The Mennobrarian

School time again....

Well here it is, once again, time for the doors to open of the school building.  I currently have 7 students.  They range in age from 1st to 5th grade, and from mild cognitvely impaired to severe learning disabled.  So about half are very low and we will work on basic life and daily functional skills this year, and the others have some academic skills, so we will be working on functional academic things! 

My grandbabies are growing so fast.  Kyah is now almost 18 mo old, and is so smart...she acts like a 3 yr old!  And Max is 3mo old, and is at that very cute smiling and laughing stage!  So precious.  Hubby and i had the babies the out the other day, and an elderly couple asked us how old our children were....when we corrected them and said they were our grandbabies, the look on their face was so funny....they stumbled to make mor conversation.  Tee Hee....It is fun to be a young grandma....(I am only 43). 

Our middle son is a SENIOR this year, I can't believe it!  Oh my...and our baby started 8th grade....Yikes!  Our daughter started graduate school, she wants to be a physical therapist for disabled children.  She called the other night to say that one of the places she could possible do an intership was right in our home town.  Now mind you, we live in a rural area in northern Michigan, and she is away to college in Missouri!  Oh fun is that!?!  So she put our town on her application!

Well, lunch is over, I hope to update more often now that summer things are slowing down. 

Oh yeah...hubby and I went for a walk the other nite and came up on a big area of wild blackberries.  An old patch and it was BIG..and so were the berries.  Some as large as half of our thumb and just as fat!!!  Well we weren't dressed right to pick, we had on short sleeves, and I had on flip-flops...he had on a pair of jean shorts...and my skirt kept getting stuck...do you think we walked back to the house to put on more appropriate pricker friendly clothes....NO...so we look like we were wrestling with the briars! 

BUt...so good and so many berries....

Until next time! 

Grocery Shopping and Menu Plans..

Today is grocery day.. WOOHOO.. I am so excited.. I am finally getting back on my menu plan and have my grocery list all made out.. I am so excited.. You just don't know how excited.. So I want to ask you to all who read this send me your fave reciepe for fall.... The kids and I love to make things together and so we are looking for new things to try out as well...

I am headed to the grocery when I get out of class at noon thirty so I can be done with our Once a Month BIG shopping trip and get home so the kids can help unload when they get off the bus right before homeowork......

Well anyway I am going to try to make one of the kids fave meals tonight for supper and I am sure that they are going to be really really happy and we are going to make a snack together after school as well..

Ok gotta run again..

Have a great day..

God Bless,

Mars

I have a What Would You Do Question..

My ex husband called me the other day and we were talking about kids and etc and all of a sudden he says well I have a question to ask of you and your not going to like it. My first response was is it for you or for her???

You see first let me say this. My kids stepmom I don't feel like is very nice to them alot of the time.. She says my 13 year daughter needs to be in special ed and she made her write the alphabet because she wasn't sure she knew it.. What.. I am sorry, but all of MY kids are A or B honor roll kids and if their teachers do not have a problem then what is yours?? She has never had kids of her own and I understand that, but you knew that he had 5 when you married him...

She tends to get upset with Rodney if he has the kids any extra time except his weekends.. Now our parenting plan states that he gets them every other weekend and then every Wednesday for a few hours plus anyother time he might want them that is agreable between the two of us, plue every other week during the summer.. Now Rodney has been getting them his weekends, but he only had them 2 full weeks in the summer because of the situation with her.

Anyway the kids are looking forward to their weekend this weekend and she tells Rodney that he needs to change weekends because she only has 2 days off this week and etc and that if he doesn't change then he and the kids have to stay somewehere else...

Now I normally am very easy going and would trade him in a heartbeat, but I am sick and tired of her trying to keep him from having his time with the kids.. My kids welcome the time with their dad when she is not around and want to go ahead and go with him this weekend..

So long story short.. I told him that the kids wanted to come with him this weekend and that I was not going to trade.. If it was something that he needed becasue of work or something then we would work it out, but hello she knew he had kids and that he needs to spend time with them.. My older kids are upset because they know that their relationship with dad is going down hill because of her and they want to go to their dad's this weekend..

So should I switch or let them go with their dad?? I know that she or my ex MIL will read this and make comments, but really this is about the kids and their relationship with their dad..

God Bless you for reading this far....

God Bless,

Mars

Musings...of Autumn?

Granny Square Tutorial with Pictures

Alright my friends, I am going to attempt my first EVER sewing tutorial!   I told you that I was taught how to make a granny square while I was on my Ladies Retreat.  It was so much easier for me to learn from the ladies teaching than it was for me to look at a book and try.  The picture quality is not wonderful, I just saw some of the pictures I took last night, but hopefully you will get the hang of it as easily as I did and you will be turning out some beautiful squares as well!
If you are a Newbie to Crochet HERE is a site to help you with basic stitches, you will see me refer to several in this tutorial... Chain, Slip Stitch, Double Crochet.

Step 1: Chain 5
Cool, you got that! Alrighty we are on our way!

Step 2: You want to turn that chain into a round so you will go to the first chain and slip stitch...
Now we have our center, we will build on from there! Woohoo!

Step 3: Chain 3
Here we are building out from the center and we will begin making a larger circle to build on from here

Step 4: Two(2) Double Crochets and chain 1
Alright, here we are in process of making our circle, so what we are going to do is we are going to double crochet 2 times and then chain 1.  The chain will make the space we need to help us along in future steps...

Step 5: 3 Double Crochets and chain 1 (3 more times) slip stitch to complete the circle
Now we have a circle!! Yippee... but wait I told you we were making Granny Squares right?  Ok, bear with me we will get to the square in a minute.
So to make sure we are cool to this point, counting the first 3 chains as one DC (double crochet) you will have 4 sets of 3 double crochets with one chain in between.... clear as mud??

Step 6: Chain 3 and then double crochet 2, chain 1, double crochet 3 and chain 1 in the same hole
If you will look at your round you will see 3 double crochets and then a hole/space in between each set of 3.  This space is where you will go into to make your next layer or sets of 3.  Does this make sense... I am trying!
What you are doing now is building your edges... we can't make this granny square stay a circle any longer, we are going to put some corners on it!

Step 7: Look for next hole, double crochet 3 and chain 1~ 2 times in each hole.  (You will do this in each hole till you meet back up with your first set.  This will form your first square. Slip Stitch to complete the square and now you are ready to build on. 

Step 8: Chain 3, double crochet 2, chain 1
You will notice that there is now a hole between each of the four edges, you are going to do almost the same thing in each hole... meaning you don't want an edge you just want a set of 3 dc's to fill the hole.
So dc three times and chain one and move to your edge.

Step 9: Double Crochet 3 times, chain 1, Double Crochet 3 times, chain 1 in corner hole.
Again, you are making corners for this square, you should be catching on to a pattern if I have successfully portrayed this to you.  So in each of the corners you are making 3 dc's, chain 1, 3 dc's, chain 1.  Simple!

Step 10: Slip stitch to join the square together

Step 12: All the way baby... go all around just as I told you, come together again, slip stitch and tie off your end. 
The lady who taught me only does 4 layers, but of course you can do more if you like. 
Now you want a bunch of these... so get to it!
I don't have nearly as many as I would like to have had done by now, but remember I am teaching myself to hold the crochet needle/hook in the proper way, so I am SLOW JOE right now. 
Once you get several made you can do all kinds of things with them...
Make them into an afghan by stitching them together, make potholders out of them by putting several layers together on top of each other and stitching, use them as coasters, make a pillow cover, make your dd a doll blanket out of a few... whatever you like.
I hope you enjoyed and understood my attempt of spreading the knowledge that I received this past weekend.  If you see a mistake, feel free to email me or message me and I will change it, and now go get your yarn and your hook and go for it!  If I can do it YOU can do it!

With Love From My Homestead to Yours,
~Chas~
Chasity L. Burrell
Senior Editor Homesteadblogger
Heritage Acres Farm

Rain Rain Quizes and other fun stuff...

It has been raining most of the week now and so once again everything in North Missouri is wet and soggy again.. :) I am not complaining I am just stating a fact.. LOL Jordin's ballgame was called Tuesday due to the rain and it looks as if tonighs game will also be called off due to the rain... That is too bad, but we will make them up....

Well this morning in microbiology we had a quiz.. It was a practice test and it went ok.. I am telling you this class is tough.. We were talking before the class and the teacher is like a genius and we are all normal so when he talks sometimes we are like hello please speak in english.. LOL

I spoke with my ex husband last night and he said his dad will not get out of the hospital now till Saturday. The kids are worried about him and can't wait for him to get home so they can see him...

Jeremiah had a dream last night about his uncle that died last week. He got up this morning talking about it saying how he had a dream about uncle Robery and that he had gotten shot, but it was just his arm that got it and so he was in a cast, but he got to come back home and so did Lizzy.. We talked about it and he understands and is ok with things, but please keep the little guy in your prayers.. I know it has to be hard to know that your uncle is gone and not coming back..

Well I better get going for now.. I have some labs to do on the computer and some videos to watch as well..

Take care have a wonderful day..

God Bless,

Mars

A Thursday Morning

It's still early here and all is quiet. So far this morning I have gathered a couple of eggs (production is slow these days) enjoyed toast with blueberry lime jam, coffee with cream, and pulled my flip flop from the jaws of the puppy...twice.

Yesterday's labors produced twenty more quarts for storage. Ten quarts of tomato juice, ten quarts of pearsauce. Middle Son is under the weather and has been for a couple of days now. Seems it's just a cold, but that's enough to make anyone feel poorly. It reminded me that I need to start going through our medicine and remedy chest to make sure that we are prepared for winter. Winter. It's so hard to think of it when it's been ninety all week!

Tomorrow morning I go for tests. Two hours of MRI's. I am not looking forward to it, but trying to remember who will be right there with me in the room. Every test and trial I have had has made Jesus so real to me, as though he was right there holding my hand...

 "For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." Isaiah 41:13

Well, I have several things to get accomplished today. There are lessons to teach, laundry to hang and a meal plan to make for the next two weeks. Once that is all done, there are pears, of course. And I just bet that if I walk back to the garden, there will be some tomatoes as well...

Funny thing about last nights dinner.....

Corn Pudding

Corn Pudding

(serves 8-10)

2 eggs

2 cups whole milk

3 T unsalted butter, melted

pinch of cayenne

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 T chopped parsley

1 tsp chopped thyme

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.  In a large bowl using a whick, beat the eggs.  Add the milk, pouring in a steady stream while whisking.  Add the melted butter, cayenne, nutmeg, parsley, thyme, salt, sugar, and corn.  Mix to combine.

Pour the mixture into a prepared dish.  Place the casserole dish in a deep roasting pan, and fill with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides.  Place on the oven and bake, until set, about 35-40 minutes.  Serve immediately, or let set for up to 30 minutes at room temperature.

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread

I got this recipe off the Martha Stewart website ages ago!!

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread

(serves 8-10)

3 large sweet potatoes

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

2 cups milk

4 T unsalted butter

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp all-purpose flour

1/4 cup honey

4 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake sweet potatoes until soft when pierced with a knife, about 4-45 minutes.  Let cool. Peel, and discard skins.  Reduce heat to 350.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine cornmeal, milk, butter, brown sugar, spices, salt, and 1 cup water.  Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.  Let cool.  Butter a two-quart baking dish.  Place cornmeal mixture, sweet potatoes, flour, honey, eggs, and cream in a food processor.  Process until smooth; pour into dish.  Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.  Serve.