Articles by Maralena

Here is Kit holding the next piece to our Kit Lapbook.  Don’t worry if you think you may have lost any of the pieces.  We can always download them and reprint them.

I want to stop here and say a Thankyou to Homeschool Share and Lapbook Lessons for helping all of us who enjoy crafting good lapbooks!

Those two sites mentioned above freely share lapbook printables.

 

There are big changes in Kit’s life.  We are going to jot some down on this piece to our lapbook, after we glue it and it is dried.

Also, there are sacrifices that many if not all families made during The Great Depression.  If you read the books then you know it was not much fun.  But having a cheerful attitude certainly could help!

 

This is a book written about our 50 states by Barbara Cheney.  We have really enjoyed studying the 50 states with a special friend!  Thank you Friend!

I am showing you a page out the book because we used it to look up Ohio.  Which is where Kit is from.

 

 

Just who is Kit Kittredge?

Homemade Granola!  Yay!  I only wish I had known how to do this years ago!

Here are most of the ingredients that you will need.

2-3 cups of rolled oats(old fashioned)

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (unsalted)

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup coconut

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup turbinado sugar or brown sugar

1/3 cup of honey

3 tbs butter ( I use salted butter)

raisins( optional)

chocolate chips ( optional)

Here is some items you will be using to make the granola. Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

large pan

medium pot

Put the oats, seeds, coconut, and wheat germ in your pan.  You are going to put this in the oven to roast a bit.  Stir occasionally for 10 minutes.

If I forgot to list some of these items, here they are!  (I am so easily sidetracked sometimes!)

Sugar

Honey

butter

vanilla extract

cinnamon

When your oat mixture is roasting for about 10 minutes, you need to start melting your butter and sugar and honey in the simmering pot for about 5 minutes.  Put in your salt and cinnamon when all else is melted.  Take it off the burner, and add the vanilla.  Don’t be alarmed at the bubbling sizzle like I was! 

 

Take out the oat mixture from the oven.  Ooh it’s roasty!

Pour it into a large bowl.  Now pour the hot melty sugar and butter mixture over the oats and etc.  And stir with a spoon until all is covered with your sugary glue!

Here is the point when you will want to add your raisins or other dried fruit, and or also chocolate chips.  About 1/2 cup for each should be good.

 

I have also roasted almonds and walnuts for my husband and I in a separate batch of granola.  I don’t really like using nuts at all in my home because of the severe peanut allergy that some of my children have.  So I am very extra careful at keeping nuts put way up like a medicine!

After you have mixed all ingredients you can scrape it into a gently oiled 9 by 13 glass pan and press with an oiled spatula.  And hopefully you didn’t turn off the oven because you need to bake this for another 10 to 15 minutes!

When it is almost completely cooled I cut the granola bars either with a knife or the spatula seen in the picture above.

Here is mine fresh out of the oven!  Oh the cinnamon makes it taste so good!  And for the same amount that I pay for 6 bars, I can now make 16-20 bars!  Wow!

Here they are all stacked and ready to consume.

I keep them in an air tight jar.  They have stayed crunchy.  My husband actually takes one or two of them and crushes them in a cereal bowl and pours milk on them and eats that for breakfast some days.

I hope you all enjoy trying to make this granola recipe.  I just put together 3 or 4 different recipes I found.  Some say leave out the butter, some say leave out the sugar, some say cook shorter, some say cook longer.  This is just what worked for me.  Ya’ll be blessed today!

I just had to write to you all today!  Something happened last night after Waccasassa Wednesday Night.

My husband and I stopped at the local grocery store on the way home.

While inside, he asked if we needed coffee.  Of course we do.  We are running low.  But when I went to get it off the shelf the price was $11.98!  Whoa!  Way too much!  So, I went back to the counter muttering something about how I wasn’t willing to pay that much, and that it is like cutting my finger off…and paying for it.  But as I got to where the cashier and husband were I realized that I was complaining and whining.  So, I straightened up and smiled, then I said, "The Lord will provide coffee for me for Free!"  That’s a pretty bold statement coming from me!  I better watch out!  We checked out and headed out to the car where the kiddos were.  There was a man outside the store that we have been praying for off and on for about a year.  He asked if my husband would pray for him.  While hubby was praying over Mr. Lennon, a lady knocked on my window.  She said "I overheard you say that about the coffee, I have loads of coffee!  My church was donated Peet’s Coffee to give out and reach out to the community."  Wow!  She asked if we would follow her to her home a block away.  I told her to ask my husband when he was done praying with Mr. Lennon.  She said I will be right back, I have left the cashier with all my groceries.  When she came back she asked my husband and he said Yes!

As we followed her to her home, I told Rob I just can’t believe we are following someone we don’t know to their house to get free coffee!  Seems extreme doesn’t it?  We were able to meet her and her husband and 1 year old son.  They attend a church in the town near our church.  Very sweet!  She also said that her church has been praying for revival in Waccasasssa.  What a blessing!  A church we didn’t know was praying for our mission work in the neighborhood.

Amazing!  The Lord really did provide coffee for free!

I just had to post it!  Now Eva, I know what your thinking!  As we were leaving, Rob said, "I can’t wait to see you enjoy and be thankful for Peet’s Coffee, and not Folgers." 

 Hey the Lord knows.  And I am thankful.(smile)

It is so funny and wonderful.  Little blessings.  Little testimonies.  A little love from a christian sister whom I have never met.  God is good!  Thank you Lord!

 

What a blessing!

Oh I also took some pictures of my living room.

Not a big deal.  Just rearrangement for the Fall Season.

Here is the Living Room.

Here is the Parlor.  The front door is on the left.

I took these pictures for my friend Eva.  I love you sister!

How exciting it was to start the new school year!  We decided to make mini offices.

 With 4 of my oldest children at the table doing homeschool, it can get loud and distracting.  So this year I found a neat homeschool idea.  Mini Offices!

The children really enjoyed creating them.

 

I also hope these mini offices are going to help some of the children to remember certain facts.

 

Some can’t keep a straight face!

I need better lighting in our school/dining room.

The 13 year old looks real enthused.  He got over it.  Instead of using file folders, I opted to buy the large cardboard science project 3-way from walmart.  We bought 3 large and 1 small.  I measured them and cut them all in half.  Then I down loaded as many mini office items for free that I could.  Lapbook Lessons had most the the free links if anyone is interested.  It worked out great.

It works really well!  The quitest homeschooling morning ever!

This is where I homeschool our twin girls.  The picnic basket holds their books.  So, Eva, can you guess where this table is?  Yep, the kitchen.  Between the beautiful bench you blessed me with and the middle counter!  This works out so well!

These two cabinets hold their other homeschool needs.

They made mini offices too!  I just forgot to take a picture of them.  Maybe next time.

Our first week back to school was great.  Keeping up with everything is going fairly well.  I am praying for wisdom and understanding in the planning phases that come and go.  I want to be a mom who is prepared.

On a side note.  I made homemade granola bars last night.  So easy!  We paid almost $4 for Kashi a couple of weeks ago.  6 Bars!

Last night, I made 15 bars for a little less that $3.

Can you tell I’m excited about this?

Praise the Lord for He is Good!