We've been busy settling into our new home, getting into the full swing of homeschooling, enjoying family, a new community....
God has blessed us in every way...and here are some highlights!
Moriah went to the Homecoming Dance in our hometown with her friends, Mikayla and Emily. An eye-opening experience for a homeschool girl :~)
First birthday in our new home...Moriah turned 15!
Picnicing with the Deardens on the deck. Moriah and Emily share a birthday so we were celebrating.
Grace and Emily
Moriah is happiest in the kitchen (or outdoors). She's fast becoming the resident pastry chef and has even cooked Steve and I some fabulous dinners!
A first course of stuffed mushrooms.
The final course was a filled pastry...very light and delicious!
Exploring our woods....
Maggie
Meet 'Smudge the Hunter'. He came with the house, along with his friend Posey (and a lot of other blessings).
There's a tree stand all ready for next year's hunting season.
Gabe and family and the Blackleys spent a Saturday here getting Gabe's winter supply of wood. All worked together and accomplished much.
A tea party with friends!
When we all work together....
When days get shorter the lanterns are lit... We've eaten this way every winter for years...peaceful, serene...
Goodbye October...
Missy, Forest, and Willow stayed overnight while Gabe was traveling. It happened to be Missy's birthday, celebrated here with pumpkin waffles for breakfast.
We're studying the 1800's. This is one of the meals we've prepared to go along with our theme. Citrus is included as a reminder of the lack pioneers had.
Unloading wood at Gabe and Missy's.
Grandpa Seashell reading to Phaedra. (Phaedra named Steve this when she was three and I love that it makes me Grandma Seashell!).
Nature hike at Lake Iowa.
Looking over the Tall Grass Prairie.
Guess these guys didn't know Thanksgiving was just around the corner.
And now...a few things we're making from scratch...
Yogurt...very easy and tasty and cost effective. We make a gallon a week. We love it with our homemade granola, spread on pancakes and waffles, with a drizzle of honey or some fruit, and also used in place of sour cream. One quart is made into yogurt cheese, which is a good substitute for cream cheese or even ricotta. Love all those probiotics!
Buttermilk chocolate cake. We make our own butter so I'm always looking for different ways to use up the buttermilk.
Whole grain english muffins. These are really good and can be used in place of hamburger buns.
Sarah's learning to make pot holders and everyone's knitting again. We love when the weather turns cold!
Mac loves his homemade dog food. It's easy on his tum and much cheaper than his precription dog food...yeah!
Fresh butter the easy way...love our Bosch.
Apple Butter and Cranberry Chutney...mmmmmmm.
Making cookies for Thanksgiving.
And speaking of Thanksgiving!
Three of our grandsons, Forest, Carter, and Joseph, coloring at the kids table at our Thanksgiving celebration. It was wonderful to gather together with our family, in our home.
Other side of the table.
Sherri, Jake, and Dave.
Steve and Gabe.
Ben and Kaelyn.
Carving the turkey.
Auntie Karla reading to Joseph.
Our grandchildren...Carter, Logan, Katie, Phaedra, Kaelyn, Joseph, Jacob, Willow, Alex, and Forest.
The 'teens' in our family.
Our first family gathering...our home was warm and blessed. Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful family.
I LOVE to knit and thanks to my sister-in-love, I have almost doubled my stash with this vintage yarn she snagged for me! I've started knitting a shawl with some of the mohair. There's unspun Icelandic in earthtones (my fave), lots of chunky wool, enough of a heathered blue to make an afghan (if my attention span was that long--I'm more of a hat, sock, mitten, cowl person). Now to find a place to stash my stash...
Some of my existing yarn stash...guess I need to organize it again. The kids knit, as well, so they pilfer through here too (my disclaimer).
Grace and Maggie have been learning to make bread and sweet rolls. They are naturals, as you can see from these hamburger buns!
The girls and I tried making 'healthy' poptarts (not sure those two words should go together). We started with a butter pie crust recipe, added all-fruit jam...
and then a lid, sealed and pricked with a fork...
and lastly, a slight drizzle of glaze. They were scrumptious and easy! Next time I'll use half whole-wheat flour along with the unbleached and add a little ground flax.
