WWU ~ It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas Here!

 

We've had a wonderful week complete with Thanksgiving celebration and then the "rapid-fire-turnaround" this weekend toward Christmas.  I love this time of year, though it can be exhausting (just this week...the rest of it isn't so packed with activity!).  I'll do my Wrapup by days:

Monday: School School School...really, nothing else!  Though while Bryan was at my friend's house for his Spanish lesson (she tutors him), I did get to the grocery store across the street from her house and do much of the Thanksgiving shop...

Tuesday: School School School...I did the last of the Thanksgiving meal ingredients shopping while the boys had their chemistry class online (it's 1.5 hours long...good time for me to get something done!)

Wednesday: No German class for Nathan, as the college was off for the Thanksgiving break.  But we did everything else...they didn't have time to stop!  I began to clean/dust a bit (there wasn't too much to do).  Bryan had a fever and felt tired.  So he rested and just did bookwork.  Nathan was my main help this time around!  After they completed their school assignments, Bryan "veged out" on the couch and happily watched Nathan vaccum and dust and clean toilets!  I made cranberry sauce and made the stuffing up to the point where I bake it for 1/2 hour.  That gets done Thursday!  Pulled out the silverplate cutlery and polished it, then set the table for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.   Made sure I had all ingredients ready to go, and verified the menu.

Thursday/Thanksgiving Day: Got up a little early, had breakfast and coffee, then baked pies (I already had frozen a lot of pie filling this summer)--Concord Grape Pie, and then I made "Sweet Apple Hand Pies" which are puff pastry cut into sqauares, and put around apple pie filling, which I made with apples gotten on an autumn trip up to Wisconsin.  They're just like Pepperidge Farm apple turnovers that you buy frozen, but they're square instead of triangular.  By then everyone was awake, so we had a nice breakfast together, and turned on the local parades on TV, then had football on in the background later.  I made the rest of the dinner, my parents arrived at 4pm, and we had a lovely, quiet celebration and time of fellowship.  Bryan was feeling a little better, but still not all together well.  I did dishes until about 11:30pm, and then they were finally done!  Got it all put away (the holiday serving bowls, utensils, etc.).

Friday:  Bryan the same...not well, but not terribly sick.  The rest of us took down the autumn decor, inside and out, and put up some of the Christmas decor in the house...just a little, as I was tired!  The boys set up our "Mountain Village," my favorite!  Mostly we sat around and enjoyed each other's company.  :-)

 

Saturday: We made the annual trip up to Waunakee, Wisconsin, to get our Christmas tree from CaPaul's Tree Farm.  It's about a 2.5 to 3 hour drive up there, so about 6 to 7 hours for the entire day.  We take the dog (an 85 pound labrador), she loves it!  Bryan was coughing a bit, but said he felt pretty good! Found  a lovely Frasier fir tree, the boys sawed it down.  When we arrived home again, we microwaved leftover Thanksgiving dinner and had that, then unloaded the tree from the cartop, and got it in the house, trimmed and placed just right in the stand!  A nice drink of water and we let it set for the night to let the branches spread out wide.

Sunday (today):  Bryan is now officially sick!  He's starting to sound "goopy" and is coughing more.  I think the trip to the tree farm finally pushed him over the edge!  So he and Kevin stayed home from church while Nathan and I went (we are singing next week with the choir, so we needed to practice; we STILL need to practice, LOL!).  Our sermon was on the beauty and power of the Gospel message, and the beauty of the message of the CROSS, the power that is within that.  We hit Trader Joe's on the way home, plus the other grocery store nearby, for the week's items. 

Once home, Kevin and Bryan had gotten the lights on the tree (YAY!), and Bryan was beat.  So Nathan pretty much did the rest, with intermittant help from me and Kevin.  Here's the finished product, minus the tree skirt:

We had Christmas CD's playing all afternoon, and it is fairly cold and rainy today, so it helped make it seem more real that it's actually almost December!  It's been so warm all month, it hardly seems possible! 

Both boys spent a couple of hours studying, and are now caught up (YAY!!!) in their work.  College course ends in 2.5 weeks for Nathan, and we'll have our other homeschool classes done for the semester in about 3 weeks.  We are ALL really looking forward to that...it's been an intense semester, and we are weary.  But overall, the guys are doing well, and we are marching on toward completion!  My prayer is that Bryan would be healthy again very soon, and that Nathan and I would not catch this...but I'm pretty sure we will.  For Nathan, with his diabetes, these sort of viruses can really knock him out for a while.  NOT GOOD with finals coming up at the college in German!  But his teacher is very, very kind, and I'm sure she'll work with him and whatever his needs are.  He's a good student in her class, getting an "A" and participating really fully, so she enjoys him! 

That's our week...thanks for stopping by to visit!  Leave me a comment so I can find and visit you, too!

 

TTAT: Make A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord!

"Got teens? You lucky dogs. 

Spend time with them; enjoy them; listen to them; and love them. 

They are the most incredible people, these emerging adults,

and they can become the best friends you'll ever have."

~Diana Waring, Reaping the Harvest. The Bounty of Abundant-Life Homeschooling~

For my friends outside of the USA, today is an ordinary day.  But those of you who are here in America know that this is a special time...it's Thanksgiving!  (I'm actually posting this on Wednesday evening, the day before Thanksgiving, since I"ll be really busy tomorrow!)  So I wish you a most Happy Thanksgiving, as we celebrate and thank our mighty God for His provision!

One of the areas where I have NOT done so well in our homeschooling adventure has been in music.  We've learned a lot about the classical composers, and about the way history affected what and how they wrote their music, and we've dabbled with the guitars, but neither of the boys really learned to read music or to sing in parts.  We have lots of friends who do, and our church full of homeschool families mostly know how to sing in parts, too. 

This year, the boys were invited by some good friends to sing a hymn with them for our annual Reformation Party, and they did.  It was a couple of months of practicing that hymn, and they basically just sang the melody, but they did it!  I was delighted! 

Just after that party, they decided that they wanted to try singing with the "Young Adults Choir" at church which was just forming for the Christmas season (they go to a nursing home and sing, and then perform during worship service at church, too).  "We should sing bass," they announced.  What a wonderful idea!  I approached the young woman (she's about 21 or 22) who leads the choir about the boys joining, and she was thrilled to have them...despite the knowledge that they really couldn't read music and had never done this kind of thing before!  So they joined. 

When I looked at the music they were performing, I was surprised to see pieces by John Rutter, and difficult Christmas music like, "Sing We Now of Christmas."  Good grief, I struggled with the rhythms and notes of John Rutter, and I sight read music fairly well! 

I attended a practice after church one afternoon, and watched as they stumbled through, knowing they were mostly mouthing the words because they were so lost!  After practice, I asked Nathan (my 16 y.o.) if he felt like it was just going to be too hard to try and learn.  "Mom, we've only had two practices.  We'll get it!" 

Ah, youth!  I love their optimism!  I was feeling defeated for them...but it was a wonderful reminder to me that just because I feel tired or defeated, they are often energized and excited about the challenge before them! 

That evening, we sat down at the keyboard, and I played each piece (one note at a time...I do NOT play piano well, I took clarinet in school!) so they could try to practice.  Oh, it wasn't pretty!  But they are having a great time and have such a desire to sing and to minister with the choir, and I'm sure God finds it beautiful. 

Once they were done, I decided to see if I could learn the alto part...just for fun.  After a few minutes, Nathan came back into the living room.  "The choir is a bit short on altos, mom..."  Hmmm.  I've never sung in a choir before...

You guessed it!  My sweet teens talked their old mum into joining the group, and the director now calls  it the "Any Age Choir," since I'm hardly in the "Young Adult" category!  The boys and I have gotten together with some of their singing buddies (whose mom happens to be my buddy!) for an evening of pizza and practice.  It's opened up a whole new area for us to share as a family.  What a blessing! 

 

Now It's Your Turn! Here's How:

• 
  
  Simply write a positive post about something (or things) that your homeschooling teenager has done which impressed you this week.  Keep it focused on good/encouraging/growth-maturity-related things you've observed about them; lessons they've learned, or that you've learned through them.  
• 
  
  Link back to me (Lori @ Plans4You) in your post somewhere, so your readers will know where to go to join Thursday TAT.  If you'd like the link-button to put on your blog and/or at the top of your post, you can get it HERE. 
• 
  
  Sign the Mister Linky below, giving the EXACT URL of your post.
  
  (Example: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/plans4you/123456)
• 
  
  Be sure to leave me a comment, and then visit the other participant's blogs and leave them comments, too!  I'll visit your blog once your link is posted!)

 

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey "Master Blend" to Use

LEFTOVER TURKEY MASTER BLEND

This "Master Blend" can be used to make any one of a number of dishes,
or you can serve it "as is" over rice, toast, or in a pastry shell.
The recipe calls for 4 cups of shredded turkey…if you don’t have that much, you can either add some shredded chicken to make up the difference, or cut the Master Blend recipe in half, and be sure to cut any recipes and baking dish sizes you use the Master Blend in by half, as well.

4 cups shredded turkey

4 Tbl. unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock (may use canned chicken broth, but not bouillon)

1-1/2 cups whole milk, half-and-half, or light cream

Lemon juice, salt & pepper, nutmeg to taste

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. 

Add flour, and whisk until smooth.  Cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. 

Add chicken stock and whisk until smooth. 

Whisk in milk, half-and-half, or light cream.  Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture just to a simmer, whisking constantly. 

Remove pan from heat; scrape the inside of the saucepan with a wooden spoon or heat-proof rubber spatula, and whisk vigorously to break up any lumps.  

Return the pan to the heat and, whisking, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the shredded turkey (4 cups worth), and cook for 1 minute more.  Remove from heat.

Season to taste with a few drops of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and a couple pinches of ground nutmeg.

That is your "Master Blend."  You can use this immediately in one of the following recipes, or you can save it for use another time.  Here are four recipes to choose from:

Turkey Pot Pie

Prepared dough for pastry crust (use your favorite recipe…you can use biscuit dough, too…even the pre-made doughs you buy in a tube at the grocery store, like crescent rolls or "Grands" type doughs will work here!  You’ll be covering a 13X9 pie.)

2 Tbl. unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 small celery stalks, sliced 1/4-inch thick

3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

3 Tbs. fresh parsley, minced

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 13X9-inch baking pan.  

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until foam starts to subside.  Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook, stirring often, until barely tender–about 5 minutes.  

Stir the cooked vegetables into the Turkey Master Blend along with the thawed peas and the parsley.  

Pour the turkey/vegetable mixture into the prepared pan.  Now you’ll cover the mixture with your dough:

• Biscuit dough: arrange biscuits on top of turkey, overlapping the biscuits if necessary. 
• Drop biscuit dough: drop small biscuits on top to cover.
• Pie dough: roll dough out into the shape of your pan, place on top of turkey, and tuck the edges in against the pan sides. 

Brush the top of the dough with about 2 Tbs. (1/2 an egg) of beaten egg for a goldeny-brown glaze.

Bake 25 to 35 minutes until the turkey mix is bubbly and the topping is nicely browned.

TURKEY TETRAZZINI

1-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (about 2-1/3 cups)
8 ounces spaghetti, macaroni, or egg noodles
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted lightly
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 13X9-inch baking pan.

Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam begins to subside.

Add sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring, until tender…about 5 minutes.

Stir the mushrooms into the Turkey Master Blend.

Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water until tender.  Drain well.  Stir pasta into turkey mixture along with almonds.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake 25 to 35 minutes until sauce is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown.

TURKEY CHILI PEPPER CASSEROLE

One or two 4-1/2 ounce cans of chopped mild or hot green chili peppers, drained (the amount you choose is determined by how hot you want this!)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
4 ounces tortilla chips, lightly crushed (don’t pulverize these…should have 2 to 3 cups after crushing.)
8 ounces grated Cheddar cheese (2 cups, lightly packed)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 13X9 baking pan.

To the Turkey Master Blend, add chili peppers (be sure to drain them first!) and cumin.  Mix well.

In the prepared pan, layer the turkey mixture alternately with layers of tortilla chips and cheese.  End with a layer of tortilla chips sprinkled with cheese.  

Bake 25 to 35 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown.

TURKEY AND RICE CASSEROLE

1-1/2 Tbl. unsalted butter
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (about 2-1/3 cups)
3 cups cooked white rice or wild rice blend
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
1/3 cup dry, unseasoned breadcrumbs
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs. melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 13X9-inch baking pan.

Heat butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until the foam begins to subside.  Add mushrooms and cook, stirring until tender–about 5 minutes.

Stir the mushrooms into the Turkey Master Blend along with the cooked rice and toasted nuts. Pour the mixture into baking pan. 

In a bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and melted butter.  Sprinkle over top of casserole. 

Bake 25 to 35 minutes until sauce is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I’ll be posting my new "Thursday Talkin’ About Teenagers" Wednesday evening, so it’ll be there, Lord willing, if you have time either Wednesday or Thursday and would like to participate!  Fun!




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WWU: Busy Week, So I'll Be Short & Sweet!

Welcome to my "Weekly Wrapup" with Three Little Ladies :

 

 

We are rapidly advancing through the fall semester, and the end is finally in sight!  The boys are delighted...things should lighten up a bit for them next semester!  They have moved down to the local/township level in their American Government class.  They still have a paper due each week for this course, and it's been a good thing, though more writing than they've had before.  Bryan is almost done with Algebra 1, and we've decided that's all he'll do there.  He'll start a 1 year computer programming course, likely in a week or two (that's when Alg. 1 is over for him), which he'll need to push through and finish by the end of summerand next year he'll do geometry.  Nathan is almost at the end of Algebra 2, and he'll move on to geometry next, then into pre-calc and beyond.  Yikes! 

Last weekend, Kevin and I took Nathan to the Illinois Institute of Technology Campus open house and tour that was offered.  It was pretty exciting, and he's really pumped now!  It was a good thing, he's really working harder to finish this tough semester strong, now that there's a "picture" in his mind of the goal he's after! 

I really need to push more on the "home ec for guys" stuff...laundry needs to improve in terms of self-sufficiency!  But their cooking is not too bad! 

That's all I have time for today...I told Carol that in a couple weeks, I should be back up to speed and do a better job with these wrapups!

God Bless, and thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to join me on Thursdays for my new meme, "Thursday Talkin' About Teenagers," too!!!

Grab a "Thursday Talkin' About Teenagers" Button Here!

You can use this Thursday Talkin' About Teenagers link button in a couple of ways:

1. Insert it at the top of your posts (like I have, above)

2. Place it in your sidebar so others know you are participating (mine is in my left-hand sidebar)
July 13, 2010...NOTE: This post has been transferred from HSB to Blogger...I will update it shortly with new code! 

New Meme! "Thursday Talkin' About Teenagers" is Here!!!

I'm so very excited to introduce what I hope will be a great experience for us!  I've been thinking and praying about this one for a while, and it's finally time to share it with my bloggy friends.  You'll be seeing this on my blog every Thursday, and I hope and pray that I'll be seeing it on your blogs, too!  Here's how it will look:

"Got teens? You lucky dogs.

Spend time with them; enjoy them; listen to them; and love them. 

They are the most incredible people, these emerging adults,

and they can become the best friends you'll ever have."~Diana Waring, Reaping the Harvest. The Bounty of Abundant-Life Homeschooling~




Join Us Each Thursday! Here's How:

• 
  
  Simply write a positive post about something (or things) that your homeschooling teenager has done which impressed you this week.  Keep it focused on good/encouraging/growth-maturity-related things you've observed about them; lessons they've learned, or that you've learned through them.  
• 
  
  Link back to me (Lori @ Plans4You) in your post somewhere, so your readers will know where to go to join Thursday TAT.  If you'd like the link-button to put on your blog and/or at the top of your post, you can get it HERE. 
• 
  
  Sign the Mister Linky below.
• 
  
  Be sure to leave me a comment, and then visit the other participant's blogs! 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Things are moving at such a fast pace here, especially in our homeschooling and home training.  My babies of yesteryear are young men who are rapidly approaching independence.  I so love that opening Diana Waring quote, "Got Teens? You lucky dogs!!!"  I agree with her heart and soul.  I am so blessed to have teenagers in my life!  There are so many "horror stories" out there about raising teenagers, but I want to use this weekly theme to encourage and uplift, to share the joys and out-and-out delights of parenting and homeschooling teenagers!  I hope you'll share the fun alongside me!

Got teens?  Keep your eyes and ears open for something you'd like to share in a blog post on Thursday, and then come on over and join me!  Please tell your bloggy-friends about "Thursday Talkin' About Teenagers,"  so they can join, too! I look forward to reading your posts!   

God Bless, and thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to join me on Thursdays!!!

Veterans' Day

(This is from my Company Front Porch blog section, "Homeschooling Through High School" ... thought I'd post it here at Plans4You, as well!)

Today's entry will be brief (perhaps a welcome alteration from my usual ramblings for some of you busy homeschool moms!). As always, the homeschool high school does not typically have a lot of "room" for "extra projects" or holiday crafts. So what to do about Veteran's Day when homeschooling through high school?

It is my personal opinion (and ONLY my personal opinion) that one of the greatest gifts this country can give to our veterans is to teach our children the history of our nation's battles. The very fact that the Korean War is nick-named "The Forgotton War" belies the lack of intentionality which most American's apply to their study of American history.

Philosopher, poet, literary and cultural critic George Santayana is known to have penned, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In the grand scheme of world history, America is but a babe of a nation. In comparison with, say, Europe or Asia, we here in America really don't have that much history to remember! As I reflect upon Veteran's Day, I feel that we owe it to the brave men and women who have fought and/or died in service to this great nation of which we have been blessed to be a part, to teach our children their history, and to teach it to them well. I wish to require a deep consideration of history at this, the high school level. And, most importantly, to unfold our nation's history...our world's history...by looking at it from the overarching viewpoint and plan of the Author of human history. It is, afterall, HIS-story.

I have recommended it before, and I'll recommend it again: the best history curriculum for high school that I have come across is Diana Waring's "History ALIVE!" Beginning with Creation and ending with the VietNam War, the curriculum is a three year tour through the history of the world ALL presented in a format that is glued to the Guiding Hand of God as presented in the Bible. You and your students will learn to see His purpose in each and every event for achieving His desires for His people, all laid out in Scripture. In the process, you will cover history, literature, composition, geography, art and architecture...even cooking! Every learning style is accomodated with Diana's coursework, and the course is a dynamic learning experience.

Give a veteran an important gift during these important years in your homeschool. Give a veteran a young adult who comprehends the gift that our veterans have given us.

May God bless you and your homeschool this week!