In the spirit of “keeping it real” I thought I’d share a fun, but failed, craft we did the other night. It all started when we were planning out a co-op class for our younger elementary students. We’re learning about Valentine’s Day this month and thought these bath fizzies would make a fun craft. Apparently …
Last year when I started seeds, I used toilet paper rolls to start them. It worked fine. But then I saw the soil block builder and I knew I’d never be content with toilet paper rolls again. Never heard of a soil block builder? Let me introduce you. It’s this cool tool that takes soil and …
A friend surprised me with a lot of grape tomatoes. Usually when I have too many tomatoes I can them, but grape tomatoes would give me lots of skins in the tomatoes. So, I thought I’d dehydrate them. I love sun dried tomatoes. And while these aren’t quite “sun dried” I think they’ll do nicely. …
I was able to spend a few moments this weekend planning out our spring garden. I’m trying to remember to keep it simple this year. We have so many other things to do this spring and summer that I only want to plant what we can take care of reasonably well. Of course, my resolve …
In our last “lesson” we talked about how to read the outside of a pattern package. Now that we have that down and have picked our fabric it’s time to cut it out. When you open the package you will find some pattern pieces and some instructions. On the first page of the instructions there …
Whole wheat flour tortillas come together quickly with just a few ingredients. They are perfect for soft tacos, burritos, wraps, or eating with soups. Probably the “hardest” part of making whole wheat tortillas is rolling them out. And as long as you’re willing to accept the funny shapes that often come out, you’ll be just …
This spring I’ll be doing a lot of sewing for our drama group using commerical patterns. I thought this would be a good opportunity to teach Phoebe how to work with commercial patterns. As I began her instruction, I realized just how confusing commerical patterns can be for someone with limited or no knowlege of …
Last week a friend offered us some pumpkins that were left over from her school. I was so excited, especially after our dismal pumpkin harvest this year. So we spent the day cooking, pureeing and freezing pumpkin… and roasting the seeds. (We should have been unpacking but we seem to have lost our momentum) We had …
A couple of years ago, Josiah made silhouettes for Christmas gifts for Carl and I, grandparents, aunts and uncles. It was such a fun gift! I’ve always loved silhouettes. One of the classes I help teach at our homeschool co-op is for K-3rd grade. We combine them 2 hours and use some of the Five …
This easy peach cobbler recipe with canned peaches is a cakey cobbler not pie crust type cobbler. With just a few pantry staples it has an old fashioned flavor that will remind you of Grandma’s house. Serve plain or with or a splash of cream. For a special treat serve with a scoop of vanilla …
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that we were putting together fun activities for Esther to do when no one is available to play with her. I’ve used alot of the same stuff I used with my older children, but Crystal from Money Saving Mom has been posting some things she has either made for or …
How would you like to be able to serve fresh rolls whenever you want? Well, you can. The dough for this no-knead roll recipe can be made ahead of time – like a week ahead of time. It’s sometimes called a refrigerator roll recipe and the raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator for …
We’ve been growing citrus for about 10 years and they grow quite easily in our climate. However, citrus can also be grown in pots and even indoors. Meyer lemons and satsuma oranges are great for growing citrus indoors. For the most part, all citrus has the same growing requirements. Of course, some citrus varieties are …
Yesterday, we spent some time baking. I’m trying to get some snack type foods in the freezer before we start our school year in a few weeks. During the year, we have more outside of the house commitments and it’s nice to be able to just grab some muffins to take with us since some …
Our garden has pretty much had it. We still have okra and peppers coming in and a random tomato or squash much everything else has been burnt up. So here’s an update of our vegetable garden… {Tomatoes} The Celebrity tomatoes definitely gave us the most bang for our buck. We got 48.5 pounds of tomatoes …
There aren’t many vegetables that thrive in super hot weather, most will either wilt, burn up, or just stop flowering. But okra loves the heat, in fact, it needs consistent daytime temperatures above 85°F to fruit. If you live where the summers are hot, try growing okra. Okra is considered a super food with potassium, vitamin …
I hope you have enjoyed the Summer Sewing School. We have had a great time here, it ‘s been something that my children have looked forward to each week. This is our last lesson and if you have done all the projects you have learned some basic skills that will enable you to create all …
When we go to the library we always wind up with a huge stack of books. I’m sure it’s just because there are so many of us. All the children have their own cards and I guess I should have them each check out their own books, but then its a mess when we try …
Boy, these summer weeks are moving fast! I can’t believe that this is our 5th sewing class. Today we are making lined tote bags. Tote bags are great for the beginner sewer because you don’t have to be exact, you just have to be consistent. For this bag, we will be using a 1/4 inch …
Last year we planted pumpkins and spaghetti squash for the first time. We harvested 12 spaghetti squash and 5 pie pumpkins. Our large pumpkins didn’t make. However, we harvested them in late July. I really wanted them a little closer to fall this year so we planted a little later. I don’t know if that …