Humble Beginnings

What a great weekend!

We took a quick trip up to Oklahoma this weekend with hubby's parents and brother and had a wonderful time.  It was a very spur of the moment trip and very much needed and appreciated!  We went to the National Wildlife Refuge right outside of Lawton, OK and drove to Meers, OK (which is also a beautiful drive).  We stopped in little Texas towns on the way up there and just had a great time.  Here are a few pictures from our trip.

This is the kids in front of the world's largest cedar rocking chair (isn't it huge?)

This is a haunted hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas (isn't that cool?).

Storm coming in while we were driving through National Wildlife Refuge.

And the beautiful rainbow and buffalo after the storm.

And finally, this buffalo was a mere 3-4 feet away from our truck.  The herd was moving across the road at the time we came across this intersection and cars were backed up waiting for them to move out of the way.

As I said, we had a wonderful time.  This was also a wonderful early anniversary present.  Today hubby and I celebrate 14 years of wedded bliss.  We've lasted longer than other couples who were married around the same time we were.  I love my husband very much.  He is a wonderful man and I couldn't even imagine being married to anyone else but him.

Beware of Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

As you know, I live here in  Texas - the grandest state in the nation.  However, as a homeschooling parent, I'm ever watchful of the wolves that may come to the door to invade my homeschool doing what they think is best for my family (state laws, Child Protective Services, truancy officers, etc.).  We live in a state that requires very little of homeschooling families - just so long as the basics are being covered, we don't have portfolios to turn in, or state assessments to meet, or even home visits.  We are truly free and independent to teach our children what we think is best for them.

I received a TOS Partner email this morning regarding Texas Tech University's Outreach and Distance Education program (they're calling it Texas Tech University Independent School District).  After reading the email and going over their website (TTUISD), it's pretty clear to me that the Texas Education Agency (who is overseeing this program) is trying an alternate route to reach homeschooling families in Texas. 

My guess (and it's only an educated guess) is that if this program takes off, they may try to make it mandatory to do "public school" in our homeschools.  This is nothing more than the public school education packaged for homeschoolers.  It's governed by the Texas Education Agency, has certified Texas teachers available to answer questions and is sent out through Texas Tech (which in all honesty is a great university).  However, isn't the point of homeschooling so that our children don't have to go through public school like we did?  That they can learn about what interests them in a fashion that best suits their learning styles - not public education in a box?

This is just a thought but I think this is also a way for the public schools to get "federal funding" for homeschoolers (in a sense).  They charge an incredibly high amount per class ($95 per course for kindergarten) - which probably offets the federal funding they don't receive since our children are at home, not in public school.

I think it's a little scary when the TEA is doing this.  They may try to casually start infiltrate our homes (okay - infiltrate may be a little strong, but I couldn't think of a better word) that we don't notice that our homeschooling freedoms in Texas are slowly eroding.

As I said, now's the time to watch for the wolves in sheep's clothing...they're coming faster than you think.

Mustang Grapes - tips & recipes + Homeschooling question

Mustang Grapes are in season!  We picked for 30 minutes yesterday and had enough grapes to make 20 quart jars of grape juice (super easy recipe!).  And, I've got a huge bowl of juice ready for jelly-making tomorrow.  In fact, I could probably make 3 batches of jelly tomorrow.  This is the beginning of the mustang grape season so we should have plenty of time to get enough for more grape juice (to drink).  I'd like to have a total of 40 (or more) jars of grape juice. 

Mustang grapes cannot be eaten raw or the juice either.  They are so acidic that they burn your hands when picking or preparing.  So, when I make the grape juice for drinking, I simply add 1 cup of grapes,½-cup of sugar and boiling water to quart jars (that have already been cleaned, sterilized and hot).  I can them in a water bath canner for about 15-20 minutes.  Everything processes at once so there's no need for any pre-mixing or cooking.  You need to let them set up for about 2-4 weeks before you start using them so that the grapes and sugar have time to blend together.  I also use this recipe for cranberries later in the year.  Last December our local grocery store had bags of fresh cranberries on sale for $.99.  I bought about 10 bags and made lots of cranberry juice.  I can make 3 quarts of cranberry juice out of 1 bag.  Also, if you mix 1 quart of grape juice and 1 quart of cranberry juice, it makes the best crangrape juice.

And, when I get the grapes ready for making jelly, I simply throw them in the pot, cover with water, turn the burner onto medium high and when they start to pop, I stir and mash them up.  Then, I strain them into a large bowl for several hours.  Once it's drained, the bowl goes into the fridge until I'm ready to start canning (usually the next day).  Or, you can freeze the juice until you're ready to make jelly.  I follow the recipe for making jelly that's included in the pectin box.

I'm hoping to also make a batch or two of Mustang Grape wine.  These will probably become Christmas gifts for my family.  If anyone wants the super-easy wine recipe, let me know and I'll post it.

We've also been busy cleaning out our shed.  It's been packed for many months - too packed.  Hubby couldn't even get in there to get his tools or store his tools properly.  So, today we cleaned it out and threw out half the stuff.  I plan on posting most of it on freecycle.  We have some really great stuff, but we just don't use it.  It's been in storage for 5 years!!!!  I am definitely sure we won't be using those things.  It's nice to know that we've pared down on a lot of what we use.  Having an extremely small kitchen, I quickly realize what I need or don't need and what I don't need or takes up space goes ... it's as simple as that.  We are down to one box of toys in the shed.  I'd say about 1/5 of the shed are bills/receipts and homeschooling material.

QUESTION:  We live in Texas.  What do we need to keep for homeschooling records?  I know that in high school we'll need to keep better records of what the kids have done for college, etc.  But, what about elementary school?  Middle school?  How are other Texas families keeping up with their children's school work?  Each child gets a box for the year (like a storage box).  If we keep this up, we'll have 24 boxes in the shed just for school work!!!  Any ideas?  What can we purge?  We should we keep?

Summer Science

I love summer.  It's a time to be carefree and not worry about schooling or schedules, etc.  I was trying to make the kids read a little this summer, but with all of us being sick for the past month, that hasn't gone exactly as planned.

But, James has picked up a little science this summer and I'm so very proud of him.  He has been collecting doodle bugs and observing them for the past week.  He and hubby filled our old aquarium with soft dirt and as James finds doodle bugs, he adds them to the aquarium.  Then, he watches.  He sees how long it takes for them to dig their hole, how they dig their hole, and then for the fun part:  he feeds them.  He'll find a few red ants or fire ants and puts them on the dirt.  Then, he watches as they slide their way into the doodlebug hole.  He's seen in action how doodle bugs kill ants.  We were trying to figure out if you need to give them water, but James has determined that they suck the insect dry and then eat the body.  Therefore, they don't need water (very ingenious).

Anyway, we now have a doodlebug farm on our front porch.  I certainly prefer that to fish or snakes!  He spends hours during the day finding the doodle bugs, watching them, etc.  It's been a great science project for him.  And the best part?  He's done this all on his own - with no encouragement or prodding from anybody else.  I love that!

Sick & Piddly ... but marching on

We haven't had much of a summer break so far.  Lauren started getting sick around Memorial Day - first a throat infection with high fever, then congestion followed up by a nasty cough that kept Lauren & me on the couch at night for a week.  James followed closely behind Lauren, then hubby and now me.  I'm congested, mild headache, raspy voice (hubby sounds like I've been smoking for 40 years & I've never smoked a day in my life). I think I'm running a low-grade fever as well.  Nevertheless, life marches on.

I've managed to get 2 loads of laundry done, got in almost 5 hours of work (from home), played a little with my children, slept for about an hour on the couch, watched a few movies with the kids, made a pot of black-eyed peas and buttermilk biscuits for dinner (and it was so tasty).  Let's see - I also dehydrated a few jalapenos and cayenne to go in the "seasoning jar" and, topped it all off with a batch of homemade fudgy brownies (they look really yummy).

Hubby's going to take the laundry off the line when he gets home tonight.  James mopped the floors for me and he and Lauren both took care of the dishes today.  I am blessed.  I know that I truly am.  I have wonderful children and a fantastic husband.  Despite feeling less than my best, I know that I'm blessed and I praise the Lord for all my blessings.

Now, when hubby gets home, I'm off to bed for some more rest.  Maybe I'll be lucky enough to have one of my children read to me...maybe...

Answers to Cranberry Pepper Jelly

Here's a picture of the Cranberry Pepper Jelly.  I think it looks so pretty with the pepper in it.

As for using liquid pectin v. powder pectin, I did some research before I made it and everything I found stated that you could not substitute one for the other.  If the recipe calls for powder pectin, use powder.  If it calls for liquid pectin, use liquid. 

It took me an hour to make it from start to finish (where the jars were cooling on the counter and pinging away as they sealed). 

As for the taste, it's slightly sweet with a little bit of kick.  I think it would be really good on top of roasted chicken or ham or used with a little bit of cream cheese on crackers or bread.  Now, I imagine that the "kick" will increase the longer it sets up since it has a cayenne in it.  But, we shall see.  I really thought it was a nice flavor, though.

Cranberry Pepper Jelly

James' peppers are doing quite well. I'm trying to think of new ways to use them and I found a recipe in the Better Homes & Gardens book "Canning & Preserving Recipes".  I thought I'd share.

2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, halved & seeded

1½ cups of cranberry juice cocktail

1 cup vinegar

1 6-ounce package liquid fruit pectin (one pouch)

5 small fresh hot red peppers

In a medium saucepan combine jalapeno peppers, cranberry juice cocktail and vinegar.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Strain mixture through a sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to remove all of the liquid.  Measure 2 cups liquid.  Discard pulp.

In a 4-quart Dutch oven or kettle combine the 2 cups strained liquid and the sugar.  Bring to a full rolling boil over high heatin, stirring constantly.  Stir in the pectin and the hot peppers.  Return to a full rolling boi; boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Immediately ladle jelly into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace.  Divide the 5 hot red peppers into the 6 jars.  Wipe jar rims and adjust lids.  Process jars in a boiling water anner for 5 minutes.  Remove jars from canner; cool in wire racks.  Makes 6 half-pints.

Modest Barbie?

Just a thought here ... but none of the Barbie clothes I've seen are modest.  The skirts and dresses are extremely short.  The tops are either low cut or show the mid-driff.  They are very indecent ... not much of a role model for a six year old. 

I was playing Barbie with my daughter today and it just hit me how immodest Barbie has become.  She used to have better clothes many moons ago (at least dresses that went WAY past her knees).  I don't know if it's the Barbie's we have or if it's all Barbies, but I'd love to see more modest clothing for Barbie.

How about a Christian Barbie?  That'd be cool.

We try to teach our children modesty and decency and respect for themselves and others. And when we play Barbie, I try to keep this in mind when we're playing.  It just seems a little hard when Barbie's clothing barely covers her. If I sewed, I'd make her some clothes, but I don't sew.

Anyway, these are the ramblings of a Mama ...

Blog #100 - WOW! + Hashbrown Recipe

I can't believe it, but this is my 100th blog!  It's taken me awhile to get here as I don't post every day, but I have really enjoyed my time here on homesteadblogger.com.  There are so many wonderful, intelligent, thrifty and insightful people on this blog and I've learned so much! 

I love to cook from scratch - especially "convenience" foods. I love the idea of convenience foods but I hate to pay the price for them.  I found one the other day for hashbrowns.  My kids love McDonald's hashbrowns but we rarely go to McDonald's (but I knew that any I made would be compared to McDonald's).  So, when I found this recipe, I thought:  voila!  They are very good and they loved them better than McDonald's.  So, I thought I'd share the recipe:

HASHBROWNS

6 medium potatoes

water, to cover

1-2 tablespoons butter

salt & pepper, to taste

Peel potatoes, if desired.  Cut in half and place in large pot.  Cover with cold water.  Bring water to boil and cook until potatoes are just tender (about 10 minutes).  Drain.

Place potatoes in large bowl and cover with cold water.  Place in fridge overnight.

Drain potatoes.  Shred with hand grater or food processor. 

To cook right away:  Heat frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add butter or margarine.  Place shredded potatoes in pan.  Cook for approximately 5-7 minutes or until bottom is browned.  Flip potatoes and cook until browned.  Season with salt and pepper.

To freeze:  I simply divided up the shredded potatoes into "meal-size" portions and wrapped them in Glad Press & Seal, put them in a large freezer bag and stuck them in the freezer.  Now, I have "convenience" hash browns!

JUST A LITTLE TIP:  As I find good recipes, I cut them out of magazines or print off the internet and tape them into my own little "cookbooks".  These are little journals that I've found here and there over the years and instead of having a recipe box, I make little cookbooks out of the journals.  After 14 years of doing this, I have 3 full books and I'm in the middle of the 4th.  This really helps with keeping things organized for me.  Plus, none of the recipes get lost!

New Dehydrator

I picked up the "new" dehydrator yesterday from our local freecycle group.  It's a Magic Chef 6-tray dehydrator in VERY good condition.  I'm quite pleased.

I tested it out last night and dehydrated a bunch of James' jalapenos and a cayenne.  I plan on dicing these up and using as a spice in our soups or venison sausage this winter.  It worked great and James was so excited that we tested it out on his peppers.

Today, I canned up 7 quarts of vegetable soup.  Our local grocery store had chicken on sale so I was able to make chicken stock this morning and from that chicken stock, I added some potatoes, carrots, corn, green beans and some canned tomatoes from last year's garden and made a veggie soup.  It smells really good so I can't wait to try it out.  I even had extra left over that I'll end up freezing (but the remainder is mostly chicken stock with a few bits of veggies).  I'll just strain those and use the stock, though.

We rec'd the latest issue of Countryside magazine (our absolute favorite) earlier this week, so I've been devouring it.  They had a great article on "lasagna" gardening that I'm going to try for this fall's garden.  Basically, you take newspapers, layer on top of that peat moss and organic material, then you water it, and repeat the layers until you've got about 7-8 layers.  From there you simply plant in the layers.  I'm hoping to try it for this fall's garden.  From what I can tell you don't even have to till!!!  Wouldn't that be wonderful?!

Oh!  I also forgot that I bought bacon on sale yesterday at the store for $5 and it was almost 4 pounds of bacon.  I usually buy a pound for $6.99 (it's the nitrate/nitrite free).  However, with the cost of food these days I can't afford that.  So, I bought the ends/pieces bacon for extremely cheap and it should last us the next 2 weeks, if not longer.  I re-packaged it when I got home so that I can just pull out a package when we're ready to use it.  I think I have 5 packages in the freezer and then we used the 6th this morning (along with homemade buttermilk biscuits).

I tell you what ... this is a time for creativity, frugality and thriftiness.  It's time to put into practice all the things I've been reading about.

Anyway, I hope y'all are having a wonderful afternoon.

Freecycle.com

I can't belive I haven't signed up for freecycle until last week.  There are so many people out there wanting to get rid of their stuff for FREE.  It's awesome.  I posted a "want" for a dehydrator and low and behold, I got two offers.  I'm picking one of them up this afternoon.  I can't wait!  I have a few things on my "want" list that I've been wanting for awhile and one of them was a dehydrator.  So, God willing it will be in good shape and clean and will work wonderfully.

If you haven't signed up yet for freecycle, do so today and save money!  These days we all need help and sales and freebies...

I hope y'all are doing well today!  God's blessings!

Fall Gardening for Texas

Yes, I know.  Spring/Summer gardening is in full bloom and it's too much to think about fall gardening for now.  However, I still can't help but think about it and plan for it.  I live in Central Texas and have been wanting to do a fall garden for a few seasons.  I tried it last year and it failed.  So, I've been doing some reading and found a few websites to help with those of us in Texas who plan on doing a fall garden.

Fall Gardening Guide

Fall Gardening in Texas

East Texas Gardening

Average Date of First Fall Frost (Texas)

I hope this helps y'all as well.  I'm going to start my seeds this month so that they'll be good and ready for transplanting this fall.

Happy Gardening!

Roasted Jalapenos

The jalapenos are starting to produce quite rapidly, so I was searching on-line for recipes yesterday and found one for Roasted Salsa. It sounds so good that I'm going to try it once the tomatoes are ready.  Here's a few recipes I found yesterday.

Roasted Jalapenos

Dry roast jalapenos in cast iron skillet until they are blackened or blistered (leave whole or slit some).  Put roasted jalapenos in small containers, cover with olive oil and use as condiments to whatever you want!

Roasted Salsa

Roast together the following ingredients:  tomatoes, garlic, onions and jalapenos.  Chop mixture in a blender/food processor until all ingredients are blended but not smooth.  Add a little salt, squeeze of lime.

These recipes sound so good.  I'm going to try these on the next batch I make.  I can't wait to try it. I made pickled jalapenos (refrigerator) yesterday.  We'll see how they taste in a few weeks.

Estate & Garage Sales - Great Buys!!

As most of you are aware, estate and garage sales can be marvelous places to find great bargains.  As one email stated that I received not too long ago, it seems that garage sales are the last "true" American-owned businesses!  We went to a few estate/garage sales today and found some wonderful bargains...

Estate Sale #1 (spent $12.60)

• Box of mason jars (all sizes) and a tub of new lids/rings (very cool!)
• 1 large basket (Lauren wanted it for picnics)
• 1 large heart-shaped cookie cutter (again for Lauren)
• 1 stoneware bread pan ($1!!!)
• 2 skirts (1 Casual Corner)
• 1 jacket (Liz Claiborne)
• 2 books
• 5-6 fishing lures

Garage Sale #2 (spent $11)

• Mandolin slicer (originally $30 - purchased for $1) - in the box, looks like it's never been used
• 1 skirt for Lauren
• 1 Christmas dress for Lauren
• 1 shirt/tunic for Lauren
• 2 t-shirts for Lauren
• 1 beautiful sweater for Lauren

Garage Sale #3 (spent $9)

• 1 pair of Justin ropers for me ($.50) - I polished them and they both look brand new!!
• 1 pair of nice black dress boots ($.50)
• a bunch of hunting and fishing stuff for Johnny & James

We spent very little money (for what we purchased) and were able to get clothes for Lauren (mainly for winter), boots for me (much needed) and even items that can be used for fishing and canning and cooking.

You just can't be garage sales.  Some people think it's better to go early to get "the good stuff".  But if you go later, you can sometimes make better deals because people really want to get rid of their stuff and will knock down their prices even more.

So if you haven't checked out a local garage/estate sale - then now's the time!

Catfish

Johnny and James went fishing on Saturday with some of their buddies and they caught a 15-20 pound catfish!  It broke James' fishing pole and they ended up pulling it in with their hands.  Apparently it was the fight of a lifetime for James!  It was the largest catfish I've eve seen.  We split the meat between our 2 families and now have about 2 pounds of catfish in the freezer.  Johnny and James are headed out for more fishing again today.  I hope to post a picture of the catfish in the next few days.

Lauren and I will be staying at the house today while they go fishing.  She woke up with a fever of 100.8 and a severe sore throat.  We have a "cold thing" that we put on our heads when we have headaches.  The "cold thing" is like one of those "things" you heat up in the microwave when you have a sore neck/shoulders and then you put it on your shoulders to ease the muscle pains.  I really don't know what you call it.  I bought it at the mall a few years ago and since we don't have a microwave, we keep it in the freezer for when we have headaches.  Anyway, poor little Lauren put that on her throat this morning because she thought the coldness would help her little sore throat.  She was up for about 30 minutes and then went back to bed and has been asleep for the past 2 hours. 

I'm hoping that she'll feel better soon.  Poor little baby...

Inventory, Fishing and School

We have been very busy lately (hence the reason I haven't been blogging).  Plus, I really couldn't find anything to say.

Yesterday we finished up my children's school work for the year.  Yeah!  They are very excited and I must say that I am also very excited.  I've been trying to figure out what we're going to do next fall and I think we're going to try more of a Charlotte Mason approach.  I pulled out my Charlotte Mason book to brush up on it, but I think we're going to concentrate more on reading whole books, learn Latin, etc.  I'll probably sit down with my children in the next week or so and see what they'd like to do.

We've also been doing some serious fishing - about 2-3 times per week, if we can.  We found a great fishing hole about 45 minutes from our home.  It's a beautiful drive up there which is always nice.  We caught 3 good-size bass last week.  This Saturday we're going with some friends to another friend's stock tank that is overstocked with catfish and bass so anything we catch we get to keep.  I'm hoping we'll catch enough to feed us for awhile.  My goal this summer is to find enough food (i.e. wild berries, etc.). that we don't have to buy much food.  Plus, fish is so good for you.  The hard part for us is convincing James that we're going to eat the next fish we catch.  He wants to fill our tank (pond) here at the house so he can fish from here.  It's not a great idea, but man, I'd like to eat some of what we catch!!

Also, I did an inventory yesterday of all the things I have canned.  I wasn't sure what I had.  I have a total of 170 jars of canned goodies.  Even though the cucumbers are doing poorly this year, I have tons of pickles from last year to carry us through another year.  I also don't think I need to can anymore jams as we have about 20 from last year (and that's after giving away a bunch).  So, this year instead of making jams, I'm going to make pie fillings or preserves or "pear sauce" - things like that.  As many of you know, our home is less than 800 square feet so storage is lacking.  I have some jars in the pantry and the rest are upstairs in a corner, stacked up.  So, hubby's going to make me some shelves that line the staircase.  It should be a lot easier to find what I'm looking for now!

The garden is also doing well - at least part of it.  We officially have 10 green bean plants in various stages of growth.  One of them has blooms on it.  The sweet peas are being devoured by little green worms, so every day we're out there gently shaking them, removing the fallen little worms and squishing them.  The tomatoes are doing wonderful with tons of blooms and some little tomatoes.  James' jalapeno plants are thriving.  He has about 10 blooms on each plant.  Plus, his cayenne are also growing.  And, the pumpkins are also doing wonderful and growing like crazy. 

That's about it for now...God's blessings to each of you!

Hands of a Hard Working Woman

My hands are rough, red, not even being close to manicured - and yet they tell a story.  The story of a hard working Mama who does it all - with her hands.  Gardening, cleaning, laundry, dishes, etc.  I do it all with my hands.  They show the hard work that I put into all that I do.  They are not the manicured, polished or soft.  They show lines and creases and cuts (from being too dry).  They rub backs, hoe the weeds in the garden, rake the leaves, turn the compost (with a shovel), plant the seeds, attach the hose to the slip -n- slide, hang the laundry on the line, massage a back or head, rub on sunblock, and the list continues.  At times I wish I had "coifed" hands - hands that would look presentable, not so red, not so dry - but rather soft and satiny with a beautiful manicure - but how useful is a manicure when you're gardening?

But let me tell you, these hands are not for the weak in body, mind or spirit.  They have had to do so many things in my lifetime.  I kind of liken them to a well-worn cowboy hat.  You know the kind I'm talking about - creased, stained, bent, but it just feels right when it sits on your head.  You couldn't imagine owning a better hat.  Every stain and crease tells a story giving that ol' cowboy hat character.  That's my hands.  Every line, crease and dry spot tells a story. 

And just when you think these little hands of mine couldn't do anything more ... they do...they fold together in prayer.  I thank God for these hands - no matter how "undignified" and "dry" they seem to others, they tell the story of what I do on a daily basis.  They praise the Lord for what He has blessed me with...for that I am grateful and thankful.

May the Lord bless each of you (and your hands) on this Mother's Day!

Catching Up

We've been very busy over here.  The children have just about finished up with their lessons for the year.  James has 3 lessons left in his Language Arts book and Lauren is reviewing her math lessons and continues to work on her reading.  I think that this summer they're going to continue with their reading...it only makes sense.

Last weekend James had his choir performance and did a wonderful job.  Hubby's given the OK for the children to participate in choir next fall.  He was really impressed with how good the children were and how much effort they put into their performance.  After the performance, James said it was the best night of his life.

The garden is doing quite nicely.  I've resigned myself that the green beans will not do well this year.  The guineas continue to pluck and pull. And, some nocturnal creature is digging randomly in the garden every night.  I wake up to find new "holes" and foot prints in the garden.  I think it's an armadillo.  Hubby's working six days a week and cannot put up a fence for me.  Poor man is exhausted when he comes home.  But, I now have a spot ready for the fall garden!  The pumpkins, tomatoes and the rest are all doing quite well.

I hope y'all are doing well...we've had so much going on here that I don't have time to blog...hope to get back to it on a more regular basis soon.

Gardening & Homeschooling Updates

I spent about 2 hours in the garden today.  The kids helped some, but we spent a lot of time weeding and pruning.  The tomatoes have bounced back wonderfully from the frost a few weeks ago.  Some of them looked they were frozen and turned black.  However, there was still life among their stems and leaves and they now look absolutely beautiful.  The Lord truly watches over the gardener (and the garden!).  The pumpkins have also bounced back, which is wonderful as I thought we'd lost all the plants but 3. 

We had a front move through Sunday.  It felt so chilly after all the 80 and 90 degree weather from the week before.  It was around 60 degrees for the high on Sunday and very gusty (or as Winnie the Pooh says, "blustery").  All the plants survived the 40 degree weather Sunday night.  I think all this week we're supposed to have high 70s and 80s weather.  It should be a wonderful week! 

It was so warm today that I made a huge glass of ice water, squeezed a little fresh lime juice in it and added a few crushed up peppermint leaves.  It really hit the spot!

The green beans are still not doing very good.  I've got them all covered and I planted more, but I don't see that they're coming up yet.  Those darn guineas!  By the way, they're "wallowing" in the pumpkins now...**sigh**.  I really need to put up a fence, but hubby's working 6 days a week and the one day he has off he's taking care of a list of other things, etc. 

As for James, we talked some more about people calling him names.  I explained that God made him who he is and that's what's important.  He's exactly who God wants him to be, regardless of what others think.  And, as the Bible says, if God's on our side, who can be against us?  He seemed to relate to that pretty well (I even saw a beautiful smile light up his face).

I'll try to take some pictures of the garden to post later.  All in all, I'd say it was a wonderful day. 

And, James is finishing 2 of his books this week and will only be down to studying his Language Arts program for another 5 weeks (unless he pushes through and finishes earlier).  It looks like we're going to have an early summer!  AND, Lauren (who's in Kindergarten), started reading a 2nd grade book this evening.  That's amazing since she knew her alphabet and sounds in September!  How cool is that?  Isn't homeschooling grand?!!

The power of words

A pastor once conveyed this story about words.  I thought I would share.

A couple was having marital problems and the husband went to his pastor seeking help.  The previous night the husband and wife had gotten into a terrible argument and nasty comments were made.  The husband didn't know how to make things better with his wife after the words that were spoken.  The pastor told him to take a feather pillow and go down to the corner.  He was to cut open the pillow and scatter the feathers.  The husband thought this was weird, but did it anyway.  After watching the feathers fly away, he went back to the pastor and asked, "Now what do I do?"  The pastor told him to go back to the corner and pick up all the feathers.  The husband looked at the pastor like he was nuts and told him there was no way that he could get back all the feathers.  The pastor looked at him and said, "So are your words from last night.  Once the words are out of your mouth, you can never take them back.  They will always be floating out there somewhere."

The truth of it is, words carry weight with them.  They are easily spoken but they carry a much heavier impact than we give them credit.

Proverbs 10:19:  "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

Proverbs 21:23:  "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity."

Psalm 34:13:  "keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies."

I have wonderful children who are honest, trustworthy, friendly, loving and very well-meaning.  They want to harm no one and want to be friends with everyone.  But sometimes, no matter how hard they try to be friends with others, they are turned away, called names and laughed at.  I'm speaking about James now.  You would think that children in a children's choir at church would be nicer to each other than that.  It hurts his feelings when they ignore him and call him names.  He doesn't understand why.  I don't either for that matter.

I know children are children but we try so hard to teach our children to respect others, not to call others names, not to make fun of others, etc.  I guess I'm so naive that I think other parents do the same, but again ... children are children (and children aren't always nice).  James is a wonderful little boy...very smart, very friendly.  He wants friends.  He wants to play with others and fit in, but I think these children in the choir have known each other for many years and have been part of this church their entire lives.  Maybe it's because he's the "new kid"...I don't know.  It's just laying on my heart right now.