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I added a piece of thick, clear plastic to the top. This way Emma can use her paints, markers, etc without me worrying about how to get the stains off the table! |
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I purchased this little wooden table from a consignment store about a year ago. I finally got around to stripping and sanding it. It had about 4 layers of paint-including bright red! After I painted it all white, I stenciled a tiny green vine with pink flowers on the chairs and table. The back of the chairs has Emma's name stenciled. I also stenciled the alphabet on the the table top. |
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"You may have tangible wealth untold; Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be- I had a mother who read to me." -from "Reading Mother" by S. Gallilan
I just finished reading that quote in my latest book "A Charlotte Mason Companion" by Karen Andreola. How true it is. I love to read and so does my husband. In fact, he "inhales" books. He also likes to read more than one book at a time. Right now he's reading "The Lance and the Shield-the life and times of Sitting Bull" by Utley, "The Flaming Turkey" by Neill and "Churchill's Bodyguard" by Hickman. That's way too much for my little brain to handle at one time. I, on the other hand, prefer to read one book completely, then start another. I ventured outside my norm lately and am reading the book I mentioned above, and "Seasons of a Mother's Heart" by Sally Clarkson.
It's funny that out of our 2 daughters that can read, one's like me and the other like Mark. It bothered me at first that Grace would skip back and forth from book to book. I've finally realized that not everyone has to be like me! We all have our own ways of doing things. As long as my girls love to read, I'm happy. Mary (9) is addicted to the Girls of Many Lands books (by American Girl). She just finished "Neela" from India and is now reading "Minuk" from Alaska. This is her 6th book in this series. Grace on the other hand is reading "Cecile-gates of gold" from France and "A Little Princess"-Burnett.
I think it's so very important for our children to develop a love of reading. Like so many other things in my life, the Lord chose to bless me with that. The library is one of our favorite places along with Barnes and Noble and BAM. I get this warm fuzzy feeling inside when I'm surrounded by all of those books. Guess what? My girls are starting to be the same way. I remember Mary telling me one day that reading a book was like 'watching TV in your head.' I think it's even better than that!
Happy reading!! |
Posted in Home making
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This morning my kitchen smells fabulous! I just finished making some pickled okra. The scent of dill and garlic is still lingering in the air. This is my first time to make pickled okra. I grew up eating it almost daily! We had a huge garden every year. The okra that mom didn't fry ended up being pickled. I absolutely love it! Why I haven't made it sooner, I don't know. It's so easy. The only hard part is waiting for it to "pickle." Here's the recipe I used:
2 lbs small fresh okra 9 small fresh hot peppers, your choice 9 garlic cloves 3 Tablespoons dill seeds 4 cups white vinegar (5% acidity) 4 cups water 1/2 cup salt 1/4 cup sugar
1. Pack okra in 9 hot pint jars filling to 1/2 inch from top. 2. Place1 hot pepper, 1 garlic clove, and 1 teaspoon dill into each jar. 3. Bring the vinegar and remaining 3 ingredients to a boil; pour over okra filling to 1/2 inch from the top. Remove any air bubbles. 4. Wipe the jar rims and cover at once with the metal lids and screw on bands. 5. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
My friend says they have to "pickle" for 10 days before opening.
Yesterday we did my other favorite vegetable- sweet corn! One of my favorite childhood memories is sitting in the back yard with my parents and my Granny doing corn. I would eat and eat corn. Mom would always say, "you're going to have a stomach ache eating all of that corn!" I never did! This year was time to make some new memories. Granny's no longer with us, but I sure felt her presence yesterday. I know she was looking down from heaven smiling as she watched my 3 girls shucking corn. We sat on the side porch of the barn with a fan blowing to keep us cool. Corn silks were flying everywhere! I blanch my corn for about 5 minutes. We have a huge pot and gas cooker. It was so nice because I could blanch a whole bushel at a time. As soon as it had cooled, Emma (2 1/2) had an ear in her hand, chewing away! I let her eat until she was full! No, she hasn't had a stomach ache! We put bag after bag into the freezer and even had enough to share with friends. Last night we had a big pan of creamed corn. It was delicious. There's nothing like fresh veges! The only thing better is the time spent with my girls, talking, laughing, and sharing-making our own memories. |
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Here's a recipe someone requested. I got it from the files at the Yahoo group- Prairie Primer Pluses.
Laura's Little Maple Cakes (makes 24 mini-cupcakes) |
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Here's Grace holding the pillow she made and Mary wearing the top that she made.
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I could not be prouder of my 2 oldest girls! Today they completed their first "real" sewing project. I finally let them use my sewing machine. They've been sewing by hand for a couple of years and have always wanted to use the machine.
Yesterday we visited JoAnn's Fabric Store. Mary, my 9 year old, wanted to look at the pattern books. She begged me to help her pick out a pattern for a top to sew herself. She, of course, wanted all of the trendy patterns. Finally we settled on a little top that tied around the neck. It wasn't something I'd normally buy for her to wear, but we had to find something simple to sew and this was about it. I wanted something easy for her first project that would leave her with a positive memory about sewing. Mary is going through a phase where she loves everything Asian. She found some beautiful fabric with Chinese characters on it. She insisted on buying everything with her own money. When we got to the register we were surprised to find out that the Mccall's pattern was on sale for $1.99. In all she only spent $5.00.
As soon as we got home, she started cutting out the fabric. I made her wait until this morning to start with the sewing. I helped her with the pinning and understanding the directions. I'm surprised at how patient she was. When she finally finished it, she jumped up and down with joy! She was so excited to have finished her first sewing project. She looks beautiful in the top and it fits perfectly!
Not to be out done, Grace, my 7 year old, decided she needed to use the machine too. She picked out fabric and decided to make a friendship pillow for her friend Alex. She quickly sewed the sides up and stuffed the pillow. The thrill for her wasn't quite as great as Mary's, but I could tell that she was excited that she finally got to use the sewing machine alone.
I didn't learn to sew until Mary was about 4. I wish I had discovered the joy of sewing as a child. How wonderful it is to pick out a piece of fabric and watch it be transformed into something so beautiful. It's not always an easy road, but how nice it is to be able to create something with your hands. I'm so thankful for this gift and that I'm able to pass it on to my girls.
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Here's a picture of Margaret and 2 of my girls a few years ago.
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This is a recipe that is my husband's 85 year old grandmother's. She's made it for years. When we asked her for the recipe she said she didn't have one. My father in law cooked it with her one day. Each time she got a pinch of this or that he'd have her drop it in an empty bowl first and he'd measure it. Finally after all these years, we can all make Margaret's squash casserole. She says that when she dies, she want us to put on her headstone that she was known for her squash casserole! LOL! I've shared this recipe with lots of friends and family and everyone loves it. Let me know what you think.
Margaret's Squash Casserole
8 small yellow squash-steamed, drained and finely chopped 1 small white onion-diced 1 egg-beaten Velveeta cheese-cut into small "sticks" Ritz or saltine crackers-crushed 1 beef bouillion cube dissolved in 2 Tbsp of water 2 Tbsp butter-melted Parmesan Cheese-grated (optional) salt and pepper as desired
I mix everything right in my baking dish (about a 9x13 or a little smaller would work fine). Preheat oven to 400. Mix squash, onions, egg, salt and pepper. Add dissolved beef bouillion cube, melted butter and 1 handful of crushed crackers. Stir well. Now add the velveeta cheese. I make sure that my cheese "sticks" are cut short enough so the squash mixture can cover them. Just stick them in all over the dish. The more cheese the better! LOL! Add more crushed crackers to completely cover the top of the casserole. If desired add grated parmesan cheese on top of this. Bake uncovered about 40 minutes or until golden brown.
When you sit down to enjoy this wonderful dish, think of Margaret in Tupelo, MS and say a little prayer for her. |
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Here we all are: Mary in the blue, I'm in the cream holding Emma and Grace is in the green. I let each girl pick out her own fabric and trim for the dresses. I really had a lot of fun making them and even more fun pretending to be a pioneer woman.
This was back in March, but I just learned how to post pictures. Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola, FL held a homeschool appreciation day. The theme of course, was pioneer. They encouraged everyone to dress the part and bring a picnic lunch. They offered mini classes throughout the day for children and parents. The children did arithmetic, reading, creation science, etc all centered around the 1800's style of teaching. It was a wonderful day. I hope they do it again next year.
The only thing is, if I'm going to be a pioneer woman here in the deep south, I've got to find some cooler fabric! LOL!
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My middle child, Grace, will be celebrating her 8th birthday on August 5. It's time to start planning the party. Our house is kind of small, so we like to do parties at our barn. Plus there's plenty of open space for the kids to run. Last year, Grace had a tea party there and Mary had a scavanger hunt. This year we're thinking about a Little House on the Prairie themed party. I thought I'd share some ideas I got from the yahoo group-Prairie Primer Pluses.
Yesterday, we had a Little House on the Prairie
We used a covered wagon with a cover flap that lifted as the invitation. (We
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I'm really excited because the girls and I are preparing to start the Praire Primer in September. Over the last couple of months, I'v been researching and trying to gather info that we'll need.
The first thing was getting the books (Little House on the Prairie) that we'll need. I've been very fortunate to find most of them on www.paperbackswap.com. It's a really neat site. You pay only the postage to mail a book to someone else.
Today I found a nice site with free printables we'll be able to use. It's called www.handsnhearts.com. I printed lined paper with pics of a woman at a spinning wheel, coloring pages of a Colonial home scene and even a page to help them design their own Colonial gown.
A second site had vocabulary words and definitions listed for each chapter of "Little House in the Big Woods." www.gardenofpraise.com/bgwood1.htm
I visited the Homesteaders blog of Cathe Timmons today. She has a pattern for a Denim Chenille Quilt. I've only made 2 quilts in my life-one of which was a rag quilt. This one reminds me of that. It seems very simple and can be made of recycled fabric. My girls will even be able to help me cut the pieces. Because it's made of denim, it should be more durable than traditional quilts. Hers is really beautiful. www.gloryquilts.com/patterns/denim.htm
Probably my most used resource is the Yahoo group Prairie Primer Plus. These ladies are so sweet and just full of information.
I love the idea of a simplified, "homemade" lifestyle. I think it's going to be wonderful to be able to study that with my girls for a whole year. The nicest thing is that the girls are just as excited as I am. Isn't homeschooling great! |
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The following chart had to be made (with pictures) so there was no arguement over what is expected in the girls' rooms. I tried to think of all the details!
ROOM CLEANING REMOVE SHEETS FOR WASHING ONCE A WEEK MAKE BEDS STRAIGHTEN DESKS-THERE SHOULD BE ROOM FOR WRITING ON THE DESK PUT UP LAUNDRY ALL CLOTHES SHOULD BE FOLDED IN DRAWERS THERE SHOULD BE NO CLOTHES IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CLOSET PUT UP WHAT DOESNT BELONG UNDER YOUR BED PUT UP SHOES THROW OUT TRASH DUST FURNITURE PUT ALL TOYS/BOOKS, ETC IN PROPER PLACES USE SWIFFER DUSTER UNDER BED AND ON ALL OF FLOOR YOUR ROOM SHOULD LOOK THE SAME AS THE PICTURE, EVERYDAY!! IF I CATCH YOUR ROOM OUT OF ORDER THERE WILL BE NO TV OR COMPUTER THAT WHOLE DAY AND UNTIL IT IS CLEANED PROPERLY |
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WEEKDAY SCHEDULE 7:00 am Get up Get dressed Eat breakfast Brush teeth Brush hair Make bed Do chores 8:00am School 3:00pm TV time Only if you have completed all school work and chores and have read at least 1 chapter in the book of your choice. 9:00pm In bed with lights out Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom. Psalm 90:12 |
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MARYS CHORES UNLOAD & RELOAD DISHWASHER On the odd days of the month 1,3,5,7,9,,etc WIPE COUNTER & RINSE SINK On the days that you do the dishwasher CLEAR & WIPE TABLE On the days that Grace does the dishwasher CLEAN UPSTAIRS MONDAY & FRIDAY (& PRN) Clean toilet and sink, spray tub, wipe mirror and sweep floor. Put any dirty laundry/rugs in laundry room. Take out trash. CLEAN SUNPORCH M, W, & F (& PRN) Wipe off and straighten tables, sweep/mop floor. Put up anything that does not belong. Take out trash. CLEAN LIVING ROOM M, W, & F (& PRN) Polish furniture, sweep floor, dust and mop. Put up anything that does not belong. BRING DIRTY LAUNDRY DOWN DAILY STRAIGHTEN ROOMS DAILY CLEAN DESKS/TABLES DAILY PUT UP CLEAN LAUNDRY AS NEEDED REMOVE ITEMS FROM STAIRS EACH EVENING Hard work means prosperity; only fools idle away their time. Prov 12:11 Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave. Prov 12:24 |
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The first Sunday of the new year our pastor's sermon was on "New Beginnings." January is the month of wiping the slate clean and starting over.
Well, this is me, totally. I really take the "new beginnings" thing to heart. As the new year passes, I always compile in my head a list of things that need to be done before New Year's Day is over. This year my 2 older girls spent New Year's Day with their aunt. I was left at home with my newly turned 2 year old and a husband with a remote in his hand! I couldn't have been happier! This was the perfect opportunity to tackle the girls' rooms. I cleaned them from top (ceiling fans) to bottom. I even rearranged the furniture to give them a new look for the new year. After cleaning drawers, closets, polishing the wood floors and washing all of the bedding, I was finally content with the results.
That was just the beginning. Next I moved on to our school room. Once again I rearranged the furniture. That's just something I like to do. My husband thinks I'm crazy. I tell him it's cheaper to rearrange when I get bored with the look instead of going out and buying new things. After everything was cleaned and organized, I started with our school records. With the December holidays and 2 December birthdays, I tend to fall behind in record keeping. This really bothers me. Once that was caught up, I started thinking about a new chore chart and daily schedule.
First of all, by now that first day had passed. Also, maybe I should tell you a little more about myself. I used to be in the Army. I absolutely loved the structure and organization. I love having a chart to show you where each item in your closet goes. I love the idea of rolling your socks and underwear and putting them in nice neat little lines. That's just me. Unfortunately, I'm the only one in my family that thinks that way. I'm still trying to sway my children. Maybe that'll explain the structure and detail of the chore list and daily schedule that I'm attaching below.
I have to admit that it's been much easier in 2006 with our charts. I like everyone knowing what is expected of them. I think it's good for them too to have structure. It works for us. Our house is still not perfect and I have yet to organize the stacks of pictures by year and month in the cute little boxes that I bought. But, I feel that we've accomplished a lot and we're on the right track. That new slate still looks pretty shiny to me! |
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I've heard that old cliche many times but haven't every given it much serious thought. That is until the other day. Remember the barn party? (By the way, Auburn won! War Eagle!). I had such a wonderful time visiting and eating with my friends. After we got home that night I started thinking-my friends are all very different. I mentioned it to my husband and he whole-heartedly agreed.
First of all there's Sandy. We've known each other for about 5 years. She's super conservative and very non confrontational. I call her "Betty Crocker." The girl can cook! Even things I know I've never liked before I try when she cooks them. My daughters bragged for 2 months about the frozen pizza she baked! Cooking is her gift and it's how she shows her love to those around her.
Secondly is Karen. We've know each other since our girls were babies. She is a stick of dynamite just waiting for someone to strike a match! She's the one we send to get the front row seats at the Nutcracker because she doesn't have a problem pushing and clawing her way through the crowd. She also has the driest sense of humor and keeps me laughing the whole time I'm around her. On top of all that, she has a heart of gold and would drop everything to help a friend in need.
Third is Lori. I've know her a little over a year. She reminds me so much of a flower child. She's so natural and earthy-always calm and cool. I've never seen her get upset or raise her voice. She homeschools 4 kids, takes care of about 50 animals, bakes from "scratch", gardens and still has time to sit and make beaded bookmarks!
Although I have other friends, these 3 stood out. They're so different, but seem to all get along great. Not only do I enjoy their company, I NEED it. They each bring out different things in me too. Our one common ground is that we all love the Lord. I know he's the glue that keeps each friendship lovingly held together. He made us each different, but each in His image. Romans 15:5-6 says, "May the God who give endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
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I'm so excited to have my first blog! My friend Lori is the one who inspired me to do this. Her blog is so wonderful.
Just a little about myself. I'm 35 and have a great husband, Mark and 3 girls-Mary-9 in Dec, Grace-7 and Emma-2 in Dec. We're a Christian family who loves the Lord and tries to always put Him first. We've always homeschooled and on most days really love it. I've been blessed with 3 sweet girls who make it easy.
We live in south Alabama, right on the coast-about 15 minutes from the Gulf of Mexico. We've really been contemplating if this is where we want to spend the rest of our lives. The last 2 years our area and nearby have been hit hard by major hurricanes. We've finally decided that no matter where you live there is going to be some sort of natural disaster to worry about-tornadoes, blizzards, flooding, earthquakes, etc. At least with a hurricane we have warning and can leave (which we always do).
Plus we want our children to grow up in/near the same communites that we did. We all love the beach, mild winters (up until yesterday it was still in the 80's), fishing, boating and many other things the coast has to offer. There's just something about growing up in the south and everything that comes along with it-lazy summer afternoons, huge old oaks drapped with moss, tea parties in the garden, smocked dresses, barbeques, saying "ma'am and sir" and of course the Alabama/Auburn football game.
Speaking of which, my husband is preparing for that right now. For those who haven't heard, Alabama and Auburn are the 2 biggest rival universities in Alabama. Ask anyone here and they have an opinion on who's the best. Our family is happily divided-Mark and Mary are for Alabama and Grace and I are for Auburn. Emma is the deciding factor-I recently sewed the finishing touches on her AUBURN dress! Tomorrow we're having friends and family over for a "pig roast" at "the barn." It's sure to be an exciting day. It doesn't matter who's the top team coming in-you never know who's going to win!
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