| Thursday, December 13th, 2029 |
| 9:05 am |
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| Thursday, November 26th, 2009 |
| 7:24 am |
Deviled Eggs recipe
6 hard boiled eggs 1/4 t salt 1/2 t dry mustard 1/4 t white pepper 3 T mayonnaise Paprika for garnish Carefully peel eggs, then cut in half lengthwise. Slip out yolks. Mash yolks with fork. Mix into yolks salt, mustard, white pepper, and mayonnaise. Fill whites with yolk mixture (I use a pastry bag for this, but you can use a spoon). Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate for no more than 24 hours before consuming. |
| Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 |
| 1:42 pm |
Pumpkin Pie
I make my "pumpkin" pie with butternut squash, and I've never had a complaint. It's easier to clean, and it's not as stringy and tough as pumpkin usually is. Cut squash in half, clean strings and seeds from inside, place cut side down on a baking sheet, and bake at 400* for an hour. Then scoop soft flesh from inside shell and puree in a blender if necessary. Mix together the following ingredients: 1 c. granulated sugar pinch of salt 1 t. cinnamon 1/4 t. ground cloves 1/4 t. nutmeg Beat in 2 eggs, then add 1 c. well-cooked (dry) squash and 1 c. thick cream ("whipping cream," if you have to buy it). Pour into an 8 in. pie shell (which will be full) for 20 minutes at 425*, then reduce heat to 375* and bake until it rises and then makes small cracks around the edge. Pie crust: I make 7 crusts at a time, and freeze whatever I don't need so that I usually have pie crust in the freezer. 6 c all-purpose flour 2 t. salt 1 lb. cold butter 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups cold water Combine flour and salt in a bowl. With a pastry blender (or two knives) cut in butter until mixture resembles cornmeal in texture. Add 1 1/4 c water all at once. Mix lightly with a fork until all water is absorbed and mixture forms a ball. If necessary, add additional water a little at a time. Divide dough into 7 portions. Shape into balls. Flatten each ball slightly, and wrap each flattened ball in plastic wrap. Package in freezer bags, label, and freeze for up to 10 months. |
| 12:44 pm |
Homeschooling: language arts and math
For language arts, I'm currently using Easy Grammar Plus (might switch to grade-specific Easy Grammar books), Daily Grams, and a little Learning Language Arts Through Literature (though we skip most of the religious stuff). Patrick is also currently working on Elements of Language Introductory Course. For math, the boys are using Calvert mixed with Key To... Patrick has just started Key to Algebra, and Robert is working on Key to Fractions. |
| 7:37 am |
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| Monday, November 23rd, 2009 |
| 9:13 am |
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| Saturday, November 21st, 2009 |
| 10:25 am |
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| Friday, November 20th, 2009 |
| 10:00 am |
Patrick on bass
 Patrick on bass
Originally uploaded by Anne KecklerPatrick played the bass guitar at the North Florida Fair, November, 2009. He also sang "Rock Around the Clock," but I didn't get a good photo of that. |
| Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 |
| 9:28 am |
I need to find a part time job. I could work as a personal trainer, but I'd rather have something that doesn't require commissioned sales. I'm an excellent typist, have good phone skills, I'm knowledgable with most office software, and I can file, so I think I could easily handle an office job. I'm also an amateur photographer, and I'll be applying at local portrait studios. I taught dance for five years, but the ballroom dance studios will only hire full time, and I can't do that right now. Does anyone have other ideas or know of any local job openings? |
| Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 |
| 4:22 pm |
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| Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 |
| 3:00 pm |
I should read the Legend of Sleep Hollow to the boys, and perhaps watch the movie. I just realized they've never seen it! |
| Friday, October 30th, 2009 |
| 1:13 pm |
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| Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 |
| 4:20 pm |
The theme of The Lord of the Flies is described by Golding [the author] as follows: "The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable. The whole book is symbolic in nature except the rescue in the end where adult life appears, dignified and capable, but in reality enmeshed in the same evil as the symbolic life of the children on the island. The officer, havinig interrupted a man-hunt, prepares to take the children off the island in a cruiser which will presently be hunting its enemy in the same implacable way. And who will rescue the adult and his cruiser?" |
| Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 |
| 11:00 am |
I'm not a huge country music fan, but I think "Forever and Ever" by Randy Travis is one of the greatest love songs of all time. What's your favorite love song? |
| Sunday, September 6th, 2009 |
| 6:18 pm |
Third Grade Reading List
Our Third Grade Reading List: Bear Called Paddington Courage of Sarah Noble Cricket in Times Squar Little House series The Cabin Faced West Pippi Longstocking A Wrinkle in Time The Birchbark House Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Charlotte`s Web |
| Friday, September 4th, 2009 |
| 4:40 pm |
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| 1:20 pm |
6th Grade Reading
Additional suggestions are welcome and appreciated! Our Sixth Grade Reading List: Treasure Island -- Robert Lewis Stevenson Chronicles of Narnia -- C.S. Lewis Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone -- J. K. Rowling The Wizard of Oz Redwall -- Brian Jacques Alice's Adventures in Wonderland His Dark Materials The Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle Incarnations of Immortality by Piers Anthony Watership Down by Richard Adams The Artimus Fowl series Ender's Game Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe Short Stories by Philip K Dick The Time Machine Lord of the Flies Animal Farm The Giver by Lois Lowry Black Ships Before Troy The Children's Homer Eagle of the Ninth Some of these are for Patrick to read, and others are for me to read aloud to him. |
| Sunday, August 30th, 2009 |
| 11:50 am |
Stolen from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) ms_daisy_cutter Everyone's favorite pack of inbred hate machines is coming to Montpelier, Vt. this Tuesday, September 1st — the first legal day of same-sex marriage in Vermont. God Hates Fags, and God Hates VT! Vermont is known for one thing primarily in this day and age (no not the beautiful scenery, not the quiet quaint towns, not the Maple Syrup). They are the most "gay" friendly spot in DOOMED america. Driving Equality is holding a "Phelps-A-Thon" for this event: For every minute the “God Hates Fags” clan is protesting, we will be collecting donations for the Driving Equality project, a trek around the country, to every state, in an effort to collect personal stories form LGBT folks and our allies. Telling our personal stories is the way we will win our fight for equality.
The Phelps clan will be protesting at the capital in Montpelier from 7:55 AM to 9:00 AM on September 1st. You can pledge any amount you choose, whether it be $0.25, $0.50, $1, or even $2 for every minute they protest. You can even pledge a flat rate for the entire time the group will be demonstrating...
After the event, we will send Phelps a thank-you card, telling him how much money he raised for LGBT equality. |
| Monday, August 24th, 2009 |
| 4:08 pm |
The sky is blue because a giant space alien poured blue dye into the atmosphere. Prove me wrong. |
| Saturday, August 8th, 2009 |
| 7:06 am |
Mom hospitalized
My mom is in the hospital. She left here two weeks ago, and within a day or two she complained of a backache. A clinic suggested kidney stones, and she went in for an MRI. The doctor never gave her the results of that, but yesterday she was in so much pain that she went to the hospital. The diagnosis is complex, but the most curious thing is a fractured lumbar(?). I'm driving to Jax today to see her, and to find out what is really going on. I don't remember my mom ever being in the hospital. I know that she was once during my lifetime, but it must have been a very short visit, and I'm not sure how old I was or what I did while she was there. My mom has always been healthy and strong, and I think I'm in denial about this. I'm a little concerned that I'll break down when I actually see her there. |
