Thursday, March 31, 2011

Homeschool Prom, Take 2

Just 5 weeks until "Masquerade", the  2nd annual Carolina Capital Homeschool Prom, which we've been planning since early fall.  Tickets went on sale in November, a full 2 months earlier than last year, and at this point we have received over 95 registrations/payments, which is WAY more than we had this time last year.   That is a very good thing, and the reason we instituted price increases on Feb. 1st and April 1st.   Last year, most of the registrations came in AFTER the deadline, which was quite nerve-wracking for us Prom planners who had made MAJOR financial commitments for this event.

Our Prom Committee is made up of several high school girls and mothers.  Our theme is "Masquerade", inspired by Phantom of the Opera, and our colors are black, white, red, gold, and silver. We picked out linens for the tables -  black satin crush on some tables, and burgundy satin with gold/black lace overlay on others.  Amanda found an online store that sells vintage looking candleholders at wholesale prices, so we are planning on having candles, silk roses & rose petals, tea-stained notes, strands of fake pearls, white gloves, all arranged on mirrors in the centers of the tables. 
 
Other than the check-in table, that is about all the decorating we need to do. The venue is gorgeous all by itself, so we don't need too much, plus we rent a tent that is bordered with white twinkle lights - and hopefully will have a chandelier, too. 

Requests are still coming in for registration packets, and according to my daughter, a lot of people she knows have SAID they are coming, but haven't sent in their forms or money yet. Hope they get on that soon!  We need to decide how many tables we need so we can order the candleholders and other items needed for the centerpieces. We need to order wristbands for everyone to wear. We still need to talk with the caterer and finalize the menu. We need to mail out info for the photographer.  We have a couple more Sponsors who have donated money. We are also promoting our Benefit, which is "Meet Me at the Bridge", a non-profit that provides meals and help for homeless people in inner-city Durham, NC.   We are encouraging everyone to bring bottles of water, which the organization can distribute to homeless people during the hot summer months, and we are challenging everyone to give up one fast food meal during the month of April and donate the money they would have spent. We are hoping to raise at least $300. 

On another Prom front, we finally found a dress for Amanda. Pictures will come later.  It was NOT easy to find a pretty, modest dress that fit - but hallelujah for Belk's Women's Dept.!  We actually found TWO beautiful dresses and spent 45 minutes in the dressing room, getting unsolicited advice from every sales clerk and shopper who walked in, trying to decide.    She is happy.  No she just needs shoes and a mask to go with it.



Our Own Kind of March Madness

I can't believe I haven't posted here in a whole month! I didn't plan to be absent so long. I've just been chained to my Kitchen Aid, baking cupcakes all month!!!!

hahaha

No, really.

Truth be told, the Cupcakes on a Mission fundraiser is going quite well! We have baked well over 1000 cupcakes so far, with 2 weeks to go. My trusty Kitchen Aid mixer and my stove have gotten a good workout. I have found some great recipes, learned some tricks and tips to being a better baker, and thrown a few trays of cupcakes in the trash. Between cupcake money and other donations, Amanda has about 3/4 of the money she needs for her trip to Uganda in August. EXCITING! Thank you so much to everyone who has eaten too much sugar these past few weeks. It is for a good cause!
If you are interested, she is going to Uganda with our friends, the Wrights, and Ten Eighteen.

 Chocolate Chip Cannoli Cupcakes


So what else has been going on during the month of March? ( okay, Feb. too) Let's see.

Lighthouse Family Square Dance

We rented a school gym on a Sunday afternoon and had a great turnout at this event, and a wonderful caller made it fun for everyone, young and old alike! 







NCHEAC Regional & State Basketball Tournaments

In addition to coaching the Lighthouse Middle School Boys team, Mark is Tournament Director for the NCHEAC ( North Carolina Home Educators Athletic Conference) East Regional Basketball Tournament, held at SEBTS in Wake Forest. Things are busy in our household in the week or two leading up to that. Amanda's team advanced to the state tournament, which was the following weekend, but Jason's team finished early.  Amanda was chosen for the Varsity Girls All Conference Team and will play in the All Star Game in Winston-Salem during the Homeschool Conference weekend in May.  Jason was chosen to the All-Tournament team.

Oh, and the Lighthouse Eagles Varsity Girls Basketball Team went undefeated in pre-season, season, and tournament play, winning the NCHEAC championship trophy! 




Lighthouse Basketball Awards Night 

At the end of every sports season, the Lighthouse teams gather for a pot luck meal and awards presentations. Volunteers are recognized. All players receive a certificate and seniors receive special Senior Plaques. Coaches call up each player and give words of praise and encouragement.  And sometimes the players get in a word or two as well. ;-)







HSPN East Coast Homeschool Basketball Tournament at Liberty U.

Our favorite basketball week of the year!  The Liberty Tournament has become a much-anticipated week of fun and competition at the end of each basketball season for our varsity teams, and this year, our 2 JV teams entered for the first time, as well. The tournament features 80 homeschool basketball teams from all over the East - NC, SC, VA, GA, TN, OH, MD, NY.   All the Lighthouse teams did well, but our Varsity Girls really shined, earning top seed in the Championship game out of 20 girls teams, and losing to Charleston's Low Country Wildcats by 6 points in the final game. It was a heartbreaker, but the tears flowed freely afterwards mainly due to the fact that Amanda's entire team was made up of seniors - and now it was over.  Sadness.









Jason made it to the finals in the 13 & under 3-point contest, and competed against his friend, Chris.  They had to shoot 10 balls in 30 seconds, from points around the arc. They tied 3 times before Chris beat him by 1 basket. 

Lighthouse Geography Bee

I helped plan a Geography Bee for our homeschool group, and of course made my son participate.  He had fun, despite himself. :-)  We divided the kids by age group, and did Geography Games in addition to the Bee. Younger kids ( K-5th) competed first, while older kids ( 6th-12th) played games. Then they switched.  The whole thing took a LOT longer than we planned, but everyone had fun, and we moms learned a few things that we'll change for next time.