Emily's Article, Part 2

Emily has finished her article this morning.

Thinking about Lent

I was very busy yesterday so Anna posted the candy cane heart for me.

Today I'm also extremely busy, but you might enjoy reading the first part of an article about lent, written by my daughter Emily, on her blog. Enjoy!

Valentine's Window Decorations

Daniel's Duck

Here are pictures of the kids carving soap for Daniel's Duck, Abby's Five in a Row book this week.

Besides the lessons in the FIAR manual, we also read The Cabin Faced West and Molasses Man by Kathy L. May. We made molasses cookies (see post below) as our cooking project to go with this book.

On Saturday, we'll probably begin They Were Strong and Good. Looking forward to that one!

Abby has participated in our Westward Ho! unit study, along with Carrie and Thomas. This week we've learned about alkali, saleratus, buffalo, South Pass, Independence Rock, and Wyoming. We finished our book about explorers and finished Pioneer Girl. We started reading some short stories about courageous pioneer women in Daughters of Destiny by Noelle Wheeler.

We're to South Pass on our virtual journey to Oregon. Only one more week left in our unit study and lots to do yet!

Valentine Gingerbread Houses

For Today (February 2, 2009)...

Outside my window...

No groundhog here today!
It's raining cats and dogs, instead.

~*~

I am thankful for...
A wonderful husband who loves me.
And a special friend who gave me a gentle
kick-in-the-pants last week and helped
get me motivated again.

~*~

From the learning rooms...
This week we're going to learn about saleratus
and make soda bread one day.
We're continuing with our Westward Ho! unit study.

~*~

From the kitchen...
I have a roast in the crockpot to
make beef barley soup for lunch.

~*~

I am thinking...
about some ways to impart more Biblical knowledge
to my children in a fast-changing world, so they will be prepared to grow up
and teach their children the truth.

~*~

I am reading...
my Bible, of course.
Some books are the same as last week,
but on my nightstand this week is
For the Children's Sake
by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
I'm re-reading a lot of books
on my bookshelf to give myself some
winter inspiration...

~*~

I am hearing...
My oldest daughter eating toast and preparing
to go to work. Carrie is reading on the couch.
Thomas is doing something quietly in
his room. Everyone else is still asleep - it's
our off day.

~*~

One of my favorite things...
Teapots!
I have a pink and red Valentine one on the table, sitting on a toile runner that's creamy
yellow with muted red and pink figures. There are three small Valentine gingerbread
houses and a matching heart-shaped cup with candy in it on the runner, too.

~*~

A few plans for the rest of the week:
One daughter has to go to the orthodontist today (2 hours away). One daughter is teaching a guitar lesson today and one daughter is teaching fiddle this week (which involves me because I'm the taxi driver). Two daughters are volunteering at the local mission tomorrow. One husband is going out of town at least twice this week. Fiddle lessons, which have not happened for the last two weeks, are on for this week - we'll see if we or the teacher has to cancel. Our family will be working at the mission on Friday afternoon. One daughter is going
out of town next weekend. Oh, and lots of school and a church function thrown in, too.

~*~

Here is picture thought I am sharing...
in my kitchen window...

Daniel's Duck

Abby made cookies for Daniel's Duck and you can read about it here on my daughters' blog.

By the way, the cheese was great! It was the consistency of cream cheese and we added a little salt and dill weed. I think we'll make some more next time we have company......

Here's the recipe:

Line a bowl with a double layer of cheesecloth. (I found cheesecloth in the craft dept. at Walmart for less than $2.00) Pour in 2 cups of plain yogurt. Lift up the corners of the cheesecloth to make a bag. Tie bag closed with string. Hang the bag of yogurt from a kitchen cabinet. It should be positioned so that drips from the yogurt will fall into the bowl. Let the yogurt drip for at least 24 hours. The longer you leave it, the drier the cheese will be. Place the cheese in a clean, dry bowl. Mix in a pinch of salt and some dried herbs, such as basil or dill. Spread on crackers or bread and enjoy.