Math with Hosanna

I use Math-U-See with Hosanna, which I think is a great program, but sometimes it's beneficial to divert from the normal routine and play a math game! We enjoyed playing "Sum Swamp" together, and used the Math-U-See blocks to figure out the answers. Math is usually difficult for her, but this was fun! Who can resist a game?!?

Life Often Turns Out Differently Than You Imagine It Will Be

Shocking, huh? I bet you didn't know that.

I was just thinking about my experiences as a homeschooled teenager on our family...hmm, what did we call it? Not a farm. Not a homestead. Just, "The Property". Ten acres to build our modest home on, clear of trees and scrub, raise chickens (and occasionally butcher them), garden, and do other farm-ish things.

My sister Mara and I were recently talking and laughing about our former idealistic selves. There was Before, and there was After
.
Before we got a batch of chicks, we knew we would love the little yellow fuzz balls and raise them tenderly to feed from our hand. Sure, it was okay if we had to start them in a box inside the house.

They were adorable for the first two hours.

Then they started to smell. They were quite loud. And however did they manage to hop out of that tall box? The heat light nearly fell on them 100 times. The babies kept giving them enthusiastic squeezes, and we quickly caught on to the, "I'm being loved to death by a toddler" cheeps. I was never so happy than when they were safely settled in the chicken house.

Until I had to start collecting eggs, that is. The chicken house smelled like...ammonia. And how come the eggs weren't clean? They were in the store. These eggs were sometimes (usually) poopy, and guess who had to wash them? Guess, guess! Yep, Me. And cleaning out the chicken house was another matter entirely, which I do not wish to discuss at present.

Moving on to the Cow.

Before we got our milk cow, Molly, I pictured myself in a gingham dress, barefoot, and singing arias while milking a contented cow surrounded by nice, clean hay. Oh, and my hair would always look good, too, sort of milkmaid-ish; possibly with two braids down my back. It was a lovely mental image.

When Molly arrived, I was enamored with her. She became my special project. And someday in the future, I would enjoy having a milk cow. But again, we come to After. As in, that hay did NOT stay clean. Her stall had to be emptied and refreshed each day. I learned how to use a pitchfork and shovel real well.

Milking took a little time getting used to, at first. My hands tired fast! Plus, I had to clean her udder off with a soapy bleach and water combination before I even began to milk. Seriously, how did that poop get everywhere? Also, did you know that cows do not necessarily stand perfectly still while being milked? Sometimes they knock the bucket over. Or step in it. Or swat you with their tail. Right in your eyes. So then you are bleary and can't see anything. It wasn't long before I began tying up her tail before commencing the milking process. A cow won't kick when her tail is tied up, in my experience. She probably feels indecent.

Before, I was excited at the prospect of using all that delicious, creamy jersey milk. But gallons of it every day were another matter. Something had to be done! I made butter, cheeses, ice-cream, pudding, and all manner of dairy products. I really did love it, but I hadn't expected the commitment and planning it would take to manage it all.

Oh, something is coming back. A fuzzy memory...standing in a puddle after a morning rain, while holding onto the metal milk bucket with one hand and accidentally grabbing our hot electric fence with the other. Yes, the memory is quite vivid now. I can almost feel again the sensation of getting zapped, as we called it. I think I screamed. Did this happen to other milkmaids, too?

Back to Poultry. I had no idea that roosters could be so mean. And they WILL NOT be trained. Sometimes, I didn't want to turn my back on them while hanging laundry on the clothesline. Evil creatures would fly up at you and try to peck. Out of frustration, and concern they would attack one of the little ones, Dad butchered several. Usually on short notice. We'd be inside, working in the kitchen, and someone would glance out the window just in time to see Dad quickly chop a head off. Whew, one less mean rooster. Time to process a bird!

The turkeys were funny. Before, I pictured them as grand, austere birds. They are, but they can be quite lovable, too, in their ugly way. What I hadn't bargained on was the way they would follow me on walks down the county road. Yes, a big turkey. Like a loyal doggie. Actually, it was quite an entourage. Not only was I accompanied by a turkey (always keeping a respectable though helpful distance), but the family dogs, cats, chickens, and guineas would follow. I'm sure the cow would have joined us, too, if she weren't fenced in. Really, it was a little embarrassing to have all these stragglers. One could never slip away unnoticed. They always found you.

Daddy enjoyed gardening, and Mom was an expert at canning, freezing, and dehydrating whatever he grew. So between them both, we always had plenty to keep us busy. My journals during those years were full of such things as, "We put up a bushel of peaches today"; "I canned spaghetti sauce from the last of the romas"; "We're slicing apples to dehydrate", etc. I was probably more helpful in the kitchen, but I did try my hand at gardening, too.

One year I decided to start my own personal flower bed, in addition to Daddy and Mara's successful ones. In my mind, Before, it was going to be an oasis of color and fragrance second to none. I had some flower seeds on hand, and I carefully nurtured my little little rock garden with great excitement. Mara claimed that some of my plants-the dear little growing things-were weeds. Weeds? Whatever! These were flowers, soon to bloom into spectacular colors!

Fast-forward to After. Most of my tenderly cared for plants were weeds. I finally believed Mara when I found some identical plants, uh, weeds, growing in the woods. I also ended up with a scrawny, lone cornstalk. No idea how that got there. Besides a few limp cosmos, I ended up with a garden full of thriving weeds. That ended my gardening career!

Oh my, I have so many great memories. Those character-building moments taught me much about personal responsibility, flexibility, dealing with challenges, and so on. On the educational side, well, there's nothing quite like first-hand experiences! Sometimes reality is harsh, but I wouldn't have had the opportunity to grow as a person in quite the same way if everything was as rosy as my "Before" mentality.

"After" was definitely a lot funnier, in the long run. :)

Quick Dinner Ideas

As you've probably noticed, I'm not very good at photography. So please believe me when I say that the above dish did indeed taste much better than it now looks! Yesterday was one of those crazy days when I was away from home and running from one thing to the next. Actually, I rarely have days like that but yesterday was one of them. And in spite of my high hopes, I never quite managed to get dinner in the crockpot before heading out the door in the morning. I have this thing about remembering to remove meat from the freezer to thaw overnight. I'm usually frantically trying to water-thaw my meats in the morning in order to cook them in the afternoon or evening!

So yesterday I found myself at Wal-Mart at about 5:30pm and wondering what to fix for dinner. (Don't you hate that?!) I'm really trying to avoid fast food and overly pre-packaged foods. (Hey, it happens sometimes and that's ok!) I finally decided to grab a rotisserie chicken (those things are so yummy) and 2 boxes of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice (chicken flavor). It worked out great. While the kids unloaded groceries and Drew scarfed down a banana, I put the rice on to cook (15 minutes, tops) and began deboning the chicken. It came off the bones very easily. I piled it in a large glass serving dish and stirred in the finished rice. The kids were happy with it, and I was pleased to have a healthier alternative to frozen pizza (which, by the way, would have taken the same amount of time or more to prepare). There was plenty for our family of 5, and leftovers to boot. I served it with all-natural applesauce, as well.

Another last-minute-throw-it-together meal comes to mind: Bean tortillas. Spread refried beans over flour tortillas, lay flat on a baking sheet, sprinkle shredded cheese on top, and broil lightly until warm and melty. You can serve as is (my kids love to either roll them up or just tear pieces off the tortilla as they eat) or add a variety of toppings such as salsa and sour cream. If I have cooked, seasoned, leftover hamburger I add that, too.

If you have any quick meal ideas I'd love to hear them!

Teaching My Children to Think

When I stumbled across this little collection of thoughts from a homeschool mom, I was reminded again of one of the reasons why I homeschool. To open the door of learning to my children and encourage them to think! This is something I am trying to cultivate in my own life as well.

The Crockpot Wins!

Crockpot-Roasted-Chicken= Delicious-Easy-Dinner! The chicken roasted slowly all afternoon, rubbed with herbs, butter, and a little wine. The result was tender and tasty-almost guiltily simple! I quickly made mashed potatoes while Hosanna and Caleb chopped carrots to be sauteed in butter. It was a meal the whole family loved.

I try to use my crockpot at least once a week, usually on days when I am away from home. Saves time and money, always a plus! It's so nice to come home from a day of shopping or homeschool activities to find a comforting dinner bubbling in the crock.

Recently, I found this fabulous blog about an industrious gal and her crockpot adventures. One whole year of using her crockpot every single day! She lists recipes and pictures and detailed information on recipes she loved and those she didn't-and why she thinks they flopped. She was even featured on a Rachel Ray show! I'm excited about her "making-yogurt-in-a-crockpot" recipe and look forward to trying it this week.

Here's a recent favorite crockpot recipe of my own. It came from my sister-in-law, Grace, and I've made it twice in the crock with great success. (My slight alterations to her recipe are in italics):

Lentil Rice Soup

Saute`:
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup chpd celery
3/4 cup chpd onion

Add:
6 cups water I use broth or a combination of broth and water
3/4 cup lentils*

Add:
1- 28 ounce can puree or petite diced tomatoes We prefer puree-the soup turns out creamier and thicker. My kids aren't thrilled with tomato chunks!
3/4 cup rice I use brown
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Put everything into the crockpot for 4-5 hours. You can add a dollop of sour cream in the bowl when serving. Great with oyster crackers or homemade rolls.

* If you prefer to quick cook, at this point you can simmer for 20 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients and cook for 45-60 minutes in a soup pot till done.

Love Through Me

Love through me, Love of God;
Make me like Thy clear air
Through which, unhindered, colors pass
As though it were not there.

Powers of the love of God,
Depths of the heart Divine,
O Love that faileth not, break forth
And flood this world of Thine.

I woke up this morning with that poem on my mind. I've long enjoyed the works of Amy Carmichael, and several years ago Mara gave me, "Mountain Breezes, The Collected Poems of Amy Carmichael." It's been awhile since I've thumbed through it, but this morning I'm finding my favorites...

Make Me Thy Fuel

From prayer that asks that I may be
Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher,
From silken self, O Captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakening,
(Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified)
From all that dims Thy Calvary,
O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way,
That faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope that no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire;
Let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.

Basket of Art

Ever since Hosanna and Caleb were old enough to grasp a crayon in their hands, where to store them when not in use has always been a challenge. I encourage my children to color and draw almost anytime they like (right before we leave the house is one exception!), and I like to have supplies within easy reach. I've used plastic containers with snap lids. Boxes. Pails. Here is my latest container-a basket found in Wal-Mart's bathroom supply aisle! I like my containers to be aesthetically pleasing as well as practical, of course! It rests on my kitchen counter just a few feet away from where they sit and create. It has the essentials-crayons, colored pencils, fancy scissors, and pencil crayons, all in their own compartment. Easy to reach, easy to put away. There are other supplies in a nearby drawer, out of sight. Until we get our school cabinet completed, this will do. Hosanna and Caleb also have their own art boxes, full of various craft supplies such as stickers, feathers, yarn, popsicle sticks, pom-poms, and so on. They can use whatever they want from their container, and it all goes back when they are done. They love it, and I'm happy to encourage their creativity!

Book Found: A Year of Mornings

Last evening, while waiting for Hosanna and Caleb to finish their "Bible-In-Me" class, I stumbled across some good friends at Panera. Over a hot coffee and shortbread cookie (the latter of which I shared with Drew), Candace and I discussed some Favorite Things. She told me about this book, and of course I had to look it up as soon as I got home. And since I'm such a sucker for books, I'm ordering a copy today from Amazon. The authors have a new website now- A Year of Evenings. Two friends, living on opposite coasts, share one photo each day- the first year being mornings, which developed into the book, and now evenings-without consulting the other. The results are remarkable-and beautiful. I'll be following their new blog while I look forward to the book's arrival!

Drew's Breakfast

Easy, homemade oatmeal with raisins, and bananas on the side. A slight trickle of maple syrup for sweetener.

Random Pictures from our visit to the Creation Museum

We went here with the Nails and had a great time-awesome museum and gardens!


The colors are so vivid!

Drew was a little nervous about this scary looking dude.

Ma and Pa Nail

We found some insect-eating plants in this swampy garden!

Esther & Drew

Me, kissing a garden dinosaur

Naomi gives him a kiss, too.
He's a very lovable dinosaur

Seth, and five of us Sisters.

Siblings

Silly Boy

Ian and The Wall

Found at a coffee shop in Rockport, MA

Drew on the Phone

At 21 months old, Drew is our delight and joy. Like Caleb, he's been an early talker and keeps us amused with his little sayings. Just a moment ago, I caught him at my desk in the craft room.

"What are you doing, hon?" I asked

"Eating 'choca'!" he grinned.

Sure enough, he was eating one of my precious truffles!

Perhaps because he is a quick learner, I've never really worked with him on saying words. A little, yes, but for the most part he just started popping them out. I remember clearly his first "real" sentence-when Daddy was chasing him around the house he ran to me and said, "Mom, Dad got me!".

He loves to say "thank you" and has for weeks.The other day I heard him mimicking Caleb and saying "thanks", instead. It's the cool thing to say now-"Thanks, Mom"-he emphasizes that "thanks" like it's his new favorite word. :)

As you can see from the pictures, he loves phones! The little talker....

Apple Pie, Oh My!

Yes, it's true. This is the way to a man's heart!

These apples were picked in St. Louis from a forlorn and neglected tree, in the middle of a business district. I just happened to come across them, and after finding out that no one claimed the tree, picked as much as I could! Full of flavor and crunchy, they were perfect for apple pies!

Wheat Berry Salad with Bacon

As my friends and family know, I love to try new recipes. Hardly a week goes by without me trying at least one new dish. A few weeks ago, I came across this recipe in my Real Simple magazine (thanks Mara!). I do love that magazine. :) Anyway, it was surprisingly full of flavor. It's one of those recipes that is hard to make substitutions with-you need all those ingredients to get just the right "zing". The only thing I did differently was to use baby spinach instead of the fresh flat-leaf parsley the recipe calls for. I added just a tad of dried parsley instead (I'm not a big fan of parsley).
I served it with quiche lorraine, and the whole family enjoyed it. The wheat berries are so healthy for you, and filling too. It was a simple but homey meal.

You can find the recipe online here.
The Real Simple website lists some other whole grain recipes, too. I have Montana hard white wheat berries on hand (the very same I make bread with), and that is what I used in this recipe. Fantastic!

Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce

This was our main dish for dinner last night-delicious!


1 1/2 pounds ground beef or chuck
1 med onion, or 1/2 cup, chpd finely
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs or crackers (I've even used Pringles!)
1 T. parsley
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1/2 milk or homemade beef stock (adds great flavor!) or even water

Mix well with your hands and roll into meatballs. Bake uncovered on a cookie sheets with sides or 13x9 inch pan, in a 400 degree oven until light brown; about 20-25 minutes. When done, remove meatballs from grease in pan and place in the following finished sauce:


White Sauce with Mushrooms

Finely chop a few mushrooms and a little onion. Saute in:
4 T. butter over medium heat
Add with a whisk:
4 T flour
Then slowly stir in:
2 cups milk and/or beef broth. Personally, I like to use at least half beef broth. It doesn't quite keep the sauce "white", but it adds a whole lot of flavor! If you don't have any broth on hand, don't let that stop you from making the sauce. Add a little salt (about 1/2 tsp.), pepper, and garlic powder if desired.
Stir until slightly thickened and bubbly, then turn off heat. When the meatballs are done and you've added them to the sauce, presto! You are ready to serve your main entree.

Recent Dinner Menus

Salmon with honey garlic glaze, mashed potatoes, stir-fried broccoli

Navy Bean Soup with Cornbread

Chicken Tetrazzini, homemade potato rolls, veggies

Roast beef with potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbages

Crockpot Enchiladas with ground beef and corn tortillas

BLT's (bacon, lettuce, tomato) on toasted bagels (a Linda Eldredge special!)

Is Love a Fancy, or a Feeling?

Sonnet VII
By Hartley Coleridge

Is love a fancy, or a feeling? No.
It is immortal as immaculate Truth,
'Tis not a blossom shed as soon as youth,
Drops from the stem of life--for it will grow,
In barren regions, where no waters flow,
Nor rays of promise cheats the pensive gloom.
A darkling fire, faint hovering o'er a tomb,
That but itself and darkness nought doth show,
It is my love's being yet it cannot die,
Nor will it change, though all be changed beside;
Though fairest beauty be no longer fair,
Though vows be false, and faith itself deny,
Though sharp enjoyment be a suicide,
And hope a spectre in a ruin bare.