Math & Soup

We have officially begun "first grade math!" Sister completed the Saxon Kindergarten Math Workbooks and so, for a season, the Engineer took over math. That was wonderful! Time for just the two of them - it was a good thing. But, now that we've added softball to our evenings, setting aside a consistent chunk of time on weeknights has become difficult, so Sister and I are full-on embracing Saxon Math 1. And we are loving it!

There are a lot of different opinions on Saxon math. I've talked with people who fall on both sides of the fence. But - here's what I know. I did not get a good foundation in math and I paid dearly for that all through junior high, high school, and college. I will never forget turning in my last ever math exam as a sophomore in college. I hadn't even gotten out of the classroom before the tears started. I walked across campus, weeping with relief - I'd never have to take another math class again! (Never dreamed I'd be teaching it!) I don't want my children to struggle like that. And I am thrilled to be teaching through this with Sister. I am loving seeing the way math can be taught. 

Little Bit is loving it, too! - Well, building towers, at least! And Little Man has joined if for a few of our lessons. Lately, homeschool has taken place in the playroom. Sister and I set up shop on the craft table while the little ones play, play, play. (We are usually accompanied by our decaf iced coffees - a must in homeschooling! (smile))

So we're now officially in "first grade" in all our subjects. I am SO thankful to be homeschooling! What a blessing this year has been! Because we chose to do a "transitional year," we got to take our time mastering some things we were rusty on from kindergarten, all while diving into some first grade level stuff that we were ready for. OH, what a blessing!!!

We've recently complete Little Pilgrim's Progress. I think this would have been an easier read had we waited another year or so. Reading through it and answering and explaining was tedious, at best. We rarely made it through an entire page without at least one question. But they were good questions! All good questions! It just took us a looooong time. I considered putting it away to read through next year, but the children insisted we press on - which is always encouraging!

And now, I know it's warming up in some areas...but if you're looking for a good, healthy meal that will feed your family for several days, look no further! This is one of our favorites. I've shared a variation before. It is SO good! It will require your attention off and on for an afternoon, but for the next day or two, you won't even have to think about dinner. Your home will smell delicious. Your husband will come home and no matter how terrible his day may have been, when the aroma meets him, he will smile and kiss you and tell you you are beautiful and offer to bathe the children and brush their teeth. It is just that good.

Go to Sams and get two whole chickens for about $9 (you'll use one for this recipe - freeze the other). (Or if you're super healthy, getcha an organic bird.) Then grab a frozen bag of peas (again, you'll use about half depending on bag size) - roughly $2 at Walmart - and an onion. And some wild & whole grain brown rice (again, you'll use about half) (below) -$4 at Walmart. This is a little pricey, but will last you a good while and it's so good. Then have on hand butter, olive oil, salt, garlic, pepper, and fresh rosemary. 

Do NOT buy rosemary at the grocery store. Go to Lowes and drop $3 on a rosemary plant. Plant it in an east facing, sunny spot (that's been key for us) and watch it take off. I bought a few three years ago and now they're huge and full and I cook with them several times a week!

• melt butter and olive oil in large stock pot or dutch oven

• sautee onion (sliced) & garlic in pot until onion is tender

• place chicken in pot and brown on all sides

• add water, a dash of salt and pepper, and three rinsed stalks/pieces of rosemary (no need to pick each leaf off the stem - they will fall off as you cook)

• bring water to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover - cook until chicken is done and legs are falling off - about an hour, give or take a little (sometimes my bird is still a bit frozen inside, it just takes a little longer - don't fret, just go with it)

• carefully remove chicken from pot and place on large plate, slice into chicken to allow it to begin cooling

• grab your biggest bowl (I use a giant stainless steel bowl) and your finest mesh strainer, place strainer in bowl and bowl in sink

• carefully pour stock through strainer into bowl

• chunk strainer contents (careful to remove any chicken pieces)

• pour strained stock back into pot

• bring stock to boil, add rice (I use half of the bag shown above), reduce to simmer and cover

• go do a load of laundry, read a magazine, call your man and tell him you're thinking about him, whatever...

• forty-five minutes later (less if you opt for Uncle Ben's long grain rice - point here is to give your rice time to cook) pick your chicken (if you're new to this - pull off the skin/fatty covering and chunk. Now begin removing meat from the bone and break into bite size pieces - you can pull meat off the wings, legs, front and back of the bird. This is why our dog Scout likes me the most. I always invite her into the kitchen while I do this and sneak her a bite here and there.

• once your chicken is picked, add chicken to stock pot along with more rosemary (I usually put another 3 stems in -if your plant is a baby, use less, it's ok), garlic, frozen peas (however much you like), salt and pepper to taste. We like it heavy on the pepper.

• cook another five minutes or so - until peas are done

Now serve alone, or for longevity, with a salad. Literally, the last time I made this, we ate it for dinner for two days and lunch once, took it for dinner to another family, and sent some home with a college student. It goes a loooong way! You could freeze it - just go make it! It's so good and will surely be a blessing to your family!

*Note, I usually start making this around 2 in the afternoon and typically, it's ready to serve, simmering on the stove around 5pm - which gives me time to clean up from cooking, set the table, and sort of, maybe look like I did something today. (wink)

* 'Nother Note, you now have on hand everything, save an onion, you need to make it again - making this quite a $ conscious option!

In other news, we gathered the last of our oranges a few weeks ago. There was a good harvest this year, for which we are thankful! Little Bit can eat an orange like no one I've ever seen.

I leave you with Little Man...pondering the great adventures that await outdoors! Batman jammers and raincoat required.

The Party

Oh y'all. It was quite the party! We have been wonderfully exhausted. That gave-it-all-we-had-completely-content kind of exhausted - that is simply wonderful.

We left family early the Friday morning after Thanksgiving and headed home to start gettin' ready. I'd packed matching Christmas outfits for the kiddos. Unfortunately, it was rather frigid and short-sleeved smocked dresses with light sweaters just wouldn't cut it. So, we had a cozy drive and stopped for a tree a few miles from home - in pajamas. Rock on.

Regarding the great tree picking dilemma? Experience? Whatever...I let the kids pick. Every. Year. 

Life is too short to get upset over finding "the perfect tree." We have some big ornaments that fill in those holes, plus, I want to build fun memories during that time. So, I choose not to care. And it's really worked out beautifully. (But I'm kind of thinking, maybe I should freak out about a tree once a year, instead of silly little things every day of the year?)

We bought the second one the nice man pulled out for us. 

I always do the lights (all 1500!), and then it's a free for all. We put all the ornaments we have on the tree and I don't move them, so sometimes we have fifteen on one branch. We have one ornament for everything The Engineer ever did in his life, all carefully labeled, a handful of mine from childhood, and some stinkin' adorable handmade ornaments - some I even made in kindergarten! As each year passes, those ornaments become even more precious to me.

We always top the tree with our Fred's tinsel light up star. That was a "first married Christmas, we have no money and are livin' on love" purchase, that, again, as the years go by, becomes more and more precious to me.

We let both kids take a turn topping the tree.

And all of this, in preparation for the party!

I cannot believe I didn't take a picture of our bedroom. My husband gets the Man of the Century award! Without ever losing his temper or sporting a bad attitude, that man helped me move nearly EVERY stick of furniture into our bedroom...because you need a lot of space for what turned out to be a seated dinner for fifty. And fyi, my man can dance with an almost 8 foot sofa in the tiniest of hallways, and somehow, coax her through the door of our bedroom. I suggested we leave her on her end in the hall...we could squeeze past and who needs to get in that closet anyway? He'd have none of that and miraculously got her through. I am still in awe.

No pre-party prep is complete without a roof leak. Lovely. It had dried by party night, but we still had a small strip of ceiling dangling during the party. Festive, eh? The lights were low. I'm not sweating it. Whatever.

In fact, as we prepared I noticed how dirty my fan blades are, how much of our trim needs a fresh coat of paint, how many windows need scraping, etc. and I prayed that if anyone noticed any of that stuff, they might be encouraged - and that God would keep my heart in the right place. People, not stuff. 'Cause I get it wrong. A lot.

I decked our makeshift rail with garland. It sure spruced up the area - and The Engineer tacked plastic over the still exposed ceiling/floor of the upstairs bedroom.

But check it out...we still lack trim and lighting, but oh baby, the library is coming together. We painted the shelves a light gray. I almost went dark - charcoal black, actually. Right now, I'm so thankful we went light. I am loving this room. LOVING this room.

The Engineer and I were responsible for preparing the appetizers, meat, and dessert. 

Note the floor around her chair...that's how you get marinade on all that meat. You let your 17 month old mush and then chunk all manner of sticky stuff all over  the floor.

I assigned a "table host couple" for each table. That couple was responsible for setting up (with their own china, etc.) their table, serving drinks and food during the party, clearing, and packing up their table post party. This worked beautifully. 

We organized china by table, and tried to put the dishes in order of use - salad, dinner plate, coffee cup/saucer, and dessert. This was helpful, but really, it was just crazy serving that many people. And it was a blast. People jumped in. We had a few tables that wound up host-less, one for the entire evening and one for the first part, and couples jumped in with ready smiles and eager hands. I love that! The Engineer and I worked side by side, dishing it out. I love that man.

I made tomato soup for our appetizer. We served it in tea cups. It was awesome. Stole that idea from The Engineer's cousin.

We put 16 in the library. All party-preppin'.

I had to use a flash, without was just too dark (see above)...and I didn't take as many pictures as I'd have liked. I should have specifically asked someone to. Hindsight is usually 20/20, right?

So I ran and snapped a few as guests began arriving. (A friend let me use his totally crazy-nice wide angle lens, hence the distortion.) 

{Random, but just because, our dining room table, when fully extended, seats 18 comfortably. However, we are missing, um, all but one leaf. A few years ago, The Engineer routed mdf and made several more leaves. That Christmas, we swapped the living and dining rooms and seated 21 at the table. Friday night, we seated 12. And covered the mdf with a table cloth I made six years ago for my mom's birthday luncheon, which was the same day we announced we were expecting Sister, and the making of that table cloth prompted The Engineer to purchase a sewing machine for me (it's still goin' strong)  and that was back in the day - livin' on love. I still remember picking it out at Walmart and watching him with a mixture of awe over his kindness and desire to provide well for his wife, and sheer terror over the price...thank you, God, for bringing Dave Ramsey into our lives!}

We seated 16 in the living room...I can't stand how the flash distorts the romantic glow of the evening...check out Mr. Hottie to the right of the buffet. 

We put six in the breakfast room...

Another shot of the living room...

I did all the centerpieces, thanks to my Mom's stash from my sister's wedding. I livened things up by tucking boxwood clippings (from our bushes) into the wreaths for a little greenery.

I got a kick out of how passionate southern women are about their sliver and china...whose grandmother had what pattern and why they picked this and what their husband had to say about it and where this pitcher came from, etc. It was a blast. My neighbor dropped off some Christmas goodies and when she saw what was going on, she ran home and grabbed her Christmas china and brought it back, insisting I use it! China, crystal, and silver are a big deal in the south. I love that.

Check out the ceiling! The leak...and you get a little of the ambiance in this shot!

I cringe a little over this shot. We served creme brulee for dessert. Oh my. Heaven in a little ramekin. The Engineer assured me my little kitchen torch would not cut it. (I had 60 to torch.) So he brought home the big guns. A propane torch and an extra tank of propane, just in case. As soon as the last dinner plate was served, we started torching creme brulee. It was awesome.

Not all our furniture would fit in our bedroom, so we put what wouldn't fit on the driveway, along with three fire pits and a few throws. Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot until everyone was inside and the fire had died down...but seriously, how fun!?

We prayed the evening would be honoring and glorifying to God. We prayed that marriages would be strengthened and encouraged. We prayed that God would be pleased, that it would be a sweet offering to Him. My heart is peaceful and content. I am so thankful for all the help, all the sweet attitudes, for everyone who bent over backwards - setting up and hosting tables, preparing food, keeping our children (for most of Friday), and washing dishes - two couples stayed until 11pm Friday night! I am so thankful they stayed and helped! We crawled into bed a little after 1am, got up early Saturday and went strong all day and pressed on Sunday after church. Monday The Engineer was off and we all (even Little Bit) slept until 9:30am. 

It was all so completely worth it. What a precious night. I pray it was a blessing to everyone attending - married, single, young, and old alike. I get a little teary thinking of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Friday night was beautiful and went off without a hitch. It was a precious evening. And it was merely a whispering, a hint, if that, of what is to come. 

To God be the glory!

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Cutie Patootie, Mr. Hottie, & A Great Lunch!

This little cutie patootie has been hitchin' a ride...

Just about the time she wakes from her afternoon nap...

Mr. Hottie comes home from work...

They tag team it. Cutie patootie rides, sips milk, points, and says, "MU! MU!" Mr. Hottie RUNS HARD and comes home real sweaty and I give him a big kiss and tell him, "I am SO PROUD of you!!!" And I feel very loved.




And this, my friends, makes for my new most favorite lunch ever!

Natural PB on a whole wheat tortilla, drizzled with honey, and topped with sunflower seeds.

Slice and serve. Goes perfectly well with greek yogurt, banana chips, a glass of iced tea, and a good book. (Most recently finished When Crickets Cry  - and really enjoyed it! - Like 1:30 am really enjoyed it!)

Sunday Night Supper

One Sunday evening last summer found me utterly worn out, watching my children swim. As the lifeguard blew the whistle and announced the pool was closed, I scrambled to gather my two wet children and get them and a newborn to the car. And then it hit me.

What would we eat for dinner?

And then an older and wiser woman shared something with me...

She said every Sunday night they have popcorn, cheese, and smoothies. Period.

So we decided to try it.

And we haven't gone back.

And now we have an air popper. It rocks.

We grab our $1.25 bag of popcorn seeds...

Pour half a cup in the popper...

Plug her in and wait...

In a few minutes you have a party in the kitchen because your children will no doubt want to be part of this...every now and then a piece of popcorn flies out into the kitchen. It's rather wild and exciting and there's always a race to see who can get to the exiled piece first.

Once the bowl is full, if you're bad like we are, you add a little melted butter (that you sliced and set in the measuring cup that also acts as a lid...so it melts the butter while the kernels pop) and a little salt. This is our fav.

And then you have a giant bowl full of popcorn and little hands...and then you and the husband decide you'd best pop another bowl. It's doubtful you'll get any of that first one.