Oct. 7-13, 2018, Canning Week, New Book, Potatoes, Braces Week Two

Oct. 7-13, 2018

Canning Week

New Book, Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson,

Digging up Potatoes, and Braces Week Two

 Hello Friends!

What a rainy, blah-kind of week in Michigan!  At least the mushrooms are loving all this moisture and are popping up everywhere.  I've been getting my winter clothes boxes from the attic and switching out my clothes.



Canning:

After last week's migraines, I was so glad to be free from pain and able to get some canning done for this year. 



 I was beginning to think I wasn't going to have anything this winter to show from our summer garden!!!  I had made a few tomato paste jars, but not nearly enough.  



It rained and rained and rained this week, so inside jobs were a perfect fit and I feel like I've accomplished more now that the canning has begun!!

I probably lost five canning jars this year; which has to be a record for me.  Can you see how the bottom of the jar cracked and broke off?  Such a bummer b/c you have to throw away all that veg---can't give it to the chickens b/c it might have glass shards in it.

Kales and Swiss Chards growing great!

Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson

So excited to read a book about books!  I've been trying to make good use of my time with Dd as it is evaporating so quickly, and I want to make the best book choices I can with the time I have left with her.  Plus, she isn't nearly keen to let me read aloud to her as she 'has her homework to do' now.  Yes, we are going through a big transition phase right now and it is not pretty, but I assume many parents and later teens struggle with this push and pull adjustment.  I thank Chelle from the bottom of my heart for mailing me this book and kind gesture of our enduring long-distance friendship.



Braces, Week Two:
Dd had a few painful days after getting her braces put on, but this week has been so much better.  She is out of pain and adjusting to having the braces on her teeth.

Gardening:

Cold weather is on the way, so I went ahead and dug up our potatoes while the dirt was still warm.  I know that sounds funny, but I hate trying to dig out potatoes when your fingers are so cold that they are numb!  It is especially hard trying to feel for those small yummy ones.



  I spent a lot of time in the garden this week.  I know the tomatoes aren't going to ripen outside so I picked and cut off all of them I could find and brought them inside.  I cut off as many of the leafy parts of the plants and fed that to the chickens.

I eat the leaves on the right and the chickens eat the stems on the left.

  I've had to get out my pitch-fork to carry out all the mass piles of de-leafed tomato plants as a result!!!  I'm so glad the chickens love eating the plants and therefore we don't waste hardly anything.

Green Beans:

You know you've been picking a lot of green beans when you lay down at night to go to sleep and close your eyes and your brain puts the image of hanging beans in your mind!  I had quite a few nights this week where I fell asleep imagining picking green beans!!  I had to put an end to cooking Dh green beans for his lunches so I could can some!  He was able to eat as many as I was picking! 

 

We planted three different kinds of potatoes this year, and canned some of each kind by the end of this week.  

Chicken Bone Broth:
With things slowing down again I've been able to bake whole chickens and pick off the meat and put the bones in our crock pots for bone broth.  It takes time and effort, but I'm trying everything I can to make my 'gut' healthier.  I still have a few weeks before I go back to my Dietician for more insight into my diet and digestion and am hoping for improvement.  Dh and Dd are not keen on my chicken soups so it is a lot of effort for just me; which is hard to make time for, but at least I know they love eating the baked chicken meat even if they don't want any of the broth.

Hikes In Woods:

With the weather so pretty and the leaves falling down, I have spent a little extra time using fallen trees to mark our trail paths.  When all the leaves are down I will not be able to see our path any longer!  Dh has been using his old-fashioned wacker to clear new trails for us to use to give us some new options to hike in.  My Indiana friend, Heather L., introduced me to a book on the major benefits of being outside in the woods which reinforces my desire to be outside as much as I can and how being out among the trees does so much benefit to our bodies and minds.  The book is called Forest Bathing by Dr. Qing Li.



Volunteering:
Dd is volunteering at the library once a week to help out in a kiddie program and liking it a lot.  She is also volunteering each Wed. night at the church in the Olympians program, assisting with the Games section.  I also volunteer at the Olympians program and feel blessed by being there with the few kids that come.



Friday Night/Sleep-Over:
Dd had her friend Lexi spend the night.  They stayed up late and got up early to go out to eat with us; which was very surprising!  I'm always so glad when Dd has her friends over and can spoil them with some yummy food.  Lexi asked Dd to take her "Senior Picture" and they took hundreds of photo's during the visit.

The Sassafras trees are so pretty right now in our woods

Academics:

Bible:
One Year Interactive Bible Study from Word of Life
Church, Sunday School, Youth Program
Volunteering to help the church's Olympics Program on Wed. nights; Games portion (1 1/2 hours)



Bible/Fun Book:
Praying for Your Future Husband by Robin Jones Gunn: Completed
Soul Surfer Devotional
Word of Life Teen Devotional
(Dd has continued to do two bible studies each day)



Audio:
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
We are really struggling with this audio.  There is a LOT of cussing and using the Lord's name in vain which seems to be around every corner where we are right now!  I know this book is seen as one of the most important novels on "America" or I wouldn't keep trying to get us into it.  It is a tough sell.....

Thankful for a puppy that needs a lot of walks in the woods each day!

Physical Education:
Walks in the woods with Henry and me this week.  Dd also went for a hike with Hailee in the woods this week too.
One Workout this week



Home Economics:
Baked a cake and homemade icing.



Art:
Photography--Dd and Lexi spent two days taking photo's for Lexi's "Senior Picture."  They went to various locations and parks to take a wide spectrum of photo's to chose from.

Grace Subjects:

Algebra I: Saxon

Spanish I

Graphic Design

Introductory Logic

Geography: BJU

It has been fun watching the Sassafras trees turn yellow and brighten this part of the woods.

Grace Classes:

Dd is doing a great job in her classes; except for her Logic class!  I guess there is a LOT of memorization for that class and she, like her classmates, haven't been able to get over that hurdle!  I'm impressed at how well Dd is using her time to be independent in her studies, but wish it was easier to fit in our literature time too.

Honeysuckle was actually trying to get inside Dh's slipper!  She kept at it until she finally realized it was hopeless!

Next Week:

New Glasses For Dd

Henry looking for his next walk

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Sept. 30- Oct 6, 2018 Braces, Zeus, Migraines

Sept. 30- Oct 6, 2018 

Braces, Zeus, Migraines

One of the best benefits of adding Henry, seen running above, is that he HAS to have a few runs out in the woods each day to get out his puppy energy and I am reaping the peaceful benefits!

Hello Friends!

Dickens opinion of me working on the computer!

Frontier School of the Bible:

Dd really enjoyed her trip to Frontier School of the Bible, she returned home on Sunday night exhausted but energized to study her Bible more!  She has done TWO bible study's each day this week, which is fantastic!  She was really, really tired the first few days of the week, but started to get back to her normal sleeping pattern by the end.  She is trying to get back into her 'normal'  pattern again.

The thrift store had Halloween costumes 50% off, so Dd found her outfit for this year---a dinosaur!
  a dinosaur with braces! 
She is holding Dickens in the photo, he loves to be held by her and will stay in that awkward position for as long as she will hold him!

Braces:

Tuesday was a big day---she got her braces put on!!  She has a slight underbite and teeth crowding that they say they can fix through braces.  It could take anywhere from 2 to 3 years to correct her issues.  I thought her teeth were okay, but she really wanted to get her teeth fixed, so I feel she will do a good job staying on top of it all.  She is motivated to have better teeth.

Migraines:

Back to my hormone week and migraines that go along with that.  I sure am looking forward to being an older woman and not having to fight with my body and my hormones; so exhausting.  This was another doozy spell with extreme nausea and vomiting.  I've been fighting a cold this week and that hasn't helped either.

Weather:

Snow has fallen in upper Michigan this week, and we will certainly have snow during October.  Our first October here was full of feet of snow...FEET!  The big swing from 90's to 30's makes my head swoon.  Right now we are getting lots and lots of rain and cloudy days.  I've got our space heater on as I type this...already.

Zeus:

Can you believe Zeus is really improving again?!!  He is back to standing and I've put him back in the coop with the ladies!  I'm just so thrilled!  I really questioned whether I was doing him a disservice by not putting him down, but he really has gotten back to his normal self again.  He still isn't perfect, but he is better!

Garden: 

I've been picking green beans and green tomatoes this week.  I'm going to see if I can ripen the tomatoes inside.  We are having some really chilly days, on top of the gray and raining episodes.  This week has been a very clear signal of winter on its way!  My garden looks like it could happily keep producing for another two months; if given the chance, but, alas, we are in Michigan and time is about up.

Agnes and Henry---BFF's
If you remember Agnes and Sophie, our last dog, were bff's and Agnes has been the only cat to really embrace Henry, they even nap together on Dd's bed.

Academics this Week:

Bible:

Bible Study: twice daily this week.  Her trip to Frontier Bible College really inspired her to focus on her Bible Study.

Volunteering:

Olympians: Church youth program (1:30 hours)

Library: Story Time with children (1:30 hours)

Music:

Strings Group at church--guitar (1:30 hours)

Grace Subjects:

Algebra I: Saxon

Spanish I

Graphic Design

Introductory Logic

Geography: BJU

Co-Op Assessment/Shifts:

Grace Co-op is going really well.  She is doing great on all her assignments so far and is highly motivated to do well.  They have classes on Friday and work independently at home the other days.  I feel like we are still getting the best parts of homeschooling and getting more participation and engagement from Dd by having her have the opportunity to shine to other teachers besides me.

  

She still gets to sleep in most days and is given the space to grow and create at home.  I always feel so bad for the public school kids that always seem so tired and run-ragged; they are having to cram so much into their minds every day and don't get enough downtime.  I know that works great for some kids, but that just isn't ideal for Dd's pace for success.



Audio:
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck: In Process

Vera quote of the week: "You keep at it, one day all this could be yours---the hat, the mac, and the wheels!"

Next Week:

Actually, we don't have a lot scheduled for once!  

Two of my favorite things--ferns and moss!

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Sept. 23-29, 2018 Dd's Trip to Wyoming, Onion Wreath, Stain Molding

Sept. 23-29, 2018

 Dd's Trip to Wyoming, Onion Wreath, Stain Molding

Hello Friends!

This week was very unusual.  Our soon-to-be new pastor and his wife graduated from Frontier School of the Bible in La Grange, Wyoming.  The wife, April, wanted to offer to take some of the church teens out to the college's yearly "Frontier Focus" recruiting event this week for high school students to check out their college. 

Watercolor Dd is working on

Dd hasn't been on an official tour of a college yet, so we thought this was a wonderful opportunity for her to see the next step and see how close she is to the next level academically. We had three teen girls interested in seeing the college; Dd included that could go.  Our church is very small and we have R,S,J,J,F,H,L,K teenagers; all but one are girls!  

They stuffed themselves, food, sleeping bags, and bags into a mini-van for the sixteen hour drive to Wyoming from Michigan.  Wednesday morning we all met up at the church early in the morning and returned Sunday night for the pick-up.

On the Way: Chimney Rock, Nebraska:

One of the highlights of the drive was that Dd got to see Chimney Rock, Nebraska.  It is always great to see national landmarks; makes it feel like a real "Field Trip!"  They passed by the Largest Truck Stop in the World and The Cowboy Museum without stopping.

Bringing in the harvest

  I had wanted to go along, but Zeus, my rooster, has been ailing.  He has just been lying on the ground, not eating or drinking.  I've taken him out of the group and have been hand feeding him scrambled eggs a few times a day.  I knew if I left he would never live.  Plus, our new puppy Henry would never be able to 'hold it' all day while Dh is at work.  I also had high hopes of harvesting LOTS of garden veg and can; which didn't happen mainly because we haven't had an abundance of produce, just enough to eat and a little bit extra.  

Honeysuckle is just so cute sometimes..it is amazing.

Highlights of Frontier:
About 300 people participated---200 of their students and 100 high schoolers for their "Frontier Focus" events.  The first night was games and mattress surfing and dodgeball.  The second day (Friday) they went to classes (Bible Study, Missions...); which were bible related.  Friday night was a big hayride followed by banana-split social and more games.  Saturday they had breakfast and headed back home a pleasant 16-hour drive.  The girls slept in the female dormitory in rooms with current students.  They brought their sleeping bags and slept on the floor.  The meals were provided in the dining hall and were really good, Dd brought back a lot of the food/snacks I'd packed for her.  It was a very good family setting and good Christian fellowship, a Christ-honoring place.  Dd really appreciated seeing students singing praise songs during their free time on their own accord with the students.

At Home:

Onion Wreath:

In the spring Dh brought home a big set of various onion varieties to plant in our garden, which I did.  Then August the green part of the onions started to die, a sure sign it is time to pull up the onions.  I placed them on a skid out in our driveway and covered them with a plastic hoop-house so they wouldn't get wet from an rain, but could dry out completely.  After a few weeks, I brought the dried onions in.  Then I cut off any root on the bottom, rubbed off any dried skins, cut off any green beyond six inches and made a big circle out of yarn for the form of the wreath.  Then I watched YouTube video's on how to wrap the stem around the yarn to attach the onions to it.  Now I am storing it in our dark pantry for Dh to use this fall and winter.  The picture of it isn't as gorgeous as it is in person, really beautiful.

Molding:

Grampy and Dh replaced the french doors in the Rec Room last winter or spring and I was to stain the wood molding so it could be put up around the inside door frame.  Well, I finally did it this week.  We have been having the cold and rainy weather for weeks and things aren't likely to improve here in Michigan like they would if we were still in Indiana.  It took a few days, as I had to clean off the garage table to use it, but I ended up getting two chores done at the same time!  That dirty, dusty table with all its bits and bobs had been driving me crazy but never made it to the top of my daily lists. Now the molding is stained, with four coats of polyurethane and back down in the Rec Room to be put up whenever they get to it; a good job for cold days.

Pool:

Still draining and waiting for Dh to have the time to close it down all the way.  I'm trying to not let it drive me crazy.  I don't know how to do it and have to wait.

Zeus:

Ahh, this rooster.  How many hours I've cared and cared for him.  Keeping his egg just warm enough, moist enough, then he was attacked by the dog next door and all the saltwater baths and Bag Balm.  Now, this summer he keeps having these seizures.  Last Tuesday the 18th of September he was down in the coop and didn't get up for days.  I've separated him and have taken special care of him throughout the day.  I'm hoping he will rally one more time, by the end of this week he has started to return to standing up more and more; which is great!  Each day he is a little better, but it is a slow recovery.



Chickens:
Except for Saturday (migraine) I've been keen on getting one or two 5-gallon buckets of greens/weeds to the girls each day.  I know we are on the final days/weeks before frost hits and all the greens are toast, so I have really been trying hard to get them all as happy and healthy as I can before the winter dredge.  I have frozen some garden greens especially for them, but that won't be a drop in the bucket of six months of winter.  They are all doing really well and thriving---so glad!!!  I do try!  We've been selling our eggs for $2.00 dozen and I always wonder if we shouldn't raise it to $3.00 for all the work I do and the cost of their feed and straw.



Henry:
Puppies are a handful!  This week Henry chewed through the middle of our living room rug.  I had taken out our good rug for an old rug after his first two days, so I must have known he had the inability to discern between his chew toys and the tapestry rugs.  I'm SO glad I switched that out!!! Phew!  We still have our tattered sofa's in the living room that need replacing, so no worries there.  I only worry about the high back chair that the cats have scratched up, he could chew the wood feet and stand, which would be horrible, but, we did get it at a yard sale so it wouldn't be a huge financial loss but not replaceable.  I've ordered new toys for him, but he tears them up so fast!  He really is a very mouthy dog and I work hard to keep him walked and full of "HIS" toys to chew on.

Honeysuckle

Difficulties:
Migraine cluster started on Saturday, I did have almost 3 weeks on a good run though!...Dh still working many hours on writing SOP's for work, no time for fall chores yet.  The van is smoking and needs to go back to the repairman but Dh is waiting or thinking about it first?  Two of four auto's working.

Academic lessons of the week:

Dd's current Bible Study

Bible:
Church, Sunday School, Classes at Frontier, Devotions on the trip, and her increased focus on her Bible Study.  After her visit to Frontier, Dd says she wants to spend more time on her Bible study..Yay!

Dd bought a new Bible at Frontier this week.

Next Audio:
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Grace Subjects:

Algebra I: Saxon

Spanish I

Graphic Design

Introductory Logic

Geography: BJU

Honeysuckle

Next Week:
Dd gets braces put on her teeth!  The tops are braces and the bottoms are getting a big bracket put on the fix her bite.  She could have them 30-36 months (2 1/2 to 3 years), but, if she does a great job with her elastics and focuses she could see a decrease in the time with the braces.

Dickens

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