My mom (Oma) and Grandpa Jeff recently visited from Ohio and joined our family on a field trip to Gibbs Gardens. Gibb’s Gardens is located north of Atlanta at 1987 Gibbs Drive, Ball Ground, GA 30107 which is a very short drive from our house. I was expecting it to be nice but I was completely surprised by how awesome it was! It’s like a miniature Callaway Gardens, only without the Butterfly Garden, Biking, etc. I actually thought Gibb’s Gardens was better designed, more concentrated, and overall a more breathtaking experience. My whole family was constantly making “oohs and aahs” as we ventured through the gardens. The tickets were a little pricey for our family of 7 but considering the amount of fun we had it felt well worth it by the time we left. Below are some pictures from the gardens and you can also find out more information by visiting Gibbs Gardens website. One last thing, right before we left we grabbed lunch from the little snack shop near the entrance and ate our sandwiches and desserts near the stream you first walk by after you enter into the gardens. The food was delicious and the setting was so relaxing…a perfect end to a perfect day! Hope you have a chance to check it out for yourself soon! We highly recommend it as a homeschooling field trip, a family day out, a romantic date, or for a quiet place to break away from the traffic and stress of Atlanta. Continue reading Gibbs Gardens – A World-Class Garden in North Georgia
Cherokee Tribune – Front Page Story Mother’s Day 2013
I was so proud of Bethany this Mother’s Day…not that I’m not always proud of her but this Mother’s Day she received a special honor. Bethany was featured on the front page of the Cherokee Tribune newspaper in an article titled “Motherhood is ultimate responsibility, mom says”. The article is still available online at this link: http://cherokeetribune.com/view/full_story/22552728/article-Motherhood-is-ultimate-responsibility–mom-says. Bethany was recommended for the article by the real-estate agent that helped us purchase our land and who is also in the process of helping us sell our current home. The article is based on a five minute conversation she had with a reporter from the Cherokee Tribune and is brief and to the point but overall did a good job of describing Bethany and our family. I thought it was cool that the Cherokee Tribune thought to do an article like this. Moms so frequently perform the hardest job on the planet day after day with no recognition from anyone. I really enjoyed seeing my wife honored this way and hope it helped her to know how much who she is and what she does is appreciated! Continue reading Cherokee Tribune – Front Page Story Mother’s Day 2013
Homeschool: Get plugged in!
We have been homeschooling for many years now and we are frequently asked for “tips and tricks” on getting started with homeschooling or making homeschooling more enjoyable/effective/efficient/etc. We plan to share many of our best tips and tricks on this site but we are super busy and it may be many months or years before much of that content makes its way online. So, in the meantime I wanted to share one of the most important tips – Get plugged in! Continue reading Homeschool: Get plugged in!
Bee Keeping Dreams
When Bethany was student teaching, I believe it was around 1997, we took her class to a local farm and enjoyed a tour that included a visit to a bee hive. That was the first time I witnessed in person the simplicity and rewards of bee keeping. I knew right then that someday I would have a bee colony of my own and that I would learn the ins and outs of bee keeping. We are still several years away from realizing our goal of bee keeping and enjoying raw honey created in our backyard so for now we will have to settle for locally grown honey from Bread Beckers in Woodstock, GA. This post is really just a placeholder for that dream. Check back here in the future for a detailed explanation of everything it takes to get a bee colony started and pics of the whole process.
Health Benefits of Grain
My mom frequently presents seminars on the health benefits of grain. She hands out an information sheet after her sessions and I thought many more people could benefit from the information she has put together if I posted it on the web. Continue reading Health Benefits of Grain
Greenhouse Aquaponics
If you’ve been exploring our blog you’ve probably figured out by now that much of what this blog will be about is on hold until we begin construction on our new home. We intend to get the house built first but then shortly after that we hope to add a greenhouse that allows us to extend the growing season but will also serve as a year round growing facility for aquaponics (tilapia and various vegetables including tomatoes, squash, zucchini, romaine lettuce and strawberries). For those not familiar with greenhouse aquaponics, it’s much like hydroponics but uses fish to maintain the health and nutrients of the water instead of chemical additives. Continue reading Greenhouse Aquaponics
Crock Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6-8 hours
Total Time: 6-8 hours
Yield: 8
Ingredients
- 1 large organic onion, diced
- 3 organic stalks of celery, diced
- 5 organic cloves of garlic, minced
- 10 oz of organic carrots, shredded
- 8 oz nitrate/nitrite free organic ham, diced
- 1 qt. of organic chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 TBSP curry powder
- 2 TBSP Sugar in the Raw
- 1 tsp freshly cracked pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a large crock pot.
- Stir lightly to combine.
- Cook on low setting for 6-8 hours.
- Use immersion blender to smooth out some of the chunks, if you like. I leave mine lumpy and just mix it a bit with a spoon.
- Garnish with a dollop of fresh organic plain yogurt, or some shredded cheese, if desired.
BULK COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
For Bulk Cooking, I quadruple this recipe using two large crock pots. In EACH crock pot I add:
2 large onions, diced
6 organic stalks of celery, diced
10 organic cloves of garlic, minced
20 oz. organic carrot, shredded
16 oz. of nitrate/nitrite free ham, diced
2 qts. chicken broth
4 cups water
2 TBSP curry powder
4 TBSP Sugar in the Raw
2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp dried thyme
Cook as directed above. Cool completely and divide each crock pot contents into two gallon-size freezer bags, yielding four bags in all. Lay flat and freeze to stack horizontally. Don’t forget to label your bags with date and contents.
FREEZER TO CROCK POT INSTRUCTIONS
Take frozen soup out of freezer and run under warm water long enough for the soup to release from the sides of the bag. Cook in your crock pot on low setting until warmed through and steaming hot.
Crock Pot Beets
Ingredients
- 12 Beets (or however many you can fit in bottom of crock pot) , variety of your choice
Instructions
- Scrub beets well and place in crock pot.
- Cook on low setting for 12-16 hours, or until beets are tender when pierced with a fork. Time will vary depending on the size and variety you have chosen.
- To peel beets, run under cold water while rubbing skins off with your fingers.
- Eat as is, or use in desired recipe.
Balsamic Glazed Beets With Goat Cheese and Pistachios
Ingredients
For the beets
- 6 medium beets
For the glaze
- 4 cups organic Balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup organic brown sugar
- 2 TBSP organic maple syrup
Instructions
- Slice beets into 1/4 inch slices.
- Divide beets evenly among 6 appetizer plates.
- Sprinkle goat cheese on top of beets.
- Top each plate with 4 pistachios.
Explode the Code
When people ask if I can recommend curriculum for teaching children to read, I always mention the Explode the Code series. Explode the Code is a sequential approach to teaching phonics. I used this series as a major component in teaching all of my school-age children to read. There is a pre-reading series that I highly recommend completing before starting with book 1 of Explode the Code. You may notice that some books have “1/2” increments. These books provide further practice at a level if you feel your student has not fully mastered a level. For example, buy Book 2 1/2 if your student needs more reinforcement of book 2 skills. Continue reading Explode the Code