Inside The White Picket Fence

2010-03-13T15:25:00.000-05:00

Just in case you missed the announcement a few months ago, I'm blogging again!
You can catch up with what's been going on inside the white picket fence by visiting my new site. Come on over and say, "Hi!" Hope to see you there soon!!

On Just A Couple Acres

Fickle

2009-12-30T15:22:00.001-05:00

I've begun to write again. If anyone is interested in the new address, please e-mail me at:

Please be sure to let me know what you think of the new site- I've updated my look and I'm not sure that it looks how I intended on IE. Some of the widgets aren't showing up on my husbands computer, but they are on mine so any feedback would be greatly appreciated! I look forward to seeing you all there!

I'll be leaving this message up for a couple days and then making this blog private again. I apologize for my absence, if you need an excuse, feel free to chalk it up to hormones :D

We've Been Waiting For This Since Spring!

2009-10-13T14:08:00.004-04:00

Pre-order your copy for 20% off today!

Bill has been asking me (as recently as Saturday) if I knew when this was coming out and to order it as soon as it became available. I'm just delighted that it came out today. At least I can present him with the prospect of it for his birthday today, even though he obviously can't view it now.

AND I saved $5. That's like a present for me.

The H1N1 Vaccine

2009-10-06T21:07:00.006-04:00

With the H1N1 vaccine set to be released this month, I thought that instead of either just ignorantly accepting or declining taking the shot, I would educate myself and make an informed decision.

The government is recommending that all pregnant women receive the inoculation. (As well as caregivers of children younger than 6 months old, individuals in the medical field, children 6 months to 24 years of age, and anyone who could experience complications from contracting the flu.)

From Flu.gov:

Protect Your Unborn Child

If you are pregnant, you should get vaccinated against H1N1 (swine) flu as soon as the vaccine becomes available this fall. Your vaccination can potentially protect your unborn child from infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended that H1N1 vaccination efforts focus on five groups. One of those groups is pregnant women.

Severe illnesses among pregnant woman and infants have been reported in the current H1N1 outbreak. Severe illness in the mother can be stressful to the fetus.
Changes to a pregnant woman’s immune system can make her more sensitive to the flu and result in serious complications if she is infected with H1N1.
A diagnosis of infection in the fetus or infant can be challenging. The effects of the flu on a fetus are also difficult to predict.

When deciding whether to inoculate myself or one of my children, the first thing I try to find out are the ingredients. Note, I said try. It's really not quite so easy as you might imagine to find an unbiased source of information. When it comes to this subject, it seems everybody has an agenda. A list of the ingredients can be found here.

There are 4 different companies manufacturing the vaccine in America. Unlike in Canada where they are administering a live vaccine, the United States will be using inactivated ones. Were I a Canadian, the deal would be sealed right there. Live vaccines scare me half to death. Probably because I know that the live Oral Polio Vaccine can... well... cause polio.

I always appreciate it when I find enough information to make my decision on the side advocating the vaccine. In this case, I found the package inserts at FDA.gov.

CSL Limited

8.1 Pregnancy

Pregnancy Category C: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza A

(H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or AFLURIA. It is also not known whether these vaccines

can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction

capacity. Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman

only if clearly needed.

MedImmune

8.1 Pregnancy

Pregnancy Category C

Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza A (H1N1) 2009

Monovalent Vaccine Live, Intranasal or FluMist. It is not known whether Influenza A

(H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine Live, Intranasal or FluMist can cause fetal harm when

administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. Influenza A

(H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine Live, Intranasal or FluMist should be given to a

pregnant woman only if clearly needed.

The effect of FluMist on embryo-fetal and pre-weaning development was evaluated in a

developmental toxicity study using pregnant rats receiving the frozen formulation.

Groups of animals were administered FluMist either once (during the period of

organogenesis on gestation day 6) or twice (prior to gestation and during the period of

organogenesis on gestation day 6), 250 microliter/rat/occasion (approximately 110-140

human dose equivalents), by intranasal instillation. No adverse effects on pregnancy,

parturition, lactation, embryo-fetal or pre-weaning development were observed. There

were no FluMist related fetal malformations or other evidence of teratogenesis noted in

this study.

Novartis

8.1 Pregnancy

Pregnancy Category C: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted

with Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or FLUVIRIN. It is also not known

whether Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or FLUVIRIN can cause fetal

harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity.

Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman

only if clearly needed.

Sanofi Pasteur

8.1. Pregnancy

Pregnancy Category C: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza A

(H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or Fluzone vaccine. It is also not known whether these

vaccines can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction

capacity. Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman

only if clearly needed.

Basically, the inserts all read the same, with the exception being MedImmune which also addresses FluMist, a live vaccine for seasonal flu. Simply insert the one companies name where the other is listed. In section 8.2, you'll see the safety information listed for nursing women. The information is again, virtually identical-

8.3 Nursing Mothers

It is not known whether FLUVIRIN or Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent

Vaccine is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk,

caution should be exercised when Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is

administered to a nursing woman.

(From Novartis)

Ummm... does anyone else see anything contradictory here? Dr Sears does.

What about pregnant and/or nursing mothers?

This is a little scary. The flu shots are ALREADY recommended for pregnant and nursing moms, BUT (and this is a really huge but) the vaccine product inserts make it very clear that the regular flu vaccines have never been tested on pregnant or nursing women to determine if there is any harm to fetuses or young babies (with one exception – the Flumist nasal spray brand did have some testing in this area, BUT not enough, as is stated in the product insert).

Despite this complete lack of research, it is recommended for these moms anyway. Anyone see a problem with that?

If you do get a flu shot, at least make sure it is mercury free (or at least only TRACE mercury).

See his FAQ in it's entirety.

Glazed Apple Cookies

2009-09-28T21:08:00.002-04:00

These are a wonderfully delicious cookie, made soft and cake-like by the apple, that highlights the warm spicy flavors that embody fall baking. The spices are balanced perfectly by the sweet glaze. Be sure that when you're done glazing all of the cookies, to lift the rack and sample the drippings! Then quickly call the kids in to help lest you be tempted to do more than sample.

1/2 c. shortening

1 1/3 c. brown sugar

1 egg

2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 /2 t. ground cloves

1/4 t. nutmeg

1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

1 c. apple, peeled, cored, diced

1/4 c. milk

Glaze:

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, whisked or sifted

1 T. butter

1/2 t. vanilla

2 1/2 T. milk

Preheat the oven to 400.

Beat the shortening and the brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat the egg in.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Mix half of that dry mixture into the creamed mixture.

Stir in the apples and nuts.

Mix in the remaining dry ingredients and the milk.

Drop tablespoonfuls 1 1/2" apart onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by combining the ingredients until they are smooth.

Remove the baked cookies to a wire rack for glazing and cooling.

Spread a dollop of glaze on each cookie while they are still warm.

Courtesy: Allrecipes

Grocery Cart Recipe Swap

On The Mending

2009-09-23T21:29:00.002-04:00

I haven't always been as frugal as I could have been when it came to fabric items that needed some mending- if it was too much to tackle I'd just ship it off to the rag bag. Unfortunately, with the peppering of my twin bed sheeting with little holes, it was either buy 5 new sets of sheets or mend them. I chose the later and added it to my extensive to-do list. Surely, I must have moths. It's the only conclusion I can arrive at. Rationally, I know that I did find a pair of scissors lying on the sheets the very day that I found the holes in them. However, everyone insists that they didn't do it. Which brings me back to moths.

When it came to hand sewing, I must admit that I've always been a "fly by the seat of my pants" kinda gal. I found that while that works just fine for seams, it makes a mess of a tear, rip, or hole. Grossly lacking in hand sewing skills, I found this tutorial and it worked beautifully for me! The more I mended, the better they looked. (I intended to show a first and last shot, but my camera charger is missing so that will have to wait.)

Fall's Finest Muffins

2009-09-14T21:25:00.006-04:00

I love fall food (who doesn't?) and this recipe combines two of everyones fall favorites. I usually like to keep my apples in September and my pumpkins in October, but sometimes I just can't wait that long so I cheat and prepare this recipe.

These flavorful muffins are deliciously moist balancing the crispy streusel topping. Definitely a family favorite! In fact I doubled this tonight hoping we could all snack on one after supper, have one with our breakfast, and then freeze the other half, but pigs that we are, there are none left for breakfast! My gang is pretty ticked about it too. They felt that the freezer ones should be sacrificed for breakfast. I think it serves the little gluttons right, now I have to think of something else for in the morning. They had better not complain either or I'll serve them cold oatmeal!

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

Muffins:

1 1/4 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1 heaping t. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

3/4 c. canned pumpkin

1 egg

2 T. oil

1 c. apple, peeled and diced

Topping:

*Streusel topping lovers: Feel free to double. This recipe makes only just enough. ;)

1 T. flour

3 T. sugar

1/4 t. cinnamon

1 T. butter, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin. In a bowl, whisk together all of the dry muffin ingredients.

Stir in the remaining in ingredients until they are just combined.

Spoon into the muffin tin cups to about 3/4 full.

To prepare the topping, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and sugar.

Add the butter, mixing until crumbly.

Sprinkle over the batter.

Bake for 20 minutes testing with a toothpick for doneness.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Grocery Cart Recipe Swap

In Season Recipe Swap

Five and One Makes Six

2009-09-14T09:02:00.005-04:00

The Baby

Another little wave

Upon the sea of life;

Another soul to save,

Amid the toil and strife.

Two more little feet

To walk the dusty road;

To choose where two paths meet,

The narrow and the broad.

Two more little hands,

To work for good or ill;

Two more little eyes;

Another little will;

Another heart to love,

Receiving love again;

And so the baby came,

A thing of joy and pain.

Providence Journal

Verses of Virtue

Hannah & Her Violin

2009-09-11T08:38:00.001-04:00

I deliberately resisted the urge to require my children to play an instrument unless they came to me with an fervent desire to want to learn. I want them to develop their own passions instead of foisting mine upon them. (Otherwise, you'd see a cello in her hands in the image above. :) After watching Hannah over the last several months, Bill and I have decided to enroll her in violin lessons!!!

She has been (nearly daily) watching snippets of Eden String Quartet, a documentary about 4 Christian sisters who play gloriously beautiful hymns on stringed instruments. She has been pretending to play the violin, her imagination has been working overtime turning nearly everything in to the instrument. (My favorite has to be two long seed pods from a Catalpa tree.) Her interest continued to grow and she finally asked us if she could get a real one and begin lessons. Having determined beforehand our response, she was ecstatic to find she would be allowed.

She has been taking lessons for several weeks now and it is a delight to watch her practice and even play a little bit as she pretends to be more proficient than she actually is.

Why Obama's Speech Will Fail To Inspire Students:

2009-09-08T14:30:00.003-04:00

"Humanism begins with the Renaissance and one of the best ways to picture the Renaissance is through the artwork of Michelangelo who at one point carved out of stone a man who is carving himself out of stone.

At the beginning of Humanism you find that man is very optimistic with what he can do. Man believes that he can set his own reality. He can determine his own destiny. That he can define his own truth and his own reality. He believes, in an optimistic sort of way, that he can start out with carving himself out of the stone until 300-400 years later that he cannot cut himself out of stone if he has no hands! Somebody's got to make the hands!

You've got to start somewhere. You've got to have some basic building block of reality. You've got to have some basic building block of truth and ethics. You've got to have some kind of an absolute or you have to jettison all absolutes altogether.

That's why in the modern world, we see the breakdown of humanism itself. Man no longer has a purpose for life. Ultimately, the empires begin with man believing that he is able to do these things. That man is his own source of truth, that man is his own source of reality, He is very optimistic with this. That is why he builds his empires. And as time goes by, it begins to break down epistemologically. It begins to break down in a practical sense. Man loses his purpose. How in the world can man have any purpose in life if he's nothing but a piece of cosmic dust floating around in the universe of pure chance? How can he stand up and claim some sort of a high moral ideal if there is no basis for ethics? It's impossible."

-Kevin Swanson

Great Calvanistic Lessons For Homeschoolers in the 21st Century

2009-09-05T14:27:00.004-04:00

BlueBehemoth offers a new free download every day and today's selection is one of my favorites! The message, The Journey of Daughterhood by Doug Phillips was given at the 2006 Father & Daughter Retreat. Although it isn't a message for mothers specifically, I gleaned so much from it anyway. I highly recommend setting up an account if you don't already have one and downloading The Journey of Daughterhood for free and sharing it with your family today.

2009-09-04T13:32:00.001-04:00

Every line of true knowledge must find its completeness as it converges with God, just as every beam of sunlight leads the eye to the sun. If religion is excluded from our study, every process of thought will be arrested before it reaches its proper goal.

On Secular Education - R.L Dabney

About The Business Of Men

2009-09-01T21:43:00.004-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

A Memorial

2009-08-31T21:05:00.005-04:00

Chanticleer II May 2009-August 31, 2009

I would like to take a moment of silence in remembrance of the brief life of a naughty rooster.

Since coming inside the white picket fence, you have been entertaining us with your antics and waking us with your anthem.

But when you came back home I warned you that I had a no tolerance policy for roosters who attacked my babies.

You should've listened, bird brain.

I'll bet now that you wish you had.

You were a fighter right until the very end.

May your legacy be an example to your brother. May he recognize that we are at the top of this pecking order, not follow in your chicken tracks and keep his grubby little beak off my children.

But on a farm(ette) there is not only death, but also life. At the very moment of death, a new life was born just feet away as our 4th and final turkey chick hatched.

Backyard Banter

2009-08-29T21:56:00.002-04:00

They're back! We gave these fellows away several weeks ago to someone who lost half of their flock. We suspected they were roosters at the time, but since they were "Mystery Chickens" we didn't know for sure. Well they're definitely roos and they came back to us much noisier than they were when they left!

In addition to their crowing, they've been causing quite a ruckus and providing us with a lot of entertainment. Girlie didn't take too kindly to them showing up on on ~~her~~ his scene. (Did I fail to mention before that Girlie definitely is not a girl despite whatever indicators we thought we saw?)

The Standoff

The Chase

The Side Step

The Confrontation

Playground Bully

The Rematch

A Musical Interlude

2009-08-27T21:08:00.001-04:00

Before we continue with our homeschool music study this year, I'm going to quickly go back and review the composers we've already learned. This may be a bit self-serving as the first composer in the module is J.S. Bach and his Cello Suites are my favorite (secular) music. I never, ever tire of listening to this emotionally powerful composition proving that you don't need to know how to play a musical instrument or even read music to acquire an appreciation for classical music, which is what I desire to instill in my children through our "music program."

It's pretty long though, maybe now is a good time to clean your desk. Play "beat the clock"... you have just over 9 minutes.

Ready... set... GO!

Fried Ice Cream

2009-08-24T21:32:00.002-04:00

It's a paradox, I know, but it is soooo good! Think Cinnamon Toast Crunch marries vanilla ice cream. Or couple the ice cream with an elephant ear. For the cost of one elephant ear, you can save yourself a ton of money and treat the whole family to fried ice cream.

So before you head out to the fair this year, do the prep work for this dessert and when you get home you can fry these up for you family. They will thank you. Mine sure did!

Fried Ice Cream

1 loaf of white bread, decrustified (There really is no way to make this healthy, so I wouldn't even try to use wheat bread. There aren't enough fake ingredients in it to make it squishy.)

1 carton of vanilla ice cream

Cinnamon-sugar mixture

Oil for frying

1.) Plan ahead. I'm really bad at this, but it fries more nicely if you think to prepare this either the day before or early in the day you'll be serving.

2.) Soften ice cream ever so slightly so you can scoop a nice ball. Work quickly so it doesn't soften too much or you'll make a mess of yourself.

3.) Place one scoop of ice cream on top of one slice of bread. Top with another slice so that each corner is pointing to an edge of the bottom slice. (Imagine an octagon if you were to trace the edges.)

4.)Squish your bread around the ice cream, making sure the edges "seal."

5.) Place on a baking sheet and repeat for desired quantity.

6.) Freeze until firm.

7.) When you're ready to serve, heat oil to a frying temperature. (I heat it until a small piece of bread fries quickly without burning. Probably 375- it'll cool down once you get started.)

8.)Fry until golden, flip, repeat. Maintain the oil temperature and try to fry for 30-45 seconds per side or thereabouts. If you didn't freeze it long enough, your ice cream will melt out before the bread is done. That's why step 1 is so crucial.

9.) Immediately dip in cinnamon sugar mixture coating.

10.) Serve and repeat with remaining balls.

The hardest part about making this recipe is that you will have to be the last one to try it, but it is well worth the wait!

Grocery Cart Recipe Swap

2009-08-20T22:05:00.001-04:00

"We want our children, by the time they've been through our home, to know the Word of God. Inside and out, better than they know algebra, and geography, and history. We want them to know the ethical system of the Scriptures all the way through the civil law codes. Inside and out. Old Testament and New Testament.

We want them to know the Psalms, which is God's book on worshipping Him. The Psalms also provide an emotional shepherding, a comfort to God's people. We want them to memorize many of the Psalms, and know them, and be able to categorize them, and know the emotional fiber of the Psalms.

We want them to know the Proverbs, God's book of life. Our children, I think, should know every single Proverb, or at least the concept expressed in every single Proverb. We've been through the Proverbs about 6 or 7 times with our children and we're getting close, but we want them to know them better than they know their multiplication tables.

Seventy-five percent of the world's history is contained in the Old Testament. We want them to know the history of the world throughout the entire Old Testament. They should know the stories of Jonadab the Rechabite. We're not talking about Jonah and the whale. We're talking about a little bit more obscure stories like Eglon the fat king, Ezekiel's fort. They need to know this stuff. They should know these stories. They should know the 65 parables of Christ and of course grapple with some of difficult doctrinal paradoxes of the Trinity, of responsibility and Sovereignty of God, faith and works, grace and law."

-Kevin Swanson

Generations Radio

Raising a Modern Day Joseph

7/26/09

Wanna' Hear Something Funny?

2009-08-20T19:16:00.003-04:00

Well, first you would have to go here and read this post from just yesterday.

Then come back and laugh at me (NOT with me!) when you find out that my husband brought home 7 turkey eggs whose mother abandoned them this afternoon. Candling showed they are all alive, so if we don't screw anything up, we'll have 7 more in about a week or so. I guess I could always sabotage the operation. But I won't... I'm a glutton for punishment.

Almost Only Counts In Horseshoes

2009-08-19T21:47:00.000-04:00

If anyone was disillusioned that when Thanksgiving rolled around I may go soft and have a difficult time consenting to the butchering of the turkeys, allow me to allay your concerns. It is with anticipation in fact that I look forward to that time! (And it's hard to get me to want summer to ever end for any reason!)

Do you think me cruel? Perhaps that's because you've never lived with free-ranging turkeys. Those are some big birds!

Do you know what big birds do?

They leave big droppings.

And these super friendly big birds who leave big droppings like to perch on my deck... and "drop".... A LOT! (Turkeys like to perch up high. In the wild they do their perching in trees. I have lots of trees, it's just mine are too stupid to fly up into them. They keep us entertained dancing around trying though.) Spraying the deck down needs to be done a couple times a day and then we're on high alert trying to keep them off.

Being the nearest when they were recently spotted in forbidden territory, I went to give them a push off. The first flew down fine. The second was hanging on for dear life. I tried a second time to loosen the death grip he had on the railing. He teetered forward... then tottered back... then leaned waaaay forward and just when I thought he was going to go,

He did (in an I-should-have-known-better-but-it-was-still-unexpected kinda way) and sprayed out a mess. I jumped back missing being splashed by millimeters! It was virtually impossible to detect any space whatsoever between the perimeter of the inkblot and my foot.

Having done his worst, he nonchalantly flew from the deck leaving me blubbering like a fool. I had to sit down and collect myself because I was near the point of sobbing.

I always tell my kids that, "Almost only counts in horseshoes...", but I guess for me it counts in something else too.

Sure it's great raising your own all-natural food. I like knowing it was treated humanely, teaching my children that food doesn't always come from a grocery store and instilling a work ethic in them. I like the feeling of independence, rather, self-sufficiency that comes with it. That doesn't mean that I like every aspect of raising it though! And I certainly don't want to paint an unrealistic picture of a charming country life. Not that I think there is any danger of that.

Perhaps I should though. You know what they say, "Misery loves company."

In the end, I imagine that the revulsion will fade. We'll find ourselves forgetting the particular trials as we gather around the table giving thanks to God for His Providence over the last year.

I know that after all of the trouble the hog gave us, it sure didn't dampen the excited giggles last weekend when we sat at the table , sticky, covered in BBQ sauce and licking our fingers, our bellies full after having just enjoyed a plate full of ribs and fresh corn from the garden.

If you'd like to join me in Keeping It Real, please read the submission guidelines found here first. If you are not familiar with the idea behind Keeping it Real, please read the post that inspired it here.) Thank you and I look forward to reading your posts!

Learning to Braid

2009-08-18T22:23:00.001-04:00

Hannah has shown an interest in learning to braid and so I repurposed some yarn scraps and made a tri-color door hanger. She proved an apt pupil and acquired the skill after one brief lesson.

Not to be outdone by his little sister, Jared asked if he too could learn to braid... for survival skills (of course).... in case he needed to braid rope (uh-huh).... in an emergency situation.... or something. Who can argue with reasoning like that?

Since I don't want Jared to die in the wilderness, I'm glad that my yarn door hanger braiding teacher thing-a-ma-jigger works for me.

You Can Get Me To Eat Blueberries...

2009-08-17T21:42:00.001-04:00

... but only if each bite is perfectly proportioned with vanilla ice cream AND the blueberries are topped with a sweet, crunchy streusel and baked for a bit. Otherwise, forget about it. I'm just not a berry fan. I used to roll them around in my mouth when I was 4, but once the skin was pierced, I was done and I never gave them a second thought.

A few years ago, however, I was convicted about setting a good example for my children and decided to try or re-try new foods more frequently. I had to put my money where my mouth was, because that very night I had popped this dessert in the oven. It was alright though, after all, I'm a big girl and I can handle just one bite of something to prove a point. (Is that being a big girl? Or is it being stubborn?) Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself wanting to try "just one more bite." Before I knew it, my dessert was gone and I was wondering if this meant that I was now a blueberry fan. It didn't. Just yesterday morning for example, I made muffins with blueberries and Ben loved eating the rest of mine. But I do try new foods more frequently and I do love this recipe especially after our annual blueberry picking outing.

Blueberry Crisp

from Betty Crocker Cookbook

4 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen

3/4 c. rolled oats

3/4 c. brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 c. flour

1/2 t. cinnamon

4 T. butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease an 8X8 (1 1/2 qt.) baking dish and then evenly fill with berries. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and and using your hands, mix together until well combined. Sprinkle over the blueberries and bake for 30 minutes. Wipe the sweat from your brow, because boy wasn't that soooo hard? Cool enough to serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Grocery Cart Recipe Swap

Baby Goldfinches

2009-08-17T00:01:00.001-04:00

A goldfinch nest was discovered several weeks ago in a bush near the edge of our property. I love that goldfinches have their families later in the year than most birds to correspond with their primary source of food, thistle, going to seed, so they will have an abundant supply of food for their babies.

We've gone over to peek in every couple of days. I was fascinated by the intricately woven nest. Certainly not your typical bowl of twigs and string! The eggs were very small and off white. After two weeks we found 5 chicks had hatched! They had to have just hatched the day I took this photo. Notice their dark eyes are closed, they looked almost lifeless.

Macro Monday

Many days, and a growth spurt later-

We spooked the little things right out of their nest!

These guys weren't really ready to fly in my opinion. They just sat there for a really long time. It was decided that we would try to put them back in their nest. (We get baby finches at our feeders every year, and I've yet to see one with the fuzzy ole' grandpa eyebrows visit.) After a couple attempts, they finally stayed put and not a moment too soon because an angry mama and daddy where chittering away at us from nearby.

Lesson learned. I think we'll leave them alone now.

A Parents Task on Earth

2009-08-14T00:01:00.001-04:00

The education of children for God is the most important business done on earth. It is the one business for which all the earth exists. To it all politics, all war, all literature, all money-making ought to be subordinated; and every parent especially ought to feel, every hour of the day, that, next to making his own calling and election sure, this is the end for which he is kept alive by God- this is his task on earth.

-On Secular Education R.L. Dabney

Just Hanging Out

2009-08-12T00:01:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

A Medley Of Zucchini Recipes

2009-08-10T21:57:00.005-04:00

'Tis the season when gardens are burgeoning with zucchini. Harvesters are finding themselves wondering what to do with their prolific crop and are often sharing them with anyone willing to take them.

In addition to giving them away, I have in the past processed them for freezing. A year later I reluctantly threw every single bag away. I hadn't been to excited about finding uses for frozen zucchini at the time (outside of adding it to pasta or a bread or muffin recipe) and eventually forgot all about them.

I'm excited about my zucchini crop this year too because last year my zucchini plants produced pumpkins which just doesn't taste the same (or produce as abundantly!) I'm determined to make as much use of the harvest as I can and have been scouring the internet for zucchini recipes.

A little sweet:

Zucchini Pancakes

I'm terribly excited about this one! These are the best homemade pancakes I have ever eaten. Plus the whole wheat and zucchini makes me feel really good about serving it! Veggies in pancakes, woulda' thunk? I found the original recipe HERE.

1 c. whole wheat flour (I split the amount between white and wheat.)

3/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 T. sugar

3/4 c. milk

1-2 T. butter, melted

1 egg

1/4 t. vanilla

1 c. zucchini, shredded

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ones in another. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. Stir in zucchini. Cook over medium until edges are dry and centers are bubbling. Flip and cook until done.

These babies are good enough to eat all by themselves (like while you're standing in the kitchen for 20 minutes cooking everyone else's!) or serve them up with butter and syrup. If you really like syrup add a little extra to these. It's ok, remember there are vegetables AND whole wheat in there!

Zucchini Bread

This is my aunt's recipe and what I ate the first time I tasted zucchini. Not a bad introduction, huh?

2 c. zucchini, shredded

3 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. oil

2 t. vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour

2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder

3 t. cinnamon

1 c. nuts, chopped

Mix zucchini, eggs, sugars, oil, and vanilla in blender. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in the blended ingredients. Pour into greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 for an hour.

I'll be trying:

Pineapple Zucchini Cake

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Zucchini Pie- I know sounds strange, but hey, it's pie so it's worth a try!

A little savory...

Garden Patch Saute

an old favorite of ours adapted from the Betty Crocker Cookbook.

1 T. oil

1 medium zucchini, chopped or sliced (about a cup)

1 medium yellow summer squash, chopped or sliced (about a cup)

1 c. mushrooms, sliced (I just use a small can)

1 c. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 t. garlic salt

1 t. oregano

1 t. basil

Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook the zucchini, squash and mushrooms 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently until vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir in the tomatoes, sprinkle with seasoning. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, just until tomatoes begin to soften.

Alternately, I will make a meal out of this by using half a can of diced tomatoes including some of the juice and tossing with pasta cooked in salted water. You could also toss the pasta with a stick of butter and 1/3 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese before stirring in the vegetables. An incredibly tasty but unadvisable step if you're counting calories.

Grilled Veggie Pizza

1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise

1 summer squash, quartered lengthwise

1 red pepper, quartered lengthwise

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tomato, chopped

basil

oregano

4 flour tortillas

1 c. mozzarella, or provolone, or a mix, shredded

Brush the cut zucchini, squash, and pepper with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables until tender, yet crisp. Cut into bite sized pieces. Evenly spread grilled vegetables and tomatoes over tortillas. Sprinkle with basil and oregano to taste. Top with cheese. Grill, covered over indirect heat until cheese is melted and tortillas are crisp.

Fried Zucchini Strings- Have you been to Tasty Kitchen yet? It's a new recipe collection site (kind of like allrecipes) hosted by Pioneer Woman and my bookmarks folder is bursting with all kinds of delicious recipes that I'm looking forward to trying, including this one!

Zucchini, Carrot, and Black Bean Quesadillas- I love this for a quick, delicious, and healthy lunch and was glad to have found it through Tuesday's food link-ups! I put the raw veggies on the tortillas, load with cheese, and bake similarly to my Chicken Quesadillas.

I'll be trying:

Stuffed Zucchini With Ham & Mushrooms or Turkey Sausage

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin

Chicken Zucchini Bake

I don't want to get in a rut though! I'm always looking for new recipes. In what ways are you preparing zucchini for your family this summer? If you happen to have a great recipe or even a tasty zucchini link up your sleeve, do share!

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy

In-Season Recipe Swap

Food On Friday

Foodie Friday

Frugal Friday

In The Garden- Up Close and Personal

2009-08-10T00:01:00.001-04:00

I sent Jared out to get an updated image for Watch My Garden Grow (see sidebar) and found several lovely macro shots on my camera as well.

Pea flower above and tendril below

Zucchini Flowers

Broccoli- Ok, I have a confession to make here. Please don't think I'm stupid, I really don't like broccoli and haven't ever given the plant a lot of thought, but until this week, I had no idea that each of those little green nubs turns into a lovely yellow flower! I just left the broccoli on the plant thinking they would grow larger when imagine my surprise when I found it covered in flowers. My son, who'll eat anything outside, said that they were a delicious, surprisingly sweet flower.
Corn- leaf with pollen grains above and silk below

An unwelcome guest! Our chickens love to eat Japanese Beetles, but not as much as they love to eat lettuce and dust bathe in the zucchini hills so they're not allowing inside the garden leaving the beetles to decimate the pole bean leaves.

Macro Monday

Emancipated Pig

2009-08-04T07:55:00.001-04:00

Isn't it nice when you discover talents that you had no idea existed? Apparently, I have a knack for coercing 200 pound hogs to do my will! You could call me a "pig whisperer" (but don't). I discovered this aptitude when our not so little escape artist broke free from her pen.... again.

This happens to have been the fourth time that she has managed to find her way out. The first, she somehow managed to jump over the hog panels, tearing a huge piece of flesh on her groin and proving that pigs do fly. The second time was during an eventful transfer to a new location. The third and fourth (and hopefully final!!!) time, she somehow managed to break through at the corners of the pen.

When she escaped the first three times, we were able to herd her Inside The White Picket Fence where she could be safe until we formulated a strategy for getting her back into her pen. For the first escape we used fence panels, one on each side of her, to guide her back. The second time, the panels weren't producing the desired action from her so Bill lassoed her and ~~walked her back on a "leash"~~ she dragged him back while nearly strangling herself. (I'm not exaggerating. Her eyes were bright red and literally bulging, her tongue was lolling out. By the time he made it back there, she was nearly out of energy. I was convinced for a moment that she wouldn't get there in time.) It was decided then and there that if she couldn't be managed during another escape, she'd have to be shot and we would muddle through the butchering somehow.

The third escape happened one evening while we were working in the garden. Bill went for the gun and I went to open the gate of the fence. She was in no hurry to return to her pen and was wandering off our property through the woods. Bill and Jared had to work very hard to herd her back. Thankfully, we were able to eventually get her back in with the fence panels again. After breathing a sigh of relief, we noticed that she had been out for quite some time and had done extensive damage to the ground near her pen. (I am amazed by the tool that God has put in the nose of a pig and their instinct to use it. If you've never seen a pig at work on a uncleared land, you can not possibly understand how quickly they can destroy it. I've stood in awe as she has actually taken the hardest of ground and effortlessly rolled it back like sod. Next year, if we do this again, I'd like to put the piglets in the garden for a week before we plant and let them do all of the work for us :D ) Jared expressed it best when he said that it was by God's Providence that she decided to come towards us in the garden. She could have just quietly worked the ground in the opposite direction away from us and we wouldn't have known she was gone until morning.

This last event, the one in which I discovered my new aforesaid talent, transpired this weekend. From beginning to end, it was over very quickly, but it seemed like an eternity to me and since I'm telling the story, you have to read it in slow motion - just as it happened to me.

Jared and Hannah had been outside, enjoying one of the few pleasant days we had this week. I was inside talking to Bill, glued to his hip as I often am when he returns from out of town, when we suddenly found ourselves trying to comprehend what Hannah was screeching as she tore into the house. When we understood the situation, that the hog was loose and that she was headed for our busy road, Bill calmly dictated directions to a very frenzied and panicking Jared to make an access for the fence and for me to ascertain if she left a gap in her pen large enough to herd her through. He then went to change out of his slacks and grab his gun.

On my way out the door, I had the forethought to grab a bag of $1 bananas that I picked up at the store this week... just in case. I slipped on my outdoor shoes while quickly scanned to see if I could locate the hog and couldn't.

Before, I continue my story, allow me to explain something about myself. You need to understand that while I can be a very competent person, I can also be lazy and so I play the "girl" card whenever I see fit. I find it helps with the division of labor. No feminist, "anything you can do, I can do better" attitude for me. No, sir, I'll take the help wherever I can get it! So I thought I was setting out to do the "girl" job. Simply get some information and report back to to headquarters. I had every intention of telling Bill what I found and then standing back and watching the show, perhaps providing minor assistance only if necessary just as I was now, or so I thought.

Walking back, I kept an eye out to confirm she wasn't in back there and much to my dismay, I saw her directly opposite where I was heading. There is a path that runs parallel to the back of our property. She was entering on one side and I was heading for the other. Somehow, I knew that if she saw me she would come to me. She's been getting really excited whenever she gets a visitor, and I didn't want her calling on me uninvited, so I ran.

And I don't run.

By now, my adrenaline was really flowing and my head was swirling with thoughts of getting knocked down, trampled, and possibly eaten (and yes, I've read a hungry hog will eat a person!) by an overzealous hog. Although, I was pretty sure that the trampling part would have taken care of me for good.

After ascertaining that the pen was not fully opened (she had somehow squeezed out through the bottom. I saw that she was indeed coming towards me as I had suspected she would. Frantically, scrambling to tear open the plastic bag and pull out the bananas that just wouldn't come out, I searched for any sign of a man to come to my rescue. I was a damsel in distress in desperate need of a hero! But it was too late, she was right there and curious about what I had. If only there had been an opening like last time! I could have thrown the bananas in and shut it behind her!

Thankfully, she was more interested in the bananas than she was in playing with me, so I spotted Bill who was making preparations to herd her into the fence again. I shouted to him my status and told him to get something to cut the fence open with and to hurry, she was with me. The hog lost interest in the bananas and started to wander off when I remembered complaining just two days prior that someone had left my tree pruners in the weeds nearby and thanking God for the culprits laziness, ran to grab them and cut the final "fastener"(obviously, I use that word very loosely!).

Turning to run back and make the cut, I saw that she had returned and was standing between me and the corner I needed to open! With ~~boldness~~ weak knees, I faced my opponent head on, walking straight toward her. I reached over her, and was struck with the reality of just exactly how big she actually is - up to my waist- and that how this all shook down was entirely up to her, and I made the cut. She lost interest in me again and began to walk off. I secured the opening so it would remain ajar, and gathered the bananas and threw them into the pen, which I immediately regretted because she came back. I quickly started to pull up weeds and throw them inside the pen, hoping that she would "fetch" them. After a few handfuls, she took the bait and began to trudge in. Bill finally arrived, instructing me to not close the opening too fast lest I spook her and once I closed it, secured it for what I hope will be the final time.

The mental fog began to lift, I began to breathe, and babbled the whole story out to everyone (tooting my own horn, just as I am right now ;D )

8 days and counting, (and oh boy, am I counting!) We still have one battle left - getting her to the butcher. LORD WILLING, when she's in my freezer, I'll rest easier knowing she isn't going anywhere but onto my menu planner!

Our Homeschool Days

2009-07-31T15:09:00.001-04:00

Jared is going to begin the 6th grade this year and Hannah the 1st grade. Here is how I will be applying the states standards to my Christian homeschool.

Devotion-

School Days Devotional Praise Reading and Prayer
Hymn Study (with a review on Monday) SMS Choir has a very beautiful, clear selection of faithful hymns that can be purchased at Behemoth or can be downloaded for free here.
Scripture Memory is to be done at night during Family Devotions
Bible readings are done at breakfast, and lunch (Proverbs for the Day)

"Language Arts"-

Copywork- Weekly Bible Memorization Verse, once memorized, then Copywork resources from Queen Homeschool
Grammar- Easy Grammar - I liked the old editions much better. They fit into our schedule nicely and reinforced proper Grammar without too much work. In Charlotte Mason, the habit of attention is developed by providing short lessons that end before the child becomes bored. I really neglected this subject last year because the new edition includes a huge amount of memorization facts such as a list of all the prepositions, etc.., making it anything but short. I may try again to search for used copies of the old editions, last year I had no luck.
Writing- Story Starters I can not sing the praises of this book enough! The story starters in this book fired my son's imagination and he produced some really amazing endings last year. It was a 110% improvement over the writing prompts that I was getting from the internet the year before.
Spelling- Noah Webster's Blue Back Speller I break the lengthy lessons up as I see fit.
Dictation- The Harp and Laurel Wreath or Poetry from the author we're currently studying.
Enunciation- McGuffey's Eclectic Readers- We just started at the beginning and are working our way through. We're somewhere near the middle of the fifth reader right now.
Narration- I must confess that I've not had much success with narration. My children really see it as a chore and I get frustrated when the format ends up more like "fill in the blank." I try to sneak it in, however, by encouraging them to retell parts of the stories to their father in the evening.
Literature- Shakespeare (bi-yearly); Poetry; Living Books (usually incorporated with History or Geography studies) I read aloud literature well above the child's comprehension level. Since Jared's independent reading comprehension has reached an adult level, I read aloud classic literature that I haven't yet had the pleasure of enjoying. We also have a separate, special read aloud selection for our Sabbath Day that we slowly work through. Currently, we're reading Bible Models by Richard Newton.

Hannah will be simply continuing in the Tatras Phonics program with copywork consisting of writing out her spelling words. Literature will obviously exclude Shakespeare.

History-

The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. We've been using this resource from the beginning and I love it. Told from a Biblical Worldview, the lessons are told in a short story form instead of a repetition of dry facts. The Activity book has questions and answers, suggested further reading materials, worksheets, and projects all related to the subject material covered in the chapter.We really take our time going through this making use of the reading lists from the Activity Book that we can find in our library. There are 42 lessons in each volume and I break it up over two years. This year we're beginning Volume 3: Early Modern Times with Jared and will be building a foundation in Biblical account of Creation and exploring resources that challenge the theory of evolution with Hannah. This doubles up as Science for the first year.

Geography

Europe -I just alphabetized the continents and started at the beginning. We spend time learning about the culture and exploring the diversity of God's creation through the study of images on the internet or video. I use All Through the Ages to find Living Books that take place in the country or region of study. For example when we were studying Russia, we really enjoyed reading aloud Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne. Last year, I found that while studying Scotland, there are just a ton of wonderfully exciting books to read about that country and it really held us up. I also like to explore different countries with the Christian Heroes Then and Now Book Series and The Adventure of Missionary Heroism which are biographies of numerous missionaries. We research and prepare traditional cuisine from the countries we study. There is some map study as well.

Science

Weather- I keep to one topic per year. Creation, Plants, Animals (2 years), Astronomy. This year we'll be studying weather and begin a observation journal beginning in the New Year.
Nature Observation Journals that include notes and sketches.
Nature Friend Magazine

I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number: who giveth rain upon the earth and sendeth water upon the fields. Job 5:8-10

Math

Saxon- Algebra 1/2 - This is the singular subject that causes me to dread the upcoming school year. I could write volumes about our math struggles, but since that isn't the subject of this post, I'll possibly leave that for another time. I take my children as far as I can without a textbook. For Jared we purchased our first one in the third grade and he did fine with it. Each year since, he does worse, not because he can't do the work, but because he doesn't care to do the work. I've heard this can be the case with a child who isn't being challenged enough, so I'm skipping the next year and will go back if it proves to be too challenging. Since I've used Saxon all along and have experienced waning success with it, I researched changing programs and ultimately felt that the others weren't a fit. I like that Saxon provides continuous review of previous concepts so they aren't forgotten as opposed to a traditional textbook style that I'm familiar with from public school. I briefly considered a computer program thinking that would provide some excitement. I looked at Switched On Schoolhouse and after viewing a sample lesson over the internet, I failed to see how a farmer who builds a rocket ship to go to outerspace and ultimately ends up in the water with a frog throwing a cherry pie at his windshield relates to either mathematics or God. Even Jared laughed at the ridiculousness of it. I've also heard very wonderful things about Math U See, but for me that reads: Math U Lose.
Dive Into Math- I am very excited to supplement our Saxon program this year with Dive Into Math, a computer program that teaches the Saxon lessons from a Biblical Worldview making math relevant to a Christian pupil who struggles to see the point. See here to watch a video entitled Why Use DIVE Into Math?
For Hannah, we will keep it very basic with interest based progression. Most of her learning will be conversational. I won't be using any programs or workbooks.

Art

At the suggestion of the Bluedorns, the children reproduce sketches from Dover Publications Black and White Illustrations of Animals & Plants.
Picture Study
Photography- This may be a bit self-serving, but this year we'll be focusing on a study of photography. The interest that I have developed since this winter when I purchased my first DSLR camera, has been transfered to my children. Instead of constantly deleting blurry, over-exposed images from my camera, I think I'll just teach them how to shoot a decent shot instead. We'll be checking Bryan Peterson and Scott Kelby's books out from the library.
Nature Friend Magazine- monthly drawing lesson for submission

Music

Music and Composer Study
Hymn Study (To date my children have shown no interest in playing a musical instrument and I am content to simply expose them to classical music and develop an appreciation for music without requiring them to play an actual instrument.)

Speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Ephesians 5:19

Critical Thinking

Building Thinking Skills- So that they may one day be able prove all things and hold fast to that which is good. 1 Thess. 5:21 (Jared only)

Handicrafts and Life Skills

Jared- I let Bill guide this area as I'm not qualified to teach him the manly arts in life, however in addition to art, I consider photography to fall in this category and I LOVE to kill 2 birds with one stone in homeschooling!
Hannah- I would like to teach Hannah to crochet and then find her a charity she would be interesting in donating her work to.

Two final invaluable homeschooling resources that I wouldn't start the year without- my subscription to Old Schoolhouse Magazine and my membership with Homeschooling Legal Defense Association.

Schedule:

When I out together all of the pieces of the puzzle, here is what our week looks like-

Daily- Devotions, Spelling, Literature, Grammar (with new program, old was MWF), Math, Music

M, W, F- Writing, Copywork, History, Science, Critical Thinking (W)

T, Th- Dictation, Enunciation, Art, Geography

*Because I believe they may have made my page load a bit more slowly, I have removed the slideshow of books from my sidebar and replaced it with a link to even more books and resources that I have found to be useful in our home and for our homeschool.

What Type Of Homeschooler Am I?

2009-07-29T22:22:00.006-04:00

While composing this post, I began with the conclusion that I don't know! As in so many areas of my life, I don't fit into any one mold. My philosophies have been refined as time passes and so I now find myself embracing multiple ones.

1.) Classical/Trivium

My homeschooling years began with an attempt to follow the Trivium Classical Education as set forth by the Bluedorns. I cannot recommend their book enough. It was actually my first introduction to homeschooling and so I will always cherish it. It gave me a firm foundation upon which to build my homeschool. The book begins with a solid Biblical case for homeschooling and then they explain and expound on the three different stages that a child's mind will go through until they reach adulthood and how to direct their education to meet their needs during those stages. (Goldmine... really good stuff!) Details are given as to how they run their homeschool. In Teaching the Trivium, they advise teaching Latin and Greek to Christian students so they can translate the original texts for themselves and I really see so much value in that, however, I have abandoned those subjects as I was unable to grasp the concepts myself to assist in training them to my son. (I held in there for a long time though, finally throwing in the towel after five years of repeating one year's worth of lessons.)

2.) Biblical Model/Relaxed/Lifestyle.... not to be confused with Unschooling

This is where I really want to be... where I believe the Bible commands me to be. (There's that Deuteronomy 6 again!) Teaching my children (about God) through life plain and simple. Just daily living life with my children, planning teachable moments and utilizing spontaneous ones. This should be number one, but I'm going more chronologically with my list. This method goes completely against my personality. By nature, I'm generally a very quiet person (not talkative), so obviously the Biblical method of talking to my children is a challenge for me and I have to really work at planning conversation and being completely available for my children when they are ready to talk. How often I'm drawn to prayer, asking the Lord to reform my nature and conform it into a parent who can teach my children diligently!

3.) State Requirements

In order for me to follow the dictates of my conscience and obey the Biblical commands concerning the education of my children, my state requires me to teach a list of subjects.

Language, Reading, Spelling, Writing, History of the State and the USA, Geography, Government, Math, Science, Health, Physical Education, Fine Arts (including music), First Aid, Safety, and Fire Prevention.

***Soapbox Moment***

Every year, when I fill out my notification forms committing to teach these subjects, this list vexes me. Here are a few reasons why and I'll try to be brief. Based upon my experience within the public school system, I'm assuming that all of those subjects do not need to be touched upon every year, but rather over the years. Government received attention during one meager year during my education, as did health (although I do remember a gentleman coming in when I was in the 1st grade to teach us how to brush our teeth.) I'm also assuming that by Language, they mean Grammar, although I wish that it meant I just had to teach my children how to speak English ;D. I find the fact that only the history of the USA and of the state has to be covered (as though the world is only a couple hundred years old -400 at the most) to be ludicrous! Any "fine arts" became an elective after 6th grade when I was in school. I guess when I turned 12, I was no longer expected to have a use for my recorder, Christmas and Easter concerts, construction paper, Crayola and Elmer's glue. The last three subjects, *Sigh*, well I cover those daily. "You better get the Neosporin." (alternately: "Take the Band Aid off. It's been on there for a week. Let that thing breathe!) "Put that down! You're going to poke your eye out!" And, just yesterday, "Quit playing with lighters! You're going to catch the house on fire!"

4.) Charlotte Mason

Since I am legally bound to teach the aforementioned subjects for a minimum number of hours per year for 12 years, I must follow some method even if it is my own. However, in the last two years, I have come across two resources that attracted me to the beautiful Charlotte Mason philosophy of teaching, Simply Charlotte Mason and A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola.

Charlotte tought children that all truths are God's truths, and that secular subjects are just as divine as religious ones. Children don't go back and forth between two worlds when they focus on God and then their school subjects; there is unity among both because both are of God and, whatever children study or do, God is always with them.

I appreciate the focus on the training of a Godly character and the formation of good habits. I agree with the principle of providing your children with "living books" rather than textbooks to convey ideas. Living books, whether fiction or non-fiction, are more than just interesting books that make a topic come alive. A true Living Book has the best material, from the best minds, or at least the real story from someone who was there or has a real interest in their subject.There is a high standard in literary excellence and, while she advocated the use of many books, quality is to be preferred over quantity.

A further overview of Charlotte Mason can be found at Ambleside Online. (Source for a free CM Curriculum.)

Finally, it has occurred to me that I'm an eclectic homeschooler! I just happen to have convictions formed from the Word of God, but by ~~circumstance~~ the state am forced to teach more formally and am drawn to a Charlotte Mason/ Trivium style of teaching which I find best expresses my beliefs to my children. I'm not as all over the board as I thought!

Homeschool Or School At Home?

2009-07-28T22:53:00.005-04:00

"I’m afraid it is the state’s success in inculcating a worldview about education that keeps us from adopting a Biblical view. The patterns that shape our thinking begin with our own education, which is why even so many homeschools are little better than schools at home.”

When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling

R.C. Sproul Jr.

A Time To Plan

2009-07-27T22:22:00.002-04:00

When forming my homeschool vision for the year, I always set out to incorporate more Bible, less academics than I did the previous year as I attempt to shed the public school model for preschool and grade school from my mindset. I always begin with a careful evaluation of the subjects required by my state so that my homeschool is legal and of the results of last year's standardized test so that I can make up for any deficiencies that may exist.

If I have learned one thing in planning my homeschool it is to not plan too far in advance. Having next years curriculum lying about the house has proved to be too great a temptation for my children's thirsty little minds. I'll enter a room and find that they've succumbed to their disobedient wills and are reading their new books before they've been assigned. In order to cultivate the seeds that I intend to plant this year, I don't want them to be subjected to a great deluge of information that runs off their minds, rather I want a slow gentle rain of knowledge to permeate their fertile soils so that in time to come they can reap a bountiful harvest. I feel that 3-4 weeks is sufficient time for me to evaluate last years successes and shortcomings and set goal for the upcoming year, select curriculum, search our library to see what needs they can meet, order books and materials, and wait for the arrival of the shipment. Hopefully, that is about a week before we are scheduled to begin, which gives me just enough time to prepare the first lessons.

It's when I begin that process that trouble enters the picture. A fog settles in and I lose sight of the goals that I had when I originally set my mind to this task. It is browsing attractive websites, thumbing through colorful catalogues, and reading other mom's reviews that clouds my good sense. I bookmark page after page of resources that I imagine would enrich those little minds. (Knowing my proclivity to want to purchase and plan beyond what is absolutely necessary, I am determined to avoid homeschool conventions at all costs! The enticement of vendor tables would be more than I might be able to bear. So like I restrain my children from disobedience, through delaying my yearly purchases, I restrain myself by all together avoiding the perceived temptations that a convention would have.)

While tallying up the expense, it quickly becomes very apparent that condensing is my next vital and necessary step and even after that is done, I become discouraged wondering how I am going to ever keep to my budget. This year it is even more important for me to stick to my budget as a new vocation has left us with well over 1/3 less income annually. It was necessary to suppress feelings of panic as I pondered how could I possibly provide my homeschool with adequate educational resources on such a restricted budget!?? (I did a series a few months ago, Homeschooling On A Budget, perhaps it's time I reread my writings.)

Then the Lord reminds me For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. Isaiah 55:8 His educational goals ought to be the focus of my curriculum planning NOT the states. The goal and focus of my homeschool should be to raise my children to become Ambassadors for Christ and not necessarily to hold a position that society would hold in high regard.

That's not to say that the Lord doesn't esteem education. On the contrary, the Old Testament book of Proverbs repeatedly points to the value of gaining knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

For the Lord giveth wisdom, out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments. Psalm 111:10

Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Proverbs 4:5

How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather than to be chosen than silver? Proverbs 16:16

But what kind of education? From where is this wisdom to be acquired ? Thankfully, we need look no further than the pages of Scripture for an answer! And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deuteronomy 6:6,7 Of Abraham God says, For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; Genesis 18:19 Certainly not from textbooks. 1 Corinthians 3:19 reminds me, For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. While they aren't inherently evil or wrong, textbooks shouldn't be foundational to a Christian education, but supplemental and never to be used without the filter of Scripture. (I don't personally consider a graven image of "Jesus" every few pages to be a use of this filter. In fact considering the second commandment, I'd suggest that to be a complete lack of filter.)

I have found that an additional benefit to helping our children seek after God's wisdom rather than man's is that there is no last page. There is nothing for us to look toward at the end of the year to show us, in our pride, how well we've done and what great things we've accomplished. It causes us to rely entirely upon Him for our success.

With these thoughts in mind, I'm planning my school year and making my purchases this week. It's a rather exciting year too because after 5 years, I'm officially registering a new pupil. Now that I've overcome my yearly coveting of resources, I intend later this week to share more about exactly what I'll be doing this year in our homeschool and how I'll still stay within the parameters set by my state.

Desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Colossians 1:9,10

Love and Lavender

2009-07-19T12:34:00.003-04:00

See Flickr slideshow on my sidebar or go here to see 60 desktop wallpapers.

On Proverbs 1:7

2009-07-15T14:49:00.003-04:00

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7) which means if you don't fear God, you don't get to first base in knowledge. That is, if you don't fear the Lord, you haven't begun to know truth. Which means incidentally that secular education -education that leaves God out of account- is a mirage of hope in the wasteland of our culture. It's a mirage if anybody thinks there's any hope in God-omitting education. There isn't any because all the facts that God-omitting people can accumulate are false in relation to God. They're skewed. They're never all true. 2+2=4 is not Holy truth unless it's brought into relation to God. And if you don't see that then you have fallen for the secularity of our age which says you can do education without God.

~John Piper

(excerpt from audio, not transcript)

Mulberry-Apple Muffins

2009-07-13T22:23:00.005-04:00

This year I decided that I didn't want to let all of the beautiful mulberries that my tree produces go to the birds ~literally. (And what they leave behind ends up rotting on the ground, very smelly.) I intended to make some very frugal jam and had produced one batch at the cost of a whopping $.22 per pint (compare that to the $1.44 per pint I made strawberry jam for!). Then my transformation into a sewing machine quickly brought all of my (j)ambitions to an end. I was certain that by the time we came home from Boston the birds would have scavenged all remaining berries. I was pleasantly surprised that there were still some remaining and set about harvesting fruit. My disappointment at having too few berries from that harvest disappeared after one bite of my back-up plan!

With the pint of berries I gleaned, I made Mulberry-Apple muffins that I adapted from this blueberry muffin recipe. Since I was able to adapt the recipe to fit my alternate berry needs this is my new "go-to" fruit/muffin recipe! (It has 4 1/2 stars from over 3000 reviews- they are that good!)

The bad news is that the mulberries are officially gone, the good news is that in many parts of the country blueberry season is getting under way. My local pick-your-own blueberry farm opens for business in just two weeks! In which case this recipe will metamorphosize back into its original form.

Mulberry-Apple Muffins

1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 c. milk
1/2 c. mulberries, stems removed, chopped
1/2 c. apple, cored, skinned, diced
(OR SUBSTITUTE WITH EQUIVALENT MEASUREMENT OF YOUR FAVORITE BERRY)

Topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter, cubed
1 1/2 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400. Mix all dry batter ingredients together in a bowl. Add wet ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined. Fold in the mulberries and apples. Spoon into prepared muffin tins (either greased or paper lined), 3/4 full.

In a small bowl mix brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add butter cubes and mix with a fork (or set your kids loose with their hands! They'll love to lick their fingers - when they're done of course!) Sprinkle streusel topping over the muffins. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Grocery Cart Recipe Swap

Frugal Friday

Favorite Ingredients Friday

Sunday Stills- Texture

2009-07-11T23:12:00.002-04:00

My White Picket Fence- definitely has some texture!

Royal Palm Turkey Feathers

Lydia's "girlie", our Royal Palm Turkey we hatched this spring, has been cracking us up all day as she reacts in an rather unorthodox manner to my husband the hunter's new iPod Touch application that plays various turkey calls. She has taught us several things today. When her reaction to the "calls" caused her to strut like a tom, we thought maybe she was actually a he. I did some Swagbuckling and learned that when confronted a hen turkey will strut! Left wondering if she was a he, I continued to research and learned that the scat between a tom and a hen are shaped differently! (Sorry, the home educator in me finds that fascinating :D ) Males are "J" shaped, and females are "S" shaped. "Girlie" had a few detectives following it for a little while and the mystery was finally solved. Girlie is able to retain her name - she is indeed a girl!

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God!

2009-07-09T22:27:00.000-04:00

Daniel Craig Sings a Mighty Fortress Is Our God from Vision Forum on Vimeo.

This moving rendition of Martin Luther's faithful hymn known as the "Battle Hymn of the Reformation", caused tears to well up as I listened during the Reformation 500.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever

Sunday Stills - Things With Wings

2009-06-27T23:18:00.006-04:00

This was the perfect subject for me this week! I was a sewing machine this week, and my work space just happens to be right next to my bird feeders! Had it been any other challenge I may not have been able to participate. I love bird watching and am very glad for this opportunity to be able to photograph them as well as observe them.

The robin above and the scarlet tanager below have been raiding my mulberry tree for the abundant ripe fruit found on it right now. I'm trying to practice what I preach and share with them as I would like the fruit all to myself. The kids love to snack on them, and because it's free fruit, I'm able to make jam for $.22 (THAT'S CENTS) per pint!!

The turkey hen (Lydia's "girlie") we hatched this spring above, and Thanksgiving dinner below.

We keep finding the turkeys roosting in the most unusual places! Regardless, I was still shocked to look out and see him sitting on top of the kid's swingset. Guess they had better look up before they go for a swing :D

These two were taken by my husband, Bill.

Life Skills

2009-06-22T17:19:00.008-04:00

From Simply Charlotte Mason,

"Four succinct points should be kept in mind when selecting handicrafts and life skills.

The end-product should be useful. The children should not “be employed in making futilities such as pea and stick work, paper mats, and the like.”
Teach the children “slowly and carefully what they are to do.”
Emphasize the habit of best effort. “Slipshod work should not be allowed.”
Carefully select handicrafts and life skills to challenge but not frustrate. “The children’s work should be kept well within their compass.”

(taken from Home Education, p. 315)"

It was a very educational day for children and adults alike. We began the season with 26 birds and ended up with 19. One chicken was butchered last weekend as a test run to see if this was something we the boys were up for. It was terrible! Practically inedible it was so tough. But the process seemed like something he could handle and we didn't want to invest anymore money in chickens that would end up in the soup pot. We thought we might find the solution to the tough meat in different ways of "disposing" of them, but we found that when they were dipped in boiling water to loosen the feathers for plucking, they were stiffening up and even beginning to cook! We lost 2 birds because of partially cooked meat, taking our total down to 17. The remainder of the chickens had their skin removed, which eliminated the need for plucking and saved a great deal of time.

In all 17 chickens yielded 9 1/2 pounds of breast meat, 13 pounds of leg/dark meat, and 4 whole chickens came to 16 pounds.

The prices that my grocery store charges for their "all-natural" chicken are:

$6.59/lb. boneless skinless breast meat ($63.00)

$2.29/lb. dark meat ($30.45)

$ 2.00/lb. whole chicken ($32.00)

Total: $125.45

Total invested: $129.76

(This includes chicks, starter, feed, paper for under brooder, and a hanging waterer. The chicken tractor and all supplies to butcher were made from materials we already had.)

Life Skills: Priceless

Would we do it again? The jury is still out on that one. Bill had his fill of all things chicken today so we had a meatless meal for supper. If we didn't solve the tough bird problems by not boiling them and they are still tough, we will definitely not raise broilers again! It may be worth it simply for the instilling of work ethic in my sons, the knowledge of what is going into our food, and the educational aspects of raising poultry. If paying for the butchering is cost prohibitive and time doesn't dull Bill's memory, I imagine that this may have been a valuable one-time lesson for my children about where their food comes from.

I'm very proud of the worktable that my husband fashioned for this project. It alone was worth today simply so that my sons learn ingenuity and how to be resourceful. All materials used for the processing table were found laying around, which further decreased the cost of raising the birds.

*I hope that the images weren't too offensive, ladies. I tried to keep it as clean as possible :D

Quesaddicted

2009-06-08T21:41:00.012-04:00

My sister shared this recipe with me a year or two ago and, while everyone in the family enjoys it immensely, it is Hannah's favorite meal. When I ask what she wants for dinner, without fail, she shouts "Chicken Quesadillas!!" I have always had a package of tortillas on hand before, but they would get as hard as a brick and I would eventually throw them away. These days we run out before I can make it to the store again. My favorite part of this quick and simple recipe is that all of the major food groups (except chocolate and ice cream) are covered!

Chicken Quesadillas

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast - cubed

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. oil

1 t. sugar

1 t. oregano

1 t. chili powder

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 green pepper, diced

1 tomato, diced

8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

6 burrito sized tortillas (or equivalent)

olive oil for brushing

-Preheat oven to 425.

-Whisk together the red wine vinegar, oil, and spices in a large skillet. Stir in cubed chicken and marinate while cutting the vegetables and shredding the cheese. Saute the chicken over medium high heat until it is no longer pink. (Cooking time is variable depending on the size of the cubes. Could be anywhere from 5-10 minutes.)

-Arrange half of the tortillas on a baking sheet. (I cut two in half to fit one and a half to each of 2 sheets.) Drizzle or brush the top with olive oil. Place the second tortilla on top of the first and rub it around on top of the first tortilla to share the oil love.

-Spread cooked chicken, and diced vegetables on the second tortilla. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

-At this point, you have two tortillas on the bottom, with olive oil in between them, and the rest of your ingredients on top. Simply slip the bottom tortilla out and top the chicken/veggie/cheese with it, oil side up.

-Bake in the oven until lightly browned and crispy and the cheese has melted.

Unfortunately, we seem to be developing a rather expensive habit this summer. A rather expensive tortilla habit. I'm finding that I can put them in all sorts of meals. My husband is addicted to my pizza quesadillas and is constantly asking me to make them for him. I even made a lazy man's knock-off elephant ear with tortillas this weekend. The list could go on and on. I'm definitely going to have to learn how to make them myself or go broke. Of course, I prefer the former option! :D So my Mission ( ;D) this summer is to search for a recipe that will give us our tortilla fix without breaking the bank!

Does anyone have a delicious recipe for homemade tortillas? If so, please do end my search quickly. Share so that I can go outside and play instead!

Grocery Cart Recipe Swap

The Daily Interview

2009-06-05T08:53:00.004-04:00

The Daily Interview

Such a sensation Sunday's preacher made.

"Christian!" he cried, "what is your stock-in-trade?

Alas! Too often nil. No time to pray;

No interview with Christ from day to day,

A hurried prayer, maybe, just gabbled through;

A random text—for any one will do."

Then gently, lovingly, with look intense,

He leaned towards us— "Is this common sense?

No person in his rightful mind will try

To run his business so, lest by-and-by

The thing collapses, smirching his good name,

And he, insolvent, face the world with shame."

I heard it all; and something inly said

That all was true. The daily toil and press

Had crowded out my hopes of holiness.

Still, my old self rose, reasoning: How can you,

With strenuous work to do—

Real slogging work—say, how can you keep pace

With leisured folks? Why, you could grow in grace

If you had time . . . the daily Interview

Was never meant for those who wash and bake.

But yet a small Voice whispered: "For My sake Keep tryst with Me!

There are so many minutes in a day, So spare Me ten.

It shall be proven, then,

Ten minutes set apart can well repay

You shall accomplish more

If you will shut your door

For ten short minutes just to watch and pray."

"Lord, if I do Set ten apart for You"

(I dared, yes dared, to reason thus with Him)

"The baker's sure to come;

Or Jane will call

To say some visitor is in the hall;

Or I shall smell the porridge burning, yes,

And run to stop it in my hastiness.

There's not ten minutes, Lord, in all the day

I can be sure of peace in which to watch and pray."

But all that night,

With calm insistent might,

That gentle Voice spake softly, lovingly—

"Keep tryst with Me!

You have devised a dozen different ways

Of getting easy meals on washing days;

You spend much anxious thought on hopeless socks;

On moving ironmould from tiny frocks; '

Twas you who found

A way to make the sugar lumps go round;

You, who invented ways and means of making

Nice spicy buns for tea, hot from the baking,

When margarine was short . . . and can-not you

Who made the time to join the butter queue

Make time again for Me?

Yes, will you not, with all your daily striving,

Use woman's wit in scheming and contriving

To keep that tryst with Me?"

Like ice long bound

On powdered frosty ground,

My erring will all suddenly gave way.

The kind soft wind of His sweet pleading blew,

And swiftly, silently, before I knew,

The warm love loosed and ran.

Life-giving floods began,

And so most lovingly I answered Him:

"Lord, yes, I will, and can.

I will keep tryst with Thee, Lord, come what may!"

It is a wondrous and surprising thing

How that ten minutes takes the piercing sting

From vexing circumstance and poisonous dart

Hurled by the enemy straight at my heart.

So, to the woman tempest-tossed and tried

By household cares, and hosts of things beside,

With all my strength God bids me say to you:

"Dear soul, do try the daily Interview!"

-Fay Inchfawn

Verse Box

2009-05-26T14:02:00.008-04:00

We have been using a simple, economical method of memorizing Scripture for the last couple of years that I love. I found this idea at Simply Charlotte Mason, a site that is a gold mine for anyone interested in the CM method of homeschooling.

With a few inexpensive supplies, index cards, index card or recipe card box, tab dividers, and something to write with and you're family will be on their way to hiding God's Word in their hearts.

The tab divisions are daily, even and odd, day of the week, and date of the month. Each day, you'll review the current daily verse until it is memorized. Each day you'll also review 3 older verses. Which verse you review will depend on whether the date is an even or odd number, what day of the week it is, and the date. For example today is Wednesday, May 27th. We'll review the daily verse, odd verse, Wednesday verse, and the 27 verse. When the daily verse is memorized, every verse gets bumped back one. Detailed instructions can be found at Simply Charlotte Mason.

Your verse box needn't be a drab addition to your home. Instead of a centerpiece on our table, I have decorated a recipe card box to match my decor. Originally I had covered it with fabric, but have recently covered it with leftover wallpaper that I used when I decorated my barstools. You could also paint or stencil the box, or you could decoupage it with scrapbook paper that is found in a craft store. Use scrapbook embellishments to decoupage over a painted box. Your imagination is your only limit.

If your family hasn't already implemented a system for memorization of Scripture, I highly recommend instituting one. There is no finer way of training up your children in the way they should go. It will never leave them, and God's Word will always be with them even when at times when they might not have access to a Bible.

Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

The law of God is in his heart, none of his steps shall slide. Psalm 37:31

I delight to do they will, O my God: thy law is within my heart. Psalm 40:8

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Works For Me Wednesday

Frugal Friday

Diggory Delvet Is My Enemy!

2009-05-24T22:35:00.008-04:00

Diggory Diggory Delvet

A little old man in black velvet

He digs and he delves

You can see for yourselves

The mounds dug by Diggory Delvet

Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes

Please allow me to be frank. I do not subscribe to the philosophy of a particular organization whose mission is to protect the rights of animals on this planet. Far from saying I believe in animal cruelty, I believe that God gave man dominion over this earth and the most endangered creature on the planet will soon be the human being. I treat my animals very humanely, my "girls" live a very luxurious life in my opinion. But an animal is just an animal and if an animal is interfering with my homestead (garden or livestock), I have no qualms about declaring the animal my enemy.

Diggory Delvet is my enemy. It's him and his family or my produce and it's a fight to the death. My chickens have been kind enough to join the battle on our side. Whenever they see the dirt start to shake, the peck at it until they have unearthed the creature be it worm or mole and then they play with it until I have one less problem rooting their way through my garden. I'm grateful for one less mole in my garden as I've worked way too hard this week to give up my dream of a bountiful harvest this fall!

A kind reader has inquired about the progress of our garden plans and we've made plenty! We have been working our tails to the bone this week preparing the ground for planting now that the weather has finally broke. It has been either cold or rainy all spring and so we're very grateful to get the chance to finally accomplish something. I've very tired after having spent the week raking and picking and hauling rocks every time the garden was tilled. There seems to be a never ending supply of little rocks!

The children have been so helpful! It's amazing what they can accomplish. One evening we told the children that they could get a pack of gum for every 5 gallon bucket they filled with rocks. Hannah filled 7 buckets, Jacob and Lydia were each able to fill one. I also spent some time every day with the hoe breaking up and pulling the weeds from along the fence line. The little ones were eagerly helping me fill the buckets with the weeds, they helped plant seeds, and cover them up. Now if I could just keep them out! They want to walk over the seeds instead of down the paths.

We built a raised bed for the carrots and radishes and mixed last year's play sand with some of the dirt from our garden. Our carrots have never grown at all and we're hoping that the addition of sand will make the dirt loose enough to for them to grow this year.

We have decided to make a more efficient use of the space that we have and "grow up" this year. Bill took some fallen trees from the yard to make a couple rows of trellis for our plants that can grow vines and I ran twine around the poles.

Hardening off

So far we have planted:

Centennial sweet potatoes

Cascadia snap peas

Kentuky Wonder pole beans

Burpless slicing cucumbers

Homemade Pickles pickling cucumbers

Redwing onions (from seed)

Bon Appetit bi-color sweet corn

French Breakfast radishes

Nantes carrots

cantaloupe (from seed)

Premium Crop broccoli

Red Iceberg head lettuce

Parris Island Romaine lettuce

2 lbs. of Yukon Gold seed potatoes

and our Jerusalem Artichokes that I've left from last year are growing already.

In another week or so after the danger of frost has passed we'll add:

Roma tomatoes (from seed)

Better Boy tomatoes (from seed)

Delicious tomatoes (from seed)

California Wonder green peppers (from seed)

Red Beauty peppers (from seed)

Golden Self Blanching celery (from seed)

Surprise cabbage (from seed)

Snack Jack pumpkins

Horn of Plenty yellow summer squash

Black Zucchini

Giant Grey Stripe sunflowers

It has been very thrilling to have successfully raised seedlings to the point of transplanting! I have been pleased with the recovery my tomatoes have made thanks to the bonemeal another reader had suggested. (Well that is I was pleased until I saw the tomatoes the local garden center is selling. Some are flowering already!!)

I mentioned earlier this year some frugal alternatives to plastic cells or Jiffy Peat pots that I was going to try and I thought that I'd mention how they worked. The first alternative I found was the newspaper pots. I thought that they grew nice seedlings as they allowed the roots adequate room to grow. The soil was too loose to transplant nicely. It all fell away. The paper was slimy to peel off.

The cardboard tubes grew measly little plants. I think that they were too thick to allow water to get up through to the roots. They too were slimy to peel away if not more so. I won't be trying them again, which is quite disappointing as I already have a stock built up for next year.

I'd have to say that unfortunately, the plastic cells that you find in the nursery grew the best seedlings. Large with beautiful roots, and they transplanted effortlessly. The Jiffy Pots grew nearly as well, but they too were slimy to transplant. Next year, I'll probably compare the price of newspapers, as I don't subscribe to one, compared to the cells. It would have to be a big difference as the newspaper method required a lot of prep work and took up a great deal of extra space under the lights.

Instead of posting garden updates throughout the summer, I thought I would update (weekly if possible) images of my garden on the sidebar so you can watch my garden grow with me.... that is if Diggory Delvet doesn't get to my seeds first!

My Men At Work

2009-05-20T00:04:00.006-04:00

Having been inspired by the writing of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the video I posted about what it's possible to do with just 1/5 of an acre, we set to work this weekend. I'm grateful for Wordless Wednesday today as my arms are quite cramped and stiff and my hands calloused from raking rocks and hoeing edge weeds out the garden! I'm just not up to a lot of typing! Hopefully, I'll be feeling better for Keeping It Real tomorrow!

"Me helping my Daddy!"

Wilted Lettuce

2009-05-19T07:43:00.001-04:00

My husband spoiled me this weekend.

I know that being spoiled sounds nice but it wasn't really fair. See, I was trying to spoil him and he turned the tables on me. I knew that he had been looking forward to grilling steak for the first time this season so I added it to our menu for this week. He was excited when I sent him to the meat counter at the grocery store, and even more excited to find me and report that he bought me a filet! (Told you, spoiled rotten and totally underserving!)

(I'm going to take this opportunity to tell the "world" just how well my husband can grill a steak!! I grew up believing that a steak was supposed to be grey and exercise for the jaws. He has taught me otherwise. This meat fell apart in my mouth! It was neither mooing nor grey. Simply delicious. -Ha-ha, there Bill I've one-up'ed you! Your turn again ;D )

Our standard side dish and vegetable for grilled steak in the summer is Wilted Lettuce. This is a manly salad and your man will love you if you spoil him and serve it, regardless of whether you have it alongside steak or not! Even my children who are often less than enthusiastic about a salad squeal with delight when they find out I'm serving it. They all beg for seconds. It is quite delicious and simple to make... minimal chopping.

Wilted Lettuce

6 slices bacon (or more to taste)

1 head lettuce, shredded (I always just use Iceberg)

desired amount of onion, sliced

1/4 c. vinegar

1/2 t. salt

4 T. sugar

Cook the bacon, reserving the drippings. Crumble and toss with lettuce and onion. While the drippings are still warm add the vinegar, salt, and sugar. (Friendly Warning: Don't hover over the pan for this step, the vinegar will heavily simmer and the smell burns your nose!) Simmer to dissolve the sugar. Pour down over the salad. Toss and serve warm.

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy

Blissfully Domestic

In-Season Recipe Swap

Grocery Cart Recipe Swap

What Can You Do With 1/5 Of An Acre?

2009-05-16T18:19:00.008-04:00

Well I was outside working and then it started to rain! Honest!!

My husband and I were discussing the content of my earlier post while we were working and I was telling him about the following video that I watched last year. While I don't intend to hand crank my blender anytime soon, I was amazed at what this family could grow on their city lot. Since we have 2.5 acres, I feel like I have no excuse!

Heirs of the Ages

2009-05-16T15:03:00.009-04:00

A commenter recently recommended Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered Writings. She made quite the pitch. I immediately reserved it from my library and eagerly anticipated it's arrival. I must say that I am finding the stories about how the Wilder's began their farm to be particularly fascinating, especially as we endeavor to expand our little homestead.

I would like to share one that I read today that I found to be particularly inspiring.

Heirs of the Ages

November 1923

While driving one day, I passed a worn-out farm. Deep gullies were cut through the fields where the dirt had been washed away by the rains. The creek had been allowed to change its course in the bottom of the field and had cut out a new channel, ruining the good land in its way. Tall weeds and brambles were taking more strength from the soil already so poor that grass would scarcely grow.

With me as I viewed the place was a friend from Switzerland, and as he looked over the neglected farm, he exclaimed, "Oh, it is a crime! It is a crime to treat good land like that!"

The more I think about it, the more sure I am that he used the exact word to suit the case. It is a crime to wear out and ruin a farm, and the farmer who does so is a thief stealing from posterity.

We are the heirs of the ages: but the estate is entailed, as large estates frequently are, so that while we inherit the earth, the great round world which is God's footstool, we have only the use of it while we live and must pass it on to those who come after us. We hold the property in trust and have no right to injure it or to lessen its value. To do so is dishonest, stealing from our heirs their inheritance.

The world is the beautiful estate of the human family passing down from generation to generation, marked by each holder while in his possession according to his character.

Did you ever think how a bit of land shows the character of the owner? A dishonest greed is shown by robbing the soil: the traits of a spendthrift are shown in wasting the resources of the farm by destroying its woods and waters, while carelessness and laziness are plainly to be seen in deep scars on the hillsides and washes in the lower fields.

It should be a matter of pride to keep our own farms, that little bit of the earth's surface for which we are responsible, in good condition, passing it on to our successor better than we found it. Trees should be growing where otherwise would be waste places, with the waters protected as much as possible from the hot sun and drying winds, with fields free from gullies and the soil fertile.

I feel like getting to work!

Mail-Order Perennial Gardening

2009-05-13T06:05:00.011-04:00

When I moved into my home 4 years ago, it was in desperate need of some colorful landscaping. I wanted flowers, and a lot of them. I decided early on that I wanted to invest in perennials so that I didn't have to repurchase annuals every year. I also decided to give some of the mail order catalogue companies a try. I compared the cost of their products to my local nursery and wanted to save some money. I understood that their plants would be smaller, but I was willing to be patient.

Naturally, I tried the cheap places first. Many offered coupons on the front of their catalogues that made them even more appealing. Suffice it to say, I am still working on getting a return for my initial investment into these companies.

One company in particular, Direct Gardening (which includes many companies found here ), I have given up on altogether. I cashed in a replacement voucher I received in the fall for $180 worth of plants that all died, and none of them survived the winter. Que sera, sera. I'm going to let it go. Actually, looking at that last sentence, I realize that I wrote untruthfully. I said they all died, but they didn't. I received plants that were black and either slimy or had white mold on them. Foolishly, I planted them anyway, as though I could revive them. Of course they didn't grow.

Unlike the other companies who take your word for it, in order to receive a replacement voucher from Direct Gardening, you have to save the label on the box the plants came in, dig up the dead plants, (if you can find them), and ship them back, or write a letter outlining your problem.

I have been able to successfully grow creeping phlox and ornamental grasses from this company. I would only trust them if I were selecting plants that were very, very hardy and easy to grow.

I have also had quite an experience with Springhill Nursery, which is affiliated with companies such as Michigan Bulb, Gurney's, Henry Fields, and others. My initial complaint with them centered around the fact that my ship date was continuously pushed back until the plants that I ordered wouldn't be available until the following year. When I was finally able to plant them next spring, they died within days despite my attempts to nurse them back to health. Most likely this was due to the fact that they had fallen out of the packaging during shipping. Thus began a long, laborious, and hopefully completed, process of getting something for my money. Most recently, I received a backordered group of plants a few weeks ago that I bought in the fall. I opened the box and was shocked to find that I had 3 plants that I hadn't even ordered. They looked great, but they certainly couldn't be substituted for the plants that I had purchased. I was looking for something for my shady bed, these were for hot, dry areas and rock beds! Clearly it wasn't even an issue of being out of stock and making a substitute. I contacted them and they said they would immediately resolve the issue, which they did... by sending one of the correct plant instead of the three that I ordered! Fortunately, this wrinkle was ironed out as well, I have the correct plants in the ground and now they actually have yet to perish.

One other company that I have ordered from is Wayside Gardens. They seem to specialize in a lot of rare plants, shrubs, and trees. They are more expensive than other companies out there and while I was satisfied with their products for the most part, after one plant died I found out that they offer no refund or guarantee after you plant their product like the other companies do.

Before I continued making purchases based solely upon price, I decided to research the companies that I sent my husband's hard earned money off to. I found, much to my delight, a resource at Dave's Garden called Garden Watchdog.

The Garden Watchdog is a free directory of 6,815 mail order gardening

companies. Here gardeners share their opinions on which companies really

deliver on quality, price and service.

This was exactly what I needed! There were so many companies out there that I had never even heard of! Through this resource I was able to find 2 companies that I have been incredibly pleased with.

High Country Gardens, has the most beautiful catalogue that I've ever seen! (Gives me the gimmes!) While they are geared to xeric gardening for drier climates, more northern zones are able to plant many of their offerings. For me, "xeric"= "Won't die if you forget to water." I received large healthy plants in sturdy packaging. I lost two plants, which were promptly replaced, and I have been incredibly impressed with how large everything has grown in a full season! Considering they were about half the price of a nursery cost, or less, I would say that after one year of growth, they are already larger than similar nursery plants.

I learned from High Country Gardens, that it can be beneficial to plant your perennials in the fall. This is because the roots will become established and strengthened by the overwinter rest since they will not have to fuel the plant. Then your perennials will grow even more in the spring.

I ordered from Great Garden Plants and was also impressed with the size and quality of the plants as well as the packaging. Everything that I planted in the fall came up this year and I am looking forward to seeing how large they become.

My all time favorite place to get perennials from is... a friend! Most perennials could benefit from being divided every few years anyway in order to maintain their vigor. This year, I know my black eyed susans, purple coneflowers, and dianthus could all use dividing. Next year, I'll need to split my hosta. If you're not sure how or when a plant should be divided, Heritage Perennials has an everything-you-need-to-know plant searchable encyclopedia.

I hope that someone can benefit from the experiences I have had with these mail order gardening companies and that I have potentially saved others from the hassle of planting, replacing, and re-planting numerous times (not to mention dealing with customer service!)

This year I have a bed in which I need to replace everything because of the handiwork of a rascally little chipmunk who made his home under the bed last year, destroying the root system. I'm considering purchasing the following flowers from HCG to replace the dead ones.

Lavender, Hidcote

Resholt's Bellflower

Coral Canyon Twinspur

Blue Iceplant

Serbian Yarrow

Miniature Mat Daisy

Has anyone else had a positive or negative experience with mail order gardening?

What perennials are you adding to your flower beds this year?

WFMW

Thrifty Thursday

Frugal Friday

Lessons in Life and Death

2009-05-12T06:12:00.007-04:00

If you read my Keeping It Real post last week, the title of this post may have made you nervous. If so, calm yourself, we're all fine. I'm simply going to write about some of the happenings on our homestead.

While homesteading can be frugal (after it's been established), and educational for homeschoolers, it can also teach our children lessons in life and death. Last year, we took a particular shine to one of our new chicks. She was the sweetest of the flock and she faded away shortly after she began laying eggs (a clutch of 17! was found in a field- some with triple yolks, other times she would lay shell-less eggs, she would simply drop a yolk on the ground.) We also "lost" our rooster shortly after he started behaving aggressively with our children, which is not typical behavior for a Buff Orppington!

This year we expanded to 2 hogs, 25 broilers, 2 tom turkeys, and also tried incubating 5 turkey eggs. A few days after we bought our broilers they began to get lethargic and we found one dead. There was an unconfirmed worm siting in their droppings, so we treated for worms after losing another. All told we lost 5 and they seem to have recovered now as our losses have stopped. Thankfully, we moved them to the coop outside, and then to a chicken tractor because the smell in the basement was getting overwhelming. I would accuse one of the little children of having an "accident," only to find that one of the older children had left the basement door open!

Our turkey eggs were due to hatch on the 2nd (day 28). We knew from candling that 2 of the eggs had stopped developing and as a science experiment of sorts, we broke them open to observe the stage of development and a possible cause. One was missing a leg.

We finally saw that one pipped on the 3th (day 29), and she hatched overnight on day 30. I was feeding Ben in the middle of the night when I heard her peeping. I was terribly excited. It was almost like waking up to find out that you were going to have a baby, except without the work. And I could go back to sleep ;D

The next morning I fell in love with her. She was very frisky and kept poking her head out of the ventilation hole and calling for us. When she was dry we set her up in the brooder and found that she kept snuggling her feeder and falling into the water dish when she nodded off. I made her a nest out of a rag to sleep in. (I'm a softy farmer, what can I say? And I haven't told the half of it!)

There were 2 left to be hatched and we gave them a few extra days to pip and when they hadn't we candled and saw no movement and decided to open those eggs as well. It was very interesting to see how protected they are in there! Under the shell was a thick membrane that had to be cut through and then a thin membrane around the chick. Once all three layers were penetrated, it became obvious as to the cause of their death. Their internal organs had developed on the outside. I love Swagbucks, I picked up one while I was searching for the cause of this and found that if you don't turn your eggs frequently enough, the organs will stick to the shell and not get closed inside of the body. This was very frustrating to me! I researched (on Swagbucks, of course:) how frequently they should be turned and found the information to be very inconsistent, anywhere from once a day up to 5! We decided on two, but it obviously wasn't enough.

This was probably the best thing that could have happened for the little girl who had already hatched. She had been destined for the kitchen table and now I've taken such a shine to her that we're probably going to keep her as a pet/layer. In fact I am so pathetic that I went out and bought her some "friends" to teach her how to eat (we had been told that a turkey won't eat if it doesn't have an example to follow, I don't know if this is true, but she wasn't eating), and to keep her company. So now in addition to having an extra turkey that we didn't plan for, we now have 6 (minimum purchase) extra chicks. There are 3 Red Star pullets and 3 straight run "Mystery" chicks. It would seem there was a mix up in shipping and they don't know what breed these are. I did some research (have I mentioned that I love Swagbucks? Is it possible to learn how to farm solely from the internet?) and after looking at a million pictures of chicks, I still am unable to identify them. I'm sure it will manifest itself with time. Anyway, she has finally stopped calling for us all day long until we would come and dangle a hand in her face. Ever read Are You My Mother? She was that ~~chick~~ poult! She couldn't decide if it was us or the feeder she wanted to cozy up with.

So what's the total so far 8 dead birds on our account? Ah, but I'm not through. Late last week we had to, how shall I put this?, "dispose" of one of our pigs. Now forgive me if I get technical here, I'm doing it to benefit and other Swagbuck/Google farmers who may be out there. I had a really hard time finding out anything about the little fellows condition. He seemed melancholy right from the beginning. Wouldn't eat or come out of the run-in. He had diarrhrea as well. When the weather broke for a bit, he seemed to do better. Who knows, we thought, maybe pigs can suffer from Seasonal Affect Disorder? He ended up sinking back into his "depression", and he stopped having diarrhea, he just wouldn't go at all. Still figuring that it would go away, we talked to some folks and still didn't have any idea as to what could be his problem. He didn't seem to be growing so we treated for worms wondering if it was a tapeworm. Didn't help. For a pig he looked all wrong, there was no meat on his bones (and isn't that the point?), his ears were laid back, his belly was getting increasing swollen like someone was inflating a balloon inside. It seemed that he couldn't walk without having to stop and rest every few steps, like he may have been in pain. I found a symptom checker at Pig Site that showed his symptoms matched for Rectal Stricture for which there isn't anything we could do anyway. Since we couldn't come up with any clear answers from anyone we knew, we decided to put him out of his misery.

I hope the other pig doesn't get upset and try to "fly" again, as they can get lonely from what I understand. What? Didn't tell you about that? Well last week, Jared noticed that she was outside of the pen so we went back there to try and encourage her to stay close and eat, knowing that Bill should be home soon. We were very close to making it too. She had just started to wander away when he arrived. He coaxed her Inside The White Picket Fence :D so that we would have time to come up with a plan. Long story short, after chasing her around for quite some time, we were able to use long sticks to coax her back into her pen. And since she didn't tunnel out under the hog panels, it would seem that she had jumped over the top! You would think that hog panels, specifically being made for hogs would prevent that, but alas they do not. She tore a huge chunk of flesh open in her groin area doing, so I had the pleasure of trying to hold a bucket over her head while Bill sprayed an antibiotic spray over the wound. She limped for a day or two but seems to be healing well now and is back to her usual frisky self. (I had no idea that pigs could be so playful! She FRAPs like a puppy when she sees us coming. She'll play with a stick with Jared.) Fortunately, I can justify being soft with a turkey who can produce me an egg from time to time, whereas a 300+ pound pig is a pretty expensive and useless pet. So unless she can figure out how to lay eggs, I guess she's toast...or bacon rather. Mmmm... I think I'll go eat breakfast now.

Be Thou An Example

2009-05-10T13:41:00.005-04:00

I recently finished reading a biography of the wife of Jonathan Edwards, Sarah who was mother to their 11 children. In a Marriage to a Difficult Man: The Uncommon Union of Jonathan & Sarah Edwards, I was impressed most particularly with the way that she was described to have raised her children. It has given me a great deal of "food for thought" as to the ordering of my own household. She set an example that was carried on to her progeny that has been manifested in the numerous successful and godly men and women that were born into that family.

A guest to her home wrote of her,

"She had an excellent way of governing her children; she knew how to make them regard and obey her cheerfully, without loud angry words, much less heavy blows. She seldom punished them; and in speaking to them, used gentle and pleasant words. If any correction was necessary, she did not administer it in a passion; and when she had occasion to reprove and rebuke she would do it in few words, without warmth and noise.... In her directions in matters of importance, she would address herself to the reason of her children, that they might not only know her....will, but at the same time be convinded of the reasonableness of it. She had need to speak but once; she was cheerfully obeyed; murmuring and answering again were not known among them.

In their manners they were uncommonly respectful to their parents. When their parents came into the room they all rose instinctively from their seats and never resumed them until their parents were seated; and when either parent was speaking.... they were all immediately silent and attentive. The kind and gentle treatment they received from their mother, while she strictly and punctiliously maintained her parental authority, seemed naturally to....promote a filial respect and affection, and to lead them to a mild tender treatment of each other. Quarrelling and contention, which too frequently take place among children, were in her family unknown. She carefully observed the first appearance of resentment and ill will in her young children, towards any person whatever, an did not connive at it....but was careful to show her displeasure and suppress it to the utmost; yet not by angry, wrathful words, which often provoke children to wrath... Her system of discipline was begun at a very early age and it was her rule to resist the first, as well as every subsequent exhibition of temper or disobedience in the child....wisely reflecting that until a child will obey his parents he can never be brought to obey God."

May her example of godly motherhood give us something to strive towards in the coming year and for years to come.

Have a blessed Sabbath Day.

Just Dandy

2009-05-06T06:23:00.003-04:00

1st Peter 1:23-24

Took these shots just for you Ashley ;D

Word Filled Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Angel Food Cake With Meringue Frosting

2009-05-04T22:28:00.009-04:00

Ever since my husband's grandmother passed away a few years ago, his family has been missing her angel food cake, so usually having 3-4 dozen eggs in the refrigerator at any given time (and knowing that whatever I use will be quickly replaced), I assigned myself the task of figuring out what recipe she used.

We grew up eating store bought angel food cake. I had never even heard of frosting one, so when my husband kept describing this topping I had no idea what he could be talking about. I was thumbing through my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Bookone day looking for a chocolate icing recipe when I saw one for Meringue Frosting and I knew that was what I needed to try on my angel food cake. I was delighted when the frosted cake met with the approval of my husband's memories.

In honor of her memory this Mother's Day, I'd like to share my angel food cake recipe frosted with meringue frosting. This is a great Mother's Day dessert because it satisfies the sweet tooth without guilt.

Angel Food Cake

12 large egg whites, room temperature

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted

1 c. flour, sifted

1 1/2 t. cream of tartar

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1 c. granulated sugar

*Kitchen Tip: There's no need to spend a great deal of time sifting flour and powdered sugar, simply stick your wire whisk into the bag to aerate your ingredient. Measure into a bowl and whisk again until it light and fluffy.

Preheat the oven to 350. Sift the powdered sugar and flour together. In a separate bowl, add cream of tartar and vanilla to the egg whites. Beat with a mixer (whisk attachment if you have one) on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add granulated sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Sift 1/4 of the powdered sugar mixture over the egg whites. Fold in gently. Repeat with the remaining powdered sugar mixture. Pour into ungreased 10" tube pan. Gently cut through batter to remove air pockets. Bake on the lowest rack in your oven for 35-40 minutes until the top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert cake. Cool completely in the pan. Run a knife around the rim of the pan to loosen before trying to remove the cake. If desired, frost with Meringue Frosting.

Meringue Frosting

Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. cold water

2 egg whites

1/4 t. cream of tartar

1 t. vanilla

Over a double broiler, combine sugar, water, egg whites, and cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds.

Cook, beating constantly with mixer on high speed 10-13 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160. Stop beating and quickly scraping the sides every 5 minutes to prevent sticking.

*Kitchen Tip: I don't have a double broiler so I use a bowl over a saucepan - I find that a stainless steel bowl gets to temperature more easily.

Remove pan from the heat and add vanilla. Beat an additional minute until the frosting is fluffy and has soft peaks.

The recipe says that this frost the tops and sides of 2- 8 or 9" cake layers or 1- 10" tube cake. I personally found this to be way too much! It overpowered the entire flavor of the angel food cake, so I half this recipe and either only frost the top, or lightly frost the entire thing.

I was going to take a photo of the angel food cake that I prepared this weekend, but was unable to because as it sat on my counter little tiny fingers thought that poking holes in the top would be fun. So I snagged these images from the web. Just keeping it real!

Now I have a question for anyone out there who has experience making angel food cakes:

Is there a difference between making angel food cake in a gas oven vs. and electric one? If you cook with gas, do you lose that crusty top layer of goodness that forms?

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