We've been some hopping PrairieFrogs lately!

We discovered terrible mold under the flooring when toilet in the back bathroom began sinking into the floor, so Ken's been doing an unplanned bathroom remodel.  (We also discovered that our dryer didn't vent to the outside, but rather directly into the floor--no wonder the back laundry area and bath were so humid when I ran the dryer!)  Yikes!  The icky, yucky stuff is gone, and while the bathroom isn't finished, it is no longer a hazard!  Horray!

While Ken was tearing out moldy floorboards, I was driving Keegan to Utah.  He's to have minor yet important surgery soon to enable him to walk on his feet correctly instead of on his toes, and we zipped out for a consultation.  He was a trooper for what turned out to be a seven hour drive each direction.  At a restaurant along the way he captured the attention of an elderly gentleman who whispered a word to the waitress and bought him a free ice-cream cone!  I think it was his highlight from the trip.

Somehow I got roped into a harp ensemble that we were initially planning for just Kaira to be in.  Fortunately it is very informal and there are other beginners, but it is still rather daunting for a non-musician like me.  (Kaira's learning her parts as well as my simplified ones so she can help me though--what a girl!) 

Kaira's also been having fun with a borrowed cross-strung harp.  It is strung from both sides with the strings crossing in the middle.  One side has the "natural" notes, and the other has groups of three and two like the black keys on the piano, and is tuned to the sharps and flats.  (Our own harps have levers to 'sharp' a note, and a pedal harp relies on the pedals for this.)

I mentioned that it's been a zoo, and we did actually visit the zoo yet again on Friday--the second time this spring!  It was literally a zoo!  We attended with our fabulous church family and only lost a handful of the children--one (not a PrairieFrog child) was lost amid a downpour and tornado warning adding significant drama to the day. 

And finally we did manage to fit in Father's day for Ken--a week after the real date, but he enjoyed his kabobs and Home Depot card (and homemade cards from the children) just as much a week later.  We've never been sticklers to the calendar.  (My poor, dear father will be getting his Father's day card on the 4th of July!)

In between happenings we've been gardening, having picnics, and playing outdoors.  This next week as we prepare for Independence Day we are going to try to remember just how to "do school" and enjoy a bit of routine after too long of being off-kilter.  We tend to be a family that thrives on routine, and while being derailed has been good, it will be good to find our rhythm again too.

Kendra has a way with words and often siezes the wrong one to humorous effect.  Last summer she asked it we could buy helicopters to serve with salsa.  It took a while to figure out that she meant avocados. 

Tonight Kendra kept talking about the "abogados" in our salad.  She doesn't know it, but abogado happens to be the Spanish word for lawyer.  While I know there are a lot of jokes disparaging lawyers, eating them goes a bit far.

(Keegan calls them zucchini.  Kaira calls them avocados but calls zucchini, "suzuki".  My poor confused children.)

We planted six lilac bushes along the fence this week.  Slowly, very slowly, our windswept and desolate yard is beginning to have pockets of beauty.  These six little bushes aren't even knee-high to Kieran yet; mere bumps in the ground.  Yet I see the future in them.  I see the future and the future is abloom in purple!

As I watch the plants grow it is fun to remember the children's ages when we planted them.  The more "established' lilacs (which aren't even quite to my waist yet) were planted when Keianna was toddling around and helping with a tiny trowel and wattering can.  Now she's five and they've grown right along with her.  These will grow along with Kieran.  When he's five, they'll be nearly as tall as he is.

In promptest response to Grumpy Dave's Comment on my previous post:

Posted by Anonymous (97.122.211.227)

Wow!  It was exciting to hear the great news, but I scrolled down expecting to see a picture of the new harp! I was VERY disappointed. Grumpy Dave

I hope to take my harp out (maybe with Kaira) for his own photo shoot at some point, but haven't been able to take it anywhere pretty yet.  I did snap a few in our less than picturesque yard. 

Friday we packed two field trips (and a visit to the Chiropractor, which the children always consider a field trip in itself!) into one day!

We took a little road trip to tour the workshop where my new Highland Harp was made.   Mr. McCrimmon, the luthier, was absolutely fabulous, answering our many questions and showing us all the wonderful ways this little harp is unique.  (And yes, I did say my new harp.  In helping Kaira get started, I became interested myself, and uh... well, we now have two harps.  Kaira's way beyond my level and far more dedicated, but I'm having fun trailing along behind.)

The children got to practice sanding a bit on their souvenir "harp holes" (pieces of wood cut from the soundboard; kinda like doughnut holes!)  We were amazed at all the work that goes into harp making, and Keegan just about signed up for apprenticeship.

Kendra's my breakfast girl, and gets us off to a good start each day.  Oatmeal is our most frequent morning fare (Although she varries the menu with eggs, granola, blender muffins and other things.)  Sometimes there are left overs.  We hate to waste, but what does a person do with leftover oatmeal?

Oatmeal muffins to the rescue!  We like these so much I sometimes ask Kendra to make extra oatmeal on purpose. 

When there is just a bit of oatmeal left over, we store it in the refrigerator and combine two days of leftovers to make the muffins.  They turn out so beautifully moist and delicious!

I tweaked a recipe from Lane's Letters, changing  it in a variety of ways.  The recipe below is our PrairieFrog adaptation. 

Leftover Oatmeal Muffins

Whisk together in a bowl:

1 c. flour (I use whole wheat flour that we grind ourselves, but any should work
1/2 c. brown sugar (Lane's calls for 1 c. but with the applesauce we add, they don't need as much sweetness.)
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon, 1/2 t nutmeg (spicing changed & increased from Lane's to suit the Prairiefrog Pallets)

Mix together in another bowl:

1/4 c. oil (I use olive oil, but any should work.)
1/4 c. applesauce (I make sure oil and applesauce equal 1/2 cup total; the ratio doesn't have to be even, just the total of the two together. Lane's calls for 1/2 cup oil and no applesauce, but we like the apple flavor!  You can even do just 1/2 cup applesauce and no oil)

 2 eggs
1 c. leftover oatmeal
1/2 c. raisins (more or less, I don't measure, but dump according to whim.)
1 t. vanilla

Combine two bowls until just moistened. Fill 2/3's full in a greased muffin tin for 18 minutes at 350 degrees. I always double or triple the recipe.)

Overheard as Keegan and Keianna play with blocks in the study:

Keegan: "Let’s play that I’m a child, and we are playing with blocks and that we live in Wyoming!"

Keianna (enthusiastically): "Oh, yes! And I can be your sister, and you can be my younger brother, and we can play that we live with our mommy and daddy and have sisters and a brother and a dog!"

With a reality like this, who needs pretend?

China, Japan, and WHO?  Ok, so dear Emily doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the books.

I considered moving her to from this smorgasbord to the next book buffett in a few weeks, but decided she provided variety and a bit of a reminder that even as we study the far East, history is occurring simultaneously in the West.

Upon realizing that we'd barely touched on the great nations of China and Japan which are featured this week in our tapestry studies, I decided to pull out a care package a friend sent us from China. It is brimming with educational goodies (thanks Beth!).  With so much to study in China and Japan we will linger in the east for a couple weeks. This week will be a regular Tapestry-week which will focus on events in China and Japan in the mid 1800's. Next week will be an extended PrairieFrog mini study that digs deeper as we explore China and Japan both in the past and today.

And then, of course, keeping an anchor for us in the Western, English speaking world is Emily Dickinson.

After our two weeks spent on one week of Tapestry, we'll continue our normal yet oft interrupted pace and proceed a week at a time. These books are just for this two week interlude--I have two full baskets waiting to grace the coffee table in a few weeks!

Tom's Midnight Garden has nothing to do with either Emily Dickinson or the Orient, but rather is another Anchor back to Mid-to-Late-Victorian England. It was a favorite book of mine as a child, and although very light on history, is a fun read.