This is scary. Three days into the new semester and things are still going smoothly. We've yet to have a tear from either Violet or me. We've done spelling and grammar every day. Our only math has been board games. That might make a difference. I'm going with the theory that creative learning right brained thinkers like Violet do better learning math from games and practical hands on activities than from workbooks.
We've been doing a lot of science. Have I mentioned that is Violet's favorite subject. We are starting in with physics. We'll be getting into the "Motions and Forces" unit from My World Science soon. But we've started with some biographical material on Galileo and Newton. And a physics kit called Newton's Wizard that we picked up a year or two ago at a gift shop. Today we watched the DVD Galileo: On the Shoulders of Giants. It was pretty good.
ACK! Stop the presses. I can't go on with my blog entry. I just went to My World Science to get the link to post in my entry and THEY WENT OUT OF BUSINESS LAST WEEK!!! I was going to order the other 3 books from them. Now what? I have to go search around and see if I can find anyone else selling them. I'll be back later. In a nutshell, school is going good. See you later.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Tired
Whew, what a week already. We've had 2 days of school and they have gone really well. I guess Violet was a bit bored. We haven't done too hard of stuff, but it hasn't been all fluff either. Then today we went to homeschool bounce at Pump It Up, that was fun. Violet sold 12 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to the families there. I got jazzed up and sent in my money to go see David Albert when he is in town later this month.
Yesterday work was busy. It always is on Mondays. I work most of my weekly hours on the weekend so I send everything in to be reviewed and it comes back with changes or ready for me to finalize on Mondays. And usually along with it are requests to duplicate it for another client or something like that.
Yesterday was also really busy because on Sunday night at our Service Team meeting for Girl Scouts I agreed to contact all the individually registered girls in our service unit to see if they had the information on selling cookies if they were interested. And I decided since I was doing that, and I'm on the service team, and I have an individually registered girl, I might as well bite the bullet and just go ahead and become the IRG coordinator for our area.
I've been thinking about this for quite some time. It is a need that really should be filled and I am the perfect candidate for it. I do have an ulterior motive, Mr. Incredible and I would like for her to hook up with a couple of other girls her age to get together with once in a while and do a service project together or something. I can scope out the other girls this way.
Anyway, I am coordinating the cookie sales for any of the girls who want to participate, usually it is just 3 or 4 and that's what it sounds like it will be this year based on my inquiries so far. And I'm going to send out occasional e-mails to any of the girls who'd like to know what's going on. It shouldn't be too bad. I think yesterday's round of phone calls and messages will be the worst of it.
Tomorrow we stay home. Hang out. Do some school. Mop that kitchen floor before someone sticks to it permanently.
Hope you are all having a good week!
Yesterday work was busy. It always is on Mondays. I work most of my weekly hours on the weekend so I send everything in to be reviewed and it comes back with changes or ready for me to finalize on Mondays. And usually along with it are requests to duplicate it for another client or something like that.
Yesterday was also really busy because on Sunday night at our Service Team meeting for Girl Scouts I agreed to contact all the individually registered girls in our service unit to see if they had the information on selling cookies if they were interested. And I decided since I was doing that, and I'm on the service team, and I have an individually registered girl, I might as well bite the bullet and just go ahead and become the IRG coordinator for our area.
I've been thinking about this for quite some time. It is a need that really should be filled and I am the perfect candidate for it. I do have an ulterior motive, Mr. Incredible and I would like for her to hook up with a couple of other girls her age to get together with once in a while and do a service project together or something. I can scope out the other girls this way.
Anyway, I am coordinating the cookie sales for any of the girls who want to participate, usually it is just 3 or 4 and that's what it sounds like it will be this year based on my inquiries so far. And I'm going to send out occasional e-mails to any of the girls who'd like to know what's going on. It shouldn't be too bad. I think yesterday's round of phone calls and messages will be the worst of it.
Tomorrow we stay home. Hang out. Do some school. Mop that kitchen floor before someone sticks to it permanently.
Hope you are all having a good week!
Friday, January 4, 2008
The cookie sale starts tomorrow
And Violet is ready! She's got her order forms filled out. (I snagged extra forms from the cookie chair so one is on its way to my office, one will go to Mr. Incredible's office). She's made posters for our offices as well. She's got her sales plan, head north on our street where we don't think any other Girl Scouts live. Her best friend Red lives across the street and is a Brownie too, but she wasn't planning on doing any door to door sales. And she's got 25 door hangers filled out to leave for families who aren't home to be able to place their order directly with Council and she still gets credit for the sales. That is new this year. I'm not sure how many sales she'll get like that if any, but she figures she won't get any if she doesn't hang them out.
Her goal is 150 boxes so she can earn the Build-a-Bear dog stuffed animal. Like she needs another stuffed toy. But she's right, it is cute. And she'll earn "Cookie Dough" she can spend on summer camp as well. She'll never hit her goal if she doesn't try. Guess I'll be tromping up and down the street with her tomorrow looking for those sales!
Her goal is 150 boxes so she can earn the Build-a-Bear dog stuffed animal. Like she needs another stuffed toy. But she's right, it is cute. And she'll earn "Cookie Dough" she can spend on summer camp as well. She'll never hit her goal if she doesn't try. Guess I'll be tromping up and down the street with her tomorrow looking for those sales!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Soup recipes
Veggie broth can be used in any soup recipe that calls for beef broth. Sometimes it can substitute for chicken broth in soup, but not always. For example it would be great in vegetable soup, but probably not in chicken chowder.
Here are two recipes I use veggie broth in:
Minestrone Soup
1 quart water or vegetable stock
2 cans plum tomatoes, chopped with juice saved
1 small can tomato sauce
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
1 cup green beans (I use frozen)
1 cup peas (frozen too)
½ cup garbanzo beans (I usually just throw the whole can in because I can never think of what to do with the rest of it)
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 small can sliced black olives
1 garlic cove, minced
2 T Italian herbs (I forgot to include this the first time I made this soup and liked it, so I never included it)
salt and pepper to taste
approx. 1 cup small pasta
grated parmesan cheese
Combine in a large pot water, tomatoes, tomato sauce, & veggies. Simmer 30 to 45 minutes. Add black olives, garlic, herbs and spices. Continue to simmer 25-30 minutes. Add pasta and cook about 10-15 minutes until pasta is soft. Garnish with Parmesan cheese (if desired).
Turkey and Bean Soup
Cook the following in a crock pot on high for 4-5 hours:
1 lb. ground turkey, browned and drained
1/2 c chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 T Italian seasoning
1 bag (16 oz) Frozen Fiesta Blend Vegetables (broccoli, carrots, white beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, Italian style green beans & red peppers) or something similar
1 can (15 oz) chopped tomatoes (undrained)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) red beans (drained and rinsed)
2-1/2 cups veggie broth
Serve over cooked pasta or alone.
Here are two recipes I use veggie broth in:
Minestrone Soup
1 quart water or vegetable stock
2 cans plum tomatoes, chopped with juice saved
1 small can tomato sauce
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
1 cup green beans (I use frozen)
1 cup peas (frozen too)
½ cup garbanzo beans (I usually just throw the whole can in because I can never think of what to do with the rest of it)
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 small can sliced black olives
1 garlic cove, minced
2 T Italian herbs (I forgot to include this the first time I made this soup and liked it, so I never included it)
salt and pepper to taste
approx. 1 cup small pasta
grated parmesan cheese
Combine in a large pot water, tomatoes, tomato sauce, & veggies. Simmer 30 to 45 minutes. Add black olives, garlic, herbs and spices. Continue to simmer 25-30 minutes. Add pasta and cook about 10-15 minutes until pasta is soft. Garnish with Parmesan cheese (if desired).
Turkey and Bean Soup
Cook the following in a crock pot on high for 4-5 hours:
1 lb. ground turkey, browned and drained
1/2 c chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 T Italian seasoning
1 bag (16 oz) Frozen Fiesta Blend Vegetables (broccoli, carrots, white beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, Italian style green beans & red peppers) or something similar
1 can (15 oz) chopped tomatoes (undrained)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) red beans (drained and rinsed)
2-1/2 cups veggie broth
Serve over cooked pasta or alone.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
My blog's value
Hmm? I'm not so sure about this. But it was fun!
Want to value your blog? Blog Value
I found it via Blog Generators
Courtesy of Ami
Vegetable Broth
I've been wanting to try making my own vegetable broth to use in soups for a long time. Making homemade soup is my specialty. I make my own chicken broth all the time. I love to cook turkeys just so I can make turkey broth. I've never tackled veggie broth though (and since Mr. Incredible doesn't eat red meat, it is the perfect substitute for beef broth in any recipe).
Yesterday I took out my stock pot and filled it to the top with 16 cups of water, some broccoli stems, cauliflower stems, red leaf lettuce that was on the verge of too old, green beans that had been in my freezer too long, a cut up green apple, a cut up onion, some cut carrot and the inside stalks of celery (with leaves) that we wouldn't have eaten. I also tossed in some dried parsley, thyme and rosemary.
It looked like this when I put it on the stove:
It came to a boil and I reduced the heat and let it cook for several hours. I had to keep shoeing Mr. Incredible away because he wanted to pour himself a bowl and eat it. (From now on, I'll just feed him scraps!) After a few hours I removed the inside strainer with all the veggies. The mushy veggies looked like this (I set the strainer inside a large bowl to drip into until they cooled enough to compost):
Mr. Incredible snagged a cooked carrot and said it was terrific. The broth was a really nice dark golden color:
After it cooled down I poured the veggie broth into containers to freeze. I did strain out some extra herbs that were at the bottom. I got between 10 and 11 cups of broth. That should be 3 pots of soup. And the cost was practically nothing since most of the veggies I used were likely to be composted rather than eaten!
Yesterday I took out my stock pot and filled it to the top with 16 cups of water, some broccoli stems, cauliflower stems, red leaf lettuce that was on the verge of too old, green beans that had been in my freezer too long, a cut up green apple, a cut up onion, some cut carrot and the inside stalks of celery (with leaves) that we wouldn't have eaten. I also tossed in some dried parsley, thyme and rosemary.
It looked like this when I put it on the stove:
It came to a boil and I reduced the heat and let it cook for several hours. I had to keep shoeing Mr. Incredible away because he wanted to pour himself a bowl and eat it. (From now on, I'll just feed him scraps!) After a few hours I removed the inside strainer with all the veggies. The mushy veggies looked like this (I set the strainer inside a large bowl to drip into until they cooled enough to compost):
Mr. Incredible snagged a cooked carrot and said it was terrific. The broth was a really nice dark golden color:
After it cooled down I poured the veggie broth into containers to freeze. I did strain out some extra herbs that were at the bottom. I got between 10 and 11 cups of broth. That should be 3 pots of soup. And the cost was practically nothing since most of the veggies I used were likely to be composted rather than eaten!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
More Snow!
This is a view of my back deck taken this afternoon. I'm not sure if the screen door will open right now, but it isn't like we're going to sit out at the table right now!
This is our garden from earlier today too. You can almost see the raised beds and the table in the back corner and the fencing to keep the bunnies out of the veggies.
We got another 5 inches of snow between yesterday and today. They weren't predicting any accumulation. We've had an unusually heavy amount of snowfall this winter so far. It isn't uncommon for us to have had no snow stick to the ground by this time of year. Of course, we are expecting 40s and rain this weekend. But while it is warm, I'll have Violet go out (with adult supervision, of course) and hit the neighborhood with her Girl Scout cookie sales.
Good thing Santa brought those snowshoes. They are coming in handy!
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