Beautiful Beach

Some photos from our vacation in May to Rosemary Beach, Florida.

Our eldest turned 14 the day before we left.  We had a quick ice cream cake celebration before we left. Unfortunately, my daughter (E) misunderstood when we'd brought the cake home.  She thought I said put it in the refrigerator instead of the freezer.  So, his cake was a little wide at the bottom.  Tasted just as good, though!  Happy Birthday, S!!

The house golf cart, Seabiscuit, was a big hit, and very useful for hauling all our stuff to the beach.  As you can see below. . .

Another hit was the pool.  Even when Baby L had to nap, or had had enough of the beach, we could enjoy the pool.

I promised the boys a trip to the Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum.  They loved it!  The Blue Angel atrium.  Look closely, you can see the boys at the bottom right.

The boys enjoying the cockpit displays.

More beach photos.

Baby L enjoying the sand, sort of.

H trying to catch a tan.

Erik and H enjoyed burying S in the sand - they even gave him a sand-six-pack.

We went back to Pensacola to see the Blue Angels do their weekly practice show.  It was loud, hot, but fun!

Got to get autographs, too!

And we had lunch at the museum restaurant, which is filled with squadron memorabilia.  S especially loved this.

Then some of us crashed on the way home.

E and Baby L dancing while we make dinner.

A last day photo of Grammy and E.

It was one of the most relaxing vacations we've had!

The Master Recipe for 5 Minute A Day Artisan Bread

This recipe was featured in Mother Earth News - where you can find the full story, info and recipe alterations.

Master Recipe (Artisan Free-Form Loaf)
Makes 4 1-pound loaves

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel


Mixing and Storing the Dough
1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container (not airtight — use container with gasket or lift a corner). Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.

4. Cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode from trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours, depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. And relax! You don’t need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as in traditional recipes.

Refrigerate unused dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.


Baking Day
1,  Prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.

Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.

2. Place the ball on the pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.

3. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.

4.  Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing, serrated knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)

5. With a forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. With wet dough, there’s little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

Classic Ratatouille

Adapted from by Julia Child’s Ratatouille

1 lb eggplant
1 lb zucchini
1 tsp salt
Slice zucchini into half-moons about ½ inch thick. Peel and slice eggplant to similar size. Place in mixing bowl and toss with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towel and set on plate.

3-4 T olive oil, as needed
1 yellow or Vidalia onion, thinkly sliced
2 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow), seeded and thinly sliced
2 cloves mashed garlic
1 bay leaf
1 T fresh rosemary (2 tsp dry)
1tsp fresh marjoram (1/2 tsp dry)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large skillet. In one layer at a time, briefly sauté the eggplant and zucchini (about a minute on each side – slightly browning). Remove to side dish. In the same skillet, cook onions and peppers slowly in the olive oil for about 10 min.s, or until tender, but not brown.

1 lb firm, ripe tomatoes: peeled & seeded
Salt and Pepper
(To peel tomatoes: dip tomatoes into boiling water – 10 seconds, max.; then peel. Seed by cutting horizontally and either gently squeezing or scooping out the seeds into a bowl.) Slice peeled & sliced tomatoes into pieces the same size as the zucchini and eggplant. Lay these over the onions and peppers. Salt with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cool over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to render their juice. Uncover, baste the tomatoes with the juices, raise the heat and boil for several minutes, until juice has almost evaporated.

Scoop half the tomato/onion mixture out or to side of skillet. Spread the remaining half over the bottom of the skillet. Lay half the eggplant and zucchini on the tomatoes and onions. Return the other half of the tomato/onion mixture to the skillet. Put the rest of the eggplant and zucchini on top.

Cover the skillet and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover, tip skillet and baste with rendered juices. Correct seasonings, if necessary. Raise heat slightly and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes more, basting several times, until juices have evaporated leaving a spoonful or two of flavorful olive oil. Don’t let vegetables scorch in bottom of skillet!

*Can be made entirely the day before and becomes more flavorful when reheated. Serves 6 (as main) – 12 (as side)

Daybook - Monday, June 14th

St. Basil the Great


outside my window . . .  the sun is just past its zenith, I believe, and hot and white.

in the kitchen . . . zucchini bread is in the oven, bread dough is rising on the stove, veggies are washed and waiting to be transformed into ratatouille.

around the house . . . still slowly working on painting rooms here and there.   We stalled on little E's room before our vacation and haven't quite gotten back there.  Hubby says today is the day.

thinking about . . .  a new camera, maybe

listening to. . . the clatter of dishes being put away

thankful for. . . a hubby happy to be the dish-putter-awayer

pondering the words . . . "war-torn Afghanistan could become the 'Saudi Arabia' of lithium"

creating . . . temporarily lost my crochet mojo and had to restart Baby L's summer blanket 3 or 4 times.  I might have it finished before the leaves start turning colors.

one of my favorite things . . .  new purple bath mats (all cotton - no rubber backing) I picked up for $5 at Marshalls

milestones in the past week . . .  we are finally moving on the property!  After a ridiculous of red-tape from  one lender (one my hubby works for - not mentioning any names), we've switched to another lender and everything is going much more smoothly.  We went by the property (to see what other lots had been sold) and saw that we have a drive way and home site cleared!

a few plans for the upcoming week . . .  quick meeting with our new lender to sign some papers tomorrow,   taking Little E to one of the free summer movies Wednesday, working Friday, and H comes home Saturday (from nearly 3 weeks in Sweden with his grandmother).

How to Quit Planning Meals!

Are you looking for a way to provide economical, home-cooked meals for your family? Are you tired of the constant nagging question in the back of your mind, "What's for dinner tonight?"   I've got a radical idea to pass along to you:  QUIT PLANNING!

Well, at least, quit planning so frequently.

Mary at Evlogia has totally inspired me to make my meal planning and preparation easier by having one meal plan for a whole season instead of a new meal plan each week.  (She also has an amazing series of Household  Notebooks for each season of the Church year.)

Mary is Eastern Orthodox, so her meal plans accommodate her family's needs to maintain the fasting schedule of the Orthodox church.  At first I was skeptical about the lack of variety week-to-week, but then I reminded myself that we tend to eat pizza EVERY Friday night; Indian food on Saturday night, and nachos on Sunday night and we don't get tired of it!   Mary also mentioned one time that most people tend to stick to a handful (or two handfuls) of the same recipes anyway.  And really, Mary's idea might encourage me to have more variety on an annual basis.

I've started with our Summer Menu, and will continue to add seasonal menus during the year (as long as it is still working for us!).  Future Menu plans will probably include:  Fall, Advent (fast), Christmas (feast), Winter, Lent (fast), Easter (feast), and Spring.

Here is my planned Summer Menu (click on the table for a larger view)

I've posted this on my fridge - so everyone knows what is for dinner (and breakfast and lunch) and in my Home Binder.  Right behind it, I have the grocery list (how easy - I don't have to make a new grocery list every week...just look over the one I've already got prepared).  I've typed up the recipes and filed those, too.  No more flipping through cookbooks trying to find recipes in the middle of preparing dinner!

And, Mary, thank you for sharing your meal plan...and inspiring me to keep it simple!

I'll start posting the recipes later this week.

Contemplating Liberty on Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend I've seen many political cartoons and emails about the price of liberty - lest we forget on this Memorial Day weekend.  All important things to remember...memorial and all that.  But these have brought to mind the question...what is the price of lost liberty?  Are we willing to pay that price to gain certain "perks" in our daily lives? 

When we buy and buy and buy and max out our credit cards, we've lost liberty...and we pay a price.   When we fill our days with busy-ness leaving no time for relaxation and true rejeuvenation, we've lost liberty and we will pay a price.  When we rely on the government to do what the Church should be doing (taking care of the poor, for example), we've lost liberty and we will pay a price.

Just some thoughts running through my head this Memorial Day weekend.  Another thought is how much I'd love to be attending this year's CiRCE conference:   A Contemplation of Liberty.  Many people said last year's (Contemplation of Nature) was one of the best, but I suspect this year's just might top that one.   Are you attending?   I'll just have to settle for some conference CDs this year - but the good thing is I can listen to them over and over!

The reading list for the conference has been posted!  I can't wait to start reading!

And subscribe to the blog - Andrew always has some great posts.  Here is a small sampling:

The Art of Freedom
Freedom and Planning
Freedom begins at Home
Freedom: Aesthetic and Ethical

Have a wonderful weekend...I'm off to shop for a new refrigerator.

Daybook - Monday, May 10th

You know when your blogging becomes sparse and only consists of daybook posts for a few weeks that you are busy or sick or both, as I am now. Vacation is coming and with it some time to rest and be rejuvenated.  I hope to be back to more regular blogging soon. Lots of things to talk about with school wrapping up and summer on its way!  Thanks for sticking with me!   ~Kerry


~~~ My home ~~~

outside my window . . . after a few 90+ days, we have had two wonderfully cool, breezy days.

in the kitchen . . . Angel Food cake with strawberries tonight for dessert.  I'm saving up my carbs for that!

around the house . . . Dining room and Library have been finally cleaned out for our move.  They both look so good with less furniture.  There is definitely a lesson in that.

from our studies . . . I'm working on our summer plan.  It will include a unit on house-building - appropriate, no?

listening to . . . my kids fixing their own lunch (small celebration!), the dog chasing something in her sleep, the breeze whistling in through the small crack I've left in the window.

in the garden . . . azaleas are blooming - warm, soft pink.

living the liturgy . . . Ascension Day coming up on Thursday.  May is always so busy for us that this day often goes overlooked.  This May is no different in terms of busyness, but I'm looking at some very simple plans to celebrate this day.


~~~ Myself ~~~

what I'm wearing . . . grey lightweight pants, rose tunic top

thankful for. . . a VERY clean van (my Mother's Day gift from my family)

reading . . .  The Mysterious Benedict Society before passing it along to my kids.  I'm enjoying it so far!

on my iPod . . .  finally got my new earbuds!  I'm trying to catch up on some of my favorite podcasts before I download new ones.

creating . . . considering crocheting a lightweight summer blanket for Baby L.   I'm thinking a pale yellow cotton or maybe pink.

thinking about . . . how good it will feel not to have a head/earache.

noticing . . . that I just love the new placement of my "chair".  We rearranged the library (removed almost all of our books and one of our "big comfy chairs" and moved sofa and remaining chair to new positions) and my chair is now nestled into a private corner with a view out the front window.  It is very restful.


~~~ My Family ~~~

milestones in the past week . . .  Baby L moved from a booster with a tray to a booster at the table!  For a long time, she was too short to eat from the table in her booster.  Now (with the booster raised to its highest position) she can reach the table!  She seemed to really relish being up so high at dinner last night.

a few plans for the upcoming week . . .
- doctor today for a nasty sinus and ear infection (done - omnicef is my new friend)
- Wednesday my first meeting with the Daughters of the Holy Cross as an official "Daughter"!
- Ascension Day on Thursday with an "all Anglican" service.  (A group of the small local Anglican churches pools resources for special services like this - always fun to see our Anglican brothers and sisters from other churches.)
- Friday my Mom arrives for a visit.

Whirlwind Weekend

Erik's Mother, Farmor (which is Swedish for Father's Mother), came to visit to celebrate her birthday.   Our weekend started with a visit to "Guinness for Ghana", a fundraiser for a mission group opening an orphanage for children in Ghana (Lake Volta) region.  Their mission is to rescue children who have been sent off to work in the fishing industry in what amounts to slave labor.  

We enjoyed getting a chance to talk with the family who operates the mission, My Father's House.

We all packed into our van - I sat in the back with the boys.











Happy Baby L:

Farmor and Baby L check out the goody table.  What good grandma can pass up cookies for her grandbaby?  And what grandbaby won't oblige her grandma by eating up those good cookies?












The next day we were off to visit Biltmore Estate to celebrate Farmor's birthday.  It was the back seat again for me.  This time I got to share it with my sweet Little E.  (S didn't join us, he was on a Youth Retreat.)

H and Little E with the Biltmore Lion.

The tower over the front door of America's Largest Home.  We determined that our house would probably fit in the Conservatory, a garden room just off the main foyer.

Erik and his mom and the view from the back porch.  At one time the Vanderbilt family owned all the land that you can see from this porch.  Amazing - can you imagine being able to say, "I own everything I see."

Kids got a little tired (so did I from carrying Baby L - who has having none of the stroller or Daddy carrying her).  We decided to forgo the basement portion of the tour and take a rest on the lawn.  Farmor finished up the tour and met us outside.  The kids enjoyed some time rolling and running around in the grass.  

No visit to Biltmore would be complete without a trip to the Confectioner's Shop.  

And then to walk off the sweets, a tour of the gardens.  Here are the kids hiding inside an ancient Japanese Maple.

The gardens were really beautiful.  The girls loved the flowers and we all enjoyed the shady stroll and the nice breezes.

The trip home was a hard - everyone was tired and ready to be OUT of the CAR.  But we made it - and we have some nice memories of a lovely day.

Hair Day!

Grandma is coming tomorrow, so we had "hair day" today.  I decided to try something new: a veil style ending in little puff piggies at the back.  I think it turned out really cute!  What do you think?  It isn't really complicated, but a new style always takes a little "figuring out".  We watched "Bear in the Big Blue House" while we did the styling.

Detangling took about 20 minutes in the bathtub and the style took about 40.   But it was a new style, so next time I expect it will take a bit less.  Her hair is getting really long.  It is amazing to look back at photos from a year ago and see how much longer her hair has gotten.  See:

And this was grown out quite a lot from when we first met her in Ghana.  Our only styling option was a headband at this point!

Daybook - Monday, April 26th

outside my window . . . an embarrassingly shaggy lawn.

in the kitchen . . . dishes piled in the sink left from the weekend.  I dislike starting Monday with dishes in the sink.  It just makes me feel behind already.

around the house . . . boxes piled beside the front door waiting transport to the storage unit.  Daughter's room with slashes of new color on the walls.  Both projects stalled last week and need to be re-started.  And laundry.

on my iPod . . .  lots of wonderful things which cannot be enjoyed because my silly calico cat enjoyed an ear-bud cord snack a couple of nights ago.  This is the second pair she's mangled.  The first time it was my fault for leaving them out...this time is was my eldest son's!  Guess who owes mom some money?  It is very odd - she can't seem to resist Apple's white cord coating.  She's also chewed up one iPod power cord.

from our studies . . . we are sticking with our "basics" right now, the three R's.  Oldest son has his Mock Trial competition on Tuesday...and then his Challenge B program is over for the year.  We'll do school for a few more weeks until our upcoming beach vacation!

thinking about . . . living in the country near good friends with a community playground, pool, and garden.  Working together on ministry projects and sharing life.  Doesn't that sound like a good life?

listening to. . . my morning NPR - something about derivatives.

thankful for. . . a Sunday afternoon spent with dear friends in good conversation while repelling children from second helpings of cupcakes.  And, particularly, a friend who is more like family - to the point of not being overly concerned about dirty dishes in the sink or clothes to be folded when there is an opportunity for fellowship.

pondering the words . . . "Try a simple experiment.  Take a small child on your knee.  Respect him.  Do not see him as something to prune, form, or mold.  This is an individual who things, acts, and feels.  He is a separate human being whose strength lies in who he is, not in who he will become. ... We are told by many in our generation that this small child is a cog in a machine, or even that he is a possession, like a pet animal.... We must answer: No.  You are holding a person on your knee and that is wonderful."   -- Susan Schaeffer Macaulay in her book about Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy, For the Children's Sake.

reading . . . When Children Love to Learn by Elaine Cooper (again)

remembering . . . last year being Baby L's first spring.  So many "firsts": first month home, first flowers, first meeting of friends and family.

~~~

to educate faithfully . . .  an awful sinus/ear issue last week really knocked me off my game.  I'm feeling better and hope this week will have better luck with the faithful part of our educational plan.  I think last week I would have said we were educating accidentally.  Back to our trimmed down study of the basics - but feel about ready to get back to the rich stuff....books, poetry, art, history, etc.

one of my favorite things . . . my new Order of the Daughters of the Holy Cross pin/pendant.

milestones in the past week . . . yesterday Baby L went, on her own initiative, to one of her godmothers during church!  Auntie B had a quiet and welcoming lap, just what Baby L needed.

a few plans for the upcoming week . . .   Hoping for a coffee date with a couple dear friends.  Might go to a US Naval Academy presentation for eldest son (he's entering high school and hopes to go to USNA or AF Academy after graduation).  Possibly attending a local event for some good Ghanaian culture Tuesday morning.  Mock Trial competition Tuesday evening (pray for his nerves if you are so inclined!  They are having the trial before a federal judge!).  Mother-in-Law coming to visit for her birthday and we are taking her to Biltmore House's "Homeschool Days".  Eldest son has a youth retreat this weekend.  And on Sunday I've got a relaxing "Twilight Tea Party" to attend.  Will it really be May by the end of this week?  Why yes, it will.

a picture thought I'm sharing . . .

the creek on a piece of property we are considering purchasing for a new home.