When you have a lot of children, people inevitably want to know when the next one will arrive. For the past several years I've been telling folks we are in a holding pattern because we weren't planning to have more, but we hadn't done anything to permanantly stop having them. 

For a while I said I might consider another one when the youngest was about five, but the closer that day got, the less inclined I was to reenter the world of pregnancy, labor, sleepless nights and dirty diapers. I've enjoyed sitting at homeschool outings watching  my older children play as my friends wrestled  fussy babies. I was  thankful to be past that stage.  This summer I even got rid of all my baby stuff in preparation for moving.

OK, you can stop laughing now.

Number eight is due in August. My husband and children are ecstatic and their enthusiasm is contageous.  I'm still not looking forward to pregnancy, labor, or all that other stuff, but it will be very nice to have a little one around again.

9-inch unbaked pie crust

1 onion, chopped

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup cottage cheese

Brown onion and beef; drain.  Add pepper, ketchup, and flour. Cook and stir 3 minutes. Place mixture in pie crust. Combine eggs and cottage cheese.  Pour over meat mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until filling is set and crust is golden.  Serves 8.

Ever since our house sold, the children and I have been taking photographs of  our hometown in anticipation of our move to Michigan.  We plan to use these to create a special notebook for the children to look through when they are homesick. We even took pictures of the local Food Lion because it 's  my three-year-old's favorite "resturaunt."

We've also been photographing some of the fun places nearby that we don't usually take time to visit. Last month, we made a trip to a  boot shop in a neighboring town which is home to  a small, private museum. The owner has a huge collection of artifacts, newspaper clippings, and photographs. There are cases full of Indian arrowheads, Civil War bullets, pioneer items, and some more unusual items.  The kids had a great time and made even more wonderful memories to carry with them. Here are a few pictures from our visit.

My daughter really liked this Civil War doctor's kit

Just a small part of the arrowhead collection

A few of the many antique tools

and, finally, the most memorable items in the collection . . .

the stuffed calves

Congratulations to Our Door Prize Winners! 

Thanks to Everyone Who Visted the Online Christmas Party  http://www.squidoo.com/OnlineChristmasParty

The Fun Spanish is a seventeen week beginner's course designed to teach children Spanish one phrase at a time, following the principles of Charlotte Mason. Common Spanish vocabulary is introduced in the context of somewhat unusual sentences which make learning fun. Each week a new verb is introduced, which the child must then practice conjugating each day. Several new vocabulary words are also introduced every day. These words are to be used in translating a short sentence into Spanish. There is then a silly Spanish sentence, using that week's verb and the vocabulary words that have just been learned, which must be translated into English. There is also a place for the child to draw an illustration to use as a memory aide for this sentence. At the end of the week, there is a two page review page which once more goes over the verb conjugation and vocabulary, and provides one more opportunity for the child to translate the Spanish sentences they have learned into English.

This program is laid out very well and is easy to use. There is no complicated teacher's manual to wade through, so you can jump right in and start learning. The introduction of a few words at a time breaks this subject into chunks which are easy to handle and fit well into an already overcrowded school day, the worksheet format allows children to work with little teacher assistance, and the continual review guarantees that the material will be retained. While it would be a good idea to also add some language tapes to your Spanish curriculum, this book will help greatly in the learning of vocabulary. $19.51 $9.77

This title is part of CurrClick's Stocking Up Your Shelves sales event. The savings will last until December 31st!

What Is The Online Christmas Party?
The Lilliput Station Online Christmas Party is a blog meme hosted by Melissa Telling of Lilliput Station Adventures. It is a way for homeschoolers all over the world to get together and share some Christmas spirit. It is a place to gather new ideas, new recipes, and maybe a few new traditions. It is a time of fellowship and fun, a time to share the love of Christ with all of our online friends. It is our way of making the season a little brighter for those we have never met, but still feel as if we know. Due to the "busy"ness of the season, the Online Christmas Party will take place during the month of November this year. Hopefully this will give everyone more time to participate, and give us all more time to do the neat crafts and activities that everyone shares.

How You Can Join Us
1. Create a blog post or Squidoo page which fits into one or more of the categories listed.
2. Mention the Online Christmas Party in your post and include a link back to the Squidoo page.
3. Add your post to the link list (on the Squidoo page) for the appropriate category or post a comment with your link and I will add it to the list.
4. Spend some time "mingling" and enjoy the great stuff that everyone has to share.

We have some great doorprizes this year! Everyone who contributes a post following the guidelines listed above will be entered into our doorprize drawings.

 Don't forget to pick up your goodie bag before you leave the party!

Visit the Online Christmas Party

When I was growing up, traditions were always a big deal, but especially at the holidays. My parents loved holidays. Not only did we celebrate American holidays but, being Dutch, we celebrated Dutch holidays too. We even threw in a few Jewish holidays for good measure.

It was a tradition in our house to put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. My parents, being Dutch, were very frugal, so our tree was plastic. Every year that tree looked sadder and sadder, but we still continued to use it. I really hated that tree.

One year an opportunity came up to go cut our own tree. It was hard, but I convinced my parents that it really was worth the ten dollars.  But the next year, the plastic tree was back. "I like the plastic tree," my mom said. "It looks just fine after the ornaments are all on and it doesn't shed like a real one." Ah, yes, our rag tag hodge podge of ornaments.

One of the traditions my parents started was to buy an ornament for each family member every Christmas. This was, in theory, so that we children would have enough ornaments to decorate our own trees when we left home.  In reality, twenty or so ornaments don't do a whole lot on their own. However, when you multiply all those ornaments by four children and two parents, adding in all the assorted hand made ornaments that four children can produce, it makes for a very cluttered, er, festive tree.  A festive tree that leaned slightly to one side.  A festive tree that leaned slightly to one side and looked more like several ratty green bottle brushes stuck into an old broom handle.  I really hated that festive tree.

In spite of  my pleas for a perfect, artistically decorated tree, the ratty, overly decorated one continued to make its yearly appearance. Rather than professional decorations, the "boughs" were loaded with our own childish works of art .  And each year, six new ornaments fought for a place on its crowded wire branches. It was a mess. And, yet, in it's own way it was beautiful. It may not have looked like a traditional tree, but it was a tree that made memories.

I love that beautiful old tree!

I've been working on a lapbook to go along with The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer. This is an excellent book with lots of wonderful ideas on how to realize your full potential, while creating a fuller, richer homelife for yourself and your family. Mrs. Schaeffer works from the premiss that everyone has God given talents, gifts of creativity given to us by a creative God, and we shouldn't allow our present circumstances to keep us from using those talents. For instance, Mrs. Schaeffer describes how to create a "home" that reflects your own personality- whether you are renting in the city, single and "waiting", living in a nursing home, or even living in a drain pipe. She also points out how stiffling our talents hurts us and those around us, and gives pointers on ways that everyone, even a mother with many young children, can use their gifts of music, drama, drawing, or writing to bless their own small audience.  This book covers a multitude of other topics as well, including cooking, flower arrangement, clothing, creative recreation, and even integration. It is not a "how-to" manual , but rather an idea manual, guranteed to get those creative juices flowing. 

In the process of re-reading this book, I was convicted of an area where I have been sinning against my children.  While I am all for art and creativity, I also have this practical side which can't tolerate what I consider to be a waste. So when my children spend hours creating elaborate, artistically decorated  notes, I get rather impatient with them.   Why spend all that time and effort, not to mention the "waste" of paper, on something which could have been spoken in a matter of seconds? Yet I now see that this just one of their ways of practicing "hidden art." It is a good thing, given to them by a God who created all things to be good.  And just like Him, it is their desire to fill the world with beauty. (And they didn't even need a book to tell them how!)

I highly recommend this book, and I hope you all will be looking forward to the lapbook. I am hoping to have it done by the end of the month, barring any unforseen circumstances.

Update: The lapbook is now available for purchase from Currclick and is on sale for $6.00 through the end of the month!

cones

While the kids and I worked on a few crafts yesterday, I was finally able to finish up a wreath I started several years ago. It was made by attaching cones (from what I think is either a spruce or an Eastern hemlock)  to a straw wreath using a hot glue gun. I would have finished it a long time ago, but  I ran out of cones and the following year, the tree didn't produce any for some reason.  So, I am very happy to have it done.

wreath

The problem is that now that the wreath is finished, I have no idea how I want to decorate it. Does anyone have any ideas?

My daughter and I attended an open house last Saturday at the home of some friends who make goats' milk soap. I wish I could post the soap on my blog so you could enjoy how wonderful it smells, but I'll have to settle for pictures. If you're interested, they do have a website you can order from.

Faith Mountain Farm

my two favorites scents

Some of the Faith Mountain goats

Look at that gorgeous view!

Molasses Spice Cookies are an old-fashioned favorite that are similar to gingersnaps.  We make several batches every Christmas and they are very popular at parties and gatherings. They are easy to make, freeze well, and make your house smell wonderful when they are baking!

Molasses Spice Cookies

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon allspice

Cream shortening, gradually adding sugar. Add egg and molasses. Beat well. Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to creamed mix, beating until smooth. Chill dough for 1 hour. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar.

roll into 1-inch balls

roll balls in sugar

PLace 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Do not over bake. Makes 4 dozen.

finished molasses spice cookies

Join us at the Online Christmas Party!

Stop by the Lilliput Station Online Christmas Party and see what some of my online friends are cooking up this Christmas. We have some great prizes to give out this year. Visit the Online Party to find out how you can be entered into our doorprize drawings by sharing your holiday recipes, crafts, and traditions.  We also have some free gifts just to thank you for stopping by.

I love when the weather starts to turn cool again! It is the perfect time to make up a nice pot of soup. My family loves fresh mushroom soup. Sure, it's expensive and fattening, but it's so delicious. It's perfect for an occasional treat. This grilled cheese recipe is a new favorite of ours.

Can you tell we love mushrooms?

Fresh Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 T.  butter or margarine

1 lb. mushrooms, sliced

4 cups water

4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules

1 cup whipping cream (or half & half)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

In a Dutch oven over medium heat,  saute onion in butter for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute 2 minutes more. Stir in water and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine cream and cornstarch. Stir into the soup and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Makes 6 (1 cup) servings.

Grilled Cheese with Onions and Mushrooms

1 large oninon, sliced thin and quartered

1 stick butter

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

salt

12 slices of Provalone cheese

12 slices sourdough bread

Saute onions in 3 tablespoons of butter until soft and golden brown. Add mushrooms and cook for about two more minutes.

Sprinkle with salt. Use remaining butter to butter one side of each slice of bread.

Place 2 slices of cheese and some of the onion mixture on on the unbuttered side of half of the slices of bread.

Top with the other half of the bread slices, butter out. Cook the sandwiches on a hot skillet for 2 to 3 minutes per side until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

And for dessert, how about some nice warm homemade gingerbread? You can find our family's favorite gingerbread recipes on my new Squidoo Gingerbread page.

I happened across this website the other day that has some wonderful nature study printables.  They have some booklets with fun activities to do on a nature walk, leaf identification cards, coloring pages, printable masks, seasonal recipes, and more. There are also some interactive games on the site.  Really there is just more great stuff than I can talk about here, so go check it out for yourself.

Nature Detective

Wow! I can't believe we are only a few days away from the start of the second annual Lilliput Station Online Christmas Party! I hope everyone is ready to join in the fun. We have some very nice prizes for our doorprize drawings and some special discount offers too.  And freebies!!! I've created several "goodies" just for my party guests, including a new set of Skip Counting Drillsheets, some recipe cards, and a Christmas activity book. You never know what else may show up there as the party progresses! So, head on over to the party and see what all the excitement is about. (The party starts November 1st.)

Visit the Online Christmas Party!

Jimmie recently posted a blog entry on how to deal with unwanted attention that foreign children receive in China. Her advice got me thinking about similar issues we have been dealing with here in America.

Our children are very friendly and outgoing. In the past, we taught them to respect adults and to always answer when you are spoken to, but recently we have had to rethink things. 

There are many times when complete strangers will engage my children in conversation, offer them candy (while I'm standing there and without asking me first), ask them for hugs, or even ask them if they want to go home with them!!!! And my children don't think twice about who this person is. As the saying goes, "They've never met a stranger."  Yet, while these people may be well meaning (even if they are rather thoughtless),  not everyone has good intentions. Not all adults are worthy of respect.

I've seen that my reaction to these incidents has given my children the wrong idea. By smiling  at these "friendly" strangers, I've taught my children that it is OK to take things from strangers, to let them touch you, even to go with them if they want to take you somewhere. I ought to be reacting with indignation. After all, this person just threatened to kidnap my child!!!

We need to be teaching our children to set boundaries. We need to tell them it's OK to avoid uncomfortable situations.  Although our goal should be to be polite if possible, sometime situations call for a bit of rudeness. The safety of our children is worth a few hurt feelings.

When my older children first studied the Sumerians years back, I made tablets out of clay and let them decorate them with triangle shaped wedges. Later on, when we were studying fossils, I was inspired to let them make their own fossils by pressing objects into left over gingerbread cookie dough to make an impression before baking. We then dusted the "fossils" with powdered sugar so they showed up better.

Thus, we come to sugar cookie cuneiform. I really like projects you can eat, because the kids still get to have fun, I don't have to store a bunch of junk precious treasures, and no one is upset because I threw away the project they worked so hard on.

Writing In  "Cuneiform"

If you decide to do this project, be sure to take pictures before baking. The dough puffs up quite a bit and the writing doesn't show up very good after baking.

You can find more ideas like this on my Ancient History Lessons page on Squidoo.

NOMINATE LILLIPUT STATION ADVENTURES HERE!

Nominations are currently being taken for the 2008 Homeschool Blog Awards. Ofcourse, I would LOVE if you would all nominate me. (Best Unschooling or Eclectic Homeschooling Blog or  Best Variety) But, there are sooo many great blogs out there. So, if you don't pick me (come on, pick me! pick me!) , at least take the time to nominate some of your favorites.  Thanks!

My husband had the boys help him butcher a cow on Saturday. I'll spare you the picture of the cow hanging with its throat slit.  Here are some pictures of the boys taking the skin off.

Son # 1

Son #2

Son #3

Son #4

My oldest son made chocolate last week. He used a kit I purchased from the Love To Learn catalog.  This was supposed to be a project to wrap up the Chocolate Lapbook he is doing this year, but since we are in the process of moving I thought it would be better if he just did it now. (Less to take with us.) He really enjoyed himself and his siblings enjoyed the finished product.

These chocolate beans were included in the kit just so you could taste them. The chocolate was actually made with cocoa butter and cocoa powder. The beans were crunchy like nuts, with just the faintest taste of chocolate.

Here he is putting the finished chocolate into the wrappers to cool. Since the chocolate is cooked in the microwave, even a young child could complete this project.

Earl Grey

Dexter

Smokey

Snowdrop (eating a shrew that her mama caught)