in pursuit of wild things

Saturday started out well enough but the middle part of the day wasn’t so great. My husband ended up with a flat tire on his trailer which was loaded with fire wood. He called just as it was time to put my herb bread in the oven and fold a load of laundry. We drove out to him and I stayed with the truck while he and the kids went back to the house to get a tire and supplies and baked my bread loaf. While sitting in the truck I thanked the Lord that the weather was beautiful…neither too hot nor too cold…just right. I also noticed that most drivers on the highway did not pull over into the

far lane when passing! Whether out of ignorance or for a lack of caring I cannot say…Anyway, we did make it back home and the trailer has a new tire. My braided bread turned out fine even if it did rise a little longer than usual.

Later that evening night we feasted on turkey at Mrs. Cuddle-me’s. She brined the turkey for a couple of days and then cooked it in the deep-fryer. Yum!!! I brought my braided herb bread (recipe at end of post) and we all ate well. I enjoyed playing my first poker game and lost terribly. I’ve got a lot to learn. Saturday started out rough but the evening with friends was great. We got home just before midnight. Oldest begged to watched the clock change over to Sunday. I forgot how big a moment that is when you’re a kid! We let him see midnight and then tucked him into bed.

We endured a busy schedule this week. Oldest enjoyed two days out with friend to see the plays The Miracle Worker and Macbeth and participate in workshops with the actors. He also went to the first 4-H Sharp Shooters meeting for the new season this week.

I took Sparkles to her torture session dental appointment on Tuesday. She had two cavities filled which is usually not a big deal. She cried through nearly the entire appointment. By the end of the day her lower jaw was swollen and terribly bruised. She didn’t want to go to church Wednesday night because she didn’t want anyone to see her. I think she was afraid a certain mean little bully would pick on her. I decided not to push it and we all stayed home and watched Frozen. Her face is still bruised and swollen!

This week we finished the book Benjamin West and his Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry for our early American History studies (Beautiful Feet Books). The kids loved the book and it may even be their favorite at this point in our studies. You can find a great review of the book at StoryWarren that Beautiful Feet Books recently shared on their Facebook page. The book influenced me to wonder about my own children…do I recognize the word God’s fingertip wrote upon their souls? Later this weekend we will make a meal from the book and I will try my hand at making a dessert called syllabub (a non-alcoholic version). We also read Jean Fritz’s George Washington’s Breakfast. This book was a fun read about a young boy trying to discover what George Washington ate

for breakfast. He ate Indian Hoe Cakes with butter and honey and three cups of tea…my grandmother called them Johnny Cakes. We finished the book just before lunch so…naturally…we had Johnny Cakes with butter and honey for lunch but without the tea.

I ordered a few things this week for the following school year. I went ahead and ordered the ancient history set from Beautiful Feet Books. The guide will have a list of optional books and I need the extra time to search for them. I also contacted Art In History to ask a few questions. We’ll be using a few of their projects with our ancient history studies next year. They responded promptly and sent me a promo code for 10% off my purchase. Since they would not be at any of the homeschool conventions this spring (they will be at some conventions in the fall) I went ahead and ordered. I didn’t notice the promo code did not go through when I made my order…my three year old was

“helping” me. However, the good people at Art In History did notice and gave me a 10% refund on my order. I was really impressed with their service.

Our IOWA tests arrived this week from BJU so the kids will be testing soon. I promised to take them out for ice cream when we finished up.

Braided Herb Bread

I originally found this recipe in a magazine but could not get the recipe to work…this is my modified recipe. To a bread machine add in this order:

3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 1 egg, 4&1/2 cups flour (I use Con-Agra unbleached occident flour), 3 tablespoons sugar, I&1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon each dried marjoram, thyme, sage, parsley, cilantro, and basil, 1/4 cup butter, 3 teaspoons yeast

Make sure your dough is forming properly. Sometimes with this recipe I’ve had to add a little extra flour if the dough is too moist and sometimes extra water if the dough is too dry.

After the dough is risen punch it down and knead. Let the dough rest for about ten minutes. Divide the dough into three equal section and form into long strips…about 15 inches in length or so. Place the dough on a greased baking pan and braid. Start the braid from the center and work to end and tuck under and then repeat on the other side. I’ve had better luck getting a braid to form properly working from the center. Cover and let rise until doubles which should be about 20 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Brush the top with melted butter mix: melt 3 tablespoons of butter and mix in 1/8 teaspoon of Dried marjoram, thyme, basil, and parsley.

You can also use other herbs that you prefer. I’ve even though about adding some shredded cheddar…

Linking up with Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers: Weekly Wrap-up