Sept.1st, 2012 Caterpillars & Garden Highlights

Sept.1st, 2012 Caterpillars & Garden Highlights

I brought in new fennel folliage for the caterpillars today; and also found 2 large and 1 tiny caterpillar on the new folliage.  I did a rough count; and it looks like we have at least 13 caterpillars now (maybe more!).

It is hard to believe how TINY they are when you first see them; and how fast they get HUGE!  You can see why I have such troubles counting how many we have! Can you see the tiny black dot on the green needle shaped/dill shaped plant?  The black with the white little stripe?  That is the baby caterpillar!

I counted 6 caterpillars when I took this photo--they are so camouflaged that it is hard to see them now.

From the tiny speck to this huge guy in such a short amount of time!

Dh brought in a new batch of produce from the garden on Sat. and I took pix of what he brought in--yes, that is a cantelope!  We should have about 4 more to come!  I'm glad we compost b/c we get new produce from the seeds we throw away!

Zucchini, pumpkin, and cantaloupe

Lots of various red tomatoes

We are going to can some green tomatoes (for winter fried green tomatoes) and Dh wants to make a green tomato dill thing--sort of like bread & butter pickles; but with green tomatoes.

Green peppers, peppers, and green tomatoes

And Dd got to PLAY, PLAY, PLAY in the rain!

Dd got on her bathing suit and played in the back yard.  She found all the puddles and had a great time! 

Aug. 27-31st, 2012 -Week 4- Lessons for Core E

August 27-31st, 2012

We finished up the IG for week 4.  It is hard to believe we have already finished 2 books; almost 3!  We worked at "The Giving Tree" again this week.  It is the food pantry that our church owns.  I am so glad we are working there and volunteering our time and effort towards good things.  I'm really glad that Dd is excited to go and work!  I hope her attitude stays this positive.  Dd has been practicing her basketball skills.  She has been baking cakes, cookies and making lots of ice cream from scratch.  She is getting carried away!!  We had a nice tea party with some friends and brought cookies to contribute.

Let's see - for our lessons:
Bible:
John, Matthew, and John
Starting Strong

Math:
Skip-Counting 7 & 8 families
TT Lessons 2-6
TimezAttack

Science:
SL Week 28 and Week 29
worksheets 142-147
Plus, gardening & watching our caterpillars grow!

AAS 3:
Step 22-lesson & test-passed
Step 23-lesson & test-passed
Reviewed Lesson 13 again the 1-1-1 rule

FLL 4:
We started level 4!!
Lessons 1-3

History:
The Story of the USA-Book 2
Landmark (3 chapters)
Sounding Forth the Trumpet
Wee Sing America

RA:

Moccasin Trail by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Moccasin Trail--we have only 1 chapter left (maybe 2)-- We are really enjoying this book!  I really don't want it to end!  We could have finished it; but I kind of don't want to!  I know, I know!  I will finish it soon...but, I will miss visiting with Jim Keath!  I really like his character.  He left his white parents.  He was attacked by a grizzly bear, and was found 1/2 alive from some Crow Indians.  They nursed him back to life and finished raising him for around 6-9 years.  He left his Indian parents - again running away from things.  He eventually realizes he doesn't fit in the white world or the Indian world.  He is walking on the line between both and an outsider to both cultures.  Who among us doesn't sometimes feel the same way?  He decides to pick one over the other and try to make compromises to fit in. 

Dd is still reading Freedom Train--about Harriet Tubman. 

The other books she is reading right now:

The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) by Jeff Kinney

  *book*

The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 3) by Jeff Kinney

 

 

Aug 29, 2012 Green Things!

Highlights from this weeks green things-- our caterpillars are growing nicely, our 5 new garden sections are doing well--most of the seeds have sprouted, and produce is coming in each and every day! 

New fall lettuce---I've been missing our salads!

The huge masses of green are all the tomato plants!!  No red b/c we pick them!

This WAS where a 'box' was, but now it is planted with turnips and kohlrabi for this fall.

Just an update on how well the strawberries are doing!  They are sending out runners like crazy!!!

On the left is a pie pumpkin; and on the right is the biggest tomatoe we've grown this year!  It is absolutely HUGE!

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