Mary had a Lovely Day!

Here is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/LBlUU9Nhs2U

Mary is a Double Digit Now

Ten years ago today this adorable little bundle came into our lives. She has always been such a doll inside and out. We couldn't of been blessed with a more lovely child. Thank you God for giving us the beautiful gift of Mary Ellen.   She belongs to you, thank you for allowing us to watch over her these years on earth. I am so glad she knows the one who gave her the spark of life, formed her in my womb and will call her home one day into your beautiful kingdom.

 

Acorn Harvest

We have been doing an acorn harvest with Mary for a homeschool project. Since Rich is part Cherokee Indian we thought Mary would enjoy exploring some of her Native American roots. The valley floor here was a beautiful oak savanah that was cultivated by the local indians and they harvested a rich crop of acorns that are gluten free and packed full of vitamins. We read up on how to harvest and process them and they are a wonderful source of free food that was part of the indian diet for centuries

The mighty Oak Tree

Giant Black Oak tree leaf

acorns that we picked up



harvesting in a local park



medium brown ones are the best



drying the nuts in the shell



the acorn meat is pretty large



cracking the shells



love the little caps they wear

our hand crank grain mill



It worked pretty well



This is day one of soaking the ground acorns to get the tannins out



This is day 6 of rinsing each day.  The bitter taste is gone!



letting the water drain out through a coffee filter



drying the acorn gruel



ground the hardened gruel into a flour using the food processor



Adding the acorn flour to our pancake mix



It had a wonderful nutty aroma as it cooked



We enjoyed the pancakes with butter, peanut butter and syrup!

Camping

We had a wonderful camping adventure at Rogue Elk Park, right on the beautiful upper Rogue River.  We set up our canopy and tent right on the river.  I picked some herbs and flowers from our garden to enjoy and chase insects away.  Thankfully there were very little bugs and with the net on the canopy, it kept all the bees away and any debris from the trees coming down when the wind came.  I know we were doing a little bit of glamping, but it sure was nice.  Last year we bought some really comfortable sleeping cots and this spring we bought the canopy and outdoor carpet to finish everything off.

 

We arrived at noon and began to set up.  It got a little hot and tiring but we got it all set up with just a few short breaks in the shade.  We brought some fruit and nuts too.  I always like to incorporate some elements of the Feast of Tabernacles in our camping as we are remember to be thankful for our permanent home while we enjoy the wonderful out doors in a temporary dwelling.

 

 

The view was spectacular.  The river was full and flowing very fast. 

Here is Rich and Mary getting warm in the morning sun.  This time in September it is on the chilly side in the morning but it warmed up during the day and was very pleasant.

After breakfast we went for a walk.  There are a lot of Oak trees in the park so we gathered leaves and acorns.

 

 

This is one of my favorite scenes in the park.  I love how the sun sparkled on the water and the green canopy of leaves and the limbs reaching down to the water.  Just so beautiful!

 

After our walk we spent some time reading the Hobbit to Mary.  She is the perfect age for it and we all loved it.

Rich did some fishing.  There was a nice spot right next to our camp site.

I really liked this motion shot with the end of the line making the white spot on the water as it went in.

Rich saw a lot of very large salmon.  He caught trout but we did not have a salmon tag so he didn't go for them.

We read some Psalms out of the Bible before dinner and then enjoyed a wonderful fire and did some star gazing afterwards.  There was a full moon and it shown so beautifully on the water in the river.

 

When the fire burned down we roasted marshmallows over the coals and had s'mores.  A perfect ending to a perfect day!!

First Day of School

The beauty of home school is you don't have to leave your front porch.  We had a great first day of school.  Mary is really looking forward to school this year.  My girl is growing up so fast!

Rich's Birthday

I always bake Rich a chocolate cake for his birthday. This year I decided to make a cherry chocolate cake mix.  I used a Devil's Food cake mix, a can of cherry pie filling, chocolate chips, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of water and a 1/2 cup of sourdough starter and a tsp of almond flavoring.  I used a bundt cake pan that Rich had gotten me a long time ago.  I had it tucked back in the cupboard and had forgotten about it.  It worked out so well for this recipe that I made up.  I baked it at 325 degrees for 55 minutes or until the toothpick comes out fairly clean.  It is a really rich cake so it is not going to come out real clean.

 

 

I dusted powdered sugar on the top and garnished it with fresh raspberries.

 

I also baked our weekly pizza

 

Mary had a blast blowing up balloons

She was so excited to give Dad his gifts.

We had the cake with cherry cordial ice cream.

 

 

This pic is a little out of focus but I was so pleased how the cherry filling and chocolate chips stayed in the center.  It was a very moist cake but not too heavy.  The sourdough starter really helps with giving a good lift to the cake.

 

We were so happy to celebrate Rich!  He is such a wonderful husband and dad and we are so thankful for all the Lord has given us.