Queen's Edge Farm: Insomnia Ramblings

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Insomnia Ramblings

Lauren

It's almost 2 a.m., and my mind is whirling. I have had insomnia for most of my life, but I always hate it when I am in the midst of "one of those nights".

Since I am awake, I thought I would just post my thoughts for the summer session of homeschooling. My 9 year old went to public school this year at the insistence of her father. I was against it, but what to do...this was her first foray into public school, and I must say the experiement was BLECH!

She will be home again for schooling yeah! Along with my friend Candi, we will be using the Prairie Primer for our curriculum. I have used Abeka and done my own thing in the past, so this is something new for me. Of course, I will be supplementing with whatever else I come up with, that's just me. The Prairie Primer doesn't contain a math curriculum so I will be ordering 4th and 5th grade math for Lauren. She was supposed to be in 4th grade this year, but the public school refused to put her in the 4th grade, because of her age. Though her "teacher" states it is obvious she would have done well in 4th grade (now she tells me at the END of the year). She is way above reading level, but has stagnated on Math. Doing the same thing over had her bored, and while she got good grades, she is a year behind. I hope to work on 4th grade math this summer, and then evaluate where she is.. She aced the TAKS, which is the first time she took it. The school administrators cautioned me that she probably wouldn't pass because all the other kids had been trained for years already on how to take the test. Well, she did great!

We are leaving for vacation sometime in June, and may get started on school work right away when we return, or not. Candi and I need to talk more. Planning to do the 3 months on, 1 month off schedule that a friend suggested. Normally, I just stick with the normal public school schedule as it is easier for us. My son has always attended public school due to his special needs. He graduates from high school in two weeks! I can hardly believe it! While I don't like public school, I am glad that he will have his high school diploma, which he will need. Next step, college in the fall where he will study Turfgrass and Golf Course Management.

Okay, I finally feel sleepy, so I am going to give it a break now...good night.

2 comments:

Homekeeper Mom said...: Good Morning!! I can't believe how little sleep you get..........I LOVE my sleep! That is an adorable picture of Lauren,lol! I love it!

I always enjoy talking to you on the phone too! I'll miss ya this week; hopefully we can get together next week. I hope all your tests are going well for you.

Love,
~Candi; May 9, 2007 at 7:03 AM
Peggy said...: Sounds like you did a great job homeschooling before and will do the same when you and your friend start again.; May 9, 2007 at 10:27 AM

Grandma's Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

2 pkgs active dry yeast or 5 tsps if using bulk yeast
1/2 cup warm water (not too hot)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening, butter, margarine
2 tsps salt
2 cups milk, scalded
1 1/2 cups cold water
10 to 12 cups flour (white or whole wheat)

Yield: 4 loaves

Soften yeast in warm water, springkle in a tsp of the sugar
In LARGE mixing bowl blend sugar, shortening, salt and milk until shortening is melted. Add cold water, cool to luke-warm. Stir in yeast. Gradually add flour to form a stiff dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and satiny, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover with foil or damp towel. Let rise in warm place (85 to 90 deg) until light and doubled in volume about two hours. Punch dough down by plunging fist in center. Knead dough for about 5 minutes.

Roll out one fourth of dough to a 16 X 12 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 TBSP of melted butter. Combine 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (or more to taste). Sprinkle mixture over dough. Starting with 16 inch side, roll jellyroll fashion. Either cut into 16 1 inch slices or leave as a whole loaf. Place on a greased pan, cover and let rise in warm place until light, about 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix one box 10X sugar with 2 tbsps water. If too stiff, add more water until icing consistency, add a drop of vanilla too. Spread on baked bread while bread is still warm.

2010 Homestead Stats

Laundry Soap

Homemade Laundry Soap:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda
½ cup borax powder
~You will also need a small washpan or bowl that holds about 2 gallons.

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the washpan. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Transfer soap (using a funnel if necessary) into empty plastic laundry holders, milk containers (I use my empty glass milk bottles and old Fab containers) Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

5 cups grape juice (about 3 1/2 pounds of ripe grapes)1 (1 3/4 ounce) box of sure-jel pectin7 cups sugarBefore getting started it is best to clean the entire kitchen, making sure the sink is empty. Bleach the sink and all utensils used in making jelly (I do this as I sell my grape jelly as part of my homesteading business.)

Wash the canning jars in warm soapy water, and rinse well. Set off to side.

Place a large pan of water on the stove to heat. Once it starts steaming, place lids and rings in the bottom, and 2-3 jars (depending on if you use actual jelly jars or pints) to sterilize.

Next make the grape juice using clean washed grapes (make sure you use rubber gloves when picking or washing wild grapes)To 3 1/2 pounds of clean grapes (6 cups of grapes) add 1 1/2 cups water.Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes.Strain and squeeze out all of the juice with cheese cloth (see paragraph below)
I didn't have cheese cloth, so I poured the grape mixture into a large spaghetti strainer with a large pan underneath. I had to stir it around some as the skins and seeds would sink to the bottom, and clog the colander up. Stirring allowed the liquid to drain out. I then used a large metal spoon and squished it some to get more of the juice out.

In a very big pan, put 5 cups of the juice (it’s okay to add no more than ½ cup water to even out amount)Add the fruit pectin to the juice.Mix well.On high heat, bring to a full rolling boil, and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.Stir in sugar all at once, and bring back to a full rolling boil, again boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Remove jelly from heat, skim off foam
Use a large spoon inserted inside the jar to lift CAREFULLY out of the water. DO NOT TOUCH THE INSIDE OF THE JAR OR THE RIM WITH YOUR HANDS.
Ladle jelly into hot jars, place a lid and ring onto jar (do not tighten yet).
Set jars to the side. After a while you should start hearing “pings” as the jar seals.
When jars are completely cool, tighten rings and store on pantry shelf.**SIDE NOTE: Wild Mustang Grapes are normally ready the end of June, so be prepared. Keep an eye open for vines on the side of the road, or any that friends and family may have growing in their yard. Many people just let them grow and don’t do anything with them, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a good supply. Also, the more you pick off the vine, the more the vine produces new grapes, so you probably won’t EVER run out of grapes to use until the vine dies or you get sick of making jelly. Good luck and feel free to contact me at queensedgefarm@yahoo.com for questions.