"....Your children shall be like olive plants all around your table." Psalm 128:3

Saturday, April 7, 2012

He Is Risen!

 
 
"But the angel answered and said to the women, 
'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
He is not here, for He is risen, as He said.' "
 - Matthew 28:5-6


Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Redbud Jelly

Last year about this time , or a little later, I was in the midst of a jelly-making frenzy.

I made Rose Petal JellyHoneysuckle Jelly, and Lavender Jelly,   But I never got around to making the one I really wanted to try: Redbud Jelly.

 So I made up my mind to give it a try this spring. And it's as delicious - and beautiful -  as I hope it would be. Although the Redbud is a member of the pea family, I promise the jelly does not taste like peas. ;) So if you have Redbud trees in your neck of the woods, give this recipe a try.


Redbud Jelly

Gather 4 c. Redbud blossoms, rinse them slightly, and place them in a heat-proof dish. 
Cover the blossoms with 4 cups boiling water. Cover the dish with a tight-fitting lid.
Let stand 24 hours.
Strain out flowers and squeeze out excess moisture to make 4 cups. You might have to add a little more water to make 4 cups.
Pour liquid into Dutch oven, and add 2 pkgs. powdered pectin and 8 T. lemon juice.
Bring to a boil.
Add 8 c. sugar all at once.
Return to boil and boil hard for one minute.
Ladle into clean jelly jars. 
Skim the foam.
Wipe rims and adjust lids and rings.
Process 10 minutes in a hot water bath.
Makes 8-10 jars.


And here's how mine turned out.....
Have a blessed day, friends!









linking up @ Deep Roots At Home
                       Raising Mighty Arrows
                                          A Wise Woman

Monday, April 2, 2012

Queen of the Home 5


"The Bible gives her place of majesty and dignity in the domestic circle - the heart of her husband and the heart of her family.
It is the female supremacy of that domain, where love, tenderness, refinement, thought, and tender feeling preside.
It is the privilege of making her husband happy and honored, and her sons and daughters the ornaments of human society.
It is the sphere of piety, prudence, diligence, in the domestic station, and a holy and devout life.
It is the sphere that was occupied by Hannah, the mother of Samuel;
by Elizabeth, the mother of John;
by Eunice, the mother of Timothy,
and by Mary, the mother of Jesus.
It is the respect and esteem of mankind."

-  John Angell James



Have a blessed day, friends!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Dandelion Bread

Last spring for the first time I made Dandelion Jelly. It was a big hit with my family.

 And yesterday I tried a new dandelion recipe: Dandelion Bread.  Another big hit.

Here's the recipe: 
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.  :)



Have a blessed day, friends!



                            





linking up at the The Modest Mom




Monday, March 26, 2012

More Spring Scenes

(You can read my first spring scenes post here. )
After today's lessons were finished, we headed outside to enjoy the beautiful sunshine.  We  worked in the garden..

..and weeded the broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, and peas. Don' t they look great?


The girls gathered clover..

..to feed the turkeys..

..and chickens.

And if these photos aren't enough to convince you  it's spring, this photo definitely will... 
It's time to break out the dirtbikes!!  :)

Hope you're having a blessed day, friends!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Spring Scenes

Spring has definitely sprung in our neck of the woods. Here are some scenes of the beauty around us...

daffodils.....



hyacinths....


our peach tree covered in blossoms..






our "volunteer" peach tree and Washington Hawthorn...


redbud trees in all their splendor.....

and a gorgeous view from our front door with redbuds along the edge of the woods, and golden wild mustards in the field across the road.


"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." ~  Ecclesiastes 3:1

Happy  spring, friends!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

What We're Learning

So what have we learned so far this week?  Sometimes, I have to stop and think about that.

With the warmer-than-usual weather we've been having in our neck of the woods, the children work diligently on their lessons so they can head outside and play.

But just because they don't have their nose in a book, doesn't mean they're not learning.  My children learned quite a bit while enjoying the outdoors, and here's a just a sample...

Blowgun and crossbow practice (hand-eye coordination)....



Watching the honey bees do their thing in our peach tree blossoms...


Lots of artwork on the sidewalk....

Making bird feeders out of pine cones, peanut butter, and birdseed...


So aside from all that we learned inside the house, we learned just as much on the outside of it.  :)

Happy homeschooling!









linking up this week at Our Simple Farm
                                         Grateful for Grace