Autumn lessons

I just love this time of year and this year we have dug into canning and freezing more than we have in the past. I was so hoping to have the pantry shelves full of goodies in preperation for a long cold winter!

So far we have Applesauce and Applebutter,

Squash relish,

Bread and Buttered Pickled beans,

Bread and Butter Pickles

I tried two different recipe's for the pickles and I have to admit, mine are better. I bought a package dealy where the ingrediants were all mixed in already all I had to do was add the pickling cukes and nope, I don't like it as well as the do it yourself (add your own spices) thing!

Then there are a few jars of Dilly Beans.

I do plan on canning a few other items and so far in the freezer we have Zuccini, Apples, and Zuccini Bread. I have dried about 10 pounds of apples in the dehydrator but those go about as fast as I can dry them hahah.

I hope you all are having a bountiful harvest too and preserving some of it for the winter months. It is so satisfying and a dying art!

Happy Harvest Ya'll!

Happy Birthday Destiny

No school today at the Brown house. We are taking a holiday to celebrate my Destiny's 17th Birthday.

This year she has asked that her bedroom get a new Makeover. Soooo.

The walls have been painted. The trim is done ( a few touchups are still needed).

We ordered a new comforter set and it arrived just in time!

Now to get some wall art and we are set!

Chinese dinner tonight

Buttermilk Pie and ice cream for dessert. Yummo

Happy birthday kido. We love you!

Week three comes to an end

It sure does seem like we have been schooling for longer than three weeks but.. we have not! Today we will finalize a few chapters in a few subjects, work on our First Art project for the year and then I will claim a Teacher Workshop day to see where we are for week Four, prepare for Unit end tests and then enjoy the weekend!

I hope everyone of you are enjoying this school year thus far and will continue to do so.

Happy Teaching!

2010 School Picture Day

Today was picture day for all the local homeschoolers. We went to Historical Mattews Farm in Galax and really got some good shots. Mrs Charlotte McPherson took pictures for the Homeschool Yearbook and then I followed behind and took some with my camera. Here are some of the ones I took. It was a lot of fun!

I can't wait to see what Mrs Charlotte comes up with!

Apples Apples everywhere!

I just love this time of year. There are apples everywhere!

We decided to make some applesauce, applebutter, apple cinnamon bread, apple chips, apple pie filling.... whew I love the smell of my house these days!

Don't you just love Autumn? I do!

Today, the official first day of Autumn, we are going to start a still life drawing for art class. Here are a few of the scene's the kids get to choose from ...

I will personally be working on the second one. I have decided to make it about 18 X 20 and put it up in the kitchen. I can't wait to see which one's the children choose!

Stay tuned and check back to see what they have done!

Apple dumpling Day photos and poems

Here is what our apple dumplings looked like. I should have taken a picture BEFORE the ice cream was added. They looked like little envelopes holding a delicious surprise! We really had a great time with this. Here are the ones a friend of ours made. Gosh they look yummy!

We also wrote poems to go with the day. Here are a few...

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Apple Dumplin' on my plate... oh my gosh you sure taste great!

Put some whipped cream right on top... man it is so hard to stop!

You're packing pounds right on my hips, wish I had made apple chips! (DNL 2010)

Apples Apples everywhere

delicious apples., I declare

Some are green and some are red

both are delicious when baked in bread! (CAB 2010)

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Apple Dumplings

oh so good,

top with cool whip like you should.

Add some carmel and some nuts

oh to eat this....

it's a must! (CAB 2010)

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Ode to apple 2Jonathan, Braeburn, Bailey Sweet...

oh they are so good to eat!

Golden, Cortland, Pippin too

and they are so good for you!

Fuji, Garland, Prairie Spy,

Ooh so good baked in a pie...

Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith...

an apple a day, isn't just a myth! (DML 2010)

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It really was a great time making the dumplings and rhyming. Hope you enjoyed stopping by., come again soon there's always something new to view!

Apple Dumpling Day

Tomorrow is Ntnl Apple Dumpling day and the children and I are going to take part by making Apple Dumplings. I am going to allow the children to make their own recipe and then we will see who's is the tastiest!

I will share pictures with you and the recipe they choose to make. Will you share your favorite apple dumping recipe with us!?

Leave a comment today and share your recipe!

Make it a fun day!

Life pacs

Ahhh a new found love.

I have started using the Alpha Omega life pacs this year and both the kids and I are enjoying them. It allows me to continue to work on my books and allows the kids to learn to be more independent.

Here are just a few of the subject we will be using from Alpha Omega and then we will still use my Literature Unit Studies only because I love writing them so much. :-)

I do hope everyone is enjoying the school year so far. Be blessed

Simple struggles

I know that everyone has struggles during the school year. One of the kids not wanting to study, do handwriting ... something. But we have a few more struggles then that as well. My health isn't as it used to be (still trying to take care of problems) and therefore the children are learning to be a little more independent in their studies. I am enjoying the Lifepacs we started this year and I think the kids are too.
I hope all the moms out there that think they CAN'T homeschool because of health issues, stubborn kids, whatever!, will see that it IS possible and can be done. Seek God's wisdom., He is there for you and will show just how to manage things.
I thank God everyday that I am able to see, hear, breath, and spend time with my children. If it weren't for homeschooling them I wouldn't see them 1/4 of the time I do now. Grab onto them, they are your children, teach them what you want, what they want., and most of all what GOD wants them to learn. It IS POSSIBLE!

Be blessed everyone!

Organizing

Not one of my better qualities. Why couldn't I be one of those people that is just blessed with organizational skills? Instead I got Creative Clutter Capabilities! :-(

I am spending today in the office mutteling through old lesson planners, old school books, unit studies, you name it. Hoping to make room for what we will be working from this school year! I have so many things from ... gosh... fourth grade even!! I think it is time to part with some of it! :-)

Well, to all those out there that have started lessons, bless you! For those of us that are lagging behind another week.... GOD HELP US!!!!

Preparing for the First Day of School @ HHA

Well here we go another year of schooling at home. I am so looking forward to it as I hope the children are too.
We are taking a bit of a different turn this year as we are going to use Lifepac's by Alpha Omega as well as my self writen Unit Studies for Literature and Math U See. Our first Unit Study will be taken from the book The Lost Island of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar. THIS is what I look forward to the most. hehe
It is taking a little bit of extra time to plan on my part as I am not used to things being writen out for me! Gosh you would think it would be EASIER if it is all laid out for you. NOT. I guess I am just a complicated individual.
We will be beginning our lessons this year on Sept 13th. The prospective finishing date will be late June. I really hope this year will be easier for all of us and I pray that the Lord bless each and every one of you that have choosen to TEACH YOUR CHILDREN AT HOME.
Blessings to us all!
Well folks, stop by often to share our Adventures!

TTFN