Quick updates:

The quail is still living. He didn’t like the starter mash. A retiree at the chapel who is a farmer/rancher said that they always started chicks on boiled eggs. We boiled an egg and he at like he was starving….quite perky little fellow. Cute too – I’ll take picture later.

Vacation – spent 5 hours yesterday getting us booked into CAMP SITES! Can you believe that???? Where are the days where you got in your car, drove out to the woods and found an isolated spot to camp? Of course most places do have at least an outhouse and some even have showers now…so progress has it’s advantages. {g} We thought this time of year that we’d have the campgrounds to ourselves…but it seems that everyone goes camping in April in this part of the country…at least the retirees and the homeschoolers, I guess.

Honey – I finally met the honey couple. I bought 2 gal of honey this time. They had a ton of samples for me to try. I only found one or two varieties that I didn’t care for. I’m using honey as our main sweetener these days. I’m baking all cookies and snacks from scratch – so I’m using more honey than I ever thought possible.

Library – After the honey stop I headed for the library to pick up books for the next month. I used to HATE using the library for school but that was because I had a LIST and felt I needed the exact book on the list to use the curriculum. With Tapestry of Grace being subject specific I’m free from that tyranny. {bg} I have found it best to go online and search out some choices, head to the library and find those while scanning the areas nearby for other treasures and check out enough to last at LEAST 3 weeks. I try to do it by the unit. Then I can renew them three times so I can have all the books for each unit here at home until the unit is over. I can survive with one library trip per unit….and we drop books off as we are done with them. It’s working.

New Unit - We are starting a few weeks on Queen Victoria and the Victorian era this week. Our library didn’t have a lot of books on QV but I was able to find great stuff on the TOG website. We’ll rely on those websites. I also was able to use “All Through the Ages” and find some historical biographies to fit into the time period….that the library had. We’re good to go

Taxes - We got the taxes done Sunday night. I’m going to be working on the girls – soon. They would have done them but since the government sent their info HERE I’ll just do it this year.

SAGE Co-op – Yesterday was the deadline for online ordering. I sent out a reminder and need to work on my order today and download the groups’ orders and get that sent in. I’m doing it early as we are going to be gone when it’s due.

That’s it for Monday.

Rascal prepares to leave the mothership..er chick hatcher (4 hours old)

Mike transports Rascal to his new box

Kids watch Rascal adapt to new home

Rascal at 5 hours old...cuter than the birds we raised on a bird farm!!!

Hatching - this is a much better photo when blown up but then blogger won't upload it. LOL There's his little head popping out the top of the shell. The kids have named him rascal. It's very hard to leave him in the hatcher and not transfer him to a box...but we are trying to follow directions. He got his head stuck in his shell and a great amount of restraint not to help him out. He's resting now.

Everyone else is at a big Easter Egg hunt at chapel but I knew that it would be difficult for Zander so he, Stacia and I are about to head in for the service.

QUAIL UPDATE

First problem solved - chick will need to stay in incubator for some time after hatching so should be fine until we get home from chapel.....but we may miss the hatching! ARGH.

Second problem - chick needs "starter mash". I've found a list of what is IN it but no idea how to make it - I will use some of Stacia's rice cereal for today and buy some mash tomorrow.

Third problem - check needs to be in the brooder for SIX WEEKS and we are going camping....this is something I must ponder on.

QUAIL EGGS

Our eggs were to have hatched yesterday and haven't. This a.m. one of them is moving....I'm shocked that we may get a quail....and now I'm trying to figure out what will happen if it hatches while we are chapel....and what am I going to feed the thing. I didn't research it after we repeatedly caught Zander turning the eggs.

Camping Meals?

In looking ahead to our vacation I'm wondering what I can do for food. We are staying away from many things.....and we are doing things from scratch so Denty More Stew isn't going to cut it this time...nor is bacon and eggs in the a.m. {g} I've been told by a "reliable" source that turkey bacon looks like dog treats! :::snort:::

I'm open for ideas. At this point I'm making and freezing muffins and buns for the trip. I'll have a loaf or two to take with us too. But we'll have to buy some along the way as traveling with a ton of produce and fresh baked bread stuffs doesn't work real well. I need to order some produce from co-op this time because we are nearly out of everything....but I need to be careful so we don't have a ton of stuff left when we leave.

Breakfasts:
Granola, oatmeal, eggs, biscuits (bake ahead? Dutch oven?) muffins, fruits, pancakes

Lunch:
Sanwiches, salad, fruit, pasta

Dinners:
Salads, fruits
Maybe some freezer meals I can thaw and heat (spaghetti, soups, grill some burgers, steaks, foil veggies)

What do you all do with a Dutch Oven? What do you all have when you go camping? How am I going to do S'mores? I guess I better get looking for some marshamallows without artifical flavors and such...Jodi sent some vegan links but I don't think I'd get them in time....I'll have to check the healthfood store here....

Snacks:
fruit, carrots, granola bars, cookies baked at home, I still have some Annie bunny crackers - in fact havent' opened any of them - they would work for snacks....

Ideas????

small pleasures in life...popcorn doesn't have to be made in a microwave! I was glad to see we'd kept the air pooper.