Vacation Week

Dustin had his week off recently, and instead of traveling or something similar, we spent it doing various smaller things here at the Little House. I was glad we had not planned to go away in the end, because both the children were sick part of the week.

Dustin spent one of his days off on Brundage Mountain, skiing with friends. He came home tired and very sore, but he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Another day we tackled a major job I had been putting off for too long…reorganizing and cleaning his office. It took longer than I had expected, but it was such a good feeling to have it finished – and to walk past the newly tidy space. Another room checked off my housecleaning list!

Dustin made sure to have one of his favorite dishes for dinner one night, since it’s labor intensive and he had enough time to make it.

Daddy’s little helper. He didn’t like his first taste of jalapeños though!

We had had plans for one day that didn’t work out because of the children being sick, but we were able to do a day trip to Boise. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory (I didn’t get any pictures because we were too hungry, but it was such a feast!) and then took Davy to the aquarium.

It was a little aquarium, but he was pretty impressed. Some of the the tanks were touch tanks, where you could feed and touch the fish. Davy would run back and forth between them.

To be fair, I’m not sure if he or Dustin liked trying to pet the fish more.

The sting rays would stick their heads up out of the water and look you over, and swim around the tank, partially sticking out of the water, splashing water the whole way around, like they were at a circus.

My favorite (other than the adorable tiny swimming turtles) were the little coral reef displays. Such color, and such beautiful little fish, darting around like living jewels! And the unique “plants” that are actually alive! There truly is a whole different world under the water, where God made a whole new set of wonders, just because He could. And we are only beginning to scratch the surface of it all.

Like I said, it was a small aquarium, though well done, and perfect for a child to explore.

Betsy chilled in the stroller and watched the fish through the side windows.

We were able to have a few leisurely days, getting lots of reading done…but the week ended with a little dinner party at our house with a few friends. It was a very pleasant way to spend a Saturday evening.

Appetizers ready!

Normal routine starts tomorrow, but it was a lovely break. Have a great week, everyone!

Of Horses, Errant Staples, and a Country Vet

This evening while doing chores, Bobby noticed a cut on Pokey’s rump. On closer examination it was easy to see we needed stitches. Bobby found a staple where it shouldn’t have been which was evidently the culprit.

We are blessed here with a good country vet- you know, all the James Herriot stories?

I called and explained our problem. His response was, ‘Oh Lordy, we’ll have to sew that up.” He came as soon as he could and spent about an hour sewing some muscle and lots of skin. I didn’t watch – but I got a few pictures.

Pie!

Last week I made pie crusts from great-aunt Grace Pierce’s recipe. They turned out very nicely, though not as amazing as I’ve heard Aunt Grace’s are. She says she mostly goes by feel; I guess I have to learn better what it should feel like.

This is an egg custard pie- a favorite breakfast pie of mine. Bobby, Caroline and Mama also really like it, but Daddy and Elsie don’t, so those of us who like it each get a quarter.

This is a piece of sweet potato pie, my first attempt. It was amazing!

I used the last crust to make a mixed berry pie for church. I didn’t get any of it, but I was told it was good. We didn’t bring any home, which is a definite compliment.

Enjoy!

~Janna

Flu Season Fix

Here in the Little House we are getting very tired of illness. Well, to be fair, those at the Big House are tired of it too. Someone has been sick there ever since Christmas – sometimes the same person will come down two or three times in a row with a cold. It seems endless!

Davy had a day of fever, and was just getting over the lingering runny nose and cough, when he got feverish again. It was very strange to have him so quiet on the sofa all day. He didn’t fuss much, or want to do anything. I would ask him if he wanted me to read to him or something, and he always said, “No, I just resting,” in a resigned little voice.

Thankfully he is feeling better and acting normally again…just in time for Betsy to start coughing.

Definitely time to try to beat this thing. Grandma told me how she makes elderberry syrup for the flu season, and I knew I had to try it. I can’t take much vitamin C without bringing on nosebleeds, but Echinacea and elderberry tinctures and syrups have always worked very well for me – every time I feel the slightest symptoms of a cold coming on, I dose up, and as a result almost never get sick anymore. But buying those things is expensive!

We had to stay home from church on Sunday, so we listened to a sermon by Voddie Baucham instead.

I’ll probably still purchase echinacea tincture, but I can make my own elderberry syrup at a fraction of the cost. I bought a 1 lb. bag of dried elderberries on Amazon, and this is the result. I have at least another 2 batches worth of berries left! I read that if you stock up in the summer you can get the dried berries for a lot less, but even still I think it’s pretty cheap, especially if it works. For around $15 I should have enough to last us through the winter or longer – plus I can sweeten it to my taste (i.e., not very much).

For my first batch I boiled 1 cup of elderberries, 5 cups of water, 2 cinnamon sticks, and 14 cloves together, and simmered it for about an hour. It reduced quite a bit. Then I strained it into the jar, and added honey to taste.

I kept a little bit out and sweetened it slightly with maple syrup so I can give it to Betsy if necessary.

The taste is not unpleasant, and I can tweak it next time if I want to. Next time I will cut down on the spices. I read of one recipe that also added dried orange peel to the mixture, which sounds delicious.

It didn’t get very syrupy, so it’s a thin consistency, but that’s not a big deal to me. Despite all the reduction, I still got a good pint’s worth out of just a fraction of the bag. I put the rest of the berries in the freezer and know I can make another batch any time. Just a little research on how expensive a pint of purchased elderberry syrup would be, shows how cost effective this is! I keep the jars in the fridge, and happily dole out spoonfuls to myself and my family.

The dried berries are tiny!

Hopefully this will help us beat this bug, and keep healthy the rest of the winter! I’m just enjoying how easy and inexpensive it is to have my fridge well stocked.