Well, it's been awhile since I've posted in Mary's World.
The sap has quit flowing and hopefully soon I will post some picture so us canning syrup. (We are waiting for the arrival of my husband from an overseas trip to do that.) In the meantime, the syrup is being stored in the refrigerator.
However, even though the sap slowed down, things have still been busy in Mary's World...
Last week I was working on crocheting. I am not a big crocheter. It has been something that has been very hard for me to learn. BUT, my friend Beth taught me how to do a basic granny square, and now I'm hooked!
I will be posting some pictures later this afternoon of a granny square project that the ladies in our homeschool group worked on for a ministry project we were doing. We made a lovely granny square piece with squares crocheted by our different members. It came together so beautifully; a true example of many hands coming together for a beautiful work of art.
So, I encourage you to check out the granny square pattern that we used. It's on this page and it was the second pattern on the page...
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/lds-humanitarian-square.html
I want to learn how to make the other square on the above page also, but I have a baby afghan that I want to work on for a co worker of my husband's first. I had started knitting them a blanket, but have already taken it out and started on granny squares. :-) I just am hooked on them now. :-)
Time out from, Mary's World. :-)
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
The one about another interesting site...
My friend Sue "reminded" me of one of my favorite sites and said I should post it.
This is who I refer to as my "internet pastor." He's one of my favorite speakers.
Check out James MacDonald and Walk in the Word:
http://www.walkintheword.com/index.aspx
This is who I refer to as my "internet pastor." He's one of my favorite speakers.
Check out James MacDonald and Walk in the Word:
http://www.walkintheword.com/index.aspx
The one about Sunday Services...
Yesterday was a great day. Our morning worship service was something else! I have never been so moved during our music service as I was yesterday. We sang some great hymns and the people were all singing out in one accord. I cannot even put it into words.
When we got home it was the topic of conversation. Michael said he didn't think he'd been in a service like that in some time. He said, "Mom, when we were singing IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL, I thought I might just start crying. I teared up. It was just something."
Now, our church is always good, but something happened there that I just haven't been a part of in quite awhile.
Amen!
When we got home it was the topic of conversation. Michael said he didn't think he'd been in a service like that in some time. He said, "Mom, when we were singing IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL, I thought I might just start crying. I teared up. It was just something."
Now, our church is always good, but something happened there that I just haven't been a part of in quite awhile.
Amen!
The one about Spring Syrup...
Well, the Syrup Master tells me that the beginning of this week will not bring a lot of sap from our maple tree. Our temperatures are really warming up, so the sap will slow down a lot. However, it will get down to freezing later this week and that should bring things up to speed again. We don't have a lot planned on Saturday so that is good...we'll be boiling sap and making syrup. I boiled down the last bit of sap I had this morning and it was beautiful and tasted good too.
I will tell you that early Saturday morning I did burn a batch. It smelled!! I hated that because we have worked so hard, but I got sidetracked with a lot of morning activity. However, life goes on.
The Syrup Master has asked that I send over some pics of the kids as he is going to make lables so we can put the syrup we've made into bottles. These are some of the pics I took while trying to get a good pic for the label.
The one about the AWANA Games
Saturday, March 10th was a day of great activity for our two youngest kids. They participated in the AWANA games. Both of their teams came in fourth place but they had a great time and played hard.
Below are some pictures from the day.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
The one about More Syrup Info
My friend Dave, who tapped my trees, got to visit Mary's World blog yesterday and he said to add this comment. (He was unable to because of internet restrictions at his work....why was he on the internet at work....who knows?) Anyway... this is what Dave had to say about making maple syrup.
"It takes 40 gallons of sap for us to make 1 gallon of syrup. On a nice day, we
can get 5 gallons of sap from our tree! We don't use a hydrometer to measure the
final sugar level. We use our "professional" taste buds to make sure the Brix
level is 66 (66 percent solids). In the end, our syrup is 100 times better and
fresher than anything you can buy. Right now we're making Grade A
Light-to-Medium Amber syrup."David K.
The one about the name of Mary's World
I must tell you about where the name came from for my blog. About 15 years ago there was a movie that came out called Wayne's World. I must admit I never saw it, but did see a lot of previews for it. The move was about two guys who had a cable access show they filmed in their basement. They were geeky metal heads....from what I can gather. Anyway, they chanted in the theme to their cable access show, "Wayne's World, Wayne's World, Partytime, Excellent!"
So anyway, back to the story. Mickey, Michael (age 1), and I were visitng my sissy Becky and her husband Mike in Ohio. There was some kind of intelligent conversation going on and something went over my head. Mike made the comment, "What's it like living in Mary's World?", and then went on to chant, "Mary's World, Mary's World." Since then, every once in a while my husband will remind me of my sometimes "spacey" moments with the Mary's World chant. So that is where Mary's World comes from.
:-)
So anyway, back to the story. Mickey, Michael (age 1), and I were visitng my sissy Becky and her husband Mike in Ohio. There was some kind of intelligent conversation going on and something went over my head. Mike made the comment, "What's it like living in Mary's World?", and then went on to chant, "Mary's World, Mary's World." Since then, every once in a while my husband will remind me of my sometimes "spacey" moments with the Mary's World chant. So that is where Mary's World comes from.
:-)
The one about the syrup pictures
Here are some pics....more will be coming soon... of our sap harvesting. We are making maple syrup!!!! These pictures are of Maddie getting the sap from the milk jug that is connected to tubing and collecting the sap.
Maddie then pours the sap into the "sap bucket".
After we have gotten about five gallons worth of sap, we start boiling in the kitchen. The sap bucket is taken into the kitchen, we start boiling the water out of the sap on the stove.
Our friends who make syrup boil it over an open fire. So their syrup is flavored with the open air "smokey" taste. It's good, but I must say, I like our syrup too!
the one about more Favorite Sites....
Don't be disappointed in a movie again...always check it out before you go see it. Here are my two favorite sites for Christian movie reviews:
http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/
or
http://www.pluggedinonline.com/
Hope these will help you make wise decisions for your family.
OT...sap collection pictures coming soon! :-)
http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/
or
http://www.pluggedinonline.com/
Hope these will help you make wise decisions for your family.
OT...sap collection pictures coming soon! :-)
the one about being just a Mom???
This is something I received via email this morning from my friend, Beth. I loved it.
JUST A MOM?
A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.
She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job or are you just a......?"
"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman. "I'm a Mom." "We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.
I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.
The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient and possessed of a high sounding title like, "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."
"What is your occupation?" she probed.
What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."
The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and
looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words.
Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"
Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research,
(what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field,
(normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family)
and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities,
(any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another Mom." Motherhood! What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door.
Does this make grandmothers "Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations" and great grandmothers "Executive Senior Research Associates"? I think so!!! I also think it makes Aunts "Associate Research Assistants".
Please send this to another Mom, Grandmother, Aunt, and other friends you know.
JUST A MOM?
A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.
She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job or are you just a......?"
"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman. "I'm a Mom." "We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.
I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.
The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient and possessed of a high sounding title like, "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."
"What is your occupation?" she probed.
What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."
The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and
looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words.
Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"
Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research,
(what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field,
(normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family)
and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities,
(any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another Mom." Motherhood! What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door.
Does this make grandmothers "Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations" and great grandmothers "Executive Senior Research Associates"? I think so!!! I also think it makes Aunts "Associate Research Assistants".
Please send this to another Mom, Grandmother, Aunt, and other friends you know.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
The one about good sites...
The internet can be a very dangerous place. However, there are also some very great sites out there for all kinds of spiritual discussion, encouragement, and growth.
I'm going to be posting some of my favorite sites over the next few days.
Here are a few:
Nancy Leigh DeMoss
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/
This is a great site for women of all ages.
I also just found this site today. It would be an excellent site for character resources for your children. It's primarily focused to homeschoolers, but a lot of these resources would be great for anyone who is into the discipleship of their children in the Word of God.
http://www.pumpkinseedpress.net/
Enjoy!
I'm going to be posting some of my favorite sites over the next few days.
Here are a few:
Nancy Leigh DeMoss
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/
This is a great site for women of all ages.
I also just found this site today. It would be an excellent site for character resources for your children. It's primarily focused to homeschoolers, but a lot of these resources would be great for anyone who is into the discipleship of their children in the Word of God.
http://www.pumpkinseedpress.net/
Enjoy!
the one about making syrup
It's springtime here in Mary's World....maybe not officially, but the weather is finally warming up and it's MARCH!
We have a friend who has a farm in Iowa and he makes fresh maple syrup every spring. He taps so many trees! Well this year, he asked if I would like him to tap our maple tree. We have a HUGE maple in our front yard. I told him that would be great. So Sunday afternoon he came over and tapped our maples with two taps. We have gotten over 7 gallons of sap. I cooked sap on the stove almost all day. I just took our first batch off the stove. From the first five gallons of sap, we have about 3/4 of a quart jar of fresh maple syrup. That is pretty cool. No chemicals, no preservatives...just fresh maple syrup. Our tree should be flowing with sap all week as the weather continues to warm here.
It's really a neat process. My two younger children check the taps twice a day and help collect the sap bottles. All three kids are excited about the homemade syrup.
We have learned that since our tree stands alone the buds are not incumbered by other trees (like in a forest) and so the buds collect full sun without competition from other trees. This enables a higher volume of sap. The sap is as free flowing as water is. (It is...sugarwater.) It gets thicker as you cook the sap down and boil out the water. The sap eventually turns a beautiful amber color. It is thinner than syrup you buy at the store. It can be stored in the fridge and heated in the microwave for serving purposes.
I hope we are able to tap our trees again.
Tomorrow we will go out and take pictures of our sap collection and post them on the blog.
Happy spring!
We have a friend who has a farm in Iowa and he makes fresh maple syrup every spring. He taps so many trees! Well this year, he asked if I would like him to tap our maple tree. We have a HUGE maple in our front yard. I told him that would be great. So Sunday afternoon he came over and tapped our maples with two taps. We have gotten over 7 gallons of sap. I cooked sap on the stove almost all day. I just took our first batch off the stove. From the first five gallons of sap, we have about 3/4 of a quart jar of fresh maple syrup. That is pretty cool. No chemicals, no preservatives...just fresh maple syrup. Our tree should be flowing with sap all week as the weather continues to warm here.
It's really a neat process. My two younger children check the taps twice a day and help collect the sap bottles. All three kids are excited about the homemade syrup.
We have learned that since our tree stands alone the buds are not incumbered by other trees (like in a forest) and so the buds collect full sun without competition from other trees. This enables a higher volume of sap. The sap is as free flowing as water is. (It is...sugarwater.) It gets thicker as you cook the sap down and boil out the water. The sap eventually turns a beautiful amber color. It is thinner than syrup you buy at the store. It can be stored in the fridge and heated in the microwave for serving purposes.
I hope we are able to tap our trees again.
Tomorrow we will go out and take pictures of our sap collection and post them on the blog.
Happy spring!
Monday, March 5, 2007
The one about....Welcome back, to Mary's World!
Well, it's a Monday. We are getting a late start on school. Micahel just posted a new video of Relient K on his blog. So I decided he needed to show me how to get a video on my blog. Well....no good Cindy Morgan or CeCe videos are available to me, but we did find my favorite song from this last summer. I got to meet Mercy Me at a concert and we have friends who go to church with them. So, here's my new video....So Long Self!
Have a great day!
Have a great day!
Friday, March 2, 2007
The one about....Help!
Well, I wanted to update my blog yesterday and I kept messing around trying to get on line to post something. I couldn't get signed in. Well, Michael, my 16 year old just had to help me sign in....so here I am.
We are getting ready to go buy books for Michael's spring quarter of classes. I have friends coming over tonight for pizza, but the house needs some attention first.
However, good things that happened today were that I did get a lot of paper organization and office work caught up! YEA!
If you get a chance, check out the Albert Mohler blog and radio show. You can listen on line. Dr. Mohler is an intellectual who talks about many current and relevant subjects through a Biblical Worldview. Check it out: http://www.albertmohler.com/radio_list.php
Another great blog for homeschool moms is Jeannie Fulbright's blog: http://www.jeanniefulbright.com/BLOG.html
She has some excellent aritcles posted on her site as well.... Not just about homeschooling...but also about teaching your children God's Word. It's worth surfing through and reading.
Until next time.
Time out from Mary's World Let's go buy some books! :-)
We are getting ready to go buy books for Michael's spring quarter of classes. I have friends coming over tonight for pizza, but the house needs some attention first.
However, good things that happened today were that I did get a lot of paper organization and office work caught up! YEA!
If you get a chance, check out the Albert Mohler blog and radio show. You can listen on line. Dr. Mohler is an intellectual who talks about many current and relevant subjects through a Biblical Worldview. Check it out: http://www.albertmohler.com/radio_list.php
Another great blog for homeschool moms is Jeannie Fulbright's blog: http://www.jeanniefulbright.com/BLOG.html
She has some excellent aritcles posted on her site as well.... Not just about homeschooling...but also about teaching your children God's Word. It's worth surfing through and reading.
Until next time.
Time out from Mary's World Let's go buy some books! :-)
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