Making Applesauce

Sophia Making Applesauce
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

The girls and I visit an apple orchard each fall. It’s the same one we’ve been going to for many years now. They like the animals that are there, and I like the variety of apples.

After we sampled the apples and purchased the kinds we liked, we headed home to make applesauce. I did the first bag of apples, and then Sophia asked if she could peel the apples in the second bag. Since she enjoyed doing this, I let her do an entire bag of apples (half the batch of applesauce).

Olivia even took a break from her math lesson to peel an apple and grind the applesauce in the Vita-Mix mixer. But, math won out. After doing these two tasks, she went back to addition and subtraction.

 

The bowl of apple peels.

Made quite a few quarts of applesauce which should last for awhile during the winter and spring. I may do some more applesauce if the price of apples goes down a bit during the next few weeks.

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How Trees Get Water to Their Leaves

How Celery Absorbs Blue Water
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

This is a science experiment that Olivia did. She put a stem of celery into a cup filled with blue water.

 Celery absorbing blue-tinted water.

After several hours, the leaves on the celery will turn blue to show where the stem brought water to the leaves. This experiment is suppose to represent how a tree pulls water through its trunk, limbs, and branches in order for water to reach each of its leaves.

The blue-dyed water reached the very edges of the celery leaves.

This was a great visual image that brings to life what we were reading as part of her homeschool science lesson. Reading about plants and trees is one thing…seeing how they “operate” is a totally different thing!

(This was one of the experiments in the Sonlight curriculum that I’m using this year.)

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{this moment}

{this moment} – A Friday ritual (inspired by soulemama). A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments.

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend!

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Special Kids Day

Olivia on Hay Ride
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

An organic farm about 15 minutes from here does an event each year for children with special needs. Both Olivia and Sophia have special needs, and were excited about going to this event.

They got to:
– ride horses;
– see/pet farm animals (barn cats, chickens, ducks, goats, foals, and pigs);
– play in a soybean pit (an area filled with soybeans that they could sit in, fill buckets of soybeans with, bury one another in, or slide into);
– tour the calf barn and see a one-week old calf; go on a hayride;
– have lunch;
– play on a huge swing set;
– listen to live music;
– bounce in a “bouncy house”; and
– go on a train ride (there’s an historic train that’s nearby that offers 45-minute rides).

We had such a wonderful time – with such a variety of activities. I think we laughed more that afternoon than we had in a long time.

It was so nice not to have to worry about anything and have everything taken care of – especially having a meal cooked that I didn’t have to cook!

It’s the little things that make a difference…and this was definitely something that we will all look back on with good memories.

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{this moment}

{this moment} – A Friday ritual (inspired by soulemama). A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments.

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend!

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Eco-Friendly Gifts

Handmade Bag and Bear
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

This year, I want to make more eco-friendly gifts that use what I have on hand rather than using supplies I need to purchase. Although the financial benefits of doing this are a plus, the more important thing is that by using/re-using items rather than discarding them, I can make a positive difference on the environment. It’s a win-win situation.

The little bear and bag are both made from recycled clothing. The bear is made from a wool sweater that I felted by the washing machine and dryer; and the outer part of the bag is made from a child’s dress. The inner fabric of the bag is from my fabric stash.

I have hand-embroidered wool felt toys and household items in my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand. Please take a look at some of the items that are available there…especially for the upcoming holiday season.

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Quartered Postcards

4 Quartered Postcards
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

These four postcards were made for the quartered postcard swap on Swap-Bot. The challenge was to take 4 postcards, cut them into 4 identical pieces, and then glue the pieces onto another piece of stiff paper to make a postcard.

It was a quick project to do, but definitely is something that helps me try to meet my goal in 2010 of creating something each day. Sometimes what I make can be completed in one day (like these postcards) and other times the project is much more labor-intensive (like a sashiko quilt I made this spring/summer).

These postcards were sent to people throughout the world. In exchange, I receive 4 postcards from other people who live in different parts of the world.

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{this moment}

{this moment} – A Friday ritual (inspired by soulemama). A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments.

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend!

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Exploring Grand Marais

Olivia Balancing on a Rock
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

We stayed close to the rental home on Thursday so everyone could rest and enjoy Lake Superior. In the afternoon, I took the girls to Artist’s Point (in Grand Marais).

Despite the cold temperature of the lake, they took their shoes and socks off; and played in the water. They collected rocks and found feathers – all interesting items to add to the nature table back home.

The picture to the right is at a beach that is facing east (towards Canada). After playing here for a bit, the girls put their shoes on and we headed back to Artist’s Point.

We were all surprised when we came upon hundreds of rock sculptures on our way to the lighthouse. There were sculptures of all sizes and complexities. One of my favorite ones is this one:

  I’m not sure how these rocks are balancing on one another. 

Back at the Illahee (the rental home), the girls played in Lake Superior some more.

Olivia and Sophia in Lake Superior

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Highlights from the Gunflint Trail

Close Enough To Pet the Chipmunk
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann

One of the highlights for the girls was being able to feed and see a chipmunk up close. The girls wanted to stop at Bearskin Lodge where we stayed a few years ago during the winter. They wanted to see what it looked like during the early-autumn.

After going into the lodge, my dad and I headed down the stairs. A chipmunk came out from behind the steps. We stopped and it seemed absolutely unafraid of us. In fact, it even came close to my dad’s shoe.

The girls grabbed some Pik-Nik sticks (fried potato sticks) and slowly walked closer to the chipmunk. They made a trail of potatoes, and, sure enough, the chipmunk gathered them in his mouth. With bulging cheeks, he came within a foot of the girls.

Needless to say, this was one of the highlights of the day.

We continued onto the Chik-Wauk Museum at the end of the Gunflint Trail.

Having a picnic outside the museum.

After having a picnic in front of the museum and next to one of the bays of Lake Saganaga, we toured the museum where my dad was able to recall places he had canoed and fished decades ago.  He pointed to different portages that he crossed, and shared other memories of the trips he took in the 1960s and 1970s.

Olivia, Sophia, and my Dad on an overlook by a bay on Lake Saganaga

The girls, my Dad, and I went on one of the hiking trails around a bay.  On the walk, we saw a ruffed grouse – a bird none of us had seen before.  This is homeschooling at its best – when the girls can see something rather than look at a picture of it in a book.  Between nature/science, history, and physical education – three subjects had been covered so far.  Communication and math (money) skills were practiced when the girls each bought a little momento from the gift shop to remember their time at Lake Saganaga.

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