Shhhhhh

Today Unprom prep was very, very quiet. I figured it was the day after classes slump and took the time to catch up on computer research for the timeline, LEARN business in general, and a few chores that were lurking on the horizon. Kristen and Lydia arrived at noon and chose to sit outside in the beautiful Fall weather and began adding color to the clocks.

We are going for the play on words "time flies when you're having fun". There is always tomorrow, there is always a chance that we can make the wings look more wingish, and of course there is always glitter. But right now the more appropriate saying would be "time flies when you have big ears." Please give us a break when you see the clocks, Or better yet, please give us an idea for transformation of this anatomical calamity.

Carolyn and I took advantage of the quiet time used it to expand our research into a hunt for cheap posters. We found a slew on Amazon but if it looks too good to be true... Just because a poster sells for $.08 doesn't mean that this will be the actual cost of course.

We had hoped that several posters from the same retailer would give us a price break for shipping...nope. An $.08 poster only sells for $.08 if they charge you full price on s&h. We bought several knowing they would add alot to the decorations and we will stick with the original plan of make photocopies, enlargements, and original work to represent the bulk of the entries.

When Kristen and Lydia headed for home Jaya and Liz took over. They took adding color to their lives very seriously.

I love the process of Unprom prep. I love the days of chaos and productivity and I cherish the quiet time with individuals where I get to learn about what they value in this activity.

I met Liz when she was still a babe in arms and she has literally cut her teeth on this process. Jaya and Liz are two amazing young Goo+ women who bring creativity and a very strong work ethic to prep. Having them join me in the quiet spaces of the day was a very special gift.

Sew what

The quiet of Monday was replaced by the hum of sewing machines and the happy sounds of productivity. The bags had been screened and heat set so it was time to start the construction process. Ann, Claudia, and Monica started sewing and the bags look fantastic. They are sure to be favorites and a nice break from the tote bags we have done for so long. I'll say no more so that I won't spoil the surprise for those who prefer a mystery.

Sponge painting the volcano quickly became sponge painting each other. Creative license takes all forms, right?

Painting a base coat of white over the brown paper we use to paper mache really helps the color stand out on the finished project. Boy is it tedious work though. Carolyn and Kristen put the finishing touches on the white base coats after all the kids lost interest.

Liz and Victoria started adding paint to one of the Dr. Seuss entries for the timeline. Liz is planning to contribute several pieces in honor of the 50+ years of writing that Dr. Seuss has given to the world. Liz and I share a love for all things Seussish. I can't wait to see what she chooses to present.

We are big Dr. Seuss fans out here at the tiny farm. One of our favorite car games is reciting the ABC book one page at a time. Each player takes a turn reciting the rhyme that he wrote for each letter. I never get tired of that book, or many of his others. What does it say that I am 49 years old and one of my favorite books is by Dr. Seuss?

And now to bed. Sweet dreams all...

Big D, little d, David Donald Doo, dreamed a dozen donuts, and a duck dog ,too

Monday, Monday

Monday was very quiet. It started early with an 8 am trip down to Western Container to pick up some cardboard that they had generously donated for the 3rd year in a row. Here is a picture of Kendall loading the cardboard onto the truck for me. Now if he can just come home with me to trace and paint we'll be in good shape :)

Hawkin took care of prepping for the day since I had to pick up supplies. Our mornings start with chores that include chickens, goats, dogs, and horses before we can get to paint brushes or making papermache paste. I am always grateful for Hawk's pitch in attitude. She is Goo- , but oh so very willing to take on my load of work around the tiny farm so that I can take on her share of goo projects. The strange thing is we both feel like we come out with the good end of the deal.

Schees, Pajors, Jaya, Kavanaughs, and Millers managed to finish the bag screening, get some papermacheing completed, and start work transforming the cable reels we got last year for the Unreel event into the Tardis.

Yes, I said Tardis, not tortoise. I have received several requests for Tardis centered decorations. I have NO IDEA what a Tardis is or does, but I know I need to make one for this event.

Dan and Alyce have led the charge in requesting and thus manifesting the Tardis.

They headed up the transformation process with pictures, plans, and a willingness to take on power tools for the betterment of the community. We scraped around trying to find parts that could be repurposed into the heartbeat of this time machine.

I always love the challenge of manifesting an idea into a 3 dimensional creation. But there is an added twist when I haven't seen the item myself. I am more of a Grey's Anatomy girl than the Sci Fi sort but think it is time for me to watch an episode or two of Dr. Who.

Everyone involved in the Tardis project is accepting the parameters of a limited budget, looming deadline, and knowledge of materials. I think those parameters actually make for a more interesting piece.

Stayed tuned, the vision is revealing itself more all the time and I like what I am seeing. And (dr.) who knows... maybe I will become a scifi fan after all, then I will finally know the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek (sorry Carolyn :)

Also, never forget... glitter fixes everything.

TGIF!

Friday was a productive day at Tiny Farm USA. And the first full week of prep is complete! With 4 more weeks we should be able to pull this off without too many late nighters.

The bag screening was nearly completed and the screens didn't put up too much of a fuss. Let's hope that Monday's screening goes as well.

New faces joined the ranks which made for both a fun time and new friends. Many hands make light work and that was apparent today since we:

finished putting wings on all the clocks (time flies when you're having fun)

much research was done for images to add to the timeline decorations

t-shirts and bags were screened

the Tardis was discussed in detail

After completing the screening process the ink needs to be heat set. We must have looked perplexed about how to solve this problem. Rushing to our aid was Cameron, quickly dubbed Iron man. When Gideon came to take over he donned the title Iron man II. After they finished they returned to the mere mortals they were before the task. Sigh, and just when I found my list of heavy lifting chores...

During the time that wings were being added to the clocks we had a lengthy discussion about paper mache. It seems that folks are born with a goo gene. They are either goo positive (Goo+) or goo negative (Goo-). I have repeatedly see very small children dive, sometimes literally, into a vat of paper mache paste and revel in the glory of goo. Others sit outside that same vat, lips quivering, as they hold a piece of paper gingerly between their tiny fingers trying to decide if they dare dip the tip into the goo. Goo+ vs. Goo- Brad says that while he understands the benefit of using the medium he doesn't crave the paste, as many of us do... He identifies as goo neutral (goo+/-)

So today I wonder, What goo are yoo?

The BIG screen

Today, Day 3, went quite well.

Hawk and I left early to make a quick stop at the grocery before heading out to Independence to pick up the screens. I had had a lovely conversation with Meredith yesterday when she agreed to do the screen burning job. We arrived at 10 as she had suggested and spent 45 minutes listening to Radiolab (great podcast BTW) and playing Boggle.

I started to question how well I knew Meredith after our 20 minute conversation. What if she had flown the coop and was on a plane to a foreign country with my 2 cheapass screens? She could probably get $7.50 each for them in a dark alley in Prague. I started to wonder how long it would take me to call all those who had RSVP'd for today.

Meredith arrived the way I see many of the women in my life arrive to places; later than they intend, more harried than they deserve, and carrying a large tote full of something heavier than they ought carry. Being someone who is way too fluid in my allocation of time I couldn't hold much of a grudge. The woman was doing me (us) a HUGE favor and after all, she informed me apologizing, she had to feed 3 puppies and 3 snakes before heading to work!

The screens were fine, not the quality they we have come to appreciate from the Thermofax but no worse than we have dealt with when I burned them at home.

Claudia, Josh, Christy, Dakota, and Hawk me set up for a day of silkscreening of spectacular proportions, Ok, I am really exaggerating. The silkscreening was more frustrating than awe inspiring but that seems to be part of the practice of that art form.

Alot of folks arrived just as the setup was done(ish). Angie had sent shirts for screening and had cleverly devised a system for us to help those doing the screening determine which print would go where. It made things much faster and there was much less guesswork required. I will be writing that down in my handy, dandy notebook.

Screens were primed and the first couple of swipes of the squigee onto the test fabric seemed like we were off to a good start. As often happens in the screening process, prints started to come out uneven. Grrr!

Claudia, Monica, and Dakota saved the day. The screen was acting up but the 3 of them figured out what was wrong, corrected the problem and went on to do the bulk of the screening. Ann K had brought by some of the fabric that will become the bags so a few of those were completed as well.

Ann B and Christy filled a clothesline that was hung around the trees and the driveway was dotted with a colorful array of happy shirts and bags fixings. Everyone got to screen what they brought and the finishing touches will take place tomorrow. I sure hope the 3 Musketeers are coming back just in case :)

While folks took turns screening their shirts Pat, Bennett, Allison, Delayna, Cheryl and I helped to make time fly. Literally, we spent the afternoon making the wings for the clocks that families made last week. Mason and Dane uncoiled wire from the bales of hay consumed by the horses which served as a great framework for the papermached wings.

Tracie, Jonah, Zane and James as well as Katie, Kai, and Miro joined in prep for the first time. They jumped right in and seemed to enjoy themselves. BJ and Cade came as well which gave James a chance to meet a fellow guitarist who might be able to collaborate with him for the live music portion of Unprom. Cade was not as interested in taking part in the silkscreening as he was in understanding the anatomy of the hen from whom he had recently eaten eggs. Who says Unprom prep can't be counted as Science?

My ever willing partner in paper mache Mieke took the prize for the most creative wings! I'll take a picture tomorrow to share the fun.

The younger set played together well and made sure the playhouse in the basement didn't feel unloved. Come play when you can. There is still much time left.

What I learned today: Be patient. Good things come to those who wait, and wait, and wait.

To any and all of you who have had or will have to wait on me. I never mean to take advantage of your time and I don't mean to take you for granted even tho it may feel that way while you are waiting. Also please know that I will never sell your posessions in a dark alley in Prague.

dare I ass*u*me

Ok - so today I woke up ready for a break day which means I have time to see my kid, do some chores, and prep for the next work day. I decided to prioritize and seeing my kid rose to the top of the list. She chose going to the gym together and then working on her costume. While she was the priority I would be lying if I didn't admit that one of the Unprom errands was best done on the way to the gym so she was not quite at the very top of the list.

The errand was going to be a breeze; drop off the It's About Time artwork to Urban Arts and Crafts. They will use their handy dandy Thermofax machine to burn 2 screens while we are getting a workout and then the rest of the day will unfold just as we planned...ummm...no.

I walked into Urban and asked for them to burn the screens (which I have done for the last 4 years for various projects). The owner steps up and politely replies, "oh, I sold my machine about 3 months ago." To which I respond, "No, oh no!!" If I had said what I was really thinking I would have been escorted from the store and I couldn't have used that kind of language on a family blog :( I asked if they had any leads for where I might find another merchant with that machine and they gave me the name of a screen printer, down the rabbit hold I went. I called them immediately and they had no ability to help me. ACK!

A panic rose up inside me. I quickly reach inside my brain for the an internal GPS that I hope can get me to the quickest route for solving this problem. Here is what we know... It is Wednesday. Many people silkscreen. Tomorrow is screening day. Many people silkscreen. Many have RSVP'd. Many people silkscreen. I don't have the supplies to burn my own screen right now. Many people silkscreen, I must find those people and beg them to burn screens for me. We pulled into the Community Center and Hawk went into to workout while I stayed in the car and burned calories with my index finger.

After 27 phones calls and an amazing amount of support from a community of screeners that I never knew existed, I found a woman in Independence who was willing to do this job on short notice. I found her after I had consciously given up panicking, found a lucky penny on the ground, and decided that, if I had to, I would call everyone in the group to say there would be no screening on Thursday.

Her business was in the new Englewood's Art District and I knew it was going to be an interesting exchange when her shop window was filled with treasure chests of various sizes that were all embedded with old jewelry and other found objects. When you held your face close to the window and blocked the reflection with your hands you could see that she also sold t-shirts. She too seemed to be working on priorities.

I dropped off the art. We had a great conversation about art from found objects, Lucas, Kansas and the various uses for E6000. Oh , yeah. We also talked about silkscreening. She agreed to do the job, taught me a few things about how best to prep my transparencies next time around and promised to have the screens done by 10 am Thursday.

I jumped back in the car to head home; and to revisit my own list of priorities. It was a great afternoon. FYI - we got the costume done... well almost.

Day two - 2011

I promise I am not going to have a huge entry each day of prep. I decided to do this blog because each year I can't seem to find the right way to describe what Unprom is exactly. I know for some it is just the event, and that is great. But for many it is much larger and that is what I can't seem to get into words. The blog seemed like a way to archive this event for the kids while also serving as a way to explain this ritual to someone who has never done an Unprom.

Day two was great! Just a few families were able to come but much was accomplished!

My goals for this year are:

• Be more organized
• Follow each project from start to finish (where possible) before beginning something else
• Screen shirts early in the process
• Keep everyone as informed as possible
• Keep a blog

Today the Bringus boys (Chris included) joined in the paper machmayhem and helped to finish some clocks. The clocks used to be word bubbles which used to be clouds which used to be hieroglyphs. Who knows what they will become next year.

None of the paper mache could have been completed without all the paper tearing that was done by Kay and Susan (bummer, no photo). Not the most glamourous work but certainly an essential task! Plus there is no goo to wash off before dashing off to have the braces tuned up :)

Mike and Christy both came by to give aid and ideas. Many of you remember the story of Mike coming to our house in Kearney, measuring the barn once, and then arriving on the day of setup with a 2-story tall Sphinx with glowing red eyes. The whole things fit into the entrance of the barn without a hitch. Last year he constructed the amazing limo that graced the entrance of 2010: A Reel Odyssey.

Christy has been busy designing the prototype for this year's invite. I got a sneak peek at the end of last week and was wowed! I can't wait for you to go to your mailbox and find this gem.

Ann stopped by to talk about her plans for the souvenir bags for this year. A really nice surprise is in store for everyone's hauling needs this time around. All paid members get a souvenir invite. Those who RSVP for Unprom by the deadline get a bag & cd as well.

Ooo this is going to be fun! - Thanks for a great day everyone :)

Day one - 2011

So today was the first "official" day of Unprom prep for the 2011 event. We have gathered a couple of times prior to today but we were just stretching our creative muscles; like a marathoner running to the mailbox 3 weeks before any real endurance is needed.

I got the reminder about prep out later than I had planned. I just returned from 2.5 weeks in the deep woods of Oregon basking in the glory of limited technology. I returned last Wednesday at Midnight and the ludite in me came crashing back to my real life like an Apollo capsule dropping into the ocean with only 2 of the 3 shutes open. It took several days before I could come back into the house and another before I could face email. I want to make all sorts of sincere apologies for not getting the reminder out sooner but I am trying to be less apologetic for being me. Sorry about that :)

First day attendance was low... okay it was non-existent until 4:00 when Cheryl arrived with Mieke and Derek. I was so happy to see them because they distracted me from the small panic attack that I was having about the slow/no start on the first day of prep.

Cheryl and I had some much needed time to catch up. It had been almost 10 weeks since seeing each other and I felt lucky to have her all to myself. We caught up on life, knitting, LEARN business, and my ramblings about this year's Unprom plans. Mieke and Hawkin hung out with/on the horses. Derek busied himself with a creature of another sort. It was a Dr. Seuss meets Dr. Doolittle kind of an activity.

The first day was a great success. Not much got done for the Unprom but much was discussed. The presence of such a friend reminds me that the importance of community always outweighs the demands of the To Do list.

Oh yeah... and Derek and I made this movie:

What the *&$% is Unprom?

Each year our homeschooling group creates an event that is a combo platter of costume ball/carnival/potluck. The Unprom is what we have called it for as long as I can remember. Each year we are motivated by a theme that challenges us to create decorations, music, costumes, food, and games. Several weeks of preparation culminate in an afternoon and evening of community in celebration.

The event originated out of a desire to fill what we (the original group of fledgling homeschoolers that all started this journey of homeschooling about the same time) thought might be gaps in our children's experience resume. As really newbie homeschoolers we pondered whether our kids might pine for things to discuss when their schooled friends conversed about their own "milestones" of youth.

At the time 2 of my own kids were young teens. I had been questioned by schooled relatives about deficits in their social experiences & I didn't have the lead sneakers that I now wear to keep me grounded when I discuss homeschooling with the schooled world. In trying to travel a new path with a very limited map I often found myself reaching for the familiar to guide me. Replicating the status quo with a twist seemed like a good place to start.

With the 2 oldest kids in our small group of secular homeschoolers I started pushing for some of the "milestones" that I thought might help them traverse the social gaps that I had been told that a life of homeschooling would present for my kids. One that always makes the Top 5 list is What about Prom?

Since 2 teens doesn't make for the perfect Prom (especially since they were siblings) we agreed that an all ages event would be the next best thing. We could increase the numbers, fill up a dance floor, and have more than one plate of cookies from which to choose. Thus the first Unprom was born and the void of Prom would be filled by the Unprom.

I realize now that I pushed for the first Unprom due to a fear of lack. Would this choice about our children's education leave them with deficits that they will view as a burden? And though it was conceived for one reason, it has been cherished and continues for completely different ones. The process of building something together that can be celebrated as a community is an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime. After 18 years of homeschooling and 10 Unproms, one thing has become very clear to me, our kids have plenty to talk about when the conversation turns to milestones.