternoon. I hope you get a good nap in, too.