Talent Show

The Niles Area Christian Homeschool group held our annual Spring Talent Show last night at our local library's auditorium. It was a wonderful evening of listening and watching the display of talent that God has blessed these kids with.

We prayed together before the start of the show and asked God to calm our nerves. One of the kids asked that their efforts would be glorifying to God. I can say that they definitely did that. It was a moving evening.

Bookworm performed Sonatina No. 1 by Beethoven. She did a great job with it. I have really enjoyed listening during her practice times at home as she has become more accomplished. She has a lovely touch on the piano, a lot like her personality, very gentle.

Ladybug performed Spinning Song by Ellmenreich. It's a very lively song that suits her personality as well. She plays piano with passion for sure.

Busy Bee played Symphony No. 1 by Brahms. He didn't show any nerves at all. He actually seemed a little in his element. Maybe it has something to do with being the youngest, but he seems to enjoy a crowd. He is a ham!

Ladybug and two of her closest friends performed a stick routine together to the song Who Am I? by Casting Crowns. The girls choreographed the routine themselves. Several people commented that it brought tears to their eyes. It's a very powerful song anyway and several of the movements that they added really brought home the lines "not because of who I am, but because of what You've done, not because of what I've done, but because of who You are."

After the show we went for ice cream with a few other families. There was a lot of chating and laughter. It was a great end to a great night!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY:
Outside my window... the sun is shining, it is only 52 degrees, but it will get warmer.

I am thinking... about our upcoming surprise trip for Dad. We do this once in awhile- pick a place to go for a few days and get everything packed up. When he gets home from work, we take off. He doesn't know until we get there or at least pretty close.

I am thankful for... God's grace.

From the learning rooms... Bookworm is working on finishing her science reading, Ladybug is finishing Math, and Busy Bee is completing his free reading.

From the kitchen... I am thankful that we got our freezer cooking done. We had talent show rehearsal and homeschool group meeting yesterday and shopping for a new bathing suit for ladybug and talent show tonight. So now I just have to choose from the stash!

I am wearing... tan capri's and a blue and green top.

I am creating... new garden stakes for the veggie garden.

I am going... to take Ladybug to choose a new bathing suit for our trip. Tonight is our homeschool group's annual Talent Show. All 3 kids are playing piano pieces and Ladybug is in a stick routine to the song Who Am I? by Casting Crowns.

I am reading... John Adams by Mc Cullough. We start American History next year and I need to get a head start on Bookworm.

I am hoping... for nice weather for our trip.

I am hearing... birds chirping at the feeders.

Around the house... I want to deep clean the refrigerator this week.

One of my favorite things... my Virginia Bluebells and Persian Lilacs have opened up, just as my Double- flowering Cherry tree and daffodils are fading.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Talent Show, Biology Lab, Surprise Trip, Lake- help put dock in, clean up the yard now that we've cleaned up the inside, maybe get some fishing in?

To see more Daybook entries visit:http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Freezer Cooking- April 22- Part 2

We did it!!! We got all of our meals in the freezer and finished around 9:00 pm. Below is a picture of the dining room table with Ham and Hash brown Casseroles, Pizza Roll Ups, Northwoods Wild Rice Soup, and in the back left corner is the dehydrator full of beef jerky.

In the picture above, we had to set tables up in the living room to hold more soup and more pizza roll ups. We had coolers full of meat and Debbie's coolers in the garage. It was a lot of work, but when you see the next picture you will understand why it was all worth it!

A very full freezer, it's a beautiful thing, folks! The very top shelf holds homemade breads, biscuits, English muffins, coffeecake muffins, blueberry muffins, scones, English muffin sandwiches, ham and cheddar biscuits and cinnamon rolls. The next 3 shelves hold our freezer cooking day's efforts. The 5th shelf holds what's left of last year's garden- 3 bags of shredded zucchini, 4 bags of green beans, 3 bags of blueberries for muffins, 1 bag of blueberries for pie and 4 hash brown casseroles. The very bottom shelf/bin holds all our remaining meat. The top 2 freezer door shelves hold the remaining jars of strawberry jam, sweet corn and squash puree. The 3rd door shelf holds my Amish butter. The 4th door shelf holds various boxes of frozen treats. The 5th door shelf holds my surplus of milled wheat and other baking flours.

We'll start to use up some of this bounty in time for berry season. Then when it starts to get low, I'll have room to put up my garden produce. Believe it or not my kitchen freezer is practically empty. Maybe we'll have to fill it with cookies, short cakes, pound cakes and coffeecakes!

Freezer Cooking- April 22- Part 1

Freezer Cooking has been a great blessing to my family. It is nice to not have to stress about a good meal on busy days. I generally bulk cook every 3-4 months. I usually do it with a friend, which helps to lighten the work load and makes it more fun too. My friend Debbie has been doing the cooking with me for over 2 years now. Sometimes we have added in a third person but this time it's just us!

We usually prepare between 40-55 meals per family and spend between $185-$250 each. You can do it cheaper, but we are both particular about our meat quality, all of our meat is organic, has no growth hormones or antibiotics and is from Yoder's in Shipshewana. It is a balancing act, but I would rather spend a little more for quality than to skimp. I don't think $3-$5 an entree/meal for a family of 5 is bad at all.

Here's what we have planned:

Grill Ready Items:
Sweet Asian Chicken- 4 meals
Italian Chicken- 4 meals
Cheddar Jack Chicken- 4 meals
Teriyaki Chicken- 4 meals
Jacki's Pork Chops- 6 meals
Grill Packets- 8 meals- hash browns, onions, carrots, garlic & smoked sausage
Bacon Cheeseburgers- 6 meals
Mini Garlic Herb Burgers- 8 meals
Glazed Ham Steaks- 2 meals
NY Strips w/ Steak Sauce- 2 meals ( a splurge!)

Indoor Prep Meals:
Chicken Enchiladas- 4 meals
Ham & Hash brown Casserole- 8 meals
Pepperoni Pizza Roll-ups- 8 meals
Sausage Pizza Roll Ups- 8 meals
Pulled Pork- 6 meals
Pork Chimichangas- 6 meals
Turkey Chimichangas- 2 meals
Cincinnati Chili- 6 meals

That's 96 meals total.
That's 48 meals per family.

We are also making:

• homemade beef jerky
• cinnamon rolls, if time allows

Tomorrow is the big day! I'll try to remember to take pictures! If anyone would like any of these recipes, I'd be happy to post them. Leave a comment on which one(s) you want.

NACHS Science Fair

Our homeschool group puts on a science fair every spring. The kids make display boards, prepare reports, prepare speeches, create models or an apparatus and study so that they are prepared to be questioned by judges and visitors. It was a great day!

Busy Bee worked on simple machines. He experimented with his own pulley system and learned to calculate mechanical advantage. He also created a complex machine using several of the simple machines that he learned about. He really enjoyed himself and had fun talking to people about his project.

In the picture above, Ladybug is watching her car go down the track in the Derby Race. Both she and Busy Bee participated and had fun. They like working with Dad on their cars.

Bookworm completed her study of Sir Isaac Newton. She seemed to particularly enjoy learning more about inertia and created a simple apparatus to show what happens to a person in a car who doesn't wear a seatbelt. The car comes to a sudden stop and inertia causes you to stay in motion. Who knew you could do so many motion experiments with a grocery cart?

Top Children's Novels???

Recently I came across this list of the 100 top children's novels. I must say I was very disappointed with the amount of fluff the list contained. There are so many quality books to choose from, it's too bad that there are so many low quality choices on the list.

I put the books I've read in bold. How many of these haveyou read?

100. The Egypt Game - Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard - Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe - Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches - Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking - Lindgren (1950)
94. Swallows and Amazons - Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn - Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted - Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father - Cleary (1977)
88. The High King - Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday - Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek - Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse - Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief - Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three - Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Lin (2009)
80. The Graveyard Book - Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family - Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain - Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember - DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust - Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog - Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers - Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain - George (1959)
72. My Father's Dragon - Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning - Snicket (1999)
70. Betsy-Tacy - Lovelae (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Stewart ( 2007)
68. Walk Two Moons - Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher - Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins - Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes - Streatfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago - Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake - Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock - Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl - Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart - Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars - Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins - Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG - Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows - Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
51. The Saturdays - Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins - O'Dell (1960)
49. Frindle - Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks - Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy - Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows - Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass - Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest - Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie - Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me - Stead (2009)
38. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It's Me, Margaret - Blume (1970)
35. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Rowling (2000)
34. The Watson's Go to Birmingham - Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach - Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - O'Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic - Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh - Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising - Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess - Burnett (1905)
27. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass - Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet - Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women - Alcott (1868/9)
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods - Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux - DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief - Riordan (2005)
20. Tuck Everlasting - Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda - Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee - Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy - Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie - DiCamillo (2000)
14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia - Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit - Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game - Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth - Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden - Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)
6. Holes - Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte's Web - White (1952)

Midwest Homeschool Conference

• We had a wonderful time at the Midwest Homeschool Conference. It was a time of planning and a time to get inspired and excited about the next school year. I am so thankful that I was able to find everything on my list. I love books, it was like Christmas!
  
• I took both girls and my friend and her daughter. We were able to stay with some super friends in Dayton and drive down to Cinncinatti each day of the conference. The girls all went to the Teen Worldview Track and really enjoyed themselves.

• My good friend, Gina, was at the conference with her Total Language Plus booth. Whenever I started to feel overwhelmed, I would stop by her booth for a short visit. Gina brought two of our friends to help in her booth, so I had several ladies to chat with. You can learn more about TLP by visiting her blog: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/tlpgina/ They are very good products that both of my girls enjoy using!
  
• The conference itself offered a large number of workshops and vendors. It took me a long time to make it through all 1200+ booth spaces. It could be a bit crowded at times but it was worth it to have so many options.
  
• The highlight of the whole weekend was the Tim Hawkins Concert! I laughed so hard my face hurt. He's funny just walking around on the stage and he sang my favorite song- Chick-fil-a. I walk around singing it all of the time. HILARIOUS!

• If you don't know who he is, where have you been? I'm kidding, you should do yourself a huge favor and check out these clips on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsJHqstPuNo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2eh6f5Go0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM6uqj0_jQc&feature=related

My sons favorite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSAGPC7hGp0&feature=related

• On the way home I had car trouble and had to turn around and go back to my friends home. God really protected us on the road and we are very grateful. We ended up having to stay two more days while the car was fixed. We were pampered and taken care of by all my Dayton pals. I am blessed to have such awesome women in my life.

Easter Weekend Blessings

Point of Grace Concert:

My good friend won tickets to see Point of Grace from our local Christian Radio station. She decided to make it a girls night out and invited me and two other friends. We had a great night of music and friendship.

The ladies of POG are wonderful, they harmonize so well together. They have an excellent message. It was fun to sing along with the songs that I knew, but I really enjoyed the songs off their new album. We even had our picture taken with the ladies of POG and got their autographs. Thanks, D!

Easter with Family:

We had a lovely Easter with family at my brother's home.
I am blessed to have a wonderful family and to be able to celebrate the resurrection of my Lord and Savior, Jesus. I thank God for the freedom to gather in worship.

Bookworm, Ladybug, holding my nephew, and Busy Bee

I am off to Midwest Homeschool Conference tomorrow. It should be a good time of refreshment. Maybe I'll see some of you there!

Happy Easter!

Christ the Lord is Risen Today!
Charles Wesley

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!

Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!

Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply: Alleluia!

He is not here, but is risen! Luke 24:6

Christ Arose!

Robert Lowry

Up from the grave He arose,

With a mighty triumph o'er His foes:

He arose a victor from the dark domain,

And He lives forever with His saints to reign;

He arose! He Arose! Halelujah! Christ Arose!

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

1 Corinthians 15:14

God is faithful!

God is who He says He is!

God's word is truth!

The tomb is empty!

Have a very blessed Easter from my family to yours!

4 Star Recipe

A very easy family favorite. I make a huge platter of these with hashbrowns and a big fruit salad when we're up at the lake. The neighbors come out of the woodwork for them.

Honey Butter Breakfast Biscuits

12 biscuits- you can use homemade or frozen, just not too large
1 roll of pork sausage, cut into 12 slices
3 slices of co-jack cheese, cut in fourths
1/2 c butter, melted
1/4 c honey

Fry up sausage patties.
Mix together butter and honey.
Split biscuits, dab a little honey butter on each side.
Lay a fourth of a slice of the cheese on one biscuit half.
Top with sausage pattie.
Top with other biscuit half.
Place biscuits on a baking sheet, close together.
Drizzle with remaining honey butter.
Bake 275 degrees for 5 minutes.