homemade syrup

It's been a while since I've had all the ingredients to make "maple syrup". Due to the rising cost of real maple syrup, I have been working on an all natural recipe that my family would eat and enjoy. This one is pretty good.

Tonight for supper it was french toast covered in syrup.

All natural syrup recipe

2 cups sucanat

1 cup sucanat with honey

41/2 cups water

3/4 cup barley malt syrup

3/4 cup honey

Bring ingredients to a boil.

Remove from heat and and add 3TBS frontier maple flavor

Sometimes I add a little butter to the syrup pitcher for a nice richness.

Easy, delicious and a little less expensive!

Two posts in one night. I wish I had time to get one in daily. Still ironing out the fall schedule and trying to adjust to the many activities we are involved in.

growing

What a difference a week makes.

Rebeka's seeds are growing and she is watching.

It is fun to see such changes over night, and fun to watch the roots too.

This photo was taken by her.

Sunday Rest

It has been a long time since I have visited this place.

Today we spent the early evening hours outside doing all things that make me happy.

Among them were cleaning the goat pen, surveying what must be done before a hurricane visits us this week and the following:

Planting citrus trees.

Planting seeds in a box made in Arts and Crafts. (thank you co-op)

Summer time fire.

Swinging from trees.

Emma in the pond.

As far as where I've been, well, I have been very busy with chores that did not get done while preparing for our trip, and projects I must put off during the school year.

As school approaches we are trying to finalize schedules and prepare lessons.

Music begins in a week, college classes start, our first ever participation in a co-op began last Friday. It was so much fun as children are taking Spanish, Art History, Creative Writing, Sewing, Arts and Crafts, Science, Inventor's Club, and Math Club.

I will try to post some pictures over the next week of the past month of activities. So come back, check in, and feel free to post a comment.

Happy Birthday Poppy!

Today is my Dad's birthday. It is a blessing to live close enough to celebrate over supper. Home made burritos fresh off the tortilla press were on the menu. A buffet of burrito toppings including peach salsa for what ever you like on yours. Iced tea for the thirst you work up eating all this Mexican. Top this off with Texan Cake and vanilla ice cream. We pray many more wonderful birthdays to come Dad. We Love You.

home sweet home

We are safely home and everyone is happy. We had a pleasant trip, made good time and it was uneventful..........that is good. Family supper included fresh bread and flowers out of the garden. It is the simple things that cause gratefulness at home, Goodnight!

river rats

Oh to be a kid! And Mine are savoring every last minute of vacation fun. We spent the morning on the rock in the river. No one wanted to leave when it was time for lunch. We must pull ourselves away in order to have time for a few other things we love.

math camp fun

Math Camp is over and what fun it was. Awards included, hardest worker, 2nd place team competition award, leadership award. A good time was had by all, we hope the results will show this year in school. I am thankful these men have had an opportunity to work as a team player and for teachers other than me. I hope their experiences will be lasting memories to build on in the future.

homeward bound

We have begun packing. How will we get all this stuff back in the van, I have no idea. This great trip is coming to an end and while we do not want to get back to work, normal routine will be nice.
I am looking forward to these activities that I find therapeutic:
hanging laundry on the line
preparing a schedule for fall
baking bread
my laundry room
cleaning out the chicken coop
working with the baby goat(so we will be able to milk)
watering flowers
contemplating a fall garden
While these activities seem so ordinary, they are the ones that bring me much joy and fulfillment.
Travel day is set for Saturday.
Packing must go on.

e=mc2

The boys are half way through Math Camp and really enjoying it. They have one of Dad's math professors from his college days. Each night they get in the car and tell us how crazy she is. They do not say it in a critical way, they are commenting on just how much energy she has.

On the home front, subtraction is all we seem to be doing. Each day we minus more chickens; down to 2. This equals zero eggs for those of you following this word problem. If we order chickens now, it will be four to five months until they are laying. I don't want to buy eggs!

Well, I am savoring my surroundings, cool nights, rainy afternoons, and all the beauty. This is coming to a close and, as usual, it will be difficult to leave. More to come in a another post.

tie dyed

Remember the days of your youth? Here is a through back for you.......tie dye in the park. What fun, I didn't have to assemble all the stuff (I mean mess) and and figure it out. Someone was there to walk my children through step by step, coaching them on how to get the look they wanted, samples already done so they could chose which one they liked best. One small issue I had not planned on.

"That was so much fun Mama, can't we please do it again?"

Guess what all of you will be getting for Christmas. I must admit ~ it was quite fun.

I hope all you are having a wonderful summer! Apply lots of sunscreen, stay out of the heat, or at least in water. A Happy Independence Day to you!