A Little Woman

Another year is dawning, Dear Father let it be,
On earth, or else in heaven, another year for Thee.
A Happy New Year! Ever Such May it Be!

-Frances Ridley Havergal

I found this in Hymns for a Kid's Heart Volume II.

I have been studying sea snakes in school. These amazing creatures are Aquatic Herps. You probably know what aquatic means, but I will explain the word herp. The word herp comes from the Greek word herpeton meaning “creatures that creep on their belly”. Scientists use this word for reptiles and amphibians. Herps are ectothermic (cold blooded); vertebrates (have a backbone). Sea snakes are ovoviviparous which means that they lay their eggs inside their bodies and give birth to live young.

Most snakes have scutes, which help them to move on land. Sea snakes have no scutes, so they must stay in the water. They have a paddle on the end of their tails which helps them to swim.

Sea snakes are very poisonous; one chomp of their venom can kill five men. They have enough poison to kill fifty-three adult men. Sea snakes also have a bite reflex which works up to an hour after they are completely dead.

There are more than fifty different kinds of sea snakes. However, no sea snakes can be found in the Atlantic Ocean or the colder parts of the Pacific Ocean. Most species live near the coast, from the Persian Gulf through Southeast Asia and down to the Australia. Sea snakes are truly an amazing part of God’s creation!

[Why] should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and nobel. The reverence for the Sacred Book that is thus early impressed lasts long; and probably if not impressed in infancy, never takes firm hold of the mind.

-Fisher Ames

Hanna is 9 now!

We went to the zoo on Hanna's birthday. They were giving the animals christmas presents!

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2 (New International Version)

If I could have entertained the slightest apprehension that the Constiution framed in the Convention where I had the honor to preside might possibly endanger the religious rights of any ecclesiastical society, certainly I would never have placed my signature to it.

-George Washington

I have been working on playing this while daddy plays the guitar.
It is great fun!

Religion, morality, and knowledge, however, being essential to good goverment, it shall be the duty of the legislature to pass suitable laws...to encourage school and the means of instruction.

-1875 Nebraska constitution

Made with trimmings from our Christmas tree and from the ornamental pear in the front yard.

I made an A-line skirt. Mostly over Thanksgiving break. I even put in a zipper.
I will post pictures of the finished product soon.

[I]f I were asked, now that I am drawing to the close of this work in which I have spoken of many important things done by the Americans, to what the singular prosperity and growing strength of that people are mainly to be attributed, I should reply, to the superiority of their women.

Alexis de Tocqueville
Democracy in America

I found this quote in So Much More by Anna Sophia and Elizebeth Botkin.

...and herb roasted chicken.

Mama and Hanna made Lemon Poppy Seed Bread yesterday.

Ingredients:
3 Cups Flour
2 ½ Cups Sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ Cups Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 tsp. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
Zest of one Lemon
1 ½ tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Poppy Seeds
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 Cup + 2 TBSP. safflower oil

Glaze:
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
¼ Cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

*combine all ingredients and beat 2 minutes *pour into 2 prepared loaf pans *bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour *while still warm, poke holes in bread with toothpick and pour some of glaze over bread *after the bread is cooled, drizzle with remaining glaze (I thickened the reserved glaze with more powdered sugar before drizzling the second time)

I have been knitting the first yarn I spun into a scarf.

We brought Polvorones De Almendra to the shoebox party.
Thank you to everyone who brought shoeboxes, we got 42 and they are probably going to Mexico again this year.

Grandma Kathie came over on Wedneday and helped us cook for Thanksgiving.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations
(King James Version)

Spencer drew this pliosaur head for science.

Virtue should, in all cases, be the offspring of principle.

-Benjamin Rush

My dad made dinner recently, it was delicious.

Idleness is the parent of every vice...Labor of all kinds favors and facilitates the practice of virtue.

-Benjamin Rush

I made dinner last night.

I got these while we were in Minneappolis this weekend.

Mama and I went to Minneappolis with Grandma Mary and Papa Richard this weekend. This is the view from our window on the 24th floor.

Life has loveliness to sell, all beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff, soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children's faces looking up holding wonder like a cup.

-Sara Teasdale

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday, October 31. We made three kinds of soup: Schoolhouse Chicken, Vegtable Beef Barley, and Corn Chowder.

VEGETABLE BEEF BARLEY

1 pound ground hamburger
1/2 of an onion, minced
2 1/2 quarts of beef broth
1 1/2 cups barley
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables

Brown hamburger with onion. Set aside. Boil Broth. Add barley, reduce heat and simer 1 hour. Add ground beef and vegetables. Heat through.

CORN CHOWDER

3 chicken breasts (bone in)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Soy sauce and salt to taste
5 cans creamed corn
1 bag frozen corn
8 oz cream cheese
1 bottle white zinfandel (of 4 pack)
1 tablespoon white pepper (we leave this out, and put it on the table so people can season to taste)

Boil chicken breasts in 2 quarts water to make broth.
Remove chicken breasts.
Cut chicken breasts in cubes.
Return broth to a boil, and stir in a mixture of eggs, cornstarch, soy sauce, salt- to make egg drop soup.
Be careful of scorching.
Add creamed corn, frozen corn, and cubed chicken pieces.
Cube cheese and stir in.
Add white zinfandel and pepper.
Heat through.

The Cat of Bubastes is by G. A. Henty. He wrote it in 1888!

The story is set in Ancient Egypt at the time of the Isralites' slavery in Egypt. The main characters are Chebron the son of Ameres high priest of Osiris, Mysa Chebron's younger sister, Amuba Chebron's slave and best friend, Jethro Mysa's slave and Amuba's friend from before they were captured, and Ruth an Isralite girl who waits on Mysa.

In Ancient Egypt, cats were sacred, so when Chebron accidentaly kills a cat, Ameres is killed and they are forced to flee. But then, Mysa and Ruth mysteriously disappear. Will they be able to rescue the girls? How will they leave Egypt without getting caught?

This is a good book because it helps you to understand life in Ancient Egypt while keeping a theme of the one true God throughout. This book was written before the revised chronology, so the Isralites' are placed during the reign of Thotmes III. A date which we now know to be incorrect. Also, there are some descriptions of battles which may be inapropriate for some children. However, it is a very good and engaging book.

...a Christian, above all people, should live artistically, aesthetically, and creatively...If we have been created in the image of an Artist, then we should look for expressions of artistry, and be sensitive to beauty, responsive to what has been created for our appreciation.

Edith Schaeffer The Hidden Art of Homemaking

"Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors!"
- Louisa May Alcott

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 beaten eggs
1 16 oz can of pumpkin
2 teaspoon milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 16 oz bag of chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix sugar and eggs. Add pumpkin, milk and vegetable oil. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add to above. Stir in vanilla and chocolate chips.
Lightly grease cookie sheets. Place by spoonfuls to fill cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes (10 ½ min. without chocolate chips.)
Place cookies on the middle rack or they will burn.
Test for doneness.

Our huge pumpkins...

...gourds on the mantel...

...Spencers lego creations...

...dried golden rod and a pressed maple leaf...

...garlic and apples on the table.

The last of 8 dozen cookies I baked on Thursday.
Some for company, some to give to the neighbors, and some for the men who are still finishing up on the roof.

The shingles for our new roof were delivered today.

“Now” - said a good book unto me -
“Open my pages and you shall see
Jewels of wisdom and treasures fine,
Gold and silver in every line,
And you may claim them if you but will
Open my pages and take your fill.

“Open my pages and run them o’er,
Take what you choose of my golden store.
Be you greedy, I shall not care -
All that you seize I shall gladly spare;
There is never a lock on my treasure doors,
Come - here are my jewels, make them yours!

“I am just a book on your mantel shelf,
But I can be part of your living self;
If only you’ll travel my pages through,
Then I will travel the world with you.
As two wines blended make better wine,
Blend your mind with these truths of mine.

“I’ll make you fitter to talk with men,
I’ll touch with silver the lines you pen,
I’ll lead you nearer the truth you seek,
I’ll strengthen you when your faith grows weak -
This place on your shelf is a prison cell,
Let me come into your mind to dwell!”

by Edgar Guest

We are studying swimming creatures in science.

This is a project to show the way the world's water is distributed.
The containers on the side of the bath tub represent the following:
Frozen Water, Underground Water , Lakes, Soil Water, Rivers and Streams...

... and the water left in the bath tub is the Oceans.

We got this project from Exploring God's Creation by Geoffrey Garvey.

We have been studying Swimming creatures in science. One of the things we have learned is this. The earth is not billions of years old, because if it was the oceans would be much saltier.
The oceans are actually getting saltier. This is because salt is constantly entering the ocean, from rivers and volcanos, but it can not leave the ocean very easily. If the ocean was billions of years old, it would be a lot saltier.

“The most effective kind of education is that a child play amongst lovely things.” – Plato

After hiking at Silver Dollar Island we went to Officers Gulch.

We crossed over to an island on these logs.

Island picture...

...and back across again.

We took a hike this morning...

...silver dollar island...

...beautiful scenery on Lake Dillion.

We went shopping in Silverthorn and played in the river that goes through Breckenridge yesterday.

We drove over Boreas pass today...

...it's 2 weeks earlier than the aspen leaves usually start to turn...

...stopped to eat lunch by the stream...

...picked aspen leaves to press...

...a very restful day, especially after yesterday!

We took a long hike today.
It was supposed to be a 7 mile hike.
3.5 miles up and then 3.5 miles down.

We saw a beaver pond.
When we got close to the end (we were about 12,000 ft) we had to guess where the path was.
That part was supposed to be ½ mile, but I think we went farther, because we wound around so much.

When we got near the top it was beautiful.

On the way down we stopped at Lower Mohawk Lake.
We were so hot and tired that we stopped and dipped our feet in the water.
It was freezing, but it felt so good.
When we were most of the way down it started to rain.
It seemed to take forever to walk to the car.
Our hike ended up taking about 6 hours.
It was well worth it though.

We took a 0.8 mile hike today.

Lake Dillion

We saw lots of chipmunks.
One of them even got on my shoes.
I didn't get a picture though.

Busily packing to hopefully leave for Colorado in the morning.
We are driving home on the 12th.
We will bring the computer so I hope to post while we are gone.

We went to the Nebraska State Fair yesterday...

...my baby sweater...

...the clydesdales...

...the petting zoo

...the big pumpkin...

...barn owl...

...who cares if it's raining?

I made dinner tonight.

ZESTY CHICKEN BREASTS

chicken breasts 8-10

1 stick butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter and stir in garlic and pepper.
Combine bread crumbs and cheese.
Dip chicken in butter, then dredge in crumb mix.

I served this with mashed potatoes and steamed brocoli.

Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes in a Pyrex dish.

The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible by Paul S. Taylor
Life in the Great Ice Age by Michael and Beverly Oard
Grand Canyon, a different view by Tom Vail
The True Story of Noah's Ark by Tom Dooley

http://www.jonathanpark.com/

11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

(New International Version)

We got all the grapes frozen today.

I have been making knit baby caps. I got the original pattern from The natural knitter.
I use size 8 knitting needles with worsted weight yarn.
Make the hat 4 inches or 6 inches four a rolled brim.

Hat #1

Cast on 54 stitches.
Knit 2 purl 2 across ending with purl 2.
Repeat until desired leangth.
Knit 2 together purl 2 across.
Knit 2 together purl 1 across.
Run a piece of yarn through each stitch and tie.
Sew up side seam.

Hat #2

Cast on 54 stitches
Knit 1 purl 1 across ending with purl 1.
Repeat until desired leangth.
Knit 1 *purl 2 together repeat from* to last stitch purl 1.
Knit across.
Purl 2 together.
Run a piece of yarn through each stitch and tie.
Sew up side seam.

I got a sewing machine for my birthday.

These are some of the stitches it makes.

Dad took the day off yesterday and we went to the zoo.
We split up and Hanna spent 2 hours in the aquarium with mom.

"You can't be in London for long without going to the Zoo. There are some people who begin the Zoo at the begining, called WAYIN and walk quickly as they can past every cage until they get to the one called WAYOUT, but the nicest people go straight to the animal they love the most and stay there."

-A. A. Milne
The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-The-Pooh

Fiddlehead bread sticks.
Made with pizza dough.

I turned 13 on August 7th.

This is from Grandma Mary and Grandpa Richard, it was made by Grandpa Richard's mother, Pat Thayer.

The sewing basket is from Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Clyde.
Spencer helped me assemble it (I should probably just say Spencer assembled it), and it matches my room nicely.
The needlepoint here is by my Great Great Grandma O'Donnell.

We painted my room this weekend.

My night stand

Now I just have to wait till the paint drys so I can hang everything up!

We went to the county fair on Wednesday night.

My baby sweater got a purple ribbon and is going to state!

Hanna's picture got a purple ribbon...

...and so did Spencer's.

All the leather working got blues.
My rolls and Spencer's snack mix got blues also.

The order of the ribbons is
Purple
Blue
Red

These are the projects I entered in the county fair.
I also entered a leather working project.

5-6 cups rhubarb (can replace 1 cup rhubarb with 1 cup strawberries)
2 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
cinnamon
3/4-1 cup sugar
pinch of salt

Put pats of butter on top of above mixture before adding the second crust.

Brush the second crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes
near the bottom of the oven
then 325 degrees in the middle
of the oven.

BASIC DOUGH-

2 cups flour
2 eggs
Lukewarm water

Mix flour, eggs, and water and work dough until firm. Divide dough into two parts, and roll each part into a thin sheet on a foured board. Cut dough into small circles, place small spoonful of filling into middle of dough. Place one circle on top. Press edges firmly. Cook in boiling water like noodles covered so they will steam. When pierogi float to the top they are done. Can serve with melted butter.

POTATO FILLING-

2 lb potato's
1/2 cup minced onion
1 heaping tablespoon butter
2-3 tablespoons cottage cheese (optional)
Salt and Peper

Cook and mash potatos. Fry onion to a light, golden brown in butter. Combine with mashed potatos and season to taste; add cheese if desired. Mix thruoghly and proceed to fill and cook pockets.
Serves 6 to 8.

CHEESE FILLING-

2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
1 lb cottage cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
Dash of Salt

Cream egg yolks and butter. Combine with cottage cheese, season, and mix throughly. Fill pokets and cook as directed above.
Serves 4.

Hannah K. Hannah V. and I made pierogis with Hunter.

I made this baby blanket with double crochet squares which I sewed together and added a shell border.
I sent it to Craft Hope project 3.

Spencer caught this snake at the park. He named it Riley.

The Farmers Market

I went to the Bright Lights Strong in the Lord Conference ,with mom, this spring.

Bethany Wissman was my small group leader.

4 cups water
2 cups sugar
grated rind of 2 oranges
2 cups orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice

Boil sugar and water 5 minutes. Add fruit juices and rind. Cool, strain, and freeze. Makes approx. 2 quarts.

"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains."
Patrick Henry

On Sunday we went to the Wissmans 4th of July Musical.

Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a disgrace to any people.

Proverbs 14:34 (New International Version)

I am going to send this in to Craft Hope Project 3.

I found these at Venice Antiques. The price tag said "Wool Carding Combs $12.50" on one side and "Wool Carding Combs $5.50" on the other side. They gave them to me for $5.50.
They are old and I don't know weather they will work or not, but carding combs are usually over $20.00.

Hunter had
Hannah V. and Hannah K. and I over to teach us how to make lattice top pies.

At The Seaside

When I was down beside the sea
A wooden spade they gave to me
To dig the sandy shore,
My holes were empty like a cup,
In every hole the sea came up,
Till it could come no more.

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Craft Hope is looking for blankets, booties and beanies for newborns. To go to India.

They also want pillow cases (which don't have to be hand made) and handkerchiefs.

1 [a] Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.

11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.

15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;

17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and their inheritance will endure forever.

19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:
The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they will vanish—vanish like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;

22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be cut off.

23 If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;

24 though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.

26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.

27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.

28 For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They will be protected forever,
but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

29 the righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is just.

31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his feet do not slip.

32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking their very lives;

33 but the LORD will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34 Wait for the LORD
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future [b] for the man of peace.

38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
the future [c] of the wicked will be cut off.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

Stem a mixture of ripe and green mulberries until you have a quart [4 cups]. Cover them with cold, salty water (1/4 c. salt per quart of water). Let set 5 minutes. Then drain, and rinse in cold water several times. Now crush the berries. Add 3 c. sugar, 1/4 c. lemon juice (or 1/4 c. cider vinegar like the old-timers), and 1/2 t. cinnamon. Cook over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Then boil hard, stirring constantly, until it arrives at the jellying point. Take off heat. For the next 5 minutes, alternately skim and stir. Have ready clean, hot jars. Ladle your jam into them, and put on lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

I used sugar in my jam. I also froze it instead of doing a boiling water bath.

I got this recipe from The Encyclopedia of County Living by Carla Emery.

We used the smaller reids and cattails for this basket.
I will post a picture when it dries.

Put the Mulberries in a colander and rinse them well with cold water. Take them out and cut off the stems with kitchen scissors (this is usually very messy since they slatter all over, be sure to wear an apron because mulberries stain).

We usually pick mulberries by holding an old sheet under the tree and hitting it with a leangth of pipe.
But we used a long sick on Tuesday.

Out in the morning Father goes,
Whether it pours with rain or snows,
Whether the wild wind beats and blows:--
By the fire sit Mother and I
Doing our lessons quietly.

Back in the twilight Father comes,
When I've finished with books and sums.
Not all the noise of all the drums
Is a jollier noise, I know,
Than Father when he says, "Hallo!"

~Author Unknown~

Only a dad with a tired face,
Coming home from the daily race,
Bringing little of gold or fame
To show how well he has played the game;
But glad in his heart that his own rejoice
To see him come and to hear his voice.

Only a dad with a brood of four,
One of ten million men or more
Plodding along in the daily strife,
Bearing the whips and the scorns of life,
With never a whimper of pain or hate,
For the sake of those who at home await.

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud,
Merely one of the surging crowd,
Toiling, striving from day to day,
Facing whatever may come his way,
Silent whenever the harsh condemn,
And bearing it all for the love of them.

Only a dad but he gives his all,
To smooth the way for his children small,
Doing with courage stern and grim
The deeds that his father did for him.
This is the line that for him I pen:
Only a dad, but the best of men.

Filling:

1 Tablespoon flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 Cups mulberries

Topping:

1 Cup flour
1 Cup sugar
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/3 Cup butter
1 egg lightly beaten

For the Filling: Gently rinse mulberries in cold water. Combine flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Toss gently with berries.

For Topping: Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in mixing bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg; mix slightly, stirring just to moisten.

Grease 8-inch square baking dish. Fill with berry mixture. Crumble topping over berries. Bake at 350 degrees until slightly golden brown, 30-35 minutes.

Yields 6 to 8 servings.

We finished the dolls for Craft Hope and sent them in!

7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.

8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.

9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.

10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57:7-11 (New International Version)

Mom and I ran it in 9.45, Spencer and Dad in 7.42, and Hanna and grandma were 21 something (walking).

Try this gardener's breakfast beauty tip.
Wearing gloves at night after soaking the hands in
wet oatmeal is supposed to make them white.

American Agriculturist, 1895

Wash with cornmeal for cleaner hands. It
is suprising what excellent results come from keeping a
dish of Indian meal on the stand near the soap and
rubbing the meal freely on the hands after soaping for
washing. It will cleanse and soften the skin and keep the
hands from chapping. Try it.

E.B. Davis and B.G. Jefferis
The Household Guide, 1891

I found these in 1,001 Old-Time Garden Tips Edited by Roger Yepsen.

The dolls for Craft Hope are almost finished!

Peony buds

Chives

"The man who does not
read good books
has no advantage over
the man who can't read."

– Mark Twain

From “The Teaching Home”

We are making dolls to donate to Craft Hope. They will go to children in an orphange in Nicaragua. You can find out more at http://crafthope.com/

the label is a wooden one, and consists
in fastening, with a small screw, a short
piece of wood or metal over the name.

Thomas Firminger
Firminger's Manual of Gardening for India, 1918

I found this in 1,001 Old-Time Garden Tips Edited by Roger Yepsen.

Got any flower seeds or bulbs left?
Plant them along the public road far
from any houses where they may rejoice
some weary traveler and brighted life
for even a bee.

Farm Journal, 1910

I found this in 1,001 Old-Time Garden Tips Edited by Roger Yepsen.

I thinned my lettuce today.

To prevent the juice from apple pies running over, thrust little funnels of white paper in to the cuts on top, through which the steam may escape, and the juice boil up, and then run back into the pie again when it stops cooking.

Farm Journal, 1892

I found this in 1,001 Old-Time Garden Tips Edited by Roger Yepsen.

Remove the outer husks and strip back the inner, so that the silk may be removed; this should be very carefully done and the husks replaced. Put in boiling water and boil for twenty minutes and serve hot, first removing the husks. The object of the husks on is that corn, cooked in this way, is much sweeter than when the husks are removed.

Ida D. Bennett
Tha Vegtable Garden, 1908

I found this in 1,001 Old-Time Garden Tips Edited by Roger Yepsen.

Spencer saw one of Elliots nerf bullets that had been accidentaly shot onto the roof and climbed up to get it.

Daffodills mean Regard and Chivalry.
The Language of Flowers Sheila Pickles

http://www.bulkherbstore.com/

Hannas favorite Bible verse is:
And the LORD said, "Now get up and cross the Zered Valley." So we crossed the valley.
Deuteronomy 2:13

A gentleman, anxious to ascertain the effect of transplanting
at night instead of by day, made an experiment with
the following result: he transplanted ten cherry
trees while in bloom, commencing at four o'clock in
the afternoon. Those transplanted during the daylight shed
thier blossoms, producing little or no fruit; while those
transplanted in the dark maintained their condition fully.

The Household, 1883

"Manuring with brains," like most proverbs conveys an
important truth. We look upon books as quite as essential
implements as spades, rakes, or other garden tools. Winter
is the time for study and reading.
American Agriculturist, 1878

In London, England, if a man improves his lot and his neighbor does not, the improver gets a reduction on tax, and the non improver a rise. This is rather a good idea, and when carried out, must tend greatly to improve the towns and villages.
The Household, 1879

The blue eggs are dyed with blueberries. The brown are dyed with red onion skins. The yellow eggs are dyed with ground Tumeric. We put the dye in the water when we hard boiled them.

Here are more ideas for natural dyes:
http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/2009/04/natural-egg-dyes.html

Mom made this denim quilt.

It is a tied quilt but the ties are on the back.

"In such favor do toads stand with English market gardeners that they readily command a shilling apiece...and as toads possess no bad habits, every owner of a garden should treat him with the utmost hospitality."

-British newspaper, 1890

Cream together:

1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey

Add:

1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Combine until fluffy. Add 4 cups wheat flour one cup at a time. Roll dough out on parchment paper 1/8 inch thick. You will need 2 cookie sheets. Score into squares and prick with a fork. Sprinkle with granulated sugar if desired.

Bake in a 375 degre oven for 15-20 minutes.

I got this recipe from Seasons at Home magazine.

By then we had found out that school can be taken care of
at home, but we still thought that it was bound to a house.
Later we would learn that it can very well take place on wheels.

-Maria Augusta Trapp The Story of the Trapp Family Singers
This is the story that inspired The Sound of Music.

We just put a little ground Turmeric in the water before we hard boiled these eggs and boiled them a little longer then usual and didn't take them out of the water right away.

Use well-ripened, but still firm fruit with solid flesh and tart-sweet flavor. Wash and core. Peel or not according to preference. Cut in wedges 1/4 inch thick (6.25 mm).
Dehydrator: Slice apples onto trays. Spread slices one layer deep on trays, without overlapping slices. (Work quickly) Put each tray in the dehydrator as soon as it is full. Dry at 115 degres F (45 C) for 6 to 8 hours, stiring or turning fruit once. After the first 6 hours test for dryness every 2 hours until there is no moisture in the center when slice is bitten.
To Usesliced dried apples are delicious eaten as a snack, or they may be used almost any way cooked apples are used. One cup(250 ml) yields about 1 1/4 cups (315 ml) cooked or refreshed apples.

I got this information from Making and Using Dried Foods by Phyllis Hobson.

It's funny how often they say to me, "Jane?"
"Have you been a good girl?"
"Have you been a good girl?"
And when they have said it they say it again,
"Have you been a good girl?"
"Have you been a good girl?"

I go to a party, I go out to tea,
I go to an aunt for a week at the sea
I come back from school or from playing a game;
Wherever I come from, it's always the same:
"Well?
Have you been a good girl, Jane?"

It's always the end of the loveliest day:
"Have you been a good girl?"
"Have you been a good girl?"
I went to the Zoo, and they waited to say:
"Have you been a good girl?"
"Have you been a good girl?"

Well, what did they think that I went there to do?
And why should I want to be bad at the Zoo?
And should I be likely to say if I had?
So that's why it's funny of Mummy and Dad,
This asking and asking in case I was bad,
"Well?
Have you been a good girl, Jane?"

-Now We Are Six by A. A. Milne

Let it rain!
Who cares?
I've a train
Upstairs,
With a brake
Which I make
From a string
Sort of thing,
Which works
In jerks
'Cos it drops
In the spring
Which stops
With the string,
And the wheels
All stick
So quick
That it feels
Like a thing
That you make
With a brake,
Not string....

So that's what I make,
When the day's all wet.
It's agood sort of brake
But it hasn't worked yet.

-A. A. Milne Now We Are Six

And the fact of the matter is that being on a budget is nothing to be ashamed of: Having parameters helps edit the overwhelming number of choices out there, and economy often begets creativity. My most inventive friends are the ones who go junking (usually with strict self-imposed spending limits-"nothing over twenty dollars"), or who are true do-it-yourselfers and avid recyclers, or who live away from the lure of big-city stores and have to be more resourceful. They are creating the trends instead of following them, and fashioning highly personal enviroments that you won't find on the pages of every catalog or on the floor of every showroom.
-Jill Kirchner Simpson Mary Emmerlings Smart Decorating

Hanna's skirt is made out of a dress I wore to a wedding. The top didn't fit Hanna any more, so mom took it off and made an elastic waist band.
http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/2008/06/quick-skirt-for-bella.html

:

We made these cupcakes with a recipe from Country Home. They are decorated with jelly beans and chinese noodles. Yum!

Purim started on Monday March 9th this year. To celebrate Purim, we made Hamantashen, Jewish cookies made for Purim. Then, that evening (after sundown, Mom read the story of Ester. Every time she said the name Hamon, we would yell and clap and try to blot it out!

Here is a recipe with a story:
http://www.highlightskids.com/Stories/Fiction/F0399_grandmasNickel.asp

Here is the recipe we used. We made the poppy seed filling.

Favorite Hamantashen Cookie Dough and Fillings
Yield: about 5 dozen

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 4 cups flour (approximately)

PRUNE FILLING:
• 1 lb prunes, stewed 10 minutes, pitted & chopped
• 1 cup raisins, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juice & rind
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp honey

POPPY SEED FILLING:
• 1/2 lb poppy seeds
• 4 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp sugar
• juice of 1/2 lemon

HAMANTASCHEN: Combine the ingredients in the order given, using enough flour to make a soft dough which is not sticky Let stand 15 minutes. Divide dough into 4 parts. Roll to 1/4" thickness on a floured board. Cut in 4" circles. Place a tsp of desired filling in the center of each circle. Form triangles by folding the sides in towards the middle. Brush with beaten egg. Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

"Did you ever think how
a bit of land shows
the character
of the owner?"
-Laura Ingalls Wilder

"During my first spring here, I wheelbarrowed in
rhododendrons and three beehives, because you can't live
without rhododendrons or honey, can you?"
-Tasha Tudor Tasha Tudor's Garden by Tovah Martin

We are working on quilting at craft club.

Hunter is making a doll blanket...

...and so is Hannah.

I am making hot pads.

It was Hannah's birthday, so I made a vanilla cake for craft club. It was really good. I got the recipe from:
http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/2009/02/vanilla-cake-again.html

I filled the middle with strawberry freezer jam and frosted it with vanilla butter cream frosting with chocolate chips.

Tuesday was the one hundreth day of school. We made a snack. Each person (mom and dad included) picked a snack and counted out one hundred of it. That is our math lesson for the day. This year we counted them out on Monday night since Tuesday is such a busy day.

Every year we see a few Cedar Waxwings in the ornamental pear tree outside the kichen window. Usually 4 to 8, once in the spring and once in the fall since they migrate through here. This spring, we have seen many groups. Last Friday, we were sitting in the kichen eating breakfast when we saw a huge group (Dad said there were about 100). They landed in the tree and flew around. Dad left for work, and mom and I watch them until they left. They stayed about 45 minutes. We have seen several groups of 25 to 30 since, but there are hardly any berries left on the tree!

If you don't know what a Cedar Waxwing is, there is a nice picture at:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1082/719882067_14dbb032f8.jpg

We used the chocolate chip cupcake recipe in the February 2009 Issue of Martha Stewart Living.

I just happened to look over and see this little girl sitting on the window sill.

To substitute honey for sugar in a baking recipe use 3/4 cup honey for 1 cup sugar and reduce liquid by 1/4 cup (like in cakes). If there is no liquid in your recipe, add 4 tablespoons extra flour for each 3/4 cup honey used in cookies.
Honey is acidic. If there is as much as 1 cup of honey in the recipe, you can add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda per cup of honey and get a levening action as well as neutralize the the acidic quality.
Bake at a temperature 25 degrees lower then called for because, baked goods with honey brown faster. Cakes, cookies, and breads will be miost and stay fresh longer because of the honey's moistness.
I got the information from The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery

For a brown color, use a little browned flour, a little burnt sugar, or caramel. Pounded, uncooked spinach leaves make a rich green. Adding some spinach leaf puree makes a lovely deeper green. This green can also be used to tint icings, desserts, ect. Another way to make a cooked spinach green coloring is by washing some spinach, boiling it until tender, and pouring off the juice for your coloring extract. For a stronger green, let the spinach cool, sqeeze dry, mash by pounding, and then put through a sieve. Cooked green peas make a lighter shade of green; slit pea soup makes a very pale green color. The coral of a lobster pounded and put through a sieve yields red, as does vinegar or water that has stood on sliced boiled beets.
-Carla Emery The Encyclopedia of Country Living

We have been cracking our black walnuts. It is not difficult to do, but the nuts are really hard.

First, you have to crack the nuts open. We have found good ways to do this, with a hammer or in the vise. To hammer, it helps to have some way to hold the nut still besides your hand because it would be easy to hammer you hand by accident. Then, hit the walnut on the sharp point until it breaks. Or turn it on its side in the vise and tighten the vise till it breaks.

It is easiest to finish opening if they are in at least four pieces.

Use wire cutters to clip the shell away from the nut meat (also called a kernel).

I have been spinning with the wool/silk blend. It is fun to try but I think I like plain wool better. My spining is geting thiner and it keeps braking off. So I took the yarn off and made it into a ball. It looks smaller than it did on the spindle. I think the wool/silk is heavier than plain wool because my pound of wool/silk dosn't look any bigger than my half pound of wool was.

I made noodles yesterday. They were good and easy to make although they require some time and energy to make.
Here is the recipe:
2 eggs and a pinch of salt, add as much flour as they can absorb. You can add 1/4 cup butter which should make them more tender. Roll out the dough as thin as possible and cut them into strips. You can dry or freeze them. To freeze, wrap them in wax paper and put in a freezer bag. They cook for 20-30 minutes.
I got the recipe from The Encyclopedia of County Living by Carla Emery.

Mom made Broccoli Soup on Thursday. It was very good. The recipe is from:
http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/2009/02/four-soups-for-lunch.html

Mom made these for us for Valentines.

I made this amigurumi* bear to go with a baby blanket I made.

* "What is amigurumi? Tell your friends you have a book on amigurumi and you'll find it is a lovely word to say. You can use you whole mouth to form the word in a variety of different voices...Aa-mii-gaa-ruu-mii." Amigurumi Animals by Annie Obaachan.

Spencer made chocolate chip pan cookies and mom cut them into heart shapes soon after they came out of the oven. The left over edges will make good ice cream topping.

"I believe it would be much better for everyone if children were given their start in education at home. No one understands a child as well as his mother, and children are so different that they need individual training and study. A teacher with a room full of pupils cannot do this. At home, too, they are in their mother's care. She can keep them from learning immoral things from other children."
~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Dad had the day off work on Thursday. We went to the zoo.

I made Fabric Window Valentines. I got the instructions from: http://www.purlbee.com/fabric-window-valentines/

We tried quilling on Saturday. I tried one of each design we had directions for.

Dad made the tight white circle.

This is a button sewn on to a silk flower on a bobby pin.
I got the idea from http://amoretti-designs.com/products/delphiniumpins.php

We worked on ribbon embroidery at craft club last Thursday. I embroidered either corner of a bread cloth that I meant to make last fall, but, I never got further then hemming it. We got the patterns from Seasons at Home.
http://www.joyoushome.com/

Some People think that horses are evidence for evolution, but, they are much better evidence that evolution never happened. Evolutionists say horses evolved in this order:

Eohippus who had four toes on the front feet and three on the rear was the size of a badger had browsing teeth, and a short snout.

Mesohippus was slightly larger than Eohippus had three front toes, and browsing teeth.

Merychippies has three toes, and grazing teeth.

Pliohippus was the size of a pony three toes, and a longer snout.

Equus is the modern horse, larger than the others had one toe and grazing teeth.

If horses evolved, then Eohippus would have to be:
A. less complex than Equus
B. lower in the rock layers

But,the number of ribs in these fossils are:
Eohippus 18 ribs
Pliohippus 19 ribs
Equus 18 ribs.

Our modern horse has the same number of ribs as the first horse. Also the fossils are in order in some places but, in South America, the fossil record has a one toed animal in with three toed animals. In Oregon and Nebraska, one toed animals are in the same layer with three toed animals. Creationists think that all these animals lived at the same time, and each animal was created on the sixth day of creation week.

I learned about this at:
http://www.jonathanpark.com/

Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.

Make the best of circumstances. No one has everything and everyone has something of sorrow.

Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Don’t let criticism worry you. You can’t please everybody.
Don’t let your neighbors set your standards; be yourself.

Do things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.

Don’t borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than actual ones.

Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish enmities and grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.

Have many interests. If you can’t travel, read about places.

Don’t hold post-mortems or spend time brooding over sorrows and mistakes.

Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.

Keep busy at something. A very busy person never has time to be unhappy.

If you would not be forgotten
as soon as you are dead and rotten
either write things worth reading
or do things worth the writing
-Benjamin Franklin

Little House in the Highlands was written by Melissa Wiley. Its copyright date is 1999. It is available from Harper Trophy.

This story takes place in the Scottish highlands in 1788. The main character is Martha Morse who grew up to become the great grandmother of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Other characters include Mum and Father. Martha’s three brothers Alisdair, Robbie, and Duncan, and her sister Grisie, are also in the story. In the story Martha is 6 ½ years old and the youngest of the Morse children. Martha’s father is a Laird and the family has two maids and a cook. Martha’s mum and father want her to be a proper young lady, but Martha would rather play out of doors with her father’s tenants or visit cook in the kitchen.

This book tells a lot about everyday life. It also tells about their beliefs, customs, and foods. Martha enjoys playing on the moor and going to see the new baby at the tenant’s cottage. Martha wants to learn to spin, but she is too small to reach the peddles on the spinning wheel. She goes to ask Auld Mary and Auld Mary gives her a spindle.

This is the first book in a four book series about Martha Morse. It is interesting because it tells about life in Scotland a little after the American Revolution. I think this is a good book to read. It is a good book because by reading it you can learn a lot about history and Scottish customs.

I was inspired by:
http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/2009/01/sorting-my-floss.html
to orginize my embriodery floss.

We have been making valetines for soldiers. You can too!
for more information go to http://www.citizensam.org/html/specialproject.html.

Materials:
small amounts of yarn in red and white (or colors of your choice)
matching crochet hook

With white, make a chain as long as you want the garland to be, fasten off.

Join red a few chains over from the start of you chain (ch 3, sl st in the same chain) twice, fasten off. This makes one heart.

Work hearts evenly spaced across chain (skipping 15 chain between hearts works well but you can space them as close together or as far apart as you wish).

When all the hearts at the top of the chain have been worked, flip the chain over and repeat the process. You now have hearts on either side of your chain.

Here is a pattern for a crocheted heart it is cute glued to a card. You can also make it into a pin.

Ch 2.
ROW 1: 2 sc in 2nd chain from hook-2 sc.
ROW 2: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in each sc across-4 sc.
ROW 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in first 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in last sc-5 sc
ROW 4: Ch 1, turn, sc in first sc, 4 dc in next sc, sl st in next sc, 4 dc in next sc, sc in next sc-11 st
Do not turn, pivotto work around lower edges of heart, work sc evenly spaced around lower edges of heart, working 2 sc in lower point; join with sl st in first sc of Row 4.

There are other fun patterns at
http://belladia.typepad.com/bella_dia/2008/02/sweet-heart-cro.html
http://www.crochetmemories.com/archive/february3.html
http://crochet4you1.tripod.com/valentine_card.htm
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art12700.asp

We camped in our living room last night.

"Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success." - Louisa May Alcott

We delivered the snowmen y