Secondhand Saturday

Today I went on a mission to find some items for my homeschool room repurposing projects. I did get some goodies I am excited to share sometime.

And, ummm, well, I brought home these lil sweeties.

Bakelite Bangles, Circa 1930s

Okay, so while they don’t help my storage problems, they will look awfully pretty on my arm as I read to my lambies, therefore making the entire room a sunnier place. See how that works?

I’m not big into “stuff” but I do love, Love, LOVE vintage and antique jewelry. That’s really all I wear. Oh stop. You know what I mean. I like clothes too, and wear them everyday. But, even more -- I love to accessorize with unique vintage jewelry.

Bakelite is so fun and colorful, especially if you put a few together. Doesn’t really matter if the rest of your outfit is somewhat nondescript, these make the whole thing POP!

I have looked at Bakelite bangles at antique shops, shows and expos for a few years now, in hopes of finding a stack of my own. Though I have found a few as gifts as well as a couple look-alikes, usually either my hands are too big or the price is, so I have just enjoyed looking at the colorful displays. Until today …

I was pretty happy to find these, which actually fit over my hands, at a garage sale --- for TWO DOLLARS EACH! Don’t worry, I got several other good deals today too, even a couple for the homeschool room, as I originally intended.

I love a good deal! It was a pretty good day that way. How ‘bout you?

See What Happens When I Lighten Up A Little?

As usual, during this camping trip, Mr. Congeniality has been nagging frequently asking if he can go fishing. Being that no one else seems to be the least bit interested in fishing on this trip for some reason, and he is a big 11 year old now (self talk = “come on mom, it’s time to make yourself lighten up a little”. After all, I am trying not to be too much of a Helicopter Mom), I finally allowed him to walk the 5 minutes from our campsite to the dock (with rails).

In broad daylight.

In a populous campground.

With a cell phone. With my number queued up and ready to ring at the push of a button.

I'd call randomly and he'd be checking in every 15 minutes.

And if that phone does not ring, every 15 minutes on.the.dot? Why then, mama’s coming with ‘er pistol.

Plus, we agreed upon a secret code word for “a weird looking person is here on the dock and you should come now”.

I told him I would walk over in about a half hour, as soon as I was done getting dinner for the others.

I even texted his dad to make sure he felt okay about it.

Did I mention that the dock has rails?

So, we finish dinner and Mimmers and I start walking over.

As we break through the trees and can see across the park, imagine my horror when I saw this:

About TWELVE firefighters. But they were down by the water. Near the dock. Where I so frivolously allowed my little eleven year old to go. By himself, with only a cell phone.

The words “dragging the lake” were already in my head.

My heart was in my throat just long enough for me to call the cell phone.

“Helloo? Ya, it’s going fine. Okay. Bye.”

No mention of slipping. Or being wet. Or cold. Or a firefighter having to fish him out of the water.

Breathe mama.

Stupid fishing.

What Do You Subscribe to?

I used to be a voracious reader. Seriously, I’d read book after book after book. I still enjoy reading, but my choices are so much different. I rarely read a novel anymore. It’s usually a biography or more of an informational/instructional book. Or a story I am reading to or with one of my children for school or for fun. Novels don’t seem to capture my attention enough to really get into them.

I do enjoy reading magazine articles, especially with beautiful pictures. I can get from the beginning to the end within one cup of coffee or tea, curled up on my new Napoleon Dynamite Chair (more on that another day) from Craigslist.

For years, my dear Gramsie subscribed to Guideposts and Reader’s Digest for us. Those were sweet and pleasant reads. Sometimes they were informational, sometimes inspirational, but almost always at least casually enjoyable. Guideposts stopped coming a few years ago. But this is the first year of no RD. Gran is winding down and it’s sorta hard to experience the process, even if it is just a magazine.

Back in the day, I subscribed to a certain magazine. Mostly because I liked the idea of it. Looking at it made me feel like, by merely having it on my coffee table, I’d be able to create a ethereal, magical home with lots of feminine appeal. Oh, and INCREDIBLE gardens. Wondrous, lush havens where we could find a cool respite on a hot day, glass of lemonade in hand, whilst whiling away our leisure time.

Well, namely:

Can you see why I felt that way?

Well, that was short lived. I think I subscribed off and on for a year or two. Being married and working full time, then being pregnant and sick, then being a mother – life was busy and finances were low.

Oh, I recently noticed they are back in print so I went to their website to check it out.

“Serenity awaits you in every issue of Victoria magazine. Unabashedly feminine, Victoria offers the best in charming home décor, gracious gardens, entertaining touches, intimate profiles of inspiring women, and off-the-beaten-path travel destinations. Leave the every-day behind with Victoria. “

Well, according to this, I still could create that magical oasis -- if I subscribe. They have a free issue offer, so maybe I’ll sign up for it and maybe we’ll see. <Probably not.>

Then I subscribed to this more practical resource (calling it a resource makes it sound very utilitarian, thereby justifying the cost. Very clever.):

Yummy – This issue is even about soup, my fave!

I have subscribed to this for years and years. And I use it all of the time. And I have all of my back issues. My kids use it each year for our extended family cookie contest at Christmas. There are recipes I’ve made for most of the kid’s lives in it, including special things I make almost every holiday. I LOVE it. Very practical recipes, not calling for alot of ingredients I don’t already have or frequently use. Yes, you can get many of their recipes online. But not all of them. And I don’t always want to pull up the internet every time I want to cook. My kids, especially my daughter, also enjoy looking through it. And I want to encourage that sort of thing.

While fishing through other people’s magazine’s for a project I was working on for a bible study assignment at church, I came across a magazine that I have always enjoyed looking at in the doctor’s office. It reminded me how much I loved it. So I decided to subscribe. I have received two issues of Sunset so far and it does not disappoint!

If you know me very well, or you have read a few of my blog posts, especially this time of year, you know I love camping (in fact, I am camping right now). So this was the perfect first issue for me to receive.

With cooking, NW destinations, camping, great outdoor features, gardening and home decor, etc. It is definitely my style. I have either made or am going to make several projects or recipes they feature each month. The pictures are beautiful and make me just want to get out there and experience all that life has to offer! I am loving it and look forward to each new issue.

So, hey! What are you reading these days? Do you subscribe to any magazines? Check any out from the library? What book is on your nightstand or on the arm of your version of a Napoleon Dynamite chair?

India In My Dreams

With sweet Guiathrie and precious, precious Rukmini

We are still camping on the Oregon Coast. This morning I woke up at 6am, which was better than the night before, when I was awake at 1am until 3:30. But I knew I did not want to stay awake, and I certainly did not want to awaken my sleeping children (too early for action) so I finished watching a movie about children going to school in India (5th attempt because I get so sleepy when I watch movies!),in preparation for doing Sonlight Level 5 in homeschool for some of my kids. Then I laid quietly until I went back to sleep for another hour.

During that hour, I had the privilege of going back to India "on my way" to somewhere else (?!!) and WITH MY GRANDMA! When awake, I have wished my Grans could see the Happy Home. Since she is no longer able bodied enough to go there with me in real life, I guess getting to see her be there, even in a dream, is an answer to a prayer.

Me with my Lil Gramsies, 2009

Doesn’t she look like she’d ooze love and grandmotherliness to the kids?

I loved seeing the look of surprise on each of the children’s faces when they saw I was back so soon. Some yelled "Tiffany Aka!", and some cried out "Mommy!". They were bright eyed with interest at seeing my grandmother.

I just stood there hugging and holding -- and I cried the entire time because I knew I could only stay one day. You know, since I was "on my way" somewhere else (?!!).

It was a sweet dream, although I was so overcome with emotion that I was struggling to remember, associate, and say their names. This is a real fear of mine since I would never want even one of them to think I don’t remember them.

Well, I am awake now, and so is the rest of this little trailer. So I best get moving along. But I’ve got India and some really precious kids on my mind today…

Menu Plan Monday, August 16-22, 2010, Camping In A Trailer

If you are just popping in to look at my menu, I'd love it if you joined my SoupFest starting in October. Find out more by clicking on my button below.

MENU PLAN MONDAY

Since we’re camping, I figured I’d share with you one meal per day from my trailer style camping menu for this week’s meals with you. You will notice that I use my crockpot and rice cooker. When you have electricity, both of these items come in handy to save time in the kitchen and/or space in the cooler.

In addition to some of our main meals, I use the crockpot to make desserts using fresh produce I find in the local area where we are camping. This week I have pre-measured and brought with us the dry ingredients I need for both Nutty Apple Streusel and Black and Blue Cobbler and I will decide which to make when I see which ingredients I can find most cheaply have most readily available. (To skip my ramblings about cooking in a dutch oven or over a campfire, scroll down to menu plan).

Another thing I love to do for my family is to make food in my cast iron dutch oven with charcoal briquettes. I dig a small pit (or one of my menfolk digs it for me) and put some heated briquettes on the bottom of the hole and on the lid of the dutch oven. This week I plan to use it to take advantage of fresh peaches. I will rub a cube of butter all over the inside of the pan to help prevent food from sticking too badly. Then I will throw into the pot about 12 peeled and sliced peaches, some tapioca beads, and a little cinnamon. I learned about tapioca from my aunt a few years ago, when we were having a family campout. It was the first time I attempted to make anything in a pit in my dutch oven and it turned out very juicy and wet. The tapioca helps to absorb that peachy goodness. Then I dump a (partial) box of yellow or butter cake mix on top of the peach mixture and at least an entire cube of some butter, cut into pats and evenly distributed over cake mix. I find cake mix to be very sweet, so I only add enough to cover the top, and I don’t add sugar. Cooking time varies, depending on which dutch oven I use, how many and what kind of briquettes, etc., so check it often as you are first trying it. It’s done when the peaches are tender, but not too mushy.

At the campfire, we will be roasting biscuit dough. If you buy the pre-made biscuits in the pop open tube, roast half a biscuit at a time by stretching it all around your roasting fork, pretzel style. It takes some practice but you will eventually get the hang of it. After it is roasted, we dip it in melted butter, then cinnamon and sugar. We love this tradition!

If we make S’mores, we often use Reeses instead of chocolate bars. I don’t like marshmallows, so I roast my Reeses over the fire for just a few seconds so it gets gooey and then I put it between two graham crackers.

Do you enjoy camping? Do you have any shortcuts or tricks you use to save time cooking while you are at the campground? Do you have any favorite camping or campfire recipes? I’d love to use them! I am especially interested in recipes which call for cooking on, in (foil packets, etc.) or above a campfire.

Monday: Taco Soup - I brown the beef before we leave home. Today, before we leave for the lake, I will throw all of the ingredients into my crockpot. When we come back to our little trailer, it will smell good, and dinner will just be minutes away from being served.

Tuesday: Sausage Skillet Supper – I brown the sausage before we leave home. In the morning ,when I first get up, I start the rice cooker. Once again, I throw all of the ingredients into the crockpot, and set it to low, before we leave for that day’s activities. This recipe was originally found, years ago,in one of my Taste Of Home magazines. I substituted brown rice for white and made it my own:)

Wednesday: Burritos and Taco Salad – I have already browned and seasoned the ground beef, so all I have to do is heat up the beef and refried beans then put out a whole bunch of other choices and let everyone build their own.

Thursday: Turkey Wraps – I like the pre-made jalapeno artichoke dip from Costco spread on a tortilla with turkey added, then heated. When it comes out, I add tomato and a few Kettle BBQ Chips (Kettle does not use MSG). Little kids or those who don’t like spicy food can substitute cream cheese or cheddar.

Friday: French Dips with grilled onion and mushrooms, served with melted cheese on toasted bun (we use our trailer oven for this)

Saturday: Chili Haystacks: Premade or canned chili, topped with Fritos and cheese, then melted.

Sunday: Clean out the ice box!

I hope you can squeeze in at least one more camping trip this summer. Well, unless you are like some of my friends who "don't camp" and "prefer 5 star resorts". In that case, I hope the bedbugs don't bite.

You totally know who you are.

Homeschooling: Year 16, Picture Week

Yes, that's right. I said it. Year 16. What of it?
Since all who know me know I am 29 and full of bologna, that means I was 13 when we started on this particular journey.

As of a couple months ago, I have TWO (2) graduates.

My eldest, Mr. Linguistics, will be beginning his last year of studies at university to earn his B.A in Linguistics and is debating whether to go on and earn his PhD. Right this minute he is working at a mission in Zimbabwe and loving it. I think he wants to stay there...

Photo by Tyler Gould

My second son, Mr. Economist, recently graduated high school and already has one year of college under his belt. He will finish up his Associate’s Degree at community college then transfer to a 4 year, probably to earn his B.A. in Economics, with an eye heavily on the alternative energy field.

Photo by Kyle Kennedy

So, ya, I don’t homeschool them anymore.

But I do have four additional children, three of whom are school aged and who stay here at home, with me, and expect some sort of an education. Other than the one they are giving me, I mean. For reals, you who homeschool – and even just anyone who is a parent! Don’t you totally feel like you are getting just as much of an education as the one you are facilitating for your kids?


My third son, Mr. FunGuy, is a sophomore this year. He will be doing Sonlight Level 300, along with a bunch of other stuff. He loves most things with engines and being hyperactive, and astounds me with his physical ability. Not to mention, his 24 pack. Geesh.


Mr. Congeniality is living through The Year of the Teeth. He is never quite sure how to smile. So he is shy about letting me take pictures. I took some great ones today but we are camping in our little trailer and I forgot to pack the card reader to upload them. So this cell phone picture of him (below), with Person, will have to suffice for the time being. We’ll be doing Sonlight Level 5 (my favorite level!) along with his other subjects. This boy loves to fish and can’t wait to hunt. He also loves his little brother and sister and teaches them all sorts of things, mostly good.



But ya, we are camping, so I don’t have access to the beautiful pictures I took today, just for this post. But this one was taken just a couple weeks ago, at the county fair, of my one and only daughter, Mimmers. She also is doing Sonlight Level 5, along with other subjects, including math from Right Start. This girl is a mini-mama. She thinks everything her little brother does is adorable (“but Mom, he’s so cuhyute”), even when it is naughty. She bakes a mean loaf of bread all by herself, from scratch, in my breadmaker and knows how to cook a couple of main dishes already too!

We call my little man The Person. His main subject is distracting everyone else from getting their stuff done.

And he is the youngest of six, so I guess he’s been rewarded in his attempts pretty much every time he’s tried. Ferocious Beast. I’m camping. In the dark woods. I should never have looked at these

pictures right before bed.

Hmm, funny how I happen to have so many pictures on hand for this kid…

Did I already he say, um, he’s the last of six kids?

He’s quite a strategist. In more ways than one…

To see more proud moms brag tell you about their kids, go to this blog hop. This week is picture week. Moms are sharing pictures of their kids for the beginning of the school year. Like I just did.

I hope you are squeezing out every last drop of summer!

Soup's On Saturday! III

Sorry to interrupt your summer and all but, since today is Saturday, I thought I'd announce the upcoming Soup's On Saturday!, Edition III. Because it's coming up sooner than I'd like to think!

If you have read my blog for awhile, you already know what S.O.S. is. If you have not, you can read about it here. This year, I thought it would be nice to also suggest that you may also comment about your favorite store bought or ready made soup and/or share links to articles about any given theme.

I LOVE soup! If you love soup too, you will want to 1) Participate, 2) Tell your friends, 3) Grab my S.O.S. button from my sidebar for your blog too, 4) Look on my sidebar to check out the great links I have posted from the last couple of years!

Below is my tentative schedule of each week's soup theme. I have tried to make each theme coordinate with what you might be doing or enjoy at that time. I am hoping to throw a contest or two in there as well!

October 2: Soup, The Basics

October 9: Freezing and Canning Soups

October 16: Tasty Veggie Soups

October 23: Dry Soups and Mixes

October 30: Sides for Soups

November 6: Soups with Toppings

November 13: Soups for a Crowd

November 20: Soups Using Poultry

November 27: Soups With A Theme

December 4: I’m Just Stewing

December 11: Soups With Tradition

December 18: Ham Soups (or any Pork)

December 25: What A Crock

January 1: Diet Soups

January 8: Soups For Sickies

January 15: I Am Wild and I Got Game

January 22: Gettin’ A Little Chili

January 29: Beef Soups

February 5: CONTEST: Using Leftovers For Soup

February 12: Cream Of…

February 19: Spring and Summer Soups

February 26: Comfort Soups

March 5: Best Of

You may now return to your regularly scheduled summer already planning for fall!