Oh my....

I don't know what happened ..... just yesterday summer started and now it is almost over! We had a busy summer and I thought I just write a few lines, just to make sure that I still know how to spell ;-)  

We had to buy a new car, my beloved Gus is dead now. It was so sad. That awesome truck brought us all the way to Kentucky and back before the motor made the most horrible noise and I couldn't drive it anymore. Speaking of Kentucky, I still owe you guys pictures from our visit of Creation Museum, but that will have to wait a little while now. I found a nice van, an Oldsmobile Silhouette, which I liked and hubby thought it was a good deal. Now we are driving that, this newer van uses much less gas. It is a nicer ride all around and even sports a dvd player, which the kids really like. I thought it would be worse having yet another possibility to watch tv or something like it. Fortunately it is being used very rarely! This new to us van is really fancy in comparison to Gus, but I did have tears in my eyes when they came to pick up Gus. It was such a good and reliable truck.....

I also finally finished planning our co-op with some other ladies. At first it looked like we wouldn't have many families at all and we thought that at least we have ample space. During the summer we have had quite a few families joining Anchor co-op and the space is getting smaller, it will be rather cosy this year :)  I am looking forward to starting the school year with many new families, some of them for their first year! I am very excited! I am sure it will be a good year, with Science, Art, Literature for young kids and Current News for the older kids and gym for everyone. Though it looks like we have reached the limit for this year and now have to open the waiting list.

What else did we do? Well, there is the Library, Christian Resource Center Library. We had to close the library for a month in the summer because for building maintenance. Now we are open again and the work starts. We had move 126 boxes of books from one location to another. Thank you First Baptist Youth Group! They have done a marvelous job moving the boxes! Now we are getting ready to sell all the books because the library doesn't have so much room anymore. So stay tuned for news about the mega sale!

I finally got my Mac updated, well at least as updated as it will get. Now it talks again with the itunes on my iphone. This was a lot of work, actually more time consuming than work. I ended up going to the genius bar and the guys there were really nice and helped me very quickly. I then spend a very good portion of the day to try to install the airport express so that I can print wireless, but it didn't work - much to my dismay.....genius bar again? 

I just want to have it all in place and updated and running for school. I have spend so much time planning and doing so many other projects, that our school planning to a back seat - really far back, something like the 4th row or so....

I am now working over time - yeah, right ;-)    I did buy a Kindle for this year and hope that this will help with reading for at least one child, as it has the Text-to-Speech feature. That should be good. We can also take it with us while we are waiting for this and that like music lessons....oh, I still have to find a violin teacher, oh dear.  We should also be getting the Apologia books and dvd soon. This year we will try the lecture dvd and see how that works, maybe it is a good option. We are going to do Tapestry of Grace, year 4 - 20th Century - with some added things like Shakespeare, Plutarch, Composer and Art Study. It will be a full year but I think it will be fun.

I am going to write another post soon with our plans for the new school year and which books we will be using :D

IAHE Conference, Vacation part 3

It was wonderful to spend time with Lynette and Fritz. I even got to meet some of their friends. I had the opportunity to enjoy a Sunday service at a home church and met some people who prayed for us and supported us. If any of you happen to read this, I would like to thank you again! It was such a pleasure to finally meet you. You have all be so kind and welcoming. On the 3rd and 4th of June we went to the Indiana Association of Homeschool Educators (IAHE) Conference. It was about as big as the MACHE one here in Minnesota. Oh, it was so nice to once again look at all the books and materials! I didn't make it to the Mache conference in Duluth this year, so the one in Indiana made up for that. It was such a great time to be able to look at curriculum, books and other cool things. I went to workshops and listen to Mike Farris from HSLDA and other keynote speakers. I went to Joyce Herzogs workshop and listen to some others. Fritz and Lynette held several workshops, I got the cd and listened to them on our way home.
Lynette and I held a workshop as well. I thought it was really good and people seemed to like it. We had good questions at the end, that was really fun. People showed quite a bit of interest and seemed encouraged. The lady who organized it was very pleased and stated that she felt greatly encouraged. I am very happy that God can use our story for His glory. It was so good to be able to show how God is still working miracles today. Our workshop was also recorded on cd.

Pastor Fritz, B., Nina, Jamie, Jeremy, me, Lynette

Lynette and me with two very lovely friends of Lynette.

Vacation part 2

After enjoying two days at a very nice campground, it was time to continue our travels to Indiana. After driving for about six hours we arrived :>

It got a pretty warm in the car without a/c

though some of us are too cool to be hot  - lol

We were at our friends house early afternoon. It was so good to see them again! They are missionaries in Germany and they planted the church we went to in Berlin. We missed them and were really happy to see them again. The kids had a good time together as well. It seemed like we had just seen each other. It was such a wonderful time together.

Two sweet, lovely, cheeky girls  ;-)

Well this one can be quite cheeky as well....

Aahh, vacation.....

Well, we are back from our vacation. It was a great time! We were gone for almost two weeks, well, actually it was 13 days. We had a fun time and once again were able to see God at work. Let me start by saying that we decided to go camping in a tent. As I mentioned before, we are used to taking our camper out, so this was going to be a new adventure for us. We started on our trip with a car that was, well, very fully packed.

Luckily we have three rows of benches in the car and did take one out. So we did have enough room ;-)  I don't know what we would have done with a smaller car - lol.
We left much later than we wanted to because it was raining pretty hard and we didn't feel like loading the car in the rain. When it finally stopped we got everything in the car, including the dog. We dropped her of at a friends house, where she was eagerly awaited by her doggy friend. Thank you again Family P. ! Leaving two hours later than planned we were finally on our way. It was a pretty nice trip and sometime in the afternoon we stopped for about 40 min. to eat and stretch our legs for a few minutes.

It was already pretty warm, but still bearable. We finally made to our first campground in Illinois just before they closed. I had booked it before so the registration was quick, unfortunately we had to set up camp in the dark. We didn't know if we should be happy about that since it was only our second time setting up the tent. On one hand it was dark and would be a little harder to find all the pieces, on the other hand we could hide our beginners attempts in the dark :)  We got to meet our new camping neighbors and found out that they were from Spain, they are traveling through the US until the end of June. They were very nice and offered their help, if we needed it.   We were better than we thought and had the tent set up within 10 min! Yeah!  While two of us set up the tent the other two blew up the mattresses and got the sleeping bags out of the car. Everything was set up and done and put away again within 30 min. We were pretty desperate for a cool shower unfortunately it turned out to be a fairly warm shower. We were finally done and ready to turn in for our first night in our new tent.  We woke up early but refreshed. The mattresses held the air, it hadn't rained and tent was still standing! We had a wonderful day and the kids even got to go to the pool.

This is actually our school table  :>

We are working hard on our lunch......

while some are being funny.....

and others -well- are not so busy.....

playtime at the playground right next to us.

fun at the pool

I better get going and will continue with our vacation story tomorrow  :D

The Tent

We are planning a vacation! I have been invited to share our story of God's amazing provision and how wonderful the body of Christ is at it's best. Then we are going to visit the Creation Museum, God willing, we will have some fun and our plans will work out. We have decided to camp along the way. Now, I am not really an outdoors-y person, I tried tent camping many years ago and well, let's just say that after one night I decided that was enough of roughing it for me. However, I really enjoyed camping in our nice camper, we used to have in Germany. It wasn't really all that fancy, but very comfortable and the kids had their room and I had a bathroom and a kitchen.....well, here are some pictures of my home away from home.

This is the living room / dining room that also doubles as a bed at night. The table lays down and the cushions become the mattress.

You can see the kitchen here, in the back is the kid's room. The fuzzy strings on the right many look funny but they were really good at keeping bugs out :)

Stove, sink, refrigerator....

This is the kids room, on the left are the bunk beds and on right are two benches with a table which was changed into a bed at night.
Nothing fancy but very comfortable. This is how I like camping...... we made many good memories with the camper and always had a great time taking it out. Since we are all now on the American continent, we had to sell the camper.

Since we can't buy a camper at this time or anytime soon, I decided to give tent camping another try. So bought a tent, that in itself was very interesting. I didn't want to have a small tent, we are four people traveling this time around. I looked at tents for five people and thought that the majority was too small. I would like to be able to stand up when changing clothes :-)  So I opted for a tent that can hold eight people. Yessss...... much better......When the tent arrived  we were very excited and thought it would be a good idea to try to set up the tent before we are actually leaving so that we wouldn't look too stupid since neither one of us ever put up a tent......pretty funny, right?
Well we didn't really want to embarrass ourselves and so thought we could set it up in our little living room.....if you know a little about tents you are probably breaking out laughing right now.

Here are some pictures of our attempt to put up a tent in our tiny living room...

Jamie just got out of the shower and I bugged her long enough until she helped me but her hair was still wet  ;-)

We thought we better take pictures so we have an idea of how to put the tent back.....

yeah, well, the tent is bigger than the living room..... that was a problem. At this point we decided that we just had to move it all outside.....

Here it is! Our first tent, all set up! It took us only about 10 minutes. It was pretty easy, which was really great. The tent is standing on a bit of a down slope, so it is not all straight and tight.

Setting up the tent went much better than expected and we didn't make much of a fool of ourselves  -  well, at least it was only in our living room :D

Some Reviews...

A few months ago I was looking around the web for some recipes to make my own cleaning supplies. I came across Not A Cool Mom aka Elizabeth's Kind Cafe Blog, you can watch her videos on how to make all of this. She has some really good cleaning recipes. I have tried some of them and I thought I tell you what I think about them, after trying them for a while. I have tried the Dishwasher soap, the soap for hand washing dishes, Bathroom cleaner and the Al lpurpose cleaner.
So, here is the dish soap...

DISH SOAP RECIPE

2 cups liquid castille soap (I like Dr. Bronner’s)
1/2 cup water                                                                         
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
5 drops Essential oil (Lemon, Pine or Lavender work well)
1/2 cup white vinegar


Put all of the ingredients in an empty squirt bottle and shake. Done!

I used all of the dish soap that I made. I was not that pleased with it. It always seems to feel a little greasy and the lavender smell was at first almost not noticeable. However it seemed to become a little stronger over time. While it cleaned the dishes, I didn't really like the feel of it and I had use quite a bit of it. My personal conclusion is that I would buy dish soap again but keep the recipe for emergencies, for example when I - again - forget to buy the commercial one :)


I also made the Shower Cleaner. I use for everything not only the bathroom. It is more like liquid scrubbing powder, so be careful where you use it, I imagine it would scratch up your granite countertops. Here is the recipe......



Shower Cleaner
1 Cup Baking Soda
1/3 Cup Borax
½ Cup Liquid Soap (Dr. Bronners)
2 Tbls Distilled Vinegar
1 Cup Warm Water
4 Drops Lavender, Pine or Lemon Oil
1 Squeeze Bottle, 32 oz – She is using a spray bottle in the video, but that doesn't really work because the liquid is way to thick.

I have heated the water in a pot on the stove and added the baking soda and borax into it and stirred until it was dissolved. I was hoping that it would then come out the spray bottle, but it didn't. So I don't know if you really have to heat the water in order dissolve everything. It may be enough to just use hot tap water. You add all ingredients together and shake. It will bubble up quite a bit, so you may want to do that over your sink ;-)

Shake before each use!!! This is obviously not a 32 oz. bottle but I didn't have one at hand and so had to divide the liquid.

My experience with it? Great! It cleanse very well, though you have to add a little bit of vigor to it. I like that I can add any smell I like. Right now I am using Lavender oil for everything, I really like it. I will continue to use this and not buy any commercial cleaner. It get the tub, the sink and toilet clean. Though I still use commercial stuff for the inside of the toilet.


My next exeriment was making All Purpose Cleaner. I had to buy a large spray bottle and wrote the instruction on it. Even though I used  a permanent marker, it did not stay on but that's okay. So here it is....

All Purpose Cleaner
1 Teaspoon Washing Soda
1 teaspoon Borax
½ Teaspoon Castile Soap
2 Cups Hot Water
10 Drops Essential Oil(Lemon, Lavender and Pine work well for this one).

Shake well before use! This is a great cleaning product! It cleans even better than store bought all purpose cleaner. I cleaned my kitchen with it and it worked wonderful. I really like it and will continue to use it. Making it takes only a few minutes and since you use all the same ingredients for all of this stuff, you have everything you need :-)


This is what Elizabeth wrote on her website and I would like to pass it on, because it is noteworthy.....

A few things to keep in mind when working with homemade cleaning products…….
1)  Residue – The first few times you use home cleaning products (especially window cleaner) you may notice some residue. There are two reasons for this. First, there is build-up from your previous cleaner that becomes visible. Second, homemade cleaners require a little extra elbow grease. You will have to work that sponge or rag (hopefully not paper towel) a little more, but it’s worth it.
2) Essential Oils – Although they are natural, they can be quite potent, so make sure to wear gloves when working with Lavender and Tea Tree Oil.


The last thing I would like to share with you is the powder for the dishwasher. I don't think I have that from Elizabeth's site, but I also don't remember where I got the recipe from.

Dishwashing Detergent

1/2 cup washing Soda

1/2 cup Borax                                    
1/4 Salt
Vinegar
1 Jar



Put the Soda, Borax and Salt in the jar. Close the lid tight and shake until it is all mixed well. In your dishwasher is a little compartment where the the blue rinsing agent usually goes, FILL THAT WITH VINEGAR! If you don't use the vinegar, you will not get pleasing results. I just added the vinegar to whatever I had left in that little compartment. Use 1 tablespoon. Note: When I used 2 tablespoons the dishes had a film on them and I had to rinse twice. You may have to play with the amount according to how hard or soft your water is and your dishwasher.
My experience: This is a keeper!!! I really, really like this. I have used this for the last two or three months and I don't want to go back to the commercial stuff. Especially if you read the label and see that they actually put toxins in there, which may not rinse off completely. This works really well, gets the dishes clean, is fast to make and cheap. Just don't forget the vinegar !


These are my the green cleaning supplies I have tried. I am going to try out more, but for now, why don't you give it a try. It is fun and cheap and once you have borax, washing soda and castile soap, you have everything you need and make all of this. Oh yes, I forgot the essential oil. Give it a try and let me know what you think :D

We will miss you, Bernie B.

Some of you know that I am a volunteer for the Christian Resource Center Library or CRC. I have been there for only two years but I have had the privilege to meet Bernie B. a few times. He was a very sweet man. He was volunteering for the library for many, many years, actually it was something like 14 years. Bernie was always called upon when the library had to be moved, when heavy boxes of books needed to be picked up or brought somewhere. He was always there when shelves needed to be put up or any other work was needed. Bernie was the one who did most of the hard work to sustain the library.
Yesterday the Lord called Bernie home. He is now with Jesus and is dancing with the angels and worshiping our Lord. I am very happy for you Bernie. It was a gift to have met you.  For us, who are still here, it is a sad time. Our hearts are aching and we are mourning the loss of Bernie B. Our condolences to his wife and family!
Bernie wasn't just a volunteer, he was part of the CRC.
Bernie, we will miss you!

Oh, how time escapes me....

It has been a while since I last blogged. My husband has been here and left again and we are trying hard to find a routine again. I don't know what it is, but we have been incredibly busy the last two weeks. Now I am sitting here and just saw that a severe Thunderstorm warning was issued for our county. Not surprising, it was so hot and humid here that I even turned the A/C on for a few hours to get the humidity out of the house. 
Since I am sitting here and being lazy because it is still so warm, I thought I let you know how our first homemade wheat free pizza turned out. We made a few weeks ago and I also used the pizza stone for the first time. With this pizza here, I went with the direction and it turned out to be pretty crisp. The next pizza we made was better because I didn't preheat the pizza stone. That was much better! The recipe is from the Gluten Free Gourmet cookbook, let me know if you would like to know which one exactly.

Yeast-Rising Thick Pizza Crust

2 cups rice flour
2 cups tapioca flour
2/3 cup dry powder milk or nondairy substitute
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pizza seasoning, optional ( I didn't have it and it was still very good)
2 tablespoons dry yeast granules
1 cup lukewarm water, 105 to 115 F ( I never actually measured the temp.)
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons shortening 
1/2 cup hot water
4 egg whites at room temperature

In the bowl of a heavy duty mixer, put flours, milk, xanthan gum, and salt. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water with the tablespoon of sugar added. Melt the shortening in the hot water.
With the mixer on low, blend the dry ingredients adding the seasoning if desired. Pour in the hot water and shortening, blending to mix. Add the egg whites, blend again, the add the yeast mixture. Beat on high speed for 4 minutes.
Spoon half the the dough onto the greased cookie sheet or round pizza tin. ( I put it onto the pizza stone. I did put cornmeal on it before though.)
With your hand in a plastic bag, pat the dough out in a circle about 1/4 inch thick except at the edges, which should be higher to contain the sauce and fillings. Repeat with second half of the dough (I put that in a baggie and froze it, worked just fine after thawing). Let rise 10 min, then bake in preheated 400 F oven 5 to 7 minutes before spreading with your sauce and favorite toppings. Bake 20 to 22 more minutes. About 8 to 12 servings.
Okay, I did not preheat or prebake the pizza, it worked much better for us to put on the sauce and toppings and then bake. At least that is how it worked for us with the pizza stone. It was very yummy! Really not much different from regular pizza at all. Give it a try :D

The dough looks like regular dough, right?

Here is the pizza with all the toppings, looks sooo good..

I went with the suggested 20 min, which turned out to be too much for my oven, but it was still very, very good. For the next pizza I reduced the baking time by 5 min and it was just right. Unfortunately we were to greedy and ate the pizza before we remembered to take a picture :D