Back to School

This Tuesday was our first official day back to school, though the kids and I worked on stuff throughout the summer as well, but just so it's "official" we have a start Date of 9-8-09. We are slowly pulling out of the station and have visited our new grammar curriculum, are continuing our Math-U-See adventures, have worked a bit with some handwriting and have started Spelling/Phonics depending on grade level. Cayleb is an official 5th grader this year, I can hardly believe it. I know that just a few months away I will be blogging about how I have a high schooler or something! Noah is officially in 3rd grade but is working through 4th/5th grade materials and Charity Ann is in 2nd this year. Sarah Rose is pulling up as the caboose as a preschooler. It's really hard thinking about Cayleb being in high school in just a few short years, but it is even harder thinking about my babiest one being old enough for school period. I guess you could say that I am in a reflective mood. I want to make sure that when the kids and I look back at our schooling adventures they are full of pleasant memories and funny stories, not drills and busywork. I really know that they learn best when they are having fun, as brains turn off completely when frustration and boredom enter the proximity. That's why I LOVE the Konos curriculum that we have chosen for the past few years. We haven't started it yet as we are waiting to go pick up our "wish" list of books from the library to begin, as real books always trigger more learning than a silly old work book anyways!!

We have begun our year with the unit "Explorers, Navigation and Sailing." Pa Pa will be proud! :) Next week we will tackle ships and sailing, then we are off to learning how explorers navigate in open water with out electronics, computers or sunshine. After that we will delve into various explorers that have sailed the oceans blue and purple. After that we will dive into pioneers just in time for Fall harvests and Thanksgiving, then off to Norway for a Christmas adventure!

I am still canning, trying to fit in the peaches that are just about ripe atop our aquarium. I also have apples available when I am ready to do apple sauce. I need to harvest our carrot crop and can those, as well as the remaining beets. I am also waiting to see how much corn I will end up with because I'd really like to get several more quarts of that canned. I am also drying things this year, some veggies, but mostly fruit. The kids have been enjoying that immensely. They turn down cupcakes to mom's dried kiwis and pineapple. Jason has been enjoying them as well.

The farmers market has been a new adventure for me this summer as well. my friend Katie and I have been working together there since the first part of June and are having a lit of fun. We have been getting into character lately as pioneers selling the lovely Grace Harbor Farms Guernsey Cow Yogurt as well as Saanen Goat milk and yogurt. Our main product, however, is the MSM cream which is an all natural pain reliever/anti-inflammatory. It's a great cream that smells absolutely divine because of the particular combination of essential oils that contribute to the mixture. My whole family enjoys it's benefits, especially Sarah Rose. She LOVES for Mamma to put the cream on her after her bubble. So, anyways. All that to say that Katie and I have been having fun making costumes to wear each week.
Here is a pic of us at the farm:We made our aprons the night before, until 1 in the morning!! I'm not too keen on patterns and sewing in general but was able to figure this one out!

Canning Dialogues....

My family and I have taken a new road of canning this year trying new things and techniques. No longer do we can only apple sauce, peaches and the occasional pear or apple pie filling, no that wasn't quite enough!! We added a pressure canner to our collection of kitchen gadgets which has opened up a whole new realm of possibilities, so far we have only canned corn and green beans and some stewed tomatoes with it, but the possibilities are endless!! Hehe :) I have tried my hand at pickled beets, green chili sauce, rhubarb raspberry sauce, some new jam blends and pickles as well. So far I am receiving rave reviews as things are opened up and tried for the first time. Yummy's abound!
I must say that my garden this year has been fruitful. Not only did I increase (with the loving help of Jason) the size 4 times to a whopping 40x60 but I added some new plants to the mix as well. We did 3 rows of Corn, 5 rows of Green beans, 3 rows of sugar snaps, Beets, Swiss Chard, Kohlrabi, Cabbage, Broccoli, Bok Choy, Carrots, Lettuce, Cucumbers Pickling and Salad, Yellow Crookneck Squash, Pumpkins, Tomatoes, Sunflowers and radishes. I have the tomatoes, sunflowers, pickling cucumbers and some of my herbs over in the chicken planter that wraps around the chicken yard. All that to say, boy 5 rows of green beans may have been a bit much :)!! Hubby and I canned 35 quarts tonight that added to our current number of 57 quarts! What does that add up to, I'm going to have to stop typing for a minute so I can figure it out as my poor brain is being stubborn...... 92, is it 92, really?? OMGoodness.... 104 would be enough for 2 quarts a week for a year! Good thing we like green beans :)
The corn is getting ready, the lettuce is about done and the beets are ready for their final harvest as well. I think the carrots need to be thinned and canned as well.... But we are starting school tomorrow, so my canning ventures will have to wait for afternoon at least, or perhaps the weekend. Ugh.... too much canning. I always look back as December approaches and think "Whew, am I glad that canning season is over....." But this year will take the cake for the most canning we have ever done. I have purchased some new jars, and have had a few given to us.... And I am officially out of regular mouth quarts, thanks to the green beans.... I need to get more jars so I can do my apple sauce and the box of peaches that are ripening on top of the fish aquarium :)
Hubby also built me a really nifty canning closet to store all of our canned goodies! There was no way that all these jars were going to fit in my pantry, nice as it is! Sorry if this is a bit scattered, it's getting late and I am finishing up those silly green beans! But, I'd better go for now.

Long Time no write....

Sorry everyone!! Yes, all my peoples.... he he, yeah like maybe 1!!

Lets see, I am going to keep this brief because I am typing with one hand :) I had my first Carpal Tunnel Release done last Thursday. Yeah! So far I am doing great and haven't been having too much trouble getting things done. But that is mostly thanks to my beautiful kids and husband! Wrist number 2 will be done Sept. 24th. I have only missed one week of playing at church and miss it tremendously already. I can't believe that it will probably be almost November before I can start playing again. :( I love sharing that gift, and feel useless with out that chance.

I have finished serving the Thomas Family, however, which has allowed the kids and I to have a fairly relaxing August to prepare for our upcoming school year. I know that this lapse of non-service will end before too long, as God always has a new challenge in store for me! But for now we are looking forward to a great year of schooling together as a family, as well as AWANA and Martial Arts. I am so looking forward to a more intimate year than was permitted last year. I can't wait to snuggle on the couch for morning bible studies with coffee and cocoa :)

We begin school next week with a unit study on Explorers, Navigation and Sailing. The kids all helped pick that out.

Better go for now, hopefully it won't be so long next time!