SNOW!!!

 On Sunday we got a big snow storm just like we had been hoping for ever since we moved out here to Colorado! It snowed ALL day and it was so cozy to sit inside and watch the snow pile up! We got around 10 inches by the time it was all said and done. Woo hoo!! What a fun way to get some much needed moisture!

 Of course, we couldn't just let all that snow pile up and stay inside for the whole day. Sooo we bundled up and trekked outside for some sledding and romping. I even pulled out my cross-country skis! It was quite windy though and with the snow coming down and blowing around, we didn't stay out too long.

(It was fun watching the ruler disappear!)

 Today was a much better day for snow play! The sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in the beautiful, blue sky! And the snow was perfect for making snowmen and having snowball fights!

 Ellie just adored the snowman and couldn't stop hugging him after we finished making him. This was her first experience with snowmen!

Hannah had a great time with the snowmen too! After helping me make the first one, she went on to make another one by herself!

 We also had fun rolling up snowballs to make a little fort. Then the girls insisted they hide behind it and told me to throw snow at them. Every time a snowball would plop over the top you could hear peals of laughter coming from behind the snow wall! It was great fun!

 We also made some snow ice cream for dessert after our lunch today. That was a delicious treat! And Hannah said it tasted just like real ice cream! It was super easy to make too! I found the recipe here.

Snow Ice Cream

8-10 cups of snow

1 can of sweetened condensed milk (I made my own. Recipe here. Can I just say, "I love Pinterest!")

1 teaspoon vanilla

Gather your snow. Pour in the milk and vanilla. Mix and enjoy! 

We put some chocolate and caramel syrup and sprinkles on ours. :)

So far life in Colorado has been amazingly wonderful! Snow, sunshine, blue sky, mountains...what more could you ask for?

Blessings!

Homeschooling fun!

 I just want to start off by saying, "I LOVE homeschooling!!!" My girls and I have been having soooo much fun this year. We've been trying to somewhat follow the Charlotte Mason method, using some online resources, and the rest is just a mish-mash of stuff. And of course the library is our BEST friend!

For history, we have been reading the American Girl books. I know my girls are not at the intended age for those series, but they are quite enjoying them as we read aloud together. Right now we have been reading through the Felicity series which takes place in colonial America.

 We were quite delighted when we were able to get the cookbook AND the craft book from the library! We haven't gotten around to trying any of the crafts yet, but we have had a ball with the cookbook! One night for dinner we made Felicity's chicken pudding and the green bean recipe from the cookbook. And we had fun talking about how they would have had to cook their dinner over an open fire in a big fireplace, and also how in colonial times dinner was actually the midday meal, and they had a small supper before bed. 

We also tried a couple of the breakfast recipes: johnny cakes (also know as journey cakes because they held up well for travel.) and dressed eggs. The eggs were my favorite! Smothered in butter and sprinkled with nutmeg...mmmmmm!

 On Saturday, we decided to give another recipe a try. Sally Lunn bread. Hannah was very interested in making this as soon as she saw it in the cookbook. And since we had everything on hand that we would need, we decided to try it out.

The girls are great in the kitchen and did most of the work for the bread. And we had a great reward for our efforts! A wonderful snack of warm bread, fresh from the oven.

 (The name for this bread comes from the French phrase for sun-moon which is soleil-lune. The bread is golden on top, like the sun, and white inside, like the moon. And somehow the English turned the phrase into Sally Lunn. *smile*)

 These are the moments I really cherish with my girls. I am so blessed to be able to stay home with them and teach them and learn right alongside them!

 Oh, and just have to share because I am a book lover (which goes along nicely with homeschooling, by the way)...when we were at Goodwill the other day we found a huge book all about Williamsburg which is where Felicity's story takes place! For 50 cents!!! It is full of wonderful pictures of all the historical buildings and shows a glimpse into life in the colonies. Score!

Blessings!

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

I hope you all had a lovely day celebrating the love of family and friends!

Blessings!

Canning

So I know it is not really the time of year you typically can produce, but my best friend and I decided we would like to learn and practice so we'll be ready for canning produce from our gardens later this year. Plus, it also fills up our pantries nicely. Our goal is to can something once a month. And with Costco to help us get large amounts of produce we are well on our way.
For our first go round we went with pears. And they turned out quite wonderfully I think. We made some plain and some we spiced with cinnamon and cardamom. And we got 27 pints! Yummy!
We had so much fun working together and chatting! I can hardly wait for next time!