Nature Paint outside

Today while we were getting ready to go outside to paint, I thought.. How can I make this more interesting for her? How can I expand on the outdoor painting experience? While gathering our paint and brushes, K grabbed her scissors and asked to cut. That's it! We brought her scissors out as well, and she cut grass, dandelions and lilacs. So we put her cuttings and some mud in cups and mixed them up with paint to creat Nature Paint. :) So simple and fun.

 

 

Live, Laugh, Love - a great (& meaningful) Phrase.

I have this phrase all over my house. LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE. So many people are in a rush... they plop their kids down in front of the tv so they can wash the dishes, shuck the corn, feed the pets, do the laundry, etc... They don't realize it, but they are forcing their children to miss out on lots of valuable learning time! You don't have to be sitting at the table
teaching them how to read and write 24 hours a day for them to learn - LIVING is learning! Even a very young child loves to "help" with chores like folding laundry. (Sure, you will need to refold it, but making them feel a part of your every day life is important.. and those times you would plop them in front of the tv are minutes of your child's life that you will never get back.) My 2 year old loves helping me put laundry in and starting the washer and dryer. We talk about what we're doing as we do it. She loves shucking corn, throwing food to the cows at my Mama's and gathering chicken eggs at my in-laws. She feeds our cat and guinea pig. She helps fold laundry and put it away. She loves to help me bake. Does it get a little messier than I'd like? Sure! But the messes won't be around forever.
One day she will be grown and I will be alone to do my baking and cleaning. I treasure the moments I have with her now. My son will be 18 in June and my other daughter will be 16 in May. We've made lots of memories and will make more, but I am so glad to have spent time with them while they were little. Every second counts. You hear it in songs and on tv, and some people just hear it and move on. But it is true. Every minute we are given in life is gold. Treat it that way. Remember that while we're so busy rushing around, our kids are learning, and growing. Take your time. Live life to the fullest, because at the end, all you have left are your memories.

Strawberry Jam!

Today we made strawberry jam with the strawberries

that we picked at the farm.

(Recipe at the bottom of this post.)

 

K mashing the berries

B mashing the berries

K putting the lids in the pot to boil

K mixing pectin and sugar

K mixing the jam

B mixing the jam

let it boil for one minute

Tada! Homemade strawberry jam. :)

Listening for the beautiful "pop" letting me know that

the jars have sealed. :)

 

Strawberry Jam

 

- 6 cups crushed strawberries

- 4.5 cups sugar

- 3 TBS light pectin

 

- large pot for boiling jam

- small pot for boiling lids

- dish towel

- oven mitt or pot holder

- wooden spoon

- heat proof measuring cup with funnel

- 8 half pint jars with lids

- jar funnel

- magnet stick to pick lids up out of water

 

Wash all of your jars and place them in the oven set at 250. This sterilizes

the jars as well as making them ready for the hot jam to be poured into them.

Wash and hull strawberries. Put in a bowl and crush with a potato masher or pulse in

a food crusher. Pour into a large pot. Mix pectin with 1/4 cup of sugar. Stir pectin and

sugar mixture into berries, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Add the rest of the sugar. Stir and return to a hard boil for one minute.

Remove from heat after one minute. Skim the top, removing any pieces of

berry or foam. Boil lids for one minute to sterilize. Take jars out of the oven,

and place onto the dish towel. Pour the hot jam into the jars with a heat proof measuring

cup with a spout. Make sure the glass rims are clean and free from spills, or the jars won't seal.

Place the lids on and screw the rings on tightly.

That's it! Listen for the "pop" sound letting you know that the jars have sealed,

and you are done! :)

 

 

Wordless Wednesday: Strawberry Pickin' !

 By the way, my 2 year old in the picture above ^ didn't like strawberries until

we went and picked them! Then she couldn't stop eating them!!

 

 

For More Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 minutes for Mom!

Homemade butter how-to

Homemade Butter!

Buy a small container of heavy cream. Fill a jar halfway. Then shake! Takes about 8 minutes to separate. Drain off excess buttermilk. Use the same day. (If you want to store it, you need to rinse it more. Just add ice water, and drain. Repeat until water is clear, then you can store it in the fridge for a few weeks.) You can also use the buttermilk that you drained off to make biscuits!

 

A reminder

My baby boy is growing up! - PROM!!