Freezing Friday

Esme and Mom ready for outside.

We tried to get into town, but ended up having to walk back to the house (little over a mile or so).  The truck slid down into one of the ditches and there wasn't any structural damage, thanks to Daddy's quick thinking.  We had bundled up really well in case that would happen...and Esme had refused to stay back with Grandma or such...she thought she could handle it.  She was a trooper on the way back - and kept a cool head while we were sliding, too.    I called the wrecker service and Mark walked back to meet him and bring the truck back home.  It looks like we are snowbound until the weather warms up.  Things could have been worse.  Esme says she likes summer now, not snow - so she understands why Mom and Dad say it is dangerous and why we worry when there is snow.

10.30a    - math on matific, 1st through 3rd grade activities
11.30a    - dragon city, reading, interface use, upkeep and planning

12:00  - spelling test 16 words + homonyms.. by, bye, buy, writing sentences with each
12:15 - break

1:30 - return to dragon city (1 hour waits for some things), investigating the 'strength' and 'weaknesses' in the combat part of the book.. who fights with which power best, and is vulnerable to which other powers - investigating how to breed some of the dragons she sees in the book.

2pm  - reading Stink Moody Freaky Frog book
2:3p - creativity : doll birthday party with friends, serving food, imagination
3p   - Geography lesson with our work-in-progress map (see below)
3:15 p - break
3:45 p - opening new supplies, saw water currents on two of our hallway maps! Car book came!
4p       - building with balltrack set
4:15 p - done

 Balltrack building

This is our 'work in progress 'map, made of printer paper taped together, and little bits of tape flagged for the countries we have looked at and she is "tested" on identifying.  I add a bit more each time we find a new place.  The blue push pin is where we are!  We have three hallway maps - one 'arctic circle' centered, one full world map political and a new one full world topgraphical with ocean currents.

//notes : The chickens like cabbage, and the corn from last year seems to be okay, they are eating it as long as we don't give them it every day.  So our flint corn isn't entirely to waste, either.

Esme is now having interviews on the tablet with the dogs, and videoing birds outside, as well.  We threw them some cracked corn earlier and they are greatly enjoying it. 

 

caution, there is a loud dog bark noise in the middle..

she is showing off her map

Our not a snow day snow day and recipe

 There was still snow, and we were still going nowhere today.  But, Esme was becoming listless and ornery about 10 am ... so we decided to do school today, but do it slow.  There were lots of grumpy times - mostly because I wasn't doing exactly what she wanted and I tried to hurry her to feed her chickens.  She was lolling in the bath and there was no more hot water.  She didn't speed up and Daddy did it while I was still fighting with her about clothes to put on to go back outside.  She did come back to center a bit later - she probably started out on the wrong foot having a corndog for breakfast (her own cooking).  Thus, I didn't press her to eat anything else 'big' later.  We snacked instead of making lunch anticipating a heavy spaghetti supper with garlic bread and possible baking.

 Coming in from sledding from the top of the drive almost all the way down to the lake (about a half mile) with Daddy as the steering gear.  Daddy says: 'successfully negotiated three curves and missed the truck (which was still mired halfway up the drive)'

12:00 - sledding outside with Daddy, then by herself
1 pm - break
1:45 - 2:15 - researching articles about what it takes to take care of a pet bird, kinds of pet bird
break
Playing dragon game on her own...playing outside
Attitude Check, discussion, bath and grump session - more playing outside and talking to chickens about why she didn't feed them (she insisted they needed to be talked to)...
break
Watching Joy of Painting - two episodes while eating dinner, discussing what she was seeing
Baking lemon cornbread cookie sheet with me.
Reading another chapter in the Stink Moody Freaky Frog Friday book.
We ended at 7 pm.

 

 Baking with me the recipe listed below.

She had taken her jacket off and had a bath in between all of this...

and ended up never taking it off again after she came in the last time.

Lemon Cornmeal Flat Sugar Cookie
adapted from Martha Stewart magazine recipe
--we had no anise seeds, or lemon zest , or almonds - all of which was in the original.
--We made do, and it turned out great.
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3/4 cup yellow  cornmeal flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp of room temperature butter or fridge butter slightly melted in microwave.
1/2 cup white sugar plus some to sprinkle on later
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice or 1 tsp ground lemon zest
1 whole egg to beat in
1 egg separated - for the egg white to brush on - very important
ground nuts - we had black walnuts and ran them through the food processor
baking chips or other toppings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a sheet of aluminum foil with coconut oil and set aside on a flat baking sheet.

mix the flours, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl
beat the butter and whole egg together in a larger bowl.   Add lemon juice or zest - we had no zest.  Mix in the flour mixture in small amounts.. may add a tiny touch of whole milk if needed to combinen all ingredients.  It stuck to our beaters really badly - but we used a spoon to get it out from between the beaters.
.
Spoon batter onto the aluminum baking foil and press down as best as possible into a flattened ball.  Spoon on egg white and start to smooth mixture out to the edges until mixture is 1/4 inch thick or so.  It was amazing how easily the mixture began to smooth when the egg was spooned on to it - it felt like a whole different batter.  Sprinkle white sugar (optional mix some cinnamon in) over the egg wash.  Sprinkle ground nuts on to mixture and other toppings (like dried fruit, baking chips etc.).

Bake at 350 degrees for 27-30 minutes.  Edges should be browned and little bits of brown showing up in the middle here and there.  Remove from oven, carefully use a butterknife to separate the cookie from the aluminum foil... leave to cool and tear off piece

snow bits

It snowed, sleet and ice.  I stayed home from work - and we gave Esme a snow day.  She was awake at 6:30 and I kept her in the house as much as I could until 9 am.. when she just kept popping out the door every five minutes to make sure I knew it wasn't cold outside.  Bundled her up.  She played.  The dogs played.  They all ran around the yard like giant hopping rabbits chasing her about.  Minerva and Sweetie were rolling each other around in it like puppies.  She threw 'glitter' snowballs, because it wouldn't hold together at all.  She tried to use the sled and had forgotten how to use it - momentarily.. then she was at the top of the hill paddling like a pleiosaur down the driveway.  I just couldn't bring myself to go out there - so cold!  Mark went out for a few minutes, and came back in freezing after a short trip down the hill.

Esme finally came in, and I made her black tea and milk and sugar, with a hot chicken patty for breakfast.  She ate.  She went back outside... I played Civilzation V and she played some with me...bopping around me until the afternoon.  We played the Earth map and talked about the geography compared to the map...even though it wasn't a school day.  The falling ice and freezing rain finally stopped somewhere in there.  Mark made us a lunch of hot buttered rolls, and then we went out and fed the chickens and gave them feed in their house and hot water in their bowl.  They were walking around hopping from foot to foot.. but were very glad to drink from the little bit of water while it was available.  I had to use some of the hot water to open the gate latch, as it was frozen solid from the sleet and freezing rain.  Then I finally said it was time for me to sled with her.  We took two trips and then I retreated back inside, too... playing more CIV and talking her into taking a warm bath since Daddy had just left the hot water from his.  She really needed one...and it has been so cold we didn't press it last night (Wet hair at night, etc.) 

Some dinner, some playing campfire in her room with spooky ghost stories and etc...She had torn up a cardboard paper towel tube and was pretending it was logs for a fire.  She had a big wheel K'nex on each of two K'nex sticks and was 'roasting marshmallows'.  She had a story for me about a vampire potato that gave zombie-like instructions to its victims and made roots grow out of their heads.  She told Mark the story, too...  I told her the real story about the man whose car smelled bad for days and then one day he had a dead snake come out from under his seat when he moved it forward getting something out of the seat.  She said EW...

Now she is playing more games after having built a robot with K'nex.  She is trying to solve where the batteries are in goat simulator and where to put them.  I think she just got it.

Have to think about if we're going in tomorrow...the roads won't be any better, and there might be more weather on the way.  If I'm home tomorrow and can work up the ambition.. maybe make this: Corn muffins with peanutbutter or a recipe out of one of the magazines I have for lemon cornbread sugar cookies.

Quote from Esme today:  While I was playing CIV she leans on my shoulder and sticks her hand out palm-up to me and says 'Do we really need this war, Mom?  I mean, really need it?  Can't you just stop this and go home?'  The moments.  She played it quite a bit on her own later, including battles... but just can't help writing that one down for her for later.