Donating to Locks of Love

After Jolie donated her hair to Locks of Love in May 2008, I decided that I would grow my hair out and make a donation as well.

Locks of Love is an organization that makes prosthetic wigs for children who have medical conditions in which they are unable to grow their own hair. The organization creates prosthetics with donated hair for children who are financially disadvantaged. The use of donated hair helps the organization provide quality prosthetics to needy children. Donated hair that does not meet the 10 inch requirement is sold to help cover manufacturing costs.

It has been over a year since I've had a haircut. In the Florida heat, all I have been able to do in recent months is to put my hair up in a bun or a ponytail because my hair is so heavy and thick. Leaving it down was just getting to be too much. I decided a few weeks ago that tt was time to take a big step and get my hair cut to donate, but I had to wait until after the Navy Day Ball so I could have my hair put up for the Ball.

Here are the before, during, and after photos.

I'm happy to be able to do a little something to help make a child smile. It will take some time to get used to my new "do," but I think it's going to grow on me.

Surfing in October

Apparently the weather has neglected to look at the calendar and realize that it's fall. Our temperatures have been in the upper 80s all week. In an effort to work with the weather rather than against it, we decided to spend Sunday afternoon at the beach. The boys went surfing, Jolie played in the sand, I sat under the umbrella and read. It was a wonderful trip all around.

Garden Update - Before & After

One benefit of living in Florida is the extended growing season. We are lucky that fairly mild winters make it possible for me to have a second planting...almost a second "garden."

Due to the heat of the summer, my garden started to slow in its production. The peppers remained the main staples that were able to brave and survive the heat. The volunteer watermelon did well, giving us four large watermelon. The tomatoes did fine too...that is until Lincoln broke into the garden and decided to romp through them, breaking many of the plants. We got one nice egg plant during the summer. The lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, potatoes and onions were a bust. Still operating on a Virginia planting cycle, I planted them too late into the season and they basically fried in the early heat wave we saw in May.

Below are photos of the garden at the close of summer -



Once the heat started to die down, I decided it was time to rip out the no longer producing plants and till under the overgrowth to prepare for my fall planting. I spent three hours one day pulling up plants, ripping out weeds, and tilling. Very therapeutic.

Here are some photos from my newly prepared-for-planting garden -




I have since planted three sections of green beans, with two types of lettuce and spinach in between. The broccoli and cauliflower that I started from seed have been transplanted next to my two sections of sweet potatoes. My egg plant decided to re-flower and currently has three fruit. The pepper plants (jalapeno, banana, bell, and cayenne) are still producing. I'm hoping to purchase a few tomato plants at the farmer's market this weekend, and will try to grow onions from seed again this fall. I am waiting for my garlic to arrive in the mail, and as soon as it does, I'll get it in the ground. The pumpkin plants that I started and transplanted, didn't make it. I think they got root bound before they were transplanted. I will miss having our own pie pumpkins this year, and am hoping that the farmer's market and/or our CSA will have some nice ones I can use to make pumpkin puree.

I am pleased with this year's garden. I am still working to learn the growing seasons down here. I figure as soon as I get everything figured out, it will be time to move again. I'm looking forward to seeing how this fall planting works out. I'll keep you posted.

2009-2010 Daily Schedule

As I think I've mentioned before, I work best on a general schedule. Without a schedule, I tend to be lost...time management goes out the window and I come to the end of the day feeling like I haven't gotten anything done.

My kids tend to have the same problem. Without some guidance, they would entrench themselves in one or two activities (primarily Legos and imaginary play) and disregard all other responsibilities (such as brushing one's teeth and changing out of their pajamas).

For both the kids and myself, I have come up with a guiding schedule to help us glide through the day. We have time to complete our responsibilities and still have time for some fun. The schedule is not set in stone, allowing for some flexibility.

How do you keep your family rolling along? Do you have a strict schedule, a guiding schedule, or do you just fly by the seat of your pants? I love hearing and learning about how other families structure (or don't structure) their day...so let me know.

Butterscotch Pudding

Tonight I made homemade pudding for the first time. Butterscotch is my favorite pudding, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. WOW! is all I have to say about that. Yummy! Justin and I had some (still warm) tonight and it was wonderful. Making pudding from scratch takes a few extra minutes, but was well worth it. Here is the recipe I used-

Butterscotch Pudding:

3 cups (720 ml) whole (full fat) milk - (I used organic half 'n half)

3/4 cup (160 grams) dark brown sugar - (I used organic light brown sugar)

1/4 cup (30 grams) cornstarch (corn flour) - (non GMO, of course)

1/8 teaspoon salt - (I used sea salt)

4 large egg yolks - (I like free range)

2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract - (organic and fair trade)

2 tablespoon (28 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces - (organic)

Garnish: Lightly sweetened whipped cream

In a large stainless steel (heatproof) bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks. Whisk in 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the milk until you have a thick paste. Set aside while you heat the milk. Have ready a fine medium-sized strainer and bowl as you will need to strain the pudding after it is cooked.

First, rinse a medium-sized heavy saucepan with cold water and then shake out the excess water. Doing this step prevents the milk from scorching. Then pour the remaining 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of milk into the saucepan and bring just to a boil. Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the pudding mixture to a clean large, heavy bottomed saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Pour through the strainer to remove any lumps that may have formed during cooking.

Pour into 4 bowls or wine glasses. The pudding can be served warm or if chilling, press plastic wrap onto the surface of the warm puddings to prevent a skin from forming. If you like the skin, simply leave the pudding uncovered until cooled, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The puddings can be made a day or two ahead of serving. Garnish each pudding with a large dollop of softly whipped cream.

Makes 4 servings.

Let me know if you have a favorite homemade pudding recipe. I'd like to try some others.

Weekly Menu Planning - August 31st

Mon. -Brown rice pilaf, apple sauce, bread and butter
Tues. - Mac & cheese, hot dogs (soy/meat), mixed veggies
Wed. - Creamy potato soup, bacon (Justin), broccoli
Thurs. - Tofu/tuna casserole, apple sauce, peas
Fri. - dinner with sisters
Sat. - dinner out with family
Sun. - Leftovers

Weekly Menu Planning - August 24th

Mon. – Eggplant parmigiana, penne noodles, tomato sauce, green beans
Tues. – Yellow rice, salsa, green olives (skipped last week)
Wed. – tacos (beef or bean), refried beans, Spanish rice, corn
Thurs. – tuna / tofu casseroles, peas, apple sauce
Fri. – bagel pizzas (cheese or pepperoni), salad
Sat. – Command Picnic…leftovers if we’re hungry
Sun. – Three bean vegetarian chili, corn bread (skipped last week again…we had dinner with our neighbors…I made mac & cheese, carrot soufflé, leftover baked beans from the freezer and corn on the cob)

Black Bean Soup

Tonight we tried a new black bean soup recipe. We've had black bean soup before, but weren't really pleased with its flavor, so I decided to do some searching on Recipezaar and AllRecipes for black bean soup recipes. I usually sort my results according to ranking. I figure if others have tried the recipe and liked it, maybe we will as well.

One of the highest ranked black bean soup recipes on Recipezaar was TGIFriday's Black Bean soup, so we gave it a try.

It was definitely a keeper. The children who tried it liked it, which is success in my book.

We coupled the soup with some Corn Pudding. It wasn't quite the consistency I was hoping for. The corn casserole I usually make is more of a creamy corny corn bread type casserole. Justin, Jensen and I liked this version, but I think I'll keep looking for a corn casserole recipe that really wows us, but you may enjoy it.

Happy eating!

Weekly Menu Planning – August 17th

Mon. – yellow rice (add chicken for Justin), salsa, green beans
Tues. – Rotini alfredo, garlic bread, salad
Wed. – chicken/tofu casserole, apple sauce mixed veggies
Thurs. – Black bean soup, bread
Fri. – French bread pizza
Sat. – “meat” balls and rice (meat and vegetarian), bread, mixed veggies
Sun. – three bean vegetarian chili, corn bread (skipped it last week…had leftovers instead)

Our 2009-2010 Homeschool Curriculum

5th Grade

History – Famous Men of the Middle Ages; Magna Carta Jackdaw, Columbus and the Age of the Explorers Jackdaw
Science – Science Explorer: Earth Science; Story of Science: Newton at the Center
Math – Math U See Zeta; Mathematicians are People Too, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2
Language Arts
       Writing – Writing Strands Level 2
       Grammar – G.U.M. Drops Grade 5; Painless Grammar
       Spelling – Explode the Code 7 & 8; Painless Spelling
Latin – Getting Started with Latin
Logic – Mind Benders B1/B2 & B3/B4
Typing – Typing Instructor for Kids


1st Grade

History – Story of the World Level 2: Middle Ages
Science – R.E.A.L. Science Earth Science
Math – Math U See Beta
Language Arts
       Writing – Writing Strands Level 2
       Grammar – G.U.M. Drops Grades 1-2
       Spelling – Explode the Code 3 ½, 4, 4 ½; Natural Speller