A Sudden Schoolhouse

Brock was looking in the classifieds last week and found  a  . . . shipping container for sale that had been finished as a small building.  Of course we had to go see and, on the way, decided it would be perfect as a schoolhouse since we are outgrowing our school on a schooner :)  We bought it and it is now in place overlooking the canal!  We have to install the plumbing, electrical wires, and the floor but it is awesome!  First on the agenda after delivery was removing the bars :)

Sleepover Weekend - Part 2

The kids enjoyed helping us chop down an extremely stubborn tree stump.

Luke also caught a fish!

Art Show

We took the kids to an art show last week.  They had a great time - despite being the only children in attendance - and wowed the adults with their impressive social skills :)  The art was amazing.

Sleepover Weekend - Part 1

We had some special sleepover guests last weekend.  Anthony and Luke spent Friday and Saturday with us on Keewatin.  We had a lot of fun.  A highlight was buying some land crabs from the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning.

              

Once we arrived at home we decided that we needed to actually "catch" them not just buy them.  We set one free and all took turns catching it - so far so good.

Then we decided we had to catch them ALL!  I did not intend for all of the last four crabs to slip out when I upended the bucket . . . but that is what happened.  Total chaos ensued with boys, dogs and crabs flying in every direction!  I managed to snag three of them but the last one slipped into the canal!

Guess who had to dive it up?

Chicken Exchange

Our small rooster Star has been traded for a new hen!  Here is Obsidian - the name is thanks to the kids' current obsession with Minecraft, but I think it suits her.

Mother's Day

A beautiful day.  Church in the morning followed by presents and a big family dinner with my mom, sisters and brother.

Best Friends

Goalie and girly!

The Joys Of Juicing!

I found a new healthy hobby . . . juicing!  I picked up a juicer from a friend's yard sale and we are loving it.  Even Madison has started to drink juice - we are talking about a child who has only drank milk and water since she was born!

Here are some of our favorite new juice recipes we devised:

Healthy Hair

6 carrots
5 sprigs parsley
1 apple
1/2 beet


Love Your Liver

3 carrots
1/2 beet


Sweet As Sugar

4 carrots
2 apples


I have tried some of the "green" juices but the kids are not crazy about them yet :)  I will keep trying.  We have all decided that the ginger and garlic additions are a big mistake!

What To Do With Swiss Chard

Our garden has been producing a ton of swiss chard!  The only problem was that I didn't know what to do with it :) Here is a great recipe I came up with that we all loved.

Swiss Chard with Prosciutto

Ingredients

Large bunch swiss chard
3 cloves garlic
4oz prosciutto
2 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Directions

Wash the swiss chard and cut off the stems.
Chop the stems and boil for 5 minutes
Saute garlic in butter and add prosciutto
Tear up swiss chard into bite-size pieces and add to pan
Add stems and saute until leaves are tender.
Add salt and pepper to taste
Serve over pasta