Back to School....

 Yes, it is time.  Time to take the pool down...sniff, sniff.  Time to get back into our regular schedule.  No more staying up late and sleeping in.  No more living in our swimming suits...hey, I didn't do that!  But the kids sure did.  It is time.....

I had originally planned on schooling through the summer, but I decided against it.  I am glad we didn't for the most part.  I needed a break to ponder things.  To play.  To craft.  To just enjoy my very favorite season.   But, I am craving our "school" schedule.  I am excited to get going and see how our year goes.  I have had time to think about WHY I am homeschooling and IF I am doing it the way I feel I should be.  What can I do better?  I needed this summer to figure out a few things and to change a few things I feel I needed to. 

• We'll be focusing on better devotionals.
• Learning or at least singing hymns with more regularity.
• Better personal scripture study.
• More creative writing.  (Can you hear Seth freaking out already????)

• They'll be taking the lead on science, geography, and history.  Well, for the most part.  I want them to figure out what to study, then I will do my best to surround them with what they want to learn about.  I will be trying a new history curriculum that focuses on living books not text books.  I will be gently introducing these books, and see how it goes.  It is very important to me that I don't shove their education down their throats.  I believe in being their mentor not their teacher.  I will guide them but not force them.  Except in math.  And phonics.  And grammar.  They pretty much have to do that.  The end.

I feel ready to go.  I am not a first year homeschooler anymore and am grateful I feel confident in our journey.  I am grateful for the blogs I have found, friends I have made and advice I have been given to help me homeschool my kids.  Happy Back To School to us all!!

Got APPLES?

If so, you should make this......

APPLE CAKE

3 T butter, softened

1 c sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla extract

1 c flour (I used whole wheat flour, so it is darker than it would be if you used white flour....just fyi...)

1 t baking soda

1\2 t salt

1\2 t cinnamon

1\2 t nutmeg

3 cups diced, peeled apples

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; add to creamed mixture (batter will be thick). Stir in apples.
2. Spread into greased 8-in. square baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few crumbs.  Serve warm or col with whipped cream or ice cream.

I made this for the first time for our ward party this weekend.  I ended up bringing quite a bit of it home since there were tons of desserts there and let's be honest, it doesn't have chocolate in it so it got passed up!  I usually only go for the chocolate desserts, myself!  LOL!  But I wanted to try this recipe since I had all the ingredients right in my pantry.  I doubled it and put it in a 9 x 13 pan and baked it for an hour.  We really like it!!  I like that I used the apples from our tree!  

My Food Storage Must-Haves!!

Have I ever mentioned how much I love and depend upon my food storage?  My husband being self-employed as he is, well, we don't have a day circled on our calendar with big letters stating, "PAYDAY!!!".  Our "paydays" come when they come.  We have never known when they'll come.  Now, to add to the mix of excitement, we get "paid" in chunks.  With sometimes painfully long gaps in between the chunks.  Makes it kinda tough....but hey, I like a challenge.  (Sometimes it gets old, but oh well, right??). 

A few years back, before our paydays came in chunks, I found a blog written by someone whose hubby was a realtor.  Her paydays were similar to mine, even more now then back when I found her blog.  She shared that there were months where her husband didn't bring money home.  If I remember correctly, they lived in Arizona.  Tough market there for real estate.  She also shared her top things she had to have in her food storage for those lean times, or what she wished she would have had.  This has been a long summer for us.  Waiting for payday since May.  But, have no fear.  We aren't starving!  My food storage has come to my rescue as has my garden. 

Here is my list of things I must have and things I want to add:

• Flour. I have white flour and wheat berries in my food storage.
• Sugar: brown, and powdered.
• Honey.  I tried powdered honey and like it.  I want to get more....
• Powdered eggs.  I have not tried this but want to add it my stockpile.
• Pasta.  You can make a meal out of some sauteed veggies from your garden and some pasta.  Dinner is served.
• Baking Cocoa.  Can you say "Chocolate Frosting"?  Must have!!
• Cornmeal.  Corn bread is so yummy.
• Oatmeal.  We eat this often!  For any meal, not just breakfast.
• Oil.  You have to be careful how much you store of this since it will go rancid...
• Vinegar.  Use in making your own salad dressings, marinades and you can use it for cleaning your house.
• Canned meat.  Not as good as fresh, but not bad.
• Popcorn kernels.  Snack time never was so easy and cheap.
• Spices.  My favorites:  Cumin, cinnamon, basil, oregano, minced onions, curry, garlic salt, garlic powder, chili powder.  You can make your own taco seasonings with some of these spices.  Wayyyyy better than store bought anyways.
• Dehydrated veggies:  Onions, carrots, green and red peppers.  Add a handful to your soup, or anything you are cooking that has a bit of liquid to it.  So nice to have when you can't buy fresh veggies at the moment....
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Karo Syrup
• Sweetened Condensed Milk (gotta have caramel corn....YUM!)
• Yeast
• Raisins
• Rice
• Canned veggies and fruits for when you can't buy fresh.
• Cheese.....powdered?  I haven't tried this but I need to.  We have missed having cheese lately.  :)
• Dried beans and lentils.  Split pea soup...................YUMMM!

If you have the basic ingredients, you can make so many things!! Bread sticks, rolls, cakes, frostings, marinades and so on!  Google the food you want to make and off you go....
That is all I can think of.  Hope that helps you get your food storage in tip-top shape.  I also have been extremely grateful for our garden this summer.  It isn't even as wonderful as I hoped; the beans were a flop!  BUT, it has been enough to give us lots of fresh veggies.  Our strawberries, raspberries, apricots, peaches and apples have been such a blessing.  So glad we planted all we did! :)

ALOHA! Sasha turns 11....

 One humid Iowa summer evening I went into labor...a week late!!!  I remember crying to my mom saying I didn't think I'd ever have this baby!  Ya, I was a little dramatic.  My mom and sister flew in on a Friday, and Sasha was born just past midnight on Saturday night, August 19th, 2001.  It was a long, crazy delivery that ended in a c-section...she was 9 pounds and was stuck!!!  She healed many hearts with her arrival and we are so blessed to have her in our family.

She has wanted a Luau party for a long time so we finally did it!  The dollar store saved the day as did my cricut machine, and also my many decorations I have made for Relief Society Activities\Parties. 

 We had a quiz called "How well do you know Sasha" where the girls had to answer questions about Sasha.  We also had a jar with 303 Skittles in it....they had to guess the number and the closest one got to take home the jar.  Easy games with inexpensive prizes.  Have I ever mentioned I am frugal....and\or cheap??

I looked up each girl's Hawaiian name and made flowers on my Cricut machine for each one.  One side had their English name, and the other had their Hawaiian name.  I also laminated them so they could save them forever.......  ;)

This in kinda out of order, but we got her a Big Time Rush t-shirt.  Remember we went to the concert?  The shirts there were $35 and above!  Walmart saved the day.  $6.97, Baby!

 We decorated the fence.............

 Pools are great to have in your backyard.  Especially if your neighbors give it to you.  Great for parties!!  Maybe we should rent it out.....  :)

She has quite a collection going of these cute dolls.  Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Lindsay sure made her day with their gift!

Some of the party goers giving me their best Hula pose!  Such cute girls!  Such a fun day! Happy Birthday, to our Sweet Sasha Belle!

Fabulous Family Photo Shoot 2012

So many to choose from!!  I LOVED so many of them!  Taking pictures of a family of 7 is no easy task, but I have an amazing friend who is so good to me.  I asked if she would take our pictures, and she did.  She never passes up a chance to serve someone, which is something I love about her.  I made her dinner that night, but I am thinking that wasn't quite enough of  "payment".....she did an amazing job despite her worries that she is just a "novice".  She did a beautiful job capturing our family in the heat of an August summer evening!

Ah, my Sethy.  Not a fan of pictures.  At all!  He is such a stud; posing for the camera is silly to him.  But, I love this picture of him and want to kiss his cheeks and run my fingers through is totally blond hair.

My sweet Sasha.  She was a good subject.....

Addie had the same cute smile in every shot.  Love this little girl so much!

Audrey Anne is one tough cookie to take a picture of.  We got lots of cute shots of her and I am so happy.  (For the record I did have her hair done but she ripped it out on the way there.  She also was beyond mad at me for putting her in this dress.  Screaming and tears like you wouldn't believe!  Oh, and her shoes that are tooooo big were on the wrong feet the whole time.)

Yep, I know, I know.  To die for!  LOVE all the ones of this little boy.  He just sat there and smiled away.

My friend had a genius idea to do this one.  I brought my globe and other props and she brought the chalkboard with this darling saying.  LOVE this one so much!

I always pick apart pictures of myself....but I want them done because my kids will want to see ME and their DADDY in pictures as time goes by.  They won't care what size I am or if I look runway-ready.  They will want to see that Will and love eachother and that I am smiling because I LOVE THEM!

Such a handsome guy.  I tell him everyday that I am glad I married him.  I truly am.

I do like this one of me!  She knew how to take it at the right angle to flatter my face!  We have had many discussions about how to hide double chins in pictures.  LOL!!

Anyways, I love the pictures.  I LOVE my family!  I LOVE my life! Thanks, friend of mine for capturing our joy!!

Just Like They Did.....

Do you ever do something and immediately feel connected to your ancestors?  Well, I do.  For me, it is canning, cooking and baking. It makes me so happy to stand in my kitchen all day and do things I know my grandma and great-grandmothers did.

My dad's mom, Grace was quite the canner.  She died when I was 5, so I have very few memories of her.  But, my dad has told me plenty about all she canned.  She canned EVERYTHING!!   In fact, he said he was shocked as a child to see canned peaches in the store!  He didn't know stuff like that existed since all his food came from mason jars, canned by his mom.  I remember spending time in her home after she been gone for many years.  My dad lived with Grandpa Burt before he passed away.  She had a 2nd kitchen downstairs that she used exclusively for canning.  I was intrigued by it then.  Now, I dream about it!  I sure wish she was around to teach me a thing or two more about canning....

My great-grandparents on my mom's side started a restaurant right before the Great Depression hit.  When my mom was younger, she worked there as did her siblings.  It was a family affair!!  My uncle ended up taking it over and still owns the homemade chocolate candy part....YUM!  I spent many hours there.  Visiting my grandma as she cooked that day's special.  I ate many a delicious meal there and that is where I first had split pea soup and have loved it ever since.  Don't even get me started on their homemade rolls and apricot jam....and their pies.........!! I love to hear stories from when my mom worked there.  She tells me my favorite ones over and over and they never get old. How fun would it have been for me to work there as a teenager, with all of them there??  My great-grandparents, Uncle David and Aunt Rita, Uncle Rich....if only I had a time machine.  So, whenever I spend a bit of time in the kitchen baking, cooking or making apricot jam, I think of them all and smile.  I draw strength from their experiences of being ultra-frugal; running a restaurant during the Depression was no easy task.  My great-grandfather would go around town picking apricots from those who already got what they needed from that year's crop.  He them turned it into the best jam ever.  And pie!  Nothing was ever wasted. 

I am grateful for my mom who taught me how to can, to make jam and to bake.  I am also grateful she came over today to help me.  Salsa and Peach Pie Filling...........round 1 of canning done!!

Olymipic Hopefuls....

We have loved watching the Olympics this summer.  The kids have had "races" in our smallish pool, relay races around the yard, and many other made up events....

Party balloons filled with water and thrown around to eachother takes skill and training....

Addie is going for the GOLD medal here in a great event called "Water Balloon Pinata".  I am on the top of our swing set, frying my feet on the hot wood, taking a picture, and holding the string with the water balloon attached.  It was pretty dang funny.  I highly recommend doing this asap.

Seth especially has enjoyed the track and field events and was so excited when I told him I would take him to a REAL TRACK.  We went to the high school one morning and it was pretty fun to run around it and race eachother. 

My cute Little Boo getting ready to RUN....

Yes, Audrey is barefoot.  She never wears shoes.  I give up.  She liked the track, too.  She did the long jump and we cheered super loud for her.  Too cute.

 Sasha is not a big fan of running....I don't blame her.  Not my favorite way to exercise either.  But, I gave her a pep talk about how important exercise is......and she then proceeded to kick my butt on the race track.  Atta girl.

Seth was ALL over the whole race around the track thing.  He must win.  Every time.  No exceptions.  He ran and ran and his handsome face was beet-red.  It has been so hot!!  He wanted to do the hurdles but after an attempt or two, we decided he needs to grow a few more inches.

Their favorite part:  Me yelling, "Get on your mark. Get set....." and then I would make a gun sound.  It was a sight to see.

We went to the pool with grandma this week and when we first got there the lap pool was still being used by swimmers.  Seth stood there and watched for a few minutes and I could tell he really wanted to swim a few laps like Micheal Phelps.  We had just watched him race the night before.  I told him to jump in and swim a few laps.  He was hesitant but finally got in and started to swim.  I walked along side him to cheer him on.  When he got to the wall, I thought he'd stop to rest a bit.  Nope.  He did the summersault thing they do at the wall, pushed off and kept going.  After his first lap, he got out and did some push-ups, then got back in for one more lap.  It made my day.  LOVE that Seth of mine.  We have loved watching the Olympics.  So many inspiring stories!  Loving this summer of 2012!