Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Family traditions run deep in many families. Traditions usually center around holidays and food. The same activities are attended and the same foods are prepared, or "it just isn't (insert holiday)."
Well, in some families the traditions center around the annual livestock show. Yes, LIVESTOCK! You know ... cows, pigs, sheep, goats, etc. In the royal family, livestock shows are a tradition on both sides of the family. The Queen grew up in 4-H activities. She had home economics and civics projects, but probably enjoyed the livestock projects most. Prince Charming grew up in 4-H and had livestock projects as well.
Now, it is the prince's turn to carry on the tradition. He is what they call a "Cloverbud." He is allowed to exhibit a small animal. He's too young to compete, but is allowed to participate for the experience. And what an experience!
At the tender age of 6, he is completing his second project year. Every day, he had to feed and water his goats.
I'm linking to I'm Lovin' It, Friday Favorites, and Feature Yourself Friday.
The grass is green. It's good to be The Cow Queen.
I'm linking to Wordless Wednesday. Click to see more photography.
The grass is green. It is good to be The Cow Queen.
In the palace, bananas are usually found in one of many ways … too many, not enough, too green, too brown, and mush.
Well, one day last week, the Queen found that we were in the too-brown-headed-towards-mushy stage. So, she started making Mini Banana Muffins from a recipe she found at Tasty Kitchen. Then, she remembered that she didn’t have any eggs. So, she stopped after mixing the dry ingredients and started again the next day after a trip to the store. All was better!
Here's what you'll need:
flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, bananas, sugar, egg, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
That’s o.k. … we know how to make more. Here's how:
Mini Banana Muffins
1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Salt
3 whole Ripe Bananas, Mashed
¾ cups Sugar
1 whole Egg
⅓ cups Butter, Melted
½ teaspoons Cinnamon
½ teaspoons Vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine bananas, sugar, egg, melted butter, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture, and beat until smooth.
Scoop into muffin cups.
Bake mini muffins for 13 to 15 minutes (bake larger muffins for 25 to 30 minutes). Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped and be slightly browned on top.
I'm linking up to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. AND ... since I put frosting on, I think that qualifies it as a cupcake. I'm linking to Cupcake Tuesday. Visit them to see other tempting treats.
The grass is green. It is good the be The Cow Queen.
Before we get to the matter at hand. I just had to share some of my excitement with you. If you have been following me very long -- well, you couldn't have been for too long -- I've only been at this gig for about 7 weeks. So, if you've been reading some of my Friday posts, you'll see that I link up to other blogs that are hosting blog parties. Well, Rachelle at the Feature Yourself Friday party contacted me last night. She FEATURED ME on her blog today. O.K., so maybe it is not a FEATURE FEATURE, but she mentioned me and used one of my pictures. I'll take that for now! If you're curious, jump over there to see.
Now, on to what you came for ...
The prince has always loved marble runs. You know the little pieces of wood with grooves so the marble will roll down to the next piece and keep going until it reaches the bottom.
My patience (and stinginess) paid off when I found an idea for how to MAKE ONE very cheaply. Here is what you need:
toilet paper roller and/or paper towel rollers, magnet strips, and tape or other decorative materials (if you so choose)
The first thing to do is decorate your tubes. You can use colored tape, markers, stickers ... whatever cranks your tractor. If you are using the rolled magnets like I did, you might want to unroll them and let them relax before the next step.
Cut the magnet strips to the length of the tubes and peel the back off .
Smoosh (it's a technical term!) the sticky side of the magnet against tubes.
When you have all the tubes complete, place the magnetic edge against a metal object. (Our refrigerator was full, so we used the inside of the front door.) Arrange them so the marble can roll down from one tube to the next. We also had a tissue box at the bottom of the run to try to "catch" the marble.
I'm loving my cheap marble run so much that I am linking it to I'm Lovin' It, Feature Yourself Friday, and Friday Favorites. Click over to them to see what other people are doing.
The grass is green. It's good to be The Cow Queen.
Title: When I Grow Up. I Want To Be A Firefighter
Author/Publisher: The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Target Audience: ages 4-10, but can be enjoyed by adults too
Format: Download from The Old Schoolhouse Store (phone 1-888-718-HOME)
Price: $8.95, with a money-back guarantee
This curriculum is part of the WannaBe Series from The Old Schoolhouse. In this 80-page download, the information is presented as a lecture and guest speaker platform. We really enjoyed learning such things as the history of firefighting, the bucket brigade, and why Dalmatian dogs are associated with firefighting. The hands-on activities were engaging and helped us to understand the concepts.
Subjects covered included:
- Career exploration
- History
- Math
- Science
- Vocabulary
- Art
- Creative Thinking
- Physical Fitness
- Problem Solving
- Team Work
As part of the downloaded materials, there was a reading list, family fun activities, and links to other resources. We were able to find some of the suggested books at our library. Four of the five books we chose were read together, and one was able to be read alone … although it was cute enough that I stayed for it too.
The Queen’s Overall Assessment:
The unit is directed towards ages 4-10. Since the prince is 6 and the princess is 4, I base my assessment on those ages. I thought that this unit was really text-heavy for the younger ages. I really felt that the lectures and lessons would fit better with the upper ages. (I used the text as background information and presented it while doing the other activities.)
I would have liked to see more information on fire safety. There were two short games and a couple of library books. There were links to more fire safety information. When we visit the fire station for open house, we will get more information to build on what we learned. It also reminded us to review our fire safety plan.
This unit study is worth the price of $8.95.
O.K. The pictures may not be perfect, but they are getting better.
Have you ever missed the greatest picture because you had to get so close that the subject left or stopped doing whatever cute thing they were doing? Kids and critters are notorious for this.
Well, I got a new Canon Zoom Lens (70-300mm 1:4-5.6 IS USM) for my birthday last fall. It is amazing. I think the color is more intense and the images seem to be clearer. It has an Image Stabilizer system. That means, I can hold the heavy (relative term) thing in my hand and not have to use a tripod. I've even taken pictures while I'm walking and they come out with no shake!
We took a hike to the river yesterday. I was able to take pictures of my fellow hikers without needing the tripod. And, I was able to "sneak" the pictures from a distance. Take a look:
They never even knew I was taking the pictures. The little one would have changed what she was doing, and the big one would have been making faces. It was so much easier to capture the moment from a distance.
Here are some other pictures from the farm ...
That would have been one dusty photo, if I had gotten close enough with my other lens!
I'm really loving my new lens!
I'm linking up to I'm Lovin' It, Feature Yourself Friday, and Friday Favorites. Hop on over to see what other people are loving.
I'm linking up to Wordless Wednesday. Check them out for more pictures.
The grass is green. It's good to be The Cow Queen.
‘Twas the day before Easter and all through the kingdom,
the children were snuggled to rest for a bit.
When all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye,
Place the egg white on your serving dish and the yolks into a zipper bag. (Don't say anything about the green edge on the yolks. I got distracted and they boiled a little before I turned them down.)
Add all the other ingredients to the bag. Zip the bag and mix the ingredients by “smooshing” the bag. You want to make sure all the egg yolks are smooth and the relish is the only lumpy part.
a light bulb went off and the Queen said, “Oh, My!”
In all of the prep and all of the clamor,
O.K. That doesn’t really rhyme, so I’ll stop now.
she forgot to make eggs for the prince and princess to color.
O.K. That doesn’t really rhyme, so I’ll stop now.
It was Saturday afternoon and we were about to leave for our church Easter egg hunt. I remembered that I forgot (I can do that you know!) to make eggs for the prince and princess to dye at home. I scrambled (get it?) to the kitchen to get the eggs boiled. Tidy Mom posted great directions on “boiling” eggs. So, I won’t do that. I will tell you what I do with the leftovers.
Here’s what you’ll need for ingredients:
Eggs, mayo, mustard, cider vinegar, and sweet pickle relish
Peel the eggs, by tapping them a little and gently squeezing them or rolling them gently on the counter. (Tip: If you use older eggs and peel them under running water, they peel easier. Start peeling from the large end and let the water get under the shell membrane.)
Place them on a paper towel to dry a little.
Cut each egg in half lengthwise.
Place the egg white on your serving dish and the yolks into a zipper bag. (Don't say anything about the green edge on the yolks. I got distracted and they boiled a little before I turned them down.)
Cut the tip off one corner of the bag.
Squeeze the bag to let the yolk mixture go into the egg whites. Don’t squeeze to make it stop. Don’t be too heavy handed. You can add more later, if you have extra. (You could also use a bowl to mix and a spoon or piping bag with a BIG tip to fill the whites. But then, you have more things to wash.)
I like to top the eggs with something colorful for serving. Here I used paprika. You could use a slice of olive, a sprig of parsley, or "whatever cranks your tractor." (I borrowed stole that line from Christy over at Southern Plate. I told her I was going to a long time ago. Check her out. She's a hoot.)
I fill the center of my plate with something colorful too. I usually put a bowl of sweet gherkins, olives, or this time… Easter Eggs! (Say anything about the heavy-handed paprika and I'll deny knowing you. They are going to disappear just like the other ones.)
Easy Deviled Eggs
6 boiled eggs
¼ cup mayo
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. cider vinegar
Pickle relish, to taste
Peel and dry eggs. Add egg yolks, mayo, mustard, vinegar, and relish to a zip bag. Mix by mashing together. Snip the corner from the bag and pipe yolk mixture into the whites. Garnish as desired.
This is a great way to use the leftover colored eggs and eggs that cracked during boiling. The princess saw the cracked eggs and said, “Mama, they’re hatching. We have to keep them warm.” And she proceeded to do just that.
I'm linking this post to Mouthwatering Monday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Hop on over to see other yummy recipes.
The grass is green. It’s good to be The Cow Queen.
The Queen made cookies similar to these while growing up. We called them "Forgotten Cookies" because you put them in the oven and "Forgot" them overnight. A few years ago, I saw a slightly different version of the recipe and a lesson to go along with them. You can make them any night during Holy Week for Easter preparation.
What you'll need:
pecans (The prince has nut allergies, so we use mini chocolate chips), vinegar, egg whites, salt, sugar
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. DO IT NOW. Don't wait.
Edited to add: This was a basic level of discussion for the prince and princess. You could add scripture study to the discussion for older children ... or even adults.
Resurrection Cookies
1 cup pecans or mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. NOW!
Place nuts or chips into zipper bag and crush with wooden spoon.
Put 1 tsp. vinegar, 3 egg whites, pinch of salt and 1 cup sugar into a mixing bowl. Beat with mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks form. Fold in nuts or chips.
Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper-lined cookie sheet.
Put cookie sheets in oven and TURN OVEN OFF!
Leave in oven overnight.
I'm sharing this recipe on Tidy Mom I'm Lovin' It, Bake at 350, Strut Your Stuff, Foodie Friday, and Sweet Thursday. Stop by and see what other recipes and ideas you can find.
The grass is green. It is good to be The Cow Queen.