Random Ramblings and Jumbled Thoughts

More homeschool books came today! You would think it was Christmas with all the excitement! My eldest can't wait for tomorrow, just so she can start her new books. Isn't it wonderful how exciting learning can be, when you make the environment a positive one? They are constantly doing something worthwhile with their time, whether it be Legos, crocheting, or sit down work. Their little minds are always working and learning!

The books we bought are the Rod & Staff Spelling workbook, and her Bible workbook. We really like this curriculum because of the simplicity of the books, and how reasonable the price is especially when you buy from Ebay. That is my secret tip of the day! Ebay is great for discounted homeschool books! I always check there before going to the publishers website. The savings really add up, even if it's a few dollars here and there.

I have been at a loss for what to do about history. I have read that living books are great, but where do I find them, and how do you know they are good books? I was thinking curriculum, but which one do I choose? It's all overwhelming! So, what am I doing in the mean time? Watching a lot of National Geographic shows, History Channel shows, and letting the girls watch Liberty's Kids. I cannot say enough about that cartoon. I am not sure on the accuracy of historical events, but I know they are learning the basics. After each cartoon, I ask them questions, and they can answer them pretty well. Right now they are watching about the Boston Tea Party, and when they are finished I am going to do a project with them to reinforce what they learned. Homeschooling at it's finest!

Great Blog I Found

I was surfuring from blog to blog, and found myself at Simpler Living. This blog is chock-full of tips, articles, and sites for living simpler. From eating healthy, to owning only 100 items, this place has it all! I am particularly interested in the articles teaching about purging the possessions that seem to be weighing me down. I have gotten rid of quite a bit, but there is still so much around me. Especially in the girls' rooms. So, tomorrow I will be purging for the second time this week, and hopefully will get rid of more. Quite a bit more. I have a good idea where I will start (6 year old's room), and I am gonna have to be sneaky about it. She is not fond of purge day! The last time I went through her room, she was crying in the front, agonizing over her departed toys. When the time came for her to check out her room, she couldn't figure out what was gone! Yep, she has that much!

After the 6 year olds room I am going to go into my room and start. It seems that is where our dumping ground is. Right where I lay to rest and sleep! Doesn't sound like a very relaxing environment to me!

When all is done, I am going to make a conscious effort to stop accumulating stuff. I am not a shopper, whatsoever, but I do enjoy the thrift shop every now and then. I pair of shoes for 1.00 seems too good to pass up, but then I know I will never wear them! This is my downfall, and I fear that I am passing it to my eldest daughter. I better stop now while they are all still young, or I might be in for some trouble later on down the road!

Menu Plan Monday

A new week is here! What are all of your plans for the coming days? Tomorrow I will be spending time with a great friend, and her adorable children. Hopefully later this week I will have a location for our Girl Scout troop to be meeting. I have a particular place in mind, so keep your fingers crossed that I get the go ahead. My girls are getting super anxious for their first meeting!

Here is my menu for the week.

Monday- Crockpot Vegetarian Lasagna

Tuesday- Taco Casserole

Wednesday- Pear Prosciutto Pizza (make sure your pears are ripe, or you will have a dry pizza)

Thursday- Sweet Potato Chili

Friday- Split Pea Soup

Saturday- Stir Fried Rice

Sunday- Leftovers. I deserve a day of rest...Right?

Easiest Snack On Earth!

I was hankering for some garlic. Lots and lots of garlic! So I decided to do this...

-Roast a whole head of garlic
-Toast 8 baguette slices in 1tbs butter
-Rub one roasted garlic clove on each piece of bread
-Drizzle olive oil over all bread slices
-Sprinkle Basil and Pepper over the top

That's it! There was nothing to it! The only step that took 30 minutes was the roasting of the garlic. Everything else was a cinch! I hope you enjoy what I made, and if you alter the recipe and find it better, let me know!

My Day In Pictures

I love to read blog posts that show pictures of what the author does. It makes me feel like they have invited me into their home, and I get to experience the way they live, and what is important to them. They have inspired me to grab my own camera and document my almost every movement. I hope you enjoy my day, and hopefully are encouraged to share yours.

The first thing I do when I get up is check on my garden. The caterpillars have devoured my tomatoes, but my bell peppers are doing pretty good!




I also had to add algaecide to the pool this morning. Looks cool and refreshing, doesn't it!



Next I have to start breakfast, and clean the kitchen. Today for breakfast is peanut butter toast, scrambled eggs, and grapes.



Clean, clean, clean!!



After breakfast is when we usually start our lessons. We are using Rod & Staff for my 5th grader, and 1st grader.



While they are working on their lessons I get started on some salsa. This snack is so fresh and yummy!

These are all the ingredients I need to make this...



and here is the final product. Doesn't it look wonderful?

After the salsa was done, I got the girls started on their lapbooks. Lexi is doing TheHuman Body, and Cadyn is doing The Ants Go Marching.

While they are doing their lessons I made a batch of Banana Chocolate Chip muffins. Let me just say that they did not last very long!


Then I have to clean the kitchen.....again! It never seems to be clean! Do you see our science project up on the window sill? It is a Venus Flytrap! It currently has one fly in it's trap, and we are eagerly waiting to see what happens when it opens back up.

After I cleaned the kitchen we decided to go outside for a little while. You know, to get our wiggles out!


The girls were worn out by this time, so we all laid down for quiet time until it was time to make dinner. Dinner was Spaghetti with home made noodles, and french bread. Sorry, but I forgot to take a picture of it. I was too hungry!

I hope you all enjoyed my day! It was a lot of fun to put together for you, and maybe I will do it again. You will just have to keep coming back to see!

Whole Wheat Bread in the Bread Machine

This is a re-post from last month, but it is so good that I had to put in my favorites! This bread comes out moist and stays that way. Just what I like!

Perfect Sandwich Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup lukewarm water

1 TB milk

2 TB oil (vegetable, olive, canola...it all works fine)

2 TB honey

2 TB brown sugar

1 tsp salt

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp yeast

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a bread machine in the order according to your manufacturer's instructions (the above list is how I add mine).

Set your machine to the Dough cycle (my machine takes 90 minutes).

After the cycle is complete, remove the dough and place it into a well-greased loaf pan.

Brush the top with a small amount of oil (optional, but gives the bread a nice shine & crust).

Cover the pan with a dish towel and place in a warm spot of your kitchen. (I put mine in an oven that I preheated to 200 degrees, then turned off).

Let the dough rise for 30-45 minutes.

Remove the towel and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Rosemary Bread in the Bread Machine

I love the way this bread smells while cooking! It is my favorite snacking bread, but it goes well with soups and other saucy meals.

There are a lot of spices in this bread, but do not skimp! I promise that you will love the outcome! The pepper lends it a slight (very slight) spice, and the rosemary is perfect. I hope you enjoy this bread, and comment below letting me know what meal your paired it with.

-1 cup water
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
-1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
-1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning or Basil and Oregano
-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1/2-1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (dried will work fine, but the rosemary will not be as strong)
-2 1/2 cups bread flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1. Place ingredients in your bread machine according to the manufacturers recommendations. Select the white bread cycle, and press Start. That is it!