Homeschool Holdout

Just as in everyday life, my child often wants to try and wield his tiny amount of power to see if he has what it takes to usurp my throne. If he only knew what my crown would mean for him - to be the queen around my house is an endless parade of dirty dishes, dirty laundry, dirty floors, and dirty hand prints on the walls. But I digress.

During the homeschool day, he has decided to show his "authority" by refusing to get a new pencil for math class. Never mind we have a bucket of new and freshly sharpened pencils of every imaginable design and color, enough pencils to last him seven more years through high school graduation.

This pencil nub is what is somehow getting him through 20 math problems every day. It is now so short, the pencil grip is longer than the actual pencil and has to be removed when he occasionally attempts to sharpen it.

I have asked, cajoled, begged, and excitedly showed him all the pencils available. A rainbow one? A Halloween one? A Christmas one?

"No," he says. "This is my lucky pencil."

I pointed out that a lucky pencil would enable him to make a "100/A" on all his daily math worksheets and tests. And that is just not the case.

So I had to call in the big guns for this assignment. I asked Mr. Country Belle to "gift" my son with a snazzy mechanical pencil like the one he uses in his "real engineering job."

I pretended not to care.

The little booger accepted the pencil and started using it in math class the very next day.

I was not allowed to touch it.

I so did not care. I promised never to touch it.

(I won).

Speaking of the crazy things to go on during the homeschool day, I'll leave you with one more.

I don't have one thing to say about this.

Have a happy holiday week!

Love,

TCB

Raking Leaves is for Boys

We are sorry for the havoc in process and are praying for our neighbors to the north who are experiencing the traumatic effects of Hurricane Sandy.

I can only imagine how dangerous the winds are growing.

On a much lighter note, just this weekend as Sandy approached our coast, the winds on our little slice of land were whipping and we were hundreds of miles away from the storm's major forces.

So it was with surprise I looked out the window and saw my son raking leaves.

Whatever was he doing since the 20 mph winds were making it "snow" leaves? He would be raking all over again very soon!

And suddenly I realized why.

Little boys like to jump in piles of leaves, but so do puppies.

And it's fun to roll in them, too.

You know what's not all that fun? Bathing a white dog after such an adventure.

Oh, well. It was FUN. That's what counts!

Love,
TCB

Related Posts:

My Dog's Life
Pet Photos

You'd be Surprised What You Can Buy Locally

Rural living provides an easy opportunity to "go green." Living sustainably is eco-friendly and fiscally responsible. I'm not even mentioning the convenience. If you don't live in town, sometimes it's very time consuming to travel to all the stores you need to complete your shopping list.

When I'm not growing or making it myself, I really like to support the local farmers and craftsmen that live in my rural area.

On a recent Saturday afternoon full of errands (I group them for less driving), I purchased from three neighbor vendors who had exactly what I needed at exactly the right price.

Homegrown tomatoes from the farm stand. I didn't plant a second round, so my supply was long gone.

Chicken feed pellets produced locally from another community right down the road. It was sold by a family-owned feed-and-seed supplier 5 minutes from my house. (I love going there for good conversation and a Coke).

A flat of pansies hauled home in the back of my SUV from a grower 10 minutes from home. You can't beat 24 plants for $10 (and I didn't have to exhibit any patience growing my own flowers from seeds).

Buy local! Support your neighbors and create a better life for your family. Knowing who made what you consume each day is one important step we all can take to be environmentally and safety conscious.

Happy day!
TCB

My Dog's Life

I don't believe in reincarnation, but if I did I would want to come back as one of our retriever-dogs.

7 am - What we gonna do today?

8 am - Homeschool again? I need to rest.

9 am - That 30-second game of fetch EXHAUSTED me.

10 am - Is that a crumb under your seat? I love it when you snack!

The rest of the afternoon (besides the 3-minute burst of energy after supper).....

And the evening.....

Well, I won't bore you with more photos of a sleeping dog. You might get the wrong idea.

Have a happy day!
TCB

Related pet posts:
Pet Photos
What I've Learned from my Pets

Best Broccoli Casserole

It's countdown time for me. The days are ticking by on the way to my favorite holiday. No, not Halloween. I know it's October, but when fall weather begins, I start thinking about Thanksgiving. It's the perfect holiday - full of family and food, but no pressures of gift-giving. Just cook, eat, and spend time together.

I'm thinking about what I'd like to cook for Thanksgiving dinner. We have some of the same dishes every year, but occasionally I like to throw a new dish into the mix and see how it takes. Does it disappear? Are the leftovers requested to fill family members' Tupperware* containers?

One of the common dishes I make - broccoli casserole - is something I cook throughout the year for supper. I try not to make it more than every couple of months. My Thanksgiving dishes are not known to be skinny.

Why don't you try out the recipe before Thanksgiving and see if it's something you'd like to add to this year's menu?

Country Broccoli Casserole

Bag of frozen broccoli florets (or a fresh head of broccoli, trimmed of stems with florets remaining)
can of cream of mushroom soup
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. chopped onion

1 stick butter
1 1/2 c. bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put broccoli and 1-2 Tbsp. of water in a covered glass dish in the microwave and cook on high/full power for 5 minutes. Remove and drain water. Mix in the next 5 ingredients.

Melt butter in a separate dish and stir in the bread crumbs. Add as a topping to the broccoli casserole.

Put the uncovered dish in the preheated oven and cook until the topping is browned, about 30 minutes.

Yum!

Want more Thanksgiving meal ideas? See these related posts:

Carrot Souffle

Southern Cornbread

Sweet Green Tea

Love,
TCB

* We call every plastic container around here Tupperware, even if it isn't.

A Greek Cookbook for your Bookshelf

I have the entire right side of my dining room buffet filled with cookbooks. I'll admit there are a few I rarely pull out, some are for the holidays, and some are well-worn and a little greasy with food splashes from everyday use. From time to time (OK - pretty often), I add to them with a new title from the bookstore. I wanted to tell you about one of my latest acquisitions and suggest you get a copy for yourself (and no, no one has paid me to say this).

Patricia Moore-Pastides, an accomplished public health professional and wife of the current president of the University of South Carolina, released her cookbook, "Greek Revival: Cooking for Life," about 18 months ago. In it, she narrates stories about her time living in Greece and shares the healthy recipes she learned from taking cooking lessons while there.

Leaning on vegetables and healthy cuts of meat (occasionally), the book provides Greek recipes that are healthy and still flavorful. I have made a few of them and can assure you that you won't miss the fat in these dishes.

We may think of baklava as a primary Greek dessert, but Patricia leans heavily on fruits, like those traditionally used in Greece, for an everyday taste of sweetness. Doesn't a yogurt parfait with blueberries and lemon curd sound good?

My favorite recipe from the book (so far) is Broccoli and Blue Cheese Pita (p. 22 in the hardback copy).

I bought the book during a lecture, tasting and book signing event at a women's conference. In her presentation, Patricia was very knowledgeable not only about nutrition via food, but also about the healthy compounds like resveratrol that make up certain foods. A delightful lady and a delightful (and delicious) book.

Happy reading (and cooking)!
TCB

What Happened to my Baby?

2002

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Where did my baby go? I want another! (Mr. Country Belle is sweating right now).

I'll leave you with a current photo......

....of me in denial.

Have a happy day.

TCB