My Search for the Holy Grail....I Mean, the Perfect Cranberry Sauce

I don't know what it is with me and my sister, but it seems like every year at Thanksgiving we are always searching for that *perfect* cranberry sauce recipe.

I really don't know why that is, because in all of our growing-up-years we never had any other kind except the jellied kind from the can. You know, the one that still has the grooves from the side of the can impressed on it. And that never bothered us before.

But somehow, somewhere, we must've discovered real cranberry sauce and now we are compelled to find that perfect sauce for our Thanksgiving feast.

One of our family's favorite recipes is one that I got from my husband's step-grandma, Mama Jane, not long after I was married. It's the one we revert back to when a new one has bombed royally. It involves canned whole cranberry sauce, raspberry jello, celery, etc. Mucho yum-o!! I should definitely share that one with you!

Another we have tried is this one with jalapenos from Martha Stewart. I loved it (I made it), but everyone else didn't have much to say. Then there was the one that involved red cabbage that my sister loved (she made it), everyone else...not so much.

This year I was all set to make our fall-back-favorite from Mama Jane, until I saw this from The Pioneer Woman. Good 'ole P-Dub just has the most irresistible recipes. Or maybe it's all those photos. They always have me practically drooling by the time I've scrolled to the bottom of the page. It's really not fair!

So anyway, I'm going for it. I checked with my sister to see if she thought it looked acceptable, but I'm not telling anyone else about the switch-a-roo. I'm just showing up with it:) I'll definitely let you know how that goes.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on cranberry sauce. Do you have some fabulous recipe that I need to try next year? I'd love to hear all about it!!

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 ...

One Way I Refresh During the Summer as a Homeschool Mom

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...

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...

my blessed life

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