The Good Life:)

I walk out of the kitchen last evening quite perturbed, persnickety, and grumpy after cooking supper and cleaning up. It was pretty hot out yesterday and our air conditioning is currently being impudent.  (Confidentially, I'm an early bird and my mood starts going south after about 6 pm anyway...ask the Mr.)


So...I walked outside to take out the compost-ables and saw this:

He had already dug a smaller patch up...about the third of this size.

When I told him the things I wanted, he mentioned that there was not enough space in the patch. I thought that meant too bad for me...but apparently not!

This is going to be my tea garden!

We have catnip and chamomile and plan on putting peppermint in here too.

The Mr. doesn't drink my crazy teas, but he's dug up a big chunk of the side yard just for me.





On the way back to the house, my heart full of humility due to my aforementioned rotten attitude and gratefulness toward my hubby, I got a couple of shots of my son's new drum set that he built.

One can make out parts of an ACTUAL drum set that was bought for him a few years back. THIS is why we can't have nice things.

He likes this one so much better. You can see my gourmet coffee cans are being put to good use.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Pancakes Don't Come from a Box

These always make me very popular and are quite honestly easier than making toast for the entire crowd

When I was a kiddo, one of my favorite breakfasts was pancakes. In fact, that is one thing that could always lure me out of bed when nothing else could.

It wasn't until I started getting interested in bread and all things bread related that it occurred to me that one didn't have to have pancake "mix" to make them.

Here is my current recipe for pancakes adapted from The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer.

In large bowl sift together:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

**2 tablespoons baking powder (aluminum free of course )

In another bowl lightly beat 2 eggs

Add about 2 cups milk (more or less to make the cakes and thick/thin as you wish)

Stir in 2 tablespoons melted butter or oil.

Add the wet to the dry, mix swiflty- ignore lumps (according to the cookbook- I do)

Cook on lightly greased pan. My cast iron pans are idea for this. Repeat and eat!

** I find my aluminum free baking powder in the health food section of my grocery. You can make your own:

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar

This equals 1 tablespoon of baking powder. I find that cream of tartar to be a bit pricey, so I just buy this:

Doing Church

My IDEAL church:)

As I was bee-boppin' around the net the other day, I ran across this really interesting (and long...sorry) article. Actually, it seems it was a series of articles posted back in 2008 on this blog.


Thatmom writes of her experiences in and out of family integrated church. What is that you say? That's what I said too at first. There is apparently a sector of homeschooling  families who don't like kids being segregated from their families in Sunday School and Kid's worship. The family integrated model tries to incorporate a homeschool atmosphere within the church.**

I can see why this would be attractive to a homeschooling family and to be quite honest have wondered if this was more what we should be doing. Our church does the Sunday school and kid's church thing and I, at first glance, just assumed for a while that a family integrated model would be better for us.


However, over the couple of years we have been there, we have felt very comfortable with our church home. There are some homeschooling families, but that is not the majority. I do like that our church home is not disparaging of our choice to homeschool our kids nor have I sensed any pressure on the non-homeschoolers (although I can't speak for them) to pull their kids out of school.


In fact, this has been a good experience for our kiddos to hang out with kids that aren't their siblings. Also, even though I fully believe 100% that parents should be the number one disciple-rs of their own children, I have seen that the Sunday school teacher's reinforcement has been a blessing, too.


Plus, I am not a real "homeschooly" homeschooler. I have a pretty relaxed approach and don't have a need or desire to attend homeschool conventions, lectures, curriculum fairs, and the like....not that there is anything wrong with those things, there certainly isn't. That's just not how I roll.


Although I must warn you, if you were to drop by unexpectedly, you will find me wearing a bun in my hair, an apron and at least a knee length skirt. How's that for a stereotype?

Okay, that's not really me...or is it?

If this subject interests you at all, I high recommend the aforementioned link. It is pretty funny in spots too.



**This part about incorporating a homeschool atmosphere into the church may have been my own idea of how to explain it, I'm certainly don't want to speak for all family integrated churches.

2 Timothy 2:25-26

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

I mentioned in an earlier post that it was a total stranger telling me that I was on my way to hell (which I knew already....deep down) that was a factor of my eventual repentance.

Let us pray for this sad and lost young woman.

I'm definitely trying that cinnamon thing too.

Turtle Apocalypse Mix

Psalms 130:6  My soul  waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

A beautiful morning! A little hazy, but it is supposed to be 80 degrees today. I'm so glad after the beginning of the week was nothing but what Sonia calls "New World Order gray".

Was there an earthquake in Libya Yesterday?

ht ETRT

Elizabeth at The End Time Blog also posted about it.


Also I learned from a post on ETRT, it seems Beck is planning on having a rally in Jerusalem this summer. Following the links led me to Brannon Howse's radio show and his discussion about this with Jimmy DeYoung..very interesting. You can download or listen here.

And of course there is Camping mania all over the web and other...However I did learn yesterday that not everyone in the world had heard of this. I will spare you any May 21 links or commentary....for now.

And more turtles. We have lived here since the 90s and I don't recall ever seeing a single turtle and now they are showing up on a regular basis. The boys wanted to keep him. EWWWW:

Look at him go!

I guess he is kinda cute:)

Whader you lookin' at?

Finally, I saw this over at the meetup. The CDC wants us to prepare for the "Zombie Apocalypse".