Our very own Little House in the Big Woods

Ever since I was old enough to read the Little House series I have imagined living my life that way in those times.  I remember wishing so much that I was born in a little log cabin in the big woods.  I longed for a simpler way of life.  (yes, even at age 7)  Even now, I often compare our way of living to those of the Ingalls.  We have a small house, we all sleep in one bedroom, we try to make as much of the food we eat from whole ingredients, we're working on growing our own vegetables year round, we have a good ol' Basset named George.......BUT, we also have running water, electricity, sugar (you'll get this one later), natural gas, toilets, etc.   As we embark on our Little House adventures I want to instill within BabyGirl the realization of what really matters.  What it really takes to survive.  We don't *really* NEED much.  There is just too much *stuff* in most people's modern lives.

We started our Prairie Primer on Monday.  We love it.  This time around BabyGirl is fascinated with the way things were made, how they preserved their food, what they did every day.  It's a whole different world than she saw when she was 6.  This week we went through the first 4 chapters.  Here are a few things we've learned about:  Grizzly bears (including making a mini-book and coloring one), learned the history behind the song Yankee Doodle (and learned how to play it on the piano), made our own yellow butter, made ma's sourdough biscuits, learned about guns and gun safety, talked about rust, learned about ravines, studied owls, discussed similes, did an in-depth study on the human lungs & breathing, learned about rabies, discussed jealousy and manners, made molasses candy (YUK!) and found out what gaiters are.  There is so much to study and learn while you read these books!  I am so glad we decided to do this.  She can't wait until next week to move on.  We may even do school over the weekend!!

Little Man is so precious and amazing.  I keep forgetting to write this....you won't believe it!  He has been telling me every time he pees in his diaper, then wanting it changed.  He has also been telling me before he poops!  And, he started that about a month or so ago!  I am buying him a potty this weekend just to see what happens.  He is so smart!  He loves to stand on anything and everything.  In fact, the more dangerous it may be, the more he is drawn to it!  We're talking cars, balls, blocks, cushions, cans, his pop corn popper....and, if there isn't anything down to try, he'll find something, lay it down and give it a go!  He cracks me up!!

Here are some pics of our adventures Joneschooling in the big woods this week.....


Here is the first step in making our own butter.  We grated a carrot up into 1/4 cup whole milk.  We heated it up until it boiled.

Here is my little chef.

 Here is the milk after you strain out the carrot.  It had a beautiful yellow color.

 After shaking a jar filled with 3 cups heavy cream and our yellow milk for about 20 minutes, we got butter!  Here is our butter as we are just starting to wash out the butter milk.  You rinse the butter until the water runs clear.

 Our finished product!!  We had this on Ma's sourdough biscuits with dinner.  So yummy!

 Here is BabyGirl in one of her new jumpers we got at the mall with Mimi.  Thanks, Pappap!!!!

 Here I am in my sassy new tie dye dress from Mimi.  Oh my gosh, I love it soooooo much!  Just look the other way if you see me wearing it every time we get together this summer.  :)

 We started putting some of our plants in the ground this week.  Here is Little Man loving on the peas.  I know they just love it!  Every time he pokes my bread before it goes into the oven, or when I'm kneading it, I get the absolute best rise and taste ever!!

 Here he is helping daddy pat the compost down into the holes.  You can tell by the blur he is patting with all he's got!

 He wanted dad's shovel SO BAD!  I couldn't let him have it.  He called it a "broom".  He calls all long handles tools brooms right now.  :)  So, I told him he could have his own broom to work with in the garden.  We went in, grabbed his broom, and here he is helping to move the dirt around with daddy.  It was just precious.

 We had an art lesson with some of our besties.  We discussed and created abstract art.

 Here she is in deep concentration....

 During the art creating, Little Man played with Tara.  He loved sitting the daddy on her hat!

 Here is BabyGirl's picture.  She has a blue sun, a huge chicken coop with a tiny chicken, a tiny pink bird, a huge orange butterfly, a huge flower, and a tiny Tara with a daddy doll on her hat.  :)

 Here is Little Man in the middle of one of his discoveries!  He pulled out the step stool right where he could reach the keys better and started playing!! Look at how proud he is!

 Here he is making his puppy sound (you'll see it later)  oooo, oooo   I love his little face :)

 Here is the procedure for making candy, which I don't recommend.  Unless, however, you want to teach your kids to appreciate what they have now!  We mixed up 1 cup molasses with 1/2 cup brown sugar.

 We boiled it until it was at 248 degrees.

 We drizzled it over some ice (since we had no snow....thank goodness)

 BabyGirl has ALWAYS been a glass-half-full kind of girl!  She tastes everything with the expectation that she is going to LOVE it!  Here she is right after she put the bite in her mouth.  Look at her eyebrows up like "mmm...this is good!"

 Ummm... yeah...not so much!  The smile is fading!  LOL

Here is one last little thing to enjoy.  There's video of Little Man playing with the puppy Auntie Jane got him for Christmas.  You'll see him smile, dance and woof.  Then, there is one of him standing on his new invention playing piano.  Enjoy!! xo