This is our life

The First Thanksgiving

2010-11-15T16:27:00.003-05:00

I thought it would be fun to pass along this information I just found. Scholastic website has a link for learning about the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. It's really interesting. I'll be having the boys watch this as we are into Thanksgiving next week. If you are interested, you can click to: http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free People Puppy Chow

2010-10-20T15:57:00.001-04:00

The season is here to get good prices on Rice Chex. One of the things I do with the Rice Chex is to make people puppy chow for Kaden since he has all kinds of food allergies. If you have someone that has food allergies, this would even make a good gift for them in a jar.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Nut Free People Puppy Chow

Ingredients
9 c. Rice Chex
1 c. (12 oz.) Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (in the gold bag)
1/2 c. Sunbutter
1/2 c. margarine or canola oil
2-3 c. powdered sugar

Recipe Instructions
Melt chocolate chips, Sunbutter and oil in a glass bowl or measuring cup in the microwave. When melted pour mixture over Rice Chex cereal in a large bowl. Mix well until all the Rice Chex are coated. Mix in powdered sugar. Toss so all cereal is well coated. Let cool - if you can before you eat.

JoJo

2010-10-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

JoJo, my littlest, is a big bundle of energy! I think she has the energy of my three boys combined... and then some!

In this picture she is talking to Papa. Papa has his cell phone and she has Oma's cell phone. :0)... .

Her latest feat has been figuring out that markers write on things - none of which are paper. One day, she managed to get two permanent markers and one regular marker and mark on walls, floors, doors and her feet. (I still don't know how she got those markers.) Ugh! What a day! I spent quite awhile trying to get permanent marker off of things. Then to my surprise the next morning, I found that I had missed a big scribble on a door, which will only be removed by putting on a new layer (or two) of paint.

But, she is such a little treasure! I wouldn't trade clean walls and floors for her little kisses and hugs.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-10-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

Heard on the human condition: We judge others by their actions; but ourselves by our motives.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-10-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

There are some seeds that can only be watered with tears of sorrow in order to grow.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-10-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

At your funeral you get one hour and one 8 1/2 by 11 inch piece of paper, folded in half, to sum up your whole life. So what do you do Now, for Then?

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-10-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Only when a tree falls can it be used to bridge the troubled waters we face.

The background for this tweet: Kevin watched an episode of "Man vs. Wild" with Bear Grylls where he couldn't cross a river until he had felled a tree. When he was tweeting, Kevin was thinking of our friend who went to be with the Lord whose life was very well lived with eternal priorities. It was inspiring and Kevin saw him as the tree that created a bridge for people to conquer things in their life.

It's Friday!

2010-10-01T06:55:00.001-04:00

After cleaning the crawl space for several hours today, I'm sore. (sigh, smile). Heh, but that's life.

Tonight though, I'm pulling out my already made apple pies. I'm getting ready to take them to a meal tomorrow with friends.

This apple pie recipe is just delicious. And, it's the perfect season to make them as apples are in season and at a good price.

Apple Pies (makes 2 pie fillings)

Ingredients
5-6 med.-lg apples
¾ c. sugar
2-3 T. flour
1 T. lemon juice
½ t. cinnamon
1/8 t. salt
2 T. butter

Recipe Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Have pie crust ready in pie pan. Peel, core and slice ¼ inch thick apples. Combine apples with sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring several times, so that the apples soften slightly. Pour mixture into bottom of crust and gently level with a spoon. Pat the top with butter, which is cut into small pieces.

Crumble topping: 1 c. flour, 1 c. sugar, ½ c. butter, cinnamon & salt
Cut in all ingredients until it looks crumbly. Sprinkle on top of pies.

Bake in hot oven (450 degrees) for 10 min.; lower heat and bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 35-40 min. Sides of pie will bubble & have a caramel look when done. Let cool before serving so sauce can thicken.

When I make pies to freeze, I buy aluminum foil pans ahead. I make the crusts first and freeze them. Top them with a styrofoam plate, then aluminum foil and a plastic store bag on top. Stack them in the freezer. You can add the apple pie fillng before freezing or later - depending on your time frames. After doing the above recipe and filling pie pans, top again with plate, foil and bag.

To bake a frozen pie, preheat oven to 425*. Take frozen pie out and unwrap it. Place it on a baking sheet pan. Bake for 15 min at 425*. Turn oven down to 350*. Bake for 50-55 min or until sides of pie bubble & have a caramel look.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-09-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

This tweet was actually from Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in southern California:
"The teacher is always silent when the test is given. When God is silent in your life, you are being tested"

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-09-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

Credit and debt is our modern way of putting the ark on the cart. 2 Sam 6:3-7. Wrong actions always outweigh good intentions.

1 Chronicles 15:15 - The original command of God:
"15 And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD."

2 Samuel 6:3-7 - This generation chose to do it their own way:
3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.
6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.

Preserving Grapes during the fall season

2010-09-29T06:33:00.001-04:00

I love fall. It's one of my favorite times of the year to harvest (or in this year's case - buy) produce to get ready for the winter months when the prices of groceries are higher.

One of the easiest things I like to do during the fall is to find a good price on grapes. I buy about 20-30lbs of grapes for the winter. I take them home and wash them, take off the stem and put them in quart (or gallon freezer bags) and freeze.

Then on a cold winter's morning when I'm making eggs, hashbrowns and bacon, I'll pull out frozen grapes to counteract the salt in the bacon. It's looks gourmet and it's just delicious!

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-09-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Christian radio tag line: Using our Power for Good...

Losing Teeth

2010-09-28T06:50:00.002-04:00

Last year, Kaden said, "Mommy, I'll never lose my teeth." Ha, ha! Kaden has now lost three teeth in the last two weeks. He has another top front one loose.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-09-27T19:00:00.000-04:00

One of the differences between me and God is that God doesn't think that He is me.

Marriage Today Seminar

2010-09-27T18:50:00.000-04:00

Our favorite marriage speakers are Jimmy and Karen Evans at Marriage Today. On October 8th & 9th, they are having a free marriage seminar at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO.

"When you and your spouse were dating, communication and romance happened effortlessly. But for many couples, as the years go by intimacy slowly fades away.

Join Jimmy and Karen Evans for a free seminar to help you rediscover the passion in your marriage. Jimmy will uncover the mystery and show you how to keep the flames burning for a lifetime. You can have the kind of relationship that grows deeper the longer you are married."

For more information, click here for the brochure. To register, click here.

If you are unable to attend, but enjoy learning more about how to understand your spouse, you can listen to their past online sessions.

I know that this sounds like an advertisement, but to set it up correctly, it's all informational and looks like an advertisement. But really, Kevin and I aren't into alot of seminars. But, we do listen to Jimmie and Karen on tv, online and in person. They have good practical information. We go away learning something about the differences in men and women and laugh while we are learning. I highly recommend them. And even if you can't come to the seminar, try listening to them online.

Fun freebie for Friday only

2010-09-24T13:20:00.000-04:00

Hey, all! I just found a fun freebie of the day - thanks to Econobusters. It's an ebook called "The Big Brownie Cookbook" at Homeschool Freebie.

Click on the link to Homeschool Freebie and they will direct you how to download. Actually, they say to "right click", but it's actually left click. It took me a minute to figure that out. (smile) Then, go to "File" and "Save As" to save the recipes. Very fun!

What a fun Friday treat!
Enjoy!

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-09-24T07:00:00.001-04:00

Sometimes the chips are down and sometimes you down some chips...

Laundry Soap

2010-09-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

Ever wonder, "How do you make laundry soap?" I love a good challenge and it seemed like a mystery. So, Ian and I found a recipe on TipNut.com. We took a Friday afternoon and worked through it.

You need to start with Washing Soda, Borax and Fels Naptha. We had the washing soda and borax on hand already from Kevin's experiment with tanning a hide. We purchased the Fels Naptha from a local grocery store who ordered it special order for us. I think it cost us $1.40 for a bar of it.

If you have laundry bottles to hold the laundry detergent, for this recipe, you will need four to five empty bottles (36-42 load size).

Ian grated 2 cups of Fels Naptha soap.

Next we boiled 1 quart of water (or 4 cups of water).

Once it was boiling, Ian dumped the grated soap into the pan.

Then, he stirred until the soap was dissolved into the water.

In a seperate bowl, he added 2 cups of washing soda and 2 cups of borax.

Pour the dissolved soap mixture into the washing soda and borax.

Stir the dissolved soap, borax and washing soda until it's pretty smooth (it will be grainy).

The bowl was too small, so we upgraded to a plastic storage tub.

Then Ian poured in two gallons of water.

Then, he stirred until it was dissolved.

We made the mistake of letting it cool in the tub because it coagulated in the tub and not the laundry bottles. We poured the laundry soap into the laundry bottles.

The cost for us to make the laundry soap was about .70 each bottle or $2.80.

We used it for several weeks.

However, we ended up purchasing a new washing machine and dryer. They only allow you to use "he" detergent or you will void the warranty. So, we now have alot of extra laundry soap. :0)...

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-09-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

One thing a good negotiator does not want is a reputation as a good negotiator - it puts people too on-guard.

Spaghetti sauce with zucchini

2010-09-23T06:00:00.001-04:00

This is my second recipe with zucchini. I used to buy spaghetti sauce, but I've gotten spoiled with making my own sauce.

Spaghetti Sauce

Recipe Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. oil
2 medium onions, chopped and diced
2 c. mushrooms sliced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 14 1/2 oz. diced tomatoes
29 oz. tomato sauce
12 oz. tomato paste
1 c. carrots, chopped
3 c. zucchini, shredded
2 T. Italian seasoning
1 T. sugar (opt'l in my opinion, but does ofset the acidity)
1 t. salt

Recipe Instructions:
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add onions, mushrooms and garlic. Cook the onions, mushrooms and garlic for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked and the onions are soft.

While the food above is cooking, put the rest of the ingredients in a crockpot and stir. When the mixture above in done, add to the crockpot. Stir.

Place lid on crockpot. Turn heat to low. Let cook for 8-9 hours.

When done, I pureed the sauce in a blender as there was no way my kids would eat all those veggies in the sauce. If you like knowing what is in your sauce, don't puree. :0)...

Serve immediately or let cool and freeze in quantities you can use in the future.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-09-22T07:00:00.001-04:00

Single guys: Don't forget that if she has an hour glass figure...all that sand has gotta go somewhere. Outer beauty fades, inner endures.

Zucchini bread recipe

2010-09-22T06:00:00.003-04:00

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
3 c. shredded frozen zucchini
4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
5 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. zucchini juice and enough milk
6 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs

Recipe Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350*. Grease 2 (8x4) bread pans.

Defrost zucchini in microwave. Keep zucchini juice.

In one bowl combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk to mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, combine zucchini juice and enough milk to make 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Add oil, vanilla and eggs.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix just until moist. Then, add grated zucchini. Continue to mix until zucchini is mixed in well.

Divide batter evenly into the two bread pans. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar.

Bake at 350* for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes. Then, cut out and tip upside down on a wire rack. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Best served warm with margarine.
__________________________________________________________________

This is how I make premixed zucchini bread bags

In a quart bag, combine:
4 c. all purpose flour
1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
5 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Write on bag with a permanent marker

"Grease 2 bread loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350*.
In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 c. zucchini juice/milk mixture, 6 Tbsp oil, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 eggs.
Add dry ingredients. Mix until moist. Add in zucchini. Mix zucchini until incorporated.
Bake 1 hr 10 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 5 min in pan. Cool on wire rack."

Abbreviate the writing on the quart bag to your understanding.

I love having these stored in my cupboards.

And if you can't eat both in one sitting (which our family can), put one in a gallon ziploc bag and freeze. I like thawed zucchini bread almost as well as fresh.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-09-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hope without substance is merely Hype.

Mary, mary, quite contrary

2010-09-21T06:00:00.002-04:00

I always hummed this question in my head as a little girl:
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.[1]"

Well, I'm not Mary, but I can answer you and say, "My garden DIDN'T grow this year!"... I think we got a bowl full of tomatoes, no zucchini, one mini-pumpkin and three cucumbers. Ack!

As bummed as I am, life still goes on. :0)...

Last week, I bought a twenty pound case of zucchini. I shredded it all for the winter. Did you know that one pound of zucchini is approximately three cups of zucchini. I ended up with twenty bags filled three cups full.

What do I do all winter with twenty bags of zucchini? Well, I have three favorite recipes. I'll post them as I can. :0)

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-09-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

For the Christian, you must be 'Baaaa to the bone.' For we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Free tickets to museums this weekend Sept 25th

2010-09-20T06:09:00.001-04:00

This weekend on September 25th, you can get two free tickets to go to a museum or zoo - depending on which ones are participating with the Smithsonian.

Go to: http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venue.html to find out the venues you are close to that are offering this program.

Then, go to: http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/admission.html?2010 to request two free tickets.

What a fun way to spend the day!

How stuff works

2010-09-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

The other day, I stumbled onto How Stuff Works while looking for science facts for Ian.

The website is comprised of all kinds of information on Adventure, Animals, Auto, Culture, and etc. The two main ones that I am looking at for homeschooling are: Animals and Science.

I'm passing it along in case you might find that it is an interesting place to look for facts or information.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-09-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

How is your devotion to and pursuit of God? Wholehearted? ...or hole in the heart-ed?

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-09-12T07:00:00.001-04:00

Add the Spirit to God's Word, and it becomes a Sword.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-09-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

Half truths are full lies.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-09-10T19:40:00.001-04:00

How can you be an ascending church? Be a sending church.

Friday's craft day - coloring cookies

2010-09-10T07:00:00.001-04:00

For a craft, we pulled out of the cupboard a box of "Color-a-cookie" cookie coloring kits. My Mom-in-love had found these after Easter. She gave them to us to do as a craft. It was a really fun and cute project. Surprisingly, even after being in the cupboard for four months, the cookies were still tasty. The coloring on the cookies was just brilliant - literally! The colors that were in the box were pink, green and blue. When the kids colored the cookies, the inks in the markers were very vivid - making the pictures on the cookies stand out.

Joelyn decided that she'd rather eat the cookie than color it. :0)...

Ian's colored cookie

Joelyn decided that it was her turn to color the cookie. She took her cookie and scooted to the top of the table and started coloring.

Kaden's cookie. Of course, he couldn't eat it, but he had fun coloring it. He exchanged his for a piece of candy and divided the pieces between the other kids.

Jasmin's colored cookie

Austin's colored cookie

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-09-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

Todays advice is from Kaden, 6 yrs old: Never hold a baby when you are riding a bull.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-09-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

Make your decision on what to do based on what is right; Choose how to do it based on what is wise.

Croutons

2010-09-08T06:30:00.032-04:00

Have you ever made croutons? I do. In fact, I made them this afternoon, which prompted this blog. Our family eats them for snacks instead of chips. They disappear almost as quickly as they are made.

It seems like a mystery when you get croutons in a fancy box at the grocery store, but really they are easy. My recipe is not an exact science, but I'll walk you through how I make croutons. Then as you get familiar with it, you can tweek it and create your own recipe.

First, I use a non-sweet bread like white, french or dipping bread. I've tried our honey-wheat bread and it doesn't taste the best. Usually, I make croutons with the heels of the loaf of bread or whatever is leftover and has been in the cupboard for several days.  I cut them into cubes about 3/4" by 3/4" squares (that's my averaging imperfect 1/2" to 1" bread squares). I put them in a single layer in a pan. Put them on the counter with a towel on top. I let them sit until they are crunchy dry (in our dry weather that takes two days).

To turn the bread pieces into croutons, I take out a frying pan that will hold a couple of cups of bread pieces. I take out my oil, garlic powder and salt.  If I'm in the mood to make it fancy, I use butter and/or italian seasoning.

For each cup of croutons I plan to fry, I pour in a tablespoon and a half of oil (or substitute 1/2 tablespoon of butter for the 1/2 tablespoon of oil).  I cook about 3 cups of bread pieces in a pan at a time, therefore about 1/4 c. of oil.

My preference is to start the pan out cold with the oil as it seems to give the croutons time to soak up the oil and get toasted before the oils start burning. I pour in the oil, throw in the croutons, and then turn the heat to medium-high heat.

Once the bread is warming up, I sprinkle the croutons with garlic and salt a little heavier than I would salt my potatoes or meat at the supper table. You can lightly flavor plain bread with italian seasoning, but don't overdo it. Of course, the best way to see how good your croutons taste is to taste test them as you go. If it's not enough flavor, add more garlic or salt. If it's too much flavor, add some more uncooked croutons and a touch of oil.

I continue stirring off and on to keep them from burning for about 7-10 minutes. The smell of hot garlic will fill the air when you are at the best point of pulling them from the heat. (yum!)

Keep repeating process until the croutons are all fried. (I will fry even if the pan is hot, but my preference is to have it cool.)

If it's for a snack, serve immediately. If it's for a salad, let cool. Later add to the salad.

In our family, a whole loaf of croutons lasts about two days. But, croutons will keep well in a plastic zip bag for a couple of weeks.  To test to see if the croutons are still good smell the oils as you open the plastic bag to see if they are rancid or not.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-09-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

Liars can tell the truth, but honest people cannot tell a lie.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-09-06T07:00:00.001-04:00

Past failures should be used to refine you, not define you.

Austin's birthday

2010-09-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

One of our traditions for birthdays is that the kids get to make their own birthday cakes. For Austin's birthday, he wanted a Funfetti cake with green frosting.

Austin's making his cake.

Jasmin loves to be anywhere in the kitchen. For weeks she was asking Austin if she could help him make the cake. Each time, he'd say, "no". On his birthday, she was still trying to ask her way into baking the cake. Austin finally gave in and agreed to let her help him decorate with the green frosting. She was so happy to be allowed to help him. :0)...

Austin's birthday party

Singing "Happy Birthday!"

Austin's favorite gift of the night was a remote controlled green car from Grandpa and Grammie.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-09-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

Data is not destiny. Odds are made to be overcome, not succumbed to...

Yep, I'm not getting it done.

2010-08-20T13:52:00.000-04:00

After blogging almost a year now, I've decided that I have about two to three months of blogging energy in me and then I have to take a break. So right now, I'm on a break... can't tell can ya?! :0)...

What you don't see in my daily blogging world is that we have been in the midst of a bunch of Drs visits, packing our house, moving and unpacking our boxes to put 3000 sq ft into about 600 sq ft and donating or tossing everything else, and soon we will be starting homeschooling. Life's been crazy busy. By the time I get done working in my home at 8pm - I've already been on my feet for over twelve hrs keeping my family of seven (nine if you include my parents) happy. I'm tired... seriously tired. I've been watching movies/hulu just to relax or what have you at the end of the long days.

I will pick up again on blogging... just not today. :0)...

I did find a blog that felt somewhat as I do: How to Sabotage Your Blog (and Your Life)

Thankfully, family and friends are patient with me, so they know I'll be back. :0)... Please know that I really and truly enjoy doing this and when I have time I'll post all the pics on my camera, type in all my new recipes and start the blogging again. But I've noticed that I do tend to be cyclical and need a break about every two to three months.

In the meantime, if you really do want something to read, go up to the tabs at the top and start searching for recipes, kid ideas, other websites I recommend or just plain watch some tv to pass the time (my favorite - kick up my feet and relax).

Until we meet again, have a great day!

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-19T07:00:00.002-04:00

Right motives cannot protect you from the consequences of wrong actions.

Jan Karon's Mitford series

2010-08-18T21:13:00.001-04:00

I'm not a huge fan of fiction. I used to be. When I was a high schooler, I read all the fiction in our town library from A-W before I graduated from high school. Imagine a library with 6 rows of books from the ceiling to the floor high with books on each side. That's how many books I read during my high school years.

When I went off to college, life was innundated with textbooks and papers.  Periodically, I'd read a story here and there but found that I liked informational books more.

With five kids I don't have alot of time and when I do pick up a book, it has to hold my attention. If it doesn't, I fall asleep.

In the last few years, my Mom-in-love has introduced me to a sweet series of books that are written by Jan Karon - called the Mitford series.   I've been slowly collecting these books into my library for "when I get a chance" reading. Last year I picked up the first four in the series for $2. And today, I picked up the book "Shepherd's Abiding" for 50 cents from our local library's bookstore. Wohoo! I scored! I'm so excited to pick up on reading the books again.

If you haven't read them, I'd highly recommend them. The first book in the series of nine books is "At Home in Mitford".   The website http://www.jandysbooks.com/genfic/hommtfrd.html did a fine review on it:

"Father Tim has an Episcopalian church in Mitford, North Carolina. He has been there for years, and hasn't taken a vacation in over 13 years. He knows he's tired, but isn't quite sure what to do.

Then Barnabas bounds into his life. Barnabas is a large, friendly dog that only responds to Bible verses - the perfect dog for Father Tim.

His parishoners are a varied bunch - there are Hal the local vet and his wife Marge, Tim's close friends. Miss Rose and Uncle Billy live in the delapidated mansion - she is crazy and lives in her own world, only allowing in Uncle Billy. Then there is the doctor, Walter, who always tries to get Tim to take care of himself. Miss Sadie is the oldest parishoner, well off and with a secret she never shared.

Then Dooley comes to town. Puny becomes his housekeeper. And Cynthia moves in next door. Father Tim's life is about to become more chaotic.

At Home in Mitford is a charming novel about the small town of Mitford from the Father's point of view. It isn't maudlin or overly sweet. It is humorous. Everything isn't roses, yet even the shadows are handled with a light, believable touch. This is a great relaxation book, one to enjoy and appreciate. Father Tim is a real character with his failures and faith. The characters within the tale are lovable. I have to laugh when I think about some of the different outfits Miss Rose wears. Dooley is easy to picture."

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

I've always been a 'go the extra mile' type of person. Everybody else goes for six pack abs; mine look more like twelve packs.

(Dawn: Maybe true, but he sure is gooooood lookin'!)

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

You can choose your friends but enemies must be earned

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

Between being a cheater or the cheated, I'd rather be the latter.

Homeschool Planning

2010-08-16T06:01:00.000-04:00

This last week, I found a great blog by LifeAsMom about Putting Paperwork and Plans Together.

She has an Attendance Form and a Grammar School Form that I thought were just great! I also never thought of doing each kid in their own color. As soon as I can get colored paper for each kid, I'll be making copies for each one. It sure makes it look a whole lot easier.

So if you are curious, hop on over there and take a look.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-15T07:00:00.002-04:00

We think we need the things that are really wants. We need to want more needs and need fewer wants.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-14T07:00:00.001-04:00

Money often becomes the enemy of prosperity.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

There is a difference between running the race to win, and running to hopefully not lose. One is offense, the other is offensive

Coleslaw Dressing

2010-08-13T06:51:00.001-04:00

You know, this blog I believe contains all my favorite recipes. (smile). I do searches on my own blog when I can't find my recipe because I've misplaced it (or am too lazy to look).

Last week, I blogged about my favorite dressings. Today, I'm blogging on my Mom's coleslaw dressing. I always think I'm not a fan of coleslaw until I start eating my Mom's. For some reason, I end up eating two or three bowls of it before I'm done and often wonder why I think I don't like coleslaw. (smile) But, it happens that way almost every time.

The nice thing about coleslaw is that you can tailor it to the way you like it.
The base is 1 head of cabbage - green or purple
Carrots,
Onions,
Peppers,
and etc.

Coleslaw Dressing

Ingredients
1 c sugar
3/4 c oil
3/4 c vinegar
1/2 t salt
celery seed

Recipe Instructions:
In a small pot, put in the ingredients. Whisk. Turn on the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil. Make sure sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, remove from stove. Let dressing cool. Pour over fresh ingredients. Toss well. With this dressing, coleslaw will last several weeks in the refrigerator.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

The only difference between borrowing and stealing is consent. A seemingly small, but transformational difference.

Gardening

2010-08-12T06:30:00.000-04:00

I loooove gardening! Seriously love it!

My favorite part is starting the plant from seed and watching it sprout and grow. None of this buying it from a store already a junior plant for me. The whole fun is in watching the seeds grow!

But, this year has been a challenge. This year we started with sand and have fertilized it with compost three times already. But, my plants are really wimpy this year. Just thought I'd show you some pictures:

Pictures of kids planting their plants at the end of May.

This was my last year's garden on July 8th.

This was my this years garden on July 23rd.

We've gone down in altitude by 1000 ft and our average temperature has gone up by 4 degrees. So, we *should* have larger and more beautiful plants. This is the difference of fertilizing your dirt to turn it into soil.

Our pastor made a comment one day and said, "If you don't fertilize your heart with the Word, your heart is just dirt." I can't tell you how much I can relate to that!

But in the mean time, I'm watching my poor garden grow.

Next year... yes, I'm dreaming about next year... I am hoping to try Square Foot Gardening.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-11T22:20:00.000-04:00

Till Debt do us part...? Many marriages can handle the better, but few can stomach the worse.

Bible study with Daddy

2010-08-11T22:18:00.001-04:00

This summer, Kevin's been doing alot of walking. At least one morning a week, he's been taking the boys scootering with him to the local coffee shop about a 15 minutes scooter each way. They love it - all of them. :0)...

While they are drinking their coffee (or a good substitute), Kevin finds a scripture for them to study. The boys have composition books that they write what they've learned or draw pictures if they can't write.

The pictures of this day were when Kevin was reading Ephesians 6:10-18 about putting on the Armor of God.

Austin was drawing pictures with his stuffed dog he brought along.

Ian was taking notes on the conversations they had.

Kaden decided that his stuffed animal needed a "helmet of salvation", "shield of faith" and "sword of the Spirit". Pretty cute, eh?!

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-10T07:00:00.001-04:00

Ian: "Austin, now that you memorized the Lord's Prayer, it's hid in your heart. Like gum, stuck to the floor; Nobody can get it off easy."

Princess of Thieves

2010-08-10T06:36:00.000-04:00

Ugh! Life's been going at a crazy pace this last weekend. Alas, no blogs. :0)... And yesterday, I was to tired to care. No offense.

So to relax, we watched "The Blindside" - a fantastic movie! However, I'm sure everyone and their dog has already watched it as we've been patiently waiting to get it for free from the library. If you haven't seen it, you can get reviews at PluggedIn.

The other one we watched was Disney's "Princess of Thieves". It came out in 2001 and for some reason, we missed it. It was a really sweet movie. The bigger boys enjoyed the action. The little girls didn't watch a bit! (They had a tea party in the kitchen on the floor while we were watching.)

Wikipedia summarizes the movie as:

Keira Knightley stars in this made-for-TV Disney adventure that puts a spin on an often-told story. The film picks up years after the "known" events of the Robin Hood legend, centering on Robin's daughter, Gwyn, played by Knightley. As Maid Marian has died and Robin Hood (Stuart Wilson) is perpetually away battling in the Crusades, Gwyn has lived much of her life alone. She has grown up to be a strong-willed young woman with a talent for archery, much like her father. Her only friend is the sweet but plain Froderick (Del Synnott), who clearly is in love with her. Upon the death of Richard the Lionheart, Robin returns to see that the proper man takes Richard's place as king of England. However, Robin is quickly foiled and imprisoned by the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham (Malcolm McDowell) and Prince John (Jonathan Hyde).

It is then up to Gwyn to save the day. She must complete Robin's mission to find and protect the young Prince Philip (Stephen Moyer), who has just returned from exile in France to claim the throne — not an easy task since he has decided to forsake his true identity and is traveling anonymously under his valet's name (who died en-route protecting his prince). Though she does fortuitously cross paths with the prince, she is not aware of his identity for much of the film. With a romantic spark budding between them, they must find the Merry Men and join forces to free her father from the tortures of the Tower of London before the evil Prince John ascends to the throne and brings England to ruin.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

After things go wrong, "Shoulda" can be addressed after you have fully dealt with "Now What?"

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-08T07:00:00.002-04:00

For mice, death smells a lot like peanut butter

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

Still thinking on it/Heard from Stan Searle: "You are not a thief because you steal, you steal because you are a thief."

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

I want to be unique, just like everyone else.

Organizational Tip: Kitchen cupboards

2010-08-06T06:10:00.001-04:00

Here's another organizational tip from my Mom: Store your utensils upright in old coffee cans. Put your pans in a box. AND, you can store your cutting boards upright using a bookend to hold them up. :0)... (That was my favorite tip.)

Other blogs of interest:

Utensil drawer

Cleaning ziploc bags

Catalina Dressing

2010-08-06T05:02:00.002-04:00

Here's another favorite salad dressings:

Catalina

Ingredients:
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1 c. oil
salt & pepper to taste

Recipe:
First, finely grind sugar in a blender. After grinding finely, add in the ketchup and vinegar. Slowly add in onion powder, paprika, worchestershire sauce, salt, pepper and oil.

This costs about .50 to make. So, I will only buy store bought catalina if I can get it around the same price with no work involved. :0)

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

Insights spend most of their time out-of-sight

Honey Mustard

2010-08-05T06:46:00.003-04:00

Ok... I'm still blogging on salad dressings. Here's my next favorite salad dressing - Honey Mustard.

Honey Mustard dressing:

Ingredients:
1/2 c. plain yogurt
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. prepared mustard
2 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. lemon juice

Recipe Instructions:
Mix ingredients well. Serve on a fresh salad.

Note: If you don't like yogurt, you can use mayonaise. However, I like the tartness and health benefits of yogurt. Our fridge only contains a small jar of mayo for company. We use yogurt in place of mayo for most things.

Toppings:
Lettuce
Canadian bacon
Carrots
Onions
Dried cranberries
Raisins
Sunflower seeds
Croutons

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-04T07:00:00.001-04:00

Stuff is the enemy of enough.

Aha moment!

2010-08-04T06:59:00.013-04:00

I've been thinking I should read scripture in The Message version - it's a more readable everyday language. I like reading the New King James, but sometimes I need to read it in another version because I'm glazing over when I read New King James. And for the last several weeks I've been "chewing" on Ephesians.

Here's what I read today that I thought was just "Aha!" for me:

"And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.

But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ's body we're all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.

Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can't work.

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted.

Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you."

Ephesians 4:17-32

Isn't that good? Aha!

Salad dressings

2010-08-04T06:13:00.001-04:00

Well, this morning I am mentally blank... seriously blank! :0)...

But, I've been wanting to blog on salad dressings for awhile. I have a mental peeve with buying all kinds of extra spices and salad dressings. Mind you, I will buy a salad dressing if I have a coupon, it's super cheap and we will really eat it. But I don't buy the latest and greatest in salad dressings.

Why is it such a big deal? Well, I think it stems from when Kevin and I were first married. He hosted alot of groups before we were married (he's such a nice man and enjoys people) and had alot of hand-me-down/leftover salad dressings. They sat in our fridge for years - literally - because I didn't know when we were going to use them next... and we never did... So, I started tossing salad dressings and never replaced them.

Now, I have three main dressing recipes (and I may snag a fourth from my Mom). And, I like it that way! I like fresh salad dressing much better than in a jar. I do keep low fat catalina for Kaden because he can tolerate it with his food allergies and he loves lettuce. I do keep ranch dressing. But, that's it.

So, for my first salad dressing recipe, it has to be my favorite! I like it because it's a ratio and I can remember ratios. I can't remember details on recipes, but I can remember ratios.

I've made this twice in the last week:

Ingredients:
1 part vinegar
1 part sugar
2 parts oil
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Recipe Instructions:
In a container with a lid, mix the vinegar, sugar and oil. Shake well. Pour over cut up lettuce & accessories. Toss the salad. Add salt & pepper to taste. Add in other vegetables/fruit as you go.

I used to like it bland, but it's getting spicier the older I get. I like using fresh cracked pepper. Ah, the flavor! :0)...

IF you want it lower in fat, make it 1 part vinegar, 1 part sugar, 1 part oil, 1 part water.

Here's how I traditionally make a salad with this dressing:

Mandarin Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 c. sunflower seeds (ratio 2 seeds to 1 sugar - I always make alot at a time and freeze it)
1/4 c. sugar
1 head iceberg lettuce
1/2 head romaine lettuce (if I have it)
1 c. chopped celery (if I have it)
2 whole green onions, chopped (if I have it)
1 11oz. can mandarin oranges, drained (cupboard staple)

Recipe Instructions:
In a small pan over medium heat, cook sunflower seeds and sugar, stirring constantly until seeds are coated and sugar dissolved. Watch carefully as they will burn easily. Cool and store in air-tight container. When totally cool, place leftovers in freezer to keep seeds fresh. Mix all dressing ingredients (recipe above) and chill. Mix lettuces, celery and onions. Just before serving add sunflower seeds and oranges. Toss with dressing.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-08-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

"Jesus Saves...so should you." Good title for a Dave Ramsey type book?

Pork Rub

2010-08-03T06:03:00.002-04:00

I was craving pork loin for the last couple of months, but was too cheap to buy it. This week a grocery store had it for buy one, get one free. Wohoo! So, I got a bunch of pork.

This is my absolutely favorite meat rub (well, my only one... why change a good thing?! (smile)). I know I call it a pork rub, but it can be for any meat. We had it for supper last night. My family looooves it when I make this!

Enjoy!

Pork Rub

Ingredients:
½ c. brown sugar packed
½ c. paprika
¼ c. chili powder
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. black pepper

To use: Mix spices in bowl together. Spoon onto both sides of pork loin or chops. Let rest in fridge from 30 minutes to 4 hours. When ready to cook, preheat greased pan on stove at medium-high heat until grease is hot, but not burning. (3-4 minutes with no pork in pan.) Place pork in pan and brown each side for one minute. Then, turn burner to low and continue cooking for 5 more minutes or until when cut the juices run clear.

*Note: If allergic to sugar, mix paprika, chili powder, salt and black pepper. When ready to make, add honey and a small amount of molasses.

Other blogs of interest:
How I buy spices

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-08-02T07:00:00.001-04:00

You always fund your priorities

(I can't tell you how many times I've quoted that from Kevin. Look at what you have - it shows you what your priorities are.)

Having fun!

2010-08-02T05:58:00.001-04:00

One day, Austin was driving Joelyn around the yard in a John Deere kid's car. She was loving it!

Ephesians 3:20-21

2010-08-01T06:56:00.000-04:00

20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-08-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

If you don't make good choices, then someone else will make them for you

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-07-31T07:00:00.002-04:00

Genuinely believing a lie does not make it truth

Swimmin'

2010-07-31T06:09:00.001-04:00

This is what quite a bit of our summer has turned out to look like. :0)...

I had bought life jackets at a Munchkin Market several years ago for a buck or two. We used them once. However this year, we have used them so many times. The way that they are used now is in the pool. Jasmin and Joelyn wear their life jackets.

Jasmin wants to be put in her fish. Then, someone grabs the hook on the back of the life jacket and pulls her around the pool. This time, it happened to be Ian who volunteered to pull her. :0)...

Joelyn loves to sit on Daddy's lap after swimming until she's tired.

Joelyn loves to be pulled around like she's back floating. It's fun to watch her kick her legs. She's a natural in the water and loves it!

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-07-30T07:00:00.003-04:00

Pain can propel us to accomplish more than we ever could do on our own

Homeschooling

2010-07-30T06:28:00.001-04:00

I'm gearing up to get ready for homeschooling in a month. I can't hardly believe it! I'm letting the kids have tv time and me computer time because I know that it's soon none of us will be spending much time in front of any screens. :0)...

But, since I'm mentally getting ready for the year, I found a bunch of great comments and ideas for homeschooling in an article by Econobusters. You can read the article, but more importantly, read the comments below the article if you need help with homeschooling ideas this year.

Snake bubble blower

2010-07-30T06:08:00.000-04:00

Last year, Family Fun had an article about making a Foamerator. (My kids know it as "a snake bubble blower".) This last week for a craft, we took the time to make them. They are really cheap and simple. You need an empty water bottle with the bottom cut off, a wet wash cloth cut larger than the water bottle, and a rubber band to hold it on. Dip in soapy water. Blow out bubbles.
(If you have the time and inclination, go to Family Fun to get the actual instructions.)

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-07-29T07:00:00.002-04:00

You can't purify gold in a campfire
A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back. Prov 29:11

A response for book ideas...

2010-07-29T06:30:00.000-04:00

You will remember that a week ago, I asked if anyone had ideas for kids' books... I posted it in Blogger and Facebook. I received two answers via email from my cousin Laura and my Mom-in-love. The answers might be a little lengthy, but here are the two (edited) responses:

From my Mom-in-love
"There are a number of books written by Thornton W. Burgess that are called the Mother West Wind Stories. It is a series.M-W-W ."Why" stories, When, Where, and How.Stories (4 different books).
We actually have a couple of them ( very old!) :-) .somewhere here that I read to the boys, I think. My mom read them to us a child and I liked them! Stories have such titles as "Why the bear has a short tail"-How the eagle got its white head, etc. They are not true stories-but fun interesting and classic, I think. Burgess also wrote some individual books about animals --The Adventures of Buster Bear, Jerry Muskrat, Sammy Jay, Blacky the Crow, Reddy Fox, etc. (We have these first three also very old!) :-)

The Boxcar Children (a series now) was a favorite of mine.

The Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling are classic!

Other books: The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Graham (I read this in college as a part of the Children's Literature class and loved it!

I remember some of the mom's bought The Sugar Creek Gang (series) for their children who liked them. You could check them out.

And Dad would recommend The Hardy Boys (series), he loved them growing up and may have given his to one of the boys.

Well, that is what I can think of for now! There is a book called, Honey for a Child's Heart, that has lists of recommended books for children at different age levels. But it is a good reference/resource."

From my cousin Laura
"I saw your blog post about read-alouds and have been meaning to send you some ideas. This is a link to a list of read-alouds for the curriculum I use. You'll see at the top, there is a page for classic titles, girl-interest, and this one is boy-interest. You will find great books in all three lists. The author of our curriculum is a Christian and she has thoroughly reviewed all the books she suggests.

http://www.heartofdakota.com/boys-pack.php

There are more lists in the older levels if you need them later."

I think that for the next book, I'm going to try "Wind in the Willows". But, I'm going to read it before I read it to the kids. I've learned that if they like a book, they will request I read it, but if it's not a hit they won't - whether it has awards, recognitions or not.

Blech!

2010-07-29T06:07:00.001-04:00

Ick! Ick! Ick! One day, the kids made a pool of mud in the backyard with all the sand. Joelyn, who is drawn to water like a duck, walked straight to the mud and promptly made herself at home. FYI, this was the FIRST outfit she ruined. I forgot about the ruined outfit after I brought her in, washed her up and changed her clothes. Two hours later, we went outside and without thinking I turned away and she walked straight to the puddle AGAIN and promptly ruined another outfit. (grrrr...)

Coupon Tip: Snack Plastic Bags

2010-07-29T05:57:00.001-04:00

I am not a huge couponer. There are ladies that take boxes of coupons to stores and search and search for sales. I don't. But, I do use coupons of items that I know we will use. So, while I'm preparing our grocery shopping list, I look for the coupons and sales in that grocery store. I have four snack size plastic baggies labeled: Albertson's, Walmart, King Soopers and Xtra. I put the coupons that I want to use at that store in that snack bag. For instance, King Soopers doubles coupons, so I will keep all my coupons under .50 that might make an item cheaper than at Walmart in there. I keep coupons in each bag for Walmart and Albertsons. I have an Xtra bag because there have been times I've left the coupon at home and wanted it then. (grrr...) So, I carry those coupons labeled "Xtra". I do my coupons this way so that I'm not thumbing through a box of coupons for every item. I know my prices and I know where I will buy an item. So to simplify, I put my coupon in that store's snack bag before I go shopping.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-07-28T07:00:00.003-04:00

Though called to be salt...we sure can be an unsavory lot

Grandma & Tito's Visit

2010-07-28T06:06:00.001-04:00

My Grandma and her friend, Tito, stopped by for two days. We had a nice time just catching up. Before they left, we took a picture of our kids with them.

Family Fun Magazine for $3.73/yr

2010-07-27T14:03:00.000-04:00

I know that it's later in the day, so there might be a few of you still reading.

But I found on Moneysavingmom.com that you can get Family Fun Magazine for $3.73/yr today only!! I like Family Fun magazine, but I quit getting them because I wasn't reading them right away - too busy at the time getting the house ready for market. But, I can't turn down a renewal for $3.73. :0)...

If you are interested, you can find out more information at: http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/07/family-fun-magazine-subscription-for-3-73-per-year.html

Should you wonder what to do with your magazines after you've read them, here's my blog on Two Ideas for Magazines.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-07-27T07:00:00.001-04:00

What you really believe is written out in how you behave.

Organizational tip: Ziploc bags

2010-07-27T06:46:00.003-04:00

I hate washing ziploc bags... seriously hate it! And I use alot of them with once a month (or two) cooking. Why do I hate it? Because I can't figure out where to get them to dry. Well, my Momma has! She has a pantry door that she has put wire racks on to hold the little items (like spices, powdered drinks, juices and etc.). She has clipped clothes pins onto the wire rack so that when she washes the ziploc bags, she can hang them upside down by the clothes pins on the wire rack inside the pantry. Pretty cool, eh?!!

(PS - My Mom was upset that the pantry looked messy, so if you notice it, please pardon the mess. (smile)... But if you're like me, you thought it looked super clean already and it didn't even blip on your radar. (grin))

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-07-26T07:00:00.001-04:00

You must fix your eyes on Jesus or you will be fixated on the things of this world. It is both an act of faith and of the will.

Apples for the teacher

2010-07-26T06:14:00.000-04:00

My friend, who was a charter school teacher, had told me several years ago about Apples4theTeacher.com. I didn't investigate it much. However, this year I was looking for extra online information for Ian for science. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the website had games and worksheets for Arts, Literacy, Math, Science, and Social Studies. For third grade science specifically, I found extra reinforcements for animal classification, solar system and human body.

Sunday

2010-07-25T10:05:00.000-04:00

In need of a good sermon? You can go to http://www.newlifechurch.org/ to hear a sermon in Ephesians.

Ephesians, Week 5: Jesus Loves Me, This I Know

Speaker: Brady Boyd

Date: Jul 18, 2010

Pastor Brady continues the Ephesians series by exploring the extravagant, unfathomable nature of God's unconditional love.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-07-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

Learn, don't yearn...for the past

Crockpot Lasagna

2010-07-24T06:16:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I tried a new crockpot recipe for lasagna. I have tried several lasagna recipes and in the past have decided to stick with Stauffer's. And I have very little experience with crockpotting (check out the recipe tab above and you'll agree :0)...)

But I did have some cottage cheese in the fridge that we needed to use up. And, we happened to have all the rest of the ingredients. It took me maybe 20 minutes to put this recipe together. I started around noon. Then, I just let it crockpot all day. The result was fantastic! I will make this again. And, I think this would be an easy meal for company if you are busy all day and need something that's hot and good.

I have modified this recipe slightly for what we had in our cupboards, but the original recipe came from Miserly Meals by Jonni McCoy. I went to a money saving class by Jonni about nine years ago. She was my inspiration for learning how to shop grocery sales before the advent of internet sale ads and http://www.coupons.com/.

... Oh, oh... I just found her website. If you are interested in cruising around and reading another website, try http://www.miserlymoms.com/. She doesn't give out much free information (which is kind of different... since she's teaching you to how to save money), but you can find info on her books at her website. If you find a book you want to try that's not at the library, you can compare prices at http://www.bestwebbuys.com/.

Crockpot Lasagna
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey or beef
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
3/4 container of 16 oz. cottage cheese (remember I needed to use it up. :0)... It wouldn't have hurt anything to use all 16 oz.)
3 c. grated mozarella (1 c. for mix, 2 c. for serving later)
12 oz. tomato paste
2 c. water
3 T. Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
8-10 lasagna noodles

Instructions:
Precook the ground meat, onions and garlic until it is done. Once the meat mixture is done, combine meat mixture, cottage cheese, 1 c. mozarella, tomato paste, water, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir well to break down the tomato paste and mix in the seasonings.

To start, put 1 c. of lasagna mixture in the bottom of the pan. Top the lasagna with about 1 1/2 lasagna noodles. Break them up into long pieces so that they make a layer of noodles across the pan. Then, add another cup of sauce. Repeat process until the sauce is gone. Do not add another layer of noodles on the top of the sauce. Once the sauce is gone, quit.

If there isn't liquid all around the noodles, add another 1/2 c. water.

Place lid on crockpot. Crockpot on low for 6-8 hrs. When you are ready to serve, top the hot bowl of lasagna with 1/4 c. per serving of the remaining cheese.

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-07-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

2 sides of sacrifice. Giving up and giving your best

Summer crafts

2010-07-23T06:15:00.001-04:00

One of the things I like to do with my kids is crafts. I love to work with my hands and to craft and so I wanted to pass along that love to my kids. It's been awhile since we've done regular crafts. During the school year, it's usually on Fridays. However with the pool open and the weather nice, Friday's seem to be skipped alot. So, I'm trying to get in a craft whenever the mood strikes rather than setting a day for it.

This craft was from the Dollar Tree. They are unpainted bird houses that my Mom found while shopping with the kids.

Ian is very into creating. He likes to draw and paint. By the time his birdhouse was done, the roof was brown, the walls were blue (his favorite color) and the bottom quarter was painted green for grass.

Austin actually did a really good job painting! He started out all green - then added more colors. He wanted to add glitter glue to his when it was dry.

Kaden loves quick projects and this was the right one!

Of course, Jasmin painted hers pink and purple. :0)

We tried to get Jo to paint, but she ate the paint instead. I guess she's not quite big enough. Give her four months and she'll be scrambling to the table to do crafts. :0)

Update

2010-07-22T17:33:00.002-04:00

Hey! My grandma arrived in town yesterday afternoon with an hour warning. (smile). So, I've been busy hosting them and grocery shopping. I have pics of Grandma with my kids and hope to have them posted sometime in the next day or so.

If you have a need to check something out (and your computer's not too old), go to Google and select iGoogle. Kevin started it for me and I love it! I am blogging from iGoogle, reading Fox news, keeping track of time and weather. (on the right hand side it says "Add stuff" and you can change the gadets that are normally there.) Very cool!

Have a fantastic day!

Kevin's Tweet for the Day (@KevTrig)

2010-07-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

Most overnight sensations are at least 15 years in the making.

Daddy Date

2010-07-21T06:16:00.009-04:00

Periodically, Kevin takes each kid on a "date" with him. Two days ago, it was Jasmin's turn.

They had french fries and pop at McDonalds. Because McD's has a sock policy in their play area, they purchased a pair. (I'm all for the sock policy!) Kevin said that three siblings ages (10,5 and 2 1/2) played with Jasmin and each asked if they could help her while she was trying to navigate the play area. Kevin said they were the nicest kids and it made the time much easier for him.

Yes, Jasmin ASKED if she could go to Home Depot. (I asked Kevin and he said it was her idea. She must've got that from me - I love shopping there.) Kevin said she rode in the cart while they "shopped". Jasmin picked out her "favorite" light, which happened to be a purple light.

And, she got skittles on her "date with Daddy" to bring home to the kids. She was the "it" for the next couple of hours as she was handing out skittles one at a time. :0)

Kevin's Tweet for the Day

2010-07-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

Definition of integrity: Reading every page of your childs book to them

Do you have any kid read aloud book ideas?

2010-07-20T06:49:00.005-04:00

Kevin, my Mom and I have started reading the Chronicles of Narnia's first book "The Magician's Nephew" to the boys. They have loved listening to it. We've about read the whole book in a week. We will soon be moving on to "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe".

If we are successful in reading all the books, we should be done in a month or two. Do you have any favorite books that boys would enjoy? I read classics as a kid, but they were geared towards girls (Anne of Green Gables, Little Princes, Little Women and etc.) Any ideas on books my boys might like?

Odds n ends

2010-07-20T05:57:00.001-04:00

Thanks to my Mom, here's today's organization tip. Save medicine bottles. Remove the labels. You can put buttons, hair pins, rubber bands and/or ipod ear plugs in the medicine bottle to keep the items organized. :0)