It's Like Buttah

Ok, for you that have never watched Saturday Night Live you may not get it. But we made our own butter tonight. It was fun, and OH SO easy!!! The picture shows you the Heavy whipping cream we started out with, and the by products that we ended up with, Butter (on the right) and Butter milk. I added about a tsp. of salt, because it was VERY bland without it.

We started out with a quart of heavy cream, and ended up with 17.05 ounces of butter. I am sorry I do not remember how much the cream was, but I think it was a little over $2. But it was very fun to do as a family. Here is what we did. I took the cream and brought it to room temperature. Then I put it in my blender on the lowest speed, this is very important other wise you end up with whipped cream, which is good, but not what we were going for here. That is another day, and another machine. So, we turned it on and waited. The online guide (we just googled how to make butter in the blender) said it could take from 10 minutes to 3 hours. I am not sure who it took 3 hours for, but ours took about 10-15 minutes. You can tell it is doing something when the level of your cream starts to drop. Then you can see that it is getting thicker, and then you see big clumps. After a little longer, we could really see the butter turning in the blender, so we stopped it. The online guide said you really had to watch it, because it could go from being really nice and soft and creamy, to hard in just a very short time. But this is the same guide that said it might take 3 hours, so just keep an eye on it to be safe. Then once you have mostly butter, we spooned it out with a slotted spoon into a metal bowl. The guide suggested a wooden bowl soaked in water so the butter would not stick to it, but I do not have any wooden bowls. Then we took a bamboo spoon and pushed it around to get the rest of the milk out of it. This is when I put the salt in. You can do it to your taste, but we only used a tsp.

I do not think that we will save any money on this, but it was a lot of fun to do. And it tastes really good. It is VERY creamy, and rich. We are going to make a buttermilk pie with the buttermilk we made. It tastes just like Whole milk, but it has little tiny bits of butter in it. My friends mom had the best recipe I have ever had in my life for buttermilk biscuits, I really need to get that from her. She would never give it out when we were kids. I need to go to Indiana, just to see her and get it. Wow, you know another thing this did for me tonight, it made me miss home and the simple way of life that we use to have when I was little before the hustle and bustle of computers, and all. But I sure would miss my computer, and the friends that I am able to keep in touch with on here. I hope you get a chance to go out and get some heavy whipping cream, those of you that are not Lactose and Casein intolerant, and try this fun family experiment. Stay safe and blessed.

OH Farkel!!!

I mean that with the best love possible. Today I thought that we would do a little bit of fun with math. So, we played Farkel, and had so much fun!!! I made the boys add their own points, and if they did not, they would not get them. That made them want to work at it. We had fun, but only went to 10,000 because it took us a while to get there. We all thought it was very funny when we pushed it and lost our points and had to ring the bell and say "FARKEL". You know boys, anytime they can say anything that resembles the word fart, they love it!!! So, now we are on to the real math, and they did not even know they were learning while they were playing. Thanks to Robin for bringing these great games into our life. Stay safe and blessed.

Converstations overheard in a bathroom

We are trying hard to potty train, and we have good days and bad. Well, one day while in the bathroom with my daughter, we were talking. As she sits on the toilet with legs spread as far apart as she can so she will not fall in, she says to me, " Mama there's my penis." I of course say, with huge grin on face, "No, girls don't have penises." She gets a very distraught look on her face and says words her father hoped he would NEVER hear..." Oh, but I want one." I, of course, am laughing and trying to tell her that girls do not have them and will not have them. Then she looks up at me all happy and says " oh yeah, I have a peaNUT." At this point I am glad that I am sitting on the floor because my laughing would have taken me there. So, now we have a new word for that V word that isn't so pleasant anyway!! Peanut, and it makes my daughter happy, and she is not disappointed she has no penis!! Out of the mouth of babes!! Stay safe and blessed.

IT IS HERE

Ok, on my last post I told you about the great Art Program that I purchased. Well, go to the link on my side bar (Mad Cap Logic) and take a look at it. It has a great demo and video of the program. I think you will love it. I played and played with the demo. I hope you like it too. Please be sure to follow the link if you decide to purchase, because I get credit for it. Thanks and have a great day!!! Stay safe and blessed.

ART

Well, I came across this GREAT site that has a WONDERFUL art program. I know a lot of us that home school, the arts are something we lack in sometimes. Well, there are those who thrive in in it, and you know who you are!! I still love you though. Well, I love Music and Art, but my artistic abilities consist of stick people, and they aren't very good. But I love going through the basics with my children. Starting at the beginning, so they know how to look at colors and appreciate the complexity that they really are. So, when I ran across this program I was SO excited. Because having 2 boys that are really computer driven, I love having something that they think they are playing, but they are learning too. So, that is where this fabulous program comes in. I have ordered mine, and am trying to become an affiliate so that if you would like to order it, you can click on my link, and I get credit for it. So, check back, and see if it is up on my blog maybe tomorrow. But I will definitely keep you posted. There is a great video and demo to try out. It is recommended for children 7-12, but I know that my 6 YO will love it too. I think really any one that can navigate the computer will have fun on it, no matter what age. So, sorry to keep you hanging, but I will give you more info later. Stay safe and blessed.

Merry Christmas

As I sit and think about what we celebrate this time of year, I get teary eyed thinking about how scared Mary and Joseph must have been. But especially Mary. I know how scared I was when I gave birth to my first child. And I did not have to travel on donkey to a town to be counted, and then to think of how her pregnancy started. I mean really, to have never to have been with a man, and then to be pregnant. And the the first time she felt him kick. I will never forget how that felt. It was amazing, and SOOO very strange too. I feel sorry for men, because they will never know the wonder of being pregnant. And I was safe and sound in a hospital with Doctors and nurses to help, and take care of me. And to be there if anything went wrong. For Mary to have to give birth in a manger with no sterile bed and instruments to bring her child into the world. But can you imagine how personal it would have been to have just her and her husband there to witness the miracle of the birth of Jesus. My VERY favorite Christmas song of all time is "Mary Did You Know". I often think about how she must have felt to have given birth to the Messiah, and what his life would entail. You know we all have dreams for our children, and hope that their life will turn out to be so great, and they will live a long and happy life. But to see our child be tortured and killed at 33 would be so devastating, that I am not sure most of us could take it. To have kissed his precious little head, and to have held him every day. To have taken care of him, and his needs. The thoughts just keep coming.

I know tomorrow that we will talk about Jesus, and how important He is to us, and what we are celebrating. But it will not mean as much as the presents they will get. But I know that if we keep talking to them, and reminding them, they will know His love, and know His life.

So, I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderfully safe New Year. May God bless you and keep you. Stay safe and blessed.

FUN!!!

I went to our group meeting last night, and we laughed and had such fun!! I learned great things from wonderful women, and felt like I was not a bad Mom. I love the honest answers of women that are home schooling. I feel like I am not the only one having troubles in their day to day life, and thinking that maybe I am not doing the right thing. However, we all love our children with all our hearts and we do the best we can every day. I know that Mothers have guilt every day on whether we are doing enough for our children and families. And when you home school it is even greater. But one thing we know is that we are teaching our children morals and values. I think that the world is so lacking in morals and values, and we are trying to put those things back in our families, and our lives.

I want to thank all the wonderful women last night and thank you for all the support, and help with my blog. I had so much fun!! I cannot say enough about women supporting women. We need it and thrive with it. Stay safe and blessed.