Most of the snow from earlier in the week is gone. It's wet and gray and miserable outside today. But... they are forcasting 6 inches of snow for tonight/tomorrow. So... I *have* to get out there and get those leaves raked up today. Stupid late-falling tree!! Now the leaves are all wet and soggy. Not as bad as they will be if I leave them till spring, though.
I need to go to Michael's some time today to get the tempra paint for the stage sets for our Christmas program. We will be working on that in the morning. Which reminds me, I also need to draw up a rough draft of what I have in mind for the sets. Fun, fun!
I set a goal at New Year's to read the Bible through in 2004. Well, I'm really going to have to do some marathon reading to make it. I'm a little over half through with Isaiah, then I have all the rest of the OT prophets to read, plus the book of Revelation. Unfortunately, the prophets aren't exactly the easiest part of the Bible to read! I almost need a commentary to figure out what they're talking about half the time. Our pastor has read the Bible through every year for 30-some years! He said that it occurred to him that God gave us the whole Bible for a reason, so he figured that it must be important for us to read the whole thing. I think he has a good point. Wouldn't have to be the whole thing in a year, though, I don't suppose. Still, I spend enough time reading everything else... I can do this!
Well, I'm off to rake leaves. Later you might find me buried somewhere in Isaiah or Jeremiah!
Friday, December 3, 2004
Peanut Butter Popcorn
My brother and his wife made this when we were visiting them recently. It's kinda like caramel-corn only peanut butter instead of caramel. It is very yummy!
Pop 3 quarts popcorn (or 2 bags microwave popcorn). Get the "old maids" out. Measure out 1 cup peanut butter.
On stove in saucepan:
1/2 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Karo syrup
Bring to boil stirring constantly until it thickens. Boil 2 more minutes. Add 1 cup peanut butter and 1 tsp. vanilla. Stir quickly with wooden spoon. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Pour out on wax paper until cool. Break apart and serve.
Pop 3 quarts popcorn (or 2 bags microwave popcorn). Get the "old maids" out. Measure out 1 cup peanut butter.
On stove in saucepan:
1/2 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Karo syrup
Bring to boil stirring constantly until it thickens. Boil 2 more minutes. Add 1 cup peanut butter and 1 tsp. vanilla. Stir quickly with wooden spoon. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Pour out on wax paper until cool. Break apart and serve.
Wednesday, December 1, 2004
Winter is here!
I think winter is here! It snowed a little Saturday night. There was just a scattering on the ground all day Sunday. Yesterday morning we woke up to a good ground cover and it snowed off and on all day. We had at least an inch by the end of the day. And we still don't even have all the leaves raked out of the yard! We have this one huge maple tree that doesn't loose all its leaves until about Christmas time. I don't know why it's always so late. Kinda weird. Anyway, hopefully the snow that's on the ground will melt so we can get the rest of the leaves raked up. That job is so much ickier if we wait till spring.
R (age 9) thinks that once it snows it should be Christmas! She's always thought that. I am trying to keep things as low-key as possible for the holidays this year. I need to *not* take off school for the whole month of December. I have in the past, and I know many homeschoolers who do, but we just can't this year. So I have to keep the merry-making to a minimum. No great loss there, IMHO!
We have been needing a new Christmas tree for several years. We have an artificial tree we bought about 15 years ago that is somewhat the worse for the wear. It's been through 5 moves and a flood in the basement, as well as being hauled out and used all those Christmases. For the last couple of years we have talked about getting a permit and going to the National Forest to cut a tree, but it hasn't happened. This year we decided we will wait till closer to Christmas to do it. Typically we have put up our tree on Thanksgiving weekend or at least the first week of December. Hopefully having a fun outing of driving the SUV back in the mountains... there's sure to be snow! ...and tramping around hunting for a tree will make up (to the kids) for not having it in the house so long. It just seems like Christmas comes around SO often and then we drag it out by having the season last from Thanksgiving to New Year's at the very minimum. So... one of my goals for simplifying things is to shorten the season at our house!
We have an opportunity to be involved in a nursing home ministry being organized for homeschoolers. The kids are planning a simple program and then will pass out Christmas cards to the residents. It sounds like a great idea... one we've participated in before. I was very tempted to join in again this year, but... it will cut into 4 days of school! Two to practice and two to perform. I just can't "afford" that. (We never did finish our curriculum last year, and we're already behind this year. So we have to stay at it.)
So... I guess we will be satisfied with taking part in the Christmas program at church and let it go at that. Being the youth director, I can't exactly get out of that one!
Okay... speaking of school... it's time to get at it!
R (age 9) thinks that once it snows it should be Christmas! She's always thought that. I am trying to keep things as low-key as possible for the holidays this year. I need to *not* take off school for the whole month of December. I have in the past, and I know many homeschoolers who do, but we just can't this year. So I have to keep the merry-making to a minimum. No great loss there, IMHO!
We have been needing a new Christmas tree for several years. We have an artificial tree we bought about 15 years ago that is somewhat the worse for the wear. It's been through 5 moves and a flood in the basement, as well as being hauled out and used all those Christmases. For the last couple of years we have talked about getting a permit and going to the National Forest to cut a tree, but it hasn't happened. This year we decided we will wait till closer to Christmas to do it. Typically we have put up our tree on Thanksgiving weekend or at least the first week of December. Hopefully having a fun outing of driving the SUV back in the mountains... there's sure to be snow! ...and tramping around hunting for a tree will make up (to the kids) for not having it in the house so long. It just seems like Christmas comes around SO often and then we drag it out by having the season last from Thanksgiving to New Year's at the very minimum. So... one of my goals for simplifying things is to shorten the season at our house!
We have an opportunity to be involved in a nursing home ministry being organized for homeschoolers. The kids are planning a simple program and then will pass out Christmas cards to the residents. It sounds like a great idea... one we've participated in before. I was very tempted to join in again this year, but... it will cut into 4 days of school! Two to practice and two to perform. I just can't "afford" that. (We never did finish our curriculum last year, and we're already behind this year. So we have to stay at it.)
So... I guess we will be satisfied with taking part in the Christmas program at church and let it go at that. Being the youth director, I can't exactly get out of that one!
Okay... speaking of school... it's time to get at it!
Timely tips
Great lists worth perusing, especially this time of year!
Clutter-Free Gift Ideas
Traveling With Children
Our soon-to-be-6-year-old niece is having a birthday party Saturday. She really doesn't need a thing! So I've about decided to subscribe to a magazine for her. I think she would like that. Probably Clubhouse, Jr. from Focus on the Family would be my first choice, but I'm pretty sure they already get that. I looked at Ladybug but it was something like $40 a year! That's way too much! So the other option I found was Your Big Back Yard. I've seen that before. Lots of colorful animal photos. It's only $15 for 12 issues, so I'll probably go with that. I can't really think of any other Christian magazine for young kids. She is one of 5 children. Maybe I'll subscribe to magazines for all of them for their birthdays this coming year. Kids love to get mail! At least, mine do! I never know what to get these kids, so maybe this is the answer.
Clutter-Free Gift Ideas
Traveling With Children
Our soon-to-be-6-year-old niece is having a birthday party Saturday. She really doesn't need a thing! So I've about decided to subscribe to a magazine for her. I think she would like that. Probably Clubhouse, Jr. from Focus on the Family would be my first choice, but I'm pretty sure they already get that. I looked at Ladybug but it was something like $40 a year! That's way too much! So the other option I found was Your Big Back Yard. I've seen that before. Lots of colorful animal photos. It's only $15 for 12 issues, so I'll probably go with that. I can't really think of any other Christian magazine for young kids. She is one of 5 children. Maybe I'll subscribe to magazines for all of them for their birthdays this coming year. Kids love to get mail! At least, mine do! I never know what to get these kids, so maybe this is the answer.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Ramblin'
I love having a laptop! I took it along to the library today... and I can hop online there! The connection seems slower than home. I wonder if it has anything to do with how far I am sitting from the main frame computer or something. I'm on the computer all the time, but I really have very little idea of how it works.
The kids are attending Homeschool Hour at the library today. I love having the hour to relax in the library. I could live in the library!
After we get done here I need to find some place that sells tempra or poster paint in relatively large quantities. I don't need gallons, but I do need more than the tiny little bottles in the school supply department at Wal Mart. The youth group will be making sets for the Christmas program on Saturday. Several of the boys are pretty good artists. I want to just assign them a backdrop to paint and turn them loose with it to see what they come up with. I think that will be fun for them... and good for them! Wonder if Michael's carries big bottles of paint? I'll check there first.
The kids are attending Homeschool Hour at the library today. I love having the hour to relax in the library. I could live in the library!
After we get done here I need to find some place that sells tempra or poster paint in relatively large quantities. I don't need gallons, but I do need more than the tiny little bottles in the school supply department at Wal Mart. The youth group will be making sets for the Christmas program on Saturday. Several of the boys are pretty good artists. I want to just assign them a backdrop to paint and turn them loose with it to see what they come up with. I think that will be fun for them... and good for them! Wonder if Michael's carries big bottles of paint? I'll check there first.
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