Bread Making

I've been bitten!

                 Bitten by the bread making bug!  And in the process, created a bread snob of a son.  I am already praying for his future wife, that she may love to bake to keep this strong willed boy happy!

With a gift card, from Christmas, I bought a Wonder Mill, one of these things:

 Thanks to some friends, I was able to get to grinding

right away and making my own bread.  We ordered some

grain from Amazon, but that would get expensive quickly.

After some price comparisons, found that Yoder's Country Market

had the best prices on grain around and had what I needed in stock.

Even with the time commitment and gas used, it was enough of a savings

to justify both the time and wear & tear on my van.  I came home with a few other

things needed as well:

• buckets to hold the grain
• Gamma Lids (helps to keep item dry and in a fairly air tight package)
• Oxygen Absorbers
• a bread recipe book
• Shank's Vanilla (our favorite, but hard to find locally)

 "Homemade Bread" by Keepers at Home Sampler One

I have pretty good success with a few of these recipes so far.

We've made sourdough bread, sourdough "English Muffins", and

Wheat Bread.  All have been really tasty, mild wheat flavor, filling,

and worth doing again.

 Mini loaves, at the boys request!

They absolutely love these.

 Doesn't look like much food, but neither

finished their lunch the bread is so filling!

We have thoroughly enjoyed the bread and the act of making bread has not been as overwhelming to me as I thought it might.  Will be a hard to switch back to store bought, but can see the need, on occasion, of doing so.  In the mean time, we'll be eating our homemade bread and enjoying it!

Happy baking everyone!

 

Allowances! What rate?

When you were growing up, did you get an allowance? Do you recall how much?

I remember getting one in high school, if I was not working.  It was $15.00, I think, and I had to use it for gas, lunch at school, or whatever else I needed.

Our kids are asking for one and it might just be time to start.  Know a friend gives half the kids age.  Read a few web sights that said that, too, and up to $1.00 per year of life per week.  That would be more than I think we can do.  Half their age seems doable.

How much do you give your kids?  When did you start? And lastly, what do they need to pay for with their allowance?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments, I am truly interested!!


 

Blog updating

I am in need of updates around here! Reading lists need to be changed, pages tweaked, a basic overhaul. Possibly tweak my tags (think I might have to many!).

Not sure when these changes will fully start showing up, but know I might add an American History page to hold onto links.


 

American History

The more reviews I read about History textbooks, in general, the more I realize no one book or curriculum will cover it all, will have some kind of error, leave out facts, or offend some people group. I also want to cover a lot of the highlights in just one year, not two as a few I really liked did.

Feel like I am in a quandary. Do I continue to search or put a lot of effort into a subject that may only be used once in our home school career?

So for the time being, below is a link to a timeline that seems like a good place to start. I can find awesome read alouds, posters, video clips, audio clips, and for different parts of the time line. I'll see what I can do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_history

Below, is a quick example of what I might use as an outline. This is just one more item that needs to be fleshed out while doing my research.

Being 10!

Do you remember being ten?

     I sure as heck don't!  It is a hazy memory at this point.

For our son, today totally seemed like a good 10 year old day.  It went something like this:

• no set time to wake up as I was having a marathon therapy session with the oldest.  Not sure if Kevin had him wake up at some set time
• being able to leisurely do his independent work
• almost a full afternoon free with the sun shining, t-shirt & blue jeans sort of day
• playing with chalk
• riding bike
• playing tug o war with the dog
• playing with the dog and a stick
• making a fort on the deck
• taking the dog for a walk through the woods
• time to read
• playing catch with his brother
• Tae Kwon Do (TKD)
• getting their blue belts at TKD

Not sure what else would make his list of cool things today, but that seems like a fairly descent list as I see it.  But what do I know, I am mom!

Lazy post!! Everyone needs one!

From time to time you need a lazy post. This is it! I have a knitting blog as well and just posted over there so I am linking up to save time and effort!  And I really need to get off the computer!  So here is a link to the most recent baby blanket I have made!

Another Sunday! Another Birthday!

Another day to party! Another day to celebrate life!

     And that, my friend, is just what we did!

Our second son, known here as Thing Two, was born 10 years ago, today.  He's been a wonderful, high energy, very intense in all things, kid his whole life.  Here's our day in pictures!!!!

 The call of the wild is to great for 4 young boys.

 Will come together for a picture!

Per his request: a plan cake with chocolate icing (homemade) and

crunch bars on top!

 Ten green candles, handled with no spit!

 Yummy!  Slice of cake with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Thing Two remembered that his brother got "10 Things about 'Thing One'"

and wanted his own too!  On actual page, his IRL is printed on the page.
As of now, still not comfortable using their real names!

 Long awaited gift card to Itunes!  

 Our attempt at controlling some legos!  This is for all those mini figs laying around.

Thing One got a blue one too ~ a week late.

Guess who forgot to wrap the two mini figs that went with this?

Yup, that would be this mom.  He didn't care!

He ended up with two knights

(employees evidently figure out some of the mini figs and label them.

Those are left under the register counter.  I had mentioned something about

wanting to know and six were pulled out.  Of the four I bought, 3 were

correct.  Thing Two was hoping for Chicken man, but got a second knight)

He was quite happy with his day and we were thankful for that!
 

Want another round?

You might want to ask about the round I am offering before agreeing!

 So, what were you doing 10 years today?

It was a Sunday, in 2003.  We were invited to some friends house for lunch and the early play off game.  Friends, fun, football, fellowship.  The four "f's" of fall and early winter.  Friends had their 6th that November and asked what we'd do with our oldest when the 2nd was ready to come.  They offered to watch him for us.

Later, we were home, the three of us, kicking back, watching the later play off game.  In true, lack of care, that I show football, I have no clue who was playing.  Sometime around now, maybe a bit later, our second son got very fidgety, in womb.  He had never been so active until that moment in time.  Looking back, I am convinced it was that round of tossing and turning, that he went breech and nicked the water.  After talking to my doctor, called friend, several times.  They didn't pick up.  Called another neighbor who came right over.

Barely any time later (but into the wee hours on the 20th) our son was born, via c-section.

Tonight we will say good night to our 9 yo and wake up tomorrow with two kids in double digits.

Love you son.

 



 P.S.  Just wanted to add a photo of last 9yo hug!