We are working on a Olympic unit and the girls have had so much fun! They love watching some of the events in the morning.
Here are some of the sites we’ve found helpful.
Homeschool Share Olympic Lapbook ~ This is one of the best sites I’ve found so far. We are using it as a spring board for our study.
The Official Website of the Beijing 2008
Learn How to Write Chinese Numbers
Well we have had a big change in the weather. It’s the low 20’s today and the next few days look to be in the high teens. It’s a big change from our heat wave we’ve been having. It is much nicer for sleeping and canning though! We are suppose to get some rain in the next few days and hopefully that will help the garden to.
This morning we watched some of the opening ceremonies for the Olympic games. I missed the first bit I just couldn’t get up early enough after all the lack of sleep this week! Last night we had no storms, well one did come by but was far enough away not to be loud. Baby girl slept all night to whoo hoo!! LOL
Anyway the girls loved watching all the different dancers and fireworks. We’ll be doing a study on the Olympics and I’ll post links to some great sites latter on tonight.
I’m just taking a little rest before starting supper. We are having an early supper tonight so we can go shopping right after. We’ve tried to shop quickly and come home for supper but that never works lol. We always get to hungry when shopping takes longer and that leads to eating out. So it’s much better to eat first! I’m making creamy egg noodles with chicken and veggies and blueberry coffee cake for desert.
The news is calling for rain all weekend. So I decided to pop out to the garden and get anything that was ready. The girls had a good time helping pick beans! I got another large bowl of them and some cucumbers and zucchini (normal and Italian). Also two more tomatoes, they are ripening very slowly this year. I sure hope they pick up soon! There are TONS of green ones out there.
It’s been a sleepy day around here. We had a good storm come through last night waking everyone up. I first heard it around 2am but dh said it started before that, it lasted until at least 5am. The thunder was so odd! Dh and I had never heard a sound like that before, I don’t know how to describe it but it just didn’t sound “right”. The first few hours of the storm it was sooo calm not a leaf was moving, just lots of lightning and thunder. When that finally slowed down the rain started. Oh we needed that rain so bad! It’s been so hot and dry the pumpkins and corn were starting to wilt. The change in them over night with the rain has been amazing!
The cucumbers are starting to produce, I keep tying the vines to the trellis and I’m liking that much better then letting them sprawl on the ground. Our pumpkins (pie and field) are all setting fruit. We’ve also harvested our first few tomatoes yummy!
There is a new addition to the barn…although an unwanted one! We have a bee nest out there that we just can’t find. We THINK they might be carpenter bees but they might not be to…They are a black bee that looks some what like a huge fly. Dh said they have a yellow diamond shape on their back. I’ll take his word for it LOL I’m not getting that close. Monday dh killed close to 30 of them and we are still finding a few. But they seem to have it out for me LOL. Dh will be in the barn and no bees any were until I come out then they start buzzing around. (sigh)
Our garden is finally starting to produce so I’ve been canning today. Todays totals are:
7 pints yellow beans
8 pints cherries in light syrup
6 half pints and 1 pint of cherry jam
There are lost of beans ready and waiting in the garden so I know what I’ll be doing this weekend. LOL!
Well I’m up to my neck in meat LOL!! Yesterday afternoon we discovered the freezer had been unplugged since last Sat. All of our fruit and veggies are goners. We thought all the meat was to but after a closer look I was able to save most of it. So last night was spent doing a LOT of cooking. I cooked up a large pork roast, 35 pounds of ground beef and a roaster full of chicken parts. The ground beef and chicken have all been bagged and refrozen. The pork is in the fridge for a stir fry latter and some casseroles this week.
I also have a turkey cooking right now and a few racks of ribs and 15 pounds of ground beef left to do.
It sure smells good around here LOL!!
This is one of the reasons we like canning so much better then freezing! We are working at canning ALL of our meat and using only the small freezer on top of the fridge, instead of our two large ones.
I just got an email from my friend, Cindy Rushton. She has just introduced a wonderful new set for those who want (or need) real help getting organized for the new school year. The best part is that this week she is offering two bonuses when you purchase her Organized Mom Super Set:
1. Her entire Organization 911 Seminar Set
2. Her NEW Virtual Seminar Set, Let’s Get Organized for the New School Year.
To celebrate, Cindy just sent me permission to give you a sampler of one of her free gifts just for you. I am so excited to give it to you! Here is the link:
Scheduling ABC’s Audio Workshop with Cindy Rushton
Let Cindy take you by the hand and show you secrets to
developing a schedule that works for you and your family!
Download by Mp3
http://tinyurl.com/2cpsb9
Isn’t that FUN?You know the saying that a picture captures a thousand words,well…what about a a gift like this??? And, just think…this is only a sampling of Cindy’s teaching. You get tons more with this set. Take my word for it, you will WANT this set and access to all of the wonderful resources. Grab your set here today:
Brown meat , drain and rinse off fat.
Fill jars leaving 1″ head room.
Add hot water or broth.
Add 1/2 tsp salt for pints, 1 tsp salt for quarts (optional)
Run a knife or spatula around inside jar edge to remove air bubbles.
Wipe rims.
Put lids on and pressure can 75 min for pints, 90 min for quarts at 10 pounds pressure. (adjust for your altitude)
**Note: When I’m browning large amounts of ground beef, I boil it instead of frying it. It is much less mess and faster because I don’t have to stand and watch it.
To do this place meat in stock pot and cover with water. Stir to break up. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer. Cook until almost done.
This is one of my favourite summer time drinks. It’s so easy to make and is very thirst quenching on a hot day.
Mint Ice Tea
6 cups boiling water
4 tea bags
1 cup packed fresh mint
3/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate drink
Pour boiling water over tea bags. Cover & steep for 5 minutes.
Remove tea bags Cool for 15 minutes and add mint. Steep and strain.
Refrigerate until cold.
One of the best tasty and money saving suppers are casseroles! They are so easy to make, easy to freeze and quick to reheat. If you often find yourself with a fridge or freezer full of leftovers and just don’t know what to do with them try this.
Make a simple white sauce. In a pot melt 3 TBS butter add in 1 chopped onion and cook until tender. Whisk in 3 TBS flour and stir until combined. Stir in 2 1/2 to 3 cups of milk and cook until thickened stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add in left over vegetables, meat, cheese, potatoes or rice. Really what ever you have on hand! Add salt and pepper to taste and pour into a casserole dish. Cook at 350 F until heated through.
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