Elena's Pool Party

Elena invited a couple friends over on Sunday to swim and play for the afternoon.
She is always complaining because one of Noah's best friends lives very close to us and he's always going to his house. Well, she finally got her own special play day with two friends :)
Jayda, Kristal and Elena had a great time (as did Annalee and Gabe) swimming in the pool and exploring on our street!

Here's Kristal and Annalee, taking a break for a picture!

Gabe had a good time, although it took him a while to get used to the water :)

Strawberries and The Florida Honey Queen!

Today we had a full day of homeschooler activities! First, we visited a local farm and picked some strawberries... I got all the kids their own buckets, and we picked 20lbs! I have big plans for those berries :)

Then, after eating lunch with some friends, we trekked over to a park for playtime and learning. At the park, the Florida Honey Queen spoke with the kids about bees and honey. We learned a lot about how bees live and how beekeepers harvest their honey! I even found out that Jayla (The Honey Queen) is my honey provider! I buy her honey through a local co-op.
After the honey presentation, Jayla made the kids a wonderful peanut butter/honey log for a snack. Delicious!

The kids enjoyed the park and playing with friends afterward, and boy am I beat!



Here are Gabe and his buddy Ben, getting ready to pick some strawberries!

Elena would rather wear her bucket...

Annalee picked some beauties today, and she made some fruit salad when we got home!

I think Noah was the first one done! He had a few green ones in his bucket...

There was a cow pasture just behind the strawberry field... the kids and cows spent a few minutes staring at each other :)

Here's Jayla, the Florida Honey Queen! She was really good with the kids, and her presentation was very informative. I think she got a kick out of some of the kids' questions :)

What an attentive group of homeschoolers and their teachers!

Here's Jayla making that wonderful peanut butter/honey log. What a nice treat to end a great day!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Happy (Late) Mardi Gras!

Well, yesterday was Mardi Gras and we were in the car driving home all day... We had a great time in New Orleans over the past week- that will be in another post :)

Even though Andy and I stayed a few nights in the city, we never made it to Cafe du Monde. If you know of this popular cafe, you know about the heavenly beignets they serve there- YUM! Beignets are French doughnuts-a little bit of deep-fried heaven, covered with powdered sugar and served with cafe au lait (coffee with lots of hot, creamy milk). Usually, it's easy to get beignets, but around Mardi Gras when the crowds are enormous, you have to wait in long lines just to get a table. Personally, I would rather just make them at home and skip the wait!

Here's the recipe:

3 3/4 c flour

2 t baking soda

2 1/2 t yeast

1/2 c powdered milk

1/2 t salt

1/2 c sugar

2 T coconut oil

Mix all ingredients and store in air-tight container until ready to use!

Mix desired amount of mix with very hot water until desired consistency (like bread dough).

**I used half the recipe for 6 people and had a couple left over**

Roll out dough to 1/4" thickness and cut into squares with a pizza cutter or knife.

Let dough rest while you heat your oil (I used peanut oil) to just above Med. heat. Drop in a small amount of dough and wait until it is sizzling to cook the rest.

When oil is hot, drop in dough squares 3-4 at a time. Cook until brown, flipping once.

Here's the final product! I tore off the end of the little one to show you how light and fluffy these beauties are :)

Here's Gabe enjoying a sweet breakfast! Give the beignets a generous sprinkling of powdered sugar, and it's just like being in the Vieux Carre!

Happy Late Mardi Gras!