Home Style Teaching and Homegrown Kids

This week, my grandchildren all had their first day of Home School.  My two daughters and daughter-in-law officially started the same journey that I began thirty years ago.  They have started the second generation of Homeschooling in our family. I dug out and dusted off all of the books that I had acquired many years ago.  I decided to send a "Happy School Year" package out for each of them, with some of these goodies. I am thinking; Perhaps one of "these" will be a treasure they might want to read.  In this generation, with the almost universal presence of internet and google , there is enormous access to so much more information than we ever had (even 15 years ago), so we don't always find ourselves as interested in all the books that we used to hoard, yet I believe there is still great value in these old books, so off they go into boxes to be mailed out today.

Memories of those years came pouring in as I was going through my old books. I have missed those days very much. They are where so many of my happiest memories have come from. As a mother, I found great fulfillment in "sharing life with" and "teaching" my children. I enjoyed the fullness of having them around me, exploring all of God's amazing creation with them, and marveling as they learned to read, write, and express what they have learned.

I started Homeschooling because of the book "Home Style Teaching " by Raymond Moore.  I had ordered it through a book club years ago, when Nathan was probably 5 and Luke 3, and the girls barely 1. I didn't really know what it was about when I ordered it, I just liked the sound of it. Little did I know it would change the course of our lives, our children's lives and our grandchildren's lives. I was enthralled with this idea of teaching our children at home.  I had never heard of such a thing being done in modern history; but it all  made sense to me.  Steve liked it  as well, and we both agreed that this what we wanted to do.  It was never a big ordeal to us; isn't that funny… I mean this was really a radical idea in our world, at that time; but we didn't think of it like that; we just thought "Hey, lets do this". So we began the journey.  We devoured everything we could get our hands on about the subject.  We became book collectors (perhaps I should confess that I was already a book collector… but I became quite free in collecting more :) ). I gathered school supplies and art supplies, then I dove in.  I definitely had days that I thought perhaps it was all too much for me, but after a little break, I would be renewed, refreshed, and enthusiastic to keep going.  I learned to pray through homeschooling.  I needed the Lord more than I ever had through those years; and He was with us.  His grace strengthened us, blessed us, refreshed us, encouraged us and helped us.

There's no doubt in my mind that Homeschooling was/is a God inspired movement that had been revived from our History, and that we were very blessed to get to be a part of it.  I would do the same thing all over again.  On more than one occasion, our children have thanked us that they were home schooled.  I marvel that they would say how glad they were that we did it; that is one of the rewards that I have always cherished. Let me say that we are not a perfect family; Steve and I are not perfect, our children are not perfect, we are human with flaws and troubles just like anyone (thank goodness for the grace of God), but  I would like to encourage the future homeschool generations by saying that it is worth the work. The fruit of this labor is such good fruit.  And if you will plant good seed, you can expect to bear good fruit.  Here is some of the fruit you can expect to see in your children from the sacrifice that you make.

1.    Their character will be strong
2.    They will love to learn.
3.    They will be able to defend their faith.
4.    They will become good students.
5.    They will become self learners.
6.    They will be nice people.
7.    They will be polite.
8.    They will have good social skills and interact well with all age groups.
9.    They will become hard workers.
10.  They will be creative.
11.  They will be self motivated.
12.  They will be vessels of truth.
13.  They will be safe.
14.  They will be happy.
15.  They will be capable.
16.  They will be responsible.
17.  They will be respectful.
18.  They will be helpful.
19.  They will be self disciplined
20.  They will be able to think for themselves.
21.  They will be kind.
22.  They will be innovative.
23.  They will not be controlled by peer pressure.
24.  They will be problem solvers.
25.  They will be blessed.

Remember that seeds do not usually sprout over night, and plants do not produce fruit before they have grown mature enough, some seed sprouts more quickly than others, and some plants mature sooner than others, but  fruit only comes after a seed has been planted, nourished and watered…. then God gives the increase in the right time.

Many Blessings to you all as Fall begins.  Enjoy the moments, and don't be driven by stress, or the expectations of others.  Remember that "His" yoke is easy and His burden is light.  Let your work be in rest…. His rest. 

14 Southern Recipes for Pie and a Free e-Cookbook

I have been having a bit of catch up time with Steve here in Colorado, and enjoying every moment of being with him… as well as cooking up a storm for him.  I had felt his deprivation of some lovingly made home cooked meals, over the last few months and have been working away to fill  that gap.  He has finally cried "Mercy", so now I am refocusing from the cooking of comfort foods, to the cooking of some leaner meals…. we don't have the metabolism we once had haha.  I haven't quite gotten my blogging inspiration going, so I have been away from blogland longer than I had intended.  Hope to remedy that soon.

I did have some fun news that arrived in my e-mail today so I thought I would share it with you;  I was asked to be a part of an E- Cookbook recently called 14 Southern Recipes for Pie. I was notified today, that it was completed and published. It is put together by FaveSouthernRecipes.  They have featured two of my recipes on their site in the past, (Texas Sheet Cake  and Strawberry Hand Pies), which I have greatly appreciated, and they have just finished this e-Cookbook on Pies, which has my recipe for those Little Strawberry Pies in it.  If you click the link, and scroll down to the Hand Pie Section, you will see my little pies featured there; It is the first picture on the left.  You can also down load the e-Cookbook, it is free.  If you are a "pie junky"  like I am, I'm sure you will love it.

Have a lovely week end Everyone;

Quinoa Lentil Salad

Beans or legumes combined with grains make a complete protein,  They also make nice salads, and are perfect in summer to serve as light, cool suppers, or side dishes.  You can easily take extra left over beans of any kind and grains of any kind and combine them with a variety of ingredients; veggies, fruits, cheeses, nuts and a nice dressing; toss together and you have a delicious salad.

I  have come to enjoy Quinoa over the years.  It is a nice variation from brown rice, and is higher in protein, fiber and many vitamins.  This salad is loaded with healthy ingredients and is so refreshing and delicious.

Dice all of your veggies: Tomatoes

Onions

Carrots

Celery

Cucumber

And fresh Basil (or any herbs you like).

Combine in a bowl.

Drizzle with Lemon Juice and Olive Oil.

Gently Toss to combine.

Top with Feta Cheese and serve.

Quinoa Lentil Salad

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 1/4 cups cooked lentils
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 of a medium/small onion, diced
1 clove fresh garlic, crushed and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1/3 cup thinly sliced and diced celery
3/4 cup diced cucumber
1/3 cup fresh herbs, chopped ( I have used parsley, basil and dill, and sometimes a combination).
3 -4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions:

1. Place quinoa, lentils and all of the chopped vegetables and herbs in a bowl.
2. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.
3. Toss gently to mix.
4. Top with feta cheese
5. Enjoy!

Enjoy!

How to Paint Cats on Rocks

Last week was a busy week for me, with many things that kept me away from "blogland".  I am actually in Colorado as I type this.  I flew back on Saturday and am enjoying being with Steve and catching up here.  I brought my camera this time around, so perhaps I can get some more blog posts done this trip; we'll see. I had this post almost finished on Friday, but just now got a chance to get the last little bit done.  It was definitely a fun activity.

My Grandsons got a book out of the library recently called "Pussycats Everywhere"  It is a cute funny little book that they loved reading over and over again.  Winston even memorized all the names of the cats in the book (about 30 if I remember right).  We decided to paint some cats…and decided to paint them on rocks. I googled "painting rocks" and wow what a lot of great ideas and tiny works of art. I was very inspired and  had so much fun when we began painting that I had a hard time putting the paint and rocks away when we were done and I am still thinking up ideas of how we could paint rocks.  So here is our little rock painting day.  Perhaps it will spark some fun ideas for you.

Lay out a little wax paper, or newspaper for a painting surface and gather some supplies.

I let each of the boys tell me which kind of Pussycat they wanted to paint and which rock they wanted to use. We painted together at first.

Then I let them paint.

 How to Paint Cats on Rocks

Supplies: 
smooth flat rocks
acrylic craft paint
paint brushes (don't get cheap kids brushes, get some detail brushes from the art supply store).
Q-tips
paper plates (to use as a paint pallet).
black Sharpie type marker (fine point)
wax paper
Mod Podge or clear acrylic spray paint

 You can search for rocks in your back yard or go to the dollar store and find a whole bag of them for "Guess how much?"… "haha, yes, just a dollar"; these were nice, smooth and clean; ready to go.

 Supplies

Here's how I painted the cats:
I found that starting with the tail helped me place face and paws better.

1. Dip a Q-tip in paint and swirl it down the side of the rock to make a  curling tail.

2.  Dip in paint again, then make  circles for cheeks.

3.  Dip again and make 4 smaller circles for paws that are tucked up under kitty.

4.  Paint triangles for ears.

5.  Fill in the ears with pink.

6.  Add a little pink triangle nose.

7.  Using the Q-tip again, dip it into the paint you want and make little circles for eyes.

8.  Allow to dry completely.

9.  Paint pupils with black paint using a very thin paintbrush.

10.  Allow to dry thoroughly.

11.  Put a tiny amount of white paint on a clean paintbrush, and add a dot of white to each eye and one to the nose, to create the shine accent.

12.  With the same brush, add fur and whiskers.

13. Use a paintbrush or a Sharpie type pen to add lines for toes, or any other details you like once all the paint has completely dried.

15.  Allow to dry several hours until completely dry to touch.

14.  Paint your creation with Mod Podge, or a clear Acrylic Spray to seal the paint and keep it from scratching or peeling off.

Tip:  If you don't allow the paint to dry completely before brushing on a sealer, it may smear a little such as happened to the kitty on the top right… he now has slightly green cheeks as well as eyes.

Pussycats Everywhere!

Here is the reason that the boys loved that little book so much.  He's Elizabeth's cat… well I should say He's Winston's cat (but we all sort of claim him).  He is a true work of art and a family friend… there are actually two family kitties around here, but this one always makes himself very available for photography :) Haha. Hope you all have a little fun with rocks and paintbrushes.  

Enjoy your week everyone!