Contemplations From the Kitchen

There is something quite comforting in the making of homemade bread. It speaks of home and warmth and comfort. When I was a little girl, around 7, my mom and dad made a very contentious shift in the direction of our family. Many many things came about because of it, but one thing was this: mom started making our bread. Now this may seem a small thing to you, if you make bread regularly. But I had never had homemade before and this was very new and strange. I remember trying to eat a sandwich (the kind with lunch meat on it) with mom's whole wheat bread. It was really difficult and not the tasty-est. I slightly rebelled against the whole bread made at home thing. But as time went on I learn to appreciate and love my mother's bread. I learned how to mix and knead and rise and shape the loaves. I help roll it out and spread it with butter and sprinkle it with cinnamon and brown sugar, then roll it up and drop it in the pan, watching it rise and bake with mouth watering and cutting it open before it was even cooled to have a slice. By the time I was 13, I could make bread almost without the recipe and the love of bread making has never left. My 1st year or so of married life put bread making on hold. I was pretty busy with my new life, husband, and soon after, the expecting of a new baby.
But eventually I pulled out my cookbook, the one identical to my mom's, given to me by one of her old LLL friends at my wedding shower, and looked up the bread recipe. Olivia was now the helper and has a love of bread making - the sprinkle of yeast on warm water, the mixing and kneading, the slow wait of the rise, the punch down and rise again. All for the delicious taste of warm golden bread.

My mom was inspired by new friends to make bread. We had just moved away from the midwest and left all family and everything familiar behind to start over in the mountains of North Carolina. We knew no one and my mom had taken the plunge to be a stay at home mom and home-school me and having a newborn all at the same time. She joined the local La Leche League and soon made many friends. At the time I thought they were weird (little did I know how I would turn out!) with their breastfeeding, home birthing midwife stories, tofu and quinoa, Birkenstock's and no make-up. But, they encouraged my mom to eat healthy, stay at home, love her babies, and try new things. My mom bought the LLL "Whole Foods For the Whole Family" cookbook and started practicing "new." Her bread making adventures were wide and varied with wide and varied results. The bread recipe that she finally landed on was called "Challah" or Jewish Sabbath Loaves. I always thought that was pretty cool but since we didn't do the traditional braiding of the dough, it was soon just bread. Good bread, but just ordinary bread.

Let's fast forward the clock 18 years, shall we? I'm now the mommy, teaching and homeschooling my girls, involved with my own "weird" friends and totally used to making my own bread, salad dressings, jellies, and the like. One day a friend and I get to talking about our school plans and this Math curriculum, and that science book when the subject of Jewish traditions came up. (Why, I can't say and don't remember, but that is not unusual for us as we have some very winding conversations.) I tell her that I bought this book to study with Olivia as part of our history curriculum and we talked about our desire to celebrate life during the month of Oct. and something other than Halloween at the end of the month.
This all lead into a discussion on Sabbath and learning Hebrew and a million other things (that's how we roll. Our husband's drag us out the door, still talking, and bundle us into the vans, still talking, and drive away with us still talking and saying, "I'll call you tomorrow!") but it boiled down to wanting to learn Jewish history for ourselves and our families and we started celebrating Sabbath together. My friend and I read over a suggested menu and she says, "What's the ch-al-lah" thing they keep talking about?"
Cue light bulb moment music please!
"Challah! I know how to make that! It's Jewish sabbath loaves. My mom made it for years growing up. I'll make the bread for Friday. "
And so it began. A tradition began, a recipe was shared, heart attitudes adjusted, lives forever changed. What started years ago as my mom's desire to feed her family healthy has turned into a Friday tradition of one of us making a batch of bread on Friday and breaking bread together as a family (two families) and taking some time out of our busy busy lives to honor and bless our Heavenly Father.

Challah Or Jewish Sabbath loaves
2T. yeast
2C. warm water
2 eggs
1/4C. honey
2t. salt
2T. butter or olive oil
7 to 8C. flour (my recipe calls for whole wheat, but I don't use w.w. for this recipe)
egg wash

1. Dissolve yeast in water in large bowl. Let rest for 10 minutes.

2. Add eggs, honey, salt, butter, and about 3 1/2 c. flour. Beat well with mixer. Add as much remaining flour as possible in your mixer.

3. Turn soft dough out onto well-flour surface and knead for 8 minutes (5-10) Use as little flour as possible for a delicate Challah. It should be velvety soft (like a baby's bottom my mom always said.)

4. Place dough in greased large bowl, greasing top of dough as well and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let rist for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled.

5. Punch down (kids love to do that part!) and let rise again.

6. Cut dough in half, set half aside. Cut into thirds and roll dough into "snakes." Braid the 3 strands of dough. Repeat with reserved half. Place on greased baking sheet, let rise until doubled.

7. Brush with egg wash and bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve warm or cold.

Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam,
ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.

Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
who brings forth bread from the earth.


Biteavon! -Hearty appetite!

Playing catch-up

Hi everyone,
We're still here, I promise. Life is busy busy right now with school work and an almost 2 year old and a few new adventures that have come our way. Hard to believe it's been a month since my last post and I know a few people are pretty desperate for some recent pictures of the girls.
Here a few, take on our trip to TN and NC during our Labor Day weekend camping trip.
(Yes, I'm aware that that was quite awhile ago, but that's the best I can do.)
Hope you enjoy them!

sampling the fresh cider

Daddy, Rose, and apples.
Such a wonderful combination.

tables and tables full of apples

more cider sampling

Olivia and her apples

the orchard had wagons this year and the girls loved it!

Rosy loves apples.

Mike and Miss O.

I've been picking apples at this orchard since
I was 7 years old.
The owners recognized us when we came and it
made the old lady cry.

Mist over the creek at our campground

We had lots of rain on this camping trip and Sadie~Rose lived in her jacket

visiting the ruins of the clubhouse is a must

All of us at Abram's Falls, Cades Cove, TN

We were right inside the mist.
It felt so good to cool down after the 2.5 mile hike in.

Lovely Abram's Falls.

One our way there.

The kids taking a break from hiking to climb.

O and M were photographing all the mushrooms we saw along the trail.
It took f.o.r.e.v.e.r.

Olivia taking pictures.

More pictures

My Rose and I, with Daddy sneaking in, while we drove through Cade's Cove.

It's a bear cub!

My most favorite picture of the whole trip.
Olivia took it.

Rose taking a nap and me doing some "research"

The girls playing while we set up camp.

New Found Gap Overlook.
Our 1st stop on our way through the park.

The girls and I at NFG overlook, on our way to camp.

On my kitchen window

Olivia picked these and brought them to me
while she was supposed to be getting the mail.

She said she liked the purple and yellow together.
She is the master of mini bouquets
and unique color combos. :)

A new school year

Oh my, can it really be year #3 of homeschooling for us?
I have to admit that I think I'm more excited this year than I have previously.
Although it hasn't been the easiest year as far as making a plan and deciding what to use.
Some how last year I was put on a lot of different mailing lists for many different curriculum's. Some I had heard of or even used in my own 11 years of being home-schooled. You're typical Christian companies like ABeka and Bob Jones University. Others were not so known to me like, Memoria Press, Veritas Press, and Timberdoodle. We also some how started receiving a home-schooling magazine as well full of very good and encouraging articles( I highly recommend getting one yourself if you are planning or even thinking about home education.) I spent quite a bit of time studying the various catalogs all last year, but since I had already decided on using A.C.E. and then bought and started using the 1st grad books I thought it would probably not do well to jump ship. Thankfully, Olivia's foray into this thing we call "school" was successful and we now know how to read and write and add and subtract. But, we did discover some weaknesses along with known strengths along the way.
As a disclaimer, I used A.C.E. grades 2nd thru 12th with a few supplements from Abeka thrown in along the way from 5th grade on. That is what I know and it is good. It gave a me pretty good foundation. I'm sure there were areas that could have been more developed, but at the time these same resources were not available and there are and will always be areas of myself to improve upon.
That being said, I felt like something different could be used to work better with Olivia's strengths, improve her weaknesses, and engage her interest and excitement again.
So, last week I decided it was time to quite procrastinating (something I am very very good at) and make a plan for this new school year. After deciding that I found with a very paralyzing and overwhelming sense of fear and indecision. I can't quite explain why, other than it seemed terribly terribly important to "get it right" this year. I felt like I was running out of time to teach her everything I want her to know, all the things I wished I had learned. There was too much and I would never be adequate to teach her. I was going to fail and ruin her education for life and it would be all my fault. No one to blame but me since I am the one who get's to make these decisions. How did such an all important job get placed in my hands? I struggled with knowing what grade to place her in as we are already a year ahead.
Oh my, the hours I spent agonizing. Wasted hours, time I will never get back. God is so good to meet us right where we are and take care of our needs. One night I was up late, doing a little blog walking because I couldn't sleep because I was so stressed about this and I happened to read Miss Misha's lovely inspiring thoughts on her upcoming school year. And I felt the shift inside of me. The reminder that learning is not always found in text books and in the defined hours of 8-3 of the school day. Learning and become a well rounded beautiful person is in the every day.
Homeschooling is not just about academia (though it plays a part) it is, for me, about shaping and molding little hearts to love and follow Jesus. To learn to live with compassion and joy. To learn how to change the oil in the car and how to bake bread. How to have integrity and be a hard worker and trustworthy. How to share God's message with the world and be a light no matter what situation you find yourself in.
Hello!!!! Talk about a wake-up call. I shut down the computer and went to bed, thankful and eager to begin fresh in the morning. I woke up rested and feeling like a weight had been lifted from me. I made lists and then lists under those lists and then another list under the list of lists.
(I'm lost without my lists!) And as I poured over the catalogs and prayed and spend several long long conversions on the phone with my mom ( I tend to think better out loud) I made some decisions. And I was so happy with them and excited. I went out on a limb a bit, taking some from one magazine and some from another and some of what I and my mom already have and dabbling in 1st and 2nd grade at the same time. I could do a whole other post on my wavering between doing 1st grade again (in a different curriculum) and starting cold turkey in 2nd grade with something new. After much thinking it over and making some choices based on what is best for Olivia and where she's at, I'm doing mostly 2nd, with some 1st and I'm ok with it.
After all, does grade level really matter in the big scope of it all? I think not.
I showed my master list to Mike and it felt so good to hear him say, "Wow! You did a great job and everything looks really good." (High high praise from my husband!)
I've allowed the melting pot to simmer a little, rolling my selections around a little more, ruminating on them. I've made a few slight changes, added more and took nothing out.
Several people have asked recently and in the past what we used or were going to use this year
so I thought I would share. I know our family would enjoy knowing as well.
Below is my list. We are using a bit of Veritas Press and a bit of Timberdoodle with a small bit of some Bible stuff that my mom used with me that is older, but I enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it with Olivia. We'll see. I'm still thinking about that one and will maybe wait a couple of years and use an alternative this year. I'm listing my alternative as well.
All Veritas Press materials will be labeled with (VP) and all Timberdoodle will be labeled (Td) and most everything will be a click through link if you are interested in looking at the details of a specific course.

Math:
-Saxon 2 (VP)

Language Arts/Literature:
-First Favorites Comprehension Guide vol1 (VP)
reading list:
Curious George
Caps for Sale
Corduroy
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
Blueberries For Sal
The Little Engine That Could
Floss
A Chair For My Mother
Harry The Dirty Dog
Billy and Blaze
Bread And Jam For Frances
Frog And Toad Are Friends
Frog And Toad All Year Long
The Little House

-The Random House Book of Fairy Tales (VP)
-Little House Comprehension Guide (VP)
-Pathway Readers (Td)

English:
-Shurly Grammar 1 (VP)
-A Reason for Writing 2 (Td)

Spelling:
-Sequential Spelling (Td)

Science:
-Apologia's Young Explorer: Astronomy (Td)
-Stepping Into Science Kit (Td)
-D. L. Moody Science DVD series (Vision Forum) (This is a Christmas gift to the girls from my parents so we will be using them after the 1st of the year.)

History:
-The Story of the World vol1 "Ancient Times" (Td)
Reading List:
Living In Bible Times (VP)
Journey Through Bible Lands (VP)
Exodus (VP)
Celebrating Biblical Feasts (VP)


Bible:
-Leading Little Ones to God: A Child's Book of Bible Teaching
-The Family Bible Library (The Southwestern Company, copy write 1971)
-Old Testament and Ancient Egypt (VP) (this is my alternative)

Foreign Language:
-Prima Latina (VP)
-ASL (Td)

Art:
-Drawing with Children (VP)

Geography:
-Legends and Leagues (VP)
- A Child's Geography (Td) (this is if we wish to do another geography course after we finish Legends and Leagues which only last 1 semester)
-State Capitals Songs and Map (VP)

Typing:
-Typing Instructor (Td)

Please please please don't flip out! I know the list looks long, but some things are short courses, like the Legends and Leagues, and others we will only have lessons once or twice a week. I haven worked out the exact schedule, not having the books in my hands yet, but we won't be doing all of these subjects every single day. Most of them are reading, a few are listening to a CD, and all of them a should be done in 15-30 minutes, no more. Except if it involves art and drawing and maps and paint. Then it can last all day.


If you have any questions or you find a link messed up, let me know! And feedback is welcome. I would love to know what your family is using this year!

images via my tumblr

20 months

My dear little one,

You are now 20 months. We're getting so close to two. How did that happen?
You are the most adorable little doll that we know. It's not that we are totally biased, everyone who sees you thinks so. You couldn't get any cuter or sweeter.
Lately you've decided to actually talk. For a few months I've been a little worried about your lack of words. You would make this sound that was half-way between a grunt and a whine.
Not pleasant to the ears, let me tell you!
Your daddy decided enough was enough and if you were not going to talk, you must at the very least use your sign language.
Which displeased you very much.
So much so that you flat out refused to sign and started to talk instead.
Imagine that!
Now, several weeks later, you use a combination of both talking and signing. But you talk when you use your signs. "Please," "thank you," "more," and "help" are all spoken and accompanied by the hand sign.
We competently melt at the sound of your little voice. Lately your new words are coming more and more quickly. Today I caught you singing "e, i, e, i, oh!" Olivia had taught you the song of Old MacDonald and you have had a blast singing "e, i, e, i, oh!" all day long. Even on the phone to Mimi.
Another favorite is "The Bunny Hop." Olivia has an old record with the Bunny Hop on it and whenever the mood strikes you, you will find the nearest person and start saying "hop! hop! hop!" and hopping up and down. You'll grab a finger and drag the person to the record play, pat it and repeat with great certainty, "hop! hop! hop!" And Nothing will do until the song is played.
Other new words include:
"gee" (drink)
"ocky, oddle, oo" (cockadoddledoo)
"quack quack"
"puppy"
"itty" (kitty)
"o-yah" (Olivia)
"mommmmeeeee" (mommy)
"buh-byeeeeee" (bye bye)
"nigh nigh" (night night)
"elp! elp!" (help help)
"soes" (shoes)
"cool!"
"preey" (pretty)
"coot" (cute)
"ose" (Rose)
"bites"
"pweas" (please)
"kank uooo" (thank you)
"k k" (thank you)
"eyes"
"nose"
"rrrrr" (ear)
"u-o" (uh-oh)
"choo-choo" (for train)
"cues cues" (Blue's Clue)
"noooooooooo!" (just imagine her eyes closed, her head tipped back and hand on forehead while say this. Most most dramatic.)
You drop all of your "h's" and most of your "r's" but it's the most adorable baby talk. Sadly, I don't have any way to share it online.
Somehow you have acquired a deep unending love of dogs. Any dog, and shape, any size. You and it will be best of friends. You carry around a pretend puppy most of the day and love to fall asleep with one. We can't wait to get you a real puppy. Soon, my dear, soon.
You like to pretend to be a puppy too. You crawl and bark, scratch and playfully bite. You love for Olivia to wrap any kind of cord, measuring tape, jump rope, string, or ribbon around your middle and let you crawl and pretend. You get very upset when she tires of this game.
You have quite the burgeoning sense of humor and make little jokes with yourself all the time.
The other evening, while Daddy and sister were playing "go fish" on the floor, you found a Barbie princess crown on the floor. You walked up to your daddy and gently positioned this coin sized crown on the top of his head. You took a step back, surveyed the picture just like an artist would with hand on hip, and suddenly burst into peals of happy hysterical giggles.
After it fell off with quick shake of Daddy's head which induce more giggling, you thought it was Olivia's turn. After placing the crown in her wavy locks, you found it just as funny as daddy's royal crowning.
You love "Blue's Clues, Spot, and Kipper" (All puppies, you see.)
Swimming (and water) is your thing.
You have no fear of heights, falling, swinging, jumping, being tossed, or going fast.
In most instances of any of the above, you beg for more.
You adore being outside and getting dirty, dirty, dirty.
You help pick the cherry tomatoes. Red or green, doesn't matter to you. They are all the same.
I some days wish to never see a blueberry again. We've been to the blueberry farm 3 times this year. And you have a great love of blueberries. I've changed a lot of purple diapers in the month of July. So many, in fact, that I have a hard time stomaching the smell of blueberries at times.
You still eat salad, tomatoes make you swoon, green beans are your best friends, broccoli and asparagus have no hope of survival with you around. Cucumbers are good, but you also think they are great for stashing away in secret hiding places. You love salsa, the hotter the better. You eat pretty much any kind of cheese. You love to dip so guacamole, hummus, spinach dip, and ketchup are regulars on the menu. Pasta is not your think, nor is meat. I think you think that you would die without blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, and yogurt. You eat them every. single. day. You take vitamins and have no problem swallowing them whole, even though we prefer you to chew them up.
You love Dr. Justin, our chiropractor. You smile and bat your eyelashes at him, then say "hi!" in your most honeyed tone and wave your prom queen wave.
The librarians know you by sight, if not by name. You are a great help to them, always rearranging the DVD shelves to give them something to do.
You wave at every stranger in the grocery store and can solicit a smile from even the grumpiest store clerk. I have to say that you, your sister, and I make quite an eye-catching trio. Poor daddy is getting use to standing guard and carrying the shotgun (just kidding! sort of.)
You love dancing and music. Your favorite move is a little thing called the "Twirl." Daddy says you look like one of those little ballerina's in a jewelry box. Your not discriminating with your musical tastes, not yet anyway. 50's classics blend well with techno, Celtic singing, and praise and worship. It's all good with you.
You think you a quite the big girl. I'm pretty sure you believe that you are really 6 years old. Not surprisingly you and you sister get into some doozy fights. Amazingly, you hold your own quite well. But you adore your sister no matter how much she aggravates you. You love to lay on the floor, side by side, and color or do school work. If Olivia asks me for something and you know where it is, you run a quick as your chubby sweet legs will carry you and bring it back to her. You'll share bites of your precious cookie with her and snuggle under the blankets together and giggle. You play the "fish game" together daily. You drive her batty with your constant desire to watch Blue's Clues and nothing else. You two love being "dramatic" together. Those are the days that mommy puts you two in separate rooms and shuts herself on the back porch. You look up to Olivia with those big adoring little sister eyes. I pray that never changes.
We love you dearly and kiss on you every chance we get. Until just lately you've been quite stingy with your kisses and hugs back though. But, all of a sudden, something has changed and at the mention of "kiss" or "hug" or a kissing sound, you come running with open arms (and mouth!) It's been so sweet to see you be more affectionate with your family and friends.
So my Rosie, I'm sure I've missed a few things worth mentioning, mommy brain had been a bain since your arrival. But, it's been worth it just to have our sweet baby girl in our life.
We love you ever so much. No one can resist your charms, least of all your mommy, daddy, and sister. Know that you are loved and cherished.

With all my heart,
Mommy