Puzzle Time

After a breakfast of homemade granola, we're doing a 1000 piece puzzle and watching Twelfth Night. What a cozy morning.

A Christmas Party

The Younger Crew, a couple of cousins and a neighbor kid had a bunch of fun last night decorating sugar cookies. They also enjoyed some homemade pizza, sparkling ciders and a movie. It was a fun little Christmas party!

Movie Night

Here's the popcorn, ready for movie night. Well, two thirds of the popcorn. Yeah, I fix a full five gallon bucket full when we have popcorn. Doesn't everybody?

The Crew's Popcorn

For each batch, melt 2 Tbsp coconut oil. Add 2/3 cup of kernels and pop. Top with 1/4 cup melted butter and lots of kosher salt. Enjoy.

My Newest Project and Randomness

I've been in a crocheting mood, as I often am in the winter. As usual, that means I am making a scrap afghan. I may donate this one to the Hidden Treasure auction in February to benefit Moses, Noah and Jacob's adoption, should it get finished. I have been known to start a project or two and not finish them, despite my good intentions.

We're going to be doing a deep clean of the house this week. I created a nicely detailed list for each room so that we don't forgot any minor areas. I'm shooting for it to take three days or less. The Lambies are excited. /sarc

Why do I always get itchy to de-clutter right before Christmas?

My Honey is such a great handyman! It seems that there are more and more fix-it projects around here keeping him busy. I'm so thankful for the many skills he has and that he is passing them along to our oldest son.

Kittens grow fast. Where did our Baby Ohren go?

Children grow fast, too. My oldest daughter can go get her permit as soon as she feels ready.

I love that all our Christmas shopping is finished already.

I've been gluten free for 12 weeks now. I have had gluten accidentally a couple of times and purposely a couple of times. I don't feel deprived. I don't miss wheat in general. I do miss English Muffins once in a while. When I do, I eat one, then have a sugar coma.

Almond flour and coconut flour are indispensable .

Troubles loves Crinkleroot. I truly wish our library had more than two of his books.

Cross-lateral movements seem to be working wonders for Missy. She is talking noticeably better; in full sentences and clearly. She is progressing slightly in reading, too.

Merry Christmas To Me!

Is it wrong to order things you want for yourself in December? I may 'let' my Honey wrap them back up after I browse through them for a day or two....we'll see.

California in December

Missy and Troubles would like to show off the leaf candy cane that they created this evening. Our leaves finally started falling a few days ago. They've been waiting not-so-patiently until there were enough to rake up and play in. Tonight was the night they got to play!

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!

Lasagna Casserole

Excuse the messy stove....we cook here! These are the Lasagna Casseroles that I made for dinner tonight. The 9x13's are made with regular pasta and the pie pan is made with spaghetti squash. This recipe was approved by the Crew and added to The List. Even Poppa enjoyed the bite he took! It's very flavorful and much quicker to make than traditional lasagna.

Lasagna Casserole

• 1 lb ground beef, uncooked1 lb Italian sausage, hot or mild
• 1/4 cup onions, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (16 ounce) packages pasta shells, cooked
• 6 cups mozzarella cheese
  
  • 24 ounces cottage cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons parsley
  • 2 quarts spaghetti sauce
    Cook beef and sausage with onion, salt and half of the pepper. Add spaghetti sauce.In bowl, combine 3 cups mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, beaten eggs, parmesan cheese, parsley, remaining pepper and cooked pasta. Divide pasta mixture into two greased 9x13's, top with meat sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot.

Fall Decorating

Fall decorating is really not my thing...but these lovelies were going to the trash if they were not taken after our homeschool Thanksgiving party today. I brought some home and set up a little 'Harvest Corner'. The kids think it's beautiful! Maybe I should do this more often.

Our Most Recent Project

What's been keeping us busy lately?

My Honey has been busy updating our computer lab. The Lambies have had one computer to share for schoolwork and fun. However, Dad and Mom just got new computers, so they got the 'hand-me-downs". Three computers would not fit on the desk, though, so Poppa went to work.

He wasn't working all alone, though. He got all the help he wanted (and maybe more at times).

Now there are three computers for them to work and play on! See the laptop hiding on the far side of the shelf? It lives on the pull-out keyboard shelf.

I love that My Honey can just build whatever we need when we need it. He is SO talented! Thank you, Lord, for giving him to me!

Moosey's Birthday

Today Troubles declared that it was Moosey's birthday. Moosey is now six years old and it's high time for him to have a birthday party! Troubles made invitations with GirlofGod and invited all of his brothers and sisters, along with their favorite stuffed friends. They all brought gifts for Moosey. They sang "Happy Birthday" and cheered for him. Fun was had by all, as Troubles' imagination was fed by loving siblings.

2011 Costumes

Here are the Crew's Halloween costumes this year.

We had a great time trick or treating with a couple of friends and their children. They made quite a long line as they traipsed from door to door!

This Is Not a Drill

Nor is this picture a set-up. Vic brought Ohren out of his bedroom very carefully so I could see him. He'd climbed into the Tech-Deck Bowl and fallen asleep with his teddy bear. I'm not sure how Ohren got the teddy into the bowl, but he does love it dearly and sleeps near it often.

Jack's a Lego Maniac

Jack has been a Lego maniac again lately. This time, Polly and Troubles and he are separating all the Lego people out of the tubs and arranging them on base plates. I didn't know we had so many Lego dudes! Most were in pieces, so they were carefully rebuilt, with much attention paid to proper uniforms, expressions, attachments and accessories. Details matter to Jack.

Today Jack built a gym.

He created barbells, weight stacks, a bench press station, pull up bar and more. He is so creative! I can't imagine raising this boy without Lego.

Apple Days

It's finally apple season in our valley. My Honey took me up to the foothills and we got several boxes of Red and Yellow Delicious and some Bartlett pears, as well. So far I have 28 quarts made, but I'd like to get up to about 100 quarts. I have 2 boxes left to process. In other news, I am running out of places to store jars. :)

Coconut Pancakes

I finally made something with my coconut flour. I made these pancakes and they were pretty good. Not all of the Lambies liked them as much as wheat flour pancakes, but I think they will grow to enjoy them. They are silver dollar sized and only 2 1/2 of them, spread with peanut butter and maple syrup, filled me all day. The recipe is from Home, Health and Happiness.

Coconut Flour Pancakes

8 eggs
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 heavy pinch cinnamon, optional
2tablespoon honey
1/2 cup yogurt
Ghee, butter, or coconut oil for frying

Mix ingredients until smooth and let them sit for five minutes so the coconut flour can absorb the liquids. Put 1 teaspoon fat on griddle and melt over medium heat. When griddle is hot, pour 1 tablespoon of batter on for each pancake. Allow to cook until golden brown, 1-2 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding the teaspoon of fat each time or as needed to prevent sticking.

I've Failed...

Failed to keep up here, that is. I've been plenty busy, just haven't been taking pictures. I've built another garden bed, canned a lot, been to a few book sales, I've been babysitting my neighbor's kids more often...I'll try to get back in the groove of taking pics throughout the day.

Harvest Time!

The Farmer's Market surplus harvest season has begun! Two weeks in a row now, I have been able to get large flats of green beans and peaches. I now have my goal for the year (as far as green beans go) met! I finished 21 quarts last week and 28 this week. With what I had canned earlier from my picking at a friend's garden, I am over 52 quarts. I made 20 pints of Vanilla Peach Blueberry Jam on Sunday. I have just about all the different peach jams I had hoped to make done. The freezer has many gallon bags filled with sliced fruit for smoothies, too.

On the canning docket for the rest of the week: making chicken broth with the carcass of the chicken we got Saturday, canning the Peach Honey that finished cooking today, making Chili con Carne with my friend M. who wants to learn how to pressure can, Mock Pineapple and maybe some Banberry Jam. I have to convert this recipe to Pomona pectin before I make it. I love these cooler days when canning is a pleasure!

Farm Fresh Poultry (with bonuses)!

I found a source for local poultry for a reasonable price recently. I am very excited about it, as we eat a lot of chicken and I want to feed my family the cleanest meat I can.

Today was my pickup day. When I went to the farmer's market this morning, my poultry guy said that he had picked out two special chickens for me, but the killing team wasn't quite to them when he had to leave. He made arrangements to pick them up and bring the to me in the afternoon. WOW! Clean meat and superb customer service!

When we met up later, he handed me my bag and said that since I had asked for feet to be included, he had told that to the killing team. They packed a few extra in my bag since so few ask for them. I love to add them to my broth for extra flavor and gelatin. When I got the bags home and began putting things away, I found a surprise. If dead chicken offends you, stop reading here, for beyond is photographic evidence of my fortune.

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They included the heads, too!

There were actually 10 feet, already cleaned, and 10 heads, also clean, along with all the internal organs except the intestines. I am very pleased. The livers were large, beautifully colored and healthy. The hearts were bright and ready for dissection. My anatomy students are well-pleased to have a bonus project for Monday.

I did a chicken anatomy lesson on-the-fly, since we had a neighbor child over who had never seen the feet and heads, let alone the insides of a real chicken. He didn't want to touch anything, but he did listen intently. I also pulled a tendon in the feet to make the toes move. We just learned about tendons on Thursday, so that was very timely. It also brought to mind a story.

I wonder if he will tell his parents about what he saw at Mrs. Mommaofmany's house today? hehehe

I also have to share this hilarious photobomb that I caught. Jack makes the best faces. He often makes us laugh at his accidental expressions in pictures. This one was far from accidental, but too funny!

Chicken Stock

4 pounds chicken pieces, including necks and backs

2 or more chicken feet, if desired (they REALLY improve the flavor and nutrition of the broth)

1 large onion, quartered

4 carrots, washed and chunked

4 ribs celery, cut in half

1 leek, white part only, cut in half lengthwise

10 sprigs fresh thyme

10 sprigs fresh parsley with stems

2 bay leaves

8-10 peppercorns

2 whole cloves of garlic, peeled

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 gallons cold water

Place cool water, chicken (and feet), veggies, spices and vinegar in a 12 quart stockpot. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Cook on high until just boiling, then turn the heat down to medium. Skim the scum occasionally. Add hot water, if needed, to keep the bones and veggies submerged. Simmer, covered for 6-8 hours or up to 24 hours. (If simmering overnight, turn heat to very low and keep tightly covered.)

Strain stock through a colander or strainer into another large pot. Discard the bones and veggie scraps, but save the chicken meat. Put stockpot in sinkful of ice to cool quickly, then refrigerate overnight. Remove solidified fat from stock if desired. Keeps in fridge a week or more, or freeze for 3 months.

When refrigerated, the stock should be solid from all the gelatin.

You can also make this in a crockpot. Let cook on low for up to 24 hours.

New-To-Me-Books

I got FOUR Paperback Swap wishlist books in the mail today!

The Voyage of the Armada by David Howorth will be used by my jr/sr highers when we study this period. I know almost nothing about the story, so I will likely read it before assigning it so I can hear narrations with an informed ear.

Prisoners of the Scrambling Dragon is by F. N. Monjo. I've liked everything I've read from him! We have most, if not all, of his "I Can Read" selections. This one is ninty-two pages so it definitely doesn't fit in the early reader genre.

The Story of Little Babaji is a remake of "Little Black Sambo" by Helen Bannerman. It's illustrated by Fred Marcellino. I have a beautifully illustrated, non-offensive copy of Little Black Sambo by Watty Piper and illustrated by Eulalie. However, I have wanted to add Marcellino's version to our library for a long time. I'm glad it finally came in!

My final prize is Washington's Birthday by Clyde Robert Bulla. I have many of his books, but he wrote over 60 so I am far from having a complete collection. This one, unknown to me, was autographed! I took three pics but could not get a clear one. Sorry for the blur.

It says: "For Kathy Knight, All good wishes, Clyde Robert Bulla" and is dated "April 25, 1983".

After opening all of these, I happened to check my e-mail and found yet another Wish List offer from PBS. "Captain Kidd's Cat" by Robert Lawson has finally been listed. I snagged it and now have no more credits. Click one of the PBS links, join, and post ten books you are willing to share. When you do I get a credit and can order another book. HURRY! Who knows which of my 192 wished-for books will be posted next!

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies

My daughters made Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies to take to church. Half are covered with powdered sugar, the other half have raspberry jam. :sigh: They look heavenly. Sadly, another daughter got ill just before we would have been leaving, so they will be be staying with us. I am trying to be gluten free, so I will not be indulging. Do you want to taste a bite? You can make your own; they are quick and easy!

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies

Chocloate Taffy

EmBlem, GirlofGod and Trixie are going to a swim party tomorrow. They wanted to bring something special to share so they were browsing recipes and kicking around some ideas this afternoon. They decided to make Chocolate Taffy. It was messy, it was fun, it's also pretty tasty! I love the skills they are developing in the kitchen.

Picture Postcard Pretty

This is my favorite picture from our 2011 camping trip. I want to cross-stitch it and hang it over my fireplace! I also want to build a cabin right here and retire. See you next year, Hidden Falls!

Micropencil

Jack created the smallest, tiniest, winiest micropencil that anyone has ever seen. He was so proud of himself. He used it to do school all day, too.

Everything old is new again

A while ago I lent my box of preschool activities out to a friend, so when we got it back last week, all the activities were new to the Littles again. Polly got out the wooden spools and built a pyramid.



Jack has been enjoying the peg boards and rubber bands. Missy is all about the counting bears; sorting, grouping, counting, and lining them up. Troubles pulled out the little bags of Legos right away. I love rotating activities so they are interested all over again!

Almost Time...

It's beginning to cool down.....my bike, and the forest, is calling my name.

SCORE!

I stopped in at a church rummage sale this morning and scored this two and a half foot terrarium, complete with screened top, UV light, heating pad and large feeding/watering bowl. It was only $5! The children are split on what critter we should get for it. Suggestions are a snake, a scorpion and a turtle. We will see.......

Peaches!

Today, I canned the flat of peaches that I got at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. I was in a hurry, so I raw packed them. I don't mind the floating. I peeled the peaches and my daughter Polly cut them into slices. It went twice as fast with help! Over the past few days, I've canned these, pizza sauce, elderberry syrup and mock pineapple. I'm on a canning roll!

New Goodies!

Borders is closing and it's finally marked at 50-75% off, so we visited. I figured that that percentage off would bring the prices down below normal retail. Wonder why they are going out of business? I would love to take home some of their bookshelves and will keep an eye on the prices. Right now they are still too much, but maybe in a few weeks......

They did have two of the books that were patiently waiting in my saved-for-later Amazon cart. I have some good reading ahead of me!

Humid Friday

It was 102 today. Not too bad; in fact, that's a rather nice temperature for August for us. However, a layer of clouds rolled in this afternoon and things got sticky. What's better for a humid afternoon than a spin in the sprinkler? I'm happy to report that the humidity was forgotten and fun was had by all Littles present.

GggrrOOOWwwlLllL!

Are you frightened? He does look vicious! Our new kitten, Ohren, showed me this seemingly terrifying face as I was snapping pictures this evening. However, this is actually the beginning of a hearty yawn. He succumbed to an attack of BabyKitty-narcolepsy about 30 seconds later.

Chipotle Burritos

I've been trying to make a great chipotle meat for a while. Tonight, I think I found one that will be the go-to recipe. It's really good. Hot, spicy and easy.

I paired it with homemade refried beans, shredded cheese and lettuce.

It made for some mighty fine tacos.

Chipotle Roast

3 lbs chuck roast, trimmed of visible fat
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
3 chipotle chiles in adobo
1 (4 ounce) cans green chilies (I used homemade)
1 (7 ounce) cans salsa verde (I used Green El Pato)
1 cup sliced onions, optional
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup beef broth or water

Place roast in crockpot. Place all the other ingredients in a blender and liquify. Pour over roast and cook on high for 5-8 hours, the longer the better. When done, remove from crockpot and shred. Put back in crockpot liquid and mix. Serve.

Unwinding...

...Playmobil style. We pulled out a police set that we bought months and months ago today, just because. Squeals of happiness ensued. Most of the afternoons free time was spent adventuring with police and firefighters. What a good way to spend an afternoon!

We also did some cooking this afternoon. GirlofGod used a new recipe and made chocolate granola bars. They will be breakfast. I made Vanilla Granola, a perennial favorite. Dinner was Cubed BBQ Beef over rice, (adapted from the linked recipe) Carrot Raisin Salad and Green Salad.

Poppa and I enjoyed watching the preseason MNF game while the Lambies swam and/or played outside. A little quiet time is nice!

Brave Trixie!

(Photo taken by EmBlem at Avila Beach, 2011)

My daughter, Trixie. She lives all out. She holds nothing back and loves every minutes of life. I didn't get pictures of today's adventure, because she was on her own. She went with a veterinarian to do bovine pregnancy checks on a dairy.

Yeah. She's learning all about being a vet this year. The first lesson began with a glove....

This is a vet tech student demonstrating with Trixie did today:



Good for you, Dear, for learning all you can about things that interest you. Keep up the good work!

Sneaky Momma

Somewhere between age eleven and twelve my eldest son stopped liking hugs. I still sneak one in once in a while. Could be he doesn't mind as much as he acts like he does.....I see that little grin!

The Crew in Shadowland

Not the best picture, since it was taken at dusk with my phone, but I do love this picture anyway. This was taken at Morro Bay after the baptism. I love spending time with my family! Time goes way too fast even though we are together as much as possible. I can't imagine if they were off at government school being 'socialized' all day. I would not have time to get to know them! May the days be slow and long and the years even longer. Amen.

Baptized!

We went to Avila Beach yesterday with our church for a picnic and baptism. My daughter Polly was among those making a public profession of her saving belief in Jesus Christ.

What a special day it was!

Blueberry RICH!

A friend of mine who lives in Oregon sent us SIX pounds of blueberries! What a gift! I have visions of muffins, pancakes, pancake syrup, jam, breads, fruit salad, all speckled with blue. What will tomorrow bring? Who knows. I'll take some pictures and share the results, whatever they may be. I'm starting my search at this site. If you have any suggestion, recipes or hints, let me know!

Impromptu Nature Study

I found a drowned insect in our pool skimmer and brought it in so the kids could see it. I think it's a Bush Katydid. I don't recall ever seeing one alive before. I didn't even know that they lived around here! It's marvelous how wonderfully camouflaged their wings are. How could that be chance? They are clearly designed by a Designer!

Busy Food Day

We made lots of food with the Crew this afternoon! Poppa cooked hamburgers and hot dogs, as is Sunday tradition. Later, for Sunday Night Dessert we made homemade doughnuts. Yummy! We've not made them before, but I bet they make an appearance now and again.

I also wrapped up yesterday's strawberry fruit leathers. They dehydrated all night and we perfectly done today. They were supposed to be a treat for the first day of school, but school has unexpectedly been delayed a week. Oh, well. They'll be a treat for a plain old Monday instead.

We also got six quarts of green beans canned. I just LOVE home canned green beans in winter! The Lambies had them topped, tailed and stringed in record time. Many hands make light work!

We finished the day with a swim and an episode of "Pawn Stars". It was a good day!