Getting Down To Business

Henle House is a fun place and my life sort of revolves around it.  It's a business, a successful one for it's size.  When I started this business, I thought very hard about how I wanted to present it to people.  (Or how I did NOT want to be..)  Right off the bat, I decided that this would be a learning center.  Every child who enters our home will learn something.  Sometimes that "something" is simple, like manners.  Or how to use the toilet.  But by golly, if I have anything to do with their learning schedule, then they will be writing their names and recognizing the whole alphabet, numbers, shapes, colors and concepts by the time they enter kindergarten.  Every parent should have that opportunity for their kids, and that's why I offer that service without any extra costs to them.  I love teaching.  It's time for me to get ready!

This morning it felt like fall.  I had to grab blindly for the light switch because the sunrise is getting later in the mornings.  Time to get out my fall candles (more to come on this, I am now in the Partylite business! Yippee!)  and time to get in the preschool zone.  I looked over my curriculum, it's ready.  The school aged kids are very excited to head back, and I cannot wait to start our learning schedule again.

 I realized that I need some new shape flashcards.  I printed some off of the internet and glued them to index cards.  I laminate most of my stuff in clear contact paper.  Less paper (or plastic) cuts that way. ;)

Once covered, cut them out, leaving a little room around the edges for the contact paper to cling to itself.

Hole punch and tie with yarn, and now it's ready to add to the group time basket.

Just in time for September, Scholastic Book Clubs mailed out the newest flyers.  Scholastic is wonderful, and if you do not have access to a school that offers these low priced books and want to get your hands on some, please let me know and I will get you a flyer!  No tax, free shipping, and reasonable prices.  I love books.♥♥♥  Happy Wednesday!  I'm having a root canal done this afternoon.

Balloon Batter

We had some extra balloons floating around and decided to use them.  I love when a toy is created out of art!

Give the kids each a plain paper plate and ask them to color it any way that they desire.  These kids know me well, they asked me,"Do we color in ALL of the white?"  "Yes, do your best!" I respond.  I like to see them actually making an effort, creating a pattern, or just working on coloring in every white spot.  Scribbling is fun sometimes, but I like them to actually try.

Once they have colored the plate completely, we flip it over and tape a popsicle stick to the back for a handle.  I like the packing tape because it's very strong.  Scotch might not work for this.  Next, blow up a balloon.  I recommend blowing it up only half way.  It is more inclined to fall back down once it is "batted" into the air, and works better that way.  I wrote each childs name on balloons with a Sharpie.

The results?  Happy children, playing with the toys they just created.  Sweet!

Happy Tuesday! ♥♥♥

A Visitor

Every morning at 6, I am up.  The routine is to open up the door curtains and open the door for some fresh air.  On this particular morning, I heard a rustling.  I thought it was a deer so I stepped outside to see.  We've been watching a couple of fawns lately.   My watch cat, Niko, was waaay ahead of me.  He was ready to investigate.

Look who it was!  Half of me wanted to grab the BB gun because I know these guys are pests.  But this guy only wanted to get his little paws on the plums in the tree behind him.  I thought I'd let him, since I can't wait to get my own greedy little paws on the plums either.  They are fair game, and he beat me to them on this morning.  He only took two or three.

I thought he was really funny, slinking around in slow motion.  Slowly dragging his heavy behind up the tree..

He's a skilled climber.

 Look at him, taunting me!  He's probably thinking," Ha! Beat you to them!"   I haven't seen him since, and boy am I glad.  ♥  Happy Monday!♥♥♥

Putting Food By

Peaches have been on my mind and up until I found the peaches in the photo, the price was not right.  My mom tipped me off that a farm stand in Sultan was selling them for $16.50 per box.  I rushed out there the next evening.  (Stockings Farm in Sultan.) 

It was like a diamond in the rough, and it smelled like dairy cows.

I had been here once before to purchase some pumpkin bread mix.  It's really a beautiful place, surrounded by flourishing veggie gardens.  I found my peaches in a pile that said "#2", and that meant that there were some minor imperfections and the boxes had been marked down to $8.50.  I purchased three boxes. One of Elberta peaches, two boxes of Red Globe.

Not bad for cell phone photos, eh?  I would've liked to wander around and see what was growing.  I could tell everything had just been fertilized.  I would love to work a farm.

My mom gave me this book for my birthday last year.  It's quite helpful!  I was, however, annoyed that it only gives the recommendation of using syrup in canned peaches.  I refuse to swamp all of that beautiful fruit in syrup.  I have always canned with water.  No death by sugar, here.

I used my water bath canner to sanitize the jars.  They had been in the attic all winter.  (Last year our apple tree didn't produce well, and what it DID give us was full of bugs.  No canned apples, hence the jars were banned to the attic.)  Anyway, the book recommends 30 minutes.  Running through the dishwasher is a good way to sanitize your jars and rings.

Here they go- packed and filled with water, leaving a 1/2" head space for our elevation.  Into the water bath for 25 minutes.

Peaches for winter!  Peaches for ♥peach cobbler♥.. I will share that recipe soon.  It's a keeper.  ☺

Duck, Barns & A Wet Pig

Well alright, maybe I'm a bit scatter brained this morning..  I took a trip to the dentist yesterday and am taking antibiotics and pain meds for a painful tooth that will result in root canal next week.  So  this posting is a smorgasborg of a few things of importance.  First- shadow puppets!  The photo above is a duck eating the tomatoes.  Kids LOVE shadow puppets, it's a highly entertaining act.

Here are some more photos of what I call "Drive By Barning".   Adam is so kind that he slows down if I ask him to, but most of these shots are very last minute.  This is in Snohomish.  I knew that roof was going to cave in and kept forgetting my camera  and will just have to commit to memory the way it was before the cave in.  I love when a barn is dilapidated.

I'd like to wander through all of the barns.

Look at that cow, posing just for me!  The sun was bright, but I was so glad there was a cowstanding right there.  This one is in Monroe.

A Snohomish barn, Adam was very bold and drove down the driveway.  We felt like Bonnie and Clyde, I was saying," No, we'll get caught!  How embarassing, it's daylight!"  He said," Just do it, hurry!"

Here is my favorite barn, the photos were too blurry though.  I remember when they had a barn sale, the inside of this barn is as beautiful as the outside.  Look at that majestic tree!  It's the tree of my dreams.

This is the perfect setting.  I've got to go back and take some better photos.  It's in the Machias area.

Finally, a wet pig.  This is Lenny, probably after his swim in the pool.  Look at his little lips, he's so sweet.  ♥♥

A Summer Day

We had an 80 degree day yesterday!  It was a real summer day, we were sweaty, sticky, steamy and just plain HOT.  We are not used to this weather anymore.  We needed relief.  Ethan received this spraying soccer ball for his 8th Birthday from Great grandma.  It was the perfect day to get it out.

We were suddenly feeling better!  All kids should have an instruction label on their backs that says,"Just add water."  Some of us got soaked in our clothes.  Why not?

We spent a long time running away from and screaming about the spray ball.

"Come sit down on the blanket if you would like some snack!"  I yelled.  We're always hungry.

Look how good they all are.  This is such a dreamy job.  I thank God for it every day.  10 graham crackers later, we dove back into the water play.

Popsicles would soon follow.

Meanwhile, my old window has found its place on the wall above the buffet.  I wish I knew the history of who looked through its panes or the beautiful house it must have adorned.  I love it with all of its chipped paint.

I got lazy about purchasing wire to hang it with and grabbed a wire hanger out of the closet.  I think it gives it character. ;)  Happy Thursday!♥♥♥

Pencil Snakes

Time to get the kids excited about writing again!  We created 'Pencil Snakes'.  First they kids each chose two pipe cleaners and twisted them together.  Next they formed a head, and wrapped the entire snake tightly around the pencils.  This is easy with pipe cleaners.  They do a great job staying put!

We used a short piece of pipe cleaner to twist a tongue onto the head, and glued on some googly eyes.  Everything is more fun with googly eyes.   Happy Wednesday!♥♥♥

Cozy Comfy

The quilt is finally finished.  It took me longer than I had hoped.  I blame myself for storing it out of sight.  The result is satisfactory, I keep reminding myself that it IS my first try.

I do love the colors!

Here, on the back of the couch it sits.  It's ready to warm someones lap as we wait for the weather to grow cold.  In our house, the best way to mend a bad mood or an upset tummy is to get "cozy comfy" on the couch.  I hope this quilt will take part in all of those times. ♥♥♥
Here is the link to my past posting, and you can see the quilt semi-laid out before the edging went on.

Stacking Wood

We have been sorting, cutting down to size, and stacking mill ends lately.  "We" as in our family.

Many hands make light work, but it IS work.  Stacking these mill ends is like completing a puzzle.

I threw some smaller pieces in a laundry basket for the kids to play with outside.   The kids kept busy with them for two whole days last week!  They built houses for stuffed animals, stacked towers to knock down, and created stepping blocks to avoid falling into the lava. (Grass.)

 Ethan worked on his hammering skills.  He built this flying contraption.

He also built this.  He said it was "Perry The Platypus" from the cartoon Phineus And Ferb.  He painted it later, I just didn't take a photo.

I suppose stacking wood isn't all that bad.   We are grateful to have the wood for winter.  Our woodstove is our main heat source!

We hung this sign to remind us to always be grateful. I love the color so much I want to paint the kitchen in it. ♥♥♥