Of Curriculum, Casting and Considering Houses

It was a busy weekend! Let's see....

At the used curriculum sale, I found several big items for next year--Saxon 65, Apologia Biology, Easy Grammar 3 & 4, Easy Grammar Plus--but not a single book I need for next year's Sonlight history and literature reading list. (Compared to the jackpot I hit last year, that was disappointing. Oh well.) Judging by how many boxes of unsold books I got back after the sale, I think that I sold about 1/3 of what I submitted. Considering how much of it was given to me for free, and how much I bought second-hand myself, that wasn't half-bad, actually. A lot of what I got back was not curriculum, but just the cheesier children's books we have accumulated, which I will pass on to charity without a qualm. There are a few curriculum items I'll pass on to friends, if they'll take them, and a few more that I forced myself, painfully, to recycle--they were that outdated. (But still usable...! I just don't need them.) A dozen items, maybe, would be valuable to the right buyer; I hope to find a friend to help me sell them online and share the profits.

The women's retreat was a good time of connection, ministry, and receiving from the Lord. I could write a whole post...but probably won't.

During an afternoon session at the retreat, Papa Rooster text-messaged me with the cast list for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe! I'm cast as Mrs. Macready, Professor Digory's strict housekeeper. He will play Aslan, Blondechick14 will be Susan, Bantam11 is Edmund, Bantam8 will be Scratch the Dwarf, the White Witch's sidekick, and Chicklet4.5 will be a Ballerina. A friend--the young woman who lived with us last summer--will be Mrs. Beaver, and another family friend, Bantam11's age, was cast as Lucy. Her father, who has a beard, was asked if he'd consider playing Father Christmas, and he consented; her sister ended up auditioning as well, and we think is going to play Mr. Tumnus. Another young friend of ours will be Lucy in the "other" cast. Other than her, all our family and friends are in the same cast, we think--except they haven't got another Edmund or another Mrs. Macready, so for now, Bantam11 and I are slated to appear in both casts, or all 9-10 performances. (He's very excited about it; I'm not sure if I'm going to agree to that.)

I am so excited that Bantam11 got Edmund--it means he'll get to sing a duet with his father! He and Blondechick will enjoy playing brother and sister, as well. Bantam8 got the role he's coveted ever since he saw our other production of this show, and I know Papa Rooster is going to be wonderful as Aslan. I think Mrs. Macready won't be too much of a stretch for me--I've had a little practice at sternly ordering children around--and she's only in the opening and closing scenes. In this production, she doesn't sing, either. Our kids are so excited to finally have lead roles! This will be a great opportunity for them--for all of us, I hope!

After the retreat ended on Saturday, I drove on up to Kenosha and looked at three houses. On Sunday, Papa Rooster went through the same three, and we agreed on the one we could really see ourselves in--a beautiful, hundred-year old Victorian home with 4 big bedrooms and a huge, finishable attic. (We'd put a bedroom, bath and high-ceilinged great room up there.) But then our friends took Papa Rooster through an old brick mansion, beautifully restored and remodeled, out of our price range, but which would be ideal for our family and for doing ministry from. We have a string to pull, if you will; we've given it a tug and placed that in God's hands. I could love the Victorian home, otherwise. But I sure will miss the closet space and the yard we have here!

On this end--getting this house ready to sell--progress has been slow. I keep having other obligations, like the retreat, and now tonight we're hosting a dessert gathering and prayer meeting for a group of Anglican priests from all over the U.S. (Can't wait to see Father Steve!!!) Our friend who started the church plant in Kenosha will be here as well. While here, he'll go over our house and see what needs doing, and in a couple weeks he'll be back to do it.

Hopefully by the time he's done, I'll have all our extraneous belongings packed up and in storage, and we'll be ready to start showing the house.

Boxes! I need boxes....