Solomon Homestead

Summer is here!

Last week and this week have been sunny days with highs in the 90's. We were able to go out on the lake. Zac's boss was gracious enough to take us out on his boat for a few hours. What an enjoyable time it was! He even had a rc boat that Jordan loved driving around :)

Hubby and Zac didn't put enough sunblock on and got burned.  I thought for sure after that he would lather up with it before going outdoors but no. We went to mom and dad's yesterday for Father's Day. We went down to the creek to swim and play in the rapids and Zac didn't put sunblock on again....so I put it on him! He had work yesterday (weedeating several lawns) and his sunburn began to peel.

The garden isn't doing as well as I'd hoped. My yellow squash keep getting blossom rot, the peas are beginning to dry up...they produced alot, the cabbage and cauliflower keep getting eat up by cabbage worms but I think after putting woodash on them that fixed that. My potato crop was very small. Luckily mom has a huge garden and sent two bags of potatoes home with us :)

Off to library classes this week. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Summer survey

Outside my window:  Hot and sunny 93 degrees, leaves swaying in the breeze, dog taking a nap ;)

I am thinking: About all the summer library classes coming up next week.

From the kitchen: fish, mac & cheese and spinach for supper. Lemonade to drink and not sure about dessert yet ;)

In the Garden: Tomatoes, sweet peas, cabbage, cauliflower, peppers, potatoes, squash and green beans.

I am reading: Breaking Dawn...the final book in the Twilight series and various cookbooks.

I am hearing: kids watching tv

Around the house: laundry day 

I am looking forward to: A day when I don't have to leave home for anything. We have been busier now than during the school year.  I am looking forward to Wednesday with the youth to James River Assembly church.

One of my favorite things: being out on the lake in a boat.....what a great time we had yesterday!!!

Garden & Bunnies

The garden is coming along nicely. Have been picking lots of peas and digging new potatoes. I thought I would post pictures of the garden, my herbs and wildflowers, and our baby bunnies that are quickly growing! They are so cute and sweet =)

Growing....

Outside my window: gray and a misty rain

I am thinking: About hubby starting school back next week. The month of May was a nice vacation for us..out and about fishing, park time and our anniversary celebration.

From the kitchen: Subs, chips and cookies :)

Homeschool:  TRYING to finish up in the next week or so....I really want to be done for the summer!!!!

I am reading: Eclipse...the third book in the Twilight series.

I am hearing: hubby is watching tv

Around the house: laundry day 

I am looking forward to: Being done with these schoolbooks and extra money for a summer vacation.

One of my favorite things: iced coffee with lots of creamer

Our baby bunnies are really growing. Hopping around all over the hutch and eating pellets, hay and water.

Been picking peas everyday. Picked about 3 quarts so far. Strawberries too. Squash are blooming. Tomatoes, potatoes, corn, green beans, cabbage and cauliflower are coming along...a bit slow but we have had so much rain it is putting a damper on things.

15 years of marriage

Hubby and I have been married 15 yrs. today! We celebrated by staying in a cozy, comfy cabin on the river over the weekend. It was soo peaceful and relaxing. A hot tub on the screened in back porch, a creek running below. Hearing whip or wills in the evening and watching the fireflies off the front porch. Hearing the train go by in the day. Most of all being ALONE with my husband. We have never been away from all three children at the same time!!! It ws so nice to be able to sit and read every magazing in the cabin from front to back with NO interruptions!! LOL 

Our baby bunnies are 10 days old now. Their eyes and ears are open now and they are hopping out of the nest box. They are sooo cute!! We have some very pretty rabbits. Notice in my slideshow.

Trying to finish up school...got about 10 or 12 days to go.

We are looking into buying some dwarf milk goats and some chickens. We have never raised goats so any info. would be greatly appreciated. We are looking for Nigerian dwarfs.

My garden is coming along nicely. Picked a handful of sugar snap peas today along with more lettuce. We have been eating fresh strawberries everyday too :)

We were able to get out and do some fishing this week. My oldest and I caught some catfish. We fried them up and they were delicious. 

The weather has been absolutely beautiful all week! I have the sunburn to prove it!! LOL 

New life on the homestead

Our rabbit had her first litter today. I counted six. Very healthy looking babies.  Here they are!!

Three little bluebirds have hatched in the birdhouse in my herb garden.

My peas are finally blooming...yaay...I was a bit worried about them. I have been picking spinach, lettuce, radishes and strawberries. The mulberries are bout ready. I have seen the catbirds and mockingbirds thick in them all day today...am hoping there will be some berries left for us. They are our favorites.

Blackberries and honeysuckle are blooming :) Yes new life has sprung here.

My blessings from the Lord

My oldest ds 14 has been blessed with the gift of playing guitar. He joyfully does so in church on Wednesday nights leading the youth worship service. This past Sunday was Youth Sunday and he lead worship with the 8th grade band for both services.

Here are all three of my beautiful blessings.

Little mommy in the making

My dd5 asked me to take a picture of her and her babydoll :) She is my precious girl. Growing up too quickly.

April

We have been having warm temps. then cold temps. It seems the weather can't make up it's mind. One day I have a sunburn the next day I have on a sweater!

We have been taking advantage of the warm sunny days. Schooling outside and spending lots of time in the garden.  I have my yellow squash, tomatoes and pepper plants in the ground now. Waiting for the temps. to stay in the 80's (hopefully next week) to plant my green beans. 

We have been hiking a couple of times. Met with some other homeschool families and tried the new walking trail at the state park. It was a nice trail.

Easter was a nice time. The children and I helped the Saturday before at church. We had and Eggstravaganza Easter egg hunt for the community. It was perfect weather. We had a big turn out!  Easter Sunday was a cold, rainy day. We spent it at my parent's home. Our church was packed out for Easter Sunday. We have never seen a crowd that big!

Last Sunday was Youth Sunday. My oldest son and his 8th grade band lead worship in both services. They did an awesome job! We are so proud of him. Very thankful he has found his calling. The Lord has truly blessed him.

Menus on the homestead have included alot of grilling. I love being able to fire up the grill. Last night we had smores for dessert. Lesson learned....wear your hair in a ponytail while roasting marshmallows. It was a bit windy and dd and I ended up wearing some of our marshmallows! :o) 

Spring is here, Spring is here!

We have been having temps. in the 70's. Flowers are popping up everywhere along with the buds on the trees.  Bradford pear and Redbuds are in full bloom.  Ahhh, I love the greening up of everything after a long, cold winter.

We are attempting to raise rabbits. Ds 9 recieved a male and female rabbit for his birthday... a gift from Grannie. We got a hutch from a nice man and he even delivered it. We have some researching to do. I want to put the young ones in the freezer, as I imagine they will be having babies and lots of them. I have never butchered anything so this may be a bit of a challenge for me!

Garden is growing well. My sweet peas, lettuce, raddishes and spinach are up. I will be using the rabbit manure for the garden....can't wait as my compost bin is taking waaay too long.

It is springbreak for dh and so I am hoping we will be out and about this week. Hopefully get a few hikes in. We went out of town last week as dh had school business, so we took the kids to Chuckie Chees and the mall. It was so nice to get out and away. We have been cooped up since the kids came down with the whooping cough, they are much better now....not 100 % yet but pretty close! Thank you Jesus!!!  

How is everyone elses gardens coming along? Any plans for springbreak?

Gardening

The temps. have been in the upper 70's here. I have my garden turned over...Yea!!

So far I have planted sweet peas, radishes, lettuce, spinach and potatoes. My oninons and garlic are coming up from last year. My herbs and strawberries are greening up with new growth also.

Daffodils and Forsythia are in bloom along with the Bradford Pear trees. Tulips and Dogwood will be next.  

We are supposed to have a cold front come in tonight. I am hoping it doesn't last long. I am sooo ready for the warm weather to stay!

Welcome to my Kitchen

Welcome to my kitchen

1. Do you have magnets on your fridge? Yes

2. Do you have a calendar in your kitchen, if so, what's the theme of it? Yes, it's got pictures of various beaches

3. What is your favorite kitchen gadget or tool? crockpot and rice maker

4. Are you lucky enough to have a pantry of some kind?  Yes in my hallway

5.What is your favorite appliance? Stove.

6. Do you have an eat in kitchen (table in it)? Yes

7.Do you have a bread box? Yes

8. Do you have a picture of your kids on the fridge? Yes

9. Do you ever cook breakfast in your PJs? Yes, almost every morning

10. Do you have a favorite cookbook that you use? anymore it is my favorite blog or allrecipes.com

11. Are you lucky enough to have recipes that were passed down from your mom or grandma?  Yes!

12. Whats your favorite food? steak

13. Whats your favorite thing to cook?  everything

14. Is your coffee pot electric or stove top? Electric. 

15. Do you ever make your own bread?  Yes.

16. Name one thing that you have hanging on your wall in your kitchen.  Pictures 

17. Is there a clock in your kitchen?  Yes

18. Do you have a bowl of fruit sitting on your table or counter? Yes

19. What type of canisters do you have? Glass

20. Does your kitchen have a theme? Amish/covered bridges

21. What's for supper tonight? steak...lol

22. Do you have enough cabinet space? no my kitchen is VERY small

23. Does your family use paper plates?   yes we do...no dishwasher

24. Do you have a good set of china picked up? nope

25. Do you wear an apron to work in your kitchen? No.

26. Name one thing, if anything, that you would like to change about your kitchen. Size and all new appliances, especially a dishwasher.

 How about your kitchen?

Outdoor Fun

Outdoor Hour Challenge
99 Outdoor Sorts of Things to Do

1. Make maple syrup.
2. Stand under a redwood/sequoia.
3. Ski down a mountain.
4. See a saguaro cactus.
5. See an alligator in the wild.
6. Find a shell on a beach. *
7. Skip a rock on a lake. *
8. See a sunrise. *
9. Pick an apple from a tree. *
10. Grow a sunflower. *
11. Sleep under the stars in a sleeping bag.*
12. Find the Big Dipper.*
13. Climb a sand dune. *
14. Walk in the rain with or without an umbrella. *
15. Find a fossil. *
16. Take a photo of the Grand Canyon.
17. Go to the lowest point of North America-Badwater, CA
18. See a raptor fly. *
19. Be able to identify ten birds.*
20. See a mushroom. *
21. Visit a tide pool. *
22. Visit a volcano.
23. Feel an earthquake. *
24. See a tornado. *
25. Experience a hurricane.
26. Catch snow on your tongue. *
27. See a deer in the wild. *
28. Touch a dolphin.
29. Go ice skating on a pond.*
30. Go fishing.*
31. Go snorkeling.
32. Whittle a stick. *
33. Gather chicken eggs. *
34. Milk a cow or a goat. *
35. Ride a horse. *
36. See a moose.
37. Gather acorns.*
38. Pick berries and eat some.*
39. Watch a lightning storm. *
40. Build a campfire.*
41 Press a flower.*
42. Use binoculars to spot a bird. *
43. Identify five wildflowers. *
44. Take a photo of Half Dome.
45. Find a piece of obsidian. *
46. See a tumbleweed.
47. See a wild snake.*
48. Watch a spider spin a web. *
49. Climb a tree. *
50. Get lost on a hike.
51. Watch ants in a colony. *
52. Hatch a butterfly. *
53. Climb a rock. *
54. See the Continental Divide.
55. See the Northern Lights.
56. See a bear in the wild. *
57. Dig for worms. *
58. Grow a vegetable and then eat it. *
59. See a bat flying. *
60. Feel a sea star. *
61. Swim in the ocean. *
62. See a geyser erupt.
63. Walk in the fog. *
64. Observe a bee.*
65. Find a bird’s nest. *
66. See a beaver’s den.*
67. Go whale watching.
68. See a banana slug.
69. Stand on the edge of a cliff.*
70. Blow a dandelion. *
71. Throw a snowball and build a snowman.*
72. Cook an egg on the sidewalk...can you actually do that?
73. See a lightning bug. Or do you call it a firefly?*
74. Visit a cave. *
75. Make a sandcastle. *
76. Hear a cricket. *
77. Catch a frog. *
78. Watch for the first star in the evening.*
79. Smell a skunk. *
80. Feel pine sap. *
81. Feed a duck. *
82. Learn to use a compass or GPS.*
83. See a buffalo. * 
84. Get wet in a waterfall. *
85. Swim in a lake. *
86. Walk on a log. *
87. Feel moss.*
88. Jump in a pile of leaves. *
89. Fly a kite. *
90. Walk barefoot in the mud. *
91. Hear a sea lion bark.
92. Hear a coyote. *
93. Pan for gold.
94. Crack open a nut. *
95. Go snowshoeing.
96. Feel a cattail. *
97. Smell a pine forest. *
98. Sit under a palm tree.
99. Walk across a stream on rocks.*

Just a little while longer.....

I know I haven't been able to be on here in awhile. First it was the ice storm now my youngest two have whooping cough....my youngest has it pretty bad. It will be  alittle while longer till I can get back on here.

Appreciate all prayers. Thanks!

Devastation hit

We had a devastating ice storm hit here the evening of Jan. 26. The kids and I packed up and headed to my folks in Missouri. The weathermen predicted about an inch and a half of ice and power outages. This mobile home is all electric, mom and dad have a wood stove and propane. Hubby stayed behind to work.

The power went off Tuesday the 27th. There was not one tree or power pole that wasn't broken in over a 600 mile radius!! Never in my life have I seen something like this!  Hubby ended up going to a shelter as the trees were falling everywhere...he wasnt taking any chances staying in here. It sounded like bombs going off. It was cold and dark. Every few seconds you would hear a loud crack then a boom as the limb would come crashing down on the icy ground, roof or whatever below.  It was scary and horrible.

Hubby ended up joinging us the weekend and stayed with us the next week and drove back and forth to work everyday about an hours trip. He would check on our place twice a day. Thankfully the only damage we had was our fence got demolished. Tress and limbs are everywhere in our yard......still a big one on our roof.

We lost all food in our fridge and deep freeze. Our power was off for 15 days!!!! We were able to return back home from my folks on Tuesday, Feb 10.   

What a long two weeks ithas been. I think I have felt every emotion at least twice!! So gald to be back home and online. Back to a normal schedule with no damages...thank you Lord!!!  

A New Year

Well 2008 has come and gone. I can't believe it!! We had a wonderful Christmas. Grandparents spoiled the kids with video game systems so I can say the remainder of our holiday vacation was quiet as they were plugged into their games!

School starts back up for us tomorrow. I have spent the evening writing out our lesson plans for the week. I am sad to see our vacation come to an end :(

Back to healthy eating! Good grief our Christmas goodies seemd to have a bottomless pit. I still have a few ziplocks of homemade candies that I'm thinking about throwing out! The kids have been on a sugar high for weeks now. I'm sure it will be fun trying to get them to sit down and focus on schoolwork tomorrow. Praying the sugar withdrawls won't last long and by the end of the week they will have finished at least one of their lessons   

Our oldest son received from us his most wanted weight set. I got hubby his wanted inflatable punching tower so now the workouts have begun for us. I have hit the treadmill and am determined to shed these gained pounds!!

Yesterdays temps were in the 70's so we headed to the park. Hubby and boys played football, daughter rode her bicycle and I ended up walking the dog.....and managed to take a few pictures with my new camera (gift from hubby). Todays high however didn't get out of the 30's!! So we stayed indoors.

Will try to get back to regular postings once we get back into a regular school schedule :)

Happy 2009 everyone!!!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

All of our decorations are up. Have been baking cookies. I think I have around a dozen different types in the freezer. I have to make my dipped pretzels and popcorn yet. I will give them all away in gift baskets along with other goodies we have made.

Our fiber optic tree.

Candy cane cookies

Someone got into mommy's makeup :)

Tree skirt I sewed

Pillows the boys made

Our first quilt... a baby doll quilt. She helped me hand sew the squares together. She picked out the colors and the way to place them.

Me and my family

Thanksgiving

We had thanksgiving here, just the five of us. My brother went to his inlaws and the rest of my family gathered in Missouri at my aunt's home. My hubby had to work the next day so didn't want to have to drive that far. Plus he HAS to watch the Cowboys game!!!

I made the turkey and all the trimmins myself .

MENU

• Roasted turkey stuffed with an onion, lemon cut into wedges, garlic and sage 
• Bread dressing
• greenbean casserole
• mashed potatoes
• gravy
• sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top
• rolls
• black olives
• corn
• whole cranberry orange sauce
• pumpkin pie
• pecan pie
• egg nog

We had a litle leftovers today and I made open face sandwiches for lunch.

It was a nice time with just us. We have sooo many blessings to be thankful for!

Put the Christmas tree up today. Decorated the house and made more cookies. Chocolate mint and egg nog stars. All to the sound of Christmas music in the background :) The little ones ended up playing with my nutcracker soldiers instead of hanging them on the tree. They had them all lined up like army guys :)

Baking

Yesterday to go along with our Thanksgiving unit study my ds 8 helped make cranberry nut bread. Today I made Pearsauce...instead of applesauce, I had some pears that needed to be used up. It is very good.

Just cut and peeled three pears, put them into a small saucepan along with about a 1/2 cup or less of sugar cane crystals, mashed them up and brought it to a boil then added some ginger, cloves and cinnamon. 

From the kitchen

Since it was a rainy, cold day here I spent the day in the kitchen and also quilting. My dd and I are working on her first quilt...a doll quilt :)

From the kitchen:

Amish Baked Oatmeal                                         

• 1/3 c butter
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 1 c milk + 2 tbsp.
• 3 c. quick oatmeal 

Melt butter. Grease 1 1/2 quart baking dish and drop in eggs and beat well. Add brown sugar, baking powder, vanilla, spices, and salt. Mix well, no lumps. Whisk in butter and milk, then add oats. Stir well. Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35-45 min., or until set in middle. Serve warm with milk pored over it.

No Chill Gingerbread friends

•  3/4 c. dark brown sugar
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/2 c. molasses
• 1 egg
• 3 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. cloves

Cream together butter and sugar, stir in egg and molasses. Ad flour, baking powder and spices. Mix well. Roll out and cut with desired shapes. I used gingerbread men and bears. Put onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 min.

Cheese danish roll

• 1 can of cresent rolls
• 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese room temp.
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 stick melted butter
• sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar

Cut or break roll of dough in half. Roll one half into a greased 8x8 pan. Mix all of ingredients into a bowl except the sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon. Blend well till smooth. Spread over the dough. Press out remaining dough and lay on top of mixture. Pour melted butter over top and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

For lunch today I made baked potato soup. I don't have a picture or recipe for that one. This is how I make it:

I boil about 5-7 potatoes, after they are tender I throw in about a cup or more of frozen brocoli, after it is tender I drain the pot. I put it back on the burner on low. I then add in some chicken broth and milk as I mash it all up with my hand processor adding more liquid as needed. I then throw in a bag of shredded cheese it could be cheddar or colby and montery jack blend. Still blending it till all lumps are out, add in some red pepper powder, you can adust to your taste. Add in some garlic powder, salt and pepper again adjust to your own taste. Let this simmer a bit. Stirring frequently. Serve up with some fresh baked bread.