Sprinkler Art

Hello, friends,

I hope you're having  a wonderful summer! We have been enjoying our time off from school lessons, although I try to keep the children somewhat engaged in during the summer months. 

We do Math once a week so they keep the concepts fresh in their minds. We participate in our library's summer reading program. And we also do some crafts. 

One of their favorites is Sprinkler Art. It's super-easy, and the children create a masterpiece and cool off in the summer heat - all at the same time!  :)  All you need is a sprinkler, paper plates, and food coloring.

Here's what you do...

 Set up the sprinkler, and turn it on. Keep the pressure on low.

I put our sprinkler on a chair so it's easier reach.

Then, take a paper plate and put several drops of food coloring on it. 

  

Next, run the paper plate through the sprinkler.

 

Lay the plates in the sun to dry.

How easy is that?! 

Here are some of masterpieces that we created....

We're going to hang these beauties in our school room. :)

Now for some tips....too much food coloring makes all the colors run together and look like one big ugly blob (ask me how I know), so 3 or 4 drops on each plate is plenty. And contrasting dark colors and light colors works best.

Also, running the plates under heavy water pressure makes a GIGANTIC mess on your arms, hands, etc. (ask me how I know - I still have green hands). So keep the water pressure on low.

And lastly, use real paper plates - no styrofoam, or coated plates. I used cheap ones from the dollar store.

Have a blessed day, everyone!

Eating Daylilies

Two years ago, I posted about eating daylilies and I think it's worth another  re-post. The lilies are in full bloom here at our house and we're taking advantage of that by having them for lunch with egg salad and chicken salad. Yum!  :)

So, for all my new readers, here's the post..

Daylilies for Lunch??

Imagine the looks on children's faces when you serve up a platter of these beauties for lunch!  They are quick and easy to prepare, and are delicious stuffed with egg salad, tuna salad, or chicken salad.

But first, some nutritional info about the daylily.  All parts of the daylily are edible. The buds provide more vitamin C than green beans or asparagus,  have more protein than these two vegetables, and contain lots of Vitamin A. The flavor of daylilies is similar to lettuce - crunchy and slightly sweet.

In the Orient, daylilies have been considered medicinal. The roots are known to have pain-killing properties. And they have been used to treat various illnesses such as jaundice, fevers, and some tumors.

NOTE:  When you harvest daylilies, only harvest the ones in your garden - not roadside daylilies, as they are usually treated with chemicals and pesticides.  I am referring to daylilies only. Some other lilies contain alkaloids and should not be eaten. Daylilies can act as a laxative or diuretic;  so please eat in moderation.

So all you need to do is gather daylily blossoms from your garden. Wash them in cold water to remove any insects or dirt. You can wash the pollen off, as well, unless your children don't mind the orange powder on their faces.  :)  Gently dry the blossoms with a paper towel.  Stuff each blossom with a heaping tablespoon of your favorite lunch salad.


As you can see, my children had no problem with eating flowers for lunch................

You can Google "Daylily Recipes" and find lots of other ways to prepare the beautiful flowers.  Happy flower - eating!

Luke 12 :27  "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

Have a blessed day, friends!

Under His Wings

As you can see, Banty is a very protective mama to her babies. And even though she's not their biological mama, she doesn't know that. She protects them as if they were her very own.

 If she senses danger, she gathers them under wings to keep them safe.

 

When she does this, it reminds me of Psalm 91:4 :  

"He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler."

I'm so thankful that we can find refuge in the Lord when troubled times are upon us.

Have a blessed day, friends!

Our Surrogate Chicken

We have been trying for 2 years to hatch our turkey eggs, but the hens just wouldn't co-operate. We made them a nice, secluded, cozy nest lined with cedar twigs and pine shavings. The hens would sit on the eggs, but not long enough to hatch them out. 

So after 2 years of disappointment, we decided to go unconventional and use a surrogate to hatch the eggs. 

Enter Banty, our Bantam hen. She might be small, but she's an excellent setter. And when went she broody a few weeks ago, we decided to give her a chance at hatching the turkey eggs. 

From the beginning, she was consistent and diligent, only leaving the nest occasionally to get a drink of water and eat the clover we were feeding her.

We waited and waited. 

Then yesterday morning, while the children were outside doing their morning chores, I heard Natalie yell, "Baby turkeys!!!"

I grabbed my camera and ran outside.

And this is what I saw..

Banty had hatched all four eggs!

One little turkey was looking a little sickly, but we hand feed him a few times. And by last night he was on his feet and acting fine.

So, our turkey flock has increased by four. 

Next up - enlarging our chicken flock by hatching out some baby chicks, and Banty just might be the one to do it.  :)

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Memorial Day, 2013

(source: The Fraternal Order of United States Marines)

Enough said.

Tied Down by Edgar Guest

Tied Down 

"They tie you down," a woman said,
Whose cheeks should have been flaming red
With shame to speak of children so.
"When babies come you cannot go
 

In search of pleasure with your friends,
And all your happy wandering ends.
The things you like you cannot do,
For babies make a slave of you."

I looked at her and said: "'Tis true
That children make a slave of you,
And tie you down with many a knot,
But have you never thought to what
 

It is of happiness and pride
That little babies have you tied?
Do you not miss the greater joys
That come with little girls and boys?

"They tie you down to laughter rare,
To hours of smiles and hours of care,
To nights of watching and to fears;
Sometimes they tie you down to tears
 

And then repay you with a smile,
And make your trouble all worth while.
They tie you fast to chubby feet,
And cheeks of pink and kisses sweet.

"They fasten you with cords of love
To God divine, who reigns above.
They tie you, whereso'er you roam,
Unto the little place called home;
 

And over sea or railroad track
They tug at you to bring you back.
The happiest people in the town
Are those the babies have tied down.

 

"Oh, go your selfish way and free,
But hampered I would rather be,
Yes rather than a kingly crown
I would be, what you term, tied down;
 

Tied down to dancing eyes and charms,
Held fast by chubby, dimpled arms,
The fettered slave of girl and boy,

                                 And win from them earth's finest joy."
                                                                                

       ~by Edgar Guest

Have you ever read this poem, friends?

It speaks volumes, doesn't it?

I hope you're having a wonderful week!  :)

Re-post - Dandelion Bread Recipe

It's that time of year again, everyone...

...dandelions are in bloom!

So guess what it's time for ??

Right! Dandelion bread!

Here's a re-post of last year's recipe that I shared for those who missed it...

4 c. flour

4 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1  1/2 - 2 c. dandelion petals**

1/2 c. vegetable oil

3/4 c. honey

2 eggs

2  2/3 c. milk

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine dry ingredients, including petals.

In separate bowl, mix oil, honey, eggs, and milk.

Stir in dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes.If not done, lower temperature to 350 and

continue baking, checking every 5 minutes.

Cool on wire rack.

**Remember to wash the blossoms before trimming the petals and make sure you gather blossoms that have not been treated with weed killer.

Here are some photos of how mine turned out...

                                           ...the petals.

                                          You can see yellow flecks in the batter.

                                               Just out of the oven.

                                          The inside is a pretty golden color.  :)

 Happy baking!

sharing with Raising Homemakers
and Our Simple Farm