Good morning, friends! One of the many blessings we’ve enjoyed with homeschooling has been the field trippin’! Some years we get in more field trips than others, but we’re always glad when we do work them into our school year. Fall and spring are our favorite times of the year to plan these fun and educational outings. Last week some families from our umbrella school went to American Village in Montevallo, Alabama. It’s an easy day trip from where we live so I like to go every couple of years. This was a third visit for my kids and me, but we’ve had a different tour and program each time, so we never tire of it. Each visit there has been absolutely wonderful! This particular day was pretty ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: A Mop, a Pail, and a Bulldozer!
Around here, Friday is the day to "fluff the nest", which is just a much cuter way of saying "clean the house". Am I right? So my Friday posts are all about tidying up and getting the house fresh and in order for the weekend. Some weeks my nest-fluffing comes more easily than others. I need motivation each Friday. Well friends, today my house is going to need more than just a fluff! After all that’s gone on the last couple of weeks, the current condition of my house is beyond fluffing! While I would love to say my kitchen looks like the photo above, the reality is the photo below! There’s an Andy Griffith episode called “Andy and Opie, Housekeepers” where Aunt Bea comes home from a trip to ... Read more
Tidbits and Morsels From Life Lately
Hello, my friends! I’ve been a little MIA lately with spring break, home projects, and spending some very precious time with our adopted grandmother who is in her last days on this earth. She is such a dear soul and I’d appreciate prayers on her behalf. Thank you!! I wanted to jump in here for a minute today and just share a few of the many blessings God has brought the last couple of weeks. First of all, we enjoyed a delightful spring lunch at my mom’s house the week of spring break! Look at her beautiful spring table!! My friends are probably all chuckling to themselves right now, seeing how I come by my love for decorating a table honestly. Yep, it’s from my mom! But hers are much ... Read more
Tiramisu
Hello again! I’ve been sharing Italian recipes lately and today I’m going to finish out with a classic Italian dessert: tiramisu! I’ve been wanting to make tiramisu for a while, and so Italian night with my cooking club seemed to be the perfect opportunity to finally do it. I’d heard it could be a little tricky, but I remembered my brother-in-law bringing a delicious tiramisu for a family dinner several years ago, so I figured if I was going to try it, I should ask him about it first. He was kind enough to send me his recipe and some of his own advice on the trickiest part of the dessert, which I’ll get to in a minute. Tiramisu Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups strong black coffee, room temp 1 1/2 ... Read more
Slow Cooker Bolognese Pasta
Welcome back to my “Tour of Italy” recipe week! I began yesterday with my Caprese Tomatoes appetizer and am continuing the tour today with a main dish of Bolognese Pasta. I had only eaten Bolognese a few times before but had always remembered how incredibly delicious it was each time I tried it. When my cooking club’s menu for this week was Italian, it got me to thinking about this pasta and wanting to finally try my hand at making it. I didn’t take it to cooking club since we already had enough main dishes coming, but as I was getting into the Italian cooking spirit, I decided to make it for my family. I researched several recipes for Bolognese that seemed pretty involved, but I was still ... Read more
Caprese Tomatoes
Hello, friends! Welcome to the first of three Italian cooking posts! It will be my own little “Tour of Italy”! I'm in a cooking club that meets every other month. Each of the women in the group takes a turn hosting and choosing the menu. We're notified of the theme about a month in advance to allow us time to decide on our recipes. We can either select new recipes to try, or bring our signature dish for the featured menu. I enjoy sampling the dishes all the ladies contribute. It's always an outstanding meal, and I come home with some great new recipes! Plus, we just have a lot of fun and do a lot of laughing! Our group met earlier this week and our hostess chose an Italian theme. I took a ... Read more
Upside Down Pizza
If you know our family at all, you know that every Friday night at our house is PIZZA NIGHT. Whether it’s just us at home or company is joining us, pizza (or some variation of it) will be served. Period. End of story. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of fun exploring the many different styles and flavors of pizza. When my older girls were little, a favorite for them was Upside Down Pizza. I made this anytime we had a backwards day or we just felt a little silly. I don’t know why I had forgotten about this one since it was once a favorite of ours. But it came to mind last week, and, much to my family’s delight, I decided to bring it back!! I think we’d all forgotten how wonderful it is! It’s ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: The Aroma of Clean!
Around here, Friday is the day to "fluff the nest", which is just a much cuter way of saying "clean the house". Am I right? So my Friday posts are all about tidying up and getting the house fresh and in order for the weekend. Some weeks my nest-fluffing comes more easily than others. I need motivation each Friday. Good Friday morning! I'm just popping in quickly this morning to share one of my biggest motivators for cleaning. THE SMELL OF CLEAN! I am extremely motivated by my sense of smell! I love the fresh aroma of a spic-and-span house just after cleaning. It doesn't last long, especially once the dog makes her reentry. But while it does last, it's glorious! So to keep that fresh scent ... Read more