I know a few of my family members check in here from time to time to see what we're up to, so here's a quick family update followed by a brief stumble down memory lane, a look at one of our home school activities, and a how-to.
Family Update
Last year, Phil and one of his friends traveled with a local church to Juarez (a city in Mexico) to build houses for two families who had no reliable shelter. He had a great time and planned to take Drew back with him this year. However, after our month-long adventure in Hungary last year, we didn't think we would be able to afford another mission endeavor anytime soon. To make a long story somewhat shorter, Phil received a phone call about a month ago and was told that two places on the team were available because two other people had to drop out. All expenses had already been covered, and all we had to do was provide spending money. Praise the Lord!
So, my boys left for their trip on Saturday morning and will return on Friday. I found this picture on one of their team member's Facebook walls:
They called me EARLY this morning to tell me they were crossing the border into Juarez and won't be back in touch until sometime Thursday. At night, they will be sleeping in a local church in Juarez, and during the day, they will be building a house for a family who has been on a waiting list for over two years. Phil said the home is just a basic shelter. There is no kitchen or bathroom; from what I understand, the families in the area share a kitchen and bathroom that is centrally located.
While my boys were beginning their travels on Saturday, my girl and I (and my daddy) attended our first shooting practice with our local 4H shooting sports group. Aubrey's age group can shoot air rifles and air pistols; the older kids can shoot MANY kinds of guns, and they can also participate in archery. When Drew comes home, he'll begin practicing shooting with a .22 rifle.
I asked my daddy to go with us so he could translate for me. When we went to our first informational meeting two weeks ago, I was overwhelmed by words like caliber and cartridge, and when I heard phrases like ".22 ammo prices are sky-rocketing because people are stock-piling ammo right now," well, I nearly came undone.
Anywho, Daddy went with us, and his presence and his interpretations were a tremendous asset. We had the best time, y'all. The 4H instructors and volunteers COULD NOT have been any more wonderful or helpful. If Saturday was any indication of what's in store, then we are VERY WELL PLEASED.
Once an instructor figured out that Aubrey is left-eye dominant, he had her start shooting like a left-hander, and she began doing much better. She has two weeks to practice before a "postal shoot" --whatever that is-- and then we'll see if she can go to the district competition in Charleston this May.
A Stumble Down Memory Lane
As I was sorting through some old workbooks, I found a handwriting practice page of Drew's from 2007. He wasn't happy about practicing his skills during the summer, thus the sad face doodle beside his name.
Home School Stuff and a How-To
LONG before we ever began home schooling, I discovered the Five In A Row series by Jane Claire Lambert. If you're not familiar with FIAR, it's a literature-based unit study approach to teaching at home. To me, it's just a whole lot of fun. When the kids were really young, we read some of the FIAR books during the summer, and we'd pick out some of the more fun activities to do. One in particular that I remember was re-enacting The Story of Ping. We used a Beanie Baby duckling and ninety-nine wooden blocks to represent Ping and his numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins that lived on a boat that floated down the Yangtze River in China. Ping and the other ducks would march off the boat each morning and later would march back on in the evenings when their master would call. The last duck to board the boat each evening would receive a little spank on his tail feathers to remind all of the ducks not to lag behind. One evening, poor little Ping realizes he will be last in line, and he has to choose between a spanking or spending a night alone on the river.
Another one of our favorites was Lentil, by Robert McCloskey. It's all about a boy named Lentil who lives in a town called Alto where everyone can sing except for Lentil. No worries, though, because Lentil finds a way to make his own music and of course, he eventually uses his talent to save the day.
I'd love to live in a town like Alto back during a time when kids could safely roam the streets until dark, when everyone knew everyone else, and when heroes were welcomed home at train stations by cheering crowds and brass bands.
Whoa...I didn't mean to chase that rabbit (or duck) trail, but man, I really love the FIAR series! Anywho, when we decided to home school this year, I bought a copy of Beyond Five in a Row by Becky Jane Lambert. It is, as the title suggests, a step beyond the original FIAR books, and is full of great ideas to use with 8- to 12-year-olds.
Homer Price is a book for older readers, while the stories in A Robert McCloskey Collection are for younger kids and for moms like me who just love the simple themes, detailed drawings, and the small-town, 1930s & 40s settings.
Last week, we read the chapter about Homer and the out-of-control automatic donut making machine, and then we made our own donuts. I mentioned our cooking plans to my mom, who told me that she had also made donuts--in 1977. One time. I was a bit nervous until I realized that our recipe is a "healthy" version that requires no frying in hot oil or lard. (Maybe "healthier" would have been a better word to use, because seriously, when have you ever seen a "healthy" donut? Goodness. Even the word "healthier" seems to be a stretch.) I think my mom and I are alike in that we are not overly fond of cooking over pots of hot, splattering grease.... thus, her 36-year hiatus from donut-making.
So, one night last week, Aubrey and I stayed up WAY TOO LATE and made donuts. (Drew was lying prostrate on the couch with a headache--until he smelled the finished product.)
Now, the two of you who have persevered to the end of this nonsense probably remember that 1. I'm not a professional cook, and 2. I'm not a professional photographer. So, exercise much grace and withhold your criticism of my skills as you peruse these hastily snapped pictures.
I hate, loathe, and despise touching raw dough. And raw meat. No worries. No meat was used or touched in the making of these donuts.
From the resting of the dough...
...to the rising of the same...
The memory of the texture of the dough makes my skin crawl....I have issues.
At this point in the process, I was pretty hopeful. Until...
...they came out of the oven looking a little overdone. They actually were NOT overdone; I think the butter Aubrey brushed over the tops before baking caused them to be a little brown on top. It reminded me of the time I covered myself in baby oil and tried to get a tan.... Overdone? Yes. Crispy on the outside? Most assuredly. I'm talking about me now, not the donuts. They donuts were fine.
Powdered sugar can make anything beautiful.
The verdict: not bad. Not bad at all.
But definitely, not real donuts. Not real at all. You can taste the absence of sizzling lard.
Still, they were quite tasty. If you leave out the nutmeg and cinnamon, you'll have the BEST yeast rolls you've ever put in your mouth.
How-To....
If you have a hankering for some homemade, baked donuts, follow the recipe below. If you'd rather have some slap-yo-mama-some-kinda-good yeast rolls instead, leave out the nutmeg and cinnamon, and you probably wouldn't want to cover them in powdered sugar either.
You're welcome.
:)
Homemade, Healthier (whatever) Donuts
2 (1/4 oz.) pkgs. dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
4 1/2 cups flour (I used bread flour. Don't know if it makes a difference.)
1/4 cup butter, melted
sugar to decorate
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add milk, sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups flour (hold the rest of the flour in reserve). Blend for 30 seconds with a mixer on low speed as you add the remaining flour. Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to rise until doubled in volume (approx. 1 hour). Turn dough onto a well-floured surface and roll with a rolling pin until your dough is 1/2" thick. Using a well-floured doughnut cutter (or a large and small drinking glass), cut dough into doughnut shapes. Place doughnuts on a well-greased baking sheet. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush the tops with melted butter and allow to rise until the volume of each doughnut has doubled once again (approx. 20 minutes). Bake doughnuts for 8 to 10 minutes. Brush once more with melted butter and sprinkle sugar on top. (Makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen doughnuts.) I think we made 28, and of course, we baked the "holes."
*This recipe came from Beyond Five In A Row: Vol. 1, by Becky Jane Lambert, 2001, Five In A Row Publishing.
