Saturday, July 28, 2012

Crunchy Garlic Dill Pickles



I have tried several dill pickle recipes and this is by far my favorite, Garlic Dill Pickles from Food in Jars.  Artsy girl and I got busy and chopped away the afternoon.  We made 14 pints of homemade crunchy dill pickles.  Every fall, she LOVES getting out a fresh jar of pickles (Mommy does too)!  We made slices as well as spears...just for a little variety.  We tweaked the recipe a little to make a larger batch.


Friday, July 27, 2012

Back in the Swing of Things

We are not a typical homeschool family (or maybe we are)...who knows?  We have just finished our 3rd week of our new year of school.  We always start back to school the Monday after the 4th of July.  We do year round homeschooling, which may not appeal to some, but for us it's a perfect fit.  We get time off each month and take December and June off as well.  My kiddos thrive with this schedule and I keep my sanity with breaks throughout the year:)

Soccer Boy if officially in KINDERGARTEN!  He is so excited that he can hardly contain his enthusiasm.  He is especially excited about learning to read this year.  I have decided to use My Father's World Kindergarten.  I have read rave reviews about this gentle yet effective program.  I will post about our year and all the progress he is making.

Artsy Girl is officially in 3rd grade.  She is excited too (maybe less so that Soccer Boy)!  We will be using Adventures in My Father's World this year.  She will take a tour back in time through American History.  I have decided to stick with Teaching Textbooks 3 for her Math, as she really likes this program.  She will be using BJU Press Spelling 3 for the first time.  We were unhappy with the previous spelling program, so fingers crossed!!  She really enjoys the Magic Tree House Books.  We will continue to use these as her readers. They are several titles that fit right along with American History.  She will still be practicing her cursive writing each day using memory verses.  She will also continue with the BJU Press English 3.  This is our second year using the curriculum and we really like how well it covers both grammar and writing skills. I will be updating regularly on her progress.