Tuesday

Today is the second day of school. DD is doing math now. Ds is playing in his room. A productive day so far.

We have been to the garden this morning. This was a break between classes. I have to do some freezing and canning today. Summer squash and tomatos have to be put up. Our neighbor gave us some peaches so they are on the counter waiting to rippen. He also told us to go and pick pears off his tree. We will go over on Saturday and start that project. Dh will do most of the outside work while I figure out what to do with the produce. Hope you have a great day. God Bless. I

09:52 - Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - comments {0}

School has started

What was I thinking? Just Joking. We went through all of the Bob Jones Orientation today and one spelling lesson. I really do have a slight headache. DD and I stopped between subjects and did other things. Ds had to be played with and cared for..... I have a "schedule" made out for our school and this will be adjusted in the next few weeks. It will depend on what works for us this year. The curriculium is different and better than what we have used in the past.

Our family is still attending the same Church for several weeks. So far this seems to be the right fit for our family. We are still in prayer.

We finished deep cleaning the house last week. This will give us some free time for the next two weeks. (I will just quick clean twice a week) When we start something new in our house (School), this seems to help my stress level. Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday. God Bless. I

03:27 - Monday, July 21, 2008 - comments {2}

New School Books

I finally ordered my curriculum on Monday (2:00 PM). I was thinking that it would come, by UPS, the next week. We were having supper on Tuesday and the UPS man delivered the 4 boxes. Praise The Lord. This will give me time to review the material before Monday. I had some other curriculum that I was going to use if the ordering was delayed. Now, I can use the Bob Jones material. When I opened the boxes, I went into curriculum overload.

Dh looked at all the boxes and told me that I would need a bookshelf. So, he went outside and built one. He used recycled wood and put the project together in less than an hour. It just fits nicely beside my computer station/dining room/school room. I hope you like the pictures. Dh will paint the bookcase whenever we take some time off from School. It will take some time to dry (not smell like paint) before we bring the book case into the house. Until then, we will use the bookshelf un-painted. What a blessing Dh is to our family.

The last few days, our Family, has been busy getting all of our projects done. We plan to start School on Monday and I like to start the School year with a deep-cleaned house. I plan on finishing the cleaning projects today and steam-cleaning the carpet tonight. This has to be finished today. I can not look at that carpet another day. (I guess I could if I was lazier. Lol.) Also, I will continue to look through the curriculum. I believe dd will enjoy 6^th Grade. Have a blessed day. I

09:11 - Thursday, July 17, 2008 - comments {1}

Library Day/Pic of Garden

The children and I are going to the library today. It seems like forever since we have been out of the house. Not really, but it seems that way. I would rather stay at home and put a bigger principal payment on the house.  Our family is still working on the goal to pay of the house early.

Our garden is doing wonderful. I canned some tomatos and also froze some. Today, after the library, I will be pickling watermelon rinds. (Our wonderful neighbor gave us three watermelons) I have never done this but today will be a first. This year I am canning more than I ever have. Next year, I hope to have a pressure canner and will start that task. I am hoping to find on at a yard sale. I have a picture of our garden. Dh and dd have done a great job on the garden.

08:11 - Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - comments {1}

Saturday Morning

I have a big to-do list this morning. I am waiting for ds and dh to wake up so I can start the day. Dh talked about getting an early start this morning but he is still asleep. 

After supper, last night, we worked in the garden. Another bucket full of produce. God is good. In the freezer, I put up 8 more bags of squash and zucchini. Someone at dh's work gave him some corn. I put up 6 bags of corn. My hope this winter is to not buy any vegetables. We will see. I am going to can some tomatos soon. I want to can 42 pints of tomatos. Our watermelons are doing wonderful and will freeze some for the winter (have never done). This year, I am doing a lot with our produce. We have never had a garden this size and we are enjoying the rewards. Soon, we will buy our own tiller to use on our garden. I feel we will have a slightly bigger garden next year. I have to go out and document what plants we have so that I will have a reference for next year. I am already keeping track of the produce. Have a great day. God Bless. I

I forgot to mention that we are looking to buy a mopped/scooter. Does anyone have one? This will be for dh to ride back and forth to work. I

07:17 - Saturday, July 12, 2008 - comments {0}

Getting ready for School

The next 2 weeks will be busy. Making sure that all of my housework are finished, freezing/canning, and getting ready for school. What fun. Well, some of it is fun. I am working on lesson plans and decorating my doors(computer cabinet) to reflect each child. I will post pictures in the next few weeks.

I am going to do some deep cleaning tomorrow. I am going to send the children outside with dh so I can get some things done. God Bless. I

10:41 - Friday, July 11, 2008 - comments {0}

Maybe Rain

We missed the bad storms that came to our part of the world. Rain would have been good but not the high winds. I am watering the garden this morning and after picking our bucket full of harvest. PTL! Everytime I put up vegetables, I am so thankful. The Lord is providing for my Family. In a few days,  I will be canning tomatos. Yah! I have a bunch of pint jars and hope to fill all of the jars this summer. Dh and I talked about getting some corn from the Farmer's Market. I can put this in the freezer for the winter. (I feel like a squirrel getting ready for the winter.)

Yesterday, I managed to clean the house and can salsa. This is Fire Salsa. (I put to many peppers in the salsa.) Oh well. Another mistake that I will use for something. I am always creating a dish from mistakes. I have a few things on my to do list today. I am getting the house ready for school (1 1/2 weeks) and getting stuff ready for a yard sale in a few weeks. Clean out the clutter and we will use the money to go to a concert. Hope everyone has a blessed day. I

09:06 - Wednesday, July 9, 2008 - comments {0}

Tuesday

12:15 - Tuesday, July 8, 2008 - comments {1}

Early Monday Morning

What a long weekend. I don't know if anyone else felt this way, but to me it was sooo long. I'm not sure I got a lot accomplished but today I will make up for the laziness. We had a wonderful time at Church yesterday. This was the third time that we visited this Church. I will pray this week and talk to Dh about whether to continue to go.

At this moment, I am printing out lesson plans for the upcoming school year. I think dd (me too) is ready for school to start. I have purchased ds a few things for "school". He is so excited. DD and I cleaned out some of her old school supplies and she had a lot of extras. We put together DS a pencil box with pencils, crayons and such. He is so excited. This will help keep him occupied whenever DD needs my attention with school work. I will try to get the house "Spring" cleaned, again, before school starts. This will allow us more time to get into a routine of school. Our carpet needs to be cleaned so I am hoping that we will get everything done this week. DD might go to VBS, next week, so that will be a lot of late nights.  

Yesterday afternoon was spent in the next big town. (About an hour away) Extended family had a cookout and the my children got to see all the cousins. They played and played and played. I hope that they sleep in a little. Not sure about Ds. We didn't get home until after 8:00 and that is late for me. (I like to be at home when the street lights come on. lol) I was able to go to Dollar Tree and pick up some cute school supplies and Wal-Mart. I am getting prepared for school. On the 18th, I will take the children school clothes shopping. (This really means shopping for socks and underwear because they have everything else). Hope everyone has a blessed day. I

06:18 - Monday, July 7, 2008 - comments {0}

Happy 4th of July

Hope everyone has a wonderful day with your families. Our family went to see the fireworks at our local highschool. Ds had a wonderful time. He clapped and yelled after every explosion. Having children, can be such a joy.

I made another squash and zucchini recipe.

Squash and Zucchini Stir Fry

Left-over brown rice

Sautéed zucchini and squash (I used one each cooked in olive oil)

Scrambled eggs (I used three)

Shredded left-over pork (chicken can be used)

Soy sauce (I used the Bragg)

Onion powder

Pepper

Warm all together and you have Supper.

 DD and I put 8 quarts of zucchini and squash in the freezer. This was something I was not going to do but decided to freeze the squash and zucchini. I think it turned out wonderful. More food for the winter. I feel like a squirrel.

We have an Aunt coming for dinner/cookout today. I would like to make a dessert but not sure what. I need to look through a few cookbooks and find some ideas. When I planned out my menu, I forgot about the fourth. Shame on me, it happens. Hope everyone has a wonderful day. God Bless. I

07:20 - Friday, July 4, 2008 - comments {1}

Home

Today will be another enjoyable day around the home. My to-do list is very short so that leaves a peaceful day. I will do my grocery/banking tomorrow because Friday is a holiday. It changes some plans but not many.

We are going to grill out on the 4^th of July. Kielbasa on the grill. On Saturday, a local fire department will have a hot dog fund raiser so I didn’t want hotdogs two days in a row. I am going to try and stock-up on some extras this week. Hurricane season is here. I have most of my stuff but there are a few things on my emergency list to go. Please check your emergency lists and start stocking up.

The children played with play-doh, again. I don’t know why I didn’t have the stuff out before. Hours of fun entertainment. Ds has a short attention span (he is 2) and this is wonderful. He will also watch God Rocks. This is the only TV that he watches except for The Beverly Hillbillies. Hope everyone is having a blessed day. I

09:09 - Wednesday, July 2, 2008 - comments {4}

Tuesday

Hello Everyone. Just a normal day in our life. We got out early today so that we could go to the library. My children needed some time out to do one of their favorite things. DD loves the library as much as I do. Ds is getting there. Slowly.

Our garden is doing wonderful. More zucchini and squash for the picking. We also have lots of bell peppers, a few okra and tomatoes at every meal. I am hoping to be able to can some tomatoes soon. I made a new squash dish last night. Dh loved it. So simple. I peeled and cut up some new potatoes (from farmer’s market) and boiled them. I put some olive oil in a sauté pan and put the cut up yellow squash in the pan. When the potatoes were done, I put the drained potatoes in the sauté pan. I added seasoning salt, garlic powder and pepper into the pan. I let them get slightly brown and they were done. Yummy. I am still trying to find one hundred ways to use zucchini and yellow squash. Lol. God Bless. I

10:47 - Tuesday, July 1, 2008 - comments {0}

Tired

07:40 - Sunday, June 29, 2008 - comments {1}

Yesterday

Yesterday was a day away from the children. Yes, I said away from the children. Two of my homeschool friends (and one older daughter) went to the bulk store, lunch at Sub-Way, A Christian used book store and a Salvage Store. We talked and had such a great time. This is what I needed. Having Fellowship with Christian Women is a blessing.

Dh took the day off work and stayed with the children. They seemed to have a wonderful time. Dh filled up the small pool and they swam around. A great time was had by all. When I got home last night, Dh had the table looking beautiful. I had put pork chops in the crock-pot when I left and he had everything else fixed. It was nice coming home from a long day (even though it was fun) and sitting down and eating a wonderful meal. What a blessing. I feel rejuvenated. Hope everyone is having a blessed day. I

08:49 - Friday, June 27, 2008 - comments {2}

Play-doh

The children are sitting, at the table, playing with play-doh. Just a sweet moment in my day. We have already been out of the house this morning. I am shopping for potty pants and can't find any. Everything seems to be throw aways. I have purchased 5 from yard sales. I need  a bit more. Maybe this weekend we will go to a Rose's in another town. Dh needs to buy some Church clothes and we can run over to Roses (discount store).

I  wanted to post a picture of a Blueberry Cheesecake that I made on Monday. I got the recipe from Amy Jo. Thanks AJ! It was yummy and easy. I made my own pie filling with mixed berries. Yummy. Hope everyone has a blessed day. I

10:09 - Wednesday, June 25, 2008 - comments {2}

Doing Nothing

Just a lazy day at home. We cleaned the house yesterday and are having leftovers for Supper. The day is all ours. Wonderful. I might work on a new sewing project or just read a book. I have told you before that I feel like a kid on Summer Break. Hope everyone is having a blessed day. I

08:52 - Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - comments {0}

Pickled Squash Recipe and Photo

Good Morning. Our family had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. We got a lot of things accomplished. I finally made the pickled squash. I also made a batch of blueberry jam. Dh and dd defrosted the big freezer. Our part of NC had rain, rain and more rain. Thank you, Jesus. This is the most rain we have received in two years. It is suppose to rain again today. Hope so.

We attended a different Church on Sunday. The sermon was excellent. I felt the Lord in this Church. Dh actually enjoyed this service. I believe we will go back next week. We will be in prayer, this week, about the Church. DD’s first grade teacher attends this Church. She is one of the Teachers that talked openly about her faith to the students. She talked about Jesus. We loved having my DD in her class. What a blessing she was and is.

Here is the pickled squash recipe:

Prep: 1 hour and 25 minutes

Process: 20 minutes

6 cups sliced yellow squash

6 cups sliced zucchini

2 cups sliced onion

1 Tablespoon pickling salt

3 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)

4 ½ cups sugar

1 medium-size green bell pepper, diced

2 teaspoons celery seeds

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

-Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; sprinkle with pickling salt, and let stand 1 hour. Drain; pack into hot jars.

-Bring vinegar and next 4 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan. Pour hot mixture into jars, filling to within ½ inch from top. Remove air bubbles; wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids; screw on bans.

-Process in a boiling-water bath 20 minutes. Yield: 7 pints.

08:33 - Monday, June 23, 2008 - comments {2}

Yard Sales and 5:00 am

05:27 - Saturday, June 21, 2008 - comments {1}

Deep Clean Day

I got my errands done yesterday, library and Wal-mart. Today we will deep clean the house. It shouldn't take to long, if I ever get started. This morning is just starting off slow. I had a horrible night with my allergies. Sometime this week I will have to kill dust mites in the bedroom. Sounds like fun. It is a lot of hard work but needs to be done. Every thing must be cleaned in very hot water, all things that can't will be put in deep freeze for a few days (kills the dust mites/then you vaccuum them), I take all the protective covers off the pillows and mattress (wash them), and put down the stuff on the mattress and carpet. It has to be left on for at least 3 hours and vaccuumed up. This all takes a while and I have to wear a mask while in the room. It is hard work but great results. I will be able to breathe at night...... That is always a blessing.

Our garden is so beautiful. I am so thankful for what the Lord is providing for our family. Their are a lot of posts about the economy. In our home, I always try and cut back. Dh gets overtime at least once every six weeks. I keep a list of things that we need to purchase. This can come out of this money if I haven't taken it out weekly from paychecks. I am still working on babystep three so a lot of money is going into savings. I have a total that I spend (bills, food, gas, etc.) If one catoregory goes over I try very hard to cut back on something else. I will spend less on food and make due. I will not go on a trip/outing. This is how I do it. This is one of the ways I save money. God Bless. I

09:34 - Thursday, June 19, 2008 - comments {0}

Wednesday

It rained yesterday. Praise The Lord. Our garden and our lawn needed the water. Every little bit helps.

DD, DS and I need to get out this morning. We are going to do our grocery shopping today because their will be less people in the store. I told myself whenever I got to baby step 3, I wouldn't shop on Fridays.

 DD and I plan on making pickled squash. (Never tried, but will this year). This is one of the ways I will use what the Lord provides. During the winter months, squash will be a blessing. I need to purchase some wide mouth lids, rings and some pint jars. I have a lot of jars but I plan on canning a lot of tomatos. I want to pack them in pints because that is how I like to use them. Hope everyone is having a blessed day. I

07:56 - Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - comments {3}