Hidden Treasures....

P.S. be sure to check out Eloise's challenge on our homeschool blog:

www.ecoledefamille.blogspot.com

Eloise is home schooled,

as many of you know.

We love the freedom of schedule,

but sometimes need a change of scenery.

 A couple of days ago,

Eloise & I decided to go for a bike ride.

We would do lessons & lunch.

Our destination was the park.

While on our journey,

we noticed flower and veggie plants

peeping out from behind

a local non-profit building.

It seems that the organization has a team of

gardeners who grow stuff 

to sell at a farmer's market.

The proceeds benefit the organization

It is so good to see

that the land will be put to good use,

since there is so much of it 

post-Katrina.

Eliose and I plan on going back

to see if we can learn more about 

growing food,

since Gran & Grandpa 

have a few empty lots

We had a great time,

and will definitely do this again...

before it gets too hot!

Happy Easter Y'all!

The tomb is empty

and we're so glad about it.

Hard Work Pays Off....

Eloise & I arrived in the parking lot

of Krispy Kreme early this morning.

We were picking up over 300 

freshly glazed morsels of deliciousness.

Why?

Because our tiny little school of 5

(1 student + 4 teachers)

could not afford a much needed new violin

for it's music department.

After a school meeting, in the kitchen, 

Eloise decided that she would 

earn the money.

On Tuesday Eloise got dressed

 in her "outing" uniform 

and we drove all over town

taking pre-orders.

She sold 26 Dozen;

mostly to local businesses.

We then contacted Krispy Kreme 

to arrange our early morning pick-up.

Eloise delivered all of them before 

9:00 a.m.

surprisingly they were all still warm.

And all of her customers were happy.

As a mommy I was proud of her hard work.

Even though she only raised half of the $250

she needed, the Gran & Grandpa Corp.

stepped up and offered her a matching funds grant.

They were impressed with her enthusiasm

and the fact that an eleven year old 

sold enough orders in one afternoon to net $125.

(I did not do any of the selling)

All I can say is ....

look out youth department!

In just a few months your

 newest member will be

 running circles around you

in the fundraising arena.

P.S. I will post pics next week

 when her new violin arrives from California. 

My mouth is watering just thinking about

 the wonderful aroma that was in my car. 

We didn't even get to keep any, 

because a person at one of the drop off sites

 didn't get a chance to order

 and was very envious of her co-workers,

 so we graciously sold her our dozen.

Oh well. I guess the Lord knew we needed the dough, but not all that sugar!

LOL

Test Kitchen Winner....

We recently cooked this lovely  Indian  style recipe.

 I have been wanting to try it out ever since I saw it on a friends blog:

"Diary of a Homeschool Mom"

Thank you Jessica,

for grabbing this recipe off of 

Pioneer Woman's site,

and then sharing with your buds.

We love it.

(we as in all three)

(as in all infernally picky three)

If your taste buds aren't accustomed 

to a variety of flavors,

 then this might not be the recipe for you.

***The only problem I had was buying the Cardamom.

I don't regret it now,

but I was not sure I wanted

to spend $12 for 1 small bottle,

when I didn't know

if I was even going to like the dish.

I do 

and I have also discovered 

that there are plenty of Indian dishes 

that call for it.

Anyhoo....

On with the recipe:

Butter Chicken

4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 
bite size pieces)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 whole lime, juiced
1 whole onion, diced
1/4 c butter
1 can (14.5 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 bunch chopped cilantro
2 c (or more) basmatti rice

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.
Saute the onion in the butter until soft.  Add marinated chicken, cook about 10 minutes (will still be a little pink).  Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 min. over med-low heat with the lid on.  I added an additional 1/4 tsp each of coriander, cumin and cardamom.  Add the whipping cream (Light cream or half n' half works too) and cilantro just before serving over basmatti rice.

* Recipe was not all that spicy (hot) in my opinion.  You could add more cayenne if you like spicy foods like me.

The previous ( *) statement was Jessica's,

but we agree.

For those of you who prefer more traditional fare:

I recently made a big pot of beef stew.

To me this is a comfort food.

It was loaded with barley, lentils, veggies,

and of course tender chunks of beef.

Everyone has their own method,

so I won't bore you with the details.

Here's A Nifty Trick We Learned.....

**If you make this and find that the soap becomes stringy or too thick, simply take enough mixture to partially fill your pump dispenser, add a little hot water and gently shake. Keep adding water and mixing until desired consistency is achieved. I'm not sure, but I think you should only do this when you are ready to fill a small bottle. Leave the large container concentrated.***

 A few blogs that I look at

 mention variations of this recipe.

I finally took the time to actually try it.

Using this method, 

I was able to stretch 5 bars of soap 

into over 40 (8oz) bottles

 of liquid hand soap.

The recipe only requires

 a couple of teaspoons

 of the other stuff 

and I bought the soap at the Dollar Tree,

so I figure it costs about 20 cents/bottle.

*I will post recipe at the end*

 This is the most time consuming part.

While grating the soap 

we put the water on to boil.

 We placed the soap bits and boiling water

 in a glass bowl

and used my stick blender

 to whip the mixture.

This step can also be done

 in a traditional blender,

 but you will see in a minute

 why the stick blender makes big batches

 so much easier.

I paid $75 for my traditional blender

 and $19 for the stick blender.

The stick blender is the only one I ever use,

 because it's so easy

 to just stick it in the pot, or bowl,

or whatever I'm working with.

Sorry about the tangent.

Back to the soap.

 After the thick whipped stuff 

cools for about 15 min.,

Add remaining water and

lightly whip again, 

then add honey and glycerin.

Stir.

Add essential oils.

Stir again.

Allow to cool completely 

before replacing the lid.

You can use a ladle and funnel

 to fill bottles,

but I prefer to use a turkey baster.

I had this huge cheese puff 

container & lid from Sam's,

 so I made a label and laminated it, 

and stuck it to the front.

This "vat" held 5 batches.

Bar Soap Makeover
(1 batch)

1 bar soap (grated)

1 cup boiling water

1 Tbs. honey

1 tsp. glycerine

enough cold  DISTILLED water to make each batch

 equal 8 cups

I used a glass bowl w/measurements,

 so I could see as I was adding water.

I would have gone crazy guessing, 

then dipping it all out to see if there were 8 cups.

20 -30 drops essential oil

(I used a lavender / tea tree mixture)

This all makes sense to me,

 because I already went through the process.

If you have any questions

 feel free to leave a comment.

I hope some of you try this.

Eloise and I really enjoyed this activity

and I won't have to buy hand soap

 for a very long time.

Drew said
 that he can't use our hand soap,
because it makes him feel funny.
LOL

Yours Truly

till Niagara Falls

& the kitchen sinks,

~Me~

Spring Has Sprung....

 Well....at least where we live.
The weather is beautiful. Don't be too envious though,
we will probably have more rain soon than most of you have all year.
 I guess it all balances out in the end.

Any way... this change in the weather
 is the cue for my O.C.D. side to reappear.

During the holidays, I kind of let things fly
with all of the baking and parties and such.
 After that I am focused on getting Eloise back on track
with a normal (our normal) school routine.

Needless to say things get a little out of sorts.

I've had a blast, but there comes a point
 when I have to stop and reevaluate my life,
 finances, and surroundings.
 I have to get back on the proverbial, "track".
The following are a few of my latest Spring cleaning projects :

I went through my cabinets and combined the leftovers
 from duplicate containers of spices and baking products.
 For example I had two half full canisters of curry powder,
so I combined them and threw the empty one away.
 All of the bags of pecan fragments
 got poured into a large mason jar.
 There is a lot less clutter (O.C.D. Me is smiling) and I am on a roll.

After I got everything in it's place,
 I noticed how pitiful all of my Sharpie/masking tape labels looked,
 so I fixed that.

;-D

 Ahhh...these labels are so much more aesthetically pleasing.

 I have also been experimenting with different recipes for

 environmentally friendly, cost effective cleaning products.

 The above pic is of some of the things I've been trying.

They are :

Glass & Mirror Cleaner (vodka  rub. alcohol)

All Purpose Cleaner

Veggie Spray (if you don't have organic fruits on hand)

I got the recipes (altered one) and artwork for labels from

 Amy Bayliss over at, "Cajun joie de vivre"

You can get to her here: www.amybaliss.com .

I noticed that Meboo also just posted a link

 on her blog, "Living The Good Life" .

Thank you Ginger for sending us this link.

I really like this site, because she is realistic in her approach.

 For example, she gives out recipes on how to make

 homemade chocolate syrup and spaghetti sauce,

 but she will also tell you that she uses store bought

 when she doesn't have time or doesn't feel like making it herself. 

She also tells you to toss any ideas that don't work for your family.

Amy Baliss also offers a lot of free printables

 like the cleaner labels (different styles available),

the signs for the baskets (below),

and much more.

**Her healthy version of Shrimp Scampi is delish**

 The above baskets are another idea we are going to try from the site.

They are for Eloise's abode.

I will be posting later with the results.

LOL!

 I recently purchased some water bottles that we can use.

 I cant stand to wash bottles with straws or squeeze tops

 or any other hard to clean mechanisms.

 These simply have a hole with a flat cap.

We don't use glass bottles, because for us they are impractical.

 I can't use the metal ones, because I can't see

  if they are thoroughly clean inside (O.C.D. strikes again).

 These are plastic.

 The label says they aren't made from the really scary harmful chemicals

 that bleed into your water (not an exact quote-my words).

So, now we simply fill our water filtering pitcher,

 then use that to fill our bottles.

 I feel good knowing that I'm saving money and making less trash.

 I stumbled upon this very huge, very pink bar of laundry soap at "Big Lots".

I decided to buy it since it was only $ . 80

When I got home I googled it.

It can be used in the same manner as the Fels Naptha.

Several sources report that it gets whites whiter.

The bar is ten cents cheaper than Fels and is twice as big.

I like the milder smell of the Fels,

but the Zote doesn't contain hydrocarbons.

I recently made a bucket of laundry soap with the Fels, 

so it's going to be a while, before I actually get to test the Zote.

I went ahead and grated it and stored it in a large jar. 

Spring cleaning is in full swing.

Hubby just sorted and cleaned his walk in closet,

now I'm going to shred some old mail to throw in the compost bin.

While I'm doing that I'm sending Eloise out 

to toss bits of dryer lint all over the empty lots next door.

I read that the birds love it for building nests.

Till Next time,

~Me~

A Big Thank You & Other Stuff....

 I want to begin this post by showing y'all what I just received in the mail.

My newest friend over at "Becoming Jody" surprised me with this adorable prize and lovely card,

so to her I say,

"THANK YOU"

 For Valentine's Day Eloise gave out these little treats instead of sweets.

 As you can see, each fruit had a tag with gold ribbon.

They said:

"You're the apple of my eye"

"I'm bananas for you"

&

"We make a perfect pear"

I saw this idea a few weeks back on the net, but I regret to announce that I forgot to write down all the info, so I could give proper credit.

I've got to do better about that kind of stuff.

 A few of the homeschoolers got together at the park to celebrate V-Day.

 The Park renovation is really starting to look nice.

 Unfortunately the peddle boats are only available for rental on weekends.

I should have checked....another thing I've got to get better about.

Avery didn't let this little set back stop him from having fun though.

 F.H.A.

Future Homeschooler of America

 The puppies even had a blast.

When we got home Gumbo had to tell Daddy all about those pesky ducks that knew how to walk on water.

LOL

Gumbo tried to run out on the pond and get them, but soon found himself doing the doggy paddle back to shore!

Well I have more to post, but I'm out of time.

Till Next Post,

~Me~