Memorial Day Weekend

• Click on "May 15" (on the side bar) to see updated garden pix as the summer goes on you can see how our garden is growing!  Dd made/baked Breaded Cod.  She did a fantastic job making us lunch.  Dh made the salad to go along with Dd's meal.  The lettuce is from our garden!

Food, Flowers, Fun and Gardening! Our Memorial Weekend:

Dd made this Salt Potato dish from a recipe she saw on a cooking show--amazing!

Dh "smoked" these wonderful pork ribs for hours (slowly) in the grill-all I can say is "WOW"

"What I do?"

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Week 1 May 21-25 2012

Still no IG (Instructors Guide) from Sonlight; so we are doing electives and waiting for our new IG to arrive.  We had a super busy week!  Wednesday was the Children's Museum, bank and library--Thursday I sold some duplicate books at the Plainfield Christian Church's Homeschool Sale from 9am-2:30pm--Friday we did our lessons early so we could go swimming with friends.  I was ready for some adult interaction after such a busy week.  We fit in our lessons around all our activities.

Bible:
Who Am I?  by Apologia





Art/Music:
Praise & Worship cd
Piano each day
Candle making set (see pix below)
Gardening, gardening, and watering

Math:
MUS this week (no LOF or TT) 17F-18E

Science:
SL Science 3--Week 16, 17, 18, & 19

Language Arts:
Explode the Code: pg's 100-104
Spelling: AAS -review pages from beginning of book
IEW: Story Sequence/Lesson 8/The Princess and the Pea: 3 paragraphs, editing , rough draft, another rough draft, and 2 "final drafts"

Read Aloud: (this was highly recommended in IEW  by Steve Pudewa)

Politically Correct, the Ultimate Storybook: Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, Once upon a More Enlightened Time, and Politically Correct Holiday Stories by James Finn Garner

Reader:

I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina 1865 (Dear America Series) by Joyce Hansen

 Some of the books Dd has been reading-she went retro into her old bookshelves:
 "Give My Regrets to Broadway- a Chet Gecko Mystery" by Bruce Hale
 

"The Dusk Fairy" by Keith Faulkner
"The Pet Avengers"
"Bone-number 8: Treasure Hunters" by Jeff Smith
"Tinkerbell & the Great Fairy Rescue"
American Girl: "Oh Brother, ...Oh, Sister..."
American Girl: "Party Secrets.."
"The Lion King, Junior Graphic Novel"
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heroes in a Half-Shell"
Berenstain Bears: "Go Out for the Team", "And the Week at Grandma's", "Visit the Dentist", "Mama's New Job"
Marvel Adventures: "Thor and the Avengers", &"Spider man and Avengers"
"Rosetta's Daring Day" by Lisa Papademetriou
"The Odyssey" graphic novel by Gareth Hinds--we saw this at the Children's Museum's "Info Zone" and requested it from our library.



 Children's Museum visit from Wednesday.  We jumped through hoops to make it in time for the last class (3:30pm) of the Science Lab "Build a Cell".  We've done this class before; but this time we had the teacher all to ourselves.  She sat at our table and spent 30 minutes with us explaining all about the plant and animal cells.  We (I) had a blast!  Then we finished our Science Port projects and quickly returned home.

We already miss Payton Manning.

Making a cell model: animal and plant
at the Science Lab

Fran Balkwill's science books are great! 

The circle on the left is an animal cell; the rectangle on the left is a plant cell

This is Dd's animal cell

We learned how each cell has a specific job to do--be it a eye cell or a heart cell that beats; they all have a spefic job that they HAVE to do.

Finished project.  We first made circular animal cells; then turned them into plant cells by changing their shape to square/rectangles and adding in a few more ingredients

Plants
at the Science Port

Planting the seeds

Dd made a planter with seeds inside into a necklace - one for her and she made one for me

Dd made two slides for us to take home and look at in our stereo microscope

A quick pix on our way out; showing the new things we made to take home with us.

The WATERWORKS area has always been one of Dd's favorite stops (and it is beside the science labs) at the Children's Museum

Giz gave Dd a kit to make her own candles.  It isn't exactly like the real candle making kit we did from Hands and Hearts; but Dd sure did have fun!

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SL-Core D- Week 36 (Week 72 on Core D) Core D May 14-18th, 2012

Can you believe we have made it to the LAST week of Core D!!!!!  72 weeks of it! Wow!  We had a good week.  We went to the Children's Museum on Wed. and Fri. Dh took the day off so we could plant our garden--or get part of our garden planted.  We worked hard.  We also went to the library.

Besides the normal IG work we had to do we also fit in some electives.

Bible:
"Who Is God?" by Apologia
Nighttime family bible study was on the book of Revelations

Math:
Math U See "Delta": 16F, 17 A, B, C, D, E
Life of Fred "Cats": Chapters 16-19--finished this book
Families--wrote & said "7 Family" this week

Science (SL) 3: 
Week 13, 14, & 15
and Children's Museum lab on cloning African Violets
Planted our family garden  Dd helped with live plants and planting the seeds too.

Dd planting Cilantro

IEW:
we started a new section-Story Sequence (I think that is what it is called).  Our story was "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" which Dd changed that to "The Bird Who Called Hawk".  It was very hard for Dd to get back into the swing; but we did complete the work.  Dd typed up the final draft on my laptop which was her idea; and I was glad for her to do that.

Art/life daily-
Knitting &Piano daily.  Mon-Thur typing on her typewritter.  Mon-Fri Brainpop & BrainPop, Jr.

Dd's Readers and fun books:

Troubles for Cecile (American Girl) (American Girls Collection) by Denise Lewis Patrick and Christine Kornacki

The Runaways Revenge: John Newton (Trailblazer Books #18) by Dave and Neta Jackson

 

Here she is reading "The Runaway's Revenge" with Sophie

 

 I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina 1865 (Dear America Series) by Joyce Hansen

 

 fun:

The Race Across America (Geronimo Stilton, No. 37) by Geronimo Stilton

Children's Museum May 17, 2012

We went to the Children's Museum again this week; but with another hs family that we are friends with.  We did another science lab experiment- on CLONING.  We learned a lot and made a clone of an African Violet.  We got to bring home our little clone to keep and grow on our own.  Enjoy a few pictures from our visit!

Glass Sculpture by Dale Chihuly--he visited my undergraduate college when I went there (Kansas City Art Institute); so it is great seeing his work.

Send In The Clones: at the Science Lab

"Send In The CLones" : This is our Science Project for the day at the Children's MuseumMeet the African Violet.  With one leaf and stem it can totally grow a new plant!  That is amazing.  There are a few living things that do this--ex. potatoes, tulips, bulbs, apple trees and banana's go through this procedure a lot.  The banana's we eat are "seedless" so they have to be specially reproduced by cutting of a nodule from their root system to grow a new plant/tree.  First we picked a plant, then the leaf with the longest stem.  Then we cut of our leaf with long stem and picked out our growing medium-this sponge like brown square you see on the tray.

Then we placed the long stem into the hole in the middle of the planting medium.

Then we saturated the brown square/sponge with water.

Then we placed them in ziplock bags for the trip home.

Water Clock Presentation

We saw a good presentation by a "plumber".  He told us how the Water Clock works.He brought out a poster of a toliet to show how the siphon works--can you see the white poster on the blue bars in front of the clock?

Here he is with a plunger, discussing the way the water system works.

Wilbur Wright's Flying Presentation

He gave a great "performance" and stayed in character the whole time.  There was a lot of great detail and he took questions after his 'show'.  Very interesting!  Our CM's focus right now is on "Flight Adventures" so there are numerous stations to learn about flying.

More Lego Land Pictures for my friends in Virginia-

I removed the pix to make more space for my blog...hope you saw them while they were here!

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Our Garden 2012

Our Garden 2012

My favorite two pictures from this week--- I'll showcase them here for you all to see

Week 8: Sunflowers

I thought I might try to post some pictures of our garden in the same spot all summer.  This way we can see how far it has come along as the summer progresses.  I should have taken a picture of how it looked when we first came out--a huge pile of weeds 2 feet high and lettuce, romaine, swiss chard, strawberries and anything else that was left over from last summer that our mild winter didn't kill.  Even brocolli tried to come back!


Here is the order of things:
Boxes
Strawberries-first this years; and then last years
Red & Orange Peppers
Cilantro (from seed)
Basil (from a plant)
Blackberry bushes-first last years (2 plants); then 2 years old bushes
Asparagus (2 plants--planted this year)
Tomato Plants -first the right-side of the garden; then the left-side garden
Lettuce & Chard (from last year)
Blueberry Bushes (one section from last year and another section from 2 summers ago).
Kohlrabi--from seeds
Fennel--from seeds
Swiss Chard--this year; from seeds
Side Views of the garden--first right side; then left side
The progress of the Clematis (2) with some new flowers planted in between them and the Butterfly Bush (coral bells & lupine)
Tree pix
Poppy (new this year; 2 plants planted (red))
new section planted -Peas
Cornfield views
Birds, Blooms, and Such

Planting the Veggie Garden:
Sat. May 12, 2012
We worked up parts of the garden and planted a few things to get us started.  It still needs a lot of work; but we have started!

This is our herb section-- WEEK ONE I found a very cool bird's NEST inside one of the Sage plants.  Which bird makes nests that low to the ground I wonder???

WEEK ONE- Six tomato plants on the right side, and four on the left side of the gate.

WEEK ONE-

WEEK ONE-- We have a lot of swiss chard, parsnips, and lettuce that came back up from last year.  We are not sure what all to do with it.  I guess we can plant around it!  Sophie is even helping with the planting.  You can just see the two little ponds beside our neighbors house.  I see heron and ducks (and geese) flying by daily; but the heron are my favorite as their wing span is so awesome.

WEEK ONE- This cardboard box must look crazy in a garden; it is certainly nothing we have ever done before.  Dh has been reading up a storm about ways to improve our garden.  This suggestion is to build this up to place your seeds in.  We had success last year with turnips, parsnips, carrots, and beets last year; but they didn't seem to grow DOWN, they were squatty and fat; but SHORT.  Dh wonders if raising them up in more peat moss and elevated if they will be able to develop longer range and grow longer as a result.  It is worth trying!

WEEK ONE- This is part of our Blackberry Bushes.  We I have 2 plants from 2 years ao (these are the ones you see) and beside it are 2 more bushes from last year.  I hope we get more to eat this year.  The birds really love them..

WEEK ONE-

WEEK ONE- To the right of the boxes you can just see a patch of green.  That is actually two clumps of strawberries.  We had planted five bunches last summer; but it was so very hot and dry last summer that even though I watered and watered three plants didn't come back.  The rhubarb I planted on the side of the house that died out last summer did actually return on its own this spring! Yeah!  Eventually I might be able to make a homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie!

This picture is to say how we did things different with the soil this year.  Normally we just buy a lot of peat moss/manure/top soil and work with the bad dirt; but this year we took out about 15 wheelbarrow loads of the bad dirt and dumped in in the farm field behind us.  We actually got rid of a good amount of the bad dirt ! Progress!!

Second & Third day working on the garden:
5-19/20 2012  Dd is wearing the exact same outfit on both Saturday's--how unlikely!

week 2--after planting the tomatoes and working up some of the dirt we went and bought some more plants.

wK 2:  3 hard workers (Sophie is there in the shadow)

Week 2 - the tomatoes are all in; but haven't been newspapered and covered with grass yet.
Can you see the big mass of light green/yellowish to the left of the sunflower stalks?  Those are lettuce; and we are eating and eating salad!  Joy!

week 2

week 2 - preparing the soil for new seeds and plants

Week 2

Week 2- planting peppers/cilantro/seeds around boxes (zinnia's inbetween the two boxes)/cilantro plant

Boxes:

Week 2 of 'boxes'--Turnips (I think) are up.

week 2

Week 3-- cardboard seed boxes

Week 3: the Leeks in the box are doing very well.

Week 4

Week 4--Planted new seeds in here beside the turnips b/c the old seeds did NOT grow!

Week 4

Week 5: Box--Right side box- Leeks on left

Week 6-right side box

Week 6-left-side box

week 7 - the boxes have become a big lump of green

Week 8: right side box--we planted Zinnia's in between the two boxes and 5 or 6 have survived and broken through the mass of green.  Maybe next week we will have full blooms

week 8:detail of inside of box

week 8: right side box

Strawberries

Week-2 Last years strawberries and the new editions below

Week 3: 2012 Strawberry plants

Week 4  - New Strawberries

Week 5: new stawberry plants

Add caption

week 7 - new strawberris

Big-last years strawberries

Week 3: last years strawberries

Week 4 - Strawberries

Week 5: big strawberries (fruit under the leaves)

Week 6

week 7 -big strawberries

week 8- a volunteer gourd has moved in and is crunching up the strawberries.

Red & Orange Peppers

Week 2--Red and Yellow Peppers - I didn't get a picture of the green peppers that were planted later- my battery on the camera died!

week 2

Week 3: orange and red peppers

week 3 the Orange pepper that broke off and has restarted again!

Week 4 -- Red Peppers

Week 5: Red/Orange Peppers

Add caption

week 7- red/orange peppers

 

Green Peppers:

week 3 green peppers

Week 4 - Green Peppers

Week 5: green peppers

Add caption

week 7 - hard to see; but there is the green pepper row

week 8


Cilantro from seed:

week 2

week 2

Week 2 (just planted)  Dd planted the Cilantro

Week 3: Cilantro

Week 5 : Cilantro

Add caption

week 7- Cilantro


week 8 below

New Swiss Chard seedlings:

week 5 : Chard

Add caption

BASIL:

Week 2--Basil for our pesto addiction (just planted)

Week 3: Basil

Week 4 -- Basil

Week 5: Basil

Week 6 : Basil

Week 7-Basil

 week 8 below
 

Small (one year old) Blackberry Bushes:

week 2--One year old Blackberry Bushes

Week 3  small blackberry bushes

Week 4 - small blackberry bushes

week 7 - small blackberry bushes

 week 8 below:
 

  Big (2 years old) Blackberry Bushes:

Week 2
2 year old Blackberry bushes

Week 3 big blackberry bush

Week 4--big blackberry bush

Week 4  Blackberry Bush

week 7 - big blackberry bush

First garden sunflowers blooming and transplanted blackberry bushes- some long branches from our 'big blackberry bushes' had rooted themselves on this side of the garden as well.  We are hoping to have maybe 3 volunteer blackberry bushes that we can move to the back yard and out of the garden next year.  We could always use more blackberries; especially b/c the birds keep eating them!!!

week 7 detail

week 7 - look at all those blackberries!

Asparagus garden:

2 new ASPARAGUS!  and some coneflowers, black-eyed susan's, and a new peony Week ONE

Close up of the asparagus--WEEK ONE

week 3 asparagus

Week 4--asparagus garden

Right-side Tomatoes:

WEEK ONE-

Week 2 RT

week 2 -RT

week 2

week 3 right-side tomatoes

Week 3: tomatoes in right side

Week 4 Right-Side Tomatoes

Week 4 Right-Side Tomatoes

Week 4-- Right-Side Tomatoes

Week 4-- the right side tomatoes

Week 5  Right-Side Tomatoes (6 plants)

Week 6: Right side

week 7 - tomatoes on right side - 6 plants and sunflower in the middle


 week 8- tomatoes & sunflowers

Add caption
Week 8:right side tomatoes
 

Left-side Tomatoes:

Week 2 - LT side

Add caption

week 2- left-side tomatoes

Week 3

Week 4 - Left-Side Tomatoes

Week 5 - Left-side tomatoes (4)

week 6

week 6

week 7 - tomatoes on left side

week 7 - detail of left side tomatoes

 

week 8: left-side tomatoes





Lettuce & Chard:

Week 3: lettuce (we just picked a bunch)

Garden view: LEFT side

week 3: left side garden

Week 3: left side


week 8

Garden view: Right side

Week 2 RT

week 2 RT

 

Add caption

Wk 6 Left side/herb garden (terragon wound up)

week 7 - right side view

 week 8


 week 8:
 

-Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi on left---Fennel at right of the number "4"

week 3-Kohlrabi--a type of German turnip-

Week 4- Kohlrabi growing

Week 5--Kohlrabi

Add caption

 

Fennel

Week 3 - Fennel

Week 5--Fennel

Add caption

Leeks

Week 3 Leeks and something else

Week 5: Leeks

Week 6: Leeks

Swiss Chard

Week 3: starting to see a line of Swiss Chard

Week 5: Swiss Chard

week 7 - swiss chard from seed

Week 3-right side

Week 3: right side

Left-Side Views of entire garden:

Clematis garden:

Week One for this little new garden-it is Dd's garden; with a little momma help.  2 Clematis's (on outer sides) 1 Butterfly Bush in the middle- little Hosta to the left; and Black-eyed Susan's to right.  In the very front are some pitiful Impatients and behind them are a Lupine and a Coral Bells.

Trees gardens













Poppy Garden:
The Elusive Red Poppy in Sequence:

Red Poppies-WEEK ONE  --There is a story behind me calling the poppies 'elusive' b/c I have tried in vain, repeatedly to grow these beautiful flowers and they always die before they take hold...

On the left is my latest attempt at growing the tall, bright red Poppy plants that I love so much.  On the right are the two newest Blackberry Bushes from last year.  I laid on long branch down inbetween the two plants to see if it will grow roots and make new plants. WEEK ONE

Red poppies-Week Two - and 3 red geraniums

Week 3

Week 4 - Red poppies

Week 4-- red poppies

week 7 - red poppies are hanging in there with this horrid heat

Ground View:

week 3: ground view

Week 3: ground view

Week 4  Coral Bells

New-Peas

Week 4 Left-Side Tomatoes

Week 5 - new section of seeds--Peas!

Week 6

The Cornfield:

Our View: The Backyard Cornfield

Week 5 : Backyard Cornfield

week 7 - the back cornfield- it is tassling already--too early for how short it is.

week 8







Blueberry bushes: We have two separate b.b. gardens-one from 2 years old & the other is 1 year old-maybe 7 bushes total.

The three older blueberry bushes--the weak one in the cage is at the left; you can just see the post on the left hand side of the photo.

Birds, Blooms and Such:

This Redwing Blackbird was having a fit--the birdfeeder was full; the water in the bird bath were clean and we were in his way!  It took him about 3 minutes until he decided to get food even though we were there.

The first LADYBUG I've seen this spring

What a pretty onion bloom - week 3

Week 6: Sunflower

No, we are not growing bricks!  I had these here last year to form a border.  When I was lifting them up I saw movement down below in the dirt.  A momma fieldmouse was laying in her cubby under the bricks.  She was very nervous, but didn't leave her babies.  I could see the tiny babies who were hairless and about the size of the tip of my thumb.  I've gone back each day to take a quick peek at the growing babies.  Too cute!




 Flower Gardens Around the Yard:

Week 2 --The cage is for a weak blueberry bush-- I wonder if the stray cat has sprayed on it?  So, I am protecting it while it gets back on it's feet.  Isn't the Butterfly Bush looking pretty--a hummingbird was at it tonight!

Week 4 - Coral Bells

week 7 - coral bells

Week 4-- red Lupine

week 7 - Lupine

Our first sunflower bloom this year!

Week 4-- Larkin's garden

week 7 - sunflower blooms

Week 8 sunflowers below

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


week 8:in between the "boxes" are some Zinnia's about to bloom

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