Strawberry Shortcake

I found some gorgeous strawberries this week at the store and thought strawberry shortcake sounded yummy! My kiddos are fruit lovers, and strawberries are a favorite. I actually used a favorite scone recipe for the shortcake (leaving out the currants).

Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbls. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter (can add an extra Tbls)

1/2 cup buttermilk or sweet milk

1 egg

1/2 cup currants (craisins are delicious, too)

1 egg yolk

2 Tbls. cold water

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut butter into dry mixture until crumbly. Beat (with a fork) milk and egg together. Pour into dry ingredients, stirring well until blended. Add currants (unless you're using this for shortcake); mix well. On a floured surface, place slightly wet dough; knead lightly. Pat dough into 3/4" thick large circle. Cut into wedges. Beat egg yolk and water together and brush over scones. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot or cold, with butter or clotted cream and jam. If you're making shortcake, serve with sliced fresh strawberries that have been sweetened with sugar and top with whipped cream.

Enjoy your Friday! I'm off to do something fun with the kiddos!

The Making of an Egyptian Death Mask

We are learning all about the ancient world this year with Story of the World I and loving it! We've been learning a lot about Egypt, of course, which is completely fascinating. Most recently we have studied the New Kingdom of Egypt, which includes the story of King Tut. So we decided making an Egyptian death mask in the style of King Tut's would be a fun project. First since it was too cold at the time to paper mache in the garage (it probably would have frozen instead of dried-ha) and it was too messy to do it in the house, we decided to pick up a couple of cheap craft masks at Hobby Lobby. Next we cut out cardboard shapes to complete the shape of the death mask, attaching them with hot glue. Vince even put a little detail on the *beard* with the hot glue per The Princess' request. Then the kiddos started to paint them with this metallic gold tempera paint. It worked okay for the cardboard, but would not coat the plastic of the mask. We thought maybe a second coat ...

Arkansas' Crimson Clover

One of my favorite things about Spring is the crimson clover that grows along the highways and interstates here in Arkansas. I say Arkansas because this is where I first grew to love it. We actually saw some in Mississippi on our way here and I saw it in our town in Alabama for the first time this year. But it spreads like that, each year it grows and looks even more beautiful. I'm not sure who decided to plant it in the medians of the interstates , but it was genius! It seeds itself and just comes back more lush the next year. I always want to take pictures, but of course it's almost always in the median of a very busy interstate~which is a little dangerous for photography. However, the other day I found the perfect patch of it on the side of a not-too-busy highway, so Vince obliged me and pulled over:) Isn't it beautiful? I just had to share it with you...

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As our homeschool takes some time off this summer, my mind almost never stops thinking of and planning ahead for the upcoming school year. This is probably because I'm Type A and an obsessive planner...lol Whatever the reason, I do enjoy this season of planning. But I also need to be refreshed as a homeschool mom. Homeschooling can be incredibly exhausting and all-consuming. It's not easy and it's a lot of responsibility. And I take that very seriously when I am researching curriculum and planning toward the next school year. So also taking some time to rejuvenate and refocus myself is very important. How do I do this? Each summer I take some time to read something inspiring and motivating that speaks to me as a homeschool mom. Some of my fave reads from past years--that I have nearby on my shelf and refer to often--are Educating the Wholehearted Child, The Well-Trained Mind, The Charlotte Mason Companion, A T...

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