Christmas Fun.

It's done! Our mummified chicken that is. 40 days later and it worked, we decided to only wrap half so that way people can see how it mummified. Tomorrow it goes on display along with all the other awesome crafts we did on Egypt.
I love homeschooling!

Two little beauties in homemade nighties! A very dear friend of mine made these up for my little girls. I really dislike licensed clothing and it seems all Pj's are so this is just perfect.

My little man watching the Christmas parade. I love how this picture shows his sweetness.

And my littlest little on her daddy's shoulders.

I love this time over year. I have been reading lots on simplifying Christmas, I'm an odd ball and I love the craziness of it. It's alot of fun for our family, with all the visiting, concerts, church dinners, I just love it.

Cold Hands

What a BEAUTIFUL day it was! I woke up to the two little ones squealing with excitement at the snow falling. My bigger boys had been up for over an hour and were quietly sitting at the dining room table working on their math. We spent the morning busying ourselves doing the house chores, my hard little workers we eager to get outside to play. My oldest got himself all ready and went to shovel the drive way, while I got little ones ready to go out.
We never do much school in December for this reason, the children just want to play outside.

Once all ready we headed to a friends house to play in the snow and us moms sat inside drinking our hot tea. It was such a peaceful afternoon.

My littlest boy wouldn't wear his mitts, by the time we got home tears were streaming down his cold little cheeks cause they hurt. I ran him a nice warm bubble bath and made him a cup of hot chocolate to drink in the tub and he was a happy little guy.




“I want to see little children adorning every home as flowers adorn every meadow and every wayside. I want to see them welcomed to the homes they enter, to see their parents grow less and less selfish and more and more loving because they have come. I want to see these precious gifts accepted, not frowned upon.”

“Here is a little mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worth all it will cost, since it is abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother’s heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, to her most tender cares, to her life~long prayers! Oh how rich I am, how truly, how marvelously blest!”

Ginger Bread Houses

We stayed home from church today and had a really quiet afternoon. We had fun building

ginger bread houses. On friday the kids and I got the house all decorated for Christmas, everything but the tree.

Winsome Wednesday

It was a frosty cool day today. I heard my two older boys bundling up this morning in the wee hours as they headed out for papers. When they got home they both crawled back under the covers to warm up. I put on the kettle for some hot tea and a big pot of oatmeal for breakfast.

Wednesdays we like to take it slow and enjoy the gift of a day together. We work really hard Monday and Tuesday so it's nice to relax midweek slow things down. We read more stories curled up on the sofa together the younger ones color a little longer.

I read a quote earlier this week about serving my family and I was very convicted it brought me to tears at the selfishness that is in my heart. Even when all seems so "innocent" I thank the Lord He has so kindly has shown me my sin.

The quote was by Martha Peace:

"I have heard of women who pride themselves on being "night people". That means they have trouble getting up in the mornings because they come alive at night. They may stay up till all hours reading, watching television, or pursuing some sort of interest. They next morning they are too tired to get up and care for their family... these women are not "night people". They are lazy and selfish. Who would not rather stay up late to do whatever they please and sleep late the next day? Once a young wife begins getting up earlier than her children and husband, she will cease to be a "night person". She will be tired and go to bed at a reasonable hour so she will be there to serve her family the next morning."

This week I had made a point of going to bed earlier and setting my alarm to be up before my children. What great week it has been so far. I loved feeling awake for them when they wander out of there beds. Being greeted with a cheerful mama who is ready for the day.

Today after we were done our studies Presley and I snuggled on the sofa under a big ol' blanket and had a bit of a nap. He is such a sweet little man who is growing up way to fast for me. I enjoy the times when he slows down so I can hold him.

His name means " bringer of peace" and that is just what he is to me. He brings peace to my soul. When I get those quiet moments holding him my heart just drips with love.

My Biggest Blessings

Austin almost 10

Zachary 8 next month

Natalie 5

Presley 3.5

Rachael 13 months

The Five

Tranquille Sanatorium

Today we went on a field trip to the Tranquille sanatorium. It was very neat, I have always wondered what was out here. Another homeschooling family are the care takers of the property and they took us all on a tour.

The is a little ghost town with alot of history it is about 10 mins west of town.
The site Tranquille came to life in 1857 when gold was discovered there. By 1884, three families — the Cooneys, the Fortunes, and the McIntoshes — resided on the property. Cooney and his wife are buried there and the provincial government maintains the plot.
Around 1905, the British Columbia anti-tuberculosis society started looking for a site to build a provincial hospital. Tranquille offered the ideal dry and mountainous climate.

This is staff housing.

The kids checking out the tunnels, under the land there are tunnels that led to each building.

In 1958, the Tranquille sanatorium was closed. The site became a home for mentally handicapped people and children and served as a major part of the Kamloops economy, at one point employing up to 600 staff. The home closed in 1984, a victim of government programs that dispersed the mentally handicapped into group homes and the wider community.

A few recipes

I just wanted to share a few recipes that we have been using.

This is such a nice dinner bread. Our first loaf goes as soon as it is out of the oven my littles gobble it up right away.

Amish White Bread

2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Another thing I wanted to share with you is homemade laundry soap. This is by far the best stain remover I have ever found. I also resently just found out if you boil socks in lemon water you will have the whitest socks ever.

Homemade Laundry Soap

1. Soap (You need one bar per batch). You can use Ivory. I use a Sunlight laundry bar.
2. Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (Available in the laundry area)
3. Borax (Available in the laundry area)
Step One: Shred, chop or shave your soap into small pieces. (Go ahead and do all the bars at one time, storing each bar into bags for use later.
Step Two: Measure and start heating water. You will need 6 cups of water heated to melt the soap in a sauce pan. It will bubble and rise, so get a deeper pan. Add the soap and water to the pan.
Step Three: Once the soap is all dissolved, you stir in half a cup of Borax and half a cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda. Stir over the heat until it is all dissolved. I add more washing soda because with 3 boys our clothes get rather dirty. LOL
Step Four: Remove from heat and pour into a large bucket. Use a three gallon bucket (or larger)
Step Five: Add four cups more of hot water
to the bucket and stir until well blended.
Step Six: Add one gallon plus six cups of cold water to the mixture. Mix well. Let sit for 24 hours.
Store it in your old laundry soap bottle or other plastic contianer for easy pouring.
Ready to use! I used 1/4 of a cup because I have a high efficiency (HE) machine. Most would use half a cup. It looks like a liquid gel.