Let Them Eat Pie

I hope a relaxing and blessed Father's Day was enjoyed by one and all!!

It has become tradition in our home that if you are being celebrated you have the honor of picking the menu.  Yesterday being Father's Day was no exception.  The Principal is always so accommodating about what he wants but when June issue of Southern Living arrived and he eye balled this pie recipe it was instantly decided that this would be Father's Day dessert.    Peanut Butter-Banana Icebox Pie - wow look out hips here I come!!  It was easy, didn't require heating the kitchen up, was made ahead and was a huge hit with the men folk.  WonderBoy was quick to deem it 'a keeper'.

 We began our fun a day early with a great day Saturday in Manchester, TN Letterboxing and hiking at Old Stone Fort Archaeological State Park. This was our first time at this park but probably won't be our last.  The trail is a short one - just 1 1/4 miles but boasts 3 pretty nice water fall to play and frolic in.  There is also a museum with some interesting resources to learn about the Indian mounds that this park is structured around.  Homeschooling is always in progress even during summer break!
We had limited success in our letterboxing efforts - we searched for 4 boxes and found only 2 of them - both in cemeteries ......which for some weird reason seems to be where we always end up at some point when we are out adventuring.  This one was neat - an old family cemetery with some very old stones under a glorious magnolia tree.  It has been fenced in and was a short hike off the road in the woods.  If not for letterboxing we would never have known it was there.

SO....how was your weekend....did you do anything special?  Any fabulous dessert recipes to share? 

Coon Dog Adventures

Our letterboxing adventures have landed us in many places that we would never have discovered or explored otherwise. One such place we visited almost a year ago now was the one of a kind Key Underwood Coon Dog Cemetery located near Tuscumbia, AL. We stopped here on our way to Ivy Green where another letterbox and adventure waited, but that is a post for another day.

Growing up in Toronto, I knew very little, it would even be fair to say nothing of coon dogs. When I saw an inconspicuous sign - you know the standard non-descript green and white marker type signs, on the highway on our way home from a previous trip, my curiosity was piqued. I did a little research and when I found out there was a letterbox there, I knew it was only a matter of time before we would make a visit there.Coon Dog Cemetery grew out of one man's love for his faithful coon dog named Troop. It is truly a unique place with a wonderful story that is rich in area history. While we were there we met a couple with a miniature poodle visiting the area from California (no coon dog cemeteries there either).

Recently we stumbled upon a movie about coon dogs and given our adventure last year were anxious to see it. Where the Red Fern Grows is based on a book by Wilson Rawls. We discovered the movie first and it was fantastic ! You can get it through Netflix. This is one of those great movies that has it all - values, morals and character all tied into a great story line that is tender and inspiring - watch this one with your kids !! Or better yet, read the book aloud then enjoy the movie with a big bowl of hand-cranked popcorn curled up together for family movie night.

You know, for us homeschoolers, this might just be a great summer break unit study - just a suggestion ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Let the Traveling Begin.....

It is time to unveil one of our new favorite homeschool discoveries/activities........Flat Travelers. Birthed out of the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown about a young boy who gets squished flat in the night when his big cork bulletin board falls on him, the adventures that follow are what started the Flat Stanley Project. The adventures of these traveling 'flats' have become a wonderful way for the homeschool community to exchange information as kids around the world learn about other places by exchanging 'flats' with other homeschoolers. I found a Yahoo Group for Homeschoolers that was our starting point in this adventure and we have been enjoying it ever since. The idea is to exchange or swap 'flats' with other families who will host your 'flat' while theirs visits you. During the visit which usually lasts 1-2 weeks you take your visiting 'flat' with you as you go through your activities and capture in pictures the things you do with your guest, ideally visiting things unique to your area's geography and history. We have 'Flat Fred' visiting this week from the Yukon and I wish the rain would stop long enough for me to get some pictures of Flat Fred in some Alabama Red Clay - right now it's all mud!! If anyone knows where I can get a shot in some kudzu without a long drive by all means let me know ;-) Yesterday we make a quick trip over to Scottsboro, AL to get a letterbox hidden in the cemetery behind the almost world famous Unclaimed Baggage store (which incidentally is closed on Sunday) and took Flat Fred along for the ride - don't you just love his mohawk ? ;-)

Welcome to the Alabama Fred - where local Christian families spend beautiful Sunday afternoons searching for hidden stuff in grave yards....poor Fred will never be the same - then again he comes from a homeschool household too so it is likely he will understand ;-) When the time comes to send the your visitor back home, the flat is packed up with photos (which can also be emailed if you prefer), goodies from the area - brochures, post cards, magazine, anything of interest and any other kind of fun you wish to include - this part is not necessary - but what kid will not enjoy a little treat from a new friend far away. I am trying to come up with some kind of candy/sweet that says Alabama - no thoughts on that so far - again if you have one please let me know!! Yesterday afternoon we spent about an hour making some new flats to prepare to send out - take a look and see if you can guess who made each one. Now all we have to do is get a logbook ready to send with each one and someone to volunteer to exchange with us and we'll be ready for a new flat traveling adventure!!

One final word on this - you obviously do not have to be homeschoolers to participate in this - you don't even have to have kids - it's just plain fun regardless of age or educational preference - we highly recommend it and by the way - it's a great accompaniment to letterboxing too!! Does it really get any better than that I ask you??

In this house it seems more and more that it is all about the adventures.....stay tuned - there will be more !!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Are you ever going to blog again?

Someone asked this question recently and you know I wasn't entirely sure how to answer it. I was a little worried that Blogger would not accept my sign in and that I would just hear a laughter sound track looping in the background - but nope - it let me in without any guilt or condemnation. Life has been busy, priorities shifted and in the effort to keep my eyes from permanently crossing I have been blog absent. I won't say that I am "officially back" or anything so committed, but I will say that it is likely that I will be around more.....lots of things brewing here in our little world that I suspect I will want/need to share. For now here are a few pictures from our summer......Of course summer would not be summer without Baseball - we were able to take in a Braves game - it was Wonder Boy's first Major League game .......and baseball and dogs.....well that's just like bacon and eggs don't you think ? We have recently discovered the world of Flat Traveling - more on that later ;-) This is Flat Dylan, visiting from Westminster, MD helping us out during Herb Harvest here in Alabama. You have to know that there were some letterboxing adventures thrown in for good measure.......you never know what you'll see on these outings - huge metal chickens with circulating eyes, Indian carvings in the forest - it's really anybody's guess! A big portion of our time this summer was spent in the garden - oh how we loved it and the fruits of our labors have been awesome. In this picture Wonder Boy is showing off our very first harvest - one radish ;-) And of course being homeschoolers we had to get into some kind of off the wall project......our first batch of soap was overall a success, but there are a few things we need to work on.....good suds and smells great - mmmm lavender Tybee decided it was time to get back down to his fighting weight and took command of the Wii Fit......he really is looking good don't you think ? Every little boy dreams of growing up and becoming President right? Here The Principal, tries out a podium and a beautiful venue for size ;-) And last but not least - Mama Leisha's Pizza Kitchen is now open for business - I did not take the summer off completely - after many failed attempts and nasty "Friday Night Pizzas" I finally tweaked a recipe to what we are now looking forward to each week - the herbs from our garden put it over the edge. That concludes our tour of summer....thanks for hanging in and waiting on us.....please let me know if you are still out there and who knows - maybe I'll get my groove back sooner rather than later.

Learning as I go,
Leisha

Frugal Romance

The Principal and I recently celebrated our 4th Anniversary - wow - what a whirlwind 4 years it has been. When we married I was a full-time working Mom preparing my 3 year old to start school the following year. Thank goodness God is so gentle and has such a wonderful sense of humor and timing for, if not for those things we certainly would not be where we are today - it is as always by His Grace Alone that we are who we are and doing what we are doing. I am now a full-time homeschooling Mom learning to care for family and home in ways I had no knowledge of a few short years ago - Thank You Abba Father !!!

In light of the changes that we have made in our day to day circumstances, many other changes have followed both out of need and desire. One of the things that I try to do as much as I possibly can is continue to "earn" an income at home by being a good steward of the provision with which we are blessed. There are so many ways that I have learned to make money go further (future post perhaps?) and some of them I wouldn't change now even if there was an endless supply of money. The Principal earns a good living and I feel it is my responsibility to put the deserved value on his hard work by not spending it carelessly....SO....with that in mind I approached our anniversary with the best of intentions and rather than focus on what could I buy him I focused on what could Igive him. Take these ideas and use them as you wish - it is my prayer that they inspire you to romantic genius!!This year I found myself thinking back to so many moments of our trip to Jamaica where we were married barefoot on the beach and so decided to go with the "Jamaica" theme for showing my sweetheart how much he means to me on this anniversary. The Principal wakes the roosters in the morning so I knew he would be up before me - after he was sleeping sweetly the night before I snuck into our bathroom where I had all the "props" stashed and set the scene for the morning. I gathered together a thank you card that had a wedding picture on the beach, a conch shell with a great story (for another time), a bathing suit wrap and hat I wore, sand and shells from the beach where we were married and our wedding rings. I set it all up in our bathroom by draping the wrap over the counter top and making a display of sorts - this was what he would be greeted with at he started the day - it was a huge hit by the way - he loved it and it set the tone for a wonderful day of romance. We made arrangements for Wonder Boy for the day and after getting him situated, we hit the road to do what we love and do best....letterbox and adventure!! We drove to a town a few hours away where there were several letterboxes that we had not yet found and enjoyed the day hiking and exploring - it was a crisp sunny day and we we had the best time. We decided to fore go the pricey restaurant meal instead deciding on a wonderful gourmet pizza at home while we relaxed by the fire. I made the best pizza I have ever made with authentic Italian type dough purchased from the deli counter at Whole Foods Market, topped with prosciutto and fresh basil and thinly sliced Roma tomatoes - it was divine - and only a fraction of what a dinner out would have cost! After dinner we exchanged small gifts and just hung out and talked in the comfort of our living room, in our comfy clothes without interruption from wait staff or child - it was heavenly.

This is the card I made for The Principal (I now make all the cards I give to both The Principal and Wonder Boy because well....they love them and I have issues with Hallmark (yet another post) and it's hard to find cards made by anyone else.

By the way - as an aside - Wonder Boy was so taken by all my plans he worked one up of his own - the morning of our anniversary he presented a gift to The Principal and I that he had put together himself. It was a beautifully wrapped ;-) journal with 2 pens - one red and one blue(so we could each have our own color to use) for us to write love notes to each other in, with a note from Wonder Boy written on the inside cover wishing us Happy Anniversary - how's that for homeschooling ? Not too mention precious!! Just to let you know - we keep it on the dresser in our closet and I usually read a note/leave a note when I am putting socks and t-shirts away.....it has turned out to be such a sweet sweet gift.

Let me share one last thing with you....the box. I bought this beautiful wooden box on sale at Hobby Lobby for 50% off several years ago now and filled it with 365 notes of love, thoughts, memories and thank yous to give The Principal for Christmas. I have since filled it for different occasions when it is empty - The Principal takes a note our randomly each morning before leaving for work and keeps it in his pocket to glance at throughout the day. I re-stocked the box for our anniversary - it had been sitting empty a while - I feel like a better wife when the box is filled ;-) I keep an excel file on my laptop and add things as they come to mind so that when the box needs filling I have something to print off, trim and fold. The Principal tells me this is easily one of the best gifts he has ever received. Different colored paper makes me happy......

I hope a peek into our romance will give you some inspiration to look outside the "norm" and return to the joy of gift giving with creativity inspired by love - really and truly you will save some money, but more importantly you will be beautifully packaging up the real gift that we all want .....love.....I don't think it gets any more priceless than that !

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Three Hearts & The Walls of Jericho

Ok - can I be honest with ya'll ? I think my husband tried to kill me on our anniversary!! Can we talk about The Walls of Jericho?? OH MY WORD!!! That was by far the most physically challenging day of my life ! 7 miles + 1000 ft. elevation drop + 43 yrs. old & out of shape = ouch!!!

In all seriousness, we had a wonderful day but it was exhausting !! We found a great spot for our letterbox and got it planted and yesterday I got it posted online for all perspective finders. So here was the plan - The Principal carved a stamp which we chose to call "Three Hearts" in honor of our 3rd anniversary. We had fun putting this box together and have decided that we will find a new spot to adventure and plant a letterbox for as many anniversaries as The Lord allows us. We hiked all the way in to the end of the trail before deciding where the box was going to be planted. We chose a spot about 2 miles that I think will be a great hike for those who are interested. This is what it looked like for those of you that may be interested.

Wonder Boy was with us and did a fantastic job of "Hanging with the Big Dogs" for the day. There had been some light sonwfall in the area the day before and a light dusting remained on the ground so Wonder Boy was able to make a few small snowballs and have some fun - he seems to be a pretty good aim by the way ;-)

It was cold when we started out and here is a little evidence of just how cold it can get in the sunny south..... Wonder Boy loved this - kinda pitiful really that a child of a Canadian should be so worked up about a little snow & ice - but alas - Wonder Boy is Southern born and raised....a taste of his roots was in order I suppose - literally!! I ate many icicles in my youth in the Great White North !

The hike itself was beautiful - it truly is a gorgeous tract of land and we were not disappointed for our efforts - the views were spectacular and really even though it was a little on the chilly side it was a perfect temperature to accomodate our efforts - easy to cool off when we got overheated!!

There were a few pretty cool adventures that we can add to the memory book fo r the day as well as eating icicles, Wonder Boy & Co. were able to drink from a mountain stream and swing from a huge vine over an open gulley - Wonder Boy & The Principal were the vine swingers - someone had to be able to go for help if need be after all - so I of course felt led to sacrifice for the greater good - that's what Mothers' do right?

The last thing that I want to share with you my bloggy friends is this - God gave us an anniversary gift that day - as we strolled along at one point in one of the few level areas, The Principal looked down and saw this "Heart Rock" , which we have brought home with us as a keepsake of a beautiful, wonderful, God given day filled with love, learning and God's beauty and abundance - Thanks for taking a few minutes so that I could share it with you - God is good - all the time!!

And to you Sweetheart........I look forward to the adventures that The Lord has for us in the years to come - I love you so much - Thanks for Three Hearts of Love!!!

Basking in His Goodness,

Leisha

Letterboxing Lessons 101

I love how God can take a simple day and turn it around into an extraordinary one without warning don't you ? We had a field trip with our homeschool group last week to the Hands On Science Center in Tullahoma, TN (which was a wonderful surprise that the kids really really enjoyed by the way).

At the conclusion of the field trip we said our goodbyes to head off in search of hidden treasures ;-) The Principal had plotted out 3 letterboxes hidden relatively close to where we were going to be - the first 2 boxes were hidden in the same wooded area on two separate hiking trails. It was a beautiful crisp winter day and we hiked along talking, laughing, sometimes having to get on to Wonder Boy for attacking an innocent tree - you know what I'm talking about. Toward the end of the hike, after successfully adding 2 more stamps in our logbook, we were on our way back to the trial head, I was in the lead and everyone was quite - I was thinking about how blessed I was to be here doing what I was doing. Hard as it is for me to imagine, it had only been a little over 3 years ago that I was a single Mom, working full time and doing the best that I could to keep things together from day to day.......and now.....hiking on a beautiful winter afternoon - a Friday - a work day no less and with my wonderful heaven sent Husband and Son, whom I am now blessed to be homeschooling.
God has been so faithful in my life even in the times I did not honor Him as I should have because I was caught up in my own "stuff". Moments later Wonder Boy whizzed past challenging the Principal to a foot race - I smiled and gave Thanks for the bond that has been established between Father & Son as the two of them raced past me and the silence dissolved into laughter and testosterone.
Back in the car we warmed up and made our way to the last site for the day as we followed the clues in hand. We were on a back country road and could not imagine much of anything being where we were - the above picture was taken at the trail head where we parked and look at what we found as we followed the clues that led us to the final box of the day......

There she stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the water below - we approached from behind her and had to climb around her to see what she looked like. She seemed to welcome us and watch over us as we climbed down the incline to the hidden treasure below. This was such a beautiful place and I can only imagine how pretty it much be when things are green and lush - we will likely visit her again - she just made me happy ;-)










So, what started out as an ordinary day doing the "field trip thing" turned into a small glimpse of God's Hand in my life and a precious reminder of all the wonders He put here on this earth for us to enjoy and behold each day - and the best part of all is that He orchestrated it just for me because He loves me so much - I can't think of any reason it could get any better than that!!

Wrapped in His Blessings,
Leisha

Letterboxing Season 2008 Begins

In September of last year, I was flipping thru a magazine and came across an ad for a SUV that mentioned Letterboxing and gave a web address. I had no idea what that was but was curious and so I looked it up. That was the beginning of what was to become a wonderful family hobby. We have had adventures like you can't imagine!! First of all, for those who have not heard about it, Letterboxing is best described as a "treasure hunt" type of activity. There are a few websites where Letterboxers (LB's) can post the clues and let others know that they have "planted" a box to be found. As the seeker you choose the boxes you wish to find, print the clues and set out on the path of adventure - it's great fun!! We have 59 boxes stamped in our "Logbook" and have had a fantastic time in the process of finding them. The planters create a hand carved stamps (which by the way can be incredibly intricate and beautiful artwork) and each seeker has a "trail name" and a signature stamp which they use to record their visit to the box. When the box is found it must be done discreetly so that passersby are not aware of it, lest any harm come to the box and it's contents. Once found and safely out of sight you stamp your logbook with the stamp located in the box and leave your stamp in the box's logbook to record your visit. When stamping is completed, the box is re-hidden as it was found and left for the next seeker.

Before I go any further, let me say that Letterboxing has not only been great family time and wonderful fitness (many boxes are hidden on beautiful hiking trails), but it has been an awesome addition to our homeschool curriculum. We have studied Lewis & Clark, walked the Natchez Trace, given Wonder Boy an incredible opportunity to learn about those who have served our country in war by visiting one the most amazing war memorials that I have ever seen off the beaten path in Birmingham, AL. We have visited 2 Civil War Battlegrounds, some of our areas most beautiful views and camping areas that we would not have known about had it not been for our Letterboxing adventures. It has given us a hands on classroom, to teach nature, science, chemistry, history, geography and life skills. Letterboxing has opened doors to things we may not have otherwise encountered and it has definitely led us to places which would be otherwise undiscovered in our day to day lives. God shows up on our adventures regularly and allows us to sow seeds into Wonder Boy's life in ways that would not be possible around the family meal table. We take regular field trips with our homeschool covering around AL & TN and always try to squeeze a Letterbox or two into these outings. We are going to Tullahoma, TN this week to visit the Hands On Science Museum and have located 3-4 boxes near by - guess what we will be doing when the field trip portion of our day is done??

These pictures were taken at the 270 foot long Clarkson Covered Bridge in Cullman, AL where a box was hidden. This bridge was constructed in 1904 and is 1 of 11 covered bridges still remaining in Alabama. This was out in the country and we would never have known about it had it not been for our Letterboxing adventures - one more item to add to that list ;-)

If I have intrigued you to find out more please visit http://www.atlasquest.com/ or http://www.letterboxing.org/ to get more information on getting started. Please let me know if you pursue anything - we would love to hear your stories!! Get out there and adventure and enjoy God's beautiful world ;-)

In His Grace,

Leisha