A Look Back at June...

Now that we've reached this last week of June, I'm looking back at the busy full month behind us! We had lots of "big" days, and fun times, but the most precious memories are usually the little moments that happen on random Tuesdays... Such as helping a friend with a sewing project... Or playing with activity bags while Mama makes supper... Or bulk shopping with the family... Making a new friend, a millipede named Squiggles... Napping...

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Potatoes Au Gratin

 Potatoes Au Gratin Ingredients: 8 potatoes, peeled and sliced 1 onion, sliced salt and pepper 6 T butter 6 T flour 1 tsp. salt 4 c. milk 3 c. Colby Jack cheese butter Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9x13 casserole dish. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and salt and whisk constantly for one minute. Stir in the milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Add in cheese and stir until...

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Growing...Just a Little Too Quickly

OH! It seems everyone is in such a hurry to get bigger! It seems like we've been a family of "little" children for so long, And now, as if out of no where, they have grown. Yes, still little in comparison, but we are crossing that boundary from having all babies, to having "big" kids. I'm not sure if my heart is quite ready! Joseph and Joshua have joined Jacob as scholars. Joseph loves learning. I'm so amazed watching his little mind grow!...

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A Delightful Tea Party

 A homeschooling friend of ours invited us to attend a tea party. The boys were ever so excited! Joshua asked if he may wear a tie. We picked a bouquet of fresh mums from our flower beds and tied them with a cheerful ribbon, and pulled a jar of peach preserves we had canned as hostess gifts.  The table setting was lovely. The boys really liked the crustless sandwiches. Joshua especially liked the cucumber sandwiches, and Joseph favored...

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Homemade Pizza Dough

 After my post on baking for the freezer, I had quite a few requests for my pizza dough recipe. So, after much delay, here it is! Ingredients: 1 c. warm water 1 tsp salt 3 c. flour 1 tbsp yeast Directions: I prepare the dough just as I would for making bread. I use my kitchen aid mixer for the kneading. Let the dough rise, and then roll it out into shape, then let rise again for about 25 minutes. Once the dough has risen the second...

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Father's Day Bowling

For Father's Day, Daddy thought it would be lots of fun to take the family bowling. We'd never been before, so it was a fun new adventure! We had a wonderful time, and I'm pretty sure the people next to us were rather amused!  Watching Joseph bowl was the cutest thing ever. His ball would roll so slowly that we'd be just certain it'd never make it. He'd stand and watch it ever so patiently, though. And, the attendant only had to go get...

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Birthday at the Zoo!

 For Daddy's birthday, he really wanted to spend the day at the zoo with his family. We packed a picnic lunch of smoked ham and honey mustard sandwiches, boiled eggs, and chips.  We had so much fun together, now that so many of the children were really old enough to enjoy the animals. James talked for days and days about how much fun the train ride was! He loved that he got to sit by Daddy.  All of the boys enjoyed the carousal....

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Making a Father's Day Craft

 Don't worry! I'm not giving away any spoilers. ;) I'll wait to let this post until after Father's Day! This was a hilarious craft project for us. I cannot stand feet, Jacob definitely has a foot phobia...particularly his own feet. And James is never a fan of anything he'd consider out of the ordinary. Oh, and let's not forget John David. Yes, he thought painting his feet was rather strange! Nonetheless, we did make footprints with paint....

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