Baking Day

Today was Home Economics 101. We all know its much easier to do the baking ourselves then to teach our children how to do it. Well just let me tell you that if you spend the time teaching your daughters how to manage a home and cook and bake the day will come when it actually ends up freeing up your time rather then taking up your time.

Today Tink made Snicker Doodles. I was so proud of her. They turned out perfectly. Really they couldn't have been better if I'd have made them myself; oh yes, they would have been more uniformly shaped maybe but they wouldn't have been better in taste and texture. One of the things that I insist on is that Tink measures everything into separate bowls before putting it in the mixer. I thought you might want to take a peek at Tinks baking day. Here she is measuring her ingredients. Peter has been playing in the water (which is another whole messy story that added much unneeded stress to me day) and he's overseeing the project.

Im editing this pic in because of the comments between Konk and myself about the measuring of the ingredients before hand. Indeed it does take a lot of dishes as Konk mentions. Here's exactly how many! LOL

Tink continues to work while I redirect Peter. He had been to a community service project for his school homework earlier in the day. Now he's sitting here filling out the form on what he did and what he learned. This will go back to the teacher on Tuesday.

Tink has successfully mixed her ingredients and baked her test cookie. A test cookie is a must when teaching young ladies how to bake! She's looking a little uncertain here because she hates hot pans. She is so sure she's going to get burned.

With the baker busy at the stove Peter, the hawk, sees his chance to swoop in without his opponent being able to swat his hand away from her bowl of dough.

The test cookie came out perfectly so now it's time to get busy and roll out some Snicker Doodles.

Wendy dropped by for lunch and after eating a cookie totalling 90 calories and having a little coffee and cream she has decided to figure out how many calories she has consumed. When she gets older like her mom she will learn to figure the calories before consumption, dear girl.

And here are the cookies Tink baked. She froze some for her Grandma who is coming Tuesday and then picked out 2 of the best for Daddy at dinner time. Days like this make up for the frustrating hours of teaching them when they are young.

With the baking done, the lion and the lamb sit down together to work on scrapbook pages. Enjoy this scene! About an hour later they were threatening to eat each other!

So goes a rainy spring morning in the Darling household! Did you want to hear how Peter used a plastic hose to the fish tank and ran water all over the bathroom floor and swamped the cabinet under the sink till water was standing an inch high in the cabinet? I didn't think so.

A peek inside the human brain

Im going in too many directions. Sometimes I'm surprised my mind doesnt just burst open and spew it's thoughts everywhere - like a water line with with a hole in it...water in huge geysers.. going everywhere and nowhere!

There's no better way to convey what I'm going through then to systematically list for you the files in my brain that have been accessed repeatedly the last few days. If you've ever wanted to look into the complex (and not so complex) workings of the human mind, here's your chance.

Here is what I'm spending my time thinking about:

Gardening - will hubby get the garden tilled before the next snowfall? And if he does how big do I want to go this year? How much should I plant?

Beautifying the back yard - must get quotes for back hoe work, figure out the design for the pavers, figure out how much of the yard should be done in pavers

Homeschool - persuade Mr Darling to let me homeschool Peter, figure out curriculum and classes for fall, prepare Tink for CAT benchmark testing on Tuesday, park days start first of June (inquire as to exact days), look into an online organizer for Tinks lesson plans

Dieting - ever dieting, post before pics, take new pics

Memorial Day weekend - make plans to go or not to go to the farm for a pig roast, if not make other plans

My Birthday - get sitter for evening out with hubby

Summer clothes for the kids - they have not a stitch to wear for summer, pray that they dont have to go around in their skivvies, find time to shop for said clothes, children must be made to look acceptable, get haircut for Peter

Tiger Lily - go to the store and look over the stuff a 6 month old can eat, (refresh your mind, old lady)

End of school year events - buy black skirt and white blouse for Tinks violin concert, choir concert, attend homeschool graduation for a friend, buy the child a gift

Music - reschedule Peters music lessons for summer, call Tinks summer violin instructor for directions to her house, go to back yard BBQ Saturday with my singing group, The Upward Way, buy new clothes to sing in front of church (my singing out fit is too big now)

Dr. Appointments - get tooth filled for Peter at kids dentist, dental cleanings for the kids and myself, schedule eye exam for self, (I only have a two week supply of contacts left) schedule yearly physcial

Cleaning - sort garage sale closet, get room ready for mother in law who is arriving Tuesday

Books - Write three book reviews for publishers, Watershipdown is overdue at library, figure out a way Tink can read her own devotionals in the mornings

Peter - fill out forms for next years teacher, fill out this years teacher assessment, fill out community service forms, attend work day at his school

Cooking - make lots of food for this weekend, bake, make cold salads, grill

Okay, that sums up the beginning files in my brain. Believe me there is much more going on up there, however, Im sure you're begging me to stop. Consider yourself lucky. I could have told you about the summer household schedule Im putting together or the plans I have to keep Peter occupied through the summer or the more private thoughts Im churning about marriage and hubby.

I could have shared with you my research into my Dads failing health and my plans for hubbys health. I could have gone into great depth about some new homeschool curriculum I found and thankfully you have been saved from a huge entry on that entire theme.

I mentioned my vegetable garden plans but not a word about my flower gardens. I mentioned plans for Peter but not the plans for Tink. I've saved you from the menu changes I am making and the diet changes I've been implementing with my daughter. Really folks I've saved you from more then you know.

I feel like Anne of Green Gables when she told Marilla that if she (Marilla) only knew the things she didnt say she'd be proud of how little she said!

Old Mothers Cupboard

The warmer weather around here has me thinking about the summer ahead and all the gardening, and canning and planting to come. Actually the planting started about two weeks ago or more. I've got my flower gardens about where I want them for the year. I asked hubby to get bark dust and he informs me that barkdust is at an all time high! Say what? For five years we've needed barkdust and now when I feel that we may just get it it's priced out of sight. Oh well, as hubby says, when I get a bee in my bonnet I don't get it out and this bark dust is a hornet in my bonnet and I want it badly! I will get it, just see if I don't!

Have you noticed that everything is at an all time high? Wheat and rice have gone up beyond belief. Now I don't keep wheat around for emergency purposes but I was telling my sister about the high price of grain and she informs me that they have 300pounds of wheat put away! Well tut tut! It looks like I have a ways to go! I only have 25 pounds of rice right now and Id love to up that to 50 pounds but we'll see. Hubby is holding the purse strings tightly these days! Of course, whats new, eh? Bless the dear man!

I cant get him out to till the garden for love nor money! He is so tired at night he doesn't know which end is up so I guess I have to give him some slack. He's been working for three weekends now on an old cherry tree; digging up its roots and cutting it into wood. Peter and Tink have been working right along with him. Tink is now busy back filling the huge hole the root made! Today on her school break I saw her out there working away. She loves anything better then reading! sigh.

At some point though we will have to get the garden going. I need to can more then usual this year. It just seems like everything has ran low over the year. Right now I'm three pints from being out of jam! ( you thought I was going to say I was three pints to the wind, didnt ya? )I have been married for 19 years and we have never had to buy jam. I don't think we'll have to this year either because June and strawberries are just around the corner! I still have plenty of blueberries I can make into jam if the need arises.

I opened the last jar of salsa this past weekend! I'm almost out of ketchup and I'm totally out of tomato juice and tomato sauce; both of which I use for home made tomato soup! It appears that I will have a huge need for tomatoes this year. I'm not going to plant many plants though because I can get all the tomatoes I want at the end of the year from my Mennonite brother who graciously gathers them from the gardens of the Mennonites in his community and brings them to me. I need no less then a hundred pounds each year.

I only have about a dozen jars of green beans left and by August when the beans come in those will be gone. I still have dill pickles left so I will only have to can sweet pickles and bread and butter this year. I plan on planting enough cucumbers to get them all from my own garden. It also looks like I might be out of relish by fall.

I positively love my flower gardens but a canning garden is another matter. It just doesn't speak to me like my flowers do, but then, the flowers don't feed us like the garden does and so I ask myself which is most important. Of course, the vegetable garden wins, so I plant away and hope my strength lasts.

Actually one of the reasons I want a garden this year is to teach Tink and Peter how to plant and harvest. Peter is surprising us all with a passion for cooking. Even when he sets the table he does it with a professional twist. I had to laugh tonight when I noticed he had put the lids of my pans over our plates like as if we were being served on silver chargers with domed lids! The funniest thing was that under the lids there was nothing that needed to be kept warm; nothing save cold salad! Bless the babe! Mr. Darling who holds to lofty ideals of what is womans work and what is mans work actually told me I should teach the boy how to cook as it appears that's what he wants to do!

Peter and Tink have been so busy outside working with their Daddy that they scarecly have time to learn anything in the house these days. They are hauling and stacking wood, picking up limbs, weeding and backfilling the huge hole I spoke of earlier. Peter is so tired when he gets home from school. He gardens and hikes every day there and when he gets home its all I can do to get him to practice piano. Then its out to help Dad or off to swim lessons. Poor kid. But then again, you know me, I've always held to the notion that kids cant be overworked in this day and age and I still believe that. My kids don't come close to working as hard as I did. On the other hand I dont know of any of there friends who work as hard as they do! So I guess there's a balance there.

Tink has suddenly taken a renewed interest in working along side of me. She tells me almost every day that she wants to be like me when she grows up. Today she asked me how I learned so much stuff and if she would ever know as much as I do! I turned so she couldn't see me smile; then I informed her gravely that when she is 48 years old she too will know what I know, but NOT BEFORE THEN! And to think that in a few short years she will think I know nothing and that she knows everything! Oh well, I'll soak up the adoration while I can!

Well it's on to the night ahead. I can hear the birds calling their goodnights, their trills come to me on the vesper breeze of this late spring evening. I love these kinds of evenings. I know it will be morning when you read this but as I write its the end of a warm spring day and I am tired!

Love to all.

The Simple Womans Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my Window...The wind is gently stirring through the trees. The sun is shining and it promises to be a lovely day!

I am thinking...how nice life is now that Tink is on her summer school schedule. She is doing more work then she will have to do in the summer but we aren't learning new facts and that makes it way easier for me. It's a time of reinforcing what she has already learned and putting those facts from short term memory into long term. We are still pressing ahead in Math so she is still learning new stuff there. But other then that there is a much easier feel to our days.

I am thankful for...the students God brought into my life this past year. I loved tutoring them. But I'm also thankful that the tutoring is over for the year and I have that added time to my day now.

From the kitchen...It's filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses and whole grain breads for the week ahead.

I am creating...a food journal. Yes, You read that right. I am making a food journal out of an art book. I am putting pretty pics of flowers and things in it that I find in my magazines...anything that makes me feel good goes in there. Every day I am recording what I eat and how I felt that day. I'm also recording the food temptations that came my way for the day so I can have a birds eye view of what I didn't eat that I could have eaten!

I am going...to change the look and feel of our days in preparation for summer. One of the things I am going to do is to incorporate exercise into my day via an exercise video that I will use in the mornings. I'm excited about this. I'm also changing my quiet time back to the morning now that I don't have to prepare the day for students. I love morning and so I'm creating the most beautiful beginning to my days that I can!

I am wearing...a tan skirt with a white shirt and a shell necklace. I am barefoot.

I am reading...Sea of Lost Love another book I am reviewing for a publisher.

I am hoping...that my migraine goes away!

I am hearing...the kids and hubby come in from working outside. I hear the TV and their chatter and ice clinking in their glasses.

Around the house...We have spent every evening and weekend the last while working in the back yard. We're almost done cutting up a huge cherry tree whose roots were coming out of the ground. We're preparing the back yard for a back hoe to come in and dig out so we can lay pavers down. The hot tub and the pool will then be put on the pavers and hopefully this will mean no more leveling every year and no more dirt and grass in the pool!

One of my favorite things...is for my days to flow in an orderly fashion...to be present in the moment and to make each minute count for my family and home.

A few plans for the rest of the week...plant more flowers, finish sorting my closet. I have been going through my winter stuff and the things I have outgrown (things that are now too big) and getting rid of them. I also need to buy new summer clothes for the kids. This week Tink will start her new Geometry. We're going all the way back to a 2nd grade geometry book to make sure she has the basics before proceeding next fall. Tinks violin and choir concert are this coming Thursday night. Thursday afternoon Peter has piano lessons. Monday, Wednesday and Friday night Peter has swim lessons. Wednesday Tink is going to choir early to practice for the concert. I will be visiting my girlfriend while she's there. Monday Tink has Tao Kwon Do class. Tuesday she has Wild life Stewart class. I look at this and realize my week is still full but it sure feels lighter then the winter months in spite of how full it looks.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...




This is my Mennonite family hard at work in my back yard. My brothers and their wives and kids are pruning our fruit trees. I told you all about this but I never got a pic put up of it.

If you would like to put together your own Daybook go to Peggy at Simple Woman and leave the link to your post there.

Dropping by

I tell myself I am going to start blogging more and reading blogs more but life just will not let me. I'd love to make my dieting blog into a real diet blog with daily posts but I dont have the time. I still plan on doing something with it when my days quit reeling into each other like they are now. I do promise to get to your blogs soon and see what you're all up to but right now it's taking every minute just to tend to hearth and home! I will give you a tiny pic of my granddaughter, Tiger Lily, to hold you until I can actually get on here again!

Work is good; I guess

Oh my goodness ladies. Im just sliding in here to say how do you do and wish you all a lovely day! Can someone tell me how day escalates until it falls in on itself? Mercy, I have more to do then anyone could do in a month of Sundays!

Hubby hasn't gone grocery shopping in forever so today I took it in my own hands to go get some groceries around here! After serving rice and hamburger gravy for dinner last night I decided something had to be done! Of course I added in my home canned green beans and a salad but rice and gravy was something we always ate at home when times got tough! I don't plan on eating it now that I don't need to - lovely as it can be when one doesn't have much else to eat that is.

So today I stocked up on meat; pork ribs, beef ribs, short ribs, ham, chicken thighs, Italian sausage, smoked sausage links, bacon, beef chuck roast and pork chops! I don't know what my husband has been thinking lately but groceries have not been his first priority! Between me and thee I do think he's trying to get me to pull from the bottom of the freezer and use stuff up but there comes a time when a woman has to do what a woman does best and that is to take the reins, for mercy sake!

All I could think about as I saw the freezers dwindling food supply was, "Please, God don't let a disaster hit now!" I want to go into my emergency supply foods with a little phoo phoo stuff on the side like MEAT! I don't want to eat all rice and beans when times get tough. And putting all kidding aside, we really need to be praying about that awful earthquake overseas. They're projecting 50,000 dead from that! Its unbelieveable. My heart and prayers go out to them!

Well now I must fly on outta here. I have to get the car cleaned out from yesterdays field trip and all my flowers watered. The house is a disaster and I cant function. I plan on spending the next three hours doing nothing but catch up from being gone all day yesterday. It always seems that when I play then I need to pay the piper the next day.

Besides all that I'm exhausted beyond measure from that zoo trip! Am I getting too old or what? It was an incredibly fun day for a "people starved homeschooler" like me but I was just tired beyond anything last night. I came home, stopped by the house and grabbed Tinks violin, went to lessons, came home got dinner, flew through that to get back out the door to swim lessons, got home and an hour later at 9 pm konked into bed and was dead to the world at 9:02 pm!

I didn't waken until almost seven this morning at which time I had to spring into action and get the morning going or we would be late to the bus. Peter needed to write a note of apology to the bus driver for making "fart like noises" on the bus by blowing into his arm, draw a pic of his favorite animal at the zoo and write about it and practice his piano! I didnt do any of this last night cause I was so tired!

And the note for the bus driver is just a little much in my book. It seems like overkill but then nobody asked me how to deal with it. I dont think this bus driver has ever had a child of her own and there are more complaints by parents about her then any driver my kids have had in the 25 years my kids have been riding buses!! Ach, well, I cant do anything about it so I may as well keep moving here. I took Peter to the bus and from there went grocery shopping. I have now unloaded the groceries, eaten breakfast, quick typed this up and now I'm out the door to get the outside stuff done before the heat comes!

I'm glad you all liked that Daybook. Isn't that just the coolest, quaintest thing? Okay, I'm outta here. Audios!

The Simple Womans Daybook

Peggy at Simple Woman has designed this logo for her Daybook. She is now inviting us all to start our own Daybooks and leave our link at her site. I just loved this little idea. It strikes a chord in my heart that leaves me feeling so...well...so delighted and old fashioned and...and.. well it just struck a chord, okay? So here is my Daybook for this week.

For Today May 14

Outside My Window...It looks like it will be a warm day. Our temps are suppose to reach 80 degrees F.

I am thinking...about all I have to do today and hoping I can juggle it all with grace. I need to remember to call Tinks violin teacher and cancel class for today!

I am thankful for...the good nights sleep I got. I was afraid I had drank too much coffee last night!!

From the kitchen...I hear the kids talking excitedly as they get ready for a day at the zoo!

I am wearing...a navy blue skirt with tiny lavender flowers with a navy blue T shirt.

I am creating...goodness, I'm not really creating anything great and wonderful right now unless you consider the chicken in the crockpot as a creation.

I am going...to load up the kids and get on over to church to join the church school kids for a day at the zoo! I'm taking Tiger Lily and I also took Peter out of school for this trip. It should be a fun day!

I am reading...a memoir about a mother and daughter relationship that was most unusual. It's entitled Who Do You Think You Are? I'm reading it for a publisher who has asked me to do a review of it on my blog. I love the book so look for my upcoming review!

I am hoping...to feel good enough after my day at the zoo to go out to dinner with a bunch of my girlfriends tonight. They want to go to a Thai restaurant that none of us have been to before!

I am hearing...Wendy drive up with Tiger Lily, the kids talking, doors slamming, and the neighbors truck idling in the driveway.

Around the house...Well lets see, yesterday morning Wendy accidentally locked Tiger lily in her car when she came to my place to drop her off! What a commotion! The kids pulled all sorts of faces through the car window to keep her occupied but before long the dear baby was crying anyway. It was such a helpless feeling looking in on her! The fire department came and got the door unlocked! My kids can talk of little else! I bought more flowers yesterday so I want to plant them when I get home this afternoon. Mr. Darling bought a new air conditioner for the upstairs last night. We need to be prepared for the 90 degrees that's coming in a few days! Downstairs has central air but we haven't got it yet for the upstairs so window air conditioners have to do the job! Also Peter lost a filling and is having pain in another tooth! Not good!

One of my favorite things...is reading in the tub at night with a diet coke on the ledge and lavender bubbles to relax me!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Do some more work in the flower beds; remember that Friday night is Ladies Night Out at Sweet Tomatoes; call the dentist for Peter, schedule dental cleaning for everyone, schedule an eye appointment for me since Im now out of new contacts and cant get any until after the appointment. Insurance is a stickler about that!

Here is picture thought I am sharing....I found this when I was looking for little girl sewing patterns.

Looking Back on 2007-2008 school year

Im taking a moment to look back at the past homeschool year. After planning the summers curriculum I now want a record of what we did this past year. When I look back I really have no regrets. I brought Tink along as fast as she could go and we put in some very long days. Tink finally got in the groove of schooling at home this past year and things went much more smoothly.

Here is what we accomplished the school year of 2007 - 2008.

Reading: Tink used Read and Think Skill Sheets from Abeka along with Scholastic short stories. We didnt have a reading curriculum as such this year.

Language Arts: We did the first 7 units of Abeka Language Arts grade 4. The book has 14 Units so we got exactly half way through. I am happy with that especially since Tink really did do the equivalent of the entire book when you figure in the supplementary worksheets I had to add to those first 7 units. We will take off at Unit 8 in the fall.

Phonics: We used Letters and Sounds Grade 2 from Abeka. Tink finished the book!

More Phonics: If Skies be Blue; Bob Jones University Grade 2 (used workbook for supplementary phonics)

Math: Did Horizons Grade 3 Book A. Tink finished this book too! We also did tons of supplementary Math worksheets from Scholastic and downloaded sheets from the Internet.

Handwriting: Cursive Writing Skillbook 3 by Abeka. This one will be finished this summer.

History: We got a little over half way through, Our American Heritage Abeka Grade 3. Here are the men we studied this year. It averages out to three men a term. (plus one)
Christopher Columbus
John Smith
Pocahontas
Miles Standish
Squanto
William Penn
Benjamin Franklin
George Washington
Daniel Boone
Noah Webster

Tink will be finishing this book over the summer. All of these men have been notebooked by Tink, besides doing the reading and questions in the workbook.

Science: Understanding Gods World, Abeka 3rd grade. Tink finished this book except for the chapter on the solar system. The kids study the stars every summer with Daddy and his telescope in the backyard.

Literature: Golden Threads Grade 3. Tink finished this book too!!! We also did Five In A Row Book 2. Along with these books we did a study on World War II and watched a bunch of videos.

Videos Watched For Literature

Molly an American Girl on the Home Front
The Last of the Mohican's by James Fennimore Cooper
Heidi
Wee Willi Winkie
Watership Down
Chronicles of Narnia
Tikki Tikki Tembo
Hot Hippo by Mwenye Hadithi
The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin
The Littlest Rebel
Poor Little Rich Girl
101 Dalmatians
Little Miss Bright Eyes
The Secret Garden
Little Lord Fauntleroy
The Hunchback of Notredam
Gullivers Travels
The Little Princess

There were a lot more of these but I didnt take as close an inventory of them as I wish I would have. This next year I am keeping track of all of them we see for Literature class!

Hands on Projects this year:

Math - Multiplication Lapbook
Science - 1. Plant Lapbook, 2.Insect Notebook, 3. State Bird Notebook,
Art - Various Art Projects and Holiday Crafts
History - 1.Notebooked all the characters listed in History above, 2.WWII Notebook
Literature - made underwater 3D diorama
Cooking class -fall term

Reports:
1)Giraffes,
2)Monkeys
These were in depth reports done over several weeks each. They consisted of reading and gathering information using index cards to record the info, thinking and planning and organizing ideas, rough draft, final draft, and finally sharing the information with the class. The monkey report isn't quite finished yet.

Online Computer Work (done several times a week)
Timez Attack
Education City

Community Classes
1)Beginning Strings
2)Private Violin Lessons
3)Wildlife Stewart's (two terms)
4)Basketball
5)Swim Lessons
6)Choir
7)Mad Science

Community Service
Tink and Peter boxed canned goods for Oregon Food Bank for a community project

Field Trips
Portland Zoo (joined our church school)
Fir Point Farms (joined our church school)
Carson City Mining Museum
Oregon City Trolley Through Historical District
Franz Bakery (later this month)
Beavercreek Tree Farm
River Mill Dam (these last two Tink went on with a class)
Bananas (a retail outlet store)

Books We Read
(This is by no means a complete list. Next year I am going to keep much closer track. I would guess this is only about a fourth of the books we read as read alouds this year)
Legend Of The Candy Cane
Dont Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus
Stellaluna
Tough Trucks
Big Ben
Alexander And The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day
Paper Princess
Amelia Bedilia
Apples to Oregon
Copy Cat
Jinglebells
A Wedding for Wiglaf
The Lorax
The Puppy Place
The New Girl
Lets Talk About Disrespect
Lets talk About Honesty
Lets Talk About Self Control
One Snowy Night
Thank you Mr Falker
Nate The Great
The Emporers New Clothes
Nate The Great
With Love little Red Hen
Dear Peter Rabbit
Dear Mrs LaRue
Dear Mr Blueberry
Mr Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea
Skippy Jon Jones
Oh The Places You will Go
The Little House
The Polar Express
Lilys Purple Plastic Purse
Tacky The Penguin
Chickachicka Boom Boom
Click Clack Moo
Horton Hatches The Egg
The Phantom Tollbooth
Piggie Pie
The Monster at The End of This Book
The Tale of Desperaux
A Bad case of Stripes
Dear Mr Henshaw
Unlovable
Wee Gillis
Oliver Tom and The Leprechaun
Sophie and Rose
Three Names
The Pied Piper of Hamlin
Anastasia
Knuffle Bunny
Magic Tree House Books
Im upset that I didnt keep a closer count of all the books this year.

Overnight Trips the family took during the school year
Lincoln City, Oregon
Fruitland, Idaho
Seattle, Washington
Reno, Nevada

And with all of the above I also tutored fall term full time and winter and spring part time. Winter and spring terms also brought full time babysitting. In the winter and spring terms I added an hour every day commuting to Peters bus and back. So yes, it's been a busy year but a good one.

When I look at a list like this I can see more fully why it's hard to get all the housework and cooking and laundry done.

Mothers our days are full but we really do have the best days life can offer!