What a great week at camp!!:):)

This was my 12th year at Camp Appalachia. I would say that I had a complete blast if I wouldnt have came home with the stomach flu. It was terrible. I came home Wednesday night and my friends came and got me at 6am Friday morning. Thanks Tina and Jen!! I truelly can say that I spent the entire week (other tha when I was sick, sleeping or eating) I spent it sewing! I dont even have very many pictures to share because I was so busy sewing sewing sewing.

Camye and Blake were the only two kids to go with me this year at Camp. Paul is not old enough and went Camp Granny and Chloe went to Camp Concern. Camye and Blake go to Camp Concern for junior week on Sunday. Camye took Clay, Sewing and Cake Decorating. Blake took Rifelry, Archery and Leather Making.

Our sewing class sewed sock monkeys and bible covers. Which I am ashamed to admit I dont even have pictures of them YET!! But since my sweet Camye took the class I can snap pictures of hers. Camye during the shaving creme fight!!

Camye and Bailey (her camp BFF) after the shaving creme was hosed off!!

Me and My great and wonderful and talented friend Tina.

Blake and his Camp BFF..Jason.

I love my camera!!!

I will post pics later of our sewing projects. And I almost !! almost got to start my wool kits I purchased last November! Someday soon...

Menu Planning Monday

Its been awhile since I have done one of these!! But I have to get some organization back into my life. We have mostly grilling..yes about every night!! Grilled chicken or hamburgers.

But enough..I need to have a plan. My summer is slowly slipping away...next summer I am making plans to stay home. :):)

Today I even did some freezer cooking, I only made 4 meatloafs and 4 batches of TexMex chicken starter. Blog about that one later:)

This weeks menu is:

Monday- Tex Mex Chicken Salad

Tuesday- Meatloaf, Broccolli Salad and Squash casserole

Wednesday- Taco Salad

Thursday- Having a tupperware party..

Friday- Homemade Pizza

Saturday- Hamburgers and grilled squash and zucchini

Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ , they host Menu Planning MOnday every week.:)

Our Backyard

Even though it happens every other day or so, it is quite exciting every time to see deer in our own backyard. This time was even cooler because they were all three bucks...:):)

Our First Family Camping Trip

On the fourth of July, we went on our first ever camping trip!!! I was a little skeptical. I dont really camp. I dont hike, swim in lakes or ride bikes. What would we do??? Well we had a blast and we all hiked, swam in the lake and rode bikes. It was soo relaxing to just sit and visit and relax by the campfire. Camye, hot and sweaty playing on the jungle gym right beside where we had our tent was set up.

Paul running to attack friends with water guns!!

Chloe hanging around Miss Lori while she was cooking.. On there way to Salt Fork....the lake was alot of fun!!! We swam later but no pics to prove..we all got in!!

Paul was so exhausted he fell sleep right in front of our tent....isnt he adorable??

Great friends enjoying the relaxing outdoors.:)

Kenny and Duke building a fire. We had great food breakfast was sausage, blueberry pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, french toast.....Lunch was a quick bite of a sandwhich or hotdog....Supper was hamburgers, grilled chicken, corn on the cob, baked potatoes (we just threw in the fire to cook) Awesome time!! With Awesome food!!

We enjoyed camping so much. We are planning many more camping trips with friends and without. We are even thinking of camping at Disney next year, because we may be purchasing a camper!!!

Chemical Free Healthy Cooking/Baking

I have been asked before to blog about our eating habits...sometimes it intrigues people...sometimes it annoys people...sometimes people are just interested and sometimes people are looking to change their diets too. It doesn’t really matter to me : you eat the way you want…I will eat the way I want. It doesn’t bother me either way…but if you want to chat about it. I can talk all night on this subject. DISCLAIMER: I am not perfect AT ALL!!! I fail every day at this healthy stuff. But I wanted to explain our family's way of eating!! So here goes...I have one rule for eating. It has to be food. I do not want to eat something created in a lab (HCFS, white flour, MSG). When I first started eating this way I lost over 40 pounds. I was eating cane sugar and butter and eggs. But they were in their natural state. Someone explained it to me once that you do not want to eat food that has been removed from its natural state more than 3 times.For an example: a potatoe-
1. Picked2. Boiled3. Mashed/Sliced4. Dehydrated5. Bagged6. Sit in a box for a long time7. Mix with ingredients8. Baked.9. refridgerate left overs10. Nuked in a microwave
Okay that Potato no longer has ANY of the nutrients, that it once had. NOTHING!! There is no longer any nutritional value!! Butter….I am sorry to me this is a no brainer. I know where butter comes from I have NO IDEA where margerine or spray butter or butter buds come from. I cant grow it, or feed it so I sure ain’t gonna eat it. Eggs….People want to buy egg beaters. Do you really want me to go thru the process of stripping down egg beaters? You get the picture. Also do you want to eat eggs from chickens that aren’t allowed to move or the air they breathe is so toxic because of the close proximity of where they eat, sleep, socialize and poo is all the same 2 inches!! ICK!!!We have our own chickens.:) They are free to move about and they do!!:) And they are very friendly and fun chickens. I buy a 25 pound bag of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, 5 pound bag of Spelt Flour, and a bag of ground flaxseeds. I like to mix this all together and keep in a bucket!! And that is what I use in any recipe I need flour. I make cookies, cakes, pies, cobblers, buckles, pancakes, waffles..You name it!! I make it. Now you may have to change your way of thinking because I had too. I wanted to bake and cook beautiful creations with these fabulous whole grains straight from God ;)!! Welll…..first I am not the most fabulous, creative or neatest person around…so I was saddened when my baked goods were ..well brown. But I have now changed my way of thinking …I no longer look longingly at white floured pie crusts or at those white floured chocolate chip cookies (not that they don’t tempt me..I am just not interested in making those for my kids)…but I look for the chunky , brown cookies with some dried fruit and steel cut oats in them. My kids can even point a healthy cookie now verses a white store bought looking cookie..anyone and everyone can create them…not every mom desires to make a lumpy brown cookie!!! Check my tags for a few recipes that I blogged before. And here are a few more. By the way if the kids don’t like the lumpy brown cookie…they will learn to love that cookie!:) I promise!!

Whole Wheat Breakfast Pastries2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour1/2 teaspoons salt1 tablespoon sugar1 stick (112g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes1 egg, slightly beaten1/3 cup ice cold waterjam or preserves (such as Smucker’s Simply Fruit or Polaner All Fruit)1 cup confectioner’s sugar1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse together the flour, salt, and sugar. Add in the butter, and pulse a few times until the mixture is crumbly and resembles coarse meal. Combine the egg and water in a container (remove all ice pieces). While the processor is running, pour the water/egg mixture in and pulse until mixture just comes together.2. Pour mixture out onto a floured board and knead a few times to bring all the ingredients together. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 4 x 5 inch rectangles. Place a small amount of your favorite jam in the center of half of the rectangles, and use a finger to spread water around the edges. Place another rectangle of dough on the top and smooth the edges down to seal in the jam. Use a fork to crimp the edges.3. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden brown.4. As they cool, mix confectioner’s sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of water. Spread on top of the pastries. Serve warm.

or check http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-whole-wheat-vanilla-wafers look thru her blog. It has some great recipes or better yet google any and everything you could possibly want. I love google!!!

Apologia Notebooking Journals- FREE

Apologia Notebooking Journals are available for free online. I didn't know about this and was thinking of purchasing them and then another homeschooling friend told they were online. Sooo....there we go!

Free Butterfly Eggs ...I love free!!

Summer List to accomplish by August 30th

So I am a list maker...I thought if I put this all in writing I would be more apt to do it. Here goes...
1. Go camping check
2. 3 kids to Camp Concern
3. Me and 2 kids to Camp Appalachia
4. Pittsburgh Zoo
5. Lose 15 pounds
6. Can spaghetti sauce, tomatoe juice, pickles, corn
7. Get my white picket fence and landscape in front of it
8. Go to Mexico on a mission trip
9. Help girls finish 2 quilts before the fair
10. Clean and Sort Laundry Room/Gift Closet
11. Shampoo Carpets (again)
12. Go to Texas
13. Take kids to Sunset Beach
14. Finish my log cabin quilt
15. Print pictures
16. Get organized for school.
17. Buy a camper.
18. Sign girls up for voice lessons.
19. Kenny, Chloe and Blake for karate.
20. A getaway with my hubby for our 12 anniversary!!
21. Go to West Va in July and August
22. Freezer Cook by August 20
23. Start school August 16th.

And all of this by August 30th....it must all happen!! I need a better plan!!!