This and That...

Hello everyone! I'm back with "before" and "after" pictures of two of my organizing projects. Here is a reminder of what the cupboard in the schoolroom looked like...


All cleaned up! It's not a huge change, but it's nice to be able to find things again! Did you know that ribbon, staples, glue and thumbtacks shouldn't be in the same drawer? ;0)


Here is the small table in Phillip's office that held our science supplies...


Now it's a little painting/drawing corner. I put up a few art pictures too...


We mostly use watercolor paints and watercolor pencils. The girls and Benjamin are good about not getting paint everywhere so they are usually working on their "masterpieces" every afternoon.


More supplies in a basket...


Hopefully I'll get to the bookshelves later this week. For now I wanted to talk about "Show and Tell Friday" for a minute.


When I first came up with the idea back on April 15, 07, I never imagined that it would be so much fun and that so many of you would join in! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your special things with us and also for visiting the other participants and leaving such nice comments. Show and Tell Friday wouldn't be what it is without you, so consider this a long overdue *thank you* for making it so much fun!

Also, in the past I have put Mr. Linky up at 12:00am Central time. Starting this coming Friday, I'm going to put it up at 12:00am Eastern time. That way I can go to bed a little earlier. :0)


One more thing! I wanted to tell you about a Homeschool Open House that my friend Tiany at Less Of Me and More Of Him is having starting August 1st.


I haven't shared much about how we homeschool, so I thought this would be a perfect way to give you a peek into our days. Tiany has all the details about how to join in (there are lots of door prizes too!) so be sure to visit her. You can get all the details about joining in HERE.

Ok, that's all from me, I've jabbered on long enough. ;0) Hope you all are having a great week so far!

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Hello everyone! I have been doing some cleaning and organizing this weekend. The big cupboard and file cabinet in our schoolroom needs some work. As you can see, there is just too much stuff!


The bookshelves need organized too. We will be getting our new school books next month and need a place to put them.


For the past few months this small table in Phillip's office has been the spot for our science supplies. We haven't been using them as much as I thought we would so I'm going to move all of our art supples in here instead and free up the table in the school room.


I'm not sure when I'll get the "after" pictures up. A short while ago my helper decided she was done for the day. I don't know who she thinks she is!

"Show and Tell Friday"

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!" Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, an antique find. Your show and tell can be old or new. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there's a story behind your special something, that's even better!

I have a special friend that I met through blogging many months ago. Her name is Kelly and she lives in Minnesota with her family. We email each other almost daily and yesterday she sent me a wonderful surprise in the mail.

Four of the prettiest little doll dresses, that she crocheted. I put a quarter in the picture so you can see just how small they are.


Each one has a little ribbon or....


...tiny button.


She made a red one for Grace, pink for Emily and a yellow and blue one for me. All of our favorite colors!


Here is the best part...they are actually bookmarks!!

To use, just open the skirt part, carefully slip it over the top corner of the page you want to mark, and slide it until the corner of the page comes through the neck opening of the dress.


I think they are the cutest things and I am very thankful for such a generous and thoughtful friend! Thank you, Kelly!


Kelly also shared the free pattern link with me so if you know how to crochet and would like to make some of your own, here is where you should go...
Crochet Pattern Central
Dress Corner Bookmark

Thank you for looking at my show and tell!

If you would like to join in for Show and Tell, here are the guidelines:

***Post your "Show and Tell" on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky. Please do not use Mr. Linky unless you have a Show and Tell or the link will be deleted.

***Link back here so that others can share and read through all the links. If you don't know how to do this, email me and I will send you the link code.

***Please do not host your own "Show and Tell Friday" at your blog. I'd appreciate it if you keep There's No Place Like Home as the only home of Show and Tell Friday.

~Scenes From Our Day~

Thank you so much for sharing your special summer memories and your favorite ways to spend a summer evening with me. I enjoyed reading all of your comments! With at least another month of hot days ahead, it's a good idea to remind ourselves of the nice things about summer!

Today, I want to share with you some scenes from our day...

After several weeks of vacation we are getting back to our school work. We try to keep up with writing, reading and math during the summer.


Some coloring time too, or course! It looks like we need to work on that "clean as we go" thing!


Speaking of cleaning, after hearing so many wonderful things about the Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products I picked up some dish soap, window cleaner and counter spray. I got the Geranium scent and I *love* it! There is also a little rose and clove added. Here is what the bottle says....

Geraniums, so pleasing to the eye on a summer day, are said to uplift and soothe the mind with their refreshing floral scent. Peace of mind while you clean.


Out in the garden things are growing well...

After waiting several years, I'm finally getting some lavender flowers!


Emily's Sugar Snap Peas...


Morning Glories climbing up the fence.


For dinner tonight, Grace made Momma Roar's Ham and Cheese Pie.


It was delicious, thank you for the recipe, Leigh Ann! There aren't any leftovers for lunch so we'll be making this again!


Jennifer shared a recipe for Strawberry Banana Smoothies and I made them for dessert tonight. I didn't have any bananas so I used 1 1/2 cups of strawberries. They were so good!! Emily asked if I could make them again for breakfast tomorrow. :0)


Thank you for looking at the scenes from our day!

Bed in Summer

~Bed in Summer~

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?

-by Robert Louis Stevenson


Pictures from www.art.com

The part of the evening when the sun is just beginning to set is my favorite time of day...twilight...dusk...gloaming...owl-light (I love this phrase!).

Inside, dinner is over and the dishes have been washed and put away. Outside, a cool breeze has arrived, the Mourning Doves have stopped by for a quick birdseed snack, and in just a few minutes Mr. Toad will poke his head out from under the ivy and go for his evening walk.

It seems that bedtime is getting later and later around here. Of course, everyone is on their best behavior because they are sure I'm going to announce "time for bed!" any minute. :0)
I can hear them now..."it's still light out...one more chapter, please!"

I am reminded of a fun summer evening back when I was around 8 or 9 years old. My friend that lived near us was over and we were playing the game Trouble (with the pop-up dice roller). The darker it got, the closer we moved to the back porch light. I remember being surprised that I hadn't been called in for bed yet. We soon grew tired of the game, but we kept on playing, even braving the mosquitoes for the rare late bedtime!

What is your favorite way to spend a summer evening? Do you have a special memory to share?

Sunday, July 22, 2007

My bakeathon is over and I have the dirty dishes to prove it! Apparently I don't always follow my own "clean as you go" advice. ;0)



I'm off to wash the last few mixing bowls and the kitchen floor.

I have posted a few more recipes, right below my "bakeathon" post. Let me know if you try them!

Weekend Bakeathon!!

Good Morning! I normally like to sleep in a little on Saturday mornings, but today I have plans for a "cook/bakeathon!" There are at least five new recipes that I want to share with you, (three of which can be frozen for later) and I thought I would post pictures and recipes throughout the day. I'm going to put on a pot of coffee and get started, but first I have some "bakeathon" tips...


Tip #1

~Make sure you have all the recipe ingredients before you start. I'm hoping for no surprise trips to the grocery store this weekend!


Kitchen Tip #2

~Clean as you go. I usually fill up a sink of hot soapy water so dishes can soak.


Kitchen Tip #3

~Scrub your kitchen floor after your bakeathon, not before. Ooops!


Kitchen Tip #4

~Recruit all the help you can get! :0)


I'll be back soon!

Homemade Basil Pesto

Have you ever had Basil Pesto? It is a simple Italian sauce that brings summery flavor to all sorts of dishes.

For the main ingredient, I headed out to the vegetable garden.


As you can see my basil plants went a little crazy this summer!





Fresh Basil Pesto

1 cup walnuts or pine nuts
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, (4 ounces)
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

In a food processor, combine nuts, basil, and garlic; season generously with salt and pepper. Process until nuts are finely chopped. With machine running, pour oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until smooth. Use immediately.


You can also buy already-made pesto at the grocery store and here are a couple of ways to use it up...

I got this first recipe from my Father-in-law. Take slices of toasted sourdough bread, spread with butter or even better, some roasted garlic.


Spread with pesto and sprinkle with feta cheese. This was *really* good!


Another way to eat pesto is over spaghetti noodles. Grace says it's her very favorite food, she has called it "green spaghetti" since she was three. :0)


Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese and enjoy!


Along with some grilled chicken, this was our Sunday dinner.


Recipe from www.marthastewart.com

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

I heard about these muffins from my friend, Jodi. I made a test batch last night and I'm making another batch this morning for the freezer.


Lemon Blueberry Muffins

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup light cream (or milk)
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp. lemon extract (this gave the muffins a wonderful lemon flavor)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients; stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Spoon into 18 greased or lined muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

I filled my muffin tins up to the top and got 1 dozen.


Lightly golden and very moist inside.




A nice summertime breakfast!


Recipe found at Mountain Musings and reprinted with permission.