Because We Can.

While the majority of our school days are fairly structured - all of us at the kitchen table from midmorning until around lunchtime - often with a toddler and the Smudginator in tow....

...on these lovely summerishly fall days, I find it awfully hard to stay cooped up inside, when we could be doing the exact same thing out of doors!

I can remember begging my teachers - on those gloriously sunny, fall days - to please, please, puh-leeeez let us have class outside...and every once in awhile they would say yes. Those days were the best.

And, hey - I'm the big kahuna over in the these here parts on our school days...

So, this has been our classroom, as of late.
Just because we can, I guess.

All too soon, we'll be cooped up inside from morning until night. There will be no more grass, no more swingset, and no more shorts or capris.

So we're milking it, Baby...

Holy Hannah.

Enough said, I guess....

Spaghetti Sauce.

A step by step tutorial.

Step #1. Start with a large cooler full of ripe, red tomatoes. If you have none, call me, and I shall give you my leftovers. I am done. Kaput. That's all she wrote. Get thee behind me, tomatoes. They are yours for the taking...

Step #2. Use an apple peeler to core the tomatoes, and cut them into large-ish chunks, with the help of some pajama-clad deliciousness.

Step #3. Load up your stockpot, five or six tomatoes at a time - keeping it at a nice, steady boil the entire time.

Step #4. Boil your maters until they are all nice and soft - just a bunch of tomato goosh.

Step #5. Working in small batches, take your tomato puree and run it through a foley mill, or an applesauce mill if you have one. This will remove all of the skins and seeds - just leaving the juice and pulp. You don't really want the seeds in your sauce, as the longer your sauce sits, the more bitter it can become - because of the seeds. (So, the experts say. Is it the truth? I know not).

Step #6. Set your puree aside to cool a bit. Meanwhile, take some fresh herbs and spices - oregano, basil, and parsley for starters - and chop up as much as you'd like for your big vat of yum.

Step #7. Chop up whatever meat and/or veggies you'd like to go into your sauce, and sautee in some olive oil until nice and soft. I did mushrooms, onions, garlic, green peppers, summer squash, carrots, and zucchini.

Step #8. Throw everything back into your pot, along with some tomato paste, tons of cheese, some sea salt, and a bit of sugar if you so desire, and let it cook down, and down, and down for the rest of the afternoon.

Step #9. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, begin to clean up the atrocious mess that you may or may not have just made in your kitchen.

Step #10. Remind yourself that "haste makes waste" and work a little more slowly so as to avoid adding insult to injury.

Step #11. Think pleasant thoughts, and consider ordering take out for supper.

Step #12. When your sauce has boiled down at least a couple of inches, begin the taste test process and gather all the little hoolies to add their input of what might be needed to make said sauce just a wee bit more delish.

Step #13. Load up your pressure canner and process away for as long as your recipe dictates.

Step #14. Gather previously above mentioned hoolies to come and "ooh" and "aah" at all of your hard work and to extol the virtues of your awesomeness.

Step #15. Change your mind about take out, and instead boil up some noodles and have yourself some delicousness for supper.

Step #16. Remind yourself that you are done with your tomatoes...

Step #17. And then step away from the tomatoes.

Step #18. Or...ponder making homemade ketchup.....

Harvest Season.

Fall is in the air, and it's about that time where I'm checking the forecast every night to see if there will be a frost, and I'm debating if I should do a frantic last minute pick or try to find a tarp big enough to cover everything that I am wanting to grow just a tiny bit longer.

It's the end of season time where I have tomatoes ripening at various stages all over my windowsills and basement floors, squash hardening off on my porch, pumpkins making appearances on my doorsteps, eyes always on the look out for the first signs of bittersweet to make fresh wreaths and garlands, and something cozy is cooking down on my stove.

Today, it's spaghetti sauce. Last year I made spaghetti sauce for the very first time, and it was a horror show. I still have one jar of the pure nastiness left over. This year, I think I learned the secret. Well, maybe two. First of all, the tomatoes need to be fully ripe, ripe, ripe. But the biggest trick of all, I think, is that the sauce needs to be cooked down, down, down for hours. Like five plus hours to get the rich, thick, tastes melded together dreaminess that we're looking for.

This just might not be a sauce for sharing...
Recipe tomorrow.

We had two beautiful watermelons make is this year, and we were totally pumped to cut into one of them yesterday. Beauty on the outside. Epic fail on the inside.

However, she still got eaten.
It at least tasted refreshing.
Mamas, little boys, and three chickies still partook.

Up next for my tomatoes will be a batch of fiery Red Hot to give to my two brothers for Christmas. I grew a few hot pepper plants in my garden, as well, and seeing as how just one tiny little pepper goes a long way in this family - let alone four plants with about a jillion peppers per plant - we need to find something to do with the excess. My bros like the heat, so RedHot it shall be.

...May their bathroom breaks be pleasant.
Just sayin'...

After the RedHot, I want to make about a million quarts of applesauce, and then my canning season will be complete. And just like last year, I'm still very much the learner and nowhere near a master, so many things came out delish and others came out in various stages of good-"ish." Not amazing. Not horrible. Just "ish."

But, just like last year, and just like my Grammy, I get such pleasure watching my shelves fill up with gifts for others and food for my little family. We made the tried and true, and we tried some newness. We didn't alter even a tiny bit some of the recipes, and we tweaked and reinvented some others.

Top shelf: Dilly beans, strawberry rhubarb jam, and bread and butter pickles.
(Strawberry rhubarb jam was the "ish" of this row. I tried a completely sugar free recipe. Not so hot).
2nd shelf: Green beans and salsa.
(Should have canned WAY more beans. Not sure what happened. I think I got bored).
3rd shelf: Zucchini relish and green tomato pickles.
4th shelf: Hot and sour dill pickles, Smudge, and hot dog relish.
Floor: Remnants of last year's nasty dill pickles, and the final zucchini of the season to be shredded and put into my freezer.

*****************
1922. Harvest season.
1923. Blessed exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond.
1924. Shelves lined with food and gifts.
1925. Little hands that helped prepare.
1926. Spaghetti sauce cooking down all day long.
1927. Thankful hearts, happy tummies.

When Grammy Came to Stay.

...she made homemade coffee icecream because it's Kaden's and my favorite...

and we ate it all up.

She says that "Mama's are in charge of nutritious and Grammy's are in charge of delicious."
I said, "That sounds about right."

When Grammy came to stay she saw that my tomatoes were going gangbusters and she was worried that I might get overwhelmed when they become fully ripe...so she made me green tomato pickles and did all the work herself.

She said: "I'm very particular about how I make my pickles. I like them done just so."
I said: "I have three hoolies. Nothing is ever perfect anymore."
She said: "Just the same, I'll make these for you, Dear."

To prove my point, we lost power in the middle of making our big batch, so we had to finish out on our camp stove.

She was less than impressed.
I assured her we would love them.

When Grammy came to stay, she brought a loaf of homemade bread, a huge bag of plums, extra groceries, AND she bought pizza and breadsticks for supper.

She said: "I remember what it was like being a young mother of three and entertaining company."
I said: "You're my Marmie. You are NOT company."
She said: "I'm still buying pizza."

When Grammy came to stay, she told the boys to get in bed with her in the morning "so we don't wake up Mama." She read them stories, taught them poetry, and brought them a five pound bag of their favorite candy.

I said: "Holy Hannah."

She said: "the boys need jackets on outside because it's fall."
I said: "They're always sweaty."

She laughed at the salamanders on the table.
I scolded: "Get them outside!"

I reprimanded their burps at the table.
She said: "They're such nice boys!"

At rest time, I sent them off with snacks and soft music.
She said: "Please, just one more story?"

When Grammy came to stay, three little boys and one Mama got spoiled rotten.
And the three little boys would love if Grammy stayed forever...

Remembering.

This morning, Jesse and I watched the Memorial Serivce on T.V., and I explained to him in the best way that I knew how, in a way appropriate for a four year old, what happened ten years ago. Together we sat on the couch and watched soldiers honoring our country and families paying tribute to lost loved ones. We talked a little bit about war, a lot about heroes, and mostly about how blessed we are and how thankful we are to have Jesus.

The Author and Finisher of our faith.
Because of Christ, we know the end of this story.
He wins.
A day will come when there will be no more death and no more sorrow.

"Behold...He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things [will] have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'" ~ Revelation 21:3b-5a

****************
1905. Remembering September Eleven.
1906. Humbled to be an American - so thankful for those who serve.
1907. Thankful for Jesus - the reason for everything.
1908. Blessed beyond measure - and thankful for the reminder.
1909. Weeping with those who weep.
1910. Sharing truth and history with my boy.
1911. Seeing how time heals gaping wounds.
1912. Thankful that Christ is on the throne.

Date Night.

It's been a busy few days as of late. Nothing entirely out of the usual norm, just a few extra things with life and work and such that have made our plates seem a bit more full. Starting school up again, adding a few extra shifts of work, and babysitting a little bit of girly deliciousness once a week has also made our days a little more full.

So, once again we're assessing and re-assessing life. It's what we always do. What's working? What's not? How is our family? How are the boys? Are we connected? Are we focusing on what matters? Where do we need to be more intentional? What are our goals? Who are we trying to please? Who do we need to connect with? Etc. etc. etc.

It's good to do this.
And life is good.
It's been heavy at times, too, but we're just trying to live stuff out the way that we feel we're being led.
Hard to do sometimes.

Anyway...

Our little family is doing something different this weekend, that we don't normally do. We're splitting up.

Kevy and Kaden are having an overnight fishing trip with our neighbor Lew...
and the two littlest hoolies are spending time with Mama together at home.

We hit the yardsales today and scored some awesome finds - Christmas for my boys is now virtually done - cheap, cheap, cheap at that, and now they are nestled all snug in their beds. When they awaken, hotdogs have been requested for supper followed immediately by ALL of us swinging on the swingset.

It shall be done.

And then - once the youngest little hoolie hits the hay for beddy-by time, Jesse and I have a date, just he and I. My sweet little middle boy and I are going to "stay up late reading stories and watching a movie - "just us" - while eating candy and maybe some icecream."

Sounds like my kind of date.

It's good to do this too - spend intentional, focused, one on one time with my boys. They are all too often lumped together just as "the boys" doing everything together and nothing much alone with just me or with just Kev. This is so good for filling their little love tanks right up to the tippy top and to see their little individual hearts in that uninterrupted time.

Time to go get ready.
My blonde, little stud muffin awaits...

Zesty Salsa!

Okay - the time has come for all things tomatoes!

Mine are finally - slowly - starting to turn. It's taken them awhile, because I had to do an entire replant. Not sure exactly what happened, but the entire first batch that I initially planted in the ground kicked the bucket, and by the time I bit the bullet to go and get some more seedlings, all they had were some teeny, tiny plants. So, it's taken them awhile to catch up.

Lew said that the first ones that I planted were too tall with kind of weak bases. He said you need to look for fairly short, but very strong tomato plants when you go shopping. I did not know this little tidbit, so I got me the tallest ones I could find - thinking they would put me ahead of the game. They did not. Live and learn. This man is a wealth of knowledge...

But here we are now, with my cherry and grape tomato plants exploding, and all of my others slowly plodding along behind them. Not even sure what I had in the ground this go round though! Some regular sized, some super chubby, and some romas. It's all good. Variety is the spice of life, they say.

So, our first recipe of the tomato season is a fun little zesty salsa. This is a dish that anyone can adapt to suit their own taste buds. The initial recipe itself contains such instructions as: "a healthy shake of this," and "a good sized fistful of that" - so there are no exact measurements of anything, anyway. Usually a recipe like this completely throws me for a loop, but if you have a yummy bag of tortilla chips beside you for some taste testing along the way, it really becomes a not so painful process to get it to your liking.

These are my favorite combinations of ingredients that I have come across in a long time. It uses all fresh garden veggies and herbs, and then adds a few fun ingredients to give it a kind of a smoky finish. It's delish. And quite pizzazzy.

So, here's what you'll need - in the more or less not so exact amounts:
A few kajillion tomatoes
A whole wack of green peppers
A bunch of onions
Some fresh cilantro
Some cloves of garlic
However many - and whatever kind - of hot peppers
Lots of lime juice
Many shakes of cumin
Dash of olive oil
Some canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - in addition to the fresh hot peppers
Several shakes of Liquid Smoke
Kosher salt to taste

Have at it until it comes out to your liking!
Trash your kitchen along the way...

Chuck it all in a pot and mix, mix, mix!!!
Invite husbands and children to come and give their two cents for what it may need.

Process 15 minutes in a hot water bath.
And savor the flavor, Baby!

First Grade.

We started school back up again this week. A little later this year, but I had my dear friend from New York visiting, and I wanted to savor my time with her, so we're getting into our rhythm a little bit late this time. That's the beauty of homeschooling, I guess.

This is only my second year doing this whole gig, and really my first year that I have to be serious about recording things and answering to anyone other than myself - but I feel confident and so much more relaxed this go around. For right now, for this moment in time - this is right for our family. I have no idea what the future holds - or even next year for that matter - but for the here and now it is good.

If for one more year I can fight - and win - the battle for simplicity and keep us all from running ragged, and if for one more year Kev and I can dictate the schedule of our family's life and not anyone else, than for those reasons alone, I am happy. And for some crazy reason - (I can distinctly remember declaring emphatically MANY times that I would NEVER homeschool my kids) - this kind of suits me. I'm still a little shocked that I love it so much.

Something gets accomplished each day, and I love that.
It gives added structure to our daily routine. I am ALL about that.
And It forces me to be intentional.
It makes me spend a few hours of really intense one on one time with my kids.
And I need that.

I am so good at running around and conquering the world that sometimes I can look back on a day and realize that no touching, no snuggling, no real conversation and focused eye contact took place. In two years, Kaden will be nine which will mark the halfway point of the amount of time that he will (most likely) live with us.

Man. It's fleeting.
And this helps me to savor.
We are together. We are reading side by side. We are talking and spending time with each other. I am paying attention. I am watching. I am learning them better and getting to know them on a different level.

Will we do it next year? Who knows?
Will I use the same curriculum? No idea.
Life as we know it could change in an instant, and that's cool, too.
I am completely open to that.

But for today, and for this year, I'm keeping it simple.
Although it's adding one more thing to my plate - in so many other ways it's helping me to - once again - slow down and see the sacred amidst the chaos.

The State of Affairs.

Well, Irene had a bit of a heyday with the corn in my garden and with a few of my tomato plants that had grown about as tall as trees. She's looking a wee bit sad these days, as some of my plants are starting to die off anyway. My cukes are about done. I'm still getting a few stragglers here and there. And I didn't stay on top of my one piddly row of beans enough, so they have also gone by the wayside.

We are gearing up for the tomato phase and all things spaghetti sauce and salsa. Other than that, the squashes can sit for awhile and harden off, and the peppers, swiss chard, and lettuce are patient with me.

Lew came over to check out my corn because I was worried that I needed to pick it all, now that it was mostly laying on the ground. He assured me that as long as the roots were still in the ground, then everything was okay.

"She ain't pretty, De-ah, but she'll still taste good!"


A tiny little taste.

Something that I worked so hard for, potentially having it be ruined, and having it be completely out of my control. So many are living that now or have lived through it in the past and are still reeling from all of the damage done and things lost.

How blessed we are.
How blessed I am.
And most days I take it completely for granted.

Our Swinging Poem.

How would you like to go up in a swing -
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it's the pleasant-est thing
That ever a child could do!

Up in the air, and over the wall -
Till I can see so high -
Rivers and trees, and cattle and all -
Over the countryside!

Till I look down on the garden green -
Down on the roof so brown -
Up in the air I go flying again -
Up in the air and down!

~ Author Unknown by this Mama

(Taught to my boys by Grammy Quint and recited every time they swing!)

The hairy scary caterpillar.

See this hairy little dude?

He is abundant in Maine.
And he is one caterpillar to be reckoned with.

Apparently if you hold one of these fuzzy little darlings, they can release some of their "hairs" onto your body and your skin. Some people may be completely unaffected, while others can have some pretty crazy reactions. Kaden, Jesse, myself, and our little friend Moriah were collecting a bunch of these "hickory tussock" caterpillars off of Grampy's tree. While nobody else had any reaction of any kind whatsoever, my sweet Jesse's face swelled up like a monster, and one of his eyes swelled almost entirely shut. He looked pretty awful, it took about three days for the swelling to finally go down, and you can still see the marks all over his face.

Insane.
And not cool.


The Bangor Daily News wrote an article about these guys just a few days ago.
Check it out.

And no touchy.