Procrastination

This is my WIP(work in progress). It is laying all over my dining room floor waiting to be complete....i think i will do some better pictures once i have the whole top together. This has been in the making for awhile now. I am a craft/quilt procrastinator. Whenever i get to a hard part or a problem I am more likely to put it down than finish, even though i know if i take it step by step and power through it I can get it done. Right now, i am at a hard part. I am having to undo several sections to re sew them. Not because i made a mistake but because i need all the parts to fit together better to make a nicer shaped top. There are many projects on my sewing table like this. Maybe it is time to stop procrastinating and just get them all done, before i am tempted to start something new....again!

**for anyone that might be interested, this is called a disappearing nine patch quilt. I got the pattern here. It was very helpful. The fabric i used was American Jane Look and Learn. I bought 4 charm packs and randomly assembled.**

Rock-and-Roll

This morning we were about to leave for school when a little voice says, "Remember, you said i could have rock and roll hair for stool(school) today?". So I made good on the promise...we got a little of daddy's hair gel and voila Rock and Roll boy was ready for school.

Summer Fun

It is hot, hot, hot! Avery is loving playing in the pool and being wet all day long. As you can see it is not a big pool, but she dreams that it is gigantic...jumping in and "swimming" around in there with her goggles on. If she had a snorkel, she would never come out. Mitchell is not as sold on the pool since it is so cold. He does his share of splashing around but spends more time with his little watering can watering my plants, the grass and me.

Success!!

When we made the decision to homeschool I definitely was nervous. I was not sure if i would be able to teach her anything. How was this new relationship going to work? Going from mother and daughter to student and teacher every day. I know in the big picture parents are the greatest teachers, they learn things from us every day...but the act of teaching a subject for school seemed daunting. We recently have finished the school year, and it feels like we have been successful. While we were still in school mode, Avery seemed to balk when asked to read or do anything that was hard. Now that school is over i am finding her reading her readers to Mitchell, or reading signs, reading food packages, everything, and she is happy to do it and is proud of herself. I am proud of her. She is excited to show her skills to anyone who will listen. Many evenings and mornings have been spent with her new book, Now we are Six by A.A. Milne. This book is more words than pictures, a collection of sweet little stories and poems, and she is loving it and reading it all the time. We worked hard to get here, and i am sure we will be practicing more, but SHE CAN READ!! I am giving this year of homeschool a thumbs up.

Just eat it....

What is it about warm, fresh baked, homemade bread that makes you want to eat a PB and jelly sandwich? I don't think i have willingly eaten one of those in ages, but every time there is fresh warm bread that is all i can think about. At the request of Avery i made bread this morning. I wanted to get it made before the weather got warm again.And this was the perfect morning to feel warm and cozy...the sky was dark, it was rainy and cool...and the smell of that bread was the icing on the cake.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

4 c. whole wheat flour
1T Salt
3 c. water
2 T oil
1/2 c. powdered milk
2 pkg. yeast
1/2 c. honey
2 c. all purpose flour

Mix 3 cups whole wheat flour, powdered milk, salt and yeast together in large bowl. Add water, honey and oil. Beat 2 minutes with mixer, or by hand. Add 1 c. whole wheat flour and beat again for 2 minutes, occasionally scraping the bowl. Stir in enough white flour to make stiff dough(start with one cup and then add by half's until it gets to the texture you want). Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead for 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in oiled bowl, and then rub the top with oil. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Divide dough in equal parts(makes 2), shape into loaves and place in oiled bread pans. Let rise again to loaf size. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Bread ready when golden brown and thumps(sounds a little hollow) when you tap the top. Let cool to take out of pans, slice and serve.

TRUCKS!!!

What thrills little boys(and little girls) more than a big truck right on their own street? Yesterday we were all treated to a visit from the cement truck at our neighbors house. Sure enough, the kids got their chairs out and were ready to watch the show. They even got a chance to meet the driver and get right up there on his truck. Mitchie is a strong boy...see him flexing his muscles?

Trip Pictures

Just a few snap shots of Avery and what she saw on her trip yesterday...some fish in the river and a beaver!!

Reuse and Recycle

We traded out our summer clothes with our winter clothes, and had the beginning of the summer fashion show to see what still fit and what didn't. Avery was sad that her favorite pink shorts did not fit her anymore. So, we decided to recycle them, and make them into something new. With a little help from me, and her super duper Hello Kitty sewing machine we made them into a new bag for collecting treasures when we go on walks, hikes or geocaching. These pictures were taken right before she and Chris went on a all afternoon geocaching adventure to Peebles Island. Avery picked out the strap and rick rack to get sewn on it to make her strap...all color choices were her own! Here is a little bit from our guest blogger..."I had a really fun time making my bag. It was fun because i got to choose the stuff for my strap, and that day i was really excited because i got to go on a trip with Daddy with my new bag. I made it from my favorite pair of shorts, because i wanted to keep them. So mommy had the idea that i could make my own bag out of it." All we did was turn those shorts inside out, I drew her a straight line on the fabric to guide her sewing. She made the straight stitch, and we cut the extra off with a rotary cutter. Sew the strap on and presto, you have a brand new treasure bag!! Good job Avery.

First Taste

It is here!! Our first veggie pick-up was today at the CSA farm.

We got spinach and mesclun(we think), bok choi, radishes, romaine lettuce,cilantro and fresh eggs(grass fed and free to roam), with a little note inside that said they were laid with love by Becky, Debbie, Peggy and Jenny.

Here are the kids having their first taste. I sliced up some radishes and we went for it. As you can see, they were a little too spicy for M.

My goal is to eat our way through that box before next weeks pick-up on Wednesday. I think we can do it.I am feeling good about it! I have been checking out all kinds of sources to find recipes for what to do with what we have(thanks Colleen...she is a veteran box getter and has much more experience). I hope that i will have some exciting new recipes to share here. As for tonight, we promptly made a salad and enjoyed every bite!

Tea Time

Avery had her special tea party today with my Aunt D. For her birthday she was given this sweet little tea set and they have been planning a tea party ever since. This morning both Aunt D and Uncle R(not for tea, but to brew beer with Chris) were here, she brought yummy little shortbreads and they had a lovely time. I gave them some tea in tiny pots and tiny bits of cream and sugar. Aunt D and Avery carefully picked out tea party attire, complete with tiara's and tutu's. Mitchie even got in on the action minus the dress up's. It is nice to have a great auntie that loves to get right in and have some fun. Thanks Aunt D.

Monday Dinner

It was pizza night last night. I had not made this in a very long time. So long that the last time i think i actually made one it was at my sister's house in W. Virginia before Chris and I got married. That is a long time to wait for more BBQ Pizza. Not, the greatest picture(sorry to all you Mary Blog fans!), i know. But yummy all the same. Everyone loved it.

BBQ Pizza

2 Pizza Dough Balls, ready to go(or pkg or store bought however you like it)
1 red Onion, sliced thin and caramelized in olive oil and a little butter
1-2 Chicken breast, pre-cooked(i did mine on the BBQ), chopped
1 bottle BBQ sauce, whatever kind you like
2c. Colby-Jack cheese, or whatever other similar cheese you like

Oil bottom of 15x10 pan, stretch and shape your dough to fit, then press in to the shape of the pan. Spread the dough with the BBQ sauce, and top with caramelized onions. Top those two with about 3/4 cup of your cheese. Now add on your chicken and top with the rest of your cheese. Bake the whole thing according to your pizza dough direction. Mine was 475 for 15-20 minutes, until the crust was nice and golden and the cheese melts. Enjoy!!

Fun at the Farm

Sunday we were able to go to the farm and meet the farmers who are supplying our vegetables this summer. We joined a CSA (community supported agriculture, for those who may not be familiar with that acronym) back in March. This farm has 300 plus members and has 150 acres to farm naturally. We received a invitation this week to meet the farmers and tour the farm. We were all pretty excited to go. It is beautiful there. Quiet and peaceful, down a long winding country road, past a waterfall and several other little farms. Idyllic! We really felt that getting local produce and supporting a local farm this way was a step in the right direction for us. I think we were right. We get our first box this week. I am excited and nervous. Imagine all the things we might have in there every week, that we maybe have not heard of before or have at least not cooked with before. But maybe the kids will have a new favorite vegetable because of this. Even if they don't i am certain that they will have lots of wonderful farm experiences there this summer. The farm really encourages families to come and visit, maybe have a picnic...which i am sure we will get to do more than once since we will be there once a week at the least. We also have the opportunity to help on the farm, either with weeding, harvesting or making the prepared vegetable boxes. Chris is most excited about the working part of this. The kids are really excited to feed the chickens and visit the goats. Yesterday we watched the kids play in the water for awhile, but Chris could not stand it, he had to take his shoes and socks off and get right in there with them. That is when they found the little "crawdad". Cute little guy, huh? I love the picture of Avery and Mitch walking down that dirt road. You can see he had a great time in the water by the wet pants. He kept forgetting to bend, not squat, in the water. Silly baby.