The Beauty Of Pre-Christmas Snow

What is it about a December Snow that feels so magical?

I have often, well every December, why a snow during Advent makes us so much more happy. I think I have it today. I was pausing from my early morning rush to start a Monday with my cup of coffee in hand, when I peeked out the window to see the flurries coming down. The first snow of the year. So majestic, pure white, in the dim crack of dawn light that signals a heavy clouded sky.

I wondered if our traditional school friends would be delayed or would their school be closed. Would it be seen as a much needed pit stop from the high speed track we put ourselves on to get too much accomplished before the much anticipated Christmas Day? Every year, us over reaching moms say, "Next Year I will take time to enjoy the season instead of running myself ragged!" But does it happen? No, we think just one more batch of cookies or fudge then I will be done. This too is not accurate because we suddenly remember one more person we forgot to shower gifts upon. Dreading the feeling of being left out, we race to make another loaf of sweet bread and a pan of fudge to say, "I love you and enjoy the season."

Then the snow comes. This forced condition to cause our slowing down. If schools are closed or delayed, it becomes an omission of the morning scurry. There is time to eat without choking on a bit to big in order to throw one's coat on to race to the awaiting transportation. Roads will have slower traffic in order to keep people safe on slick roads. But these slower paced moments make us see the world around us; the decorated houses, the dusting of white in ever green trees, or in the case of our small town, the snowflake lights strung across the power lines.

Slowing ourselves down so we can remember the magic of Advent so prevalent in the eyes of a child. The overflowing of love, hope, and faith in what is to come. As adults, we put too much focus on getting all the details completed and miss the point of the building of the season. It is not a race to fall exhausted on the sofa in our PJ's all day for a much needed break on Christmas. Each year we say, not again, but society pulls at our ideals of what a good showing will entail. Something, we, as simple human beings, have difficulty in taming; an unreachable desire to have the picture view.

Then God steps in to give us a little nudge back to the point of it all. The snow, with it's peaceful drifting to the ground, forces us to pause for a moment. It covers the distractions of society. It focuses our sensors back to the people we hold most dear whither it be sacrificing the 4-wheel drive vehicle for Dad to arrive safely to work or wrapping another scarf around a child to keep them warm as they trek into the wild unknown. But for others, it could be just a moment to sense the calm of a slow tumbling of flakes as we take in a long sip of a warm cup feeling all cozy wrapped in a blanket. A magical moment feeling time can stand still. A blessing, a little break from hurried agendas, a moment to notice the beauty of it all.

Cameras and Schuberts

Well, I could not take it anymore.....I got a new camera. It is nothing fancy, just a small, fits in a pocket or purse, Cannon that happened to be on sale for less than $100. And it was just in time for the beginning of the Christmas Season. For the kick off...Isabella in her choral group!

These girls do an amazing job and it is hard to believe that with a once a week practice. With an age range of 7 - 13 years old, their voices can fill an auditorium. This performance though was at a local Historical Church mostly as a dress rehearsal for family and friends. It was followed by a small reception for parents to mingle with other parents and comment on their wonderful sound. Well, don't take my word for it, here is a clip from my new camera.

This clip is from a part in the concert where they split the older girls and the younger girls to show certain pieces.

Isabella does not realize how much she is learning with this group. Karl had commented one day after hearing her sing at church that we should look into private lessons. I explained the training she is getting from Schubert Singers is just as good as private lessons for age group and what we pay for the entire season, about 4 - 5 months, is what one or two lessons would cost. The most important point is her enjoyment in the process. She enjoys singing, even if it is not the right words, as Karl and I chuckle over her rendition of Bicycle Built for Two to the tune of one of the songs in Phantom of the Opera.

Granola

Here is my recipe for granola. I originally got it from my friend, Aileen. However, I made some adjustments for my own taste after seeing what my favorite store bought brand, Bear Naked, put into their bags.


I like mine loaded with nuts with a bit of sweetness of dried fruit. So here it goes!

• 4 Cups of Rolled Oats (Old Fashioned not the quick cook! If you need get Gluten Free.)
• 1 1/2 - 2 Cups of Nuts (A combination of or just one: Almonds, Walnuts, or Pecans)
• 1/2 cup of Flax Seeds or Meal
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups of dried fruit (Raisins or Craisins)
• 1/2 tsp of Salt
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon (mine is a bit on the heavy side)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of neutral or nut oil (I am in love with this roasted walnut oil I found! The more oil the more it will clump up into chunks.)
• 1/2 cup of honey (local is best for pollen allergies)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and lightly oil a 9 x13 glass pan.
2. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl or stand mixer.
3. Mix wet ingredients together. A little clue, if you put the oil in the liquid measure cup first, then the honey, it makes getting the honey out easier.
4. Pour the mixture into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, lightly stir to evenly roast nuts.
5. Let the mixture cool for about 20 minutes, then carefully scoop granola into a container breaking up large clumps.

This is great to add to yogurt or just pour milk over. You might want to put in extra walnuts as they are heavenly toasted with a little honey. I find myself searching them out of the container.

Adjustments and Substitutions

So far, the changes into Gluten Free and Dairy Free have been interesting. I have a stack of recipes to try, when I get up the nerve. The problem is, it does not usually taste the same as the wheat and dairy results. Karl keeps telling me to let go of trying to make it just like it was before. For example, instead of pot pies being a staple for left over bits of meat, maybe we should switch to Shepherd's Pie with mashed potatoes made with chicken stock or rice milk instead of cow's milk. Changes to staples comes very slowly.


Things I have discovered:


- I love our Jewish brothers and sisters for this wonderful thing called Parve or Parev. Foods that have been given the Kosher Parve or Parev symbol are certified Dairy Free. This is very important when looking for chocolate. Chocolate Dream from World Pantry Foods has some amazing dairy free dark chocolate candy bars. These are wonderful when you just want something a little sweet but feels so luxurious. For those looking for a gift for me, buy directly from their site is far cheaper than Amazon or local health stores.


- Turtle Mountain makes a Dairy Free, Wheat Free ice cream with coconut milk. For someone who has been without ice cream for nearly 5 months, this was pure heaven! Karl had to warn me to put the container away before I got sick from eating too much. I has been eating the chocolate peanut butter flavor. This product, rightly called "Purely Decadent", comes in container about the same size and price at Ben and Jerry's ice cream. The thing this really did for me was open a door in my brain to the options I could do with a substitution of coconut milk with recipes that require a cream like base. This is very exciting for someone who is trying hard to also make things from scratch. Depending on the recipe, it leaves a slight coconut flavor or under tone but that it fine for me as I like coconut. When I made the chocolate souffle for Thanksgiving, I used coconut milk for the milk/cream. Before it went into the oven, I tried the batter and it had the coconut undertones, but when it was cooked, the amount of eggs and chocolate were too strong to allow the coconut to come through.


-Oh for a love of all things coconut!! Coconut oil can easily be substituted for butter in recipes. It has the same viscosity and fat content, only coconut oil is all good fats and has been studied for it's surprising link in reducing cholesterol levels. Coconut flour adds a sweetness to GF flours which allows the reduction of sugar, and adds some protein. I already spoke of the wonders of coconut milk. I did put it into eggs yesterday and before Isabella asked how I made them, she said they were the best scrambled eggs ever. When I finally told her I added coconut milk, left over from the souffle, she gave me a funny look. I then explained the nutritional value to the children and they shrugged off the negative views of coconut products.


-Pamela's Cookies, especially Double Dark Chocolate. They are Wheat Free are Dairy Free. The cookies are also so rich that eating more than two could cause a tummy ache.


- A love of all things Almond. Almond flour has more protein, vitamins, minerals, and less carbs than wheat flour. Finding one that is finely ground enough to keep a non gritty texture is the current hunt. Almond milk is what I put in my coffee and home made granola. The Blue Diamond Company makes the vanilla sweetened one that I use for coffee and granola. When ever I use this I have to reduce the vanilla and sugar in recipes. Almond Butter has always been a delight for me. I like it better than peanut butter but it is a bit more expensive. Roasted, toasted, or raw, Almonds are a great snack or ingredient.


- I have a new respect for Vegans. When I had to travel to take care of our other house, I found myself trying to find something quick and easy to eat. Browsing through Vegan options makes it free of Dairy. I just have to watch the wheat content. The rise of Vegan demands has forced companies to create Dairy Free options for yogurt, cream, butter/margarine, etc. Since Vegans also tend to be forceful in sustainable or natural products also, I have found and awaiting arrival as I had to mail order because my small town does not stock it, Vegan, Natural, Non-Hydrogenated Margarine. Why is this so important, it could be the last resort to getting a flaky pie crust. (I said giving up staple menu choices was hard to do.) The product is Spectrum's Natural Organic Shortening. The problem and taboo thing about margarine and shortenings before has been the hydrogenation of oils/fats to create an unnatural, plague producing, cholesterol rising medium to replace the once so used butter or lard. It was originally created to reduce the fat content in our foods and pushed by processed food companies due to it's longer shelf life. I have also noticed that during the day, I am eating more vegan but not for a lack of eating animals or by products. It just has been easier to eat fruits, veggies, nuts or nut butters when I need that quick bite during the hectic days I have planned.


- I am looking at recipe books from supporters of Raw food, Primitive or also called Cave Man diets, and Specific Carbohydrate Diets. The SCD books are really interesting as they include information on why this diet helps people with digestion issues and the ability to heal young children from these diseases or syndromes if caught early enough. It has to do with a balance in the bacteria levels of our systems. The heavy wheat and sticky carbs that are so prevalent in our American diets cause an over abundance of the bad bacterias. These types of recipe books aim at using only ingredients that starve out the bad bacterias while creating a good environment for the good bacterias in our bodies. The SCD books rely heavily on home made yogurts that are fermented for 24 hours to create super powerful probiotics. Once the yogurt is made, it becomes a base for several recipes. If lactose is what is causing my dairy issues, then this type of yogurt should be tolerated as all the lactose is eaten up by the fermentation process. I have seen the use of cow and goat's milks used, but a recent trip to a new health store got me wondering if making yogurt from alternative milks (soy, rice, almond) is possible. Soy yogurt is currently available but I have been avoiding it for my want to avoid soy products in general due to their estrogen like make up. However, those qualities are suppose to dissipate when the soy is fermented at in tofu. I guess that would be the case in yogurt?! Anyway in searching for more options, I have stumbled on a company that is working on coconut and almond milk yogurts. It is very new, so not in my small town. Maybe if I go to one of the larger cities and maybe at a Whole Foods store, I might find some to try. Currently, I take capsules of probiotics since yogurt has been on my banned list. Oh so many things being circulated in my mind!!!


- I have successfully adjusted my granola bar recipe I had posted before. Instead of wheat germ, I add flax seed. Instead of wheat flour, I add gluten free flour. If I use straight rice flour it is too gritty. Tapioca Flour is better but I am right now in love with an Almond Flour Blend from Gluten Free Mama. Anyway, I must make a pan of these for Anton every 7 - 10 days to help with his need of calories for his pre-teen growth spurts. I load it up with peanut butter and if he is not looking, chopped up nuts, to give it extra protein and fat. He also requests chocolate chips. I might start substituting the Dairy Free chocolate chips in his as I try to see if weening him off milk will help in his weight gain. Anton is currently not even on the growth charts for weight for his height; the reason I decide he needed to be taken off wheat to see if it was causing an inability to absorb nutrients. Like myself, Anton's histamine levels are off the charts but does not show specific allergens, hummm more food for thought.


-All things from a company called Glutino. Instead of xanthum gum, this company uses guar gum. It has facilities in Italy and Canada which have higher gluten free guidelines than America. Anton loves their crackers; especially the plain ones, taste like a less buttery Ritz, and the vegetable flavor, taste like Wheat Thins Italian flat bread crackers. This company makes the Frozen Flax bread that is great for toasts and a frozen pizza for the kiddos. Our local grocery carries the pizzas, crackers, and fake Oreos from this company. The health store carries the bread.


Well, that is enough of a peaking into my free thoughts for now as I continue to struggle with what to cook and feed my family. Sometimes, just using the basic options of rice or potatoes is best.

Our Thanksgiving Feast

Many are wondering what we were able to eat while following our new diet. Well, it became a compromise between struggling to make it almost right to letting go of expectations.


We began with the most important part, the bird. We took a little trip on Wednesday to pick up our freshly butchered turkey at the sustainable farm. As we were driving up to the house, Isabella, in a heartfelt almost heart broken sigh, asked, "Where are all the turkeys?"


I chuckled through the word, "Processed!"


The children are use to being greeted by a gaggle of about 18 turkeys when we have ran by the farm to pick up various meats and eggs. Anton, this morning, specifically wore a blue sweatshirt instead of his usual red and blue jacket because it riles up some of the toms. After some explaining and releasing the children to check on chickens and ducks, I payed for our bird (and two ducks) and we were on our way home to get him in the frig.


So, first is the hormone-free, Non-GM fed, free range Heritage Breed turkey. For those of you wanting a bit more details, it was a Bourbon Red, the second best rated turkey breed for flavour in the world. The first is the Midget White.


For weeks I have been failing (yes it does happen!) at a good pie crust. On Monday, I gave up on the traditional crust and made a crushed pecan crust for a sweet potato pie. It was good! But since we had that on Monday, I decided to forgo having one on Thursday. For dessert, we made a Gluten Free/Dairy Free Chocolate Souffle. It turned out well, but I wish I had found my whisk attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer as it would have made the whipping easier on my arms. I am not going to buy a new one, I know it is, it is one of the two boxes left of kitchen items down in the basement that has not been unpacked. (See, I am not perfect. I have not finished my sorting after two and 1/2 years! HAHA!)


For sides we had green beans, roasted sweet potatoes, stuffing (I will explain.), and home made gravy. It did not dawn on me until Thursday Morning, I forgot to pick up cranberries. When I expressed my guilt ridden sorrow to Karl, he shrugged and told me he never really liked cranberry sauce anyway. Then he teased me about not having it for my left over turkey sandwiches, then apologized because of the bread issue. The frozen GF bread in the stores is not good for sandwiches, just for toast.


Alright, stuffing. I have also been having problems with bread recipes. I got the bread right on the first try, a sour dough like GF bread. Then I had problems with one ingredient, Xanthum Gum. The good thing, I have finally figured out why some lotions burn and irritate my skin and others do not. The bad thing is the discomfort it caused me and to a lesser extent the rest of my family. Xanthum Gum is a very gross thing that most American companies put into their products to make them thick. Why, because it is cheaper than what they use to use, Guar Gum which is used in most foreign and some American products. Xanthum Gum is a bacteria found on rotting or molding corn, soy or wheat, but mostly corn. Scientist discovered if they scrape off the mold, dry it, and then grind it into a powder, it has thicken properties like corn starch, Guar Gum, and potato starch. Since then, I have been having several failed attempts at getting the bread right by trying other thickeners, changing flours, etc. On Wednesday night, the health store called to say they finally got my Guar Gum order in the store and it was ready for pick up. A bit too late to try yet another attempt at bread, so I did the next best thing. I had went to various places that sell GF foods and picked up three types of frozen GF bread; one white rice, one brown rice, and one flax seed. All were made in or by Canadian or Italian companies. I thawed half of each loaf, cut into small squares, tossed in olive oil with herbs, and dried in the oven to become the base for home made stuffing. The next morning, I sauteed onions, celery, and bacon fat together. Anton came running down the steps thinking I had made a batch of bacon and was frying potatoes with onions. He was mildly disappointed as I served up some GF doughnuts and eggs instead. I tossed the sauteed veggies with the bread, home made chicken stock, herbs, chopped apples and raisins. It turned out pretty good but next time I will leave out the raisins as it was a bit too sweet. With Karl's help, we stuffed our bird, rubbed down the bird with oil and sprinkled it with herbs.


After that, we went about relaxing with breaks every thirty minutes for basting. The children played a few games on the Wii, we all watched a classic, Willie Wonka (the one from our childhood), and I got to settle into a nice fiction book. Over all, it was a nice quiet time with our family!

Walking Away From Wheat and Dairy

For many years I have been plagued by these rash like bumps on my back upper arms. I have tried to conceal this with an array of sleeved shirts and tanning in the summer months. When I asked Allergists about the bumps, they would simply say it is probably an allergy or intolerance to one or more of wheat, dairy, soy, or corn. Having a love of ice cream, cream in my coffee and a nice warm scone, I just said no, I will live with the bumps. Then I came across this book over the summer in an effort to see if my episodes of fatigue were activity induced or something else.

After reading the book, I decided I would set aside a three week period to test this out. I would modify it, no I was not going to do the juicing because I did not have juicer, but the idea of my issues being related to food intolerance and three weeks to see what happens would be doable.

At first I stopped the dairy. I wistfully bypassed my brie and ice cream, telling myself, it is just for three weeks. I had discovered that the almond milk I was using in my coffee was not only delicious, it also had much less fat even with the amount I was using than cream. It also added some protein. After about 3 or 4 days, I noticed the bumps diminishing. This motivated me to go cold turkey on the wheat. About a week into it, I could feel my body detoxing the mucus build up. You really need to read the book to understand this, but I was amazed I could actually feel it happening. The idea is your body's reaction to a food allergy or intolerance is to coat it in mucus and store it in the body until it can destroy it later. If you are constantly digesting more of the offending food, your body does not find the time to get to the mucus covered invader. I developed a somewhat type of cold. The nasal, cough (from nasal drip), and slightly achy feeling but I was not tired, the clue that this was not really a cold. After another week, this subsided and I felt different. I noticed I could reduce my allergy meds, and this was in late summer/early fall when lots of people's allergies were going into over drive.

Then Karl's parents came to visit. I knew trying to stay on my new diet would be difficult, so I chose to jump off the band wagon and eat those things I was missing. The first night of their arrival, being a Friday, was pizza; bring on the wheat and layers of glorious cheese. For desert, homemade chocolate brownies and vanilla ice cream. Oh boy! What a mess I became. A few days of this bindging found me racing for all of the allergy meds I had abandoned, including my inhaler for those really bad time. This was the proof I needed. I was going to have to alter my diet permanently if I wanted to go off the many allergy meds I was given to control my symptoms, because these things never showed up on my allergy skin test but my histamine was over the top.

I began to search the library for books on converting to a wheat/gluten free/dairy free (GF/DF)life. Nearly every week since then, I have at least one cookbook to review. It took me a little bit before I started to branch out and actually cook with these new flours. After all I was subsiding fine on potatoes and rice. I did find a rice flour pasta that is really good, but I have to use the penne or spirals because the spaghetti falls apart. But now I needed to branch out because it was no fun making something different for me than my family every night, it was beginning to wear me out and my family was not ready to give up pot pies, tortillas, or cannelloni for me to make something the whole family could eat together. Then I came across this book at just the time in which I needed a good "swift kick in the butt" to motivate me to try.

This book really opened my eyes to why it is so difficult for people to discover they have a food intolerance. While the book mainly focuses on gluten, there is a connection to the whey in cow's milk that mimics the molecular structure in gluten causing the body to react the same to both when maybe only one of the foods is actually offensive. This is why many medical diets that eliminate both. Much success has been seen when both are taken away, especially in Autistic or ADHD/ADD children. In those cases the gluten and diary manifest themselves into fake opiates, basically those children have a high pain tolerance and inability to focus because they are on a constant stream of fake morphine. Having been on those types of drugs post C-Sections, I can understand the state of mind even if temporary.


This book also pointed out the damage caused to your system from constantly ingesting these intolerant foods; remember wheat is good for those who can tolerate it just not for those who's body thinks it is poison. Since the immune system sees it as a high level threat, it send out the "big dogs" of the white blood cells to attack. When these cells can not attack the food substances, it begins to attack different tissues like cartilages to cause arthritis, the pancreas to cause diabetes, the thyroid to cause both thyriodisms, etc. This was ammo I needed to commit to this new life.


One of the things I noticed also, when I was off the wheat and dairy, I had a significant decrease in migraine headaches. I had already reduced my stress load with daily exercise which helped, but the lack of intolerance in the foods was apparently the missing piece to the puzzle. Then I put on my jeans from last winter. Due to the loss of inflammation, the mucus build up from before, my jeans were uncomfortably loose, like four inches worth. I checked my weight, no real change, but the clothes do not lie.


Now we come to the kiddos. Anton had been complaining of being exhausted for weeks now. His eyes are swollen and tearing at the end of the day. I know he is growing and is dealing with hormone changes, but something else is going on. He is not sick, we were just at the doctor's office for a check up. However, I have been worried about his slightness for years. When I bring it up to their practitioners for years, they only say something to the effect that compared to their peers, Anton is smaller. His arms and legs are so skinny it looks like a stick. Karl claims he was that way until High School, but I have no real knowledge only the mommy worry. Isabella has tested sensitive to wheat before. So, I challenged the kiddos to go wheat free for awhile to see if it helps their health. I told them why I wanted them to try and gave them a list of things they could eat, Anton would die without his chips! I wish I could get him to go dairy free also, but they would take mountains to move. When Karl came home, after I had forewarned him when he called to say he was coming, the kids' reactions to the challenge surprised him. The first thing they said is, "We get to eat Mommy's special cookies now!" They have an affinity for Pamela's Double dark chocolate cookies which are gluten and dairy free. However their cost makes me hide them from the kiddos on the top shelf of the pantry.


We will see how it goes! I wish it was easier, but my own experiment on myself has shown otherwise. In the mean time, I need to find a good recipe for pie crust, biscuits, tortillas, and pancakes!

Applesauce Notes

My secret for all natural, no sugar added applesauce is to use 2/3 sweet apples and 1/3 tart apples. The tart ones keep it from becoming sickeningly sweet like store bought and help keep it's consistency. Sweet apples tend to get softer quicker, the carbs changing to fructose causes the cell walls to begin to break down. The tart apples remain more crisp longer as their sugar content is lower.


Tart apples make the best pie or apple crisp filling. They retain their shape better when cooked under high heat and temperature during processing into cans.


By mixing various apple varieties, you can get a better apple flavor than with just one. I tend to use two different varieties of sweeter apples in my mix.


So here is the basic recipe for one canner load (seven quarts):

18 pounds of apples (6 pounds tart and 12 pounds divided between sweet apple varieties)
2 cups of water
7 tablespoons of lemon juice


Wash apples and rough chop them into chunks with peel still attached. I basically am chopping them to get the seed section out. I do worry about concentrating prussic acid when making apple sauce, the rest stays. As I chop, I drop them into a very large stainless pot with the water to keep the initial apples from scorching. Periodically use a potato masher to smash the apples as they soften and stir occasionally with a very long wooden spoon. As the apples soften and the pot fills, you will need to stir more often.


After about 30 - 60 minutes, depending on how small you chopped your apples, the mix will be ready to run through a food mill. I LOVE my Kitchen Aid mixer! Karl bought the food grinder attachment for me several years ago and it is fabulous. It grinds the apples and drops the pulp into a clean pan and sends the peels and hard core pieces out the other side. It makes it so much easier than hand grinding! It also mean I can leave the peels on while softening which releases more pectin into the product.


Return the now clean pulp to the stove and add lemon juice. This will keep the acidity up and color will be retained. If you used a lot of red apples, the color will be rosy. If you used more green apples, it will be more yellow with a green tint. I try to use both for the best color but it depends on what is ready at the time of picking.


Bring the mix to a boil, fill, and seal hot sterile quart jars. Process jars in a water bath for 20 minutes. Remove the canner lid and turn off heat for 5 minutes than lift jars out to a thick towel on the counter to completely cool.

Voila! It takes me about 2 1/2 - 3 hours from wash to counter for one load, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter depending if duty interrupts.

When Time Gets Away From You

Where have I been?

I have been up to my eye balls in reestablishing the meals in my house. I have scoured cookbooks, read information on food allergies, additives, and scientific studies on the importance of natural foods. This takes a lot of time, of which I have none. Why? I will explain in subsequent posts.


Karl's parents came for a visit in early September. They requested that I not plan as much for them to do on their visits as last year. They wanted to spend time playing board games, riding bikes, and having the children give them mini recitals. We only went to one museum and Karl parents did take the children out for lunch to give Karl and I some "date" time. As they get older, having quality time to talk gets harder as the children want to stay up later cutting into our time. It was a good visit and we started our school year right after they left.


This year the children have moved up in their educational needs. Anton is pushing into Middle School and Isabella is on his coat tails. Stepping up their requirements has been a bit of a challenge mentally and physically. I really have to keep to my planning times this year as it can take me upwards of 1 - 2 hours for each week of schooling to be planned. This includes the library book look ups and requests but not the retrieval of them; this gets shoved in between errand or activity runs through town as the library is conveniently on our way or nearby most of our outings. This year also finds me dealing with the hormonal changing in a certain boy who is trying to learn how to deal with his sudden surges of testosterone. Sending him out to kick a soccer ball or some other physical activity to drain off that excess energy seems to be the best way to deal with those battles to insert his will. (I have found myself looking forward to my treadmill time to clear my head this year more so than I have in the past. Those books on CD or just plain Chant music on my MP3 player are very helpful at drowning out other stimuli while exercising.) Karl snickers when I stress about if they were pushed enough to not be behind their peers, when he comes home to finds them engrossed in a book or asking him technical questions (lately on atom splitting, or "if all things are made of molecules, and molecules are made of atoms, and atoms are made of electrons and neutrons, What are electrons and neutrons made of?" or "Can I use my microscope to see the atoms interact?"). When he points these things out, I have to laugh at myself because I know I was not thinking or asking these types of questions yet (grades 4 -5) and I was considered well above average. Isabella seems to be reading her way out of her level by wanting to check out and discuss Frankenstein, Journey to the Center of the Earth, or anything Shakespeare. Unfortunately, she has discovered that our library has graphic novels of these works which give her the story line but not the literary challenge. Age wise she should be 3rd grade, so what would you choose, a 70 - 100 page comic book or a 300 page, no pictures, standard novel. (By the way, they can only check out the Graphic Novels that are from Classical Literature. The others must be read in the library because they would not read any other books at home if they were available.) Oh, well, at least I can discuss some of my literary loves with her, like the moral question in Frankenstein, At what point is the creator responsible for the creation? I can save the other discussion points for later when she grows a bit and reads the "real" book, like Mary Shelley writing the novel when she was in postpartum and struggles with the emotions she put into Frankenstein's character.


In early October, we visited an apple orchard we had never been to before. We purchased 2 1/2 bushels of apples which was quickly turned into applesauce to last till next year. I had to do it quickly as I left the following weekend for my retreat. The retreat was great, a time to reflect without the stresses of everyday life. It helps to put things into perspective and spend quality time with God.

Currently soccer is in it's final week of the fall season. With cramming in life between soccer practice and games, it gets "juggly". Since Isabella decided to take a break from soccer and take up Jui Jitzu, our schedule is actually less stressful than previous seasons.

The children have continued with horse back riding, piano, cooking and Lego clubs. Isabella returned to Schuberts (Choir) and Anton has been camping with Karl and the scouts. Last weekend, Karl and Anton went to a Camporee with the Boy Scouts. Isabella was a bit disappointed she could not go (when it was Cub Scout Camping she was with them) but we spent the time sewing a sock doll craft she wanted to do from our Pioneer Studies. The boys were part of a Civil War reenactment in addition to camping. However, being the soccer assistant coach, I went to the site to retrieve my players for our game and returned them in time to shoot off wooden carved muskets Karl spent the better part of the week prior making. Karl had also worked diligently on two Arrow Of Light plagues for two of his Webelos who crossed over to Boy Scouts. They were beautiful and everyone commented favorably on his work. Actually two of the soccer dads at practice were asking for details, one of which is another Scout Leader.


And to add to the mix, Katie had a severe allergic reaction to something early last week. We had to spend about three hours calling the vet, getting squeezed into the schedule and then returning home to treat her for the next week. Her eyes swelled and she could not keep them open for long periods. She would use her other senses to find me, lay her head on my lap and keep her eyes squeezed shut. Anton was very concerned his dog was going blind, thus adding to the issues mentioned above. She is now recovered and back to her energetic, some what belligerent, self.


So Life has been busy. The garden is still producing, right now we are enjoying fresh spinach. And looking forward to the late fall and winter quiet.

My Dorks!

I say this with much affection, but my children (and hubby) are dorks! When Karl and I were dating I would refer to him as "My Dork!" With all the brain functioning going on around this house, you would think Karl and I only know how to breed brainiacs.

OK, so maybe I am being a bit prideful here! My children are just weird compared to some children their own age.

This past week, I borrowed some short educational videos from our library system. I was intending the videos to be something to keep my children from making their 30 minute lunch into an hour and a half ordeal. This is usually done by giving them something to listen to or watch so they are busy putting their food in their mouths and not philosophizing about whether or not the latest read, joke or outing was good or not. The videos are about some topic we are studying from either science, history or art. One day the video was an overview of the formation of Chemistry (on a 5th grader level). After I finished my lunch I sneaked off to check email and make phone calls. The children have recess time outside when lunch is over, so this gives me some time to make these calls. While on the phone with a friend, I went back into the kitchen to retrieve my calender to see Anton quickly mopping up milk from the table. When I asked what happened. He sheepishly exclaimed while he was pouring his milk he was so interested in the creation of the periodic table, he forgot he was pouring his milk and it over flowed. I chuckled and shook my head thinking "my dorks!"

A few days later I was putting in a video on Animal Behavior, we were studying instinct or learned actions. Anton looked at me and said, "Oh Mommy, that looks like it could be another one I might forget I am pouring my milk." Whiling giggling, I replied, "Then I had better pour it for you."

Oh how they make me laugh!

Family Fun Fridays

It all started when Karl and I had the children go to a small private Catholic School on Fridays several years ago in CT. The school opened it's doors to home schoolers for art, p.e., science experiments, music, field trips, etc. I would drop the children off at the school at 8 and pick them up at 3:00. During this time, I would get a chance to work on projects, go grocery shopping alone, etc. Since this would be a full day for everyone, Karl suggested we make it a pizza night so I would not have to worry about making dinner while getting errands or projects completed. For the kids, it became the moment when the weekend would begin to unwind from a grueling week of schooling and activities.



Many of those nights were spent watching a movie with our pizza, but some times we would opt for something else. Since the children are older now, we have moved on to some intricate games or puzzles.





For puzzles, we have enjoyed the White Mountain Puzzles. Some of the other ones we have completed are the State Flags and Birds of the Backyard.

When it comes to games, Cranium Rules! The Family Fun game, Zigitty, and of course Whoonu are our favorites!

One of my favorite games is Blokus. Anton is really starting to like this one too as his spacial reasoning skills improve. Thus far, I believe I am the champ but have yet to clear all my pieces and save the single block for last.

Last year, Karl's parents gave us this game. We had never heard of it, but one day, Karl decided it was time to give it a try. This game is similar in strategy as Risk but more taming in the world domination drive. In this game, players try to acquire resources to construct roads, settlements, cities, and ports. The first person to reach 10 victory points wins the game. It takes us over two hours to play the game out. Once you get good at this game, you can purchase additive sets for the game to include Seafaring, Knights, and Merchants.

Now, people have always accused me of giving my children educational toys and not mind numbing "just for fun" toys. I do not disagree, but in this case, I am innocent. Karl's parents had no idea we would be studying American History this year for school, we had ended with the colonies last year. The game gives the children a chance to build up their settlements into prosperous living, to see the need to barter and acquire resources to move forward. But we have had some simple games also; like playing Greed. Greed is a simple dice game where one rolls six dice to acquire points. The greedy part come into play when you must decide if the points you roll are enough or do you want to chance it and continue to roll with the possibility of loosing it all. We also play card games like Skipbo and Phase 10.

Family Fun Fridays has been something set into our schedules and mind set now. Having created this tradition through repetition for fours year, it has created some fond memories. I actually had taken the concept for granted until one day when the children and I were picking up pizzas. They told me how another young girl had told them how lucky they were to have their parents let them have pizza every week and do something together. This girl tends to spend a lot of time away from her parents who have very busy lives. It struck me as very sad and then snuggled my two a little tighter that night on the couch over a family picked movie.

Lego and Craft Club

This week several of our home school friends got together and created a short three day camp for our children. Anton got to go over to Crista's house to spend three glorious hours with his buddies constructing Legos, having snacks, and battling creations.


The young ladies arrived at our house for three hours of creative arts, snacks, and play time. The girls' projects included painting clay pots, stuffing them with foam, and making flower arrangements. They had opportunities to use my sewing machine to make simple lavender elastic pull on skirts which all the girls helped in some fashion. The last day was card making with special scissors, ribbons, paper, crayons, etc. The event was rounded out with an array of snacks, free play in the basement, and lip singing of Phantom of the Opera.


All the parents raved over the good time the children had and are begging Crista and I to do it again another time. We will see, but right now I need to vacuum up scraps of art supplies and take a nap!

Skirts and Cheesecake?

Isabella spies me checking the fit of my skirt at the waist and asks what is the matter.

As I pull the skirt to show her the new 1 1/2 - 2 inch gap, I say,

"Oh, my skirt just doesn't fit right. I might need to get a new one."

She grabs my hand with concern blurting out,

" Oh Mommy, you need some cheese cake right away! You're shrinking out of your clothes!"

As I laugh she gives me a questioning look, shrugs, and begins to laugh too!

For love of family

The kiddos and I have just arrived home from returning my niece and nephew to my sister. Joshua and Julie have spent two weeks far from home to enjoy the country and their cousins. Since the families are worlds apart in location, culture, and dynamics; it was quite educational.


While my children love to read, have quiet time, play family games, and structured stable lives with mom being at home, this is not so for our visitors. Joshua and Julie's parents are unamicably divorced with liberal visitation to both parties. Both of their parents work, daycare is a necessity as my sister's days begin at 5 am and the children must be rushed to and from child care. While I have the free time to make the majority of our food from scratch, as natural or organic as possible, these children live on take out and processed foods. When their parents do have quality time with them, it becomes as case of who can make them happier with gifts or outings to out do the other parent since the turn over happens every other day. Lots of streaming television, DS systems, cell phones with picture and texting capabilities and a constant running of noise or action is part of the daily grind for our young relatives. Needless to say, we were all in for a culture shock.


I was surprised to discover I had more patience than I had originally thought before their arrival. I had to remind myself of their perspective to how we run our family is far different than what Joshua and Julie were accustom to living. When I wanted to bit of quiet time, I could easily tell my children to pick up a book and no one would balk, Julie does not know how to read and Joshua is not use to entertaining himself. This seemingly little thing shed light onto a problem that has come upon our society. Parents, in hopes to keep children busy, have not taught our next generation the gift of delayed gratification.


Why is it so important to learn delayed gratification? This seemingly simple concept is the basis of patience and self control. Our society has taught the younger generation that waiting is not necessary. Food can be microwaved and ready in 5 minutes, discovering a story can be played out in 30 minutes to two hours, creativity can be what you can finish in 10 minutes, and deep thought does not happen when your brain is constantly being filled with noise. Julie had the most adjustment as I just looked at her in disbelief when she would exclaim there was nothing to do in at our house. Julie needed me to tell her what to do because she did not comprehend finding something to do for herself. At school and daycare, she was given specific times to do specific activities. She could not see the forest laid before her. I had cabinets of paints, crayons, paper, pipe cleaners, glue, glitter, cut outs, scissors, an absolute wonderland for the creative arts. Imagination play with dolls, ponies, dress up clothes inside and outside was an oasis with the fort, sand box, tall grass, trampoline, bikes, scooters, balls, jump ropes just waiting to become the back drop of some great adventure.


Another adjustment came in the form of food. At the ages of 11 and 7 their innocent taste buds were thrust into the realm of home cooked meals and snacks. With our garden producing various vegetables and the Amish stands full of other fare, these children were in shock from the new flavors before them. It was like teaching young children to eat all over again. I would put a little on their plates and tell them they must try the new items. Or I would mix beloved strawberries with other fruits for a fruit salad in order to force their tongues to experience the sweet and tart variations of unknown fruits as simple as raspberries and blueberries with oranges and grapes. Slowly Joshua's early declaration "zucchini is always disgusting" turned to requests for muffins, ratatouille, and zucchini pie (as long as salsa was served also). A few days after their arrival, both children were getting headaches. At first I thought it was due to their lack of fluid intake on such hot humid days, which was true, and they began to push more water into their systems at my insistence. Later I realized it was probably also from the reduction in chemicals and caffeine these children are use to consuming in sodas and processed foods. Julie went from requests for chips and candy to downing homemade granola bars and smoothies with absolute delight.


But delight was not always a part of their day. I expected daily chores from my niece and nephew just like my own children. I always asked them to do something that either I or the children were also doing. Discipline in a divorced family with constant bouncing between places is quite inconsistent. Joshua and Julie were in shock at the more clam tones, explanations to behavior modification requests, and ability to have each side heard even if theirs was not the prevailing one. Also, consequences were followed through when choices were made. If an expectation was stated before, if everyone can behave on the outing, no screaming or fighting and using kind words with patience, we could stop by the store to pick out ice cream for later, it was completed. Working as a team was a new concept for children who are more entrenched in "a dog eat dog world" view.


On the whole, I think our experiment worked. Karl and I wanted to give the children a break from their lives and experience a different family life even if it was for only two weeks. But two weeks in the same beds, eating home cooked foods, playing like children should (freedom to ride bikes/scooters or go exploring for hours), and providing a safe environment where watching your back is not necessary created something we had only hoped would happen. Joshua and Julie learned to slow down and enjoy their surroundings. As Joshua beamed at me from across the seat with tears in his eyes, he exclaimed,

"We need to come here every year for this is our real vacation!"

VW Punch Backs

The question is...Do you allow your kids to VW punch? For those scratching your head, it is the game where the first person to spot and call out a VW vehicle (it use to be only the bugs) gets to punch the other in the arm. Karl and I have been back and forth on this issue, but it really come down to the kids' mood at the time. If they are tired and cranky, then the punches turn into screams of abuse. When they are in good spirits, it becomes a car full of giggles and laughs. So, me being the dainty girl from the all sisters family, declared only light, feather punches so as to not have the calls for abuse and still have some fun watching the world as we drive down the road.


One day, while the kiddos were still a bit sleepy, I was driving around in the city. As we came upon our interstate entrance, we passed by a VW car lot. From behind my seat I heard the familiar excited intake of air and the expelling of the words "Jack Pot!" Both children immediately started to throw light arm taps and squeal in delight.

Precocious or IMP?

After a hiatus from piano lessons due to scheduling conflicts, the kiddos finally had a lesson. Trish took a little longer with them this time due to the long break. Afterwards she pulled me aside to apologize for being a little tough/stern with them. Trish is a delightful, easy going tempered woman who is wonderful with children. Being stern is a bit difficult with her, but she does it when she needs.


Trish proceeded to tell me how smart and gifted the children are and she did not fully understand it until today. Before she had always remarked how the children are doing so well because they practice. She knew Isabella's delight in repeating from ear songs she has heard only asking Trish for a correction to a note she can not figure out. Anton's ear is so sensitive that he will play a piece 20 times in a row to fix a mistake because it aggravates him when it sounds off. This is why I have not totally packed away the keyboard because the three keys that need tweaking cause frustrated grimaces in his expression when he has to use them.


But this time Trish went further in her explanation. She said on a whim she gave Isabella a new piece to test her sight reading. Now she did not give her a super hard one but it did entail the use of both hands and several chords. Apparently Isabella played it almost perfect. Trish said this told her how good Isabella is but she hides it with her desires to "do it her way". I gave her an empathetic chuckle because this sums up my major battles with our darling precocious child. She is too smart for her own good and finds things boring too easily. She tries to compensate for "doing it her way" by making it more challenging. For example, Trish gave her a book of finger exercises to strengthen her fingers and train them for being able to hit multiple chords. Isabella looked right at Trish and in a matter of fact but not really rude way informed Trish she did not like them and wanted to do this instead. Then she proceeded to run her fingers across the piano in a pattern she made up. OH the battle of wills with that child!!!


Trish chuckled with me and told me to be ready for her to push the children harder since she is seeing how good they are becoming and at such a young age. Trish's goal has always been to find a replacement for her at church and told Isabella when she can play the piano, they way Trish does, she can play at church. Isabella has not forgotten.

What's in the Reading Basket? Summer 2010

At our house, we have a large basket we fill with library books and maybe a few purchased books with high priority. Since the days have gotten scarily hot recently (drought with heat indexes over 100 degrees), I though a listing of some of the reading material we are working through might be of interest.


Towards a better Education:

This is a must read for those who would like to better understand our Constitution and why the Founding Fathers worded it the way it is written. This book has huge listings of references that can be used as spin off reading to explore those ideas further on your own. I am interested in also looking at the materials listed that our Founding Fathers would have read, Cicero, Adam Smith, Montesquieu, John Locke, The Federalist Papers, etc. Before people can say our Constitution is obsolete, they really should read and understand what it says. History has proven that when we give up a freedom, it is nearly impossible to get it back.

Historical Fiction from the Revolutionary War Era. Karl finds it much more enjoyable than the rest of us, but then again more men than women have aways been more fascinated by the views of those in a war and how it is happening.

For the Soul and Spirit:

Karl has been reading this as the heavy theology has always sparked his interest. However, this is something to be taken in small doses so one can ponder their full meaning. He has also mixed in some C.S. Lewis books such as "Mere Christianity", "Miracles", and his older fiction series "The Space Trilogy" which includes "Perelandra" and "That Hideous Strength".

I am opting for something a little lighter and have this on my list along with finishing "The Domestic Church".

The children have "The Hobbit" on their wish list. Since it is a bit difficult for Isabella to read straight through, I did pick it up on CD from the library for us to listen to in the truck. One of my friends is a HUGE Tolkien fan and is shocked that I have not read the Lord of the Rings series when Anton has started reading it on his own when he saw the books on our shelf. He is half way through the first book and finished The Hobbit awhile ago. However, he wants to read/hear it again and Isabella is very eager to enter the world where Karl and Anton have their "boy time" watching the Lord Of the Rings movies together.

Towards being a better person and parent:

This might seem a bit "too much information" here, but I have a problem with saying "no" to things. There are so many wonderful things to do in our area, so many projects to be a part of, and so many places where people want me to help, I have a hard time fitting it all into our schedule. This does not even include the time it takes for the upkeep and transformation of the the house to home, land to farm. This mentality is what lead up to my collapse and reactivation of my mono last year. So in an effort to learn how to say "no" to things, this book was recommended for me to read and journal through. This is a book to take as a journey and requires thought and application, hence the reason for not diving into the heavy theology Karl is taking on for the summer. There is a spin off book to this for helping to teach children how to make sound boundaries of their time and person I am hoping to read. Along those same lines, I am looking to read following book so I do not pack too much into my children's day. Our society has convinced us that our children must be active in sports, music, art, in addition to their regular school days. Since we do home school, we do have the ability to do most of this during the time allocated for the traditional school day, but yet the temptation to also include those great courses offered by the local community college just for home schoolers is hard to ignore. This along with a large home school co-op group which offers a wide variety of courses for academia or fun makes weeding through the options and time allocations difficult because they all have their merits. Our society has forgotten how to let children be children. To have times of boredom in order to promote creativity and invention. Without those precious moments of free time, children will not be able to cultivate their delayed gratification or practice the art of deep thought. So, in a way, I think it a little sad to have to remind myself and others that blocks of time with nothing planned is a good thing! But, we are all learning by fire this job of being a good parent in an ever changing world.

For the journey to better health and sustainability:

I know most people do not read cook books, but this one is worth peeking through the pages. I borrowed it from the library, copied a few recipes in a frantic rush, because the library needed it back quickly due to large demands on the holds listing. I have since put it on my wish list for purchase. When I look through cook books and find I want more than 10 recipes, I think it is worth trying to get my own copy. With the hectic lives we have, finding time for good home cooked meals can be scarce with out the use of the slow cooker. I have been using mine at least once a week if not more. This cook book has been my favorite thus far for going beyond the standard fare of the slow cooker recipes handed down from mom. The author took a year of cooking with her slow cooker, blogging her progress, and then turned it into a book. My other favorite cook books for natural cooking are Laurel's Kitchen both the regular one and the bread one. Most of us 30-ish adults have grown up with using processed foods in our recipes and struggle a bit to find an alternative to opening a can of condensed soup as a starter. I have always looked to my bible of cooking, The Joy of Cooking, but even here this book uses many processed ingredients.

I also have a few books on small farming, the joy of chickens, and square foot gardening. These are all part of our process of turning the land into our homestead. We are now about a year late on farm animals, but hey it is a work in progress.

For the Mind to wander, also known as fiction:

While talking with one of my best friends here about my reading lists, she remarked a need for me to throw in some fluff or fun reads. In a moment of weakness, I said, "OK, I read Jane!" She retorted, "No! You have read them all! You need something new!" Then she handed this to me. The Regent Period has always fascinated my romantic side, with greats like Pride and Prejudice who wouldn't love to see the struggles of love through the barriers of social etiquette. But when you tell people you love Romance novels when you need a distraction from life, they immediately assume you mean trashy love/sexual content books. This is so far from the truth. A story can be entertaining without having steamy scenes thrown in to desensitise a person from the emotional part of love making. It is much more entertaining, and enduring, to see the application of sacrifice, love and respect of characters than to see them just follow through with their physical reactions.

I will also fill in with Amish novels which are like reading a Hallmark movie in their sweetness and challenges. The Love Comes... series is good too for those interested in the pioneer life.

Both of my children have loved this book. Anton is also giving Redwall another go around and Isabella is going to try her hand at an unabridged version of Little Women since she enjoyed the condensed version so much. Anton is also filling in with choose your own adventure books and various interest topics. Isabella is rereading the Magic Tree House books, her fluff reads of choice are the Rainbow Fairy books (this drives me crazy as she reads them in 5 minutes and asks to go back to the Library about an hour after we return home from the library!) and Disney Fairy books (Tinker Bell).


We do have more but I think this is a good summary of items. I just laugh about the look on the librarians face when she asked Isabella if she wanted to register for the library summer reading program in which she would be entered into a drawing for a bike if she completes the reading sheet (a whopping 5 1/2 hours to be completed over 3 months - Please! My kids finished their sheets in one week!). Isabella said, she did not really need a bike but she would like to read the books. I commented that her dream would be to be locked in the library to read all night. Isabella's eyes got big with excitement and asked if that was possible and changed to disappointment when I laughed saying I was just joking.

Feeding the Family Sustainable/Natural Ways

After reading, discussing, and praying over all the information I have been finding about our food system, Karl and I have made some changes in how we feed our family. Organic, natural, farm fresh, and Farmers Markets all cost more than regular grocery fare and processed food. If you are asking "Why?" then you have not minimally read Omnivores Dilemma or watched Food Inc. (If you were shopping with your Grandmother - Would she see your choices as food or food like substances?) We made the choice to feed our family with the most nutrient rich healthy food possible because it is more important than some of our other spending options.

So how do we try to keep our food budget under control?

First, Menu Planning, at least for dinners, has kept me from wasting or accidentally letting food go bad. By knowing what you have and what you need to make recipes, you cut out the waste. Fresh, unprocessed foods go bad faster, see above media for details, so careful planning in necessary with these items.

Second, when you do go to the grocery, try to make nearly all your purchases from the outer walls and produce sections. I go into the isles for specific things like flour, nut butters (almond is my favorite), bread if I am not making any at the time, baking needs, and crackers (the items we found are too difficult right now to give up from the processed foods.

Third, stretch your meats as far as possible. I know this is about to make some of you no-fat purist gag, but we save bacon grease. I use this lard for cooking just like my grandmother. It fries our eggs, makes biscuit and pie crusts silky smooth, and adds a subtle bacon tastes to corn bread my children love.

How to stretch a farm chicken!

We get our chickens now from a natural farmer. He grows them, takes them to the Amish to kill, gut and package. Then sells them to us. I pick them up looking like the whole chickens you see from the grocery store once you take it out of the packaging. I cook the whole chicken in a crock pot with about 2 cups of water and some spices (usually garlic, pepper, onion, parsley, maybe sage or bay leaf depending on what I will make later). I cook this all day causing my kids to drool over the dinner yet to come. About an hour before dinner, I turn the heat down on the crock pot and remove much of the juices to make gravy. I add a little cooking wine, corn starch or flour (because my kids can not wait long enough for a reduction sauce), and a little more spices. I whip up some mashed potatoes and a veggie side of either salad or green beans from the garden. This is meal #1.

Depending on the amount of meat left over and the plans for the week, we might have the same meal the next night or modified with chicken cooked with remaining gravy thinned with chicken stock. If it was a smaller chicken, I take the remaining carcass, meat, and juices from the crock pot and put them into a large pot with about 10 cups of water, celery or celery seed if I have it, and an onion. After boiling down for 4-6 hours, sometimes adding more water, I turn off the heat and let it cook to a temperature I can work with. Now, I strain the juices removing bones and veggies to the trash, and meat to a holding container. If I have a lot of stock left, I will freeze it in 2 cup measures for later. The meat and stock then go on to the next meal options; filling for pot pie, chicken soup, chicken and dumplings, chicken with biscuit top, shredded chicken for enchiladas or cannelloni, etc.

For the pot pie option: I thicken the stock to a gravy constancy (Adding a splash of white wine, sherry or Marsala wine gives it more depth), add mixed veggies and chicken. When the mixture has cooled, I pour it into two crust lined pie plates and cover with another pie crust. One is wrapped in foil and placed in the freezer for later use the other is baked for dinner.

For Chicken soup, dumplings or biscuit top: I put the chicken, bay leaf, and as much stock to make my larger bottomed pot about 1/2 - 2/3 full. I let the stock cook down to a slightly more concentrated amount keeping in mind the noodles or biscuits will absorb and thicken the stock also. For soup, add noodles, celery if not added before when making stock, carrots or mixed veggies, and more garlic. When noodles are done, serve. For the dumplings or biscuit top, I add mixed veggies and onion. When the chicken mixture has reached a full boil, drop dough in pot by spoon fulls for dumplings and cover for 10-20 minutes, checking to make sure it does not get too thick or scorch. For biscuit top, pour mix into 9x13 and drop spoonfuls of dough on top. Place into a preheated 350 degree oven till biscuits are golden and cooked through.

For shredded chicken options: Freeze the stock. Take the chicken meat and make enchiladas or cannelloni as your recipe entails. For enchiladas, I put the chicken in a pan with enchilada sauce, about 1/2 - 1 cup of cheddar cheese, black beans (either canned and rinsed or softened from dry) and water equal to Enchilada sauce. I let this thicken by boiling off excess water, if I goofed and added way to much liquid, I might add rice. When cooled enough to work with, I spoon mixture onto burrito shells, roll up and place in 9x13 or 8x8 pan. Add more enchilada sauce and cheddar to cover tops of burritos. Put one pan in oven with a foil cover poked with steam holes in oven for 45 minutes. Wrap remaining pans with foil and place into the freezer for later use.

I use this concept with minor alterations with other meat options. If using beef, I will use red wine and thyme. With pork, I tend to see how I feel and pick accordingly leaning more towards rosemary or oregano. Roasts tend to become beef stew if I have large amounts of meat left over.

This is the way I tend to drag our meats out to 3 or 4 meals with lots of marrow soups on those chilly days. Soups are also a great way to use leftover produce and freeze well as long as you do not put potatoes or noodles in it before freezing. I also end up having one intensive day to shred/make stock but the results give me several days of already prepped meals for those activity intensive days. I have also started to use my delay start on the oven so as to have meals ready when we return home hungry to avoid picking to stave off hunger. Coming home hungry to a wholesome home cooked meal reminds me of my childhood when I came home from school to the wholesome smells of mom's preparations for dinner. It is one of those small ways to link back to simpler times and enjoy the moment with my family.

Demon Mower of the Orchard

It seems every time I get into my grass cutting groove, mowing the lawn is a guaranteed 2 hour workout in which I unplug my brain, I mortally injure a toad lurking in the grass. Immediately I am aghast at the blood and guts spread across the path and saddened by the loss of yet another bug eating friend.

Last month I nicked one across the eye. Every time I walked past where I gently placed him in the already gut grass, he just looked up at me with blood dripping across his face with an expression of "Toad Killer!" on his face. Later, I joking told Karl, I must be the "demon mower of the orchard", a pun off of the musical "Demon Barber of Fleet Street" in which one of my friends played clarinet last year.

About a week after the toad incident, we started noticing some funny behavior in Katie. When we took her to the orchard to fetch, she would drop the ball, roll onto her back like trying to get a good scratch, like horses when they cover themselves in dirt. Katie would get up shake a little and return to the same spot again. Finally, I went over to see what was so darn good smelling to her that she wanted it on her fur. Well, apparently scar face toad did not make it. He was dried to a crisp and Katie was enjoying it. For Katie's reward in finding the dead toad, she was awarded a bath outside with the cold hose.

Pools and Pianos

Now that soccer is over till the fall, we have decided to spend our free time at the pool. The Country Club near our house has recently offered a Pool Only membership at a significantly cheaper price than the typical membership which also includes 18 hole golf course, tennis courts, etc. Our family friends also belong to this pool along with about 1/2 of Anton's Cub Scout Pack. So it has proven to be a good social and fun place to meet and not intrude on each others houses. I know I made the post before about money, and this was an expense, but we purchased our membership about a month ago. I figured with the stepping back from our usual school activity expenses of soccer, gymnastics, and horseback riding, we are pretty much even in costs for physical activity for the children with Karl and I getting to use the pool also. It is also cheaper than swim lessons when Karl gives the kids a lesson on form on Sundays and then I make them do at least two laps when we go during the week to practise his instructions.

So if you can not find us at home, we are probably at the pool and this is a good thing. Just this past week, the weather advisory has issued their second air quality alert due to the unusually high humidity and heat indexes for this time of the season. By going to the pool, we can still get exercise without getting overheated. I just have children pleading for ice cream from the snack bar.


Pianos - about 4 months ago the kids Piano Instructor gave me a 6-8 month warning of needing to upgrade from our keyboard to either a full size keyboard or piano. Anton has progressed enough to need more than the 5 octaves of the keyboard in the coming future. It just so happens friends of ours sat on the board of a small private school that was closing it's doors. In the chaos of vacating the building, the question came up if the board knew of anyone in need of a piano. Our friends pointed the piano towards us. It was delivered and set up in our living room at no cost to us. The piano needs some minor tuning, it is driving Anton crazy to the ever so slightly off tune of the E key closest to middle C, and some beautifying but it was free!

When time and money allow, I will find myself sanding off a brown and a black paint layer to find the dark cherry stain underneath, something I found from the inside of the piano bench. I doubt I will just re-stain it because I do not intend to move it from my living room and stain is very potent, so I will probably just paint it black.

When you know you are loved...

Karl and I have been reading the book, The Five Love Languages. We each read the chapter then discuss what we think of the main points of the particular chapter. It is a good book at trying to discover what both you and your loved one understands to be an expression of love. It works on the premise of speaking a particular language to tell others you love them. For example, if a spouse feels loved when their significant others praises their efforts but that person thinks by doing things for that person is a sign of love, they can both be doings these things and their spouse might not ever feel loved because they are not speaking in each others love language.

So Karl and I have almost finished the book. We have discovered which languages make each of us feel the most loved. It was very enlightening even though some of the things we felt were intuitive. So now we know what works and what does not work at expressing love to each other. It is a fun and easy read to do with your spouse to encourage a book study to do together, especially if you need a break from discussing deeper, more intellectual topics.

Last night Karl and I discovered by happenstance what our children perceive as being loved. The discussion of Diary of a Wimpy Kid,

a series of books and now a movie about an average skinny boy in public school,

was our lead in for the conversation.

Karl and I asked how old Greg, the Wimpy Kid, was in the books.

Anton felt strongly that he was a high schooler because "he is trying to get a girl."

"Get a girl?" Karl and I asked what does it mean to "Get a Girl".

Anton, suddenly embarrassed

(to which I traveled back in my memory to the day my parents wanted clarification when

I made a comment about people "going together" and empathetically smiled)

said it is when a girl likes you and you do nice things for her.

Feeling a little satisfied with his answer, Karl and I were prepared to drop the topic for discussions of swimming and soccer, when Isabella had to interject her two cents.

"Nope!

You know a girl like you when

she doesn't tell her friends that you are a dope!"

Humm, I wonder what Isabella's love language is??

No Camera yet!

I realize how many of you are missing the pictures I usually post with our activities. There are times when the right pictures prompts the postings from my head. Sometimes you just want to see how the children, projects, etc. are progressing. But I have no camera!


Since we have placed the CT house back on the market with no renters to pay the mortgage, we are a bit tight with the finances. Two mortgages takes a lot out of our finances making superfluous unnecessary purchases be placed on hold.


But you can help! You can pray that our house sells quickly or donate to the Karissa's blog needs a camera fund! OK, I am just kidding about the fund, but having the house sell quickly would help us out in both finances and spirit!

How Boys Enjoy Geography

Recently I was keeping a friend's children for the day.

Her two older boys are at and near Anton's age.

I was busy prepping something when I heard this thumping noise followed buy low cheers. Quietly, so as to try to see what they were doing but not feeling like it was an alarming moment, I crept up the stairs towards Anton's room.

There I spied the boys lined up on the far side of the room from Anton's "Wall of the World".

Justin put the challenge forwards, "OK, Can you hit Mongolia?"

Anton tossed a sticky ball,

a ball with little suction cups for sticking to walls,

at the world map.

Dominic, "No, that's China! You Loose! My turn!"

This proceeded for about 10-15 minutes with giggles, laughs and cheers.

The Pot of Gold!

After a long, hot, stifling humid day on the soccer field for tournaments, we made a dash to the pool. We jumped out and headed home just as a storm came upon us. When almost home we spotted a huge rainbow. Immediately we all said "Hey that's not a pot of gold!" which is a reference to a picture Karl had shown the kiddos several times from his email.

To which Isabella replied,

"Maybe it is the beginning of an adventure

because everyone know a trip starts with going to the potty!"

Granola Bars

Here it is! The recipe people are asking for these days from me. One of my girlfriends stumbled upon a wholesome, natural recipe for granola bars and we have been tweaking it since then. Karl loves these things! On his early days, he grabs a cup of coffee and two of these to hold him over till he has time for something else. With is long commute and being prepared for the meetings, that can be a long time!

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 cup all-purpose flour

optional ingredients

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup honey

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup vegetable or nut oil

2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F for crunchy or 325 degrees F for Chewy. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl mix all wet ingredients then add to the dry ingredients. Press evenly into baking pan.

3. Bake for 30 minutes for crunchy, 35 -45 minutes for chewier until bars turn golden brown on the edges. Cool for 5 minutes then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting or they will be too hard to cut.

Optional ingredients:

3/4 - 1 cup of the following: nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc.

1/2 cup nut butter - decrease oil in recipe to 1/4 cup, however keeping it to 1/2 cup will make the bars more cookie in texture.

Favorite combinations we have tried:

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 3/4 cup raisins;

1/2 cup nut butter and 3/4 - 1 cup chocolate chips;

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts with walnut oil sometimes with 1/2 tsp of cinnamon.

A Pass for the Year!

Yesterday I had the kiddos Home School Review! I had been stressing about this for a couple of weeks. Logically I knew this was ridiculous because the kiddos are doing great, are above or on target depending on the subject with their peers, and have huge lists of books we have read.


But still, I get anxious for the the review and then feel idiotic for the extra exerted energy afterwards! Oh, we passed with flying colors! When I asked what I needed to change for my upcoming middle schooler, I was given a "You are crazy" look and told, "Nothing!"


But being the driven person I am, I will probably pick up Spanish. I was told by another military home school mom that the military will give us Rosetta Stone for free! Karl's brother Mark, who is fluent in Spanish, told us he thinks the program is great. We had been trying to justify the $400 price for awhile, but if I can get it free through the military, why not!


Oh, we are not finished for the school year just yet, but I do have the weight lifted from my shoulders. The traditional school kids are not out till mid June, so we will probably go until around then. We will be taking off July and the at least the first half of August due to summer plans! Between just needing a break, gardening, canning (prime salsa and tomato sauce time), camps, VBS, visits with relatives and a vacation from the home, we just can not devote the time to schooling for those six weeks! However, my book worms will still be found resting in the living room at the most scorching times of the day!

The Ticks Just Love Her!

I took Isabella in to the doctor's office yesterday,

before horse back riding, to have a bite checked in her scalp.

Yes, another forming bull's eye!

Another round of amoxicillin!

At least in Isabella's eyes, "It tastes good!"

She could have gotten the tick from any number of places,

Camping with Karl and Anton for Cub Scouts,

playing with friends in the wooded areas,

from the soccer fields,

one catching a ride from the dogs,

at the horse barn,

etc.

So, it is time to start the daily check until the hard winter freeze!

Time to break out the Canner!

It has been beautiful here for those who can manage their allergies to get outside!

After horse back riding yesterday, we met up with some friends to pick one of our favorite fruits, strawberries!

I love real strawberries!

The ones trekked in from the west coast are not real to me. They are picked before ripe, you know the ones that are white inside and lack flavor. So I wait with bated breath for the day the pick your own fields are ready. We go and pick for a couple hours and begin the next few days of saving our spring find for those dark days of winter.

This year we picked 48 pounds, three flats full!

I already have two gallon freezer bags full of cut frozen wonderfully ripe strawberries!

Today we plan on making jam, eating some all day, and saving some for a pie!