Happy Halloween!

My funny kids pooped out on the trick or treating at 650pm (It wasn't supposed to end till 730pm). But they were cold/tired/too little to care. Everyone went to bed at 8pm. Little-man did good for his age. This is the first year he made it all around the neighborhood for trick or treating. Pitty-pat and Tippy-toe almost managed to stay together with us while walking from house to house. On a whole much better than last year. Camryn was beautiful as a masquerade ballgowned girl. Pitty-pat was a fairy godmother, Tippy-toe was a skeleton, and Little-man wore the traditional cat costume. The black cat costume 4T was given to me by my neighbor Liz when Jessi was just two years old. Jessica, Aimee, Taylor and Cam have all worn the black cat costume in their turn. Soon little Alijah will be the next to wear it.

Update on baby christopher

He made it through surgery! Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers it will be a long recovery for him.

halloween count down

Roasted pumpkin seeds are a fall favorite of my family we always roasted them plain when I was growing up but I wanted to try this new recipe I found here.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons worchestire
3 shakes garlic salt (this is a "man" measurement so around 1/8 tsp)
3 shakes onion powder (around 1/8 tsp)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Rinse seeds under cold water and make sure all of the strings and pulp are removed. Drain well. Stir seeds with melted butter, worchestire, garlic salt, and onion powder in a small bowl making sure they are fully coated. Place seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake for 50 - 60 minutes (or until brown and crispy) stirring every 20 minutes.

Chicago Field Trip Recon

Aaron and I went to Chicago, Illinois for a concert while we were there we did a recon to see if it would be a great place to take the kids on a field trip.  Well it was so nice. Our plan is to take the train from Lansing, Michigan. We stayed at the Congress Hotel which was so nice and centrally located. in the lobby is a chair from the White House Oval office in which sat for U.S. Presidents including Pres. Harding, Pres.Vanburen, and two others I can't remember which now. From the Congress Hotel it was a short walk (1 mile) along the Lake shore to the Museum of Natural History and Shedd Aquarium. The kids will really like the Museum. It will take us most of the day and then the aquarium. We didn't go to Navy Pier but it was visible from the hotel window. We ate at the Exchequer the food was OK but not that good really although reasonably priced given the discount coupon from the hotel doorman. The Lincoln Hall was incredibly wonderful little stage and I would definitely go to another concert there but it is not a family oriented venue (must be 21 because alcohol is served). It was just a short taxi ride from the hotel. I have been to the zoo and that is a day trip as well so we will go for at least two days stay at the hotel or one near by, and go to the museum and the zoo. Planning is the key to a sucessful trip and having been there recently is a great way to judge if it will work for us. Plan is for us to take the kids and go in the spring when it is getting warm again I would say about late June. But a Momma and Daddy Field trip by ourselves is always in order. Thanks Aaron I love the field trip for momma.

Happy 125th Birthday

The Statue of Liberty turns 125 today! Thank you France for the gift of one of my favorite symbols of our country. I had the privilage of visiting her in July 1976. So today we will take a few minuets to study this symbol of our country.

Recipe

I found this recipe here. I think meatball subs sound so good. But I can't wait to try it with cream of mushroom soup instead of tomato sauce. I would have to double or triple this recipe as well.

PORCUPINE MEATBALLS

No these meatballs are not made form porcupines, rather they look like porcupines once they are done cooking. 

Now, for my size of family I double this recipe and serve the meatballs with mashed potatoes and whatever frozen or canned veggie my kids pick out.  (usually corn)

• 1 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 2/3 cup long-grain rice, uncooked
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:

Directions for porcupine meatballs
Mix ground beef with rice, 1/2 cup of water, chopped onion, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Shape porcupine ground beef mixture by tablespoon into 1 1/2-inch balls.

Place the porcupine meatballs in an ungreased 2-quart shallow baking dish. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the porcupine meatballs. Cover and bake at 350° F. oven for about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake porcupine meatballs 15 to 20 minutes longer.
Porcupine meatballs serve 4 to 6.

 

Breakfast for supper tonight

Tonight is breakfast for supper night at our house.I found a crockpot casserole I want to try. I modified it and here is my version.

Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

1 doz eggs
1 cup milk
1 bag (32 oz bag frozen hash brown potatoes
1 lb bacon, cooked crisp
3/4 cup chopped sweet onion (I omiited this since aaron is allergic to onions)
1 1/2 cup cheese - shredded (cheddar, jack, or both)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
parsley flakes

Directions:

1. Spray inside of crock pot with nonstick spray. (I have a nonstick crockpot and I love it!)

2. Layer potato, bacon, onion, cheese 1/3 of each 3 times.(my crockpot is also huge so I only did one layer each-potatoes,cheese,eggs then topped with bacon and sprinkled with more parsley flakes)

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs with milk and seasonings.

4. Pour egg mixture over the ingredients in the crockpot.

5. Cook on low 10 - 12 hours, until eggs are set and thoroughly cooked.(The original recipe I saw and lost-was high for 4 hours so this is what I did, as I was starting this recipe at just after noon.)

(Hint-I saved and refrigerated my bacon grease to use in place of some of the butter in my bread machine bread as it gives the bread flavor.)

Update on baby christopher

He is to have surgery today at 330 please keep him in your thoughts and prayers today!

Happy Birthday Aaron

Aaron is my hero. He has adopted my whole family and made our lives richer. He came into our lives just before the last adoption became final and has made it so much richer. He hunts and provides us with venison to eat all winter. He is mechanical and fixes everything for us. He is a "daddy" in the truest sense of the word to all the kids. Only a special man would take on all the challenges of this really put in a mixer and blended up family we share. I love you Aaron. Thank you, for all you do each day as you stay home with the kids because that is what is best for them. You are my hero!

Quote for the day

"Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the apples in a seed."

Please pray for baby christopher

My prayers go out to a young lady Amber for her baby Christopher. Christopher is in the hospital with complications from his birth. He is 5 1/2 months old and has a brain injury from bleeding on the brain. Please keep him and his Mom in your prayers.

Adoption-parenting class

Well, the class really did not present that much new information to me. They dismissed the RAD as not really as prevalent as it is. The only help they suggested was for public school assistance. I realise these programs are free and are already in place but there should be other ways to access the services than only receiving them through the public school system. I did receive a nice certificate for 9 hours of "Towards Successful Adoption Training" and a $50.00 stipend. I have had to become an expert on RAD for my kids because there are so few services in our area, because we are so rural. It is nice to meet other adoptive families. Just like meeting other home schooled families it is nice to know there are other adopted families who have the a sameness in their daily struggles to do the best for their kids too.

My new Sewing machine is fixed--hurray!

My sewing machine is done now I can make all those great things I have been seen on the web and on pinterest. I have some beanbags all cut out to sew, as well as a pillow case dress for Pitty-pat, and baby blankets for Alijah  and RileyAnn. I haven't sewn in years since the big girls-Jess and Aimee were littles. But everything cycles and I am once again trying to be frugal and thrifty. My mom made cloth diapers for Jess and Aimee so I will be trying my have on this project for Alijah. I can't wait to be crafty again.

Adoption-parenting class

MSU Department of Social Work is offering a parenting class. Three years after adopting 3 special kids the state is finally offering me a class on the resources available to them. And paying me $50.00 to go...like I wouldn't go for free, or even pay them $50.00 to find out how to get more help for the kids! It is two days Friday night at 5:30pm and again on Sat starting at 8am till 5pm---by the time they sent the form to me half the places had already taken place and Saginaw, Michigan was the only one near me left. They waited till the week before to confirm so I had to take vacation months ago and wait to see if there even was a class and where the location was going to be in Saginaw. I have had a sitter lined up for months too on standby in case they cancelled. Then this week someone traded me days off so I don't even have to waste a vacation day. (Any vacation day not spent with my family is a total waste!) These programs all assume the parents don't work. It is very frustrating. I wouldn't have needed to use the time off if they had told me in the first flier it would start at 5:30pm. Now I find out the Mom to Mom sale is tommorro at 9-1pm and I am going to miss all the sales!Just because I don't want to miss the resource class out of the three classes! [I don't care about the stipend.] So I will miss all the baby clothes at the sale! It's a bummer! I just hope the class isn't a disappointment after all this trouble to go to it. The kids do need some resources but I am scared to ask for them after what happened the last time I asked for help for them from the state. Tippy-toe has real problems using stairs..he's seven! Little-man has speech problems we are working on daily, Pitty-pat could still use some help with the RAD although I believe we have come a long way! And everyone should have access to the programs when we adopt not three years later. I'll let you know how the class goes.

Quote for the day

Since we will be studying another poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Hiawatha, I thought this quote might be in order the moment I saw it on another blog here. Stillness. That has certainly been missing in my life these last three whirlwind years. Wait for God. I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses...This poem speaks to cobwebbed corners in my mind. I need to meditate and have more...stillness.

"Let us, then, labor for an inward stillness--
an inward stillness and an upward healing;
that perfect silence where the lips and heart are still,
and we no longer entertain
our own imperfect thoughts and vain options,
but God alone speaks to us,
and we wait in singleness of heart,
that we may know His will,
and in the silence of our spirits,
that we may do His will and do that only."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Pitty-pats Birthday

Today was a pink theme bedroom birthday party. Pitty-pat wants to paint her bedroom pink--right now the walls are glossy black as they were before I bought the house. It makes for great sleeping but not very girly. Grandma and poppa made her cake, posters and curtains, aunt carolyn got her a pink chair, we are buying her the paint and doing something with the blue carpet. I already bought pink fabric to cover her white lamp shade. Photos of the before and after to follow soon.

halloween count down

Here is a little poem I remember Mrs. Zigray teaching me in Kindergarden at Luce Road.
Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate
The first one said, “Oh, my it’s getting late.”
The second one said, “There are witches in the air”.
The third one said,”But we don’t care!”
The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run”.
The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun!”
Wooooo, went the wind
(clap)And out went the light
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

Trip to the used book store

I had to work 3p-11p on call to day so I went to the used bookstore. I found 4 great used books. I spy little letters by Jean Marzollo, ($2.95) a board book for little-man, President George Washington by David A. Adler ($2.95), The Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Jan Brett for ($2.95), and Hiawatha, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and illustrated by Susan Jeffers for ($1.95). I love books. I do not own a nook. I really haven't even used my laptop to read a book I could find in print. Little-man loves board books. We just this week converted the closet in the boy's room into a reading nook. It has pillows and what else of course...lots of board books. My favorite way to find books is at garage sales($0.10-$1.00) but the used book store is a close second. This is because both the book store in my town and the next town have went out of business. The town I work in has a Barnes and Noble which I love but I can buy more books if I buy them used. I am already looking for copies of certain board books for my grandson arriving soon in Feb. since I can never seem to part with a book. It was odd that I have sent several to Aimee. Jessica came and took "hers" and that was hard for me. I do not like to part with my books. Some day I want to donate them in mass to create a library in Salt River at the WMFC (after I am dead of course). Since there isn't a good library there and the kids need books to keep them out of trouble. In the mean time these are great additions to my personal library. In November we will be studying American Indians this year so the poem Hiawatha is perfect for that study. I love Christmas and anything Jan Brett is a work of art. George Washington is a great history book for next Feb. since we did Abe Lincoln again this year. And Little man is working on his ABC's so I spy book will be perfect for him.

halloween count down

For This Is Halloween
sung to the tune of 10 little indians
One little skeleton hopping up and down,
One little skeleton hopping up and down,
One little skeleton hopping up and down,
For this is Halloween.

Two little children playing trick or treat...
Three little pumpkins standing in a row...
Four little goblins running all around...
Five little witches flying through the air...

Last of summer-pickeled watermelon rind

When I was five years old my parents had a two acre garden and we had plenty of watermelons so my mom made this pickles. As I recall it was alot of work and we really didn't like them all that much. I know why my Dad had to help peel all those melons. It is a difficult job.It must be nostalgia or the desire to make food out of a what normally we would throw away but I took the watermelon we got at the farmer's market for $2.00 and set out to make the following recipe. My small melon made a double batch.

Pickling watermelon rind is a two day process. On the first day, prepare the rind by removing the green part, and cutting the rind into chunks. Place the rind in a pickling crock or a plastic bowl. Cover it with a brine made from one quart water, and 1/4 cup pickling salt. Place a plate on top and weight it down to keep the rind submerged. Allow it to sit in a cool place over night.

On the second day, drain and rinse. Cover the rind with fresh water. Boil until it is soft, and drain again. Meanwhile make a syrup of 1 cup vinegar, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and 1/2 sliced lemon. heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the rind to the syrup and cook until the rind is translucent.

For each pint, place 1 cinnamon stick (about 2 inches long), four cloves, and 3 allspice berries in the jar. Use a slotted spoon to add the rind. Cover with syrup leaving 1/2 inch head space. Process pints in a water bath for 10 minutes. For quart jars, double the spices and process for 15 minutes.

High altitude instructions
1,001 - 3,000 feet : increase processing time by 5 minutes
3,001 - 6,000 feet : increase processing time by 10 minutes
6,001 - 8,000 feet : increase processing time by 15 minutes
8,001 - 10,000 feet : increase processing time by 20 minutes

Autumn Sensory Tub

In Little-mans autumn sensory bin are paper colored leaves from the dollar store, twisted pipe cleaner fuzzy wooly-bear caterpillars, acorns, beech pods,beech seeds,bottle cap bugs with googly eyes ....

Star of Autumn

The Apple Star story. (author unknown)

Once there was a little boy who had played almost all day. He had played with all his toys and all the games he knew, and he could not think of anything else to do. So, he went to his mother and asked, “Mother, what shall I do now?”
His mother said, “I know about a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside. You can find it, if you go look for it.”
So the little boy went outside and there he met a little girl. He asked, “Do you know where there is a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?”
The little girl said, “No, I don’t know where there is a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside, but you can ask my daddy. He is a farmer and he knows lots of things. He’s down by the barn and maybe he can help you.”
So, the little boy went to the farmer down by the barn and said, “Do you know where there is a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?”
“No,” said the farmer, “I don’t know, but why don’t you ask Grandmother. She is in her house up on the hill. She is very wise and knows many things. Maybe she can help you.”
So, the little boy went up the hill to Grandmother’s and asked, “Do you know where there is a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?”
“No,” Grandmother answered, “I don’t know, but you ask Brother Wind, for Brother Wind goes everywhere, and I am sure he can help you.”
So, the little boy went outside and asked Brother Wind, “Do you know where I can find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?”
And Brother Wind said, “Ooooohhhhh! And it sounded to the little boy as if the wind said, “Come with me.” So the little boy ran after Brother Wind. He ran through the grass and into the orchard and there on the ground he found the little house – the little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside! He picked it up, and it filled both of his hands. He ran home to his mother and said, “Look, Mother! I found the little red house with no doors and no windows, but I cannot see the star!”
So this is what his mother did (cut the apple across the middle from side to side, not top to bottom) . “Now I see the star!” said the little boy.
Inside every apple sleep five seed babies in their star beds, waiting for Mother Earth to give them life.

halloween count down

In honor of October's Full Moon tonight today's Halloween theme is the full Moon. It is called the hunter's moon around here for obvious reasons.

Quote for the day

 I found this quote today it is one of those things people always say you know ..."the kids are so lucky to have someone to love them"...no I reply it is me who is lucky I get so much love from those little ones. Well here is a quote that sums it up really well.

 

John Paul II said...

To adopt a child is a great work of love. When it is done, much is given, but much is also received. It is a true exchange of gifts

Pumpkin puree for pies

Fresh pumpkin for pies is something I have been making for years. I find the small dark skinned pie pumpkins to be the best ones around here. So while at the farmer's market on Saturday we picked up 4 pumpkins for $2.00 to make into "pumpkin mash" to freeze in 2 cup portions. The USDA doesn't recommend canning pumpkin so we will be freezing ours. The kids love to wash the pumpkins. I like to roast mine in the oven but we are having unusually warm weather 80's in October is rare--enough to make me think global warming (Ok, not really!). So back to the ever popular crock pot. I use mine everyday or almost. We are saving the seeds to roast as snacks.I will freeze the pumpkin in 2 cup servings since we almost always have to double every recipe for our large family.

Autum Smoothie

Here's one I found for Aimee something like the one at McDonald's right now! And it is ok for babies 8 months and older too, mama to be.
The Autumn Smoothie

1/2 cup plain, yogurt
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of ginger
1 frozen banana

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until a thick consistency is created. 

Bean soup

 Bean Soup I found the recipe here and decided to adapt it a bit to use up some beans I already had in the cupboard. Mine will not have all the beans on this list. My Mother's bean soup was just great northern beans and no veggies. If I added carrots or celery she told me "that is vegetable soup not bean soup".
Ingredients for the mix (original recipe)
Baby lima beans, dried ¬- 1 lb
Barley pearls - 1 lb
Black beans, dried - 1 lb
Black eyed peas, dried - 1 lb
Great northern beans, dried - 1 lb
Green split peas, dried - 1 lb
Lentils, dried - 1 lb
Lima beans, large, dried - 1 lb
Navy beans, dried - 1 lb
Pinto beans, dried - 1 lb
Red beans, dried - 1 lb
Soy beans, dried - 1 lb
Yellow split peas, dried - 1 lb

Combine all dried beans and store in airtight containers until ready to use.(I just put mine in pint size canning jars for the couples and in quart size for the larger families I put two bouillion cubes on top in the pints and three in the quarts for my gift jars at the same time.)

Ingredients for the soup 
Dried bean mixture, 2 C
Garlic cloves, minced – 1-2
Hot pepper, fresh, coarsely chopped - 1
Lemon juice - 1/4 C
Onion, chopped - 1 large
Salt, ¾ tsp
Ground pepper - 1/4 tsp
Whole canned tomatoes, undrained & coarsely chopped - 16 oz can
Water, 2 quarts
Ham to season, if desired - The original recipe called for 1 ham hock. (That is how my mother made hers.It's the bone that is the secret ingredient to a better soup broth... so if using beef Aimee get a bone in the cut of meat.)

Sort & wash the beans, place in a Dutch oven, and cover with water 2" above beans. Soak overnight.(older beans will require longer soaking and another water change)

Drain beans & add 2 quarts hot water, ham, salt, & pepper. Cover, bring to a boil, & reduce heat. Simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Add remaining ingredients, simmer an additional 30 minutes. Taste and add more salt or pepper to taste. Add lemon juice before serving.

 Made Black bean soup tonight with ham hock,chicken stock, black beans, red pepper, and leeks seasoned with parsley, and salt. Put it all in the crock pot on high for 4 hours. The fresh beans turned everything in the pot black. Tasted so good with a batch of cornbread.  We bought the leeks(2/1.00), beans(2.00/bag), and peppers(3/1.00) fresh from the farmers market. I love to make food FRESH in SEASON from the LOCAL farmer's market and the recipe above was my inspiration when I saw the beans at the market I had to buy some. The good thing about fresh beans is they do not require soaking overnight. The ham hock I had in the freezer $1.00/lb, the chicken broth was $1.75, red pepper $0.33, leek $0.50 that is about $3.58 for a crock pot full of soup. Enough to fill up my family of 6 tonight with leftovers for lunches.

Homeschool Group Get Together

Today we got to meet another family in our area that are also homeschoolers. It was so nice to have coffee and talk to adults! The kids got to play outside together it was so much fun. It was so good for the kids to see that they aren't the only homeschooolers in the world!

Dumplings for my little dumplings

I made the kids dumplings for a warm fall supper the other night. I had forgotten how simple and filling these little things are to make and eat. Cam and Tippy-toe each had two bowls. I wound up making a second batch.
My Broth
1 large can of chicken broth, 1/2 to 3/4 can of water,1 tsp poultry seasoning, 1 tablespoon parsley flakes, a pinch of salt. Boil. For the dumplings I just followed a recipe I found on all recipes.com
Cam said they tasted like my homemade noodles. Only it was 20 minuets to make them! Easy and filling for those little tummies on cool fall evenings. And the cost was minimal the only thing I bought was the broth.The real secret is the poultry seasoning added to the broth to give it that chicken flavor. Enjoy!

crock pot recipes

Easy Slow Cooker Refried Beans

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
• ½ fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• One big pinch of cumin
• 6 cups water

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for 8 hours or overnight while you are sleeping.
3. Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain the excess liquid. If desired, save excess liquid until the final product is desired consistency.
4. Mash remaining beans with a potato masher and voila! You have homemade refried beans.

 I found this recipe above here i can't wait to try it since I have some beans that have been in my storage too long!

recipe-maple syrup

I found this recipe here. I remember my sister making syrup one day when she was out and thought I might try it myself next time we run out. Did you know that the flavoring in most maple syrups sold in stores is really an herb called...Fennugreek and  most don't even contain maple sap. It smells like maple and tastes like maple but it definitely isn't maple. I t is supposed to be good for lactation. It also makes your sweat smell like maple syrup.

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Water

2 Tbsp. Karo Syrup

(This will keep the syrup from turning grainy over time.)

1 tsp. Maple Flavoring

Syrup Instructions:

Bring the sugar and water to a boil.

Add maple flavoring and stir.

Syrup will be poured into the jars at the boiling point

Here's the 2nd Recipe:

(This recipe makes a little thicker syrup.)

2 cups Sugar

1 cup Water

2 Tbsp. Karo Syrup

1/2 tsp. Maple Flavoring

Syrup Instructions:

Bring the sugar and water to a boil.

Add maple flavoring and stir.

Here's the 3rd Recipe:

(It's got a touch of CINNAMON!)

1 cup White Sugar

1 cup Soft Light Brown Sugar, Packed

1 cup Corn Syrup

1 cup Water

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Cinnamon Stick, (broken in half)

Syrup Instructions:

Put all the ingredients into a large saucepan.

Bring to a boil and then simmer gently for 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and CAREFULLY remove

the cinnamon stick and pour into clean sterilized jars.

Follow canning directions from here!

Canning Instructions:

If you are going to can pancake syrup,

you will need to bring the syrup to a boiling point

and then pour into clean sterilized jars

leaving about a 1/2-inch head space.

Wipe the rims of the jars to make sure that

they are clean and ready for the new, hot lids.

Simmer lids before putting them on the bottles of hot syrup.

Caution:

When you are working with hot liquids...be very careful!

I usually keep oven mits handy when I'm canning.

Place filled jars into a boiling waterbath canner.

Process PINTS for 7 minutes.

Start timing when the water returns to a boil.

Remove jars from canner and cool on a wire rack.

I found this recipe here.

You Will Need:

Clean Wide Mouth Pint Jars and Rings

New Lids

and Your Favorite Recipe!

(Avoid cakes with chunks like zuchinni or carrots.)

Use Crisco to grease the insides of the jars.

Use 1 cup of cake mix per jar.

Make sure jar rims and super clean so that the jars

will seal correctly.

Bake cakes in jars that have been placed

on a cookie sheet. (Bake WITHOUT Lids!)

Place lids on jars until immediately after baking.

Jars will be hot so make sure you use hot pads.

Lids should be placed in simmering water while cakes are

in the oven so they will be ready for the jars

when the cakes have finished baking.

Tighten lids with rings and listen for the ping.

A sealed jar lid will not move up and down after it has

been sealed correctly.  A sealed lid will be concave.

Let sit 12 to 24 hours and test the seal again.

Any unsealed jars should be put into the fridge,

and eaten within a few days.

(I'm sure it won't last longer than 1 hour!)

To eat cake . . . just use a knife to loosen the edges

and then the cake will slide right out.

play/art

This weekend my friend peggy who is a pro photographer came over and set up her studio in my livingroom. Everyone had so much fun posing and modeling their new school clothes they haven't worn yet. Cam was turned into a real model. everyone got bit by the photography bug.

RADishes-- sometimes you have to look back to see how far you have come!

Sometimes you have to look back to see how far you have come. It was nice to see the kids interact with a strange adult who came to our home this week, my friend and photographer Peggy Z. She came to take pictures for me of the kids.It was definately interesting. I tried to warn her about the kids but she had her own adjenda and didn't understand. So I pulled this up to show her. The following is from radkids.org

Signs & Symptoms of Reactive Attachment Disorder in Children & Adults

Symptoms of RAD in Children Superficially charming and engaging, particularly around strangers or those who they feel they can manipulate Indiscriminate affection, often to strangers; but not affectionate on parent’s terms Problems making eye contact, except when angry or lying A severe need to control everything and everyone; worsens as the child gets older Hypervigilant Hyperactive, yet lazy in performing tasks Argumentative, often over silly or insignificant things Frequent tantrums or rage, often over trivial issues Demanding or clingy, often at inappropriate times Trouble understanding cause and effect Poor impulse control Lacks morals, values, and spiritual faith Little or no empathy; often have not developed a conscience Cruelty to animals Lying for no apparent reason False allegations of abuse Destructive to property or self Stealing Constant chatter; nonsense questions Abnormal speech patterns; uninterested in learning communication skills Developmental / Learning delays Fascination with fire, blood and gore, weapons, evil; will usually make the bad choice Problems with food; either hoarding it or refusing to eat Concerned with details, but ignoring the main issues Few or no long term friends; tend to be loners Attitude of entitlement and self-importance Sneaks things without permission even if he could have had them by asking Triangulation of adults; pitting one against the other A darkness behind the eyes when raging

Symptoms of RAD in Adults Avoidant Unreasonable or inappropriate anger Hostile Overcritical of others and self Intolerant of rules and authority Lack of empathy or remorse Views others as untrustworthy and unreliable Shallow/Vain Feelings of self-importance Feelings of entitlement or arrogance Self-reliance; prefers to work alone than with others Views relationships as threatening, or not worth the effort May be a workaholic, as a way of avoiding relationships Feelings of being unique Grandiose or unrealistic fantasies Anxious/Ambivalent Compulsive caregiving Feels underappreciated Many short-term relationships Idealizes others Possessive; makes unrealistic demands of partners in relationships Preoccupied with relationships, and easily makes declarations of affection Obtains feelings of security through relationships Sees relationships as imbalanced Oversensitive to rejection, easily gives in to jealousy Sees others as being difficult to understand Unable to understand the concept of altruism Extreme emotions May Also Include Prone to depression Socially inappropriate behavior Impulsive Manipulative Risk-taking Self-mutilating behavior Often do not remember much of childhood experiences Darkness behind the eyes when angered At risk of abusing their own children Children with RAD may become adults diagnosed with sociopathic, narcissistic, antisocial, or borderline disorder