In the garden...luffas

Last year after reading Rhonda's Down To Earth blog I found out that the luffa "sponge" I buy in the bath section at the store to bath with is actually not a sponge.  It is, in fact, a plant.  A member of the squash family.  How cool is that?!

So I ordered some seeds from Local Harvest.  I promptly planted then and the plants came up.  But it was hot and towards the end of the gardening season and they got neglected and died. 

This year when we planted our garden I planted 6 luffa seeds (on March 26th) they all germinated and then they all died.  Then I spotted a "volunteer" squash plant and knew this must be a luffa.  After all, it was in the same bed that I planted the summer before.  Oh, how I babied that plant.  Then it produced a squash that was yellow and nothing like a luffa.  I'm still not sure what kind of squash it was, but the chickens loved it. 

So, last week we are out in the garden picking okra and playing a game that was a cross between catch and bowling with the watermelons that refuse to get ripe and low and behold I notice a luffa squash on a vine.  Wait, there's not one, there's three!  I had noticed this crazy looking vine in the okra bed where I had planted spaghetti squash.  The vine borers destroyed the spaghetti squash and so I thought that this was probably just a weed.  The leaves look more like watermelon leaves and the flowers look more like cucumber flowers except that they are clustered together.  I have no idea how that seed survived or where it came from or why it grew when I completely neglected it and the ones that I babied didn't. 

Since I clearly know nothing about growing luffas from experience, I'll share with you a couple of things that I have learned from Luffa.info, groovey green, and Down to Earth. 

• Luffas like alot of heat, they need between 140 and 200 frost free days
• Luffas need alot of time 4-5 months
• Luffas don't need to be babied
• Luffas can be eaten like summer squash when they are small
• Luffas can be dried out when they are mature to make into sponges. 
• Harvest when the skin starts to sag and turns brown

Maybe next year I'll do better.  I think we are out of time for this year.  I'm trying to remember when I first noticed the vine and it was when we returned from our vacation...a little over a month ago. 

So what about you, have you ever grown luffas?  If you have and have some tips, please leave them in the comments. 

To see what's going on in other gardens, check out Garden Party Tuesday and Homestead Revival. 

You can find information about these fruits and veggies and more by clicking on the In the Garden tab up top.

button snake for preschoolers

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 gotten as part of a "busy bag swap" .  Can I just say that these ideas are way more creative than the ones I used with my older children? {clearing my throat here}

We made Esther a button snake and a stamped fabric bag to hold it and she is loving it. 

To make your own button snake you need:
several pieces of felt (I used 10 different colors)
18" of ribbon
button (it looks cuter if the button has only 2 holes instead of 4 - not cuter enough for me to change ours, but cuter)
embroidery thread
needle

How to make the button snake:

• Cut the felt into 3 inch squares - I cut 30 squares
• Turn down one end of the ribbon and sew the button on

• Cut a slit in one piece of felt and put the button though it.  Move it almost all the way down the snake and stitch it to the ribbon. This will keep the other pieces on the ribbon.  Esther tried to pull this piece off several times, so on the one I made for a friend I put a black piece of felt and didn't use black for any of the other squares.  
• Cut the end of the snake in a "v" 

• And you're done.  Unless of course you have a new obsession with stamped fabric bags... 

For more great craft ideas, check out Made by You Mondays

::this week::

This week, we are...

...surprised by the luffas growing in the garden. Yes, I planted them but they took about 8 weeks to germinate. 

...excited that our first group of hens are starting to lay.

...discussing who is laying and who isn't.

...obsessed with "wipstick", changing clothes and going to the bathroom.

...starting school.

...loving "Rip the Page" - mama is so pleasantly surprised. 

...picking up banana boxes every time someone goes to town.

...packing up the living room and kitchen and feeling okay about it.

...looking for a new place to live.

...amazed that 32 chickens are okay for a rent house (in the country) but 6 children are not?

...taking a break from everything to play in the rain. 

...praying for those in the path of Irene.

Have a lovely weekend!

sour dough biscuits

Even when your life is like a roller coaster, there are some things that just have to be done.  And feeding your family is one of those things.  I'm sure food is important for all families but it seems to be an especially big issue for large families.  If I don't stay on top of keeping meals made then we either have to eat out, which we can do maybe twice if I don't go to the grocery store that week, or we have popcorn for dinner.  My family loves popcorn, but when it becomes the main course of every meal...something must be done. 

Last week, I made banana muffins and biscuit mix for the freezer.  I also made a batch of sour dough biscuit dough.  I know this is not a real sour dough recipe. But it tastes real. There's no starter to keep up with so you don't have to feel guilty about letting it go bad.  Or feel like you have to make it because you have the starter.  So maybe we should call this "guilt free sour dough biscuits"?

Sour Dough Biscuit Recipe

Large bowl with lid (I use a 5qt. ice cream container)
1 cup warm water
1 package yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk
3 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup oil
7 cups white flour (I've tried whole wheat but the bread tastes like beer - not sour dough)

Mix water, yeast and sugar and set aside.  In large bowl, mix buttermilk, baking powder, soda, salt, oil and 6 cups flour.  Then add yeast mixture and last cup of flour.  Mix well.  Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  The longer it is stored, the more sour it will get. 

To bake:   roll out with extra flour and cut into squares or with biscuit cutter.  Put on baking sheet and let rise for 20 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown (about 12-15 minutes).

Enjoy, especially with butter and honey!

To see other great recipes, check out Tasty Tuesday. 

"I hate rollercoasters"

These are the words I spoke just as the support brace came down to lock me into what  my children tell me is a mild roller coaster while on vacation a few weeks ago. And I really mean mean it, I hate roller coasters.

As the roller coaster coasted along I get settled into my roller coaster coping position, I hang on tight, set my jaw and shut my eyes.  I'll not change this until we come to a complete stop and the bar raises for me to exit. 

Little did I know at the time that we could come home from vacation to another roller coaster, one that would last more than 2 minutes.  Unfortunately, on this one, I can't shut my eyes, set my jaw and just hang on tight.  Although, I've tried at times. 

The day after we got home from vacation we learned that the couple who owns the house we rent is needing to come back.  We've known since moving here that this could be a possibility and yet, I felt like the first drop of the roller coaster.  You know the one that you know is coming but it takes your breath away anyway.

About a week later, we found out that we might not have to move after all, that they were working somethings out on their end.  By now, I had already started packing boxes and we were actively looking for a house.  We even set a date to move out and wrote it on the calendar.  You know the part of the roller coaster where you're not going very fast, but you're on your side.  This is where we've been the last couple of weeks.  Not quite sure what to do next, feeling kind of safe and hopeful, but not quite upright. 

Today at church many people asked me about our housing and I said words like, "hopeful", "looks like we won't have to move after all", "not 100% sure but it looks good".  What I didn't know was that we were on the last leg.  The part that really slows down as the roller coaster climbs its way up to make the last drop.  This is where I am always tempted to open my eyes. 

Tonight, we found out for sure that we need to move.  You would think that we would be fine with it since we've really known for almost a month.  But I feel like I do on that last drop of a roller coaster.  "Why did I think it would be that easy?"  I wonder. 

Just like when I get off real roller coasters, my stomach is upset and I don't feel good.  I know it will take a little while before I feel back to normal but normal will come back.  The finality of the decision tonight was good.  It means that at least this roller coaster is over.  Although I'm sure there will be another one in our future. 

We have been in this house for almost two years. We've been able to do so many wonderful things while living here.  The couple who owns the house has been extremely gracious to us, especially for letting us garden and keep chickens while renting from them.  We've been blessed. 

James 1:17 "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. "  We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God blessed us with this house and that He will continue to provide a place for us.  I pray that we will have eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to obey. 

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. (Amanda Soule)

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Our Friday night pizza night is becoming the Friday night frog calzone night!

keeping preschoolers "busy"

I'm not really big on structured preschool activities. I kind of feel that if I provide a rich environment for my preschoolers then they will naturally learn what they need to learn, when they need to learn it. Obviously, this is the ideal and, well, the ideal is not always reality. Sometimes, reality is that if we don't have something structured for "little miss mess" she will find a way to be helpful...like painting her fingernails and toenails (by herself with acrylic paints) or putting away the (glass) dishes or, well, you get the idea. 

Years ago, when Phoebe and Benjamin were little, we were no longer able to do the bulk of the older boys schooling during nap time and it was getting very hard to do things like math and phonics with preschoolers running wild, I mean discovery learning, all over the place.  So we began to structure their day.

Each of the older boys had 30 minutes a day that they were to play with the "little ones" while I worked with someone else.  (Meaning play a game together, not play play like the little one is the toy) That gave me about a hour and a half.  Then they would play with something from the "fun box" for about 30 minutes.  They could pick anything they wanted, but they could only pick one thing at a time and it had to be put away before something else could be picked. 

This is kind of where we find ourselves with Esther.  I can see that there are times when she is going to need to play by herself, which is something she is not used to doing.  So I'm putting together some activities to keep her constructively busy. 

Here's some of the preschool activities: 
Each of these are in a zip lock or fabric bag and the bags are in tote.   

• dominoes - we have a double 15 set and we never use more than double 9 so I put the others in a bag to be played with.
• classic set of memory cards - you can get several bags out of one set
• dry rice with a funnel, measuring cup, spoon and containers - this will actually be in its own container
• lacing beads - old macrame bead and a shoe lace
• rubber stamps and paper
• stickers and paper - Carl's mom always brings the kids stickers.  I have no clue where she gets them all but they are great to put in here.
• lacing cards - Phoebe has an old set that she is giving Esther
• Felt shapes - in our mudroom I have a chalk board and a felt board hanging on the wall.  We're making shapes for Esther to play with on the felt board.  You could cover a sturdy piece of cardboard with  felt to make a felt board.  Here's a great cupcake pattern .
• Bean sort - Different beans and an egg carton to sort them in
• Yarn, glue and paper - "draw" a picture with glue and let your preschooler cut yarn to cover the glue.
• Colored pasta - color pasta with a small amount of rubbing alcohol and several drops of food coloring in a zip lock bag.  Shaking and stirring a few times.  Take it out and let it air dry.  If you use big pasta you can string it.  If you use small pasta you can put glue on paper and make mosaics.
• Magnet with paperclips, washers, screws , nails, etc. 
• colored straws and scissors - great cutting practice!
• view master and reels
• paper, glue and small tissue paper squares.  Cut tissue paper in squares.  Put drops of glue on the paper and show the child how to squish up the paper and put it on the glue drop. 
• paint with water pages - here's a great tutorial
• tweezers (large plastic kind) and pom poms to sort. 

Disclaimer:  Obviously, all these items are not appropriate for all preschoolers.  Each parent needs to decide for himself if his child is developmentally ready for some of these small objects. 

We also have a leap frog, chalk board, pattern blocks, cuisenaire rods, play do and, occasionally, older children to keep Esther busy. 

If your child is older then you could do some ABC and Number activities. 

So how do you keep your preschoolers constructively busy during the day?

In the garden...growing citrus

Right before Christmas last year I went to the feed store to buy chicken feed and I saw a sign that said "all fruit trees half off"  I really thought they would be half dead, but they were actually great trees, the store was just trying to reduce inventory before the end of the year.  So, I bought a Meyer Lemon tree and a Satsuma orange tree.  Then I went back and bought several more orange trees to give as gifts. 

We planted ours in molasses tubs that we got at the feed store for $3 each so that we can bring them in if it gets too cold.  We have them out by our blueberries.  We call this area "the orchard" because it makes us (me) feel like a real homesteader.

Citrus blossoms smell amazing - you should grow them just for the scent of the flowers.

Meyer lemons in June

Satsuma oranges in June

Meyer Lemons today.  The plants are struggling.  Hopefully we can keep them
alive until we get out of this drought.

Tips for growing citrus:

• Citrus needs lots of sun and light
• However, they can also be grown indoors if put near a window to give lots of light, esp. during the summer
• Citrus are self-fertile - so you only need one tree
• Citrus like a slightly acidic soil - 6.0 - 7.0 on the ph scale
• If planting in pots use a soil esp. formulated for citrus
• If the plant freezes it will die, so make sure to protect it from frost
• Water frequently, esp. during summer.  If in a pot, soak the soil and then let it dry out before watering again.  We've struggled with this this summer and our Satsuma is drying out faster than the Meyer lemon even though they are planted the same.
• Fertilize with a citrus fertilizer  a couple of times a year.  Once in summer and once in winter - there are two different types of fertilizer.
• Thin fruit if tree becomes too heavy - this has not been a problem for us as we have 7 oranges and 6 lemons.

So far we've haven't had any trouble with the citrus.  Some of the orange leaves are turning brown, but I think it's just from the heat and lack of water.  I've been watering twice a week but I will now be watering every other day for a while.  I think our fruit is on the small side but again I think its due to the drought issue.

One of my favorite books on growing citrus is Grow Fruit by Alan Buckingham

If you have any tips for growing citrus, please leave them in the comments. 

You can find information about these fruits and veggies and more by clicking on the In the Garden tab up top.

To see other great gardens, visit Tuesday Garden Party and Homestead Barn Hop.

{fruit crisp}

For years we picked peaches for my Mother's Day gift.  We didn't always go on Mother's Day, but that was my gift.  The orchard was about 45 minutes away from our home and it made for such a fun day.  We loved going out there and picking peaches, chatting with the owner and playing with his dog.  It was a day we looked forward to all year long.

A couple of years ago, the owner of the orchard passed away and the orchard closed.  We have often wished that someone would purchase the orchard and re-open it. But until that happens we'll just have to remember the fun times we had when we make this yummy peach crisp.  You can use any fruit, I often use dewberries, apples or pears. 

Fruit Crisp Recipe: 
Fruit
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 cups rolled oats

Cover bottom of 9X13 pan with cut fruit.  Melt butter, mix brown sugar with butter.  Mix in rolled oats.  Mix well.  Pour over fruit.  Bake 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.  Serve warm.  Some of my children like to pour milk over it.  Enjoy!

For more great recipes, check out Tasty Tuesday.

{weekend wedding}

This weekend was the big event of the summer for us.  My sister's wedding!

Can I just say that it was amazing and that yet again, my "baby "sister astonished me with her graciousness, maturity and humbleness?  Well, she did.  Even when faced with things like the bakery forgetting to make the groom's cake - it was on a separate order sheet, you see.  Or opening the refrigerator doors at the church where all the flowers had been stored overnight to find that most of them had died.  Apparently, hydrangeas are not supposed to be put in the refrigerator.  oops. The florist forgot to mention that.  All she said was, "I'm still getting married in 2 hours!"  With a huge grin on her face.  A beautiful testimony to all those who were there!

We spent the week trying to get all decked out in suits, ties, grey shirts, black pants and black shoes.  After about 1500 trips to Penny's I finally made the boys go with me to try the stuff on in the store.  Have I ever mentioned that my guys hate shopping? 

For part of their wedding gift, Phoebe and I made a picnic blanket and tote bag.  We were inspired these half square triangles and I thought it would be a good way for Phoebe to learn how to make them.  So, Phoebe peiced together the top and then I put it together.  I used the stacking and flipping method.  I layered the batting, then the backing on top right side up and then the top right side down.  I sewed a quarter inch seam all around, leaving about 6 inches open on one end.  Then I clipped the corners and flipped the blanket right side out.  I topstitched around the edges twice, once 1/8" from the edge and then 1/2" from the edge.  To finish it, we tied it with thin crochet yarn.  Benjamin helped make the tote bag when we made totes during the Summer Sewing School. 

We didn't get them the book Love and Respect as is our standard wedding gift because another friend told me she was giving it to them. 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. (Amanda Soule)

the rhythm of our day

I'm not really a schedule kind of girl.  I'm more of a "Hey, it's morning.  I wonder what we should do today?" kind of girl.  But that doesn't work so well with six children and homeschooling.

Years ago I read a book written by a homeschool mom that was about scheduling your day in 30 minute increments.  I spent days making a beautiful color coded schedule to hang on our  wall so everyone could see what we were supposed to be doing at what time.  The problem was that I turned into a drill sergeant.  We were all miserable. 

On the left is our daily routine just in case someone doesn't know what he should
be doing.  On the right is our family calendar , if it it not written on this calendar,
it doesn't exist.  The children have gotten good about writing things that are
important to them on the calendar. 

What I've learned is that for me and my family a routine or rhythm works best.  So I looked at the routines we already had and used those as the foundation of our day.  For instance, we all eat lunch together, so lunch - whether it is at 11am or 1pm -is an anchor in our day.  The same with breakfast and dinner. 

{Before Breakfast}
Everyone is responsible for taking care of things that only they can do for themselves.  Each person is supposed to wake up, make bed, tidy room, brush teeth and hair, get dressed, personal Bible reading, etc.  Before breakfast is also the time for feeding the dog and chickens.

{Morning}
Our together time starts about 9am most days.  During this time we do Bible reading and will do Rip the Page creative writing.  After this Josiah will go do his independent work and the rest of us will do Mystery of History (3 days a week) and Christian Kids Explore Chemistry (2 days a week).  On Thursdays we have co-op in the morning and on Fridays my guys mow so our together time will be when they get home and get cleaned up. 

After our together time the rest of the children begin their independent work such as math, grammar, handwriting, reading, typing, music, co-op homework.  I let each one decide the order each day as long as it all gets done.  During this time I'm available to answer questions but I don't actually sit and teach any of these subjects to my children.  Some are on the computer and the others are pretty easy to understand.  Most of the children do their work in their bedrooms, but I do have one (and  it's not Esther) that I have to keep at the kitchen table to help him not get distracted. 

When a child needs a break he will usually choose to play with Esther for 15-20 minutes.   Which is pretty cool.  I'm in the process of putting together a "fun box" for her to have during this time of activities she can do with minimal supervision.

Working on a little art in the afternoon

{Lunch}
At some point near noon we'll eat lunch.  This is earlier on Tuesdays since the older children have Drama.
We usually have bean burritos or sandwiches for lunch.  It kind of boring, I know, but it's simple and filling. 

{Afternoon}
After lunch Esther goes down for a nap (after reading books) and the other children finish any work that wasn't finished in the morning.  Then they can have free time to do pretty much whatever they want for a while.  On Mondays I try to do some baking at this time  On Tuesdays the older children have Drama and I will probably do the hands on part of Chemistry with Benjamin during this time.  On Wednesdays we get ready for co-op.  On Thursdays we will go to the library and grocery shopping since we're already in town.  Fridays will be free for whatever - ideally some sewing and other crafts will happen during this time. 

About 4pm I have everyone stop what they are doing and take about 5-10 minutes to work on their assigned room.  Everyone but Esther has a common room that they are responsible for keeping clean and tidy.  This room has to be done before any evening activities can be done.  We've tried a ton of different ways of dividing up the work and this seems to work the best for us right now. 

Christian and Josiah cutting a sheet to make cloaks for the Renaissance Fair.

{Evenings}
This has been the biggest struggle for me since the boys have gotten older.  For years, we ate dinner together every evening.  We still do eat dinner together each evening....but not everyone is home each evening.  Two evenings a week some of the older children are gone and are not here for dinner.  So my choice is to either wait for everyone and eat at 8:30pm or eat earlier and then let them reheat their dinner. 

After dinner we usually spend the time together either out in the garden or playing a game.  There's a show that the children like to watch on Tuesday evening... and it isn't educational (gasp).  Friday night is our most favorite night of the week... it's pizza and movie night. 

All during the day, when the children have finished something that needs to be graded or checked they put it in the grading bucket and in the evening I check all the work for the day.  I only keep grades for my high schoolers.  I also write notes on their work, such as "Show me your corrected work"  or "Why do you think this is so? Let's talk."  or "Good job, Love Mom."  There is no way I will remember any of this the next day so these are the reminders.

This doesn't always work perfectly, but we have enough wiggle room to allow for things that you really can't schedule, like cleaning up a half gallon of spilt milk, or finding a cool snake in the garden and doing an internet search to find out what kind it is. 

What about you, how do you organize your day?  or do you?

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday, Not Back to School Blog Hop and Hip Homeschool Hop.

In the garden... blueberries

Have I mentioned that we have blueberry bushes?  Well, we have three. I bought them last year (as in 2010) on clearance at Walmart.  They didn't really do much last year, in fact, I wasn't sure if one was going to make it.  But it did.  This year they had beautiful white blooms on them.  And we harvest the berries in July right after Christian and Josiah went to Philmont. 

What? You don't remember the great blueberry harvest post?

That would be because only one plant actually produced blueberries this year and it only produced four.  But I have it on good authority that those four berries were deeeelicious. 

This is what our "producing" bush looked like in March

So far my two favorite books on growing fruit are Grow Fruit and Eat Your Yard: Edible Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Herbs, and Flowers For Your Landscape.  

I knew I wanted plant them in containers since they need really acidic soil and we because we are renting right now.  After looking at all the different containers, we decided on a "homemade" one.  Carl took two 55 gallon plastic drums and cut them in half.  We (as in my boys) drilled holes in in the bottom of each one for drainage.  We (as in I) spray painted them and then filled them with peat not soil. 

This is what the same bush looks like today.  There's a lot new growth at the base.

Here's what I've learned about growing blueberries so far:

• Blueberries like acidic soil.  So if your soil is not acidic it might be easier to grow them in pots with peat instead of trying to adjust your soil. 
• Blueberries are partially self fertile, meaning that they can set fruit with their own pollen and you only need one plant.
• BUT, they will do better if you have 2 or 3 varieties (not plants but varieties) so that they can cross pollinate. 
• Blueberries like to be watered often - I've struggled with this the last few weeks and some of our leaves have burned up. 
• You can fertilize blueberries with an azalea fertilizer
• After the fruit begins to ripen you might need to cover the bush with a net to keep the birds away.
• Harvest when the berries have turned blue and also have a milky color on them.
• Yields:  About 3-5.5 pound of fruit per bush by the time it is 4 years old and up to 11 pounds for a mature bush. 

Right now, we only have one variety.  I have a friend who has a different variety and there's a bush at our church's office.  I'm planning on taking cuttings during the next few weeks and starting some of these other varieties.  Hopefully, they will take and we'll have a few more than four deeeelicious blueberries next year.

If you have any other tips for growing blueberries, please leave them in the comments. 

To see other great gardens, check out Tuesday Garden Party and Barn Hop.

You can find information about these fruits and veggies and more by clicking on the In the Garden tab up top.

tips for baking with fresh whole wheat flour

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 days we are gone for 3-4 hours at a time.  Also, Christian will have a class at the college that starts at 9am three mornings a week.  So he probably won't be eating breakfast with us most mornings and, lets face it, cold cereal just isn't very filling. 

I've had several questions lately about baking with freshly ground flour so I thought I'd share a few tips I've learned over the years.  I've mentioned before that Kara from Home With Purpose has a great series on grains.  She also recommends Grains of Truth, Using Whole Grains the Easy Way as a resource for the history of grains and other information.  So if you're wondering about the history of different grains, definitely go check out her series. 

First, let me say that the whole wheat found in the bag in the store is not the same as freshly ground whole wheat.  When you use store bought whole wheat you will probably only be able to replace about half the white flour in your recipes.  It is courser than freshly ground.  Before the grain is ground, or milled, it is completely shelf stable for a very long time - like years and years and years.  But once the hull is cracked it begins to lose nutrients and can go rancid.  There's all kinds of "information" floating around the internet about how quickly it goes rancid and how many nutrients are lost.  All I need to know is that it happens and that's enough for me.  However, if it's a choice between using all white flour or store bought wheat flour with some white flour, I'd choose the latter.

{Grain Mill}  In order to grind grain in to flour, you need a grain mill.  There are hand operated ones and electric ones.  There is no one perfect mill, each one has advantages and disadvantages.  I bought the KTEC Kitchen Mill - Grain and Flour Mill (K-Tec) about 10 years ago and have only had one time that a piece of popcorn got stuck and I had to send it in to be fixed.  I probably use the mill on average 4 days a week.  At the time, there was only this and the WhisperMill on the market and the WhisperMill was about $100 more expensive.  I had a friend who had the WhisperMill and using hers I decided that it wasn't $100 quieter than the KTEC.  The WhisperMill company went under and WonderMill bought it or reorganized it or something.  I'm not sure when NutriMill came on the market.  I have several friends who have them and love them.  I don't think they are really much quieter than the KTEC but I do love the little "drawer" that the flour drops down into.  If you don't have much space, the KTEC is the most compact.  The KTEC is manufactured in the USA and the NutriMill is manufactured in S. Korea if that is important to you. 

{Grains} There are a lot different grains available.  We mainly use hard white or red wheat, soft white wheat, popcorn and flax. 

Hard white or red wheat is what is used anytime we use a recipe that has yeast in it.  The hard wheat has more gluten in it and that is what helps the bread react with the yeast and rise.  We use this for our pizza crusts and our regular bread which we use to make loaves, rolls and hamburger buns.  We prefer the white to the red as it has a milder flavor, but before I found Honeyville Foods I sometimes could not get the white and so we've gotten used to using red, too.

Soft white wheat, or pastry wheat, is used anytime there is not yeast in the recipe.  So we use this for pancakes, waffles, quick breads, biscuits, scones, etc. 

Popcorn is ground when we want to make cornbread.  I'm not sure if all mills will grind popcorn so double check your user guide before doing this. 

Flax cannot be ground in the grain mill because it is too oily.  We have a coffee grinder that is used only for the flax.  I don't usually measure the flax, I just pour it in the mill, grind it up and then dump it into the recipe with the other dry ingredients.  I've added it to lots of recipes without having to adjust any other measurements. 

{Measuring} One cup of wheat berries (that is what that the whole wheat is called) will give you about one and half cups of flour.  For some recipes I don't even measure the flour, just the berries.  For instance, I know that I need 7.5 cups of flour for our waffles.  So I grind 5 cups of berries and then just dump the flour into the bowl.  For other recipes, like our pizza crusts, I measure the flour.  I usually have extra and I keep a bag in the freezer to put any extra flour in.  I don't keep them separate, I just keep adding to the bag.  At some point I will want to make something like cinnamon toast cake and need just a few cups of flour and so this is the flour I will use.  I just don't use for things with yeast. 



{Cost} How cost effective is it to grind your own flour and cook from scratch?  I have no idea.  And honestly for us it doesn't really matter. We feel better when we don't eat alot of white flour and processed foods. 

After the initial cost of the mill (which for me has averaged $15 a year and that average will decrease with each year I have my mill) the only other non normal expense would be the grain.  Wheat is about $1 a pound when you order from Honeyville Foods and they charge $4.49 to ship your order right to your door.  White flour in our local store is about $2 for a 5lb bag, so the wheat berries are definitely more than buying white flour.  Whole wheat flour is anywhere from $4-$5 for a 5lb bag, so milling your own is very comparable in cost to whole wheat flour in the grocery store. 

If you have any questions or tips feel free to leave them in comments. 

For more great recipes, check out Tasty Tuesday.

entrepreneurial children

We have always encouraged our children to be entrepreneurial.  Obviously, we provide for them, but we also want them to learn how to make money and not always be dependent on others to provide them with what they want.  We feel it is even more essential in this economic climate that people have more than one stream of income.

So, at times, you may find my children destroying salvaging copper out of old electronics, hauling scrap metal or going with a contractor friend of ours to rip out wiring out of old building he's remodeling.   On Fridays, you will find my older boys mowing lawns...even in 100+ degree weather.  And last Thanksgiving Gabriel and Phoebe made and sold lots and lots of pies.

Phoebe has stumbled upon a new little venture.  Remember the baby shower gifts we made a few months ago?  The burp rags were a hit and ladies from the church have been ordering them from her.   It's been really great for her.  We don't know where it will lead, but it sure is motivating to have a skill that people will pay you for. 

At times, more often than I care to admit, I've not wanted to make the time to teach Phoebe to sew or to take my guys to mow.  But, I make myself because I know that it will be time well spent.

Now that they are older I see the confidence that they have in areas that a lot of people in today's world just don't have.  I also see that they are not afraid to try new things or to fail.  If they try something and it doesn't work out like they hope, they just don't do it anymore. 

So, how do you teach your children to be entrepreneurial?

To see other great crafts, check out Made by You Monday.

To make the burp rags

• cut a piece of fabric about 7 inches by 14 inches (the width of the diaper plus an inch).
• fold over the sides so that the fabric and the diaper are the same width.
• pin fabric to diaper
• sew the 2 sides that you folded over. sew very close to the edge.
• use a close zig zag stitch to finish the bottom
• sew the top with a straight stitch
• cut a 14 inch length of ribbon
• fold over the sides to make it the width of the diaper
• pin to the top of the fabric (to hide the raw edges)
• sew along each long side of the ribbon very close to the edge.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. (Amanda Soule)

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

reading, writing and arithmetic

I really like to keep things simple here at our house and so if something works for us, I just continue using it.  Even if something "better" comes along.  Now if something isn't working I switch it up until I either find something that works or decide its something we should not be doing anyway. 

This is where I find myself as we begin this new school year.  Christian is in his last year and so I feel like I've pretty much figured out what works for us for each subject.  Occasionally we'll add something in or change something for one child.  But for the most part I just use the same stuff we've used all these years and don't even really look at the new "better" stuff that is being published.  It's kind of freeing. 

These are our main school bookshelves.  The 3 black bucks on the left are for Gabriel,
Phoebe and Benjamin.  We keep the cuisenaire rods,  wooden pattern blocks and the
Leap Pad on the bottom shelf.  The white bucket has some math flash cards
and some other math enrichment stuff.  Christian and Josiah keep their school
work in their rooms.

So here's the low down on what our school year curriculum will look like this year

{Christian} 
Art, Speech and Computer at our local community college
SAT Prep Class (co-op)
Literature (co-op)
Drama
Apologia Chemistry (focus on writing lab reports as he has already taken this class)
Teaching Textbooks Geometry (finish up last bit from last year)

{Josiah}
Apologia Chemistry (co-op)
Teaching Textbooks Algebra 2
SAT Prep (co-op)
Literature (co-op)
Notgrass World History, Literature and Bible
Drama

For the Easy Grammar I just have the teacher book.  It has the worksheet on
the left and the answers on the right.  It is reproducible, but I just cut a plastic
page protector and slip it over the page and let them write with a dry erase marker.
When they are done, they remove the page I have to cover the answers on the
right and check their own work. 

{Gabriel}
Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1
Apples Spelling vol. 2
Easy Grammar Plus
Literature (co-op)
Creative writing (co-op)

{Phoebe}
Teaching Textbooks Math 6
Apples Spelling vol. 1
Easy Grammar Plus
Literature (co-op)
Creative writing (co-op)
 Art (co-op)

{Benjamin}
Miquon Math Purple Book
Teaching Textbooks Math 5
Spelling - to be determined
Art (co-op)
Creative writing (co-op)

I am so very excited about this addition to our homeschool this year.  I've read
almost the entire book!  We are sharing the book so instead of ripping out the
page to write on I bought composition books for us.  I know...big spender!

{Together Time}
Bible Reading
Rip the Page - Adventures in Creative Writing
Christian Kids Explore Chemistry (Christian and Josiah won't be doing this)
Mystery of History 3 (Christian and Josiah won't be doing this)

I'll be posting some ideas for Esther soon.  She really needs to be kept busy!

So this is our year.  I'm excited, I think I have the right balance of fun and academic.  Most of all, I don't feel overwhelmed when I look at what we've planned.  And that is always a good thing.

To see what others are doing in their homeschools, check out Hip Homeschool Hop and "Not" Back to School Blog Hop

In the garden... end of season update

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 off 6 plants.  The 119 pounds from our friends were also celebrity. They planted 30 plants and estimate that they probably harvested over 300 pounds.  We will be planting at least 30 celebrity plants next year for canning.  They are more watery than the Romas but they did much better.  The Lemon Boy tomatoes tasted great and even though we didn't get very many of them we will still plant a couple of plants, same with the yellow pear tomatoes and the heirloom tomatoes.  We will just use these to eat fresh.  The Romas did terrible this year - it might be because they got moved when the watermelons took over.  We'll probably plant one or two plants next year just to give them another chance. 

{Green Beans} The green beans did terrible. We had beautiful plants but very few beans. I will have to do some research before we plant these again. I have a friend whose 9 year old daughter planted a lot of pintos in their garden for fun and they had tons of beans. Maybe we'll do that and just take the strings off when we prepare them.

{Cucumbers} Again, these were terrible. I planted a pickling kind this year. Next year I will plant regular cucumbers and just pick them when they are small. That is what I did last year.

{Summer Squash}  Our yellow squash did great... until the vine borers hit.  That was the same for all of our summer squash.  We injected liquid bt into the vines and have not seen any new grubs or moths in a few weeks.  Hopefully we have eradicated them.  We'll till up the squash beds several times during the fall and spring to hopefully kill any that are overwintering in the soil.

{Winter Squash} Our winter squash had similar issues as the summer squash.  I have one lone small spaghetti squash - thanks to the vine borers and earwigs.  Last year I had 12, plus 5 pie pumpkins.  We'll also be tilling up these beds several times.

{Onions} Our onions did great - except the few that bolted.  We've already eaten all of them, so this fall we need to plant about 300.

{Cilantro and Basil} both of these did great.  We froze the cilantro to use throughout the year in cooked food and we made a years worth of pesto with the basil.

{Carrots}  The carrots had trouble germinating and so we didn't have very many.  We also didn't weed as diligently as we should have so it became a weedy mess.  As the heat rose they began to get a little bitter so we fed them to the chickens.  Next year we will use burlap to help them germinate and, hopefully, keep them weeded better. 

{Peppers} The cayenne peppers are still going strong. We've given up on weighing them but I we can easily pick 40 peppers a week from 4 plants. The banana peppers are doing well. We eat more of these and are picking 3-4 each week from 2 plants.

{Garlic}  Our regular garlic was a failure this year. Next year, we will order garlic bulbs instead of just buying them from the grocery store.  The elephant garlic did well. 

{Potatoes}  We got 30 pounds of potatoes from a 10 pound bag that we planted.  These were just from the store and so we weren't sure how they would do.  I think potatoes may be the easiest thing I've ever grown. They didn't store long, though.  Next year I'll order seed potatoes and research to find out what kind stores best when you don't have a cellar. 

{Corn}  Our corn was okay.  I didn't put mineral oil on the tassels and the corn worms got it.  We didn't like the flavor.  I know this will sound funny, but it was kind of starchy, gooy in texture.  Yes, I know that corn is a starch.  However, the corn I bought at the store (locally produced) was much juicier and sweeter.  It may have been from not getting enough water?  I'll have to research it.  If we can't grow corn we like there's no sense in planting it. If we plant corn next year we'll put soaker hoses in that bed.

{Okra}  The okra is doing great.  I wish I could have planted them a little earlier so that we could have been enjoying them earlier.

{Melons}  We had a beautiful watermelon patch that literally took over 3 other beds.  However, we have not had one ripe melon.  The vines are dying and the melons which should be ripe are still white.  Very disappointing.  We had this happen last year with some of our melons.  I know their getting enough sun!  Again, we'll have to do some research this winter and try to figure it out.  We have not had this happen when we lived in other places so it might be the soil.  When melons are selling for $5 each at the store it is worth my time to grow them. 

Overall, we're happy with the garden.  It certainly wasn't as productive as we had hoped but for being in the middle of a drought I think it did okay.  Officially, we've had about 7.5 inches of rain so far this year.  Normally, we have about 29 inches by now.  I think our homemade irrigation system really helped.

So how is your garden growing?

To see other great gardens, check out Frugal Gardening 101 and Garden Party Tuesday.