We’ve been snowbound today, something that is not a usual circumstance for us.  It honestly has felt good today to be all at home as a family, snacking, working on projects, and just being quiet.  Whenever I pass by the window I can see the bright snow!

The white snow was especially pretty against the camellia blooms, both the bright red blooms and the older tea-stained-looking blooms.  I took a couple of walks outside to feed the bunnies and to walk Annie.  Annie is now used to the snow and totally loves it!

Tomorrow I’m planning to start my feminine and frugal dress series.  It’ll be fun!  I won’t promise that that’s all I’ll talk about, but I will try to post a “new” outfit each day.

Something we’ve snacked on these snowy days:

Easy Crockpot Peanut Clusters

two 16 oz jars of dry-roasted peanuts (I use 1-1/2 jars instead of all 2 and think they’re better this way)
one 12-oz bag of white chocolate morsels
one 12-oz bag of milk chocolate morsels
one 12-oz bag of semi-sweet morsels

Put the peanuts in the crockpot and spread over bottom.  Empty all three bags of morsels onto the top of the peanuts, trying to keep the morsels in the center and not touching the sides of the crockpot.  Some will touch — you can’t help it, but try.  Let cook on low for two hours.  Turn crockpot off, stir until well-mixed and then drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.  Let sit in a cool room until hard.  I drop mine onto wax paper on my large freezer in the very cold pantry where they harden very quickly!  If yours turn out like ours, you’ll be hooked!

Yesterday was a work day, but I had the unexpected pleasure of a morning off due to work being low.  Doctors take time off too, you know.

I took a walk outside and cut rosemary to season chicken breasts.  Browned in olive oil with the rosemary and coarse ground pepper, the chicken breasts were then covered with water and cooked all day in the crock pot. 

Then I worked on my pins.  Outside was so dreary and gray, it seemed good to be inside working on something cheery.

Oh the bright colors in this one!

Today is a work day, again, and I feel sure there will be plenty of work to keep me busy for 8 hours.  But the bunnies are fed, Annie has been walked and I’ve looked over my brooches this morning, dreaming and planning and thinking of sitting down tonight to do a bit more work.

Have a lovely Saturday!

Are you addicted to anything at the moment?  Dear friends, I must confess an addiction that surfaces this time of year.  It happens to be fattening.  It’s something I can talk myself right into not being able to live without.  From behind the heavy refrigerator door, I can hear the milk and whipped cream whispering my name.  What’s more, the entire family is following in my footsteps.

All it takes is

• a cup of milk
• a spoonful of cocoa
•  sugar to taste — usually 2 spoons of sugar to 1 spoon of cocoa

Heated to perfection while stirring, into a pretty cup it goes.  Whipped cream with a fine sprinkle of cinnamon makes the perfect topping.

Yum.

Remember all the mulberries?  Many went into the freezer.

Today on break, 1 cup of frozen mulberries, one container of Chobani strawberry yogurt, half a banana – frozen, a few ice cubes, about 1/4 cup of vanilla rice milk.  Blend.  Yum.

The cup and way cool huge straw?  Saved from the last time I had a strawberry yogurt smoothie from Pandera Bread.

Benefits:  low cal, antioxidants, good for intestinal flora, easy.

Lynn

Wow, our school year has come to a close.  Do you hear me, people?  A CLOSE.  Well, offiically tomorrow, but what do YOU think most kids do the last day of school?  I could see Joseph’s and Michaela’s brains slipping out the car windows into the hot summer air as we sped along I-40 on our way home from end-of-year testing on Tuesday.   Get more work out of them?  Yeah, right!

Me?  My mind was on whether or not there was a Goodwill in the town they were being tested in.

You know there was.

Look.  I know I said I was going to put the brakes on.  I said that.  Yes I did.  But what else could I do during the several hours they were being tested? Here were my options.

a) sit in a 100-degree car and wait
b) go shopping at Goodwill

I ask you, what would you have done?

And I think you would be proud to know that I did not shop the entire time they were testing.  For quite some time I sat in the consultant’s parlor and did some reading and writing.   (But that was only because they were not done testing when I got back to her house.)

I am tired.  It’s a happy tired, but tired nonetheless.  Am I the only one who feels this exhausted after working and schooling and keeping house all year?  I think not.  So, this post will contain a bit of everything, but I’ll try to make it coherent.

Hamlet

Yes, we finished Hamlet a few weeks back and it was a wonderful experience!  All I can say is Shakespeare was a genius writer and had great insight into human nature.  Joseph loved it!

We did watch a movie verson of Hamlet, the one with Mel Gibson, and I’m glad we did because I had not pictured Ophelia being quite as insane as she had actually become.  We watched it after we’d read the entire play.    Michaela was not allowed to see it.  She saw a little at the beginning and then was excused.  There are some very intense scenes near the end of the movie that I’m glad she did not see.

Test Scores

In a nutshell, after a whole year of work, Joseph still spells like a third grader.  It just runs in hubby’s family to not be able to spell.  I would take credit for the spelling horrors if they were from my side of the family but I must give credit where credit is due.  It comes from hubby.  Believe me, there are plenty of blundering things that come from my side of the family.   Miss Priss spells like I do.  Two grade levels ahead.  Same with math.    In other areas Joseph has continued to grow.  He’s made great strides in math.  The amazing thing is that his reading comprehension has only increased.  It was third year college last year.  It’s fifth year this year.   So in spite of Joseph’s spelling woes, I am thrilled with our testing.  He comprehends, he calculates.  And, I still have hope that if we do ONLY spelling this whole entire summer, every day, the way I plan to do it, he’ll be somewhere acceptable by the time I hand him his diploma this fall. 

Why am I sharing this?  Because I know I’m not the only one who’s been blessed with a child who struggles with spelling.  And I fully believe that if God created him, which He did, He has a useful place for him to fill, whether he can spell well or not. 

Gardening

My mind is ablaze with garden ideas, and these days I am nearly ablaze while working in the garden.  It’s been HOT.  Nevertheless, I have forged ahead, moving borders, weeding and enjoying.  We have also been taking nature walks (great “Prairie Tuesday” fun) to cut plant specimens from the roadsides. 

Hops Clover

It is so much fun to place the plants into a book to be pressed while in the meantime we find the names — common and scientific, and write down some information about each plant.  After the plant has dried we place the specimen and the information into a laminating pocket and laminate it for the plant notebook we’re making!

I can’t believe it’s bedtime on Thursday evening.  Tomorrow is a work day, but I’m thankful to have work at home.  (Girls, I tell myself this every week and I’m sure you all are cheering me on.  TYPE TYPE TYPE.)

We had homemade pizza tonight, and Reed’s Extra Ginger Brew.  Yum.   That’s all I can say about it.  It’s real ginger-ale.

My pizza has spinach on it.  The children like meat.  I like veggies.  Some of us are on fire with our spelling skills.  Some of us cannot spell at all.  We are a big genetic jumble.  But we all love each other to pieces.  Ain’t it great?

I’m sorry we did not get to do Prairie Tuesday this week.  I was hoping for today, but this week has just been too busy with end-of-year festivities.   I plan to continue having fun with it through the summer.  Michaela will be required to read and we will keep up with penpals.  Joseph, of course, will be spelling.   

Happy Thursday,

Lynn

The mulberries continue to ripen.  The tree is full of mulberries.  I read a little bit more in Mark this morning, had some green tea and peeped out the window.

I don’t know of any better therapy than picking berries.  Actually there is one:  picking berries with a friend.

Grab a bowl or a basket and join me. 

Rosemary Gladstar said in her Family Herbal:  “What we do and don’t eat, a healthy daily dose of exercise, good sleeping habits, and a positive perspective on life are the golden keys to a high-quality, productive life. ”

I can agree with that.

Enjoy some fresh air and nature today.  Practice thankfulness and cultivate the habit of happiness. 

Happy Saturday,

Lynn

About 9 years ago we had a tornado go right over our house.  Sadly, it pulled up a huge, old, black walnut tree and laid it across our neighbor’s house.  Fortunately, no one was hurt, though I did hide in a closet with our four children during the entire storm.  About a year later a red mulberry tree began to grow where the black walnut tree had been.  This year it is loaded with sweet mulberries!  It has produced for several years now, but I think this is the best year so far.

I went out this morning to gather a small bowl of mulberries for my breakfast.  I like that the mulberries ripen in successive batches, so I’m not overwhelmed with a treeful of fruit all at one time.  It gives me time to decide what to do with it all.  The birds are definitely enjoying the ripening mulberries as much as I am!

The mulberries range in color as they ripen from white to red to almost black.  They have a sweet flavor when ripe which is hard to describe to you if you’ve never had one; it’s a little bit like a blackberry, perhaps, but not nearly exactly like one.  As with any other fruit, mulberries have their own distinctive flavor.  

I noticed as I was picking that the fruits that are ripe will just “let go” at the slightest touch.  In fact, I kept my large enamelware bowl close to where I was picking to catch any falling strays.

The ripe mulberries made me think of what I’ve been reading about in the Gospel According to Mark when Jesus began to call his disciples.  It says of Simon and Andrew, “straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.”  It says of James and John that they “left their father” and “went after him.”  It says that Levi ”arose and followed.”  It made me happy as I picked, to think that the Lord knows exactly the moment we are ready to “let go” to do what he asks and also that he is able to make us ready to do what he asks.

Happy Monday!

Lynn

I first saw this at Cultivating Home, so thank you Hannah for posting that!  I enjoyed watching.  I wanted to share these lovely videos here as well.  I’ll also be putting a link to them in my side bar.

Enjoy!

Lynn

Oh. My. Goodness. This bread is so delicious, and every time I make it it turns out perfect. In fact, it barely makes it to the table.  It’s not me, it’s the recipe.  We are having this tonight with homemade chicken and dumplings. A lot of carbs, I know, but hey, there’s snow on the ground.

I may have posted this recipe before, but it’s worth repeating.

Bread Machine Herb Cheese Bread

1-1/4 cups milk, heated for 1 minute in the microwave
1/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 cups bread flour
1 TBSP olive oil
another 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp active dry yeast

Add all ingredients in the above-listed order into the bread machine. My bread machine calls for me to always add the yeast last and to put it into a little hole on the top of the flour so it doesn’t mix with the liquid ingredients. Select basic white bread setting. Use 1.5 pound loaf.

Enjoy!  Yum. 

Lynn

Spinach Quiche

Prepared deep-dish 9-inch pie shell
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons grated cheddar or Romano cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Combine eggs and the next 6 ingredients and blend well. Stir in spinach and feta cheese and pour into pastry shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes (or until set).

Venison Sausage Quiche

Prepared deep-dish 9-inch pie shell
1 pound ground venison sausage, browned
8 ounces grated cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons minced onion
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Layer alternately into pie shell the browned ground sausage and cheese.  Top with minced onion.  Combine the eggs with the next three ingredients and mix well.  Pour over meat and cheese in pie shell.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until set. 

Be Happy This Day,

Lynn