Branson Vacation

An afternoon at the beach. (Husband, Son D, Daughters A, L and Mac, W and M.)


Rides and craft demonstrations at Silver Dollar City.


Games with friends after supper: dominoes and cards. Party poopers read and watched TV.

College of the Ozarks Museum, milking demonstration, the real Beverly Hillbillies car.


All those Branson shows, but the girls love swimming in the creek the best. We did see one show, Six, which was an excellent acapella group made up of 6 brothers.

Playing Dead Armidillo

Around our place we usually see dead raccoons or skunks on the roadsides. Here in MO it seems to be dead armadillos. One evening, Daughter W. favored us with her dead armadillo imitation. Here it is. (What you can't see is the tongue hanging out.)

Massage School Graduation

We are visiting MO this week to attend Daughter A's massage school graduation. (It's a dream come true to have a daughter who is a massage therapist.) She moves home in the beginning of Oct., but will be home some between now and then to hunt for jobs and take a final certification test. We're sure she will do well in this profession, as she has always shown a talent for it.

Quotes

Seen at a craft mall:

"I'm only as strong as the caffine I drink, the hairspray I use, and the girlfriends I have."
(for Karen F. )

"Good Morning! Let the stress begin." (for me!)

Deviled Eggs

I have been making these a lot lately. Cheap protein and a favorite of all. We made deviled eggs for all three of the big kids' graduation parties, and they were a great addition to the menu. My spare Mother Lois made six dozen (whole eggs) into deviled eggs for a couple of the parties, and my mom and I made the ones for the last graduation. This was enough for about 75 to 100 people, (with other things also on the menu.) People thought they were a treat. Kind of an old traditional farm recipe. I made them again yesterday for one of the two potlucks we had. (A church pot-luck at noon, and a neighborhood pot-luck at night.) Boy, were we full.

Deviled Eggs

12 eggs boiled, cut in 1/2 lengthwise, yolks removed to a bowl

yolks from 12 eggs, crushed well with a fork

4 Tbsp Miracle whip (or mayonnaise)

1 tsp. prepared mustard

1 tsp vinegar

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Blend all together well with a fork or spoon. Spoon or pipe with a bag into the empty egg whites. Sprinkle tops with paprika for "looks", if desired.

How to boil eggs so you don't get the green yolks:

Place eggs into pan with cool water, covering them with at least 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil. When they begin to boil, set timer for 10 min. When timer goes, drain off hot water and fill with cold water to cool. Chill in more cold water or refrigerate. (My way.)

Alternate method:

Bring eggs to boil. Turn off and let set 20 min. or until cool. Refrigerate to cool. (My mom's way.)

Soapy Wooly Fun

Daughter M and Daughter L went to friend Ann's 10th birthday party yesterday. Ann's mom Linda spins wool from their own sheep, and the girls got to make felted wool soaps during the party. I only wish I had gone too! (Linda has promised to teach me to felt!) The wool was dyed with kool-aid to get these great colors. L and Rachel (Ann's sis) helped card it for the younger kids. It was a great take-home and craft to learn. The soaps can be used as pre-soaped washcloths in the shower. They would also make great gifts.

We gave Ann the Martha books, by Melissa Wiley (of the Little House Series-unabridged version now out of print) which tell of Laura Ingalls' Great Grandmother Martha who grew up in the Scottish Highlands as the daughter of a laird. One of the things Martha did in these books was to card and spin wool. Last year, these books were a favorite read-aloud series in our school.

Contact Paper Stained Glass

This is a slightly different version of the nature "stained glass" circles. (See earlier post.) We did these a couple of years ago during our annual drama camp. I precut contact paper (2 per child) and ripped a bunch of tissue paper squares in various colors. Since our theme that day was kites, I also pre-cut black paper into a kite frame. An exacto knife will cut through several pages at a time. Place on a stack of newspapers or old magazines to cut.

To make the project, peel the backing off of one sheet of contact paper (sometimes I pre-bend an edge of the backing and fold it over so it is easy to peel during the project.) Tape the top and bottom edges to the table, sticky side up, with masking tape. Instruct children to cover the sticky paper with torn tissue paper. When they are done, peel backing off of another contact paper and place sticky side down on the decorated paper taped to the table. Seal together by rubbing, removing masking tape before sealing pages together. Glue or tape the black frame to one side of the contact paper. Trim if necessary. Hang in a window. Vary frame design as necessary with project. (Leaf or pumpkin for fall, a cross at Easter, etc.) I have used this for Sunday School and Bible School projects also.

Roses

Our two rose bushes have incredible blooms. The red one was a gift for our 25th anniversary. It had 6 florist worthy blooms on it this week!

Indigo Kitten

We have had bad luck with kittens in the last few years, so we hope the two we have now will make it. One little guy from the litter is already gone. This little puff ball has wonderful blue eyes. We're hoping her eyes don't change. We might call her Indigo.(picture by L.)

Ice Cream Social

BBQ'd pork loin, pork and beans, homemade potato salad and homemade pies, with ice cream. Our little rural church of around 50 people had our yearly ice cream social last Saturday. We have hosted this event for about 100 years (literally). In the old days, they even had homemade ice cream! Since there were rain showers, we had to move it into the church, but the turn out was still about 180 people. Not too bad. We usually have around 200-250. This year I made 6 pies and 10 lbs. of potato salad.

English Country Dancing II

The dances kept everyone engaged and smiling. The first dance had a great opportunity for parent/child pictures, as seen below. At the end, everyone was still smiling, and sweating....

English Country Dancing

The new big thing-English Country Dancing-as seen in Jane Austin novel-type movie adaptations. (Think Thomas Jefferson.) Friend Knigges imported their homeschool cousins from MO for a three day dance workshop this week. Forty-five kids ten-years-old and up learned the calls/moves of traditional English Country Dancing. Daughters L and M took the class and enoyed it very much. On Thursday evening there was a ball, with demonstrations and group participation. The dressing up was such fun! It was a wonderful class and activity that our kids will enjoy for years to come. There is already talk of a fall ball.