tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48696868022008170632024-03-13T12:19:07.339-07:00At Home On BasketflatI'm a stay at home, homeschooling Mom of three beautiful girls, one baby boy, plus one stepdaughter. I live along side my sweet husband, my daughters, our dog, our cat, some cattle, and some chicken on our little piece of the country. Enjoy your stay at our home.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger422125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-7298317375314349022017-06-04T22:24:00.001-07:002017-06-04T22:25:26.829-07:00GardeningWe got the gardening in the ground today.<br />
<br />
Tomatoes<br />
Corn<br />
Cucumbers<br />
Short Runner Beans<br />
Yellow/Green Bush Beans<br />
Potatoes<br />
Okra<br />
Yellow Beets<br />
Swiss Chard<br />
Short Carrots<br />
Arugula<br />
Lettuce<br />
Celery<br />
Red Peppers<br />
Jalepeno Pepper plant<br />
2 little Broccoli<br />
1 little Brussel Sprout<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOH3btcB1yLiUK6RtRlOjJsdYKbk2yakzD_hKWQZjxOGzBFrYl1umU0K8Rjc2sLNQxt6QbgGVdyVdTa2sT76kmwt7L_fM-kwMKN6SoTs5rEcYRdaAkgCnF2fNRV7W3nu6xs7LXLGd0VNo/s1600/garden-planted-2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOH3btcB1yLiUK6RtRlOjJsdYKbk2yakzD_hKWQZjxOGzBFrYl1umU0K8Rjc2sLNQxt6QbgGVdyVdTa2sT76kmwt7L_fM-kwMKN6SoTs5rEcYRdaAkgCnF2fNRV7W3nu6xs7LXLGd0VNo/s640/garden-planted-2017.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
Will still be planting:<br />
<br />
Peas<br />
Black-Eyed Peas<br />
Full Sized Carrots<br />
Pole BeansUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-75183673811827657022017-05-04T13:28:00.000-07:002017-06-02T14:45:06.148-07:00Time's Been Flying ByTook this girl to get her testing for Clark College Running Start today. Everyone's kids are growing up, including my own.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJY5297AciU2UoIbQ1bSO16GCQgaqf_eMMrJoyzLdznR7h0nnCnWUEX_pM1caF0Xuk7F7EnqXCSZ9CKteloSNSNjlfMcPSIsBJG_ESzEp7rc4g5JxzTJXTzP87PH2vkMqZYIu5E0FyXyPn/s1600/natalie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJY5297AciU2UoIbQ1bSO16GCQgaqf_eMMrJoyzLdznR7h0nnCnWUEX_pM1caF0Xuk7F7EnqXCSZ9CKteloSNSNjlfMcPSIsBJG_ESzEp7rc4g5JxzTJXTzP87PH2vkMqZYIu5E0FyXyPn/s400/natalie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-36618927159478827802017-04-18T14:12:00.000-07:002017-06-02T14:45:45.063-07:00Spaghetti Breakfast<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Josiah says, "this isn't lunch this is breakfast." He already had breakfast. And it's 10:00 and we are not early risers. Always grazing!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTwzHdWjmOcxtWiI3RC_0O_a3sSDEkXccb1eudZfUwf_bMveXZoKdJfwiocCh0xZDLwkdLZ2MOnbxo5Urn50NnvKtHkRsJ4nm6xC020IQteEOLGJnAm6RVDsrVEM2Cqv7rJFrQu6vDotD/s1600/spaghetti-breakfast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1440" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTwzHdWjmOcxtWiI3RC_0O_a3sSDEkXccb1eudZfUwf_bMveXZoKdJfwiocCh0xZDLwkdLZ2MOnbxo5Urn50NnvKtHkRsJ4nm6xC020IQteEOLGJnAm6RVDsrVEM2Cqv7rJFrQu6vDotD/s400/spaghetti-breakfast.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-77184531122609210922017-04-14T14:21:00.000-07:002017-06-02T14:46:01.184-07:00Daddy's helper today<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Daddy's helper today, while out fixing electric fences, and checking on different herd groups. He insisted on borrowing Daddy's hat. Told Daddy it was necessary because of the rain, and because of forgetting his hat. Great gate opener and closer, tool fetcher, and all around little cowboy and helper buddy.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvBDFilOSWBcFwVZs9q5kiVfJ63EGkiByvCg7WaMhRvv5bsSf9riKA-tuKI08ko-RcUFuRalZluFjxKVAhXwB7qNmBZ2qN3G25LE_HgqAKi3YOH7Taeb-GNv_48LQY2K49Z_dOxLeKikk/s1600/daddy%2527s-helper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvBDFilOSWBcFwVZs9q5kiVfJ63EGkiByvCg7WaMhRvv5bsSf9riKA-tuKI08ko-RcUFuRalZluFjxKVAhXwB7qNmBZ2qN3G25LE_HgqAKi3YOH7Taeb-GNv_48LQY2K49Z_dOxLeKikk/s320/daddy%2527s-helper.jpg" width="320" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-26556896362139054912015-03-12T17:33:00.002-07:002017-06-02T14:46:18.694-07:00Little ManLittle Man made this creation today, all on his own, no example to work from. He truly is an amazing and energetic little boy - everything he likes to assemble. A bit like his Daddy I think.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_lcmSq-5KR1Iru9sikMcsO6z3j7XkFUkeKhKOhfssSAxE_MjoGSM0GavrfOruSGFNzvuAd0v-EnfwxLTe1pD3F65G-I3ck8Vp03XXvSuPQ8eYM40UlgBZL4qKBckwC-3Vdgu-zD9bYnK/s1600/designer.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_lcmSq-5KR1Iru9sikMcsO6z3j7XkFUkeKhKOhfssSAxE_MjoGSM0GavrfOruSGFNzvuAd0v-EnfwxLTe1pD3F65G-I3ck8Vp03XXvSuPQ8eYM40UlgBZL4qKBckwC-3Vdgu-zD9bYnK/s400/designer.jpg" /></a>
<br />
I've been really enjoying the warm Spring weather, even if it isn't exactly Spring yet, it feels like it. The magnolia tree is in bloom and even the bees are outside buzzing. I'm getting my house more organized. I was home alone with Little Man on Monday, while the rest of the family went to Jon's grandmother's funeral. She was 99. But, on Monday I made some progress on the house and I keep working on it this week. My desk is almost clean. LOL. And I'm crossing some things off my list, like registering goats and ordering a missing disk for my homeschooling curriculum.<br />
<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-75395893954420697052014-02-20T21:18:00.004-08:002014-02-20T21:18:51.315-08:00Henna<p>I finally did it. I colored my (greying) hair with a little henna + a little indigo. Natural hair color. No chemicals. It is a little red for me, but my sweet husband likes it.
<br><iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/12669284145/player/49839c476d" height="479" width="640" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-27136253251497019382014-02-20T21:16:00.000-08:002014-02-20T21:16:19.323-08:00Boy Face<p>This is my middle girl trying to put on her boy face. She's a natural little actress (actor). :)
<p><iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/12669282595/player/d7231f4a4f" height="427" width="640" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-26265899618573410562014-02-14T21:20:00.000-08:002014-02-20T21:22:35.448-08:00Roses<p><iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/12669361345/player/33e06900e4" height="640" width="640" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>Four young ladies with a rose from their sweet Valentine daddy ♥♥Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-2949735168796135032014-02-09T21:22:00.000-08:002014-02-20T21:40:10.948-08:00Snow - February 2014<p>I'm not usually a fan of winter, unless it snows! I love snow. And snow it did these last few days.
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<br>Big snowflakes from the first snowfall.
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<br>The cows are actually super insulated from the snow. They have their winter parkas on and are making it through. They also huddle together for extra warmth and eat extra portions during cold weather which allows their digestive process warms them up. Next) this is my oldest daughter on the other side of our property hiking up the hill to sled down.
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<br>We don't get much speed on the hills of our property, but sledding is still fun.
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<br>And little brother enjoys being carted around on a sled.
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<br>Brrr.
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<br>Rosy cheeks.
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<br>Our goats didn't think much of the snow, but our little goat Henrietta (born last Spring) is usually game to coming out of the barn to run around with you.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-68931184363295010572014-01-06T21:45:00.000-08:002014-02-20T21:45:46.882-08:00Give a goat a Christmas Tree<p>Give some goats a Christmas tree...and...
<p><iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/12391281875/player/d0cb1473c4" height="427" width="640" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-86403224229055704462013-12-26T20:07:00.000-08:002013-12-28T00:05:33.631-08:00Christmas At Home<p>We celebrated Christmas on the 26th this year. My step-daughter wasn't with us until then, so we held off our celebration. We started the day off with boxed cereal (a treat for our kids) and a mocha for my husband Jon and I. Then, I made Gluten Free Huckleberry coffee cake and we fried up some cow heart.
<p>I prepared simple stockings for each of the kiddos, so they started out their morning discovering (and digesting) the contents. Most of the presents were arranged beneath the tree before the day began, except for step-daughter's presents, which she wrapped after arriving.
<p>My big girls (10 and 12), had rolled rag curlers in their hair the night before, so their hair was curly and wavy. My already wavy haired girl took the curls well. The straight haired girl's hair turned wavy. I redid the now wavy haired girl in braids. And, my little girl (Abigail) and the biggest (Mariah) also prepared their hair before presents.
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<p>Then, we read Christmas story from Luke, and exchanged gifts.
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<p><iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/11596889703/player/5f22855b57" height="333" width="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/11596879583/player/49412945cf" height="320" width="213" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/11597498916/player/124fe569e0" height="213" width="320" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/11597020344/player/c6ec72ec23" height="213" width="320" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/11596623805/player/b1f971713b" height="320" width="213" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/11596621525/player/fa133944d4" height="333" width="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/11596788143/player/8f24131859" height="213" width="320" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/11596662565/player/1dea006144" height="213" width="320" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-10705241663993664382013-12-19T13:16:00.000-08:002013-12-28T00:01:54.336-08:00I don't have a beard<p>Josiah: I don't have a beard. I don't have a beard. I'm not 6, I'm 3.
<br>Abigail (6): Maybe when he's 6 or 8, he'll have a little beard.
<p><b>I love kids.</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-14957817554748419132013-03-23T15:06:00.000-07:002014-02-20T12:48:42.573-08:00A New (Old) Video<p>I recently upgraded my (still picture) camera. This was a long thought out purchase. The new camera has a list of things my older camera didn't include.
<p>Including:
<ul>
<li>Improved low light photos
<li>Live view
<li>Better focus options
<li>Better lighting options
<li>C-MOS dust problem solved
<li>And, lastly video (really nice video)
</ul>
<p>So, this got me thinking about videos. With my old video camera, it wasn't as easy to process videos for the web. So, I procrastinated making the videos, but today I decided to work on my videos.
<p>Here's some of my work from today, a video of my little guy when he was a baby. I love him now, but I miss that.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pKyjIWrBuVY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-74386711681125495602013-03-21T21:18:00.001-07:002013-04-12T15:53:03.081-07:00Calves<p>I took some pictures of a property my husband will be running cattle on soon. It turns out my husband told me I took those pictures of the property he was cleaning up (from the last post) too well. He tells me they totally don't show all the work he has to do to clear brush and blackberries. He said there were some blackberries on the property that had stalks that were causing the chain saw to pause.
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/8538797620/" title="heisson_farm_4 by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8525/8538797620_5fa705745c_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="heisson_farm_4"></a>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/8537692371/" title="heisson_farm_3 by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8378/8537692371_8de8663b53_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="heisson_farm_3"></a>
<p>We had a calf born today. I was already not focusing well this morning and then Natalie told me that one of the cows was being suspicious. I went outside and took a close look at her and sure enough she was in labor. The next time I looked there were feet. I took this video a little later. She delivered her bull calf quick. The last birth we had was a breech birth and my husband had to pull it. It sure throws our household into a raucous when a calf is born. We had to go to art class today, and didn't get any school work done before leaving. But the girls came home and got their work done after art class. It made for a full evening.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VnXnYR2dRRE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-46291926142559615132013-03-10T10:11:00.002-07:002013-11-05T22:47:08.716-08:00Ahhh Sun<p>Oh, it felt like spring was here these last few days. It's been a warm winter. It's been quite rainy like normal...just a part of living in the beautiful place we live. Yesterday, we gardened. I dug up raspberry plants that I'll replant after tilling the spot they've been in. They've been terribly choked with grass, and we have a new plan. Which is to give them a fresh start and cover them with mulch. My husband actually tilled the garden. So, if we don't get a deluge all Spring, we may be able to plant early this year. The girls had so much fun running around barefoot in the grass.
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/8544640983/" title="fun_day_outside by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8518/8544640983_bc8f0927f5_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="fun_day_outside"></a>
<br>Notice her feet!
<p>I also worked in my little greenhouse. I cleaned up the weeds and the old starts I never used that I won't be using. I prepared the ground for planting. I can actually plant Arugula any time. I can plant that in the ground. And, my husband made me a warming table for starts. So, I'll plants lettuces and other earlies in that soon. My greenhouse is a cold greenhouse, with greenhouse film, so I'm still under the constraints of the weather. Yet, it's looking like this year the weather will cooperate and it might be a little warm. Last year was terribly cold. The year before that was quite cold. So, yay! This will be my first year to use my greenhouse that wasn't colder than average.
<p>Friday, after doing school, I finished pruning my fruit trees. And they got sprayed. So, here's hoping for some fruit. I had to prune them back quite a chunk this year, so it might be till next year for us to really get fruit. It's been a long time trying to figure out fruit trees. Two seasons ago, my husband actually made me some drip irrigation for them. Now, this year, I found this pruning video, so pruning wouldn't be too mysterious.
<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wvH5PS5ILnc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p>The other exciting thing that happened on Friday was a calf being born. We actually did not see it born. But, there it was in our field! We like it when births happen like that.
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/8544644331/" title="2013_first_calf by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8375/8544644331_7315bc1c91_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2013_first_calf"></a>
<p>Thursday, after school, the family headed over to the property my husband is leasing to run cattle on. I took some pictures. My husband wants before and after pictures for the work he is doing, although, I must say, my before pictures were quite beautiful, what with the golden sunset light that was falling there. It might be hard to make after tending the ground look more picturesque.
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/8537692355/" title="heisson_farm_1 by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8099/8537692355_f6b88f4e4c_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="heisson_farm_1"></a>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/8538797842/" title="heisson_farm_2 by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8367/8538797842_c94c0f9589_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="heisson_farm_2"></a>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/8537692371/" title="heisson_farm_3 by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8378/8537692371_8de8663b53_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="heisson_farm_3"></a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-80516241230394184572013-02-27T00:50:00.002-08:002013-02-27T00:50:49.434-08:00Looking forward to sunny days<p>Ahhhh, winter is almost near it's end. I'm looking forward to Spring. I want to start getting working outside. Hopefully, some sunny and warmish days are on there way. Recently, we were blessed with a warm day and went to Lewisville Park to enjoy it. It was really beautiful.
<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/8413111898/" title="swings_lewisville by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8187/8413111898_97771766ca_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="swings_lewisville"></a>
<p>I'm really wanting to get out soon. I was perusing through old photos today and realized that one of the salmon runs actually ran in January one year. I thought it was late February and March. Hopefully, I can head down to the river soon to see if there are still any salmon (very close to my house). I'm also wanting to visit the Ridgefield Bird Sanctuary. I need to look up when the birds usually return so I go at the right time.
<p>Another thing on the agenda, is that we have bred our older goat. She is due in June. It should be fun.
<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/8412011645/" title="rachel_and_clary by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8371/8412011645_719cb8448c_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="rachel_and_clary"></a>
<p>I had signed up for an alternative learning program this year, which kept me really busy. I had used similar programs for many years, but our state legislature put more and more requirements on those programs. So, in order to be able to have my kids take the classes they wanted, I signed them up for an alternative learning program, where they checked in each week. Which was fine, I wouldn't have had a problem with that. But, it ended up getting more complicated and more stressful, and I felt like my freedom to teach the way I wanted was pressured. While they allowed me to teach my own way, the goals had to be all laid out ahead of time and crossed off in a regimented way. It didn't end up working for us. So, now I'm free from that. Which I'm glad for. For now, we're paying for the classes my older girls are taking. We'll see what we do next year.
<p>More and more I'm learning the lesson, however, that for me, a simple lesson plan, reading, writing, arithmetic, nature study, delight-directed learning, is me. And is totally sufficient and superior really to the over-stretching of every last subject. For me, this is mostly following a Robinson curriculum plan, but my own style of that. And, I feel like, maybe I've found what's good for me, and will allow me to enjoy my kids, yet make sure they have a good education.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-5636420835512516452013-02-24T00:55:00.000-08:002015-03-12T17:36:32.089-07:00Five Year Old Isms<p>Abigail: "Mom, is that a double A light bulb?"
<br>Me: "No, that would probably be a 60 watt light bulb."
<br>Abigail: "Oh, yeah. If it were a double A light bulb it would be really big."
<p>Abigail: "Mom, it's a good thing that Josiah wasn't a chicken. If Josiah were a chicken, I'd be really mad. All we'd have would be girls, except for Daddy."
<p><strong>I love kids.</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-57474339514980301722013-02-05T00:57:00.000-08:002013-02-27T01:02:20.416-08:00Tasty ChickenSo tasty. We had chicken the other night that we grew last summer from our own chicks we hatched. We raised Barred Rock chickens - used the females for layers and the males for meat. We raised Cornish Cross one year and I felt so sorry for them, they could barely move under their weight by the time they were old enough to process. So, I decided to go with a heritage breed. They were a lot smaller than the chickens you get in the store, oh but they were so tasty. I can't even describe the difference. They were rich in taste, instead of bland...like the difference in the taste of homegrown produce versus grocery store. And, I am sure, so much more healthy too!
We butchered these Barred Rock chickens around 15 weeks. We raised a rooster once (that we first thought was a hen) out till he was big once and he was terribly tough. Not good for anything but soup. But, I think we butchered him more like 18-20 weeks. So, ours were fairly small (probably a little under 2 equal a store bought chicken).
They were in a movable pen which we moved every day (about 16 roosters for a 10' square pen), not completely free range. But, they had lots of fresh grass, and could move about, but probably didn't get as much exercise as completely free range. They had lots of healthy yellow fat on them though from the fresh grass. It was successful, so, I think we'll try it again and see if we can do more next year.
Here is a picture of our turkeys from last summer. They were tasty too.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/7398006996/" title="turkeys by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5232/7398006996_2b063a7c15_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="turkeys"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-21405882239983579042012-12-07T22:51:00.000-08:002013-11-05T22:55:03.318-08:00Christmas Recitals<p>It's Christmastime, so we've been busy with Christmas recitals. Here are some photos from Dance and from Orchestra. After today, I don't have any Christmas activities except with our family. I'm looking forward to celebrating Christmas in a more laid back way.<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6535457057/" title="ballet_girls_bw by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6535457057_143262561a_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="ballet_girls_bw"></a><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6535445779/" title="ballet_2_girls_b by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6535445779_4fa78524ab_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="ballet_2_girls_b"></a><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6535487123/" title="ballet_stair_step by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6535487123_4aec28e18e_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="ballet_stair_step"></a><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6535446465/" title="orchestra_retirement by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6535446465_0640182b31_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="orchestra_retirement"></a><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6535446153/" title="orchestra_retirement_bass by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6535446153_186d96bb45_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="orchestra_retirement_bass"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-65289362697552227252012-12-01T22:58:00.000-08:002013-11-05T22:59:46.553-08:00Sleeping BoyMy little boy fell asleep on the couch. This is an unusual event for my kids. None of them are the kind of kids that can fall asleep anywhere. He probably slept for a good ten minutes and I managed to get some cute shots. I know I'll appreciate these when he's older.<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6438803527/" title="sleeping_josiah by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6438803527_0c63fb88de_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="sleeping_josiah"></a><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6438803157/" title="josiah_sleepy_feet by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6438803157_4cd02ff7f4_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="josiah_sleepy_feet"></a><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6438802837/" title="josiah_sleepy_face by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6438802837_b7a9aa5207_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="josiah_sleepy_face"></a><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6438802541/" title="josiah_sleepy_boy by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6438802541_a46886f47f_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="josiah_sleepy_boy"></a><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6438802067/" title="josiah_sleepy_hand by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7006/6438802067_91ac267c1b_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="josiah_sleepy_hand"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-35241277218683763842012-11-27T23:01:00.000-08:002013-11-05T23:01:46.873-08:00Time Is Flying ByTime has been flying by in our very busy household. There is always a lot to be thankful for, and especially for my family. God gave me them and they are a very special gift. Here are a few photos of them recently.<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6319211919/" title="four_and_thirteen by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6101/6319211919_067d499188_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="four_and_thirteen"></a><br /><br>Birthday Twins (their birthday is on the same day)<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6402369195/" title="abigail_thanksgiving by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6402369195_7c3a83f3fc_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="abigail_thanksgiving"></a><br /><br>With cousins at Thanksgiving<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6402369587/" title="a_boy_and_a_train by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6402369587_0e41d78f53_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="a_boy_and_a_train"></a><br /><br>A Boy And A Train<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6304711934/" title="jon_tractor by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6108/6304711934_64f95b9290_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="jon_tractor"></a><br /><br>My Darling Husband<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6304180251/" title="rachel by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6032/6304180251_01f5fc5f91_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="rachel"></a><br /><br>My Middle Joyful Girl<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6304704574/" title="natalie_hood by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6213/6304704574_e03de5b350_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="natalie_hood"></a><br /><br>My Big Serious Girl<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/6380128745/" title="basketflat_property by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6237/6380128745_4fed4a604e_z.jpg" width="640" height="278" alt="basketflat_property"></a><br /><br>And, here is a recent picture of a property near to ours. We rent it out to graze our cattle on and my husband cleared this property and planted it in pasture. All the cleared area was in brush trees and blackberry bushes previously.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-8687624322836216672012-10-16T15:41:00.001-07:002012-10-16T16:09:41.417-07:00Ah Cleaning<p>Sometimes I feel like I never stop cleaning, pretty much literally! With a 2 year old boy, a 4 year old girl, an 9 year old girl, and 11 year old girl, and a 13 year old step-daughter, there is much laundry to do, many dishes to do, many spills to clean up, and nothing stays in its place for long. I've been working very hard to try and stay on top of it. I finally made it out to the garage today to sort clothes. My husband has a rule for me that I must catalog all the items I am going to give away to charity, even if they were given to me, so that we can take the tax deduction. How I long to just load up stuff in the back of the car and drop it off without the cataloging, but my husband does a lot for me, so I suppose I can honor his effort to try and save us a little money in taxes.
<p>My girls really help with the cleaning. In particular, I appreciate my 11 year old. She really takes more than her share. She does the dishes, she takes care of the small outside animals, and she cleans and vacuums the main room floors.
<p>My motto is slowly becoming more "less is more". And I've become a toy nazzi. That is I really limit the toys they have out. Most toys have their own box (cars in one box, potato head in one box, trains in one box, legos in one box). And they can't get out another set of toys till they put that one away. Somehow, onesies and twosies of different sets always seem to get left out somewhere; so that is a challenge.
<p>The hardest thing I find about cleaning is finishing a given area. It's really like I have a block. It's just the hardest thing to do. The thing I do with myself (which I teach my kids to do for themselves) when it comes to cleaning, is "just do the next thing". That works for me. Or the 10 minute dash. Pick up this room really quick without worrying about perfection. Then, move onto something new.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-47863441100302470522012-10-16T00:30:00.000-07:002013-02-27T00:31:11.809-08:00Dad and son<p>My little son has asthma. Each time he gets a cold (well almost every time) he get asthma symptoms and has to be nebulized extra (he gets some preventative medication every day whether he has a cold or not). Being a two year old, he doesn't like sitting still to be nebulized for long. Luckily Daddy spells me and takes care of it a lot.
<br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/8094857026/" title="dad_and_son by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8184/8094857026_bce18fcc0a_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="dad_and_son"></a>
<p>It's been a rough two weeks. I think the combination of my son being two and him beginning to be able to talk about what he wants and doesn't want, made for a very grumpy boy. Here is a sweet shot though...just regular every day life. I love my family (even on the hard days).<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24915773@N02/8094851655/" title="pumpkin by basketflat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8476/8094851655_cb17b29c98_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="pumpkin"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-70646192903014433252012-10-15T19:44:00.002-07:002012-10-15T19:44:45.742-07:00WritingWe started our new writing curriculum today. My kids didn't get "which" clauses and how the clause needs to be connected with the first part of the sentence. They also didn't get how their sentences are supposed to make sense, or how to change the sentences to make sense, and I didn't get how to teach them without getting frustrated. I hope it gets better.
My middle daughter usually has trouble writing things that make sense (she's great orally), which is one reason why we're doing Writing In Excellence. But, they are supposed to write from an outline and at least today, this actually made it harder for them, and I found myself completely exasperated as to how to explain to them what to do without telling them what to write. Writing is definitely the hardest subject for me to teach.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4869686802200817063.post-84401678873498758842012-10-11T11:25:00.002-07:002013-02-27T01:03:58.048-08:00Four Year Old IsmFour Year Old - "Mom, my tummy hurts."<br />
Me - "maybe you should lie down if your tummy hurts."<br />
Four Year Old - "No, I think I should go outside and play.<br />
Maybe my tummy hurts because I have tight fitting garden shoes on one toe."<br />
Me - "that makes your tummy hurt?"<br />
Four Year Old - "Yeah, sometimes."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1