Freeze that Corn!

It's that time of the year again.  The sweet corn is ready!  Freezing sweet corn is an annual event.  It is one of the vegetables that we have stored to get us through the year without buying veggies at the grocery store.  

We did one batch on Saturday.  We did 200+ ears and had about 40+pints total.  On sweet corn days, everyone has a job.  Everyone helps.  

Eliza was being silly and hugging a cob.  Her job was to help husk and to carry corn from the pick up to where we were husking under the shade tree. 

Like I said, everyone has a job to do.

Ephraim and Emmet took turns taking the husks to the pigs.  They were happy with this arrangement!

Here piggy, piggy!

The kitties were ever-present during the husking and this cat found a cool place to lay!

Inside, Ephraim was helping cut kernals off the cob.

Then Emmet tried it.  They both did a very good job and at one point, we had four of us cutting kernals off the cob.  We got done in record time!

The pans of corn on the table, cooling.  This year we experiment with using dry ice to cool the corn quicker.  It seemed to work well, but is maybe a bit more expensive than using ice cubes and the refrigerator.

Paul at the stove keeping an eye on the cooking pots of corn.

Eden helping clean up the dishes.

After all the work was done, it was time for some science experiments with the bits of dry ice left over.

The dry ice is in the glass of water.  Then we added dish soap.  The children had a blast playing with it.  

Another day.  Another load of corn.  On Wednesday, Grandpa & Grandma came with 300+ ears of corn.  This time we got 70 pints of corn in the freezer.  Although they aren't all in pints.  In fact, most of our are in quarts and 1/2 gallon containers.  

The girls helped by bringing the corn from the back of the truck to the front.  And then bringing it to the shade tree.

Emmet husking.

Taking a load to the pigs.

Eliza was on my lap while I was helping husk.

This isn't even all of the corn!  This is the first station inside:  washing!

Emmet and Eden were the first washers.  They sure did fight over the water facet.

Ephraim and Eliza were next.  They shared much better!

Emmet found that he could stir/cool corn with both hands!

Well, that's enough corn in the freezer for this year!

NICHE Convention 2012

This post is overdue.  I was able to attend the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators (NICHE) Homeschool Conference 2012 on Saturday, June 9.  If you'll remember, this was also the busy week with VBS, window installation and various family functions.  But, I really wanted to go to this and my parents were able to watch the kids for the few hours that I was away.  It is a two day conference but I was only able to attend one day.  I spent Saturday attending a few workshops, listening to the keynote speakers and browsing the exhibit hall.  I was able to take advantage of several sales.

I even bought a few DVD's for our church library.  It is a series of cartoons based on the life of several missionaries and martyrs.

 I was able to pick up A LOT of catalogs and pamphlets on all the materials that are available to homeschoolers.

The classes I attended were:
Scripture at the Center of Your Homeschool
Homeschooling your Preschooler
Leaving a Godly Legacy
Nuturting a Math Gift into a Passion
Giving Vision to Change the World

If given the chance to go again next year, I definitely will.

Pebble Plaques

My Family Fun Magazine  came in the mail last week and had some great ideas in it!  One of which was a Pebble Plaque.  The idea was to make a mix of dough and add pebbles to make a mosaic.  We've all seen this idea before as stepping stones, etc.  Last week was the perfect time to give it a try.  First, we had to buy more salt.  The recipe is 3 cups flour, 1 cup salt and 1 1/4 cups water.  Usually all items you have on hand, but I was running out of salt.  We made a double batch so we'd have enough for everyone.  

We cleared the picnic table and spread out or pieces to design with.  Our neighbor Lee had give us a massive box of craft stuff and in it were just the right pieces for stepping stones.  There were tiles, rocks, colored pebbles and some polished glass.  We set about practicing our designs on the table.  

Then it was time to smash them into the dough.  

Eliza with her two finished products.

Eden with her stones.

Ephraim with his.  He really tried to make a pattern and make them look neat.

Guess I don't have a picture of Emmet's but he made one big one with mostly tile pieces on it.

We had to bake these for 2 hours at 275 degrees.  Then we put them outside around a tree.  But a little bit of rain made them soft again.  I think if you want real stepping stones, you'll have to use Quick-Crete or cement of some sort.  This did prove to be a fun craft for the kids and they thoroughly enjoyed making their designs.  We spent all morning on it, so that in itself is the sign of a successful craft.

Pictures of the week, July 15 to July 21, 2012

Sunday, July 15, 2012

A waterslide afternoon with friends.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Seth loading the Cub tractor to take to the local fair.  

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

I had the opportunity to be a 4-H Judge at a neighboring county.  It was an all day experience.  I got paid for it and lunch was provided.  The building was air conditioned.  I saw some great crafts and have been re-inspired to keep working on the t-shirt quilts I have in the beginning stages.  This was my first and only judging experience this year and I'm okay with that.  

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Bible Quiz, Day 1

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Craft time at home in the morning.  My Family Fun Magazine came in the mail early in the week.  It had a recipe for stepping stones/plaques.  The recipe was simple with just flour and salt and water.  But I had to buy more salt.  It called for 1 cup for one batch!  We used some broken glass and clear pebbles for our decorations.  Oh, yes, there will be more photos coming.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Friday Bible Quiz.  

Saturday, July 22, 2012

Shucking sweet corn.  We did 200 ears in the afternoon.  More pictures to come.

County Fair 2012

Going to the local county fair for three days for Bible Quiz also provided an opportunity to walk around and see the sights.  Yes, it was hot.  But we had three days to divide up the fun.  

First, going to the fair for three days does not have to be expensive.  We parked outside the gate and right away saved $3 per day.  We ate lunch at home and saved $20, times 3.  Okay, so I had lunch at the fair on the third day but I was supporting a church stand, which makes it okay.  I did pack the children peanut butter and jelly :)

On Wednesday, Seth took the children to the antique equipment.  Here they are running the log splitter.  

On Friday morning, there was a bit of relief from the heat so we went to the fair and meandered around.  We started out at the antique tractors.

The children had worked hard to get the Farmall Cub ready for the fair.  Here they are with it.

Then we took some time to check out the new, oversized equipment.  A picture in the tire seems to be an annual event.  What one child does, so must the others.

Too cute with her sunglasses!

Eden trying to sit up properly with perfect posture.

Ephraim opted for another tire and then he wanted a shot with his hat down . . .

All in all, it was a good time for all of us.  We toured the animal barns a couple of times.  Chatted with family and friends we haven't seen in a while.  We always look forward to the fair but then it is always time to be done, too.

Sunday Waterslide

Last Saturday we put up our homemade-free admission-no waiting in lines waterslide.  It was just too much fun for one day.  So, we went back on Sunday afternoon and invited some friends.  

Micah taking what he learned from Ephraim and Emmet about going down and having a splendid time.

Grandpa and Eliza going down together.

A group shot of the kids on the shore: Ephraim, Emmet, Micah, Eden, Eliza & Becca.  It was a hot day of 100 degrees.  About two hours out in the sun was enough for all of us.  Again, we did several applications of sun screen.

Uncle Paul joined us for a bit and Eliza was thrilled to be his passenger.

Eden getting brave and putting aside the snowboard and using the inner tube.

Emmet with a look of determination to stay on his knees.

Micah coming down again.

Emmet taking a turn with Grandpa.

Thoroughly enjoying her trip!

Now for a few photos of the set up.

A look from the top to the bottom.

A look at the pump that is pumping water.  It pumps about 1-2 gallons a second.  Perfect for our waterslide purposes.

A look at the top of the slide.  The umbrella helped a lot.  We had one hose on the landing where we got into our tubes and we had the other hose elevated a bit and hitting the slide where the ramp and ground meet.

That's a lot of hose, but we had quite a hill to climb.

That's me going down with Eliza on my back.  

And one last look at Emmet and Grandpa.  Again, another enjoyable day spent with the children.  They were tired but loved it.  I must say that Seth and I enjoyed it, too.