May Photo Purge

Been a busy and quick month here with us! The little finished preschool making us officially homeschoolers for both boys! We wrapped up school with the oldest, and we started our summer break. School session for us resumes late June for about 8 weeks then taking the whole month of August off. I figure that works wonderfully so that when public school starts here around the 8th of August, we can enjoy the pool at our gym in relative peace again!! Also, should another hurricane strand us for days again, no worry about making up days for school!

So here's a little photo purge of what we've done!

Mostly gardening, swimming, zoo, a little redecorating and enjoying life! The crazy days are crazy but the good days are great!
~~Amy

Blueberry Vodka Lemonade

Sometimes mama needs a drink...

I found this recipe on Pinterest last year and I drank more than my fair share of them last summer. Well, it's summer time again so here we go!

Fill a mason jar about 1/2 way with blueberries (either fresh or thawed frozen)
Fill that jar with vodka. (any brand, I used Tito's Handmade Vodka)
Store in fridge for 3-5 days.
Once a day or so, open the jar and squish the blueberries. Not really vital but helps make the vodka taste more 'blueberry-ery'.
After a few days, mix one parts blueberry vodka with two parts lemonade.

Serve over ice, with a few of the blueberries and enjoy!

DELISH! This is a strong drink, if you are not a heavyweight, so drink with caution! But a great drink for enjoying a summer afternoon!
~Amy

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I've had a black thumb for my entire life. I think I even killed bamboo at one point....that is pretty remarkable. I did manage to grow a few limes a couple of years ago but I didn't maintain it over winter so it died a slow death as well.

But they did grow, so I decided to give a veggie garden a try. Several friends have suggested the book "Square Foot Gardening" and I gave it a read. It was a really good book and very helpful. Between the book and the advice of friends with much greener thumbs, I gave it a go. And it's been rather fun, educational and a great experience, showing the kids where real food comes from!

 Look it that little tiny bell pepper!

 Grow tomatoes grow!

It's a meager little garden, but it's a start!!! :) I can't wait until the tomatoes are big enough for the kids the just pluck off the vine and eat!

Are you growing anything this spring?

~~amy

Meal Planning

I am TRYING to get a handle on meal planning. I've done dinner planning for some time now, but as we started homeschooling, it became very apparent I needed to stay on top of breakfast, lunch and especially snacks! With two growing boys they want to eat a LOT but they don't want my options. However, they are pretty good at sticking to things that are planned out, so I'm attempting the BLS Meal Plan, so they know exactly what is for each meal and snack. Right now I've only done one week that repeats, because they are very picky and have a very limited palette! I'm attempting to change that as we do, I will expand the menu.

They are always welcome to have more fruits and veggies not listed on the menu if they are not satisfied with what's available.
Here is the menu if you wish to use it for inspiration. I used Open Office to create it as I could not find one I was satisfied with to edit online!
If you cannot see the PDF, click the link here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/142582682/Monthly-BLS-Meal-Plan

Monthly BLS Meal Plan

Just a Little Science...and Mess....

We've all done this experiment I think, a little food dye, water and white carnations, right?

We decided to give it a try and it worked beautifully!

And it also ended up a little messy...thanks to two little boys who decided to "mix up" the water while Mommy slept in and Daddy was "resting" on the sofa.

So hopefully I can find ways to get food dye out of tile, paint and a windowsill.

We had a discussion about not interfering with a science experiment or it can alter the result!

For the next messy experiment, Mom will put things out of reach.....

~~Amy

What I've Made Lately...

My boys very much like the TV show VeggieTales and we watch it regularly, especially on Friday nights and Saturday, our Sabbath. I decided to crochet them a couple of amigurumi plush toys. I am not a fan of making amigurumi, it's single crochet stitch, small hooks and specific counting. Phew. But the things we do for our kids!

So I give you, Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber.

I've also started working on a little something for me. I love the show Duck Dynasty and decided to make myself some embroidered wall decor!!

I'll take a picture when I'm finished with my bearded buddies. :)

What have you been crafting?

~~Amy

Enjoying May....

This month has been busy already, and it's only two weeks in! The boy and I are having a good time homeschooling, despite the expected complaints about some of the work that needs to be done. We have about ten days left before our summer vacation starts, and we're having fun!

We went on down to the zoo on an unseasonably cool day. 

 Cheesing with a fake snake!

 We wrote a list of all the animals they wanted to see, he was checking the list.

 "Digging" in the archeology section.

 It's always good to see the rainbow, a promise of God's love.

 Cruising through puddles on the bike.

After a scary storm, a beautiful sunset illuminates on the clouds. We like to take time to enjoy the beauty God has given.

So, it's been a beautiful couple of weeks in May, and I'm looking forward to our upcoming summer. 

~~Amy