Survival Saturday

This week has me focusing on my garden.  Yes, we just go through a polar vortex with -25 degree temps and -50 degree wind chills but its never to earn to plan out.

I went to raised beds last year after moving in for two reasons.  The first was that without Kevin here, I quite frankly did not want to put in the power to rototill up a garden.  Second, I found out that the previous owner had dumped sand over the entire property.  I was glad I made that choice.  I grew cucumbers and pumpkins in their "garden" area and didn't get squat.  Literally, I had about 10 half pints of pickles and that's it.  The pumpkins didn't grow big or well at all either.  It was sad.

I also know that this year I needed to double the size of my garden and add on some extra veggies.  I'm adding beets, broccoli, and green beans.  I'm doubling the size of the carrot and tomato beds and making others larger too.  I'm hoping to really get a lot out of our garden this year and I'm looking forward to stocking up my shelves with canned goods.

Last year I planted three small blueberry plants, six raspberry plants, and 25 strawberry plants.  This year I'm adding a large blueberry bush, 2 blackberry plants and another 25 strawberry plants.

In the tree department, I planted three plum trees (semi-dwarf) and one cherry tree.  I was going to add more but we had crazy rain for three months.  To be honest, I'm surprised I got anything out of the garden last year.  I will be adding two pear trees, three peach trees, and hopefully 4 dwarf apple trees.  We have three full size apple trees on our property but they have never been pruned.....like ever.  The fruit last year was super small, although we did get a lot of it.  I worked on pruning a little last year and will be continuing to do so for the next few years until its where it should be.  I don't want to do it all at once or the poor trees will probably die of shock!  I will also be weeding out fruit this year to get less but larger apples. 

As far as our emergency stock pile, I have a new plan this year.  Last year I wanted to have a two month supply and ended up with a three week supply, but that's okay.  I now have enough stock that if I run out of something I don't have to run to the store, which is great because it is a drive to get somewhere.  This year I will be stalking  surveying the ads to follow the sales and then will be stocking up on only one or two items to build up my supply faster.  I have made a list of priority items such as rice, beans, veggies, canned fruit, etc and hope to get a nice stock going.

Also on my agenda today is to complete my emergency binder.  I have printed out all the pages and have filled in important information and names and addresses.  I will be just transferring that information and adding social security cards, birth certificates, etc to complete the binder.  We've always had everything in one expandable file that we have carried from one duty station to another that we amply named "life".  "Life" will have a new home and be totally organized.  Wonderful!!

So what are you doing or stocking up on?

Under the Artic Chill

I didn't blog much in December.  Hubby was home on leave for 17 days, which was wonderful.  He's back in CA now enjoying the 60 degree temps.  Today we're at a -20 air temp and -50 degree wind chill.  He called this morning to see how we faired the night, pretty good.  I managed to get up every hour until 3am to feed the fireplace.  The girls slept downstairs.  This old farmhouse is pretty drafty and the upstairs is about 5-7 degrees colder than downstairs.  TL had the space heater in his room.  I'm keeping the furnace set at 65 or it never shuts off.  This summer, I plan on removing all the trim from the windows and sealing them better.  I have some other ideas as to how to keep the drafts down to a minimum.

Today was our first day back to school.  We accomplished math, reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and geography.  I never plan a full day when returning to school after three weeks off.  My kids are also upset because their public school friends have the day off due to the cold, so the short day works out well.  My son can soon get online and play xbox with his buddy, so he's happy.

This week marks the end of our second quarter.  I will have the kids grades all posted and ready to give them on Friday afternoon.  I have new plans for our next term.

For literature, I plan on printing questions off and having the kids answer some aloud, some written, and do some essay writing.  Up until now, we've only do discussions, but I want to increase their writing skills so we're stepping this up.

I also plan on printing off the teen's sheets for biology, history, and literature and putting them in a bound book.  He is the most disorganized kid I know.  He takes the sheets out of his notebook, never returns them, and then cannot find them.  Quite frankly, I'm tired of him having to take up school time to find items.  It drives my OCD crazy.  So in order to save my own sanity, I will print and bind....he can't lose them then.  The girls don't have a problem with this so its find.  Maybe they have inherited my OCD? 

I'm excited for the second half of the year.  One of my goals with getting everything printed and ready is to be better organized and prepared myself.  I will be starting my master's degree probably in March and I need to have homeschooling ready to go and under control. 

Have a wonderful week and stay safe and warm!

Saturday Survival Plan

This year I'm starting a new emergency prep system.  I have posted before on my emergency preps and I did pretty well last year.  I have enough food to last about three weeks.  My goal was two months so I didn't quite make my goal.  I had to use some of my stock several times this year due to unexpected expenses coming up.  I hope to build up this year to a three month supply of food items.


This time I am going to focus on shopping on one item each week by scouring the ads for sales.  I'm going to determine how much our family needs for a three month supply and work on achieving that goal.  Our garden did well this year but I need to double the size of it to get us through the year with canned goods.  I'm also planting more fruit trees and bushes.  They will not produce for a few years, but at least I have all of that to look forward too.

Last year I planted three plums trees, 25 strawberry plants, 6 raspberry plants, three blueberry bushes, and one cherry tree.  This year I hope to add, 25 more strawberry plants, three peach trees, three pear trees, six apple trees (these are dwarf trees that only reach about 6 feet.  We have three large apple trees on the property already but they have never been pruned and we didn't get a lot of large fruit off of them.), 2 more blueberry bushes, three blackberry bushes, one more cherry tree, and two cranberry plants.  I've also redesigned our raised beds to make room for many more plants.  I'm hoping that I will be able to get enough canned this year to use the entire year next year. 

We will also be getting a half of beef this spring and half a pig.  We're hoping to raise a pig for ourselves and get a beef calf this spring.  The pig will be ready by the time we run out of pork but the cow will take a while.  We hope to get another calf every six months so that we will always have beef when we want it.  We are going to split the cow with a friend of ours so neither of us have to try to find freezer space for an entire cow. 

One thing I determined is that I need more storage space.  Although the basement is fine for canned goods; sugar, flour, and pasta cannot be stored down there because its too moist in the summer months.  I am in the process of reorganizing my kitchen to help make room for items.

This payday had some extra expenses so I'm not able to work on saving for prepping items.  I am working on my emergency binder however.  I believe that this binder will aid me in the future.  Each child and adult will have a section and will also include important phone numbers and addresses.

We are gearing up for a cold, cold weekend.  Our highs on Monday are -12 and that's without the wind chill.  Overnight we're supposed to hit temps of -25.  The governor of MN has announced that all schools will be closed on Monday.  We will still be homeschooling but at least we won't have to leave to go to Boy Scouts that night.  I will be hunkered down in front of the fire with my quilting projects and enjoying some hot tea!

Stay warm and safe!! 

Medieval History

Our small church is blessed with about 25 families.  Ten of them homeschool and over half of the children in our church are homeschooled.  We have a wonderful time at our co-op.  We have 36 kids, so we split them up into three groups; ages 4-5, 6-9, and 10 and older.  This term I spent eight weeks teaching a medieval history class.  We are blessed that one of our homeschool moms has a cousin and her husband that teach about medieval history and do festivals.  They were more than willing to come and talk to us.  We split the kids into two groups, with an hour presentation for each group.  The kids all really enjoyed it!

Showing the little ones some clothing

Showing the girls some dresses

Chainmale
 

Making chainmale

View from the top of Bug-a-bug's medieval castle

View of the great hall



Our next term doesn't start until March as we are trying to get through the winter months without having to cancel too many due to weather.  We have one family that travels an hour to get to us so we like to be cautious with them. 

Enjoy a wonderful weekend!

Tasty Tuesday-some Breakfast casseroles

Okay, so I realize its Wednesday not Tuesday.  Sorry!! 

Here's some tried and true recipes that we use when we have a lot planned and don't have time to make a breakfast. 

Southwest Sausage Bake

6-10in. flour tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
4 cans (4oz) chopped green chilies, drained
1 lb pork sausage, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
10 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp each: salt, garlic salt, onion, salt, pepper, and ground cumin
2 medium tomatoes, sliced

In a greased  9x13 baking dish, layer 1/2 the tortilla strips, chilies, sausage, and cheese.  Repeat layers.  In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and seasonings.  Pour over cheese.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Remove 30 minutes before baking.  Bake uncovered for 50 minutes.  Arrange tomato slices over the top and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.  Serve with sour cream and salsa.



French Toast Bake (pioneer Woman recipe)

8 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. vanilla
1.5 lb loaf of sourdough bread

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 stick cold butter, cut into pieces

Cube up the bread and place it in a greased 9x13 pan.  Mix all the other ingredients together and pour on top.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Mix topping ingredients together, cutting in the butter, until it is crumbly.  Put in a bag.

Take out of the fridge and sprinkle the topping on it.  Bake at 350 for one hour.

Our Top Ten Read Alouds for Christmas

I know, I'm early with this but sometimes its nice to look over a list and try to get some of the books before the hustle and bustle of the holidays start.

10.  Christmas at the Top of the World by Tim Coffey

9.  The Legend of the Christmas Rose by William H. Hooks

8.  The Stable were Jesus was Born by Rhonda Gowler Greene

7.  The Beautiful Christmas Tree by Charlotte Zolotow

6.  Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell

5.  A Pioneer Christmas by Barbara Greenwood

4.  The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado

3.  The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston

2.   The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

1.  An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco
     ****Spoiler Alert-this one is a tear jerker.  Perhaps read it ahead of time to see if your child can handle the story. 



Enjoy the holiday season!!!

My family's Top Five read alouds for children

For younger elementary children, our favorite books are:

                 1.  Betsy-Tacy books by Maude Hart Lovelace
            2. Betsy books by Carolyn Hayward
            3. Andrew Lost books by J. C. Greenburg
            4. The Littles series by John Peterson
            5. The Carole Marsh mysteries by Carole Marsh


For older elementary children, our favorite books are:

           1.  The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
           2.  Caddie Woodlawn
           3.  The Little House on the Prairie series
           4.  The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson
           5.  Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books


For 12 and up, our favorite books are:

         1.  Swiss Family Robinson-often overlooked by a classic.  My entire family loves this book!
         2.  Little Women
         3.  Secret Garden
         4.  Adventures of Tom Sawyer
         5.  The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy


Stay tuned for our list of favorite classics to read

Top 3 Reasons you should read aloud together as a family

1.  Reading allows you to bond together

     When I first started homeschooling I was listening to a lecture about reading aloud as a family, and I was so impressed by what the speaker said that it has stayed with me all these years.
 
     She had two sons, a senior and a 7th grader.  Both were avid readers and the entire family enjoyed listening to each other read books.  A senior!!  How many of us stop reading aloud when our children know how to read on their own?  Reading opens doors and invites you into new realms and wonderful and exciting characters.  Being able to discuss them with your family opens the door for good communication on all fronts.


2.  Good readers test well and enjoy learning

     When my son was four, I took him in for testing for speech classes.  He had several issues saying words and I wanted to get it taken care of while he was young.  At this age, we only had one other child and I read to him about four to five books a night, and countless during the day. 

    One part of the test had him pointing to pictures to identify vocabulary words.  The words started out easy and got progressively harder.  Imagine my surprise and astonishment as he correctly identified "cliff" and "celebration".  I was also a little upset thinking that I needed to do more to get my four year old up to par with these words he "should" know.  After the test, she asked me about this part and I told her that I was surprised that he knew so many words.  She was too, he tested at a 2nd grade vocabulary level and he had just turned four. 

    Reading aloud gives you the opportunity to discuss new words or information with your child.  They can interrupt and ask questions, without have to go to that pesky dictionary (that no one really ever uses because most of us just skip over a word we don't know).

3.  Reading is a better instrument of your time

     My friend bought her child a Kindle Fire.  I was excited to see how this new technology, this ability to download a book at the speed of light would enable children to read more and more books.  Imagine my surprise and shock when she told me that her child uses it to play games and not read.  What's the point then?

    In this day and age, most kids don't read for pleasure.  They read only what is required in school and then run home to their computers and video games.   Gone are the days when a child sits on the couch reading, laughing over a joke in a book and stopping to take the time to tell mom why they are laughing.  Now, kids are shut up in their rooms and they don't come out until they eat. 




Reading together opens new doors, new worlds, new friends.  Reading together enables the family to laugh, cry, or be amazed at the words on the page.