School activities

Yesterday my niece came over and listened in on Meghan's snow experiment. We used the snow cone maker to make "snow" and waited for it to melt. She needed to see if the amount of water was the same as the amount of snow.
I also made some extra snow and Meghan helped me make homemade syrup. I found the recipe for the syrup on my favorite blog, Skip To My Lou. Here they are having their snow cones.




Yesterday one of my brother's cows had her calf too so we went out to look at it for a bit and went for a walk. Here is a picture although it is a little dark.



Today Meghan worked on her home EC. class. (Future Christian Homemakers) She made french toast and scrambled eggs for her and Kaden. She had a blast! She loves to cook.





Here is Meghan telling Ellie a story.

All About Ellie

This post will have pictures of Ellie. :) The day after we moved into our house Ellie was 4 months and she rolled over that day. She seemed like she was ready before but there wasn't as much room. So it happened quickly once she was able to lay on the floor more and had more room.



Here she is playing with and eating her feet.






She has started sticking out her tongue. It is so funny!





Ellie reading ;)

Back to school week

Two weeks ago was our back to school week. I have a few pictures from that week I want to share.

1st day of school pics.



The kids opening some new supplies...





Them playing with their back to school gifts. They each received a puzzle, Meghan's is a 3-d horse.




A few more...



Kaden was sick that week too and we found him here asleep.

Fun Filled Weekly Workboxes

I am going to be joining in this weekly post on the blog Aussie Pumpkin Patch. I think this will help me remember to post what we are doing each week and it's a lot of fun. :) Please check out Kendra's blog to see more great workbox ideas.

Also here are the pictures of how we are using the workbox system right now. This is a hanging file folder box. Each activity has it's own file. She takes the files out in order to work on. As she finishes she puts her work and file on the cabinet. I try to get the files filled again each night. She really enjoys them, I think because it gives her responsibility.



Here is a list of things Meghan will find in her workboxes this week.

-Hooked On Phonics (Meghan will be reading the readers in Level 2, but she has surpassed this level so we will see where she is in Level 3)
-Math U See (She has 8 lessons left in this level)
-Starting Farmer Boy Unit Study (this weeks topics will cover learning about New York, Snow, several types of Trees,Wool and possibly some baking)
-State maps workbook -the page on New York
- Making snowcones to use in learning about snow (we'll eat them and make our own snowcone syrup)
-Nature walk to find trees in unit. Draw trees.
-Spelling
-mazes
-games
-madlib type games, fill in the nouns and adjectives
-money file folder game
-Future Christian Homemakers (this week she will learn about eggs and safety in the kitchen)
-create your own calendar pages

I am sure there will be more little activities and art things but this is the majority of what we'll be doing this week. Kaden has some tree coloring pages to color, a puzzle to play with and some counting beads.

Blog Hop Journal Challenge

I have joined in my scrapbook sites blog hop. The challenge this time is hidden journaling. Hidden journaling is when you have a pocket, envelope or something else that hides your journaling. It can even be hidden under a picture. I have not had time to create a new lay out so I found one I had done previously. You can see where the hidden journaling is, in the little pocket. This layout "Art Girl" is Meghan painting at the Renaissance Festival.

Click on the blog hop button above to continue on the blog hop to Shanna's site.

Picture updates

It's been a while since I posted some pictures so here they are!

Here are Kaden and Meghan on their water slide. My brother Matt brought this for them. They love it!



A couple pictures of Kaden crawling in to play on the play mat with Ellie. :) I am sure he doesn't remember that it was his. Cute though!





Some 4th of July pictures...









Here are a couple I snapped of Meghan. She had to get out of the house to do some writing. hehe

A Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations

This is an email forward I recieved a while back and recently reread online. I love it!

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk 's office, was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. "What I mean is, " explained the recorder, "do you have a job or are you just a ..?"

"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman. "I'm a Mom."

"We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it," Said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like, "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."

"What is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in mid air and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?" Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn't) In the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money." There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another Mom."

Motherhood! What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door. Does this make grandmothers "Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations" And great grandmothers "Executive Senior Research Associates?" I think so!!! I also think it makes Aunts "Associate Research Assistants."

Baking mix recipe...

Last year I was searching for a recipe that is like "Bisquick". I wanted something that would be healthier and something that I knew what it contained. Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of one of those boxes? So I searched the Internet and was only able to find recipes that contained shortening. At the time I didn't think to experiment and see if butter would work in place of the shortening. We don't use shortening very often either. Well for Christmas my mother in law gave me a book she made with a recipe for "Missouri Mix". (Love those kind of gifts! This is the 2nd cookbook type gift I have been given that was homemade and we use them all the time!) I looked at it and it was exactly what I had been searching for. Since we moved a couple days after Christmas it was packed up and lost until just recently when I started unpacking. I had found a small recipe for a look a like recipe in a homestead newsletter I receive though so I had been using that one. I am going to share the recipes here. I am going to share both of them in case you want to try it out before you make a huge batch. I am sure you will love it though!


Homemade Baking mix (this is the small batch)

2 1/2 cups soft white wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together above ingredients, then cut in 5 Tbs butter. Use as directed in recipes calling for Bisquick.


Missouri Mix (the large batch, although you can halve it)

9 cups flour
1/3 cup baking powder (half is 2 1/2 Tbls)
4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups butter

Again mix dry ingredients and then cut the butter into it with a pastry cutter or butter knives or forks etc. You can keep this out if it is cool where it is stored, I have done that, but I prefer to keep it in the refrigerator since it has butter in it.

We make biscuits in the morning to go with eggs by adding milk to get the right consistency, and dropping them on a flat griddle pan. You can do the same thing to make waffles or pancakes. I have recipes that call for baking mix to go on the top of pot pie mixtures etc. It's very versatile.

I have been using half unbleached white flour and half Prairie Gold fresh ground wheat flour. Prairie Gold is a hard white wheat and is the same wheat I use for my bread and other baking. My husband isn't ready for me to use the whole wheat at all but I compromised and said I would do half. Occasionally I will make a batch with white only. :) I hope you enjoy it. We all love it and I love making it myself since I know it is so much healthier. If you have any questions please ask!