Set

October 18, 2009

SET

I have a new addiction.

It’s a card game that should be in every home across the nation.

SET.

It’s even made by the amazing company that invented my other addiction – Quiddler.

I will admit that the first time I played SET I didn’t get it. I was playing with my college age nieces and nephews, and they were blowing me away.

But it didn’t take long for me to figure it out and fall in love with the challenge.

The object of the game is to find sets in the cards that are dealt. Sound easy? It isn’t. Each set of three must be alike in some way, but different in others.

You look at shape, color, design and number to find the sets – forcing you to see the cards in a different way – to be creative.

If they are all diamonds, they need to be a different color, a different design, or a different number.

It’s fast-action fun!

And with Christmas coming up it would make a perfect stocking stuffer.

Trust me on this one – you’re gonna love it!

By Country Gal | Posted in Children, Home School | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Civil War Days

September 17, 2009

Our weekend got off to an unusual start – we stepped back in history!

We attended a local Civil War Re-enactment – complete with period clothing, guns, and attitude!

First we checked out the Union camp (not just because that’s where our sympathies lie – but it was closer!)

After a demonstration on how to load and fire an authentic civil war rifle,  we moved up to heavy artillery.

While we were admiring the big guns, an older gent in Union blues came out and asked the kids if they would like to shoot the cannon.

Their eyes got big!

“Really – we can actually shoot it?”

And they did!

Do you have any idea how many steps were required to fire out one shot from the cannon? I lost count at 8.

It took 4 men (in our case – 4 kids) – and they had to remember all these steps while the enemy is shooting at them.

Civil Wars Days Then we moved on the northern entrenchment – which is basically a big hole in the ground with places to shoot from.

The northern one was nice – but not nearly as nice as the southern one!

We were very impressed with the quality of the work on the southern workmanship.

They had deluxe accommodations -

Civil Wars Days Trench – sod covered tarps to protect the men.

-reinforced walls

-gradually earthen steps down into the entrenchment (they Northern one was just a slope – that I slide down of course)

-lots more room

It could have almost graced the cover of a home improvement magazine (okay – so I exaggerate a little – but my pride is still a little bruised after my fall into the Northern one!)

We next traveled on up the hill to the Confederate Camp. It was there we learned that these re-enactors actually take the role of a real regiment in the Southern army.

They study these regiments – reading books and journals – until they know the history well.

Most of them had relatives who fought for the South – and all are proud to wear the Confederate grey (if only for a weekend).

And they all really got into this!

But then – so did we! My history loving – sword fighting – very imaginative family – all loved seeing the past come to life.

And the sweetest part of all – we could count it as school!

By Country Gal | Posted in Family Traditions, Home School, Memories | Tagged , , , | Comment (1)

Bible Time Line

September 7, 2009

Nana Shirley has a great resource to share with us today!
Bible Time LineReading the Bible can be a bit confusing when you try to place all the stories in chronological order. There is a Bible published just for doing that.

As you study prophecy it is important to also know history in order to see how God’s Word is true and accurate. Our faith is increased as we see prophecy fulfilled.

We found a helpful tool, Bible Time Line, published by Rose Publishing, Inc. It is a laminated fold-out with the Bible time line from Genesis to Revelation featuring 300 key people and events in the Bible. Also printed along this time line is World History and Middle East History relating to the same time frame.

Papa Jim is teaching a Bible Study on Daniel. We found it interesting to note that Buddha and Confucius were both living at that same time. Were the “wise men” surrounding the kings teaching their beliefs?

As a student or teacher you can relate what you are studying in your World History class to what God is doing in the lives of His people at that time period.

We are thankful for men who take the time to relate dates and events of the past and put them in one place to simplify our study!

Until next time!

Nana Shirley

By Country Gal | Posted in Book Reviews, Home School | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

The Year the Music Disappeared…

March 12, 2009

CDs

I remember the conversation very clearly.

My oldest son had been rolling his eyes as he heard the opening beats of my favorite Ricky Skaggs CD.

I stopped him and patiently explained that I wanted all of my children to have an appreciation for all types of music – from classical to bluegrass. They didn’t have to like it or even choose to listen to it on their own time, but they needed to be able to listen with a good attitude.

That began the year where I went out of my way to introduce them to many styles of music.

We enjoyed concerts on our public television station – from John Tesh to the Three Tenors. We took our children to hear live music; they heard everything from the 4 part harmony of southern gospel to the rousing marches of John Philip Sousa.

When we visited grandma’s house we pulled out the old albums and listened to Jim Reeves, The Browns, and even The Smother’s Brothers.

We had sock hops with the cousins listening to Nana’s At the Hop records. (They invented the coolest dance moves to the “The Lion Sleeps Tonight!”)

Every Friday we listened to our local Christian station play “Love Songs for Christian Couples”. (Alright – I’ll admit- that one didn’t go over so good, but at least they have a working knowledge of the love songs from the 60′s and 70′s!)

I didn’t know if it was working until I noticed that my music was disappearing.

John Denver was the first to go. He was taken by the 7 year old who loved “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”.

As I walked upstairs to bed one evening I heard some beautiful Celtic harmonies and followed them right to Dagmar’s room. She had all of my Loreena McKennitt CD’s.

I also noticed my oldest son listening to John Michael Talbot while he was doing school one morning.

But I knew I had them hooked when the Sons of the San Joachim were on Public TV and one of my sons said, “Sweet- that’s one show we really need to tape!”

I’m glad to report that my kids now have a respect, if not an appreciation, for many different kinds of music.

But it does come with a cost. I may need to carefully search their CD collections before they leave home.

By the way, has anyone seen my Don Fransisco Best Hits CD?

By Country Gal | Posted in Children, Home School | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Homer Price & The Homemade Doughnut Caper

February 1, 2009

DoughnutsIt all started so innocently.

I pulled Homer Price off the book shelf thinking it would be a fun book to read aloud this winter.

It is! The children and I have been enjoying the antics of Homer and all the gang in Centerburg.

Actually, all was well until we got to the doughnut chapter.  You know, the infamous chapter when Uncle Ulysses’ doughnut maker goes on the fritz and starts turning out doughnuts by the hundreds.

Add in an eccentric heiress, a missing diamond bracelet and a sandwich man named Gabby, and you have all the makings of a great read-aloud!

Even my high school kids stopped doing their Algebra and joined us for the reading, commenting “That’s a classic!”

So what was the problem you ask? It was the doughnuts!

After reading Robert McCloskey’s  mouth-watering descriptions of doughnuts and seeing his amazing illustrations of doughnuts, all we could think of was- you guessed it – doughnuts!

So we yielded the the temptation and made some homemade doughnuts.

So warm and sugary and wonderful!

I don’t even want to know how many calories each little bite of greasy goodness packed!

Just in case you, too, are tempted, I’ll share the recipe.

Betty’s Cake Doughnuts

Beat together 2 eggs and 1 cup of sugar until lemon-colored.

Add 1 cup of commercial sour cream, 1 taspoon baking soda, and a pinch of salt.

Stir in 2- 3/4 cups of flour.

Chill the dough for several hours.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough into 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a doughnut cutter (or a round cookie cutter and a salt shaker lid for the hole like we did!)

Fry the doughnuts in very hot oil. When browned on both sides, carefully remove from oil with a slotted spoon and put in a paper bag with 1 cup of sugar inside. Shake to coat and place on cooling racks over paper toweling.

They are best eaten hot! But if there are any left-overs – just keep them in a plastic container.

Enjoy!

By Country Gal | Posted in Book Reviews, Home School | Tagged , | Comments (2)