I Am Hutterite by Mary-Ann Kirkby

I Am Hutterite is the story of Mary-Ann Kirkby and her Hutterite heritage. It tells the story of her grandparents and parents and their lives within the colony. I was familiar with the Amish and Mennonites, however, I had never heard of the Hutterites, so I was interested in learning more. The beginning of the book gives very good insight as to how the colonies are run and the duties of individual colony members. I would have to say that this was the most interesting part of the book for me. For the most part, it did not keep my attention and it took me a good four months to read this book. I did appreciate reading about Mary-Ann's struggle to assimilate in the English world. I felt for her as she tried to have some form of normalcy at school. Other than the history and reading about their life after leaving the colony, I would have to say the rest of the book was mundane.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Spelling Curriculum giveaway

One of my favorites sites has a spelling curriculum giveaway this week. Check it out and enter here: http://www.freelyeducate.com

Chemistry curriculum giveaway

One of my favorite homeschool sites, Freely educate is having a giveaway this week for a Chemistry curriculum called Friendly Chemistry. You can go to their website to enter to win this wonderful set by Fri. August 6th.
Go to http://www.freelyeducate.com/

Diamond Rio Beautiful Mess

I have been a big fan of Diamond Rio for as long as I can remember, so I was interested to read this book which tells the story of the struggles they encountered along the way to becoming a mainstream country group. This book gives great insight into each individual members lives and how the group has stayed together all these years. The book details the group from their beginnings and tells how each person became a member of the group. From the outside it looks like an easy road for Diamond Rio. However, after reading this book one can clearly see that this was not the case. I was very impressed by the way they have handled all the trials that have come their way as a group.

For more information go to http://booksneeze.com/blogger/resources/9781595552686

Elevation of the Holy Cross

Each year on September 14 the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of “The Elevation of the Honorable and Life-giving Cross.” This is one of the great feasts of the Church year, and one which has an important historical background. To learn more about this important feast day visit here: http://www.oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=88

May you all have a blessed Feast Day.

My New Hobby

A lot of my Texas friends already know that I am very into my food! I love to eat, but not just any food, but good, full, rich, nutrient-dense foods. What a lot of my family and friends elsewhere may not know is that learning how to prepare these foods has become my newest hobby. It may be surprising to some who remember me as a picky eater, or remember my days of eating disorders, but I have found a way to connect with my food and feel good about the choices that I am making in my diet. Before I share one of my favorite snacks (and how to prepare it), I want to share some movie titles that are a must see and a blog everyone should visit.

First, you must watch The Future of Food and then King Corn, then visit www.foodrenegade.com. Just so you know, I was already changing our diet before watching the movies, so no, it wasn't a scare tactic that changed things.

Actually, what did change things was finding out in January that my daughter has Celiac disease. She can't have anything containing gluten and the funny thing is that before we knew what was wrong with her I kept feeding her wheat products believing that they were healthy. Well, for Celiacs it is horrible (and for many other people as well). Gluten can have an effect on many conditions, including endometriosis and Restless Legs Syndrome.


Now, back to one of my favorite snacks: Crispy Nuts
You should always properly prepare nuts before eating. By soaking nuts and seeds, you release toxic enzyme inhibitors AND increase the life and vitality contained within them! So, how to prepare them:

1.Soak almonds or walnuts in water with 1 TBS salt for 12 hours.

2. Drain and dehydrate on a baking sheet in a warm oven*
until crispy (about 12 hours).

You can do this with virtually any nut; cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, and pine nuts are all particularly good!

*To dehydrate in the oven, set oven at lowest setting and keep the door slightly ajar if over 110 degrees. You can also use a dehydrator or if it is warm enough set outside in the sun.

A New School Year has Begun

We have officially started our school year! FJ is in 9th grade, JC is in 4th/5th grade and JP is in 1st/2nd grade. Yes, only homeschoolers can give various grade levels. This year is different for many reasons. First with a high school student in the house, I am making sure that we don't veer from our schedule too much. FJ has a pretty big schedule. She is taking Early American Literature & Writing(Eng I), Algebra I, Physical Science (w/ labs), Church History, American History, Greek, PE, Art and Music. The boys have a lighter schedule but still pretty vigorous.
We have been blessed to have several friends that we school with. FJ has two other girls that we do Eng I and Physical Science with 2 days a week. She has a couple of friends that she does PE (horseback riding)with every week. The boys do science with their friends once a week and will be doing art with a couple of other friends. We do miss our friends who recently moved to Germany. They were an integral part of our schooling and it won't be the same without them this year. Some of the pictures that I have posted show all the kids having a good time schooling together.