40 Hour Project: 4 Year Roundup

That's 160 hours total for all you homeschoolers out there.

•  Freshman year - Christendom: I made a calligraphy booklet full of Bible verses and quotes.
• Sophomore year - Early America: I copied Johannes Vermeer's The Little Street. This was one of my first paintings and I really enjoyed it.
• Junior year - Modernity: This is probably my least favorite project out of all four years. My first (and possibly last) attempt at Impressionism. I used a picture of a tree/scenery that Katie took in New Orleans as my guideline. My intention was to bring out the colors and layer on the paint. (If you look closely at the tree, there is a lot of texture on the trunk from the globs of paint I put all over it.) But it really just looks amateur and unrealistic. After adding so much color, eventually the colors all came together and turned gray. Just check out the grass. Needless to say, Impressionism is not my forte. In spite of my failure (or perhaps because of), Monet and Renoir will always be among my favorites.
• Senior year - Antiquity: Antiquity is one of the hardest years to find good project you can actually spend 40 hours working on. At the last minute, a few sketches of ancient architecture was all I could come up with. I really intended to draw several. But sketching the perspective of the Roman Colosseum correctly turned out to be no easy task. In the end, I only finished the Colosseum and the Parthenon. (And really, no sketch is ever "finished." Especially mine.) Adding all the cracks and little details in the Parthenon was pretty fun, though.

Little things

Jeremiah sits on my bed while I call out his Latin vocabulary words and he replies with the English: 

"Frumentum."

"Grain."

"Proelium."

"Battle,"

and so on. 

With a wide grin and one proud tutor, he finally nails the Second Declension Masculine chant he's been struggling over. It's all worth it in the end. His wide, curious eyes look up at me, he smiles and says, "This is actually funner than I thought." I smile back and ignore his grammar.

God has been teaching me so much - especially patience. It's not always easy. But not much in life is. One thing's for sure. It always pays off.

Summer's just around the river bend.

 

this is about how things have been recently. so much going on, so much to do, so much homework, so much stress. a lot floating around my head.

 but my 40-hour project is finally finished. we had our last day at excelsior and our end-of-year program. i'm exempt from next week's geometry test and i only have one final left. 

unfortunately, the only final left is for gileskirk - and it's 30 pages. yay.

Be still, my heart.

1. It's Thanksgiving week.

I don't have school. I get to see my family, play intense games of Risk, Cadillac, Ultimate frisbee, hike, sleep in, eat good food - and most importantly, Aunt Carla's cookies. I swear I have dreamed about those cookies. Once a year, my aunt makes about 250 delicious, addicting, sweet and chocolatey, Hershey kisses cookies. And once a year, those cookies are gone in about two days.

2. Crazy hair day:

A New Excelsior Tradition. Lots of fun. I got to wear pigtails wrapped in ribbons and bows of all different colors. I had fun. . .even if, yes, I happened to be the only high-schooler who participated. Well, I had fun. But really, come on, guys.

3. So Katie and I watched a special on William and Kate's engagement.

The weird part is, neither of us ever watch TV. The other weird part is, well, isn't it obvious?

4. The Excelsior Westward Ho party.  
It was real. It was great. It was really great.

My favorite, best friends: the Parson and the Bandit.

Cowboy-Dad

The Fam: Cowboys, Indians, and a Parson. I love them.


5. I'm making lists like Ree, 'cause she's awesome.

Yes, we're on a first-name basis now.

6. Now I'm going to go watch a movie and clean my room

 and pretend like I'm not missing out on an awesome game of Ultimate because I have no car. . .

'Tis finished.

School is over, "THE TEST" is finished, Walden is dead, life is good.

Here's a recap:

Friday was the last day of school and end of year program. Afterward we played frisbee, volleyball, busted pinatas, and ate lots of food. It was great.

{We decided to have class in the Alps.} 

Saturday, I had soccer games all day long. After the whistle was blown in my last game of the day, I literally ran straight off the field and into the car. Yeah, I was the one running into the gas station fully clothed in all my soccer apparel (complete with cleats, shin guards, and socks, mind you), asking for the bathroom, running out 5 minutes later in a skirt and dress shirt (still wearing cleats, shin guards, and socks). Of course, no one noticed and I just went on with my business.

Not.

There happened to be a long line the moment I had come in and bounded for the restrooms. On the way back out, I was questioned about my garb and heard not a few chuckles. (Why yes, I did just say garb.)

At least Ellie's graduation was better. :)

On Sunday, we went to dinner at a friend's.

Monday: ate lunch with the class, then headed over to my house to get some studying done. Yes, the only way to prepare for a few hours of studying is to have some fun first. After they left I studied...some more. Then I studied some more. Just as I began to feel my brain slipping out of my cranium, the doorbell rang. Distraction numero uno. The dinner guests were here.

Ate. Talked. Ate some more. Felt guilty about not studying. Put it off. Felt more guilty. Put it off some more. 

Finally, I dragged myself upstairs and permanently fixed my eyes to my study sheets, my Grantian charts, and my lecture notes for a few hours. All the while hearing laughter and noise and excitement from downstairs. And let me tell you, it sounded a whole lot better than the seven different kinds of slavery found in the Bible, or who Andrew Carnegie was, or what the AFL did.
Distraction numero dos, Facebook. Luckily, I escaped that one soon enough.

Studied the night away even after our company left.

Finally, came "the day." Tuesday: woke up, went swimming, gorged on some chocolate, and rode pink flamingos off into the sunset. Or not. Just making sure you're awake, 'cause at this point on Tuesday morning, I sure wasn't.

When we got to the Moellers' house (the place of my doom - not that their house is doom-like, but that their house held the key to my doom: "the test"), and I studied some more. 

After 6 grueling hours, I finished the atrocious, monstrous, silly, unnecessary, cruel test. It was over. I couldn't believe my own eyes.

We went to the lakehouse, partied, rode the boat, went tubing, played poker and balderdash, and ate. It was awesome.

We had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. But instead of marshmallows, we roasted . . our own horrific copies of Walden! Muahahaha.

It is now very dead. Don't be alarmed, we've thrown its ashes into the lake. It shall haunt us no more.

Happy Wednesday!

The 40-hour project is done. I can't say the painting's finished or looks good... but, who cares? I've got 40 hours done! 

Tomorrow, I turn it in. Tomorrow = last Friday of the semester! Tuesday = last test of the semester.

Bring it on.

Almost free at last, free at last

I can't believe my own ears. One more week of school; 11 more hours of inhaling paint thinner and spoiling my clothes, skin, and hair (luckily, acrylics do wash out) with paint, and one more week of testing - and by that I mean, THE test: the ominous, scary, ridiculously and unnecessarily gargantuan Gileskirk final exam. I can make it out alive. I will make it out alive.

Summer is feeling nearer and nearer, almost tangible. It would be exactly four days until I can rejoice and revel in all its Summery glory. But because of the ominous gargantuan Gileskirk final exam, it's exactly 8 days (this weekend included) until I can feel the freedom which only Summer affords. Summer is just around the corner; so close I can almost reach out and touch it. Almost.

I should say that the Gileskirk final isn't all bad. (Maybe some of you will positively disagree - I happen to know a couple of you won't be taking it and are just crying yourself to sleep at night to be deprived of such a delightful privilege.) Things about it are endurable and almost enjoyable. Like, studying for instance. I can endure it with a tasty snack, while Pride and Prejudice or Phantom of the Opera play quietly in the background. Plus, I'll have my dearest companion for company - Horatio, my study guide (why, yes personifying my study guide makes this whole studying thing less of a drab and more of a... less drabby thing. How's that for quick wit?) Then, exam day. Once you get through the butterflies in the stomach and the slight queasiness, you're good to go. You're handed a Snickers' bar, a soda, and a pencil. You have a break, eat good food and discuss what movie you'll see, or where you'll eat afterward with the others. Then when it's (the test, that is) all filled out, checked over once, twice, maybe a third time... FREEDOM! You're finished. Relief floods over you like a river.

Darn. Now I'm freedom-sick. So ready to be finished.

P.S. Just between us, no Facebook = 10x more efficient. But let's not let that get out.

If you can read this, thank a teacher

My week at a glance:
Thursday consisted of loads of homework, errands to Barnes & Noble and Sam's, and a trip with some friends to Birmingham, Alabama to see Chris Thile perform in concert. It (meaning the concert - not homework or errands, of course) was amazing and he was amazing. He plays the mandolin - I know what you thinking; "The mandolin??? Really?" but he makes the mandolin cool, trust me - and he has an amazing voice. Listen to him here.

On Friday, Excelsior was actually kinda fun - we got to paint in art, our lunch wasn't cold, and literature was...interesting, to say the least. Then, after school I got to see friends that I don't usually get to spend much time with. And I started Eudora Welty's short stories. I haven't even finished the story I started and I think I'm already a fan of Eudora. :)

Luke and Eleanor - they're enthralled with Dr. G, I promise

This is what happens when Hugh Morris participates in class discussion. Um, yeah...it was fascinating. And educational.


:)

On Saturday, I had a wonderful time with my wonderful friend, Colleen. Then we headed over to the annual McCoy cookout, where we ate, attempted to play frisbee in the mud pits while it was dark...and cold- very, very cold (My toes are still thawing out.) - sat by the fire, enjoyed all the great things about Fall, and played "kemps" with the over-enthusiastic-card-player-Hugh and friends.

The McCoy/Strevel field.
I can't take credit for this picture - it's Jennifer's. Thanks Jennifer!