I am generally pretty low tech in most areas of my life. I prefer to use a legal pad and ballpoint pen for my school planning. Initially I figure out the weeks we will be having school (36 weeks/180 days required by GA law) and plan them out on a calendar. This way I can consider when breaks will be so that we don't get in the middle of a subject and then suddenly take a 2 week break.
I was going to do a legal pad per child, but decided that it would be wasteful and combined the two. The Prince on the right, Princess on the left, and combined subjects in the middle. I also leave the first couple of pages blank to write an end of the year summary also per our state law. When the year is over I file away the legal pad to document our progress.
Each page of the legal pad is a week's work with assignments given for the day. The items are then checked off when completed. I also add extracurriculars and field trips... along with my work schedule as those days are shorter on the academics....
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I have included links for most of the items we are using. I have just linked to what was easiest. Many of these books are available free online thru various services as they are in the public domain in the US. Check ambleside for links. I do purchase mainly thru amazon, but I have also found good prices at Rainbow Resource and you can't beat used book prices either....
Just to brag.... I bought used versions of Saxon Algebra 1/2, 1, and 2 for a total of $28!
Today completed our first week of school for the year...
I was actually dreading this year starting, but I can't believe how incredible it is to get to spend everyday with my sweet kids. Remembering to find the joy in my life has been my main focus for the week as it is so easy to forget.
I'll never have this time again with either of them as they are right now. The choices I am making now will determine who these people will be over the next few years and the rest of their lives.... I can choose to think about the could-have-beens and potential regrets or I can choose to live with what I have been given and to nurture what I have and grow it to its best potential.
So often I think about myself, but I will have the rest of my life to ponder that.... my kids could be out on their own in another 10 years or so... that time is too short to just throw away...
I would like to ask those who read here to prayerfully consider supporting Voice of the Martyrs by requesting a free prayer band in the sidebar. I'm not going to go off on a political tangent, but we need to realize that Christians around the world do not have the freedoms we experience in America despite what their propaganda dictates.
Voice of the Martyrs offers many free resources that I have found to be amazing and eye opening. Educate yourself from a Christian viewpoint on what is going on in the world today...
You ever have one of those days/weeks/or months that are just so incredibly busy that you don't have a moment to spare? I'm kind of in the middle of one right now....
I thought that with the significant decrease in work I would have some down time, but I was very mistaken... With all of the stuff we've been doing lately I thought about delaying school, but I decided it would be better to just go ahead and bite the bullet and get started on our 5th year of school...
So far, so good, but then, it's only been 2 days. We've also been working in the garden and I've had what I think is alot of things to put up. I did the canning thing for a while, but it was so time consuming that I finally have started to freeze things. Not as good overall, and I'm going to regret it for sure when our steer comes in, hopefully later this month... but for now it is saving a bit of my sanity.
I tend to get overwhelmed with tasks and forget the big picture often. This is one reason I try to write things down... if I don't it tends to be forgotten. THis is also true for meals as well... I get wrapped up in something and then realize we should have eaten an hour ago and nothing is ready.... If I plan out a menu then I can stay on top of the preparations.... It also encourages me to remember to try new things and not eat the same old stuff day after day.....
I've also started planning out breakfast and lunch as well as dinner as I am in serious weight loss mode. You might notice nothing here is really diet food though.... My issue is that I let myself skip meals and then I binge on sweets/carbs.... So... I'm making myself eat 3 meals a day and an afternoon snack consisting of a protein bar...
I didn't have time to post this Sunday, but I'm backtracking because I feel like it....
Sunday
B... Kefir smoothie with protein and banana
L... Salad with feta and grilled chicken
D... burgers with jojo potatoes and green beans
Monday
B... Scrambled eggs/bacon/fruit
L...Salmon Stack Sandwiches and canteloupe (new recipe, but really good. From Sue Gregg)
D... Homemade pizza on whole wheat with pepperoni and mushrooms
Tuesday
B...Kefir smoothie with protein and banana
L...Salmon Stack Sandwiches (leftovers) and canteloupe
D...Hummus and Yogurt/cucumbers with pitas
Wednesday
B...Eggs/bacon/fruit
L...Tuna salad pitas with veggies sticks
D... Salad with beef
Thursday
B...Kefir smoothie with protein and banana
L... Cheese salad Sandwich (a Sue Gregg recipe)
D.. Crockpot Salsa chicken
Friday
B...Eggs/bacon/fruit
L... Pasta/Shrimp with feta and a salad
D... Nachoes
Saturday...
Kefir for breakfast, and, since I'm working possibly, homemade pizza for dinner with leftovers for lunch...
We redecorated the Prince's bedroom a few weeks ago, and not to be outdone, the Princess want hers redone also.
It wasn't quite the project that the Prince's was, but was still a change from the previous setting. We built shelf around the top of the room for the mass of toys accumulated over 10 years that are just to dear to get rid of (sarcasm). We also switched her bed from a full to a daybed so that she would have more actual room in her room. The never used desk is gone with more room for her hobbies of her dolls and music...
Tonight it's just me and the Prince.... I told him we should go on a date and he said that he'd rather stay in, and besides he doesn't date yet.... all quite matter of factly.
So... in the midst of the chaos that is our home right now... doing another room re-do... I tried to think of something yummy but different while we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...
Today I made my best loaf of bread ever using a new recipe I found in Nourishing Traditions... I get the concept and science behind NT, but I still have a hard time with it personally. I am much more of an instant gratification kind of person and to start something and not have it be done for a day or 2 makes me nuts....
I did vary from what the recipe said, and I am writing what I did......
4 cups of ground hard wheat and spelt (and maybe some kamut... I forgot to write it all down, but it was mostly the wheat)
1-1/2 cups of buttermilk
1/2 cup of melted butter
2-1/2 teaspoons of yeast
2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup of unbleached white flour (I did not have this and used 1 cup of hard white)
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Combine the 4 cups of flour with buttermilk and butter... recipe says use food processor, but I used my Bosch with a cookie dough attachment, not the dough hook. Blend until it forms a ball... I kind of helped it along when it looked mixed well....
THen let it sit for 12-24 hours covered at room temperature.
Then... combine water, yeast and honey and leave for 5 minutes until bubbly. Add salt and baking soda and mix it well. Add this to the flour mixture you prepared before along with the additional 1 cup of flour. Mix well until smooth... I used the dough hook this time.
Cover and let rise for 2 hours, or so, until doubled. Punch down and knead by hand or in the mixer for less than a minute... I just did by hand... Form into loaf/loaves and put in prepared, buttered pan and let rise, covered for 1 or 2 hours until doubled.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes... cool on rack...
The Bad...
I also made the Jamaican Red Beans and Rice also from Nourishing Traditions....
I am asked on occasion how I get everything done in life and how it looks like things turn out so well for me and that is why I am putting this here...
I normally prefer to keep my flops to myself....
The recipe looks great and I went and bought what I thought was coconut milk in a can... not the best, but I wasn't in the mood to be cracking any coconuts.
Well... I soak my bean, soak my rice and add all of the ingredients and it smell HEAVENLY... until you taste it... It is SICKENINGLY sweet...
Apparently I bought a sweetened coconut cream that is the base for Pina coladas.
The whole thing is now in my septic tank via the garbage disposal... I'm just glad I made a very small batch and not my normal feed an army amount....
The Ugly....
I went and got a hair cut this week and changed from my normal style, if I actually have a normal style, that is....
so far I've had sweaty, in the garden while it rains day, hot-flash at the hospital day, or too busy to try and figure out what to do with it day...
Let me just say that for now... it's just kind of ugly...
I've been working alot lately while most of my co-workers are on summer vacation... I've enjoyed it, but I'm glad that it is coming to an end... I have several projects that I've shelved until I have more time and the more time starts tomorrow!
My goals for the next week or so: re-do the Princess' room, not as major as my little Prince's but still some big things to take care of...
work in the garden
read up on container gardening and come up with a viable plan for this.... we have a huge upper balcony on our house that is about 300 square feet of empty space I could utilize along with our back porch... I want to be more productive at our house in addition to the garden at my parent's
start school next week with an emphasis on teaching the Prince to read
get some sewing done
clean up my craft/computer room (and maybe keep it that way for more than a day)
plan out some menus
organize my scrapbook stuff and get some of that done
make a sun oven as a school project....
Enjoy my family and what's left of the summer.....
Today is a bit scattered, but I'm tired and I met some cool internet friends yesterday in what proved to be an amazing day...
Michael preached yesterday on Joshua leading Israel in battle and how he prayed a specific, impossible prayer for the sun to stand still.
One thing that struck me was this: make your goals attainable, and your prayers impossible. We constantly ask God for the things that we are capable of making happen ourselves and never think outside of the box as far as our really big dreams. Kind of like we don't ask God to flex for us...
I also watched the movie, Into the Wild, that was directed by Sean Penn. It was R rated, and while I ususally avoid these I was really intrigued by the premise of this movie. It did have nakedness (I hate the word nudity; it's not a Southern word and always makes me feel like a poseur to use it) that was kind of unnecessary, but it was an amazing show.... I only mention the nudity so that if anyone here watches it at my recommendation you will be aware.... I am generally oblivious to a lack of clothing hopefully due to being a nurse...
I think the primary message of the film was that the guy was searching for what in his mind represented the ultimate happiness and joy, and when he went to where he thought he would find it he realized too late that he had already had it. Alot of the commentary of this book and movie focus on the unpreparedness of the main character to brave Alaska, but it's not really the focus of the movie in my humble opinion... it's not a survivalist thing, but more of an On the Road/Kerouac kind of story that while it ended badly makes you want to explore what you are really looking for out of life...
I planted 24 cucumber plants in our garden, and they are all doing really well... The lack of rain has affected most everything else, but the cucumbers are doing great.
Today I canned 7 quarts and 12 pints of cucumber-pickles..... This is alot. I think we have enough right now canned to feed us for the next 20 years or so....
I personally don't like alot of variety when it comes to breakfast.... eggs and bacon or a kefir smoothie if I'm trying to cut back....
When I'm feeling really decadent we have waffles.... and they are worth every calorie as good as they are....
I use the Breadbecker's recipe for the waffles, and used a combo of soft white wheat and spelt. Usually we just do maple syrup and some whipped cream, but today I decided to take advantage of the blueberries and make a syrup from them.... THis too came from the Breadbecker's cookbook, and turned out very well (as pretty much everything from it does....)
I've been working the past few days, and need to rebuild my gardening and canning momentum now that I'll be off (hopefully) for the next few days. I've really been trying to take advantage of being off school and having Granny available to watch the Prince and Princess for me after Mr. B goes to work.
Today I'm at work when this sweet girl I work with is lamenting over the state of her unpicked plum trees and blueberry bushes.... She is sad that they are going to waste and she just can't use them all....
So.... immediately after work I head over to her place when it starts to rain. And not just rain, but pour. I wait a few minutes, but it doesn't let up, and I really need to get home to my babies. So I get out of the car and pick plums and berries in the pouring rain wearing my work clothes (scrubs).
It was actually really amazingly beautiful and surreal... and on the way home there was a giant rainbow.... I hated that I didn't have my camera, but I think that sometimes it is better to have a beautiful memory than to have a beautiful picture.....
I've always been somewhat of a loner, but over the past few years I don't think I've had many adventures on my own.
Today I went on a nature hike alone as the Prince and Princess were both a little tired of the brambles and bugs we usually experience on these walks.
I went in search of a few more blackberries to add to my stash from yesterday. Later this afternoon I made jam and canned 6 half-pints... and it actually turned out, unlike last year when I really screwed it up.
I was also in search of some butterfly weed I wanted to dig up to transplant; Mr. B had found the last time he was with us.
I was surprised at how much I usually miss during these walks..... I never noticed the mullein before, or the trumpet flowers... even a couple of dew-y spider webs.....
Well when all was done I came home and got to work..... I made the jam... and did I already mention that it turned out really good! I also canned a couple of pints of hot peppers, made bread, muffins and some soup....
This is one of our most favorite soups, from my vegan days.... long before the time where I was hitting up strangers for deer meat or trying to figure out if I could get rabbits past the HOA (home owners association)...
It is basically a variation of Catalina Soup from The New Laurel's Kitchen. I've been making it for almost 15 years and we still love it, even with the non-vegan ingredients....
I was able to use mostly ingredients from our garden right now, but I did have to fudge it a bit....
Kimi's Catalina Soup....
1 onion chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped (I used a clove of elephant garlic that a wonderful lady sent me)
Olive oil or butter
a bunch of chopped tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce (regular sized can)
2-4 large potatoes, chopped into cubes
2-4 cups of water
oregano, salt and pepper
4 oz monterey jack cheese, chopped into cubes or shredded.
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Saute the onion and garlic in the oil/butter until translucent.
Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Bring to a boil, and add the potatoes.
Cook until potatoes are as soft as you want. Add seasonings and cheese. Stir until cheese melts for about 5 minutes.
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You may use canned diced tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce and fresh ones. I have used vegan cheese for the jack also.... SoyaKrass (?) melts well, but that was back in the days when soy was supposed to be good for you....
We've had an especially busy week as I have worked more at the hospital, and I haven't felt like we've had alot of family time together unfortunately. Today was more of the same, but with a different bent....
We left the Prince and Princess with Granny and Papa while Mr. B and I went to the big city also known as The ATL... It's been a while since I was down there, and though we used to live right smack in the middle of the urban jungle, Mr. B hasn't been there in many years.
We were on a quest to spend less, but as much gas as I burned I'm not sure it was worth it. I found a Tanturi exercise bike on Craig's list for $25 and we went and picked it up... it is a little older, but very sturdy and seems to be in good shape. It is actually made in Finland, much to the Princess' surprise... she was convinced that everything came from China.
To continue our Scandinavian theme we went to IKEA and had a lunch of Swedish meatballs and lingonberries.... actually really good as I was starving by this point and it was different from what we usually eat....
This made me realize that I think I've really been in a rut lately... I truly need a bit of chaos in my life to make me happy.... I hate doing the same thing day after day while seeing the same things and people over and over.... I hate routine, and I hate schedule....
So I am going to come up with some new goals and try to push the boundaries of comfort... I want to try some new things and see how far I can go.....
We then picked up the Prince and Princess and were surprised by my cousins I never seem to see and their son... Maybe I need to be forming more of a relationship with them... they are about the only family I have who will actually speak to me I feel like most of the time....
We then made a yummy, but untypical dinner for us..... Thick, boneless pork chops on the grill with sauce made from the blackberries we picked earlier in the week. We added some sauteed squash we picked today along with some mashed red potatoes....
The kids loved it and even put the blackberries in their potatoes.....
I think I have just gotten complacent and into a groove with a comfortable life.... I don't necessarily think this is bad, it's just not what I have ever wanted in life... I know that my kids and Mr. B, too, need some structure, but I need to stop being cheap and lazy and seek adventure again!
Thanks to all of you who have left comments lately.... for whatever reason, I have not been forwarded any of them by HSB, and was unaware until just now, in my sleep deprived state, that I had even gotten any in the past few weeks!
I've been working the past few days at the hospital and it's really been kicking my butt.... sorry for the bluntness. In addition I really think that the getting up at 5 am is not so good for me either unless I could get to bed before midnight... but it never happens.
So I'm tired and sore and mentally drained when I read thisblog and see this!
I think I may now know what my next project is going to be!
We went on a nature walk other morning to see how the blackberries were progressing.... To our surprise there were a few ripe ones.
We took a vote and decided to make some blackberry ice cream and top it with blackberry syrup (kind of)....
I don't do a fancy ice cream, but simply pour the cream off the top of my raw milk (about 2 cups)... I then added in about 2/3 cup of blackberries and processed them in the blender for about 20-30 seconds on low-medium speed... I then added enough milk to make a total of 4 cups of liquid. Add 1 cup of sugar and some vanilla then mix it all together. Pour into your ice cream maker and let it do it's thing....
For the sauce I decided to not make it fresh, but use up the last jar of the blackberry jam from last summer... I basically heated it in the microwave for 30-40 seconds until it was bubbly and then spooned it over the top.....
Living day to day while seeking the truth in life. Finding wisdom through Christ in marriage and my children. Finding beauty in the world in which we live...
The little Prince turned 6 today... and while the cake is definitely homemade, he thought it was the best cake ever....
I've always been somewhat of a loner, but over the past few years I don't think I've had many adventures on my own. 
Well when all was done I came home and got to work..... I made the jam... and did I already mention that it turned out really good! I also canned a couple of pints of hot peppers, made bread, muffins and some soup....
