Books and Butter!!

One of the things that I appreciate the most about our home school group is the fondness of all of the members for books.  If I am ever at a loss for something good to read, a quick e-mail or questions dropped at a gathering leaves me with a list of good reads to pick up on the way home.  There is also such wonderful sense of shared adventures when we read the same books.  I announced today that the boys and I had started to read the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and my heart swelled with everyones' reactions.  It is like finding that a good friend will have to chance to visit a mysterious, magical, special place that you have seen yourself.  Peoples' smiles reflected what a great time they had had with those books, either with when they themselves were children, or with their own kids more recently. 

The other thing that is wonderful about our group is the tendency to try things on our own - to experiment with new things, and most notably to rekindle some of the skills that used to be essential to family life - knitting, soap making, sewing, canning, and (here is the connection - I swear there is one!! - butter making.

The boys were very interested to read about Laura and Mary helping Ma to make butter at their little cabin in the big woods, and I knew that we could give it a try ourselves.  The other moms in the  group were quick to offer suggestions, most notably to add marbles to the room-temperature whipping cream in a glass jar to speed up the process.  The kids did some excited shaking (of the whole body variety) and a few minutes later - ta dah!  Fresh, home-made butter.  I guess it is not so much of a lost art after all.

Tie Dye in the Park

Today was our first day out with a group of friends from the home school group who have formed a co-op that gets together every week for something fun.  Today we were int eh park to tie dye whatever the kids wanted - we did handkerchiefs (nothing like blowing your nose on something brightly colored, you know!) 

Family Camp...More pictures!!

Family Camp - #1

This week the boys and I, along with my sister Bonnie and her family, headed off to YMCA Camp Wanakita for family camp. Last year was our first year here, and we were all happy to come back. We spent the week hiking, having campfires, swimming, visiting the water trampoline, climbing the high and low ropes, and the best part of this years - discovering how much both William and I love kayaking. We went out almost every day, with the highlight being kayaking out to Umbrella Island and back. Charlie is still a bit young for a kayak of his own, but he was happy to squeeze into one with me.

Needless to say I could blab on about it for quite some time, but here are few pictures instead, with more to come...

Butter Tart Squares

We were all in the need for something a little sweet today, and I tried out this recipe from a Taste of Home cookie magazine from 2009.  It is now definitely one of my favorites.  It is easy to make, uses only one bowl (or pot, as the case may be) and uses things that I generally have on hand.  Moreover, it tastes like a butter tart but with the consistency of a brownie.  YUM!!

Caramel Pecan Bars

1 cup butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup flaked coconut

In a large saucepan, heat butter and stir in sugar until melted.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Combine flour and baking powder, and then mix well into butter and sugar mixture.  Stir in pecans and coconut. (The original recipe calls for 2 cups of pecans, but alas, I didn't have enough.  I substituted in the coconut, and they turned out wonderfully!).  Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees for approx. 25 minutes.  Cool completely, and cut into squares.

Enjoy!! (Just for today, we can pretend that butter and sugar are good for us...)

Family Cottage 2011

We spent most of this past week at a great cottage with Jim's side of the family. This has become a family tradition over the past 4-5 years, and it is something that we really look forward to. It is a great time to relax, and to enjoy each others company. Mostly it was about 3 generations of men (plus dogs) fishing, and tow wives who married into the family relaxing, reading, and watching our boys.

Splash!!