Speaking of Birds

Speaking of birds, yesterday we awoke to an unusual site.

White stuff falling out of the sky and sticking to the ground.


We couldn't really call it snow though, because it was actually tiny little balls of ice. Lovely.

But it sure was lovely to look at!

The birds didn't appreciate it so much though, so we threw some bird seed out in the back yard for the poor little birdies.





Hickory Pete was beside himself as the little birds would come right up to the glass, pecking and teasing away.




These little guys didn't appreciate this cold, look how puffed up they have their feathers.






This little one would alternate putting its feet up into its feathers. "Cold, cold, cold, cold"








And so today, everything is still covered with ice. The sleet solidified last night, and the mushy roads re-froze, and our street is covered with about 2 inches of ice. So nothing to do today, but watch the birdies, and bake for the first time with my brand-new mixer.

An Early Bird

I love to get an early start on planning for the next school year. Some people think I'm crazy, some think I'm waaaay too organized.

But selfishly, when my kiddos are on their "summer vacation," Mom wants to be on summer vacation too!

So at the beginning of the school year, I start penciling in a list of materials I may want to use the NEXT year. I keep it on a sheet of paper in my Homeschooling Planner.

Here in North Carolina, the state requires you to name your school when you register as a homeschooling family.
Our school is called "Shining Light Academy."



I keep all of my important homeschool things in here, like HSDLA information, and print materials....


State-required information, like Attendance Records, Standardized test results, and our irreplaceable "peach card" that the state of North Carolina sends us, confirming our registration.


And so.....as January rolls around, I have taken my prospective curriculum list from pencilled, to inked. And the end of January, or beginning of February, I start ordering the curriculum.

As it comes in, I break it down into individual lessons, and then determine the number of lessons needed per week to complete it in the the 180 days of school the next year. I put all of these lesson plans on paper, and keep them in my binder, organized with the little tabs on the side.


I don't break the lessons into weekly plans, until the week prior.

Sometimes things come up, like spur-of-the-moment field trips, or army life events.....like Daddy coming home from Afghanistan. So we keep our flexibility in our schedule. But it all gets done, and we always do the prerequiste number of days each year.

This is our system, and it works for us.

That's the great thing about homeschooling...the flexibility given to each family, to figure out what works for them. No cookie-cutters here.

Except in the kitchen.

My Measuring Cups

I have been asked a couple of times now, where I got my measuring cups.



I fell in love with these measuring cups, watching Nigella Lawson on Food Network.

I found them on the Food Network shop, and though they are a little pricey....they were my birthday gift to myself last year :-)

You can find them HERE in a couple of colors.

Some Polish & Shine

You may notice that periodically, a recipe that I had posted a while back, is being re-posted with better pictures, or maybe even pictures for the first time. I am doing my best to get it to where all of the recipes on my blog have pictures, so you can see what is being made, and not just have to imagine what it might look like. The latest one to get a "re-do" is the Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease the bottom of a loaf pan. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 c sugar and 1 Tb cinnamon. Set aside.


In a large bowl, combine 2 c flour, 1 c sugar, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt.


Stir together, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine....
1 Tb lemon juice or white vinegar...


and enough milk to make 1 cup. (This is my substitution for buttermilk, because I never buy it, so it is never on hand.)


Add 1/4 c vegetable or olive oil


and 1 tsp vanilla...combine.


Now you are going to mix the liquid mixture into the flour mixture.


Mix until it is just blended.


Batter will be very thick.


Carefully spread half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan.


Next, you are going to take the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and sprinkle about 2/3 of it onto the batter.




Carefully spoon the remaining batter over the top, and spread it as evenly as possible.


Sprinkle with remaining cin-sugar.


Now you are going to take a knife, and run the knife through the batter, end to end, zig-zagging the length of the pan.


Then continue right around to do the same across the pan.


It will look something like this.


Now you are going to bake it for 50-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The loaf will form a crunchy crust on top.


And when you slice it....


Ooooooo.......Aaaaaaah

You can top with a simple glaze if you like.


Enjoy!

Printable Version: Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread

Biology: The Worm

This week, my daughter had her first dissection lab in Biology.

Do you see her excitement?



"Mooom!"



"The Worm." Dum dum DUM!!!!!



She was really not happy about having to TOUCH the worm, and feel for its little bristles.



But once she got over the initial horror.....on with the dissection.







This would be a dissected worm.


Sometimes in life, we have to do unpleasant things. Things we might not want to do, or may not be accustomed to. Sometimes they are things we dread.

But the end result, is learning, growing and becoming a stronger person for it.

Dissecting a worm may not seem like that big of a deal, but within the process lies that life lesson.

If we don't do what we don't want to do, how will we ever achieve the things in life we do desire?


"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Phillipians 4:13

Alaska Here We Come!

Well, we found out today that we are locked in for the assignment!

This October, we will be heading to Alaska!!!! After twelve years in North Carolina, we are going to see something new and exciting. For the first time, we will see the western part of the country!


(internet photo)

Sweet!

This is the final segment of pictures from our day out last week. We ended up in downtown Fayetteville.






Just a few blocks from where those spanish moss pictures were taken, is an icon of the city.

It is the Market House, another historical spot.

"The Market House was built in 1832 on the site of the old State House, which was destroyed by fire in 1831. It was within the walls of the State House that North Carolina had ratified the Constitution of the United States in 1789 and chartered the University of North Carolina. Also here North Carolina ceded her western lands to form the state of Tennessee.

The focal point of downtown Fayetteville, the Market House sits in the center of the intersection of Green, Gillespie, Person, and Hay Streets. For decades meat and produce were sold beneath its arches by local farmers, while the second floor was the town hall. In recent years the second floor has been used as a public library, chamber of commerce offices, and an art museum. Many distinguished visitors have spoken from its balconies.

Architecturally unique in North Carolina, the Market House is one of the few structures in America to use this town hall-market scheme found in England. The clock chimes the hours and the bell in the cupola still rings at 7:30 AM for breakfast, at 1:00 PM for dinner, at sundown, and at 9:00 PM, once the curfew hour."

And right "across the street" from the Market House.....my kiddos saw THIS.


A new shop.....oh the begging! The pleading!

So I finally gave in, and we went inside.

And got these.

This is a Banana Split Cupcake.


This one? Cookies & Cream


And this one? Tiramisu!


I'm usually not one for sugary sweets, but these cupcakes were delicious!


It is a good thing we don't actually live in Fayetteville, or anywhere convenient to that place, or it could be very dangerous!