Chasing Fireflies

Colors of our Weekend

GRAY, BLUE, RED, GREEN, and WHITE

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On May the Fourth (also known as "May the Fourth (Force) be with you" to Star Wars fans):

My boys wore their Star Wars shirts and played with their Star Wars characters and Legos.

My boys ate X-wing fighter aircraft sandwiches for lunch.

We ate lightsabers for dessert.

On May the Fifth (also known as "Cinco de Mayo"):

Michael ran a 10K race in under an hour and finished with a smile on his face.

We ate Mexican for dinner - tilapia fish tacos with purple cabbage slaw and chipotle aioli, refried beans, guacamole, and lime/lemonade in lieu of margaritas.

We viewed the full moon before bedtime.

Spring Sunset Picnic

The first day of spring brought us a sunset picnic by our blooming bulbs.  Afterwards, we enjoyed spying new leaf growth, dogwoods blooming, and a nest that we will begin to watch for eggs.

President's Day

For President's Day this year I wanted the kids to sample some of the same recipes that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln ate while living.   A living history culinary experience you might call it.  :)

I began by doing some research myself. 

According to the Mount Vernon Kitchen website page: 

General Washington's typical breakfast has been described by members of his immediate family and several guests. His step-granddaughter, Nelly Custis Lewis, who was raised at Mount Vernon, wrote "He rose before sunrise, always wrote or read until 7 in summer or half past seven in winter. His breakfast was then ready – he ate three small mush cakes (Indian meal) swimming in butter and honey, and drank three cups of tea without cream."

We made hoecakes (a corn cake named so because orginally they were baked on the blade of a hoe) for our breakfast, and drowned them in butter and honey as George did.  To drink in our Mount Vernon garden house tea cup we had Liberty tea*.  Because as we discussed, we feel sure George would have had liberty tea and not English taxed tea! 

*Background of Liberty tea:  When the king of England placed a tax on tea, many colonial families, protested it. Colonists who did not agree with the kings rule were called Patriots. They refused to buy, sell, or drink tea. Instead, they made their own ‘liberty teas’ from flowers, herbs, and fruit leaves. We made our Liberty tea by steeping raspberry leaves in boiling water.

Isaac and Joshua dressed as George Washington for the day

Later in the evening, for dinner we ate Chicken Fricassee in honor of Abraham Lincoln.  The Questing Feast website writes: 

"It is said that his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln had a hard time getting him to remember to eat at all. When she did discover things that he truly enjoyed, she made sure that they were available whenever he wanted them. For the most part, his food tastes were simple. He loved fresh fruit, particularly apples. One of his favorite meals was simply fresh fruit and nuts, cheese and crackers.

President Lincoln did have two favorite dishes, Chicken Fricassee with biscuits and Oyster Stew."

I served rice, broccoli, and 9 grain bread alongside our Chicken Fricassee.  

I cooked ours in the slow cooker and used thyme, parsley, and oregano for herbs.  It was delicious especially with the rich cream sauce.  It's easy for me to see why Abraham enjoyed it so much-it might become one of my favorite dishes, too.  :)

Although our President's Day was busy and eventful, we had a grand time celebrating two of our country's most honorable president's.

Valentine's Dinner

Belgian Heart Shaped Chocolate Waffles with Strawberries, Raspberries, and Whipping Cream, Turkey Bacon, Chicken and Sage Sausage, and Sparkling Apple Cider

Purim 2012

Craft:  Homemade Noise Makers

Dinner:  Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes, Strawberry Sauce, Whipping Cream, and Turkey Bacon

Dessert:  Raspberry, Fig, and Chocolate Hamantaschen

Green Eggs and Ham Lunch

Do you like green eggs and ham?

I do so like green eggs and ham!  Thank you!  Thank you,  Sam I Am!

Leap Day

Leap Years are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the sun. It takes the Earth approximately 365.242199 days – or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds (a tropical year) – to circle once around the Sun.

However, the Gregorian calendar has only 365 days in a year, so if we didn't add a day on February 29 nearly every 4 years, we would lose almost six hours off our calendar every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days!

Julius Caesar introduced Leap Years in the Roman empire over 2000 years ago, but the Julian calendar had only one rule: any year evenly divisible by 4 would be a leap year. This lead to way too many leap years, but didn't get corrected until the introduction of the Gregorian calendar more than 1500 years later.

In the Gregorian calendar 3 criteria must be met to be a leap year:

• The year is evenly divisible by 4;
• If the year can be evenly divided by 100, it is NOT a leap year, unless;
• The year is also evenly divisible by 400. Then it is a leap year.

This means that 2000 and 2400 are leap years, while 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300 and 2500 are NOT leap years.

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While teaching my kids why we have leap years we sipped Froggy Floats. 

What did you do for leap day?

Information taken from:  http://www.timeanddate.com/date/leapyear.html

100th Year Anniversary ~ Discovery of the South Pole

100 years ago Roald Amundsen along with four members of his team and 16 dogs reached the South Pole and planted the Norwegian flag in the frozen Antarctic ice.  This discovery was historic as man was still trying to conquer the earth just a century ago. 

Olivia has long been fascinated by the story of Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott and their "Race to the South Pole."  I recall her receiving a book on explorers several years ago which sparked ignited her curiosity.  The following weeks she checked out probably a dozen books on the subject from the library.  She researched and learned all about details of their routes and explorations. 

Even today she is so interested in their stories she included The Story of Polar Conquest on her Christmas wish list over a month ago.  In fact, she has shared so many intriguing details of Amundsen and Scott with me that she has now drawn me to their story.  :)

When I realized today was the 100th year anniversary I knew I must do something special in honor of the discovery. 

Tonight after dinner I made a South Pole Marker, grabbed our stuffed penguin, scattered some marshmallows around, and then scooped Polar Cream (vanilla ice cream) and whipping cream into white ramekins, and topped them each off with a miniature south pole marker.

The kids thoroughly enjoyed their Polar Cream and Olivia enjoyed sharing facts about the Amundsen exploration with us while Isaac talked about our "Captain Cook," of Mr. Poppers Penguins, of course.  :)

I'll leave you with this excerpt from the New York Times:

When Roald Amundsen's ship, the Fram, left Norway on Aug. 9, 1910, it carried, in Amundsen's words, "nineteen men, ninety-seven dogs, four pigs, six carrier pigeons, and one canary." The ship was nearly 20 years old, and the expedition leader, Amundsen, was 38. He was already a formidable polar explorer, but this voyage to Antarctica and the South Pole made him one of the greatest explorers who ever lived.

On Dec. 14, a century ago, Amundsen and the four members of his team reached the South Pole. "That day," he wrote, "was a beautiful one," and at 3 o'clock in the afternoon they planted the flag of Norway, each man with one hand on the flagpole. Like so many other days on that polar journey, that day was "like a pleasure trip," as Amundsen later reported. The weather was good, but even better was the planning. The Norwegians were born skiers, excellent dog handlers and skilled navigators. They proceeded across the ice exactly as they had done across the ocean, fixing their location again and again by dead reckoning and with sextants. They also left innumerable cairns and markers to guide them on their return.

In his book, "The South Pole," Amundsen makes none of this sound heroic. He admired the English for their "pluck and grit," but what you feel in reading his account is joy and adventure. Even now, Amundsen is too little admired, mainly because his straightforward success was eclipsed by what a member of Robert Falcon Scott's expedition called the "first-rate tragedy" of Scott's polar push, which ended in the deaths of Scott and his four-man team.

On Dec. 14, Amundsen was at the pole, writing a letter to Scott wishing him a safe return. Scott was 34 days behind him, on a different route. Scott's journal for that day reads, "We are just starting our march with no very hopeful outlook."

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Information and pictures taken from:
www.wikipedia.org and www.visionforum.com

Thanksgiving Day Turkeys

Stuffing or Dressing

Does your family eat stuffing or dressing for Thanksgiving?  Is there a difference?  Is yours wet or dry? 

Here's what I've found out :

Oftentimes, stuffing is traditionally said to be cooked inside the Thanksgiving turkey absorbing the juices, while dressing is served alongside in a separate dish resulting a little drier in texture.  I also found the staple dish (regardless of what it is cooked in) served up with turkey on Thanksgiving Day is referred to as stuffing from sea to shining sea, for the exception of the states below the Mason-Dixon line.  Southerners tend to prefer to call it dressing regardless of whether or not it's cooked within or outside the bird.  Another difference is in the north stuffing usually begins with white bread and in the south dressing usually begins with cornbread.  From there ingredients vary from region to region and from family to family.  In South Carolina they often add rice, in coastal areas they might add oysters, andouille sausage will be added in New Orleans, and in Texas chilies are occasionally added. 

It appears that just as the Coke verses soda pop debate will never end, neither will the stuffing verses dressing debate in the United States.  That's alright though.  We like having differeces to distinguish us and set us apart.  Right?

I'm curious.  Do you eat stuffing or dressing for Thanksgiving?  How is it prepared (inside or outside the bird)?  What's the bread base (white bread or cornbread)?  Is there a special ingredient added to your stuffing/dressing?

Please comment here for a Thanksgiving project for Olivia.  We're taking a poll to create a chart.  

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Websites researched:
http://www.ajc.com/hotjobs/content/eveningedge/stories/2008/11/18/stuffing_or_dressing.html
http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2011/11/18/stuffing-vs-dressing/

Colors of our Weekend

ORANGE, YELLOW, BROWN, and BLACK

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This weekend we gathered:
Some of our good friends over for an Outdoor Movie Night - complete with popcorn, a fire, s'mores, and caramel apple cider and hot chocolate.
For a sweet friend's 9th birthday party - pop star / karaoke style.
Some sticks to make fall hued God's Eyes.
Outside the majority of time to soak in the fall temperatures, wind, and beautiful weather.

Brunch with Friends

Last Tuesday morning we had the privilege of welcoming my long-time friend, Renee, and her girls to our house for brunch.  We had such a memorable and special time together.  Renee and I became friends when I was a newlywed and had moved to a new town with my husband.  She was new in town, too, and we shared a commonality that our husbands worked for the same company.  We became very good friends and a couple of years later we were both carrying our first babies at the same time - me only a few months ahead. 

Through the years, distance separated us physically, but we have continued our special friendship via email and phone calls.  And even though she has been 6 hours away, Renee has been a constant source of encouragement to me and is the type of friend who surprises you with a card in the mail just when you need it most.  (In addition, Renee is my all-time most common commenter on my blog.)  :) 

We have watched one another's children grow up through Christmas cards and on the computer screen.  Renee and I also share something else - we are both homeschool moms.  This brings our friendship even closer and all the more special.  And now as our family has returned to Mississippi, our children are now becoming friends and will be able to develop closer friendships as their mommies get to "pick up where we left off." 

Our six sweeties

Our brunch of zucchini honey muffins, banana muffins, hard boiled eggs, grapes, blueberries, and milk

"Make new friends, but keep the old.  One is silver and the other gold."

As Renee stated to me, "I'm glad we're old friends and that our children are new friends."  Ditto to you, Renee.  I'm looking forward to watching God develop our friendship even more, now that we're back in Mississippi.  :)

Renee and I last November - our reunion after 7 years

14th Anniversary Dinner

After you've been married 14 years and you don't have a babysitter and you live in a small town with not many fancy restaurant options and you want to keep your kids on schedule and you're tired and you don't have a lot of extra money, what do you do for a special dinner?  You make one yourself.  That's what you do. 

I did research on the traditional 14th anniversary gift.  Do you know what it is?  I didn't either.  (That's why I did the research.)  The traditional 14th anniversary gift is...are you ready for it?...ivory.  Well, as I normally do, I try to be creative in my gift.  So, I gave Michael a gift of a 4-course dinner on ivory placemats, ivory plates, and ivory cups, and ... I guess our dessert consisted of ivory colored ice cream.

Our 4 courses consisted of:

Pecan-Beet Salad

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

Blue Cheese Encrusted Beef Tenderloin, Corn on the Cob, and Creamed Spinach

Heart Shaped Apple Tarts À la Mode
(made with my grandmother's apple tart recipe)

I enjoyed the special evening with my husband and saving money and staying home.  Next year though, I am hoping to get to go back to where we went on our honeymoon.  :)

Fathers Day 2011

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend Father's Day this year with both my dad and the father of my children.  We had a grand day full of activity and making memories.

The morning began with my mom, Isaac, and I teaming up to prepare a hot homemade breakfast of biscuits, bacon, sausage, gravy, spinach and mushroom omelet, and fresh fruit.

After breakfast the kids presented their dad and granddad with handmade fish cards that they had decorated.  Along with the fish came fishing poles and a tackle box and messages of "Happy Father's Day!  Will you please take me fishing?"

By midmorning my dad and I had dressed in appropriate attire and headed to the back of our property to the wild blackberry brambles.  We reflected on many memories from my childhood when we would go blackberry picking each summer.  Although many berries didn't make it into our bucket, before we knew it our bucket was full of sweet ripe wild blackberries.

Our afternoon was spent in Shiloh National Park viewing a bald eagle that has made his home there and driving around the park.

From Shiloh National Park we headed to the historical "Catfish Hotel" for dinner where we dined on catfish, sweet potatoes, hushpuppies, and slaw.

And then to top off the day, we returned home to our homemade dessert of Blackberry Cobbler made from the freshly picked blackberries Dad and I had picked earlier. 

I had a grand day celebrating two of the most special fathers in my life.  I am grateful to God for the role they play in my life and the lives of my children.  Happy Father's Day Dad and Michael!  I love you!

Hoppy Easter!

 

Spring Nests

We've been "nesting."

Much like we found robins to have last year. 

Only our version was edible.  Over the weekend we made our recipe for haystacks, minus the peanuts.  Olivia and Isaac scooped the mixture out of the bowl and placed it on a cookie sheet.  After dropping our spoonfuls we made a shallow spot in the middle before placing them in the refrigerator to harden. 

After hardening, we placed mini Cadbury eggs and Peeps chicks to complete our spring nests. 

 

HAPPY NESTING!!!

The Reason I Made Boston Cream Pie

When I posted the other day about making Boston Cream Pie on both my blog and on facebook, I received some very good guesses.

One friend guessed that I might have watched Throw Down with Bobby Flay the night before and been inspired. 

Another wondered if we're learning about Boston in homeschool.

And another wondered if we're visiting Boston sometime soon.

However, it was my sister the artist who actually hit the nail on the head with "because it's really a cake and you studied Wayne Thiebaud's Cakes." 

It's true.  I've been staring at these masterpieces on my refrigerator door for the last week and I just couldn't get that Boston Cream Pie out of my mind.  Did you know that Boston Cream Pie is actually a cake?  I had actually forgotten until were playing the National Gallery of Art's Frosted Fractions game about Thiebaud's Cakes.  From that point on and seeing the lemony yellow top of Thiebaud's version everyday, I HAD to have one.

What about you?  Do you like Boston Cream Pie?  It's been a big hit around here.

I'm making a Boston Cream Pie.

Can you guess why?

St. Patrick's Day 2011

Before children awake

Morning craft

Afternoon craft

Dinner and dessert ~ Irish Stew and Irish Soda Bread

Pancake Day 2011