The Necessity of Afternoon Tea

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth,

 for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:  it is the time for home."

- Dame Edith Sitwell

I like this quote, but I think I could replace "winter" with "teatime."

Teatime is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth,
for the touch of a friendly hand and for talk beside the fire;
 it is the time for home.

 Yes, that suits just fine.

My favorite part of the  day comes around 2:30 every afternoon. 

 It is that of tea time at our home. 

 The children most likely have been rambling about the woods, 

and are glad for a warming cup of goodness,

 followed by some sort of treat to keep the famished over until dinner.

This tradition, I unabashedly admit,

 I stole from my dear friend, Enola Gay, 

whose home life has inspired me so much over the years we have been friends. 

 Tea time is more for the soul than the goodies,

 although goodies are always appreciated,
like these light Honey Lemon Tea cakes Jim baked up.

Our family has a few favorite herbal teas and a few black teas in which we savor.

  Sometimes we make a pot, other times we each pick our own bagged variety.

Sometimes we make special lovely treats, and sometimes we just share fresh fruit.

  Either way, afternoon tea set by our fireside,

 especially on days like today,

 when the rain and snow mix is pouring down amid occasional gusts of a cold wind, 

bring together all of my favorite aspects of the season...

the warmth of curling up by the fire, 

the aroma of a good tea  (such as Evening In Missoula or Market Spice),

 the children's chatter about their adventures, 

the sharing of our plans for the evening, 

the coziness of candles lit just for tea time.

..it all speaks to me- warms my heart,

 which in turn, encourages me to soldier on through the second half of the day.

Honey Lemon Tea Cakes

1/3 c. soft butter
1/2 c. honey
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c milk
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Mix well.  Pour into greased muffin cups.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Top with 2 Tbsp butter and a sprinkling of sugar.
Cool in Frig before serving.

Enjoy with friendly hearts and a fine cup of tea!

Blessings,
Julianne

Rainy days are for...

Today is one of those cloudy,
 pouring down rain
 -but almost summer-
 days that soothes my soul and begs me to
slow down 

and get into some projects that have been waiting patiently 

for just such an occasion.

Rainy days are for baking. 

 Well,  nearly everyday we are baking something of other,

 but especially on a soggy chill day,

 a home made yummy
 still warm from the oven
 is ever so welcome.

  We tried yet another Taste of Home recipe, this one is "Golden Raisin Buns".

 I didn't have any golden raisins, so I substituted crasins. 

 These buns are melt in your mouth good, much like a cream puff,

 and were really easy to make.

  They disappeared immediately upon setting them out, a good sign of a keeper recipe. 

Another good sign was the children asking, "Can we make those again tomorrow?"
Golden Raisin Buns
2 c. hot water, divided
1/2 c golden rasins
1/2 c butter
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 c flour
4 eggs
In small bowl, pour 1 c water over raisins;  let stand for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.  In large saucepan, bring butter, sugar, salt, and remaining water to a boil.  Add flour all at once, stir until a smooth ball forms.  Remove from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until mixture is well blended.  Stir in raisins.  Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes.  drizzle with icing and serve warm if desired.
Icing:
  1 tbsp butter,
5 tsp half and half cream
1 c confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
melt butter, stir in cream.  remove from heat, add sugar and flavorings.  mix well.

Rainy days are for reading.

I think I could read to them all day long and they would be quite happy.

Couch time with the little ones is definitely a necessary on a rainy day.

Rainy days are for sewing.

Anna is continuing work on a flannel quilt in pinks and greens.

I have my material box out looking for something bright and sunny

 for a skirt or two for Bethany, and perhaps one for Olivia. 

 The children think sorting through all the fabric scraps

 and dressing themselves, as well as each other, in an array of assorted fabrics is hilarious.
This kept them happily entertained for well over an hour!

Rainy days are for writing letters. 

 The real ones, on fine stationary, are my favorite.

 Is there anything so wonderful to find in the mailbox

 than a lovely letter penned just to you from someone dear far away?

Rainy days are for yellow.

It is like a little spot of sunshine amidst the gloom outside.

My personal favorite would be wildflowers,
but a yellow teapot, tablecloth, tray, or even a yellow notepad,
 are all viable bits of  indoor sun to
brighten the day.

Rainy days are for candles,

 as are sunny days, 

cold days, 

snowy days, 

windy days, 

and not windy days.

Rainy days,

or sunny days,

 all are good days to be ever so thankful

for all the wondrous blessings our loving Lord has heaped upon us!

"Make a joyful noise to  the Lord all ye lands,

serve the Lord with gladness,

come before His presence with singing,

know that the Lord, 

He is God.

It is He who has made us and not we ourselves.

We are His people and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving,

and His courts with praise;

be thankful to Him and bless His name,

 for the Lord is good.  

His mercy is everlasting.

His truth endureth to all generations."

Psalm 100

Making Paper Beads

Rose brought home some beautiful jewlery from Africa last fall.

Some of the colorfully beaded necklaces were made from paper.

Inspired, she got on Utube and found a how to video so that she could make her own paper beads,

just like the ones she saw African women make.  

It may have turned into an obsession.  She is certainly motivated. 

Rose can now manufacture 40 beads per hour.  Around 80 beads are needed for each necklace.

First, we weeded out some old magazines, and she cut them up into long rectangles, 

from 1 cm on the wide end, going all the way down an 8x10 sheet, 

to 1 inch on the wide end.

The wider the paper, the longer the bead.

Then, she rolls the paper onto a toothpick, starting with the wide end, 

and making sure the paper stays centered, and tight. 

At the end of the triangle, a little glue is needed to stick the end down.

Rose stabs her toothpicks through a cardboard box while the bead dries.

Once the beads are dried, Rose paints them with a craft varnish. 

Clear fingernail polish works really well too.  

Once painted, they are stuck back into the cardboard to dry, then they are done.

For stringing the beads, Rose uses a craft filament, placing eye beads in between the paper beads, 

and securing the necklace with a clasp hold.  

We have found that our children under 8 years old are not really able to make the beads,

and that 1 year olds LOVE ripping up magazine paper.

Thicker paper produces fatter beads. 

The African's paper of choice is cat food bags.

Really, any paper will do.

What To Do With Preschoolers

Welcome to our practical Saturday post of large family living.  This is where and when we will address some of the helpful things that have helped us along the way to raising a large family, things I wish I would have known years ago, when I was struggling to adjust to a bigger family, like around child # 5.

Undoubtedly the question I get asked the most often about homeschooling, is:
What do you do with preschoolers???
We have been homeschooling for 14 years.  In that time we have always had at least one preschooler tagging along with us.  Since our school is life oriented, the toddlers, babies, and 4 to 5 year olds just get to do everything we are doing.  We read to them, help them memorize Scripture..this is done matter-of-factly while combing their hair or tying their shoes.  All capable children help with household chores.

Small children love to feel big enough to be helpful.  They tag along with me doing laundry, making beds, stirring dinner, feeding animals, etc. in as much as can possibly be done.  They can sit at the table and do quiet activities on their own while the bigger children are working on math or handwriting.  The atmosphere is fun and loving, just letting their curiosity take them.  However, when their attention span is full they are free to go play by themselves, there are no demands.  This style has set the stage for a love of learning, which is our second highest goal in homeschooling.

Here are some specific things we have done with our preschoolers while schooling the older children.
I have a big basket of color books and a box of crayons for them to scribble with.  Even Gabe, barely a year old, will sit and color because he sees the others doing it and he wants to do what they are doing.  I think that when you involve the little ones in the family lifestyle, they are more prone to accept table time.  Last year, when Gabe was 9-14 months old, he just sat in my lap a lot of the time we were working.

I also have a math manipulative box, with dominoes, dice, scrabble letters, and pattern blocks.  When the little one has had enough of coloring I will get out a manipulative and let them make a mess with it, as long as they don’t throw them, they can sort them into plastic cups or a muffin tin, or just play with them.  I have given little ones a container of buttons and a small ribbon or embroidery string to make a temporary necklace with, or let them sort the buttons into sizes and colors.
In my quiet basket, I have all kinds of things to occupy  babies and toddlers, lacing shapes, finger puppets, wooden puzzles, and much more.  Blanket time is especially helpful for babies and toddlers who are tired of being in mama's lap or at the table... or mamas who are tired of baby being in her lap.
Edible play dough has been very popular with our children.  They have tons of fun patting it out, cutting it into shapes with cookie cutters and then eating them all up.  We also make traditional play dough from time to time, and keep it in the fridge while it lasts. (recipes following)

A three year old can cut and paste pictures from magazines onto scrap paper, using a glue stick, sort change  or 7 bean soup mix into a muffin tin, use pattern blocks, make puzzles, or play matching games by themselves during your school time.  These are all things that encourage learning.

One thing that our preschool children especially like is a small drawer unit where they can keep special collections.  It is amazing to me the time they can spend with a small pile of rocks or shells that they have found and keep for special, each having their own drawer.  I got this idea from the book “Little Men”, which, by the way, has lots of great ideas for making your household a fun leaning environment.

During their playtime, I like them to listen to classical music.  It seems to promote creativity, and often times they will dance and move to the music, but it is the style of music that does not wind them up, like the common kid music they like to listen to when school time is over.

All our preschool children lay down for at least one half hour shortly after lunch for quiet time.  If they don’t fall asleep after 30 minutes, they can get up, but most children under the age of 5 will fall asleep and take a  nice nap, which I believe keeps them in much better humor throughout the rest of the day.

When answering questions about what to do with preschoolers in a homeschool family, the reply that I most often receive is... “Oh, my toddler would never do that!" or "My preschooler won’t sit with us at the table.”   

Here is where firm but loving reproof comes in... "Then, you have some serious training to do to get your little one in order.   A baby or toddler who won’t mind will be a young child who won’t mind, then a big kid who won’t mind, and then a willful and rebellious teenager.  Train them young, incorporating them into all you do, talking to them all the while like they understand everything, and you will find that they are much more willing to follow instructions, and become an enjoyable little one."

Edible Play-dough
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered milk
Mix well, keep refrigerated, if you don’t eat it all.

The Best Play-dough
1 cup white flour
½ cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 ½ Tbsp. oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Food coloring

Combine flour, salt and cream of tartar in saucepan.  Stir in water, oil, vanilla and color.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till it forms a ball.  Knead it until smooth.  Cover tightly and store in fridge.