Joyful Heart for Him

Nov. 15, 2009 - In My Kitchen This Week

I have been very busy, in case you noticed that I have not posted for two weeks now. So sorry!!

Isn't this a lovely photo above? Little Miss Muffett.. so sweet. Makes me want to crawl in the photo and "sit along side her."

I have had a very busy week in my kitchen. ( throught my house, but here is the kitchen part LOL) I Made a few things that turned out real nice.

These are just some of those goodies that we, and even some neighbor- friends, enjoyed this week:

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Pecan Shingles:

Graham Crackers

Butter

Brown Sugar

Vanilla

Crushed Pecans

Directions:

* Line a jelly roll pan, or any other pan with sides, with your graham crackers. Make sure the grahams touch.

*Melt equal amounts of butter to brown sugar on your stovetop. Add some vanilla, a teaspoon is fine. Bring to a boil, stir a little, remove from heat. Should be thick like a heavy pancake syrup. If it's not, just add a bit more sugar and melt it down some more.

*Pour that 'syrup of happiness' overtop of the grahams.

*Sprinkle the chopped pecans all over the top of the happy grahams.

*Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool.

*Share with a friend.

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Autumn Fruit Salad

Granny Smith apples (half dozen, or more if you need more food!)

1/4 Cup (or less) Apple Cider, cold

1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut ( I use all natural)

1/2 Cup Raisins

1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries

1/2 Cup Walnuts, whole pieces

1/2 Cup Vanilla Yogurt

Directions

* Do not peel apples. Core & chop apples into bite size, nickel sized pieces.

* Stir in apple cider slowly, just enough to cover/coat your apples well. Not runny! This was something I thought of instead of using lemon juice or orange juice. It not only worked, but it kicked up this salad in a big way!!

* Add all remaining ingredients, except for the yogurt. Toss well. Enjoy.

Note: It's better if you have a short while to refrigerate this sald. Then, just blend in the yogurt directly before serving. Just make sure that you don't add the yogurt and then let it sit around. It will get runny:( and not pretty! LOL

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The following casserole I made for the ladies table at our local homeschool co-op. We each take a week to make a casserole. This is just your typical morning casserole. Although, I made it larger, in an 11 X 15 pyrex dish, instead of the 9 X 13. I was very happy with the result. The ladies loved it.

Strata Bake

1 Lb Sausage, cooked, drainned & crumbled

6 Eggs, beaten

2 C. Milk

1 1/2 C Shredded Cheeses. ( I used Colby Jack & Swiss)

6-8 Slices white bread, crusts trimmed

salt & pepper to taste

You made also add:

Onion, green pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms.

Directions

*Butter your casserole dish.

*Place bread slices in bottom of dish.

*Beat eggs and milk together, add your salt & pepper. Set aside.

*Place sausage on top of bread.

* Spread around the cheese.

*Top the cheese with any extras, like onions, etc.. (I added sauteed onions/peppers to mine)

*Sprinke more cheese if you want.

*Pour your egg/milk mixture, evenly over your casserole.

*Refrigerate Overnight

***Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until it looks brown/ready.

( ( THE ABOVE CLIPART IS COURTESTY OF DESIGNEDTOAT.COM)) Thanks!!

MAKING CENTS ($$$) OF IT ALL....

The apple dish above was, yet, ANOTHER, dish that I made from those 3 bushels of apples that I got for ten bucks on our anniversary trip. Sounds nuts that they would still be good. But, I have kept close watch on them, on my cold front porch. When stored outside, they really do last a very long time. YIPPEE. I still have enough left of 3 different kinds to make a heaping more load of goodies. Lucky you'all!! hee, hee,hee.

The nuts, I usually try to buy one pack of nuts each week. That way I don't break the bank. I just replenish. I always, though, try to buy double or even tripple of those during this time of year. At Kroger this past week, all nuts were 3.99 per LB. That is a very good price. Especially for pecans. Those pecans are so costly. I love this time of year!!!

Butter is simply dirt cheap right now. It is 1.50$ per Lb at Walmart for their brand. Land O Lakes is 2.00$, which is still a really good deal.

Disapointed that COSTCO raised the price of their heavy cream this month. They can't fool me!

Chocolate chips are also dirt cheap right now. Stock up now if you can. Freeze them too, along with the nuts, butter, and other goodies. A homemaker can never have enough staples in the pantry. In the longrun, this is truly what saves money. All kinds of things can be created in the spur of a moment.:)

Walmart also has very large bags of sugar for around $10.74$, for 25 Lbs.

If you can purchase one large item each week, then all this will slowly fill your pantry. Invest in your pantry. I believe this saves money, big money in the longrun.

I love to talk saving, baking, saving!!!! Can't help it!! Just forgive my ramblings....

Love to all,

Joyfully sharing,

Shannon

Oct. 31, 2009 - I LOVE CANDY, for Grandma

Here is the most recent photo of Providence. My friend Susan V took the photo in our yard this week.

She is growing up so fast. Wish you could see her face, but doesn't she look cute?

Notice the shirt? I LOVE CANDY... Thought it appropriate being that it's the 31st. LOL!

We aren't going trick-or-treating, but we are going to a church party tonight. Scheduled for the men tonight is a chilli cook-off. For the women, a dessert baking contest.

Logan started his chilli last night. Those pots of goodness always taste better on day two.

As for my dessert? Well, I am up for the challenge. I am making a Chocolate-Pecan Pie and Apple-Cake. Two desserts, just to have extra food on hand. A pie doesn't ever seem big enough~hee,hee,hee.

I am looking forward to seeing our boys dressed up like shephards. Last year folks thought that they were jedis. It was really funny, watching the boys faces when people would comment. The little guys would say something silly like, "No, Maam, I'm a SHEPHARD~!"

Blessings and Joy to all- It's another beautiful day~!

Joyful Happy Harvest Day,

Oct. 25, 2009 - ~IN MY KITCHEN THIS WEEK~

Happily, I spent lots of time in the kitchen this past week. My favorite place in the house.~~~lots of smiling~~~

These are just a few of the things that I made for our family meals, church potluck, the moms hospitality table at our local co-op, and our very own Boyscouts who went camping this weekend. <<< I rushed through typing this together, so if I missed some detail, just let me know.>>>

8 loaves Apple-Nut Bread- Started off with 4, they were so good that I made 4 more:) 3 types of apples and 2 kinds of nuts. Hello Autumn!

4 Apple Bundt Cakes- These cakes were a huge hit. I had a few ladies who said I should sell these cakes. yum.

22 LB Turkey- mashed potatos, fresh string beans-down home cookin-Really cheap to eat off of for a few days. I paid 19$ and we got 3-4 meals from it-even with my four boys, plus hubby.

Simple Turkey Soup- Large pot, filled to the rim with health and yumminess- 2lbs carrots, 3 large onions, one large head of celery, a tad of garlic, gobs or gobbles (pardon the pun) of picked turkey, and freshly chopped parsley. Lots of good crushed pepper and good kosher or sea salt. I serve mine with wide egg noodles placed first in the bowl or on top of the soup. This keeps the large pot of soup from getting filled up with noodles that get soft and squishy. If the noodles get all squishy then it's nasty the next day when you serve the leftovers. I also will make rice in place of the egg noodles. My family absolutely loves this.

CowMom Cookies- These are my own version of an oatmeal cookie. They contain multi-grain ( rye, barley, oats, wheat) pecans, walnuts, brown sugar, butter (what else?!), chocolate chips.) I will add this recipe later. My husband is a Boyscout leader. When all the boys head out for the weekend, it's tradition around here for me to load them up with homemade cookies for the ride. I hear that they usually eat them for breakfast. Sure enough, when hubby called to let me know they arrived safely, he mentioned that all 3 dozen cookies were gone. Now, with one day, one 18 yo, and 4 boys in the car. Do the math. That is alot of cookies per person. HA!..... At least they had.... nuts .....in......them.......?????~smile~

Spagetti Sauce with Bacon-This is cheaper than ground beef b/c you can use half the amount of meat that you might normally use. I saute the bacon, let it fall into pieces as it cooks, or cut it with kitchen sheers while it's raw, add a few onions and peppers towards the end. Careful to not overcook those veggies b/c they will stew more with the sauce. Then just add a ton of garlic, kosher or sea salt, and your any-kind-of sauce. Voila! It's just yummy for the guys. I do not eat spagetti sauce b/c it makes me queezy ever since I had my 3rd child 7 years ago. So, on spagetti nights, I eat salad. My favorite food anyway.~smile~

Finally, I made an appetizer for our final friday night small group- MARRIAGE ON THE ROCK-(( by Jimmy Evans- ))

That night we had appetizer theme night. I made my own mixed-up version of stuffed mushrooms. Sauteed spinach, feta, bleu cheese, garlic, fresh parsley, green onion, sauteed stems, freshly-made breadcrumbs with wheat bread. (not in the order of mixing)

They turned out pretty alright. Not bad for a midnight snack. I chose to not add meat in honor of our wonderful vegetarian friends. I did not want them to go hungry:)

Making cents$of it all....We had an off grocery week too. Meaning, I spent very little and just used what I had on hand. The mushrooms and cheeses were my "not planned" for the week "extras". I almost always use what I have on hand instead of running off the the store, even if it's a special event that needs a dish. It can be a challenge, but, I figure that if 4 times per month I add 20 bucks in 'extras', then that adds up to be another 100$ bucks for the month that maybe I could have avoided.. Make cents??

I am also using up all those apples from our anniversary trip. So far no one is sick of apples. More Laughing. At least no one has mentioned anything. Maybe they are just being kind. hhmmmmmm

Joyfully in my kitchen,

Shannon

(((My thanks to Raspberry Road Designs for the above photo. ))))

Oct. 24, 2009 - Rain! ~~ I'm a kid again....

Heavy rain. Down pour.

Do I want to go out with you all? And play? In the rain? These were my quick responses to the boys wanting me to spend time with them.

3 minutes later. There I was~bluejeans, old sneakers, every-day niffty eyeglasses....yep. Ready to go!!Ready to go play in the rain.

The leaves were falling all around us as we took our walk to the mailbox~ taking turns running, picking up falling leaves and acorns. Looking silly while catching raindrops with our tongues.

The temperature was simply perfect-just cool enough to enjoy; not too muggy. Mr. Wind (as we call him), was really blowing hard and at times the rain was really coming down. Our faces, touched by the evidence of a Great God, who loves and cares enough for us to bring us water when we need it.

Providence, our sweet daughter, seemed to be confused by the whole idea at first! Funny! She is so little and she just doesn't like to get wet and diry like her brothers. But, when she saw Momma floating like a feather in the wind and rain, she joinned right in. We all danced and twirlled around.

Gosh, at some point I wondered if our neighbor noticed me running like a wild woman; back down the hill, then down the driveway with my makeshift sword in hand-(a stick, of course! What else?)

Honestly, it's o.k. I'm not too concerned about what folks think. I homeschool afterall! We are used to folks thinking that we are oddballs. LOL~smile

When we returned to the house, we all had to dry off and change our clothes due to being soaked from head to toe. The children were dripping wet and covered in smiles.

Me? I was not only coated in raindrops, but I was smothered in love and thankfulness for our great life together. Now this is living.

Finally, Charlotte Mason once said...

There is one thing the mother will allow herself to do as interpreter between Nature and the child, but that not oftener than once a week or once a month, and with look and gesture of delight rather than with flow of improving words--she will point out to the child some touch of especial loveliness in colouring or grouping in the landscape or the heavens.
(Vol 1, II, Out-Of-Door Life For The Children, p.79)

Joyfully living,

Shannon

Oct. 22, 2009 - Surprise!! Chicks~! We have baby chicks!!

While collecting chicken eggs yesterday, our precious seven year old William discovered a wonderful thing!~~

At first, he heard tiny peeping sounds, so he started looking all around the yard. Then, he began crawling around on his hands and knees, listening for any more noise that would give him a clue as to what he was hearing and where it was coming from.

After hearing it again, and after searching more and more, he then realized that the noises were coming from underneath one of our smaller barns; This certain barn that is elevated about 12 inches off the ground. The hens love to escape to there and hide from children who want to pester them.

Anyway, William heard that the noises were coming from underneath that little barn behind him, and when he leaned down to see what he could see, there they were; The momma hen and a few tiny little yellow peaks with mini beaks!!

He was so happy that he ran in the house to share the news with us all. ~smile~ Such a neat thing.

Normally, we have about 16-20 chickens, and oddly enough we have never had this happen. We just have chickens, free-range, providing us eggs. That's it. Nothing spectacular. But, this was spectacular. We did nothing. We just found them. I guess this is what happens when you don't eat the eggs!! HA... LOL!!

Well, today we got photos of the new brood as they emerged from their secret hiding place. (photo above)

Aren't they cute? There are a total of 7. William says it's because he is 7 years old. (that's hilarious!) The mother hen also has more eggs hidden in her nest underneath that barn. We have to figure out what to do next with the chicks and the other eggs that have yet to hatch. Plus, we do not want the chicks to get eaten after dark. (That would not make our the wee ones in our house very happy:()

For now, I am just watching them in the yard from my window. What a miracle of new life.

We are so grateful for the new chicks which will hopefully later bring us more eggs, and maybe more chicks. Cluck, cluck, cluck.....

Thankfully and Joyfully counting chicks,

Shannon

Oct. 16, 2009 - The Perfect Day for a Cup of Tea..

It's a nice autumn day here in Virginia. The leaves are just now beginning to change from the vibrant greens, to a vast spread of falling colors from the trees.

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As much as I wanted to keep summer for myself, part of me really is happy that the school year has begun, and that we are off to a more organized, more books-centered day. The summer is so chock full of many projects, that its almost a relief to not be hanging clothes, bucket after bucket of them to save on dollars. We now replace loading the clothes line, with loading the woodstove.

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With the new season, comes new memories and new challenges. Days like this cause me to turn my mind and heart inward, reflecting on days past. Days like the ones when I used to sit with my best girlie-friend, who has now moved away. So many times we just sat together and had a simple cup of tea.

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What is it about that tea kettle? Warm steam piling into the air. Raw fresh cream from our neighbor friend's cow, and a heaping spoonful of sugar. There is something about sitting, and just being together, that makes all the worries and works of the day melt away,~just like that sugar in the bottom of the teacup.

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A perfect day? We know those aren't really possible. But, in the company of a friend, paired with a lovely cup of brewed tea, and some gentle conversation, we can sink in our seats for a little while, and experience our own perfect momment.

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Joyfully fixing my own cup,

Shannon

(p.s. The photo above is the driveway from our old house; isn't it a lovely sky?)

Oct. 12, 2009 - Open Cookie-Jar Mamma & Pork Bar-B-Q

Have you heard of that easy-as-pie recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies, that takes just a snap to throw together? Literally a snap. So tasty too, you won't believe it.

Here it is:

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1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

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Place drops of dough (press tops with fork) on lightly greased cookie sheet, bake 10-12 min (likely the 12) at 350, but NO longer-don't overbake. These do take longer to cool and harden.

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Now, I added 1/2 cup flour so that I could add a few chocolate chips. This worked very well. The flour, I figured, would balance the cookie to hold those chips in place! We don't want to lose our chips~LOL!!

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Oh, yum. Happy kitchen, happy tummies, Happy me.

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~~~~~OUR DAY.....JUST A FEW NOTES

♦We had a good, productive day. I cleanned Providence's bedroom this morning, early enough to just get it finished. Oh, not a soul warned me of all the sorting with little girls, but dare I ever complain~ !! You will never hear that from this mouth, after four boys:) She so sweetly stayed with me and helped me. She loves her shoes so much. She has many that do not yet fit, but OH how she tries and tries to be a big girl. She will be 2 in December~~~ My Lil Flower.

~~~

The boys had a fairly good school day. I am using the Charlotte Mason method to help my 7yo son William with his reading/spelling. He really doesn't mind copying those words. It was such a tremendous help to the older boys. Still today, our son who is 14, still copies his Bible pages. I can think of no better way to teach a child, or young man, diligence, spelling, writing mechanics, patience, and more! Sweet Charlotte, thank you.

~~~

Our oldest son Dean, 18 yo, has his own work truck, a pick-up with the wooden sides and all that. He has been caring for the church lawn all summer, the driveway/parking lot, flower beds, etc.. All the things that they need. He is doing a fine job. He also works for about 3-4 other homeschool dads that call him for various odd-jobs and help on job sites. He is an incredibly hard working and has a fine reputation for just being a nice young man. I praise God that Dean has made such good choices for his life. We parents can only pray that our children take up their cross, pray, pray, pray~!!!! In the end it is truly in their hands.

~~~

Our 4 yo son Stephen came to me today and said, "MOM, (so seriously and slowly) my favorite word is COOKIE." Isn't that cute?

~~~

Being that I am a Self Proclaimed Open Cookie Jar Mama*, that pleased me greatly.:)Pardon me!

~~~

I made Pork Bar-b-Q for dinner, rice, and sauteed green beans. I also threw in some bar-b-q chicken breasts at the last minute realizing that my bbq was less than expected. In the end, this southern woman made too much food, as usual. There was more than enough to share with a neighbor and eat some for lunch tomorrow. Yippee.

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How I make my Pork Bar-B-Q

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Start with a large pork butt- throw that pig in the pot!! Cover him with a whole bottle of Sweet Baby Rays, toss in one whole onion chopped well, shake in some hot sauce, a few TB butter (Yes, butter, its' the south, silly!) measure in about 1/2 cup brown sugar, add a lil salt. Cover it well, cook it in the oven very long and very slow, about 325 degrees. Do not peek, do not take off that lid until you can really smell it for a good long time. I cooked mine about 5 hours today. Just be careful, it gets so hot inside the pot that you can really burn your face when you remove the lid, if you aren't careful.

~~~

Now, just let it cool. Pick off all junk you don't want to eat. Add some more of the above, minus the onions, and VOILA! You are so good at this, you don't need ME anymore. HA!

~~~

This is the very same thing I do for my split chicken breasts, or leg quarters, for bbq chicken. It makes a nice, greasy sauce that you can put over your large portions of brown or white rice. Make sure that you always cook those pieces of chicken upside down. Never let them see the sun! HA, HA, HA. LOL

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That's all for now. My caffeine has worn off, and my spirit is ready to rest along with my mind and body. I wonder what kind of wonderful things tomorrow holds?

JoyFULLy,

Shannon

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*Term taken from the book The Fruit of Her Hands, By Nancy Wilson

Oct. 10, 2009 - Anniversaries and Applesauce

Who says a woman can't have it all?

~~~~~

My husband and I just celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary!

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He took off the day from work, and we went on an adventure that I will remember always and forever. You must be thinking that he whisked me off to a secluded island, or to the amish country to stay in one of those little inns.

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Nope!

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He took me apple picking. ~smile~ Something that I have been asking him to do with me for years.

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The drive took about an hour & a half. The weather was beautiful, the air was perfect. We drove on winding roads, seeing green rolling hills, and sweet little farmhouses along the way.

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When we arrived, we packed a picnic lunch and ate it under the apple trees. Later, after picking lots of ripe, firm red Rome apples, we slipped down to the tiny pumpkin patch on the hill to grab a few pumpkins-an all around wonderful day together.

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My heart feels so full and content that my husband would do something with me that he really does not find appealing at all!

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Now..... what to do with all of these apples? Apple pancakes, apple pie, apple chutney?

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Finally friday I got started early in my kitchen and set off to create applesauce, yum. My son's gal Annie, (he is courting her:) came over at 6:45 a.m. to give me a hand. She had never made applesauce, just apple butter.

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We had such a special day. She is so dear. She peeled and peeled, I cut and cut, and thensome. All together we ended up with 8 quart size jars of delicious homemade chunky applesauce. (hubby's fave) I still have literally bushels of apples left and will be working on more sauce and goodies this week. I also made 5 loaves of apple bread that same day.

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In regard to the recipe and process, we did have to tweek it a little one time due to my chopping the harder Rome apples into too large of pieces, making it a little longer for them to soften under the heat. But, the Golden Delicious apples were simply perfect, they softened up quickly and easily-so naturally sweet and good~ an ideal apple for sauce.

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additionally, I did add some fresh zesty lemon juice, making the flavor of the sauce stronger, and then I added some dark brown sugar, a tiny tid-bit of salt, some cinnamon, then finally a heaping dose of southern warmth from my heart.

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I feel so blessed. I thank God for my husband, the great memories that we made, and the freedom to pick, eat, and enjoy the fruit of my labor.

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Another JOYFUL day, creating & celebrating the good things in my life.

~~~~

Shannon

Below is a recent photo of us at my husband's mother's home at the bay~

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Sep. 29, 2009 - Harvest Season

Today I attempted to make caramel corn. I have done this many times in the past when I get the itching to make something in my kitchen~something buttery, something sweet, something that the children can munch on, and my heart will smile while watching them eat it all up.

But, today my treats did not turn out so well. I am not sure what I was thinking, but the boys are still laughing about the end result of my attempts to please them. I was trying to make the sweet and salty kind of popcorn called kettle corn. In the end I added too much salt and overheated the pan.

Final poll: very burnt, incredibly salty, lots of stuck-to-the-pan kettle corn (smiling, lots of smiling!~) It really is a good laugh.

What a mess to clean up~

The good news in all this?

Tomorrow is a NEW DAY. (That is one of my favorite sayings.) I love the idea of being able to start over.

God is soooooo good to give us one more chance, one more day, one more breath. I try to live my life one day at a time, treasuring and even laughing at those ridiculous moments that make the sweet ones taste even better.

I may try again tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes.

JOYFULLY beginning again,

Shannon

Aug. 3, 2009 - CHRISTMAS.................. IN AUGUST!

Today, I have been canning tomatos~12 Jars in total~not bad.

It's fun and rewarding work, but a long time standing for a highly distractible mom like myself. I got brain-jiggled from being in the kitchen for so long. HA! Now, my mind thinks it's Christmas!

LOL

(kidding-just thought I'd add cute photo of our 4 boys)

This house lasted an hour or two before it was eaten up:)

Joyfully Jolly,

Shannon

Aug. 2, 2009 - Contest... Ala Soap Nuts

Hey Friends,

Have you heard of Soap Nuts? It's an all-natural laundry detergent. These little guys look amazing. I have got to get some of these....

Click the link below if you want to enter a drawing to win your very-own Soap Nuts. Contest ends Monday, August 1st, so click soon.....:)

Joyful Laundering,

Shannon

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2009/06/soap-nuts-giveaway.html

Jul. 25, 2009 - Little Girls... this is all new to me:)

After four boys I finally got my girl.

Elisabeth Providence

She is a miracle of a daughter.

I am overflowing with JOY.... treasuring every tiny feminine moment.

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Jul. 21, 2009 - Summer Nights

Recently took these photos when we visited my mother-in-law at her house on the Rappahanock River, here in Sweet Virginia.

Joyfully sun-watching,

Shannon

Jul. 21, 2009 - My Patriotic Son

Happy Fourth of July!

(A few days late:)

Yes, Walsh really did walk into that corner store with our knitted blanket on his back- smiling and grinning big, with each and every step.

(( It was the only patriotic symbol that we had on hand that day.))

I love his boldness~ Woo-hoo!

Joyfully Patriotic,

Shannon

Jul. 21, 2009 - Good job, son......

It's the heart that makes the man~

Here is that new Bible that Dean got for graduation! Hooray for Dean, Praise

God for a son who is walking in the light, and towards the light!! What MORE

could a mother want?

Jul. 6, 2009 - The Beauty of a New Day

~THE FIRST SUNFLOWER OF OUR GLORIOUS SUMMER GARDEN~

Our 14 year old son Walsh heard the tiny sounds of these birds in our yard. He grabbed the camera and snapped a couple of really neat pictures.

~Baby Robins in the Chestnut Tree~

Make a joyful shout to The Lord, all of you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

Psalm 100:1

There is new life surrounding us every day.

This brings me so much joy, and reminds me of the hope that we have in Christ Jesus.

Joyfully thanking God for a new day,

Shannon

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Jun. 15, 2009 - Our Graduate..... DEAN'S SPECIAL DAY!!

THIS IS ME AND MY HANDSOME SON, DEAN, ON HIS DAY OF GRADUATING FROM OUR HOMESCHOOL~~~ Doesn't he look grown up? WOW! HE IS TRULY A YOUNG MAN OF FERVOR.

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Myself, Dean, and my Dear Huband Logan.

We are so proud of our son! After homeschooling him since the 5th grade... he is on his way to newer and brighter places- by The Hand of The Lord:)

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BELOW: Dean's Gradution was Saturday afternoon. On Sunday morning our church, Freedom Fellowship, honored Megan, Dean & Annie with engraved Bibles, as gifts from the church to them. It was a beautiful ceremony. We even had a slide show by Power Point, with all of each their photos from a life-time of learning. It was simply a beautiful day!!

((I have some more photos that I will add later. ))

JOY ABUNDANT,

Shannon

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Jun. 10, 2009 - Books, Books, Books..... and Sweet William

He caught another one...

H e l l o........

Spending the last few days adding hundreds of books to my "for sale" pile at hs convention this year. It has been more work than I rememer the last time I did this!!

I do not want to complain, but I guess I have added quite a bit of things to my hs room the last few years and I am so happy to be getting rid of it all. I am selling stuff cheap, cheap just to be free of it, and, I figure, that I can make more money that way-bulk selling!

It's been a busy week for us-much more than usual. We have our BIG graduation for our son Dean on Saturday at our HEAV convention. Afterwards my father in law is taking us all to a great italian restaurant. I think the last time we went out to dinner he took us there and paid for it-what a treat!! That means it's been about 6 months since we have been out-WOW, we sure don't get out much, do we? HA! LOL

We are still trying to get all the cherries off that tree-it's like they are multiplying, plus many are just too high. I have to set my priorities otherwise all I would do is pick cherries and pitt them. I just love all the domestic arts-TRULY, I do!!!!!!

Providence is really becomming a young lady. She is forming words that sound more like sentences, she says Wa-Wa, that is her 14 yo brother, and she has been wearing his ball cap backwards. Not sure I like that part, being that I want her to be 'tres' girlie:) She just loves her babies. She powders them, trys to dress them, wraps them, kisses, hugs, pats, and carries them around. At 17 months it is quite a sight.

William, 6yo, taught HIMSELF how to ride a bike today. It was the neatest thing. He just made up his mind when he got up this morning. He is a typical William-if you know one.. need I say more? Well, he got on that bike and it 3 minutes he had it figured out with no help at all and was riding. What a precious boy. Fearless too. He just tickles me and I thank God for his adventurous spirit!!

There are so many traits and special qualities about our children that I would love to have myself. I could write an entire paper on that alone, I bet. But, it's just a perfect example of how our William is-I learned alot from him today.

PS. We got it on video so I am hoping to show that soon. We had to grab a cell phone real quick to get the video of him learning b/c it happened so fast that I wanted a record of it!!!

Must run,

Up WAY past my bedtime, (don't count my typos)

Joyfully thanking God for another day that he allowed me...

Shannon

Jun. 6, 2009 - Cherries....mmmm and good company..

Today my dear friend Amy (from HSB/transformed heart)and I picked countless sour cherries from the two trees in my yard. Above is a photo of the Tussie Mussie that she made for me for my birthday, weeks before she moved to another state. This was the most beautiful gift!! She gave me a really neat victorian card to go with it that listed the meaning of each flower in the bouquet.

So, today, her 5 girls, and our neighbor's son helped out by picking a great deal of sour cherries. The two of us washed & pitted several quarts of these sour gems. It was alot of fun to see the children in the tree, shaking it and trying to reach all of the very ripe ones on top.:)

Amy is going to make jam with her share. I plan on doing the same with mine. I have never made Cherry Jam, or any jam for that matter, but I am looking forward to it. Have any of you made jam?

Incidently, if you scroll down a ways you can see a photo of the bigger of the two cherry trees; our son is reading to one of his younger brothers underneath the tree. It's one of my favorite photos.

I hope to get a photo of the cherries on here soon-I just need a new memory card for my camera.

I really enjoyed having her company today, drinking hot tea, eating those scones that I made earlier, and just chatting.

~~ Amy, I love you girlfriend-You are precious to me!

PS. Thanks for the goodie bag and the rose plant for my kitchen.

I'm Joyfully worn out after a long day,

Shannon

Jun. 6, 2009 - Things on my to-do list today

GOOD MORNING!

The sun is shining, the birds are literally chirping-I can hear them from inside.... What a lovely day that The Lord has given us. What a joy to get to have another day, praise be to God!!

I am looking forward to all the work that I have today. I enjoy being busy. Also, company is coming today..... drum roll please....................my friend AMY who just moved from here in Va to SC.

YIPPEE!!!!! We are going to pick cherries from our two sour cherry trees today. We may make jam or we may dry them. Last time they were dried they tasted SO yummy. (see amy at homeschoolblogger.com/transformed heart)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TO DO LIST~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vacuum kitchen-Thisis the first thing I thought of when I walked into the kitchen this morning.

Mop kitchen floor-Don't even ask how often this gets accomplished!

Clean hall bathroom-This is the bathroom that my little boys use. Let's just say that it needs a REALLY good cleanning, and a fresh window cut it!

Bake a treat for company at lunch-Hm, perhaps chocolate chip scones or monster cowboy cookies, or old fashioned molasses cookies... I'm getting hungry thinking of it all.

play with my kids

Hang laundry on the FINALLY DRY line, woo-hoo!! It has rained and rained for several days.

Feed all the animals... 16 chickens, 3 cats, 3 dogs, bunny rabbit

Clean family room, clean clutter, vacuum this room too.

Dining room-UGH! Does anyone else use their dining room for folding laundry? I DO! But, my laundry room is actually outside on our porch, so it can sometimes create an uncomfortable flow of dirty and clean clothes going in and out of my kitchen all day. This house used to be a duplex so they shared that laundry room.. I am thankful for it though, for if it were not outside, I would rarely go out there! I am so busy inside.... you know what I mean, don't you?

Hug my children, hold their sweet faces, tell them I love them, play with them.This is the very best part of my day..

Much more, but if I keep typing then I won't get started. HA!

Joyfully industrious,

Shannon,

PS> This photo is my pretty girl looking at some flowers in our yard~lovely~

Jun. 5, 2009 - I miss this so much......

My dog Charlie was, I am convinced, the GREATEST dog in the world.

((If you haven't read my post from 4 weeks ago, please read it.))

I love this photo because it shows the gentleness and faithfullness of him to our children. This was a common theme for our beloved chocolate lab.

It was a month today that Charlie was hit by that car. I know that it may seem as if I should be over it by now, but I still cry every-now-and-then over him, even this morning when I woke up, and just now when I saw this picture.

I still don't know why God let Charlie go. I think of my dog more today, especially because my husband and two older sons are on a 3 day canoe trip. Charlie was my constant companion and protector all the times that my husband and boys were gone on Boyscout weekend trips. This is the first time I have been home "alone" in nearly five years.

Please pray for me, I am still grieving and just waiting for that lump in my throat to go away. I just miss him so much!

Joyfully resting in His comfort,
Shannon

Jun. 5, 2009 - Me.... looking more sophisticated than usual..Seriously!!

Here I am.

Felt like I had to show a photo of myself, especially because I still cannot seem to shrink any of my photos to make my avatar. (I will figure that out soon.)

My four sons love this photo of me because I don't "look like a homeschool mom."

Isn't that funny? What DO we look like anyway? Maybe it's because I am minus my daily apron and sneakers~smile~

Jun. 5, 2009 - The LIFESTYLE of Homeschooling....

Jun. 4, 2009 - Today in My House

(I love to take pictures of my children. I will stop whatever I am doing and click, click, click, just to 'get the moment'.)

These are our children, Dean, Walsh, William, Stephen, and Elisabeth Providence.

Aaaaaah... the good life-Thank you Jesus!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, these are a few things that I......

Read Proverbs 4 with all the children at breakfast. Walsh the 14 yo read aloud and did a nice job.

Cleanned out my school room-weeded old books, vacuumed the room, wipes down the tables, organized the gazillion toys out of place, piled books to sell at convention...

Had oatmeal with fresh-farm cream, sucanat, and butter for breakfast, yum! The children love it. I grew up eating oatmeal every morning before school. Did you?

On my third cup of Trader Joes English Breakfast Tea, my fave- (Amy & Kim R... you know we love it!!)

Made cheese quesadillias for lunch with leftover bacon from yesterday-

Just did a third load of dishes by hand...Second load of laundry. Cannot hang the clothes today due to rain. We always hang them on the line all Spring and Summer, but the rain realy delays the process and the clothes really begin to pile up~ "Oh, help my ever-so-impatient heart Lord. I know that you give the rain.:)"

Just washed my hair with lavender shampoo b/c I missed my shower and needed it bad!! Ever done that? YEP!

Made a breakfast casserole and stuck that in the fridge..

Talked to my husband about 6 times today-Lovin' that!!!!

Read to all the children, FERDINAND-They liked it alot, even the older boys

Worked some math problems with my 6 yo William.

Have to pick up William's baseball stuff at 6, then off to pick up fresh farm milk after that and then back home to pack the boys for their big father-son campout/canoe trip this weekend. They will be gone for 3 days.

Played Rescue Rangers with Stephen the 4 yo

Helped Providence, my 17 mo old GIRLIE how to change her baby's clothes and diaper-This is the MOST FUN I HAVE HAD IN A LONG TIME~~Love that more than anyone can understand.....Me so happy...

Nursed the baby for an oddly-early nap. She has been fussy today, maybe it's all the rain.

Sewed Walsh's shorts in two places-Boy that boy can burn some holes in his clothes!

Lots more but I'm out of time....and energy... wonder why? HA! LOL

Joyfully Busy,

Shannon