Light it Up

Retro travel trailer muli-colored lights

We added a little something to our camp this past week.  Kinda tacky, but I love 'em!

We enjoyed our time at Tyler State Park this past week.  Well, most of it.  They decided that week would be a good week to some controlled burning of the underbrush.  They liked to have smoked us out!  Not real happy about that, but otherwise a good trip.  No injuries, like last time, so that's always a plus.

The burn ban had been lifted due to some good rains recently, so we were able to have campfires each night.  Campfires mean....roasted marshmallows, or in our case FLAMING marshmallows, which the boys thoroughly enjoyed.  Not really my fave, but I felt like I had to have one for the pure nostalgia of it.  What is camping without roasted marshmallows right?!  The boys' favorite thing was playing with the fire, of course.

Can't wait to plan another trip!  

Slow Cooker Stock

To get the most out of my pasture raised chicken, which are quite pricey, I thought I would make my own chicken stock.  At almost $3 a quart for store bought stock it would definitely offset the cost of a more expensive chicken.

I placed the whole chicken in a pot, added celery, carrots, onion and salt and pepper, and then covered with water.  I brought it to a boil and then turned it down to a very slow simmer.  I skimmed off any foamy stuff that surfaced too.  I simmered it for 2 hours before taking the chicken out to strip the meat off.  It was practically falling apart.  

I cleaned all the meat off the bones and set aside to cool.  I'll freeze it and use in recipes as needed.  

I placed all the other chicken parts - skin, bones, whatever else - into the slow cooker  along with the water and veggies from the pot.  I added a bay leaf, fresh carrot and celery stalk and a little more salt and pepper to freshen it up a bit.  I turned the slow cooker on low and let it simmer for the afternoon and overnight.

I let it cool a little and filled my jars almost full.  I put them in the freezer without the lids until frozen, and then put the lids on for long term storage.

Now, anytime a recipe calls for chicken broth or stock I'll just take some out of the freezer.  

My Apple Bag

It needs a little work, but this is a produce bag I made made up on my own.  I'm tweaking it so I'll have a new pattern to add to my Craftsy pattern shop, and a new offering at The Crafter's Co-op, a little shop in our downtown where my sister and I have a few shelves.

I was inspired by a bag of apples I bought at the grocery store.  They came in a mesh bag and had 2 little holes on the label, I think for your fingers when you carry it.  It fit nicely on my little birdie hook, so I hung it up; being short on counter space it worked quite nicely, although the plastic mesh with label still on it wasn't all that attractive!  I figured I could come up with something at least a little better.  This is what I ended up with.

"For Real" School

High School seems so much more "for real" for some reason, and with that comes more pressure, or maybe I should say perceived pressure.  The reality is you just keep doing what needs to be done, just like every other homeschooling year.

Thankfully, Texas is homeschool friendly.  Actually, in Texas homeschools are considered private schools and are able to set their own standards and requirements for course of study.  However, I thought it best to stick close to what our local requirements are, with a few modifications.  I consulted my state's education website, as well as local school districts, to see what courses and credits they require.  I used this as a guide when considering my course of study.  If college is in the future, it is also recommended to see what their admission requirements are, which I've also done.  Two other helpful resources have been Debra Bell's book, The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Teens and Janice Campbell's Easy Transcripts.

Once I had it all written out it my stress level dropped.  Now it's just a matter of working the plan.  Of course, some curriculum choices may change and a few blanks remain to allow for special interests or changes in interest.  It's still a big responsibility to make sure it all gets done, but just like most other things you just take one step at a time, and that first step of working out a plan is DONE!  And when you know what needs to be done - you just do it!

Course                       Credits Required

English                                    4
Math                                       4
Science                                   4
Social Studies                          3.5
Economics                                 .5
Foreign Language                    2
PE                                           1
Fine Arts                                  1
Speech                                      .5
Electives                                  5.5

Freshman Year

English I:  Excellence in Writing & Introduction to Poetry

Math:  Teaching Textbooks Algebra I

Science:  Apologia Physical Science

Social Studies:  Monarch World Geography

Foreign Language:  Monarch Spanish I

Physical Education:

Electives:  Bible & Guitar 


Sophomore Year

English II:  Notgrass

Math:  Teaching Textbooks Algebra II

Science:  Apologia Biology

Social Studies:  Notgrass World History

Foreign Language:  Monarch Spanish II

Electives:  Bible & Guitar 

Junior Year

English III:  Notgrass

Math:  Teaching Textbooks Geometry

Science:  Apologia Chemistry

Social Studies:  Notgrass Exploring America

Fine Arts: 

Electives:  Bible, Technology & Guitar 

Senior Year

English IV: 

Math:  Teaching Textbooks Pre-Calculus

Science:  Apologia Physics

Social Studies:  Notgrass Exploring Government

Economics:  Notgrass Exploring Economics

Speech:  EIW Speech

Electives:  Bible & Guitar

He is Risen

Why seek ye the living among the dead? from Luke 24:5


And then the two men in shining garments, continuing on, say something like - "He is not here, but is risen.  Just like He said. Don't you remember?"  

I'm sure the women who made their way to the tomb that morning were not going simply to fulfill the rituals of burial but were also seeking some sort of comfort in being near the body of Jesus.  Comfort from life's disappointment, a tragedy, an injustice.  A loss of hope.    

I wonder how many times I seek comfort, encouragement and fulfillment among the dead things of this world?  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  1John 2:16  I don't really have to wonder, I know it's far too often.  

Why don't I remember?  Lord, help my unbelief.

His word is packed with promises, but they are only found in Him.  I know they are true, I've seen his promises at work in my own life and those around me.  Time and time again he does just what he says he'll do. 

Jesus, you told them you would rise again.  You kept your word.  Thank you, Jesus, for not being in that tomb when those women came.