Fresh Corn Chowder

Today we had fresh corn chowder for dinner. Surprisingly, we are still getting corn out of our garden. This recipe called for fresh or frozen, but it was oh, so good with the fresh. We usually have a corn chowder with cheese, but this one did not use cheese. It was a big hit with most of the family. (We have a couple fussy eaters that don't seem to like much of anything except grilled cheese and cereal!)

Fresh Corn Chowder

Ingredients
1 Tbs. butter
1 small onion chopped
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped red and green peppers
2 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 14 oz. can chicken broth
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
3/4 cup cream
1 cup milk

Directions
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Saute onion, carrots, celery, and red and green peppers. Set aside. Mix flour, salt, pepper and chicken broth together. Add to vegetables and bring to a boil. If using fresh corn, cook on the cob and drain. Slice off the cob. Add fresh or frozen corn, cream and milk to soup mixture. Heat thoroughly without boiling. Simmer until ready to serve. Makes about 6 servings.

My notes:
I doubled this recipe for our family of seven. It was enough, with a little to spare, but if you had seven or more good eaters, I would triple it. I added a bit more of the vegetables and used less salt. I only had green peppers and it tasted great, but would have been more colorful if I had added red.

Our Week

We are in a zone now where most weeks look very similar to the week before. We do school, play outside, read, go to co-op and soccer and church activities. This week we added Bessie's piano lesson back into the mix. She really enjoys her lessons and is making tremendous progress. It is a pleasure to listen to her practice. As any parent of a budding musician knows, this isn't always the case in the early years.


Things with school are going better. Everyone has settled down a bit and gotten back into the habit of doing school. I've gotten used to our schoolwork taking a lot more of my time, which was hard in the beginning.

The little girls, for the most part, enjoy doing their work...not always! They love workbooks (yikes!) and we are using them for phonics and handwriting. They both still struggle with the simplest math, but hopefully that will improve.

Gabe is doing well, when I can pin him down for more than a few minutes at a time. It is quite remarkable how much he can do while fidgeting around in his seat. His lessons are short and sweet to be sure. Thankfully, he loves reading and being read to, so most of this learning is in the form of listening.

I'm doing a Literature Pockets with Gabe and Rachel. This particular one is on Caldecott winners. So far it is working well and I'm enjoying it too! Hannah and Dan love to listen to the stories, but can't quite manage the activities yet. I need to find something for them...maybe Before Five in a Row would work.

We have found a few activities that keep Dan happy for longer periods of time so that I can work with the bigger kids. This week, we discovered PlayDoh. He sat in his chair for over an hour one day just cutting the dough into little pieces...amazing!

Of course, after everyone else saw how much fun Dan was having, I had to break out more containers and let everyone have a turn today. I could not believe how long they all sat at the table. Who would have thunk it! I'll have to dig out the recipe for homemade dough.


Rachel's soccer game was canceled tonight due to a thunderstorm rumbling through. After a week of record temperatures, the air is cooling off tonight and it promises to be more seasonal tomorrow. Both Rachel and Hannah have games in the morning.

Beatrix Potter Quiz

Which Betrix Potter
character are you?
Take this quiz at
Sparrow's Song

Some of this is true and some not! Take the quiz yourself and see which character you are most like.

Balloon Fest

Saturday morning, Bri brought Rachel to her soccer game. He took Hannah and Dan with him. Bessie, Gabe and I headed to the library. When we got home, we had a quick lunch, packed up things for dinner, extra clothes and whatnot and went to a local balloon fest. Well...sort of local...it was about a 1.5 hour drive.

The day was warm and sunny, but they were predicting rain. The balloons won't fly if it is too windy or raining. We were hopeful, but tried to prepare the kids for the possibility of not seeing the balloons.

One of the LC130s from the base

(look at the line waiting to tour the plane)

There were a ton of kites flying. Some were huge and so colorful. Of course, there was a kite vendor and they were doing a big business. There were kites of all colors and sizes.

This kite was huge and rotated. They had a bit

if trouble getting it off, but eventually it was up.

We almost always bring our own food to these kinds of events, as the concession stands can be so expensive, but we often will have a treat of some sort. Today it was fried dough...a family favorite. Yum!

We were able to park pretty close, so it was easy to walk back to the van and have our picnic dinner. Everyone was enjoying themselves very much.

Several crewmen from the base were leading tours through the plane. The line was very, very long to see the plane, so we waited until closing time and got the private tour. The kids have seen the plane before, but never seem to tire of crawling around inside.

Gabe checking out Brian's seat in the plane

Dan and Gabe

As the launch time approached, the skies clouded up and a few sprinkles fell. The balloonist canceled the launch. The kids were disappointed, especially Gabe who actually understood what was going on. We hung around chatting with some of Bri's friends and then packed up.

The skies cleared and the sun came back out

We had decided on the way home that we would try again tomorrow. The weather was suppose to be clear all day, so the chances of seeing the balloons was better.

Sunday we went to church and stayed around the house for a few hours then packed up the van and set out again.

Bri and I enjoy the day

The day was gorgeous...very fall like, so much clearer than yesterday. The only hold up might be the wind. As the sun started to go down, the winds died down and the excitement of seeing the balloonists pulling out their baskets and equipment was a good sign.

The rest was just wonderful. We were able to stand right near the balloons as they filled and launched, one after another. It was very exciting. The kids were running around saying, "There goes one, there goes another one!". The colors were amazing and seeing them against the bright blue sky made them even more beautiful. I think Gabe took about 100 pictures. It was thrilling and so fun to watch the kids. I am so glad we decided to try again.

This doggie balloon was so funny. It didn't fly far, but was a big hit with the crowd.

Friday

Brian was home today. It is always fun having dad home on a weekday. He was still recovering from his jet-lag, so we had an easy day.

He puttered around doing small jobs...working in the garden, rewiring the electric line out to the chicken coop and putting an GFI outlet behind my garden pond.

The kids and I had a light day of school and spent time hanging out with Bri.

Later in the afternoon we decided to do a geocache. There was one left at a local reservoir that we hadn't done yet. We packed up water bottles and snacks and headed out. It was a beautiful day and the trail to the cache was lovely. We all enjoy hiking and being in the woods and it is a wonderful way for the kids to get use up some of their energy!

Gabe was manning the GPSer, so we had a bit more trouble than usual. He hasn't quite figured out what all the numbers mean and he moves around so much that often the needle gets twisted around. I think it is time for us to invest in another unit. Once he decided one of the adults should read the info, we found it with little trouble.

This caches in interesting, a long tube down in the stump of the large tree. There was not a lot of trading items, but we added a few things to sweeten the pot for the next person.

Gabe retrieving the cache (I'm sure glad he doesn't mind sticking his hand

down those dark holes!)

Success!

Bess logging our visit

The look of fall

I had put the fixins' for pizza dough into the bread machine before we left and it was ready when we got home. A few minutes of setting it up and we had pizza for dinner.

After dinner, the kids had fun with scissors, glue, yarn and lots of imagination.

Gabe made a crocodile and a bunny mask

The bunny and the cat (Rachel)

Bess made this interesting two-tone mask

Dan just enjoys cutting up magazines

My "Art"

Several of my bloggie pals have created artwork at the below site. This is my contribution.


Click here to create your own painting.

Fall Reading Challenge

I wasn't going to participate in the Fall Reading Challenge at Callapidder Days, but my friend Lisa convinced me!

I don't really need another reason to read, but sometimes I do need a bit of incentive to broaden my reading to some non-fiction books and not just my cozy mysteries. Having these challenges does give me the little push to read at least one or two books that aren't quite as easy.

My reading list is always a work in progress...some books get deleted, some get added. Most of these are carry-overs from the Summer Challenge.

Here is my current list:
(Books in progress are red, finished books will be crossed off and links provided if reviewed.)

Fiction
The House of Seven Mabels - Jill Churchill
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Crime - Tamar Myers
Design for Murder - Carolyn G. Hart
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling - Neta Jackson
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive - Alexander M. Smith
Summer Garden Murder - Ann Ripley
Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist - Dorothy Gilman
In Plain Sight - Lorena McCourtney

On the Run - Lorena McCourtney
Blessed Child - Ted Dekker and Bill Bright
The Potluck Club - Linda Evans Sherpherd & Eva Marie Everson

Family/Parenting/Homeschooling
Ministry of Motherhood - Sally Clarkson
Making Children Mind without Losing Yours - Dr. Kevin Leman
The Socialization Trap - Rick Boyer
Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends - Sarah, Stephen, and Grace Mally
Families Where Grace Is In Place - Jeff VanVonderen
Grace Based Parenting - Dr. Tim Kimmel
The Relaxed Home School - Mary Hood

Biographies
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Opponent of the Nazi Regime - Michael Van Dyke

Christian Living
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World - Joanna Weaver
Calm My Anxious Heart - Linda Dillow
Margin - Richard A. Swenson, M.D.

Other Non-fiction
A Treasury of Adoption Miracles - Karen Kingsbury

Homeschool Co-op

This year we are trying a small homeschool co-op that meets at our church. This group is small, only 10 families. We are doing what I consider as "fun" stuff. We are doing art (Meet the Masters), messy science, a gym time and we are doing a play. So far it is working out pretty good. They do most of the activities as a group, so I don't feel pulled in five different directions. Bessie is doing some of the activities and helping in others. She is the oldest girl there, so she often helps the other moms with their babies or assists the leader.

This week we made solar ovens. It was a lot of fun the best part (for my kids) was that we made S'Mores in the ovens. It is amazing how quickly it melted the chocolate and softened the marshmallows. It was a big hit with everyone. We used a pizza box, a piece of plexiglas, foil and black paper.

It was nice and sunny yesterday and the ovens worked well.

For our gym time, one of the moms is teaching the kids a "stomp" type dance. We will be adding the fun junkyard instruments once the kids learn the steps. It is a lot of fun and I am amazed at how quickly the kids are picking up the combinations of hand claps and foot stomps.

Assembling the s'more in the oven

Our oven all set up

Dan especially enjoyed the end product

Gabe looks more serious

Dan has started having speech therapy. He has made tremendous progress over the last six months and we debated about whether he really needed it or not, but he was still getting frustrated when he would try and say some things, so we went ahead.

Anne, his therapist, comes to the house two days a week and to our co-op one day. She is still trying to figure out what exactly Dan needs as he excels in some areas, but has real problems in others. He enjoys it and hopefully it will help.

Anne works with Dan

(Gabe has been an invaluable helper)

Blogger's Bloom Day - September

I am several days late posting my Garden Bloggers Blooms for this month. I did take the pictures on Sunday (16th), but haven't had much time to sit and blog this week.

My garden is definately taking on its fall look, which is pretty bare, but I was pleased to have a few more blooms this year than last. Each year I try and find one or two more plants that blossom later in the year.

Aster

Varigated Buddleia
HollyHock
Sedum
Toad Lily

I'm sure this will be the last entry for me this year as we came very close to a killing frost this week and by mid-October, we will have had several. We'll see, sometimes a few things manage to hang on until the snow flies.

Fall Days

The end of last week was pretty much a rerun of earlier in the week. We did school, we ran errands, we played outside and the little girls had soccer.

We waited, not always so patiently, for Brian to call and tell us he was coming home. We finally got the call on Thursday. He arrived home on Sunday morning. It was so wonderful to have him home and Sunday afternoon was spent showering him with hugs and kisses by all. We all played outside as it was a nice day, cool, but very pleasant. Bri puttered in the gardens, enjoying being home.

He went right back to work on Monday, but he will be taking some days off this weekend.

We did better with our school work this week. We have changed things around, eliminated some things and added some things. Life is settling in a bit and it wasn't so hard. I am still finding that we are working in the afternoon, but this week it is only a few things and not quite so frantic.

Dan loves writing, drawing and coloring. For

such a busy guy, he amazes me with his attention

span when he is working on something he enjoys.

Gabe made these Larry and Bob puppets
Lots and lots of outdoor time

As the days become cooler, the kids enjoy being outside more. Most of the bugs are gone and the temperature is nice for biking, running and playing. They spend a lot of time on the trampoline. It has been such a blessing to us. What a great way to burn off all the extra kid energy.

Outing

The last few days have been pretty full for us. We are doing a pretty good job with our schoolwork. I am learning a few things, the main one being, I do not have to do everything with everybody everyday. We two primary learners, it takes a lot of time doing the basics. Rachel and Hannah aren't exactly at the same place, so I can't work with them together. We have had to cut back to doing history twice a week and science twice a week (well we do some type of science/nature everyday, but very informal).

Don't they look so studious?

Dan working on his circles

Tuesday afternoon was the first session of the local co-op we have joined. It is for few hours in the afternoon. We are doing art, music, PE, messy science and a play. Some of these subjects are alternated every other week. Dan's speech therapist came to the church to give Dan his session. This worked out well as he had some one on one with her while I was with the older kids. Overall, the kids had a very good time. It is tiring, but I think it will be a nice break from our normal work week.

Rachel had a soccer game scheduled for Tuesday evening, but it was canceled due to the heavy rains. I can't say I was sad. I was glad to stay home. I don't enjoy being on the go all the time.

Hannah did have her game on Wednesday. Her team won. She still seems quite confused about what the object of the whole game is, but she runs around smiling and says she enjoys it. Hopefully something will start to click.

Today we decided to do something fun...a treat for us. It doesn't take much to thrill this group, so a trip to WalMart and lunch at McDs was the ticket. We don't go to WalMart very often...maybe once every couple of months, so it was a fun excursion.

We found this great marker board. It has lines on one side

for penmanship practice. Hannah was thrilled!

We did most of our schoolwork in the afternoon. I was surprised how productive we all were. Usually afternoons don't work too well for getting a lot of seat work done, but I think our outing had everyone in good spirits. The kids spend some time outside. It was cooler today and sunny. It sure feels like fall. The nights have been quite cool.

Bessie wanted to see if the corn was ready. We got it in quite late, but the weather has been pretty good for corn. It looks really good. Bri we will wait for you and pick a bunch for dinner!

Yum, yum! Bess loves it raw

Rachel and Gabe enjoy "Stunt Race" on the Nintendo
Bessie spiked Dan's hair...he loved it!

We had a light dinner after our late McDs lunch. The kids listened to some music, played and did some drawing. We go through a lot of paper with all the drawing everyone enjoys.

So far, this has been a good week. It has been good to get back into our fall schedule. We certainly need to do some tweaking and figure out how to get the most done without it becoming a drudgery. Learning is happening even when I don't realize it. I want it to be as fun as it can be. Most days we get close to the balance of good work and fun.