as cozy as spring

In the Kitchen

The earliest of fruits and vegetables have already made their way into the kitchen.  The greens have grown well, though I think our Great Lakes lettuce is slightly bitter and I don't know that we will grow that variety again.  The blackberries don't even make it into the kitchen, but are eaten right off the vines by my 6 year old who looks forward to blackberry season all year.

My husband recently brought home a Hatch chile pepper plant.  I'm sure the locals are familiar with these New Mexican peppers which, in my opinion, totally live up to the hype.  My Mother's Day lunch consisted of enchiladas filled with chicken, homegrown hatch chile peppers*, shiitake mushrooms and caramelized onions.  The peppers made the dish.  Even my husband admitted as much and he's indifferent to trendy foods.

 

Stone Fruit Tea Cake from Rustic Fruit Desserts (love this book!)

I made this Stone Fruit Tea Cake for tonight's movie watching date (The King's Speech, finally).  I made the dough, wrapped half to freeze, then made this tiny version in a 6 inch cake pan.  Modifications: I used a mixture of blueberries and strawberries that we froze last year.  I also added maybe a half a teaspoon of orange extract and cut the vanilla to half a teaspoon.  It is such a simple, earthy little cake. It's also super, super yummy.  A perfect, not too sweet, after dinner treat.  I love that it can be made with so many different fruits.

OK, I have to wrap up the housecleaning before my husband arrives so we can enjoy movie night.  Happy Tuesday!

*One could argue that my Hatch chile peppers are not Hatch chile peppers because they were grown in my backyard. Technically, one would be correct.

Saturday Morning Book Post

I've really started to enjoy writing these - it's a pleasant way to start the weekend.

I'm reading: The Little Way of Homeschooling.

I mentioned it earlier this week, but I'm still not quite finished.  I confess I skipped ahead to read all the sections written by my online friends (which were wonderful, of course!).  I'm reading the rest of it at a more leisurely pace.  I think the book does a good job of explaining the different styles of unschooling while addressing some of the questions I've had about how this works in a Catholic home.  It's really a delightful and inspiring book.

My 10 year old daughter: The Kids' Book of Weather Forecasting

I honestly haven't even opened this book.  My daughter took it from my hands as soon as the box was opened.  I can say that it's led to lots of weather related projects 'round here.

(Also still reading: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm)

My 6 year old son: Red Fox at Hickory Lane.  I sound like a broken record, but he loves these books and I love reading them.  It's taken me awhile to realize that he really seems to be interested in all animals.  Yesterday on our hike a man warned me about a pool of alligators ahead on the trail.  My daughter scampered back and started whimpering.  My son ran ahead excitedly.  

And still, after several years, he is never far from his "Birdie Book" - the best gift he has ever received if that is to be based on interest and use.  He brought it with us yesterday so he could "talk" to the different birds we encountered.  (Thank you Aunt Kathy!)

One book related note.  My husband mentioned giving me a Kindle for Mother's Day.  He told me because he knew I'd have strong feelings one way or the other.  But I don't!  I think it sounds really kind of neat, but being attached to any electrical device kind of bugs me.  The sewing machine, the computer, a cell phone.  I'm always happy to walk away.  I wonder I would feel the same vague discomfort.  Any thoughts?  Any Kindle owners out there?  It seems like everyone loves them.  

Happy weekend friends!  I'm going to finish my coffee out in the garden - meaning I'm not proofreading.  I can't imagine these cool mornings will last much longer.

Morning Hike

 

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn." 

— John Muir

 

My daughter stumbled upon this quote earlier this week and it just perfectly describes the way I feel when I step outside.

And OK, this is only sort of related.  I love this pattern.  I stitched it onto my daughter's jeans earlier this week.  I'd show you a photo, but my mediocre embroidery was not enhanced by the mediocre photo I took during our walk.  

Added for Elisa: 

My embroidery work is far from neat, but it won't get any better by moping about it so I stitched this on a pair of last year's jeans.  My French Knots definitely improved towards the end of this project.

In-Service

I'm casting my net wide in gearing up for our next school year.  First up, I watched "Waiting for Superman".  I was surprised by much in the documentary, particularly how difficult it is to fire an underperforming teacher.  I think there is clear bias in the film and shuddered at the notion that children need even more time in school.  I wish I was able to spend on my children the $10,000 the public schools spend on each child (perhaps that would mean a pay raise for their teacher?).  But I admit that the premise bugged me throughout the film.  I've written and rewritten why, but it has been deleted because I come off sounded obnoxious and judgmental.  I will only say: personal responsibility.

On the other end of the spectrum, I read A Little Way of Homeschooling.  I've said it here several times - I'm not an unschooler.  There are many aspects of unschooling that make me reach for the smelling salts.  But that doesn't mean that I think it's flawed, I think there's just a good possibility I don't get it. 

It's the label, don't you think?  I mean, I read through this book and it was so familiar.  We do so much of this in our home, despite learning towards a classical education.  Just this week, my daughter began asking a bunch of questions about clouds.  So I hit Amazon and our bookshelves.  I ordered an indoor/outdoor thermometer.  I printed out a calendar for her to keep track of our weather for a few months.  She spent yesterday afternoon illustrating a book of original poetry about all different types of weather.  This was all child-led learning.  But she's still doing her math this morning at 9:00 precisely. :)

In both the movie and the book, the key to success seemed to lie with the enthusiasm and dedication of the teacher/parent.  That's the trickiest thing to maintain.  Mine wavers according to what we've got going on in real life.  The children's enthusiasm mirrors my own so keeping myself inspired must be nudged up on the priority list.  

This has nothing to do with anything, but I don't have a proper conclusion.  So there's a photo of a butterfly.  The end.

The Garden in May

One of my other most favorite aspects of blogging are the garden notes from my archives and from my friends and fellow bloggers.

Everything is ripening!  It's such a fun time in the garden.  My son checks his blackberries in the morning to see if the birds have left any for him (I shake my fist at you, mockingbirds!).  I bought some flower seeds yesterday - totally out of character - but we are studying prairies this month and I hope to make these lessons a bit more interactive.

These photos took too long to upload so I must run now and help a little girl who has forgotten (overnight, apparently) how to find common denominators.  I need a frustrated font.

Off the cuff.

I just woke up and heard the news from my brother. I am conflicted.  I'm sure we all are, especially those of us who truly don't want to rejoice in another man's death and are ashamed of that tiny bit of joy we feel.  Is it even joy or is it relief?  Is is just the satisfaction of accomplishing a long held goal?  I don't know yet. 

Cut and pasted from here.

The Vatican has released this statement this morning on the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed by American forces in Pakistan:

“This morning, following the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, P. Federico Lombardi, issued the following statement to reporters:

Osama Bin Laden - as everyone knows - has had the gravest responsibility for spreading hatred and division among people, causing the deaths of countless people, and exploiting religion for this purpose.

 

Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace.”

We will be praying for his soul.  He'll need it.