Reader's Digest version of the day

Today is the last day of our first week back in school. We did it. It is good to be back in our routine. Thursday was certainly unfortunate…and I won’t be doing THAT again – but otherwise the week went well. The boys were all done with their week of work by noon today! Yippee!

I got 5 dozen muffins made.

The younger ones and I have some crafts and cooking we want to do but we’ll work on that this weekend.

Arielle went over to a friend’s for a few hours this afternoon. When Josiah got off work we picked her and her friend up and headed to the base to go bowling. I called Mandy and told her we were going to the base to bowl and wondered if she and hers would like to join us. They did. I can tell her boys and Nolan and Zander are going to be good buddies. It was a fun visit.

Back at home Jamin whipped up our pizzas. I got to do the pan pizza again. I really like that pan pizza.

Everyone watched a few episodes of “Hogan’s Heroes”. Josiah headed to bed as he worked 13 hours today and works a full day again tomorrow. Jamin and Jared followed. That leaves the younger ones. They are watching “Chicken Little” and enjoying popcorn.

Jared's first science experiment of the year

Teething - can you tell what it is? Pineapple skin! She was sad when I took it from her and gave her a real piece of pineapple.

Oatmeal Crispies

1 C Butter
2 C Rapadura (could use 1 C honey/1 C rapadura or sucant or brown sugar)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C ww pastry flour (soft white if grinding)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 C Quick Oats

Combine bake at 350* for 12 - 14 min until lightly browned. These do spread out. These are sort of plain but my kids love them.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (just for Beth - Southern Belle)

1 C rapadura (sucanat or brown sugar works fine)
1 stick butter
1 C WW pastry flour (soft white if grinding)
1 egg
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp soda
1 C rolled oats
1 C nuts (I use pecans!)
1 C Chocolate (or carob) chips

Combine. Bake at 350* for 10 - 12 minutes.

*My family really does like these. I've mailed them to the girls and they traveled well. I think you could use any whole wheat - but they'd be a bit more "heft" or "industrial" tasting. LOL

Adrienne's Oatmeal Banana Muffins

Combine:
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C melted butter
1/3 C honey
1 egg
2 mashed bananas

Combine for 5 minutes
1 C plain yogurt (I use plain or vanilla) or Buttermilk
1 C rolled oats

Combine:
1 C whole wheat four (1:1 hard and soft white if grinding your own) I used only soft today and they didn't rise as well

1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all together and spoon into muffin pans (I use 1/3 C for normal size muffin tins). Bake at 375* for 15 - 20 min (always takes longer for me).

*I always make 5x this recipe. I bake 1 doz plain, add pecans and make two doz and then today I added blueberries and made another two doz. Usually I do 2 doz plain and 3 doz with pecans.

Margin? What Margin?

If I wasn’t convinced that simplifying life is the way to go – I am FULLY convinced after today. We survived the “Day of Seven Engagements”. I am not sure HOW that happened. I am not sure WHY everyone in this town and this homeschool community plan everything on Thursdays but I will not be manic like this again. LOL I’m too tired to share the “moment by moment” account of the day.

I’d been saying earlier in the week that a HOMEschool Mom needs to be HOME….and after today I’m more convinced of that than ever. Several of our things were educational, several were ministry related and several were fun…regardless of the motivation…..we still like being HOME best. :::snort:::

I’ll share one part of the day! Our art class this a.m. was to be at a studio. Somehow the email I got gave an incomplete address. I thought it may have been incomplete, but when I put that address into map quest it gave me a map. I headed out. We left 5 minutes before we had planned to leave. We were in the middle of downtown – looking, searching, retracing our steps and NOT finding this studio. I tried to call our organizer but she’d left for the class (duh! LOL). I called home and Cy couldn’t find the address in the phone book. I tried calling two friends but their phones were busy (hmmm…just realized they may have been talking to each other….Adrienne, Tricia???? Is this ANY way to treat a FRIEND? ::::snort:::) I was resigned to driving all over downtown inch by inch until I found the studio. Arielle and Nolan were being troopers but really wanted to attend the class. I said, “God – it would sure be nice if you would tell me where this place is.” The cell phone rang as I started the car. I picked it up. It was Charly. She immediately said, “You sound frazzled are you ok?” (OK, wouldn’t you sound frazzled if you thought God was calling you on the cell phone???) Charly is my friend who is currently visiting family in GA. I said, “I’m LOST”. I explained that we were trying to go to an art class that had started at 10:00 (it was 10:00) and that map quest had me downtown……she asked the name of the studio, I told her. She knew where it was. It is real close to my house…within 5 minutes. LOL Is that God or WHAT? I love it! She called from GA, I was supposed to encourage HER but she ENCOURAGED me big time…I hate to admit this as I know Mike is going to read this…but we talked as I hit the loop and drove back across town.

I’ll say it for you Mike, “Get off the phone and D*R*I*V*E*!” It was soooo nice to hear Charly’s voice in the middle of such a busy day. :::: sheepishly signing off:::::