On the homestead:

I'll be finishing up lesson plans tomorrow. I'm excited for this year but I've been really busy with the animals and garden.  Our pigs head off to be butchered this week.  I'll be really glad to have a full freezer again (and very thankful for more bacon!)  The chickens are growing well and we should be getting eggs from them in another six to eight weeks.  I'm happy about that.  I've been buying eggs for the first time in three years and not enjoying these egg prices at all.  The cow should be ready to butcher sometime in April/May.

This week I've accomplished a lot of canning.  I'm glad that the tomatoes are finally coming in because I can a lot of spaghetti sauce and chili to get us through those cold months.  I use green peppers and onions from the garden.  Only the oregano, basil, and garlic are bought to season the sauce.

This week I've canned:

• 8 half-pints of spiced pear jam
• 10 quarts of corn (I didn't have anymore room in the freezer)
• 4 quarts of green beans
• 9 quarts of chili
• 7 quarts of spaghetti sauce
• 6 half-pints of raspberry plum jam

I've added more zucchini to the freezer.   This week I will be pulling up all the onions and carrots.  I have a few more green beans which we will just eat for dinner.  I also grabbed the broccoli before it flowered and we will have it for dinner tomorrow.  We've been also picking a bowl of raspberries off the vines every day this week and just snacking on those.  Too little to can; well probably not but the kids eat them to fast.

On the homeschool front

Last week we did math and literature every day, with some days being more successful than others.  I wanted the kids to have a little under their belts before we jumped in feet first on Tuesday.

I just realized that I didn't post what curriculum we are using this year.

I will do that tomorrow or later this week as time permits.  I'm too tired right now and hot from standing in that really hot kitchen.  Thank goodness we have air conditioning because its been close to 90 everyday with 90% humidity. 

Have a wonderful Labor Day and blessed week!