Cinnamon Rolls and Testing

Today was a great day. Seriously. We're doing the government required testing so that we can continue to homeschool. Plus, our family consists of a fairly wide range of ages (6 - 13), so whoever is not testing at the moment gets to hang out quietly upstairs doing almost anything. They can watch TV (Leave It To Beaver!) and read and play with Legos and train tracks and (my personal favorite) write.

Which is what I did. I wrote. All Day. Can you believe it? All day. Doesn't that sound like a fantastic day? I think so. I also baked. Cinnamon rolls. The really good kind that are huge and gooey and nutty and homemade. Can't you just smell them?

So, baking is another thing that I love to do and it consumed about 5 hours of my day to make these cinnamon rolls (yeah, they're that good). Then they sat on the counter, filling the house with their rich smell for a good two hours.

Unfortunately, us humans weren't the only ones to smell them.

My mom and I were outside viewing tree forts when disaster struck. "You better come inside, quick!" said Will, one of my younger brothers. Someone said something about dogs and that's when I started despairing.

I entered the kitchen, only to find the expected. The plate of now-demolished cinnamon rolls was upside-down on the floor, half-eaten. I didn't know whether I wanted to laugh or cry. I did neither at the time, still trying to control my thoughts.

The really funny thing was, that the strongest reaction came from my dad, who was not happy that tomorrow morning's breakfast was destroyed in such a short time by someone other than himself.

The mutts did not get to everything though.

Imagine the scene: I come in to the room and stand for a moment, shocked. Eventually, I am able to pick up the plate and set it on the counter, then begin picking up the pieces off the floor. Once the floor is clean, I see the cinnamon roll pieces that are still stuck to the plate. I see no reason to waste good food, so I peel off the parts that touched the floor and the dog's mouth (not that I would have minded eating them, but people would have made a big deal out of it) and I share the salvageable bits with my mother and the brother that attempted to rescue them.

So that was it. My great day. I only have one last thing to say: they were good. :)

Searching

I read this book about a year ago called Do Hard Things: A Teenage rebellion Against Low Expectations. It was written by Alex and Brett Harris when they were 19 years old. The twins decided to write this book about how teens today are "shackled" by the low expectations of today's culture and how that needs to change.

As is pointed out in this wonderful book, teens less than a hundred years ago were working to earn money for their families and were treated like adults from a "young" age. Now, we are expected to sit around and goof off for years then suddenly be able to recover and gain some immediate work ethic - yeah, right.

Since going back to the "Rebelution" blog, as it's called (started by the same people), I have been restless. Restless to do something for God - and that's another thing. The Rebelution isn't about doing hard things just to do them. No, the point is to do something to glorify God. That should be our goal in life anyway. The Westminster Shorter chatechism even says it in the first question: "What is man's chief end? - Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."

So that got me thinking. What on earth am I doing to glorify God right now? How am I working to further His kingdom? The answer is, I am doing nothing. And that needs to change. As in, now.

This brings up the question, what should I be doing? That one's hard. What work does God have for me to do right now? And is it more than what I'm already doing? Maybe God wants me to just put everything I have into what's going on in my life now. I honestly don't know right now.

So in conclusion to this short blog post, please pray for me and let me leave you with a few questions to torture your mind for a while: where does God want you right now? What should you be doing to serve the Lord? And what are you going to do about it?

Writing, Life's Meaning, and Jars of Clay

Random Awesomeness Teenager Section (RATS)

(The part where those who do not laugh or cry just roll their eyes.)  



So... hi. 


In case you couldn't tell, this is the amazingly amazing start to my very first blog-post, as I am a friend of the Quintins' and do... not... have... an... actual... blog... GASP! ATLEASTNOTYET! Hopefully this will turn out great.

Anyways. (See? This is my "Reporter Font", aka awesomeness font.)

How are you, Internet Surfer, Friend, Giant Squid/Pine-Tree mutant, whoever or whatever you are? It is very nice to meet you and nice that you have not clicked the "close" button on this tab yet. (If you have, then you are not reading this, are you? No, didn't think so.)

Today, I am going to write about... (drumroll) WRITING!

Wow. AmAZing.

For those out there in the world who do not know me (this probably means you), my name is Anthea and I am a friend of the Quintins (who, bytheway, are the people who started this blog and are awesome in every way imaginable except that they are sometimes too awesome for their own good). I like (in no particular order) soccer, piano, carrots, swimming, climbing, reading, adventures, decorating, blahing with my friends, languages, txting, being outside, being with people, dance, youth group (where we have had conversations about, besides the amazing and perfect Word of God and His amazing love for us and Him dying and coming back to life, conquering death so we could be with Him in bliss forever: unicorns, Doctor Who, and German Chocolate), potlucks, building/creating, dogs, photography, and writing.

WRITING !?! Wait, stop! Writing is BORING! 

Too late. MWAHAHAHAHA!!!



Section One: Opinion (Read Complaining) Section
   
See, we all have great experiences in life, and we all have not so great experiences in life. Writing is a way to impact others with your worldview, change lives, all that junk. And it is pretty much just plain fun. On paper.

Literally. Because once you have it (at least started) on paper, all the hard work is DONE (besides, you know, all the income tax forms on the heaping amounts of money you are receiving every day from your finished book.) All that work- over with (pretty much). But writing is very, very, VERY(!!!) hard to get started. Because, if you have ever written anything (or started), you know that, besides keeping the readers' interests, you need to keep your own. To keep you going so you can find out, as the writer, what happens next. And you don't want to be just any old writer, you want to create a masterpiece. A Mona Lisa, not a splash of black paint on lined paper. When you are a writer, you typically read a lot, and your expectations grow with each title you finish- you have to make something brilliant, but you don't know how.  WRITER'S BLOCK!!!

TA-da.



Section Two: The Philosophical (read Mushy) Section
 
It is now summer (YAYYYYYYY!!!) for me (except math: blech, right?). I would like to write a book, go bungee-jumping, or build a raft. I want to do SOMETHING with my LIFE! And thousands of others, who have also been stuck in school all year, expecting bliss to come with summer, now have the same boredom. A wise man probably once said that boredom is because of lack of imagination. Maybe the world is losing its creativity, I don't know. And it isn't like I haven't done anything (I totally have this summer.) Yet the days go by so fast, and there isn't a slow down switch. Or is there?

Maybe, just maybe, the more we do things, the more our lives are filled up, the more we fill up our lives, the less time we get. The more we do, the faster time runs. But if we slow down doing so many things, as we take a rest and enjoy life, time gets a breather. And we have more of it.

(Really mushy part)
Then, we begin to wonder, why was I doing all those things anyways? The meaningless ones at least. And as we start to rout out the meaningless, the trash, the unnecessary, layer by layer, we find, in a treasure trunk labeled "Awesomeness" what actually matters to us. What is full of meaning, what we want in our lives. Meaningful.

WOW. People, you should be crying right now. 




Section Three: Seriousness. (Ha!)

My absolute favorite song for FOREVER (meaning the next twenty-four hours) is

JARS OF CLAY: Boys (Lesson One)

Except I don't think this only applies to boys. It is to everyone in one way or another. You should listen to it. Right now. Yes, seriously, NOW. Unless you are about to perform brain surgery, in which case, why are you even reading this anyways? 


Amazing quotes: 


Trail mix is just M & M's with obstacles in it.
The Sentient Lobsters! (Pals in Peril: Agent Q)
Intense.
Confusticate and bebother these dwarves!(The Hobbit)
The Angels have the Phone Box. (Blink, Doctor Who)
I am calling Captain America's publisher. (My friend, Rachel. Oh, teenage angst. Gotta love it.)
And, "God Is Love." (The Bible)



Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. My very first blog post.
  That's all, Folks!
Toodles


 

 

 

A Reminder

Snow is beautiful. It is clean. It is sparkly. Who doesn't like it? Usually, here in Virginia, we don't get an overload of snow very often, but this year was different. 4 to 6 inches was the estimate. 18 to 19 inches was the actuality. Of course everyone was excited - the college closed for the first time in years which meant we got the day off of home school. Awesome, right? Maybe. The snow was great, but the irony of the situation was somewhat amusing and extremely frustrating. We were living at our grandma's house while our house was being shown. Which meant that all of our snow gear was back at our house. During the deepest snow we have had in years. Funny, right? It wasn't as amusing at the time.

Since that February dump we have had a few more dustings of snow and even a couple of inches. Why is it that the year I'm finally eager for soccer season to start is the year that we get lots of late snow? And yet, I still can't help but be in awe when I look out the window and see the unbroken layer of white the morning after it falls. It's wonderful and it reminds me of just how beautiful God's creation really is. And the truth is, it's gorgeous.

-Buttercup

Home?

Moving. Plenty of people have done it right? My mom moved every two or three years when she was a kid and we're doing the same now. She always says "This is the last house - for real this time!" but it never is. I've moved approximately six times in my 13 years of life. I'm in the middle of number seven. So why is it still so hard? We're not moving far, just 20 minutes away. We'll still go to the same church, same soccer team, same Youth Group. This should be cake!

As I walk through our near empty house, I finally appreciate the comfort of the bedroom I share with my sister, the familiarity of the kitchen, the work that went into the tree house. Why is it that I am just now noticing these things? They've been here for a while, but not until I have to leave them do I see the little things.

I resolve in my mind to not get comfortable in the new house. To never think of it as home. I get discouraged and down. I stay this way.

Then, one day, I am reading a passage in John where Jesus tells His disciples that he is going to prepare a place for them. That is when it dawns on me. I'm not home for good - not yet. But while I'm here on earth, it doesn't matter what kind of house I live in or if it's 10 minutes further from church than I'm used to. What really matters is who's there with me. No matter how much I dislike the house. As long as my family and friends are within reach then it's home. Just for now though . . .

-Buttercup

Preacher Cookies

Another lemonade stand, another sweet to cook. This time it’s cookies. Preacher cookies. The best preacher cookies ever.

This recipe came from my Granny who is southern through and through - especially in cooking (you should taste her green beans and potatoes!). They are delicious and I wouldn’t change a thing (like I did with my chango bars). To quote my brother, Richard, "I'm really tempted to just go in there and eat all of those cookies!" We decided he wouldn't go in the kitchen. :)

Here’s the recipe. It’s doubled, because you can’t make a single batch and expect them to last the day. The double batch doesn’t last long either, though.

Granny's Preacher Cookies  

4 cups sugar                2/3 cup peanut butter

1 cup butter                  6 cups oats

1 cup milk                     2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup cocoa (Hershey's is the best)

Mix sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa in a large pot on medium heat. 

Bring to a boil. Keep stirring. Boil for 30 seconds.

Add peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Mix.

Turn off stove and spread out wax paper. Mix. Drop onto wax paper.

Let cool and harden. Peel off wax paper and store in fridge.

I really hope you like these, because I know my family does!

Enjoy!

Chango Bars

Chango Bars. Never heard of them? Well, I’ll explain.

Chango bars are a spanish dessert that’s kind of a mix between cake and brownies, but the only chocolate in them are the chocolate chips. They are really easy to make and are also a lot of fun.

So now for where I got the recipe.

I was in second grade and it was reading. The recipe was talked about in a story and the real thing was in the back of the book. Yes, it came from a text book. Our class made the the batter and sent it to the kitchen to cook (this was before I homeschooled and could do all that myself). We were dying to try them all day. Then, just before recess, we finally got to bite into the sweet treat (notice it was right before recess - there were some people who would benefit from running off the sugar before the next subject). Everybody loved them. We were allowed to write down the recipe and I immediately did so. The next time I made them was at home and I tweaked the recipe. I continued to tweak it until I had found a wonderful combination of ingredients that is always a crowd pleaser.

Now for the recipe:

Chango Bars

1 cup butter                    2 ⅓ cups flour

2 cups brown sugar       1 Tbs baking powder

½ cup applesauce         1 tsp salt

3 eggs                            2 ½ cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 in glass baking pan. Melt butter. While this is melting, cream brown sugar, applesauce, and eggs, then add the butter. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir into wet mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes.

I really like this recipe and hope you do too!

Loads of Cupcakes

I made 6 dozen white wedding cupcakes for a friend’s older sibling’s wedding reception. I tested them the week before (only making 3 dozen) and everybody loved them so much that I didn’t get to try any. I made extra this time in hopes of getting a taste before they disappear.

Here’s a pic. from the trial run (they were for a lemonade stand):

And so, this time I got a day off of schoolwork to work on dozens of cupcakes. It took me all morning just to get the unfrosted ones for the reception finished.

After that, I came home and made some more - complete with frosting this time.

Here’s the link to the recipe (it’s another blog) just in case you want to try making them.

http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/03/16/white-wedding-cake-cupcakes/

I only had 16.5 oz. of cake mix but it worked just fine. You may need to make a little extra frosting though.

Enjoy!

Japanese Chins

Japanese Spaniels

Buttercup

The Japanese Spaniel can also be called the Japanese Pug or Japanese Chin. This research paper will be full of you-never-would- have- guessed-it facts. It will start with origin and end with fun facts. All three of the names previously mentioned will be used.
Though called the Japanese Pug, these canines actually originated in China, and were brought to Japan in 732 A.D. They were first known in Europe around 1700 A.D. Commodore Matthew Perry introduced them to the west when he returned from Japan in 1853 A.D. with several dogs that had been presented to him. Even though these dogs are small, they have an intriguing history.
The average Japanese Chin is seven to nine inches tall and weighs seven to fifteen pounds. These compact, dainty looking dogs have distinctive faces that include large dark eyes, a short muzzle,drooping v-shaped ears, a wide nose, and a round forehead. Their full, straight and silky coats are usually black and white or reddish brown and white. Over all the appearance of this breed is elegant but comical.

These alert, affectionate pets are loving and independent. The Japanese Chin is extremely cat-like in attitude and are lively, happy little creatures. These intelligent animals are very charming and rarely bark.

Because of their unique faces, some Japanese Chins have breathing problems. They are prone to eye issues and a few have seasonal allergies. It is good to take them on daily walks, but they pant often.The Japanese Chin’s average life span is under ten years.

Now for how to care for a Japanese Chin. The owner should brush them daily to maintain their appearance. The Japanese Chins use their paws to wash their faces, but the owner should still wipe them occasionally.

Japanese Chin Care (JCCARE) rescues and takes care of Japanese Pugs until they are ready for adoption. JCCARE does not sell Japanese Pugs, because it is a non-profit organization. There is, however, an adoption fee. End-of- Trail Chins are too old or sick and will go to a forever foster home. The care expenses will be split between JCCARE and the foster family.

Now here are some fun facts:

• Japanese Pugs were kept by royalty in Japan.

• At first the Japanese Chin was not available to the general public.

• If a Japanese Pug were stolen the penalty was death.

• The Japanese Spaniel likes to rest on high surfaces.

• The Japanese Chin often wheezes and snores.

The Japanese Chin is a dog of many names with an exciting history. The appearance and attitude of this breed is very special. While it may be difficult to take care of the Japanese Chin’s health problems, grooming them is very simple. JCCARE will take care of Japanese Chins that don’t have anyone to love them, but that doesn’t stop them from resting on high surfaces. These are fantastic dogs.

The Rover Boys in Southern Waters


By: Arthur M. Winfield

I like this book. It is about three boys and four girls who are on a trip in a houseboat called the Dora. They leave the houseboat with a farmer named Gasper Pold.
When Tom goes to check on the houseboat it’s gone, and so are the farmer and the carpenter who agreed to fix the boat! They find a young man named Harold Bird who helps them find the houseboat. When they get the houseboat, Harold finds his long lost father!

I like this book. It is exciting. I like exciting books.

Wildflower

Joel Pepper

By:Margaret Sidney

I like this book because it is about a mischievous boy who lives in a poor house with a poor family. He has four siblings named Polly, Ben, David, and Phronsie. Joel is in the middle, between Ben and David.

While in time out, he strangles a snake he finds! That night, Joel tells David that they are going to live in a cave on a mountain near by. David dose not want to go, but Joel says that there are green flowers and he can bring some home for Polly. But the next day they are to busy to go up the mountain.

When they do have time, they find tramps in the cave! Joel goes back down to the farms and tells them about the tramps. When the tramps are found they go to jail.

Joel makes a circus and is a monkey. While he is in an apple tree he falls out! When Polly goes to find a doctor she sees Mr.Tisbbet who says he used to be a doctor. He drives her home and finds that Joel is not hurt.
I think this book is great! It has a lot of adventure. It also a lot of fun.
Wild Flower

Joel Pepper

By:Margaret Sidney

I like this book because it is about a mischievous boy who lives in a poor house with a poor family. He has four siblings named Polly, Ben, David, and Phronsie. Joel is in the middle, between Ben and David.

While in time out, he strangles a snake he finds! That night, Joel tells David that they are going to live in a cave on a mountain near by. David dose not want to go, but Joel says that there are green flowers and he can bring some home for Polly. But the next day they are to busy to go up the mountain.

When they do have time, they find tramps in the cave! Joel goes back down to the farms and tells them about the tramps. When the tramps are found they go to jail.

Joel makes a circus and is a monkey. While he is in an apple tree he falls out! When Polly goes to find a doctor she sees Mr.Tisbbet who says he used to be a doctor. He drives her home and finds that Joel is not hurt.
I think this book is great! It has a lot of adventure. It also a lot of fun.
Wild Flower

Valentine's Day

Hey! Buttercup here!
We're about to go to the pond. I'm not sure when. It may be 15 minutes,
it may be an hour. I don't really know, so I thought I'd write.
Are you excited about Valentine's Day? I am! Because we're home schooled we don't get to pass around Valentines except for at church, but I really don't mind. Our Valentine's Day is going to be hot - I'm sure of it. We've only gotten an inch of snow all season - even that was divided.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Buttercup

Knitting

Hey! It's Buttercup again! I just thought of another random thing I'd like to write about.
Wildflower, Klick, and I recently started knitting. Klick and I were at a sewing store (I got a $20 gift card for Christmas) and I saw a free knitting pattern. We brought it home and looked up how to knit. It took us 3 days to actually get it and now we're all well on our way to a scarf. Afterwards we hope to knit hats, sweaters, and more scarves.
I think knitting is fun and easy. I find it simple to relax and knit a couple rows (even if I don't know how to bind off yet:)!)
Bye for now!
Buttercup

Notebooks

Hey, Buttercup here! I'd like to tell you about something that I found rather useful.
I thought that I would like to start a new series of books, because I have read most of the series that we have. We were at the library at the time (it was very quiet partly because it was a library and partly because everybody was in school) so I thought I would find a series to read from our library trips.I found an interesting looking series and checked out the first three. These books are the diary of a ten year old girl and I found them very funny. They gave me an idea. I could start my own notebook! So far I've written three pages and vented everything that was balled up inside. I drew pictures, wrote, and taped things in. Over time I hope to have multiple notebooks full of interesting thoughts to read.
If you'd like to find the books I'm reading the first one is called Amelia's Notebook (that's supposed to be underlined but the underline button isn't working!).
Bye for now!
Buttercup

Book Review - The Young Acrobat

Here's another one of those home school book reports. Hope you like it!

The Young Acrobat

Horatio Alger

Christopher (Kit) Watson is an orphan living with his uncle and cousin, Ralph.
At the time, a circus is visiting Smyrna, and Kit and his friend, Dan Clark, go to watch the acrobats get ready for the show. Because of special lessons Kit is able to try some of the acts and succeeds.
Later in the week, Kit is offered a position at the circus, and after an incident with a blacksmith and a giant, decides to accept it.
Kit has many adventures along the way, and when the season is over has no idea what to do...
...that is until one of his father’s friends appears at his doorstep.

I have read many Horatio Alger books and am somewhat bored of them. They all seem to have the same formula.
Despite his repetitive books he had a slightly interesting life. He tutored many many people including Benjamin Cardozo, who went on to be a supreme court justice.
I recommend you read one or two of his books but not too many!

-Buttercup

Book Review - Jed the Poorhouse Boy by Horatio Alger

I recently finished a book called Jed the Poorhouse Boy. It was very intriguing.

Jed has been living in a poorhouse since he was two years old. He was fine with that until the kind Keepers of the Poorhouse, Mr. and Mrs. Avery were replaced by the selfish Mr. and Mrs. Fogson. They over worked and under fed the poor people, while leading lives of luxury themselves.

Finally, Jed decided that he couldn't take it any longer and must leave. After running into a doctor and his wife who promised him a little help, he decided to run away. That night he found an actor in his bed who took a liking to the poor boy, and also agreed to help him.

The next day, Jed set out to make a living for himself - but first to see a play that his friend Mr. Bertram is in. He arrived to find that one

of the company’s boys was sick and could not perform. When offered, Jed accepted the opportunity to join the company for the remaining three weeks of the season.

At the end of the season he found a position as companion to a young boy named Charlie. When Charlie’s father went away on business, his aunt came and fired Jed.

Moving further into New York, he was robbed of his entire

fortune - $39.37. Soon after, he ran into a rich yacht owner who employed him.

Meanwhile Mr. Peake, a detective, was trying to track Jed down and give him news that could change his life...

Annual Trail Update

We finally hit the trail again in September. We made it SIX miles this time! Only 2,158 miles left to go.


Bag-o-Rocks walked this year and the dogs came with. Both of these changes made for slow progress. But much fun was had by all.


The stuff....










The happy family about to embark.....











We met Indiana Jones on the trail. He was taking a nap.

Trepidous Trail - Day 2

Read day one first

The night before we had been walking through the dark seeing what looked like cairns.  We didn't discuss it at the time, but we were both thinking "Blair Witch Project."  It was creepy.

From AT Pictures

But in the light of day, much less creepy.  I assume these were put here by trail maintainers.  There were a bunch of these piles along this section of the trail.

From AT Pictures

As I packed up the tent the kids went to check out the views...

From AT Pictures

...which were breathtaking.

This is what nap time looks like on the trail!

From AT Pictures

The kids were great on this trip.  When they were uncomfortable, they let us know but when they weren't they were all smiles.

From AT Pictures

Shortly after this picture was taken the kids were complaining about being hot. So, of course, God provided a rain storm to cool us off. At first it was all "Wow! Daddy we can splash in the puddles!" But after about an hour the rain was taking it's toll and kids were getting cold.

As we trudged along Hunt was really struggling. Then all of a sudden I heard him exclaim "Look! Daddy! It's a lizard!"

From AT Pictures

His mood went from tired and grumpy to excited in the blink of an eye. It was a welcome diversion.

Because of the rain we didn't take many pictures after lunch.  But it rained on us for about the next five hours as we proceeded towards Route 621.  We were all tired and cold and wet by the end.

Overall it was a good trip.  I was very impressed with the kid's fortitude throughout the journey, but next time I think we'll take a shorter section of trail.

Trepidous Trail - Day 1

It was with some trepidation that we set out on a hike of the AT from Rt 631 to Rt 621 (left 'P' to right 'P' on the map below).

From AT Pictures

Trail Date: June 11, 2010 6:00pm
Weather: 80's and clear (or so we thought)
Location: AT from Rt 631 to Rt 621 SW VA.
Distance: about 11 miles

According to our guide book this was to be a 11.3 mile hike.  Could the little guys do it?  Could we?  One of the motivations to hike the AT as a family was to challenge ourselves.  We wanted to accomplish something together as a family.  Since we couldn't take a year to sail around the world, we decided to hike the AT.  We finally decided that this section of the hike would be a challenge, but we thought we could do it.

From AT Pictures

The crew ready for the big adventure.

Shortly we came upon Keffer Oak.  It was big, but I have to admit in my imagination it was much bigger.

From AT Pictures

From AT Pictures

We got a later start than we wanted and by the time we stopped for dinner it was nearly dark.

From AT Pictures

We were trying to make it to the first shelter (the little house on the map) before stopping so we pressed on.  But by 10:30 we had to admit it was just too dark and no longer safe for us to be tromping along through the woods.  We setup camp next to the trail.  I'm not sure why, but everyone fell asleep quickly.

The next morning was cereal for breakfast, break camp and on on!

From AT Pictures

Check back soon for the rest of our adventure.