Sep. 3, 2008 - Emerald Rice Bake
Cook 2 c rice according to directions.
Thaw 16 oz bag frozen broccoli.
Saute 1/2 medium onion (chopped) in 1 T butter.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Heat 2 cans cream of mushroom soup with 1 c milk and broccoli.
Add all ingredients together and put into 9X13 pan.
Cover with cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20 min. until heated through and cheese is melted.
Yield: 6-8 servings.
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Sep. 3, 2008 - French Breakfast Puffs
1/3 c shortening
1 c sugar, divided
1 egg
1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/2 c milk
1 t ground cinnamon
5 T butter, melted
In a mixing bowl, beat shortening, 1/2 c sugar and egg until smooth. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; add to the sugar mixture alternately with milk. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20 min. or until a toothpick comes o ut clean. Meanwhile, combine cinnamon and remaining sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll the warm puffs in butter, then in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve immediately. Yield: 1 dozen.
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Sep. 3, 2008 - MIYM Muffin Mix
This is from the CHFWeb cookbook and is MARVELOUS! Comments and suggestions are from the originator.
Muffin Mix:
8 c. all purpose flour (can substitute 1-2 cups with whole wheat)
3 c. sugar
3 T. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg (my family didn't like the nutmeg as well, so I use 3 t. cinn. and 1 t. nutmeg)
Combine, place in large airtight container. Store in cool, dry place. Use within 6-8 months.
Melt-In-Your-Mouth Muffins:
2-3/4 c. muffin mix
1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk
1/2 c. melted butter or vegetable oil (I am currently using 1/4 c. butter and 1/4 c. applesauce, which cuts the fat in half but leaves them moist)
Combine egg, milk and oil in small bowl. Add all at once to mix. Stir until just moistened; batter should be lumpy. May fold in 1 c. dried fruit, diced peaches, blueberries, or 1/2 c. banana. Fill greased muffin pans (I use paper liners). Bake in oven preheated to 400 degrees, for 18- 20 minutes.
Our favorites are the classic blueberry (I use frozen, straight from the freezer), strawberry (I chop my frozen berries for this, it's like little jam bursts according to my kids), apple, or plain with a cinnamon/sugar topping.
You can also put a crumb topping on these: mix some brown or white sugar with a little oatmeal and butter, sprinkle on top before baking.
I keep this mix in a plastic cannister in the cupboard, with the recipe written right on it. Even my 8 yo can make them for breakfast.
This is from the Make-A-Mix cookbook, one of the authors is Eliason. I got it from the library after someone on the Sonlight board raved about these muffins, but wasn't as impressed with the other recipes! We've made hundreds, maybe even thousands, of these muffins!
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Sep. 3, 2008 - Faye's Coffee Cake
Faye's coffee cake
Cake:
1 1/2 c flour
3 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c shortening
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/2 c milk
Filling/topping
1 c packed brown sugar
4 T flour
4 t cinnamon
1/4 c butter, melted
1 c chopped pecans or walnuts
1 - preheat oven to 350, lightly grease 8" square pan
2 - in large combine flour, powder, salt and sugar.
3 - in small bowl cream together shortening, egg, vanilla and milk
4 - add to dry ingredients and mix well
5 - in small bowl combine all ingredients for filling and mix with fork
6 - spread 1/2 cake batter into bottom of greased pan
7 - pour 1/2 of filling on top and spread evenly
8 - spread remaining cake batter on top of layer of filling
9 - top with remaining filling
10 - bake for 25-30 minutes (check to be sure that tooth pick inserted in middle comes out clean! Otherwise it will be "goopy" in the middle! Grin)
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Sep. 2, 2008 - Week 2
Well, week 2 has been a bit hectic but is underway. We got some books today that we ordered late (thinking I had them but realizing at the last minute I had loaned them out to who knows who!!!) so can start those tomorrow.
We are also jumping full into the Contenders For the Faith with the boys. We are starting on the Health & Fitness badge first (my choice) and then we'll go to Archery (their choice). I am going to design and make banners for their wall with their names and Contenders on it so they can put their badges on it as they earn them. They are very excited about this. If Kevin (or even Nathan) were able to teach these skills I would open it up to other homeschool boys (or maybe just boys) as sort of a club, but I don't want a club for boys being taught by a mom.
Anyway, we are continuing with the reading list on the sidebar during the school year. And we have added Artistic Pursuits for art class. It has an art appreciation for American artists, which I'm excited about. It should be fun.
Thinking about adding a 5 week sign language class if they are willing to take children. If not, maybe I'll skip it. I really don't want to get too filled up with things that pull me away from schooling this year.
Well, my time is done and I'm ready for bed.
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Aug. 25, 2008 - It begins...
Well, a new year of school begins today. Things will be very different in this being the first year I only have 4 schooling at home. We are also hoping, with the purchase of a used car, that I will not be driving very much. This week (and last week) it was a bit hectic but not too bad.
We are starting "Contenders For The Faith" with the younger boys this year and they are very excited. First we are starting a unit on Health & Fitness and then they get to choose after that. I think they are leaning toward Archery (now we need to find someone who can teach them archery!). I'm excited about the new year, some new things, some old things are going to be in our curriculum. But the whole flavor will be different not having a high schooler. Boy, that has been a long time!!!
Year 19, let's get going!!!
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Jun. 23, 2008 - Back in the saddle again...
Well, we are back to school this week and it is a low-key day. I am so delighted when Kevin is able to help the children (all levels) with their math! Hooray for Dad being home!!!!
With the New Life Drama Team and Uncle Andy coming this week-end, we have lots of housework to get caught up on!!!! You'd think that with a week off we'd have done all the housework, but we spent the week getting the OUTSIDE taken care of. So, this week is the INSIDE.
We won't be doing our astronomy today (I had church website stuff to take care of) so we will be working on: Hannah's room! The goal is to get it fully ready for Andy's visit on Monday.
Tuesday we'll work on: Bedrooms
Wednesday will be: Bathrooms (including stripping and reapplying the grout)
Thursday shall be designated: Living Room/Den Day
Friday we'll attend to the: Kitchen
Saturday we should finish with: Laundry Room (this will give me the entire week to get the laundry caught up...PHEW!)
Sunday will be our day off as we eargerly await our company!
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Jun. 20, 2008 - Our week off school...
This has been our week off from school and we have jumped HEADLONG into pulling the yard in place. Our yard is quite the landscaping challenge. We have every kind of weed indigenous to Illinois, but one, cheerfully growing in our backyard in between plots of dirt that we are also growing! With 4 trees in and around our backyard, we have very little sunlight for long periods of time, and with 8 children and LOTS of neighbors, we also have high traffic...which lends it self to a landscapers nightmare!
But, at least our weeds are mowed and whacked and our doorless shed is cleaned out and the bikes are residing happily in their new rack close to the house and all is tidy and swept.
Of course, that is just the OUTSIDE. The inside also needs a nice tidy little pick-up. Isn't it amazing that when you have 15 bookcases throughout your house, how easy it is for them to look sloppy when books are piled and lying down on those shelves??? I think my project for this evening will be to stand all the books up, throw out collected catalogues (hard for me to get rid of *sniff, sniff*) and magazines and generally dust. This will, by itself, make a huge impact with the look of clutter around the living room and den.
We've been able to compare the moon's phase on this site along with the times we've seen the moon outside at night and it is lots of fun!! Hoping to make a trip out to the college one night to watch and track the stars/constellations we've learned so far!
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Jun. 11, 2008 - Can you tell what we are studying?
I thought putting in this Lunar Phases module was quite appropriate with our summer Astronomy study! Now we can see where the moon is, even when our weather doesn't allow us to see the moon at night!!
Whoo Hoo!!
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Jun. 9, 2008 - Our summer schedule is underway!
Well, we started our summer schedule today! My younger children's reading lists are on the sidebar and I hope to cross them out as they are completed. We will be schooling every other week from now until the end of August. The children are responsible for completing their math (and calculating how to complete the lessons to be done on time) and language arts (mostly done), reading their 20 books and giving an oral report on each book. Our major focus will be on Astronomy and American History.
Today was a fun day with our Astronomy! I'm really looking forward to nice weather so we can go out of town and put into practice what we've learned! Our emphasis is on viewing the stars with the naked eye and learning how God planned on us understanding signs and seasons by the stars, moon and sun in the heavens. It would be fun to use a telescope to view stars, but we are preferring to use no instruments as we discover the constellations and their movements across the sky.
I'm kind of psyched!!
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Jun. 8, 2008 - How wonderful to praise the Lord!
It was so nice to be at church this morning and to sing praises to the Lord! I just really enjoyed it. Our children's choir performed their play tonight and it was about how can we praise God when we are in the middle of hard circumstances. Wouldn't it be easier to wait until things got better before we tried to praise Him? The answer is, sure it would be easier, but it is BETTER to center our hearts on Him regardless of our circumstances just because He is worthy and our privilege to praise Him adds to our joy, regardless of the circumstances.
It was an encouragement and a challenge. All I know is that when I praise Him, my heart doesn't focus on me and that is ALWAYS a good thing! I get so sick of myself, I live with myself and listen to myself all day long, day after day, month after month, etc., etc., etc. (can you tell we've watched The King And I recently?? 
). I LONG to get away from myself and to focus on someone else. And when I praise the Lord, I can do that. I can pull out of my shell and put all my being to be looking to God and just rejoicing in who He is!
Ahhhh, that is refreshment!
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Jun. 7, 2008 - Ahhh...don't you hate when things weigh on your mind and you feel like you are losing it?
With several events coming this week-end, I have been feeling a bit pressured to get it all done. Dreams have taken over my mind (it feels like) and I've been feeling like I'm leaving many things undone. Very wet weather has led to infestations of ants (apparently, everyone around has ants right now, says the exterminator who will come this week), which adds a bit more work than usual (making sure everything is 'ant proof').
After the children's choir musical this week-end I plan on spending some time planning and organizing (ALWAYS something that needs to happen in my haphazard life) so that I am able to keep up with the tasks God has ordained for me as a homeschooling wife and mother.
I'm also working on some summer plans for school...looking at some indepth things we can study during our "on" weeks of school. I would just love to have some fun things to study with the children. Sometimes my schooling time feels so much like nothing but the basics for the younger ones as the older ones do so much of their work independently. I am up for some good study on a science or history or geography or SOMETHING. Will keep posted here as my plans come to clarity.
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Jun. 6, 2008 - Pondering Chores
I've been pondering that old poem about Monday being wash day, Tuesday being ironing day, Wednesday being mending day, Thursday being cleaning day, Friday being shopping day, Saturday being baking day and Sunday being the Lord's day. I like having a designated day for getting a huge chunk of household tasks done on one day, although I confess that I seldom iron and never mend. But I'm hoping to come up with a pithy saying (like that old one) that helps me organize my household tasks in a way that fits with modern day needs for a homeschooling family.
So, if anyone has ideas, please post them here!! In the meantime, I'll be thinking about it and hopefully in another week or so, I'll have my new goals for the coming year (I think in terms of academic years!) laid out to help me be more efficient in my tasks at hand.
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May. 31, 2008 - Oh my ... how time does fly!
Well, it is hard to know why I allow so much time to go by in between blogging, but I guess it shows how often I journal (I am NOT a journaler in my quiet time with God!).
Anyway, we have 2 more weeks of school before we start on our summer schedule. I'm really hoping that we can finish up the math and language arts early so we can spend more time in our history (we are doing American) and science (astronomy) and can have some fun projects this summer.
Hannah will be home in 2 1/2 months (YAY!) and she'll be going back to Sauk full time with a major in Theater. She should finish her AS in May and then is hoping to transfer to Huntington College in IN for a BS in Theater.
Nathan is continuing at Westwood online for Game/Art Design.
Bethany and Bekah will be attending Sauk either 1/2 time or full time, they are not sure. At this point they are not quite sure what they are going for, but possibly an AS liberal arts degree. But they have time to work on what they are wanting to do. We generally give our children 1 year after graduating to work on things they are interested in. They have to fill up 40 hours in a week with either college classes, work, ministry/volunteer work, personal development or professional development. This gives them the opportunity to find out if there is anything they want to really try but don't know if they'll like it. We found that it works out well to help our children weed out the things they don't want to do.
So, the fall will leave me with 4 children in college at least 1/2 time and 4 at home still schooling here. Interesting, interesting, interesting!
Enjoying the last few weeks of our spring term and looking forward to a bit more of a break during our lighter summer schedule (1 week on, 1 week off).
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Nov. 15, 2007 - "One just sort of tunes out the boring bits..." (from "Yes, Prime Minister")
I started reading in 1 Chronicles this morning. Begats from Adam!! As I was reading and thinking about the people God had included in these lineages and those He had omitted, I started thinking about how much God is interested (and involved) in the little things, things we think of as insignificant. We tend to think we need God's help on all the big things...things that are just beyond our abilities to do anything about. And we do!! But do we take the little things to Him with the same vigor and passion? Or do we just try and solve them ourselves without His input or guidance? More than likely, we do that latter.
It was just interesting to read this "boring" bit of scripture and remember, "This was important enough to God that He included it in scripture for MY benefit. What does this show me about Him and His character and His relationship with me?"
Thought I'd share that with you!
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Oct. 29, 2007 - A break can give refreshment of soul and mind!
We've just returned from a week long break (from academics but spent in Home Ec! 
) and today was a marvelous school day! We were all fresher mentally, I was more focused academically and we all jumped in to tackle a full schedule with vim and vigor!
I was thinking about how God works in our lives. Often He does the same thing. He gives us a break from the character issues He's been dealing with and we take a breather. Then, after a nice healing and refreshing break, He jumps headlong into dealing with our character again. "Hey Wait!" we think. "We've already done that!" But we forget that we only learned a small part of the lesson. It's kind of like our 3rd grader thinking that now that they have the addition facts down cold that they are finished with arithmetic only to be aghast to find out that multiplication facts are now looming over their heads. They mistook the break to be the end of their journey. We do that ourselves.
This is because for us, just like in homeschooling, we are not in sprints - we are running a marathon. We are running for the long haul. Along the way we'll have breaks (to energize and refresh us) but we continue on afterward because God calls us to finish the race.
Nothing deep, nothing special, nothing earth-shattering, nothing life-changing. Just wanted to share these musings today. And to say that I'm so very glad for the breaks that bring refreshment and breaths of fresh air!
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Oct. 23, 2007 - Where do we get the idea that our lives should be perfect?
Just pondering today about homeschool moms and the pressures we put on ourselves to 'have it all together'. So many times I've seen loving dedicated homeschool moms stressing out because they can't do it all. Over the years, I've been one of those and spoken to countless others. We have this mental list of being afraid to take time off from school to regroup or do some serious character training or take a much needed rest during times of serious stress (illness, death of loved one, a move or birth, etc.).
Is our fear of falling behind stemming from our worries over how the world will see us? Is it from fear over the negative comments we've already gotten from relatives or neighbors? Is it from our fears that we already feel inadequate and ill-equipped? Is it from our training in our own upbringing or education?
The one thing is clear, it stems from fear. I've struggled with it in the past and periodically still struggle with it. I don't want people to look at me and see what I see...someone who worries that her children won't make it in college or life, someone who doesn't have a perfectly groomed yard (and quite possibly never will), someone who lives with piles rather than perfectly organized beauty (and even THIS is a step up from the "heaps" of the past!), someone who doesn't have perfectly behaved children, whose children fight and argue and periodically fall into patterns of disobedience and (gasp) rebellion (sounds like ME instead of my children!!!), someone who struggles with shame and anxiety because of her weight, someone who fails over and over and over again.
Why is it that, when we have the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we still struggle with fear that keeps us in bondage? I think we need to spend a lot more time encouraging one another with freedom and joy and victory in the Lord. We need to speak more grace to one another - to share the reality that those fears DO NOT define us!
Isn't it amazing how time spent with someone who turns our eyes to the Lord can bring such freedom and joy into our hearts? When we (like Peter as he walked upon the water) keep our eyes turned to Jesus, we are able to walk in victory and peace and power. But when our eyes are turned to ourselves, our inadequacies and fears, we begin to fall into the very failures that hold us captive when we allow them to. I want my life to be one of hope and blessing to all those around me seeking to walk in victory with Christ. I want my words to encourage and bless and bring Life.
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Oct. 22, 2007 - Applesauce and canning
At our M&M Night last Thursday we made homemade applesauce and canned some, enough for everyone to take home a little jar they made themselves! It was a lesson in "many hands make light work". We had 4 teens and 7 (plus me) adults and got almost 2 bushels of apples processed, cooked and canned (plus taking 1/2 hour for some bible study) done in 2 hours.
There was quite a bit of applesauce left and I took that home and processed some more into apple butter. I'll be canning this in pint jars and taking those BACK to M&M this week. We'll be making homemade wheat bread (teaching with bread machines, mixers and by hand so they'll have experience using all tools available). Then one of our ladies will show how to wrap and decorate the apple butter jars and the loaves of bread in a pretty way to give as gifts.
For anyone interested in adding to their own recipes and directions for your homemaking (most won't need this, that's for sure!), I'm going to copy here what I passed out for our Life Skills Notebook. My notebook has all these lessons/recipes in clear page protectors.
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Oct. 22, 2007 - How To Use a Water Bath Canner
How To Use a Water Bath Canner
Canning Instructions
Supplies needed:
- Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)
- Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sterilize them. ($2 at WalMart, Target, and sometimes at grocery stores)
- Jar funnel ($2 at WalMart, Target, and sometimes at grocery stores)
- Large spoons and ladles
- 1 Canner (a huge pot to sterilize the jars of apple butter after filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores, sometimes at WalMart (seasonal item))
- Ball jars (WalMart carry then - about $8 per dozen quart jars including the lids and rings), either jelly jar size, pints or quarts
The dishwasher is fine for washing the jars, the water bath processing will sterilize them as well as the contents! If you don't have a dishwasher, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sterilize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot water until they are used.
Leave the jars in the dishwasher on "heated dry" until you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when you fill them with the hot ingredients.
Put the lids into a pan of hot, but not quite boiling water (that's what the manufacturer's recommend) for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out (or use tonges).
Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, wipe any spilled apple butter of the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them.
Process means put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water and boiling. if you are at sea level (up to 1,000 ft) boil pint jars for 5 minutes and quart jars for 10 min. If you are at an altitude of 1,000 feet or more, see the chart below.
Recommended process time for Apple Butter in a boiling-water canner:
| Jar Size | 0-1000 ft | 1001-6000 ft | Above 6000 ft |
| 1/2 pt or pint | 5 min | 10 min | 15 min |
| Quarts | 10 min | 15 min | 20 min |
Recommended process time for applesauce in a boiling-water canner:
| Jar size | 0-1000 ft | 1001-3000 ft | 3001-6000 ft | above 6000 ft |
| Pints | 15 min | 20 min | 20 min | 25 min |
| Quarts | 20 min | 25 min | 30 min | 35 min |
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like. The lids will “pop” (vacuum seal) as they cool. If any do not seal by morning, use those immediately and keep in fridge. They have not sealed properly and must be refrigerated and used within 1 week.
Canning instructions taken from Pick Your Own
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Oct. 22, 2007 - Directions for Making Apple Butter
Directions for Making Apple Butter Yields about 9 - 10 pints
Ingredients and Equipment
• 9 quarts of Applesauce, fresh or canned
• 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon of allspice
• 2 cups sugar
Directions
Step 1 - Make unsweetened applesauce!
That's right, apple butter starts with applesauce! You can use store bought applesauce, but the apple butter won't taste nearly as good. It's better with your own applesauce (either previously canned or fresh made).
Step 2 - Fill the crock pot
Fill the crock pot to within an inch of full with applesauce, mine takes about 5.5 quarts. Now, you CAN do this using a regular large pot on very low heat on the stove, but the crockpot works much better, because its heat is very low. I've never had a batch burn in the crockpot.
Step 3 -Add the spices
Add:
• 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon of allspice
• 2 cups sugar
Step 4 - Cook the Apple butter
Set the crock pot on low or medium heat.
Cover it loosely or use a large pot splatter-guard. It will spatter as it boils slowly, so I also cover nearby surfaces with towels. You don't want to seal it tightly because you want the steam to escape so it can reduce in volume and thicken.
Leave it to cook for 6 - 12 hours. How long depends on the size and power of your crockpot, and how thick you like it, If you want to stir it occasionally, that's fine but not necessary. I let mine go overnight.
It will reduce in volume by about half overnight. As it cooks down (the next morning), add the remaining applesauce (about 2 or 3 quarts) and 2 more cups of sugar. Then let it cook a couple of hours more to mix the flavors.
Step 5 - Blend the apple butter (optional)
You want a smooth, creamy texture, right? The easiest way is to use a hand-held drink blender. It does a great job of making it smooth. You can also put it into a regular blender, but if you are going to do that, you might want to blend the apple sauce before you put it in the crock pot (it will be much thicker afterwards and won't move in a regular blender).
Tips:
• Too thick? if the apple butter cooks down too much or is too thick for your liking, just add a little bit of apple juice and blend it in.
• Not thick enough? Just let it cook some more, with the lid off so the steam can escape!
Now you can fill freezer jars or prepare to can. See canning directions.
Recipe and directions found at: Pick Your Own
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