a birthday cherry pie

a flashback picture of B picking cherries from grandpa's cherry tree

everyone at our house loves a cherry pie, but no matter how hard i tried, i could not make a fresh cherry pie that would not run all over the plate! it was always too juicy. until last summer, when i finally found the perfect recipe. not only does it make a pie filling that is thicker, but it is perfect for using up an abundant cherry harvest and freezing.

Cherry Pie Filling

*

8 cups tart cherries

2 1/2 cups sugar

5 T cornstarch

*

wash, drain, and pit cherries. combine sugar and cornstarch. stir into cherries and let stand about 30 minutes, until juices begin to flow. cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken. ladle the pie filling into 1 quart freezer containers leaving 1/2" head space. cool at room temperature, not to exceed 2 hours, and freeze.

yield: 4 quarts

everyday gift: cherry pie

weaving with the keepers

the saturday of our keeper meeting came with a flurry...and i do mean that in both senses of the word! my day was a whirlwind: getting ready for our weaving project, running to soccer games, baking a pie, and cleaning house...when i discovered S running a high fever. yikes. the keeper girls were supposed to meet at our house, but i couldn't expose them to a fever, not even knowing yet, what was the cause. but i didn't want to cancel! the solution brought such a blessing. patty, a friend of a keeper mom, so kindly agreed to open her church up for our meeting. it was the perfect place with a nice large table to set up our weaving and cute little cafe tables to work and visit. and not only that, she showed such hospitality as she made a pot of coffee and served us while we were busy with our project. thank you, patty! you really blessed us with your servant's heart and loving spirit!

our group has undergone a change since last year. several of our original members have become busy with other activities and others have joined! so we are excited to welcome our newest members. this was our first meeting with the new members and i have to say we are really blessed with such incredible girls! we could see the buds of new friendships springing up even as the blooms continue with the older friendships. not to mention the fellowship of the moms who are like-minded in their desire to raise up girls who love the Lord.

B and A (and a thank you to A who made cookies for our snack with her mom! yummy!)

we began a project for the weaving badge using a simple cardboard loom. the girls put the warp on and choose colorful yarns to weave a little bookmark. beautiful work, girls!

A working hard with a little help

attentive girls ready to learn

moms helping daughters

E shows the beginning of her weaving

O is for orange

the girls did such a nice job beginning their projects. they will finish them at home and bring them back to the next meeting to show off their handiwork.

everyday gift: new friends joining keepers

wordless wednesday

everyday gift: a wake-up call

highs and lows

it has been an incredibly busy few weeks and i have not had much time to reflect or put any thoughts down here. but today i thought i would look back and report on a few things from my week.

things that i love...

*seeing the twinkle in B's eye as her birthday approached
*C, staying up late with his light on to read the Bible
*a cherry pie with filling made from our summer cherries
*a clean house
*positive parent teacher conferences with A's on the report cards
*the crocus pushing up through the snow
*opening God's Word at church and listening to a wonderful yet challenging message
*having mark home after a business trip
*seeing God's answer to prayer
*hot coffee with vanilla caramel creamer

these things, not so much...

*the feel of a too-warm forehead on my boy
*snow at the end of march
*trying to make it look like we live in House Beautiful for an open house, when we actually live, in reality, more like Field and Stream!
*realizing i am out of milk...in the middle of the recipe
*finding out that the retro station on the radio is playing the music i listened to in high school
*library fines
*watching a soccer game when it is 31 degrees outside and threatening to drizzle
*postponing B's birthday party because of sickness and a blizzard
*sticker shock at the grocery store

well, these have been some of the highs and lows of the last few days. i hope your days are filled with mostly highs! :o)

a few more project pictures

i have just a few more projects pictures to post from our february study of the civil war and some of the historical figures of the time. both of these books, Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt and Follow the Drinking Gourd are excellent and touching books. our study was a gentle introduction to the civil war and the difficult topic of slavery in our country's history.

clara stitched a map into her quilt as a secret way to direct slaves who were running to freedom in the north. B and i made a reproduction of the quilt using cut paper.

the drinking gourd in the sky leads north to freedom!

here is our gourd, old and dried. mark helped us out by sawing the side off. B scooped out the insides and sanded it, inside and out. thank you, chris, for the gourd!


B painting our drinking gourd with a color we mixed to look like a natural gourd color. B decided against adding any other type of embellishment.

well, one thing leads to another...what do you do when you find yourself with a handful of seeds from the inside of your gourd? you plant them, of course! the seeds may be too old to sprout, but it is worth a try! i once read that ancient seeds found in a jar in the egyptian pyramids actually grew, so, who knows?

we are now following another trail from this book. we are learning about the constellations, especially the north star.

everyday gift: the rabbit trails of learning

B's spring riding lessons

B is having the time of her life at riding lessons this spring! she has a fabulous instructor who is dedicated to horses and the girls who love them! this week B cantered for the first time and learned to a "roll back" as you'll see in the video in the end. i am so thankful she is having these lessons because we might be getting horses this summer. i really want her to be able to handle herself with confidence around such a large and powerful animal.

riding rosie

my goodness, rosie! you are muddy!


muddy hooves

saddling up!

B practicing a new skill, the roll back (a backing up turn)

everyday gift: a girl on a horse

cedar waxwings

the cedar waxwing is one of my favorite birds because of its beautiful and unusual markings. i read that the tiny red tip on the wing is the reason for the name as it looks like red sealing wax. we once found a dead waxwing by the road and were able to look closely at the intricate markings. i love the yellow tip to the tail.

the first time i saw cedar waxwings was in 1995 while mark and i were canoeing on the rock river. we saw a flock of them swooping out of the trees over the water to catch bugs. it was a memorable sight.

a few years ago we planted a row of american cranberry bushes. it is a native plant that provides food for wildlife and we hoped to lure the waxwings in with the berries. all winter i watched for them. well, they finally came! i counted about 7. now if i can just get the baltimore oriole to come to our slices of oranges. sometimes in the early spring we see them flitting in the trees, their brilliant flashes of orange, keeping a safe distance from the house. but so far, they won't come near.

cedar waxwing on american cranberry bush

Knowing Birds Through Stories is one of my favorite vintage books for children about birds. other references we use in our bird studies are The Burgess Bird Book for Children and the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds.

everyday gift: a beautiful bird in the garden