vintage swap 2009

A package from sweet Anie:

Many thanks to Heather at Shivaya Naturals for hosting Vintage Swaps 2009.

And a sneak peek:

 

 

a little thing I call “the payoff”

sarah’s wish

 

If there’s a nicer person out there than Jim Baumgardner, please let me know. My son is reading Jim B.’s first book, Sarah’s Wish, and listening to the MP3 of the audio book as well. The book was written for Jim’s grandchildren, but has turned into an ongoing passion as well as a ministry. Jim looks like a Wild West movie grandpa. He is – but without the movie (so far). A fan of “High Noon” and Zane Grey novels, he lives near the old Chisholm Trail in Wichita, Kansas, and volunteers at the Old Cowtown Museum, playing the part of the town’s barber. Very cool.

But his book goes back a few generations – quite a few – to the days of his Great, Great Grandfather, a time when young people faced the trials of their time (a peck of troubles), including dangers unheard of today and challenges far beyond their years. Saving lives by moving “packages” along the Underground Railroad? Uh, huh.

The dialect in the book may be difficult for some young readers and I do believe it should be discussed with children in the context of the abhorrence of slavery, but Jim B. interweaves history lessons that should not be forgotten with a subtext of God’s hand in the lives of every child.

I get a good report from the boy on this one and he isn’t easy to please. This is the first in a series. So far, Jim has published three “Sarah” books, with a fourth coming soon. I believe we will be back for a second helping.

 

Sarah’s Wish includes a free download of the audio book.

If you homeschool, Mr. Baumgardner has a special site just for you. Also, he sent us a copy of Sarah’s Wish as part of the TOS Crew. If you want to order books at a discounted rate, just email him at JBaumgardner3@cox.net and ask. He will send you a special order form for TOS Crew readers. Enjoy!

big light

(Gary Fan 6/15/92 - 1 0/19/09. Photo “borrowed” from some kid on Facebook – sorry about that, but really, it’s a perfect photo. Taken on tacky day, hence the outfit, a few days before Gary’s accident.)

Southside High School (Greenville, SC) students, teachers and parents are mourning a wonderful young man. Please remember his family and friends in your prayers. Here’s a terrific story about the team of which Gary was, and my daughter is, a part.

(This story is no longer online but originally appeared at greenvilleonline.com.)

Southside High's forensic team uniquely unified

Published: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 2:00 am

By Katherine Dyer
City People Writer

Spend an hour with core members of the Southside High School Forensics team, and ready or not, aware of it or not, you'll inevitably encounter the source of the team's strength.

It's the reason behind the confidence they have as individuals and competitors, the reason they say other teams are drawn to them during down-time at tournaments, and the reason they endured weather “hot enough to boil Oodles of Noodles” in un-airconditioned Birmingham, Ala., classrooms for a weekend in June.

It's also the reason for their incessant, tag-team banter and how they know each others' favorite songs and whose dance moves would – could – should? – be retooled as torture techniques.

Simply stated, they're a family.

“I mean,” Andre Sullivan, a rising senior, tosses out slyly, “I think you can tell we all look alike.”

(They don't.)

Ultimately, though, this bond is also the reason for the large silver trophy sitting triumphantly on the focal fold-out table between them. (It should be noted here that the trophy was also safety-buckled in the front seat of Coach Erickson Bynum's car en route to the meeting.)

By no means the team's first honor, this National School of Excellence Award from the 2009 National Speech and Debate Tournament in Birmingham distinguishes Southside as one of only 25 of the 900 participating teams nationwide to demonstrate specific, high levels of performance at the competition.

It's no surprise. This year, the team also claimed the Overall State Championship award for the first time in five years, defeating schools from A-AAAA classifications, and was named the 2009 National Forensic League S.C. District Sweepstakes Champions at the district tournament for the second year in a row.

“This may honestly be the most talented group of people not only in the Southeast, but also across the nation,” admits 2009-grad Rickey Pulley of his teammates.

“We're kind of like the TV show ‘Diff'rent Strokes,” he offers. “We've got people from every different nationality, but we all found a common ground.”

That ground is speaking as a form of art.

And while they each have unique specialties, Coach Erickson Bynum, himself a Southside Forensics team alumnus, fosters the team's unique unity by encouraging the students to participate in events outside their realms of talent. He also provides them a high level of self-governance, which promotes mentoring amongst teammates.

“I love the fact that they're constantly trying to make themselves better,” Bynum says.

“I think that what makes our team so successful,” explains Blair Brewer, a rising sophomore specializing in public forum debate, “is the fact that we have different people from different backgrounds and different walks of life, and that Mr. Bynum is able to unite us all. It creates this sort of unity of ideas.”

“Other teams act as corporations,” reveals 2009-grad Jared Marr, “whereas with us, it's family and self-betterment first.”

“And if we win a trophy along the way,” he adds (they have a whole display case full), “that's great, that's wonderful. But the primary thing is to encourage each other, which usually results in us doing better anyway.”

i am going to need an apple reservation

When an apple orchard is featured in Travel and Leisure, everybody shows up. It was wild at our usually semi-quiet apple picking spot, but I am glad the farmers are getting such a good response. (And selfishly, I wanted to yell, “Where did you people come from? Shoo! Step away from the Mutsus.”)

The visit left me feeling fallish:

What a face:

a home(school)-based business

How cool is this? Virginia Soaps and Scents sent samples of soaps to TOS Crew members for review. (Alliteration not included.) The company is owned and operated by a homeschooling family and it resulted from a unit study on colonial life in Virginia. It was, according to the Spargur family, to be a one-time project, like the time we made butter here in our homeschool. (We may or may not have done that more than once and I may or may not have licked the spoon.)

In any event, the family makes bath soap with olive and coconut oils that are wonderfully scented. The boy even likes them, which says a lot when soap gets approval from an 11-year-old. I have been using the shampoo bar, which seems to have a similar cleaning property as the baking soda and vinegar wash I tried earlier this year. (I loved the way it made my hair feel and I loved not using commercial shampoo, but the baking soda was terrible on my hands. No eczema issues with the shampoo bar.)

I also received a sample size of the Spargurs’ laundry soap kit. I will be asking a friend to try that one because the grated cleaning bar included in the kit is lard-based. This vegetarian can’t quite get past that, but as always, YMMV. I can tell you that my own use of soap/washing soda/borax for laundry is something I will use until the end of time or until someone else washes my clothes. (I think the end of time will probably come first.) If the lard doesn’t bother you and you want to try making your own laundry soap with the ease of a kit, this may be something that interests you.

The company also makes beeswax lip balm, all-in-bars (for camping and travel) and an unscented line for my fellow allergic peeps.

VSS now has holiday soaps available, including pumpkin spice scent (made from real pumpkin and cinnamon). Yum. If I buy that one and I smell like pumpkin pie, will that make me eat less at Thanksgiving?

 

Soaps are $4.50 each, 3 for $12 and 10 for $35. A regular-sized laundry soap kit is $4.95 and makes two gallons of gel – enough to wash 64 – 72 loads.

and now i want wool roving

I have a stack of felted wool sweaters that I plan to make into a blanket (and maybe socks, but that’s a long story), so I was very excited to see “Rainbow Sheep” in my inbox. Yes, it’s a children’s book and a really sweet one at that, but following the story are several pages of felting instructions from author and fiber artist Kim Chatel. Very cool.

Guardian Angel Publishing sent several e-books to TOS Crew members for review. Two books I received are for wee littles: “Rainbow Sheep’ and “Maybe We Are Flamingos.” While they are gorgeous (“Rainbow Sheep” is illustrated with fiber art from Chatel) and well done, I am a bit old fashioned about children’s books. I still like to hold them in my hands and save the pdfs for the older kids. (Guardian Angel books are available in paperback – I just received pdfs to review.) However, several Guardian Angel books, including “Maybe We Are Flamingos” are available as iPhone (or iPod) apps. Sounds like a lifesaver for those “waiting” moments at the doctor or the auto repair shop when you need something to distract little ones. (E-books are also significantly less expensive than printed versions and that may make a difference in your choice of format.)

We also received several books for older kids, including “Andy and Spirit Go to the Fair,” “Earthquake,” and “No Bones About It.” The books seem to be representative of the broad range offered by Guardian Angel. All books are for ages 12 and younger and span a wide variety of topics. Illustrations, especially, seem to be of the highest quality. And there are freebies! The free downloads are a good way to explore the site and find some useful titles for your homeschool. Enjoy!