Homemade Tortillas

In an effort to be frugal, I tried making my own tortillas.  They were very easy to make, just a little time consuming.  I used a recipe from Cooks.com (go here to get it!).

 Yes, we like bananas (and they are $0.50/lb this week!)

They came out a little thicker and more irregularly shaped than commercially prepared tortillas, but they tasted very good.  This would be a good recipe to make in bulk someday when I have some extra time (haha).

Thanks for visiting today!

Book Review: Tree in the Trail

Tree  in the Trail  by Holling Clancy Holling

This is a book scheduled for Ambleside Online Year 2.  We were supposed to start reading this in September, but our library only has one copy of it and there are several families on the Island using AO.  I put  in a request for it in August and finally got to pick it up last week.

The main constant character in the story is a cottonwood tree that "experiences" a lot of American history (although Canada is mentioned a few times!)  I found the story well written and highly enjoyable.  There are many illustrations, some in colour and some in black and white.  My children are really interested in what will happen next.  It is a simple yet accurate portrayal of history that is easy for children to grasp without being "twaddle".  This is an excellent book for elementary age students, but my husband and I enjoy it just as much as our kids do.  It would be a great book to read alongside or after reading Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  If you can't find it through your local library, it is also available on Amazon.

One reviewer on Amazon raised a concern about "mythology" in the book.  I was actually puzzled by this and went over the book again.  I guess what the reviewer was referring to was the Natives' religious practices and that they left gifts tied to the tree.  I didn't find this a problem, as it led to some good discussions.

Thanks for visiting today.  Linking up to the Hip Homeschool Hop.

The Gate of the Year

God Knows

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”

And he replied:

“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

So heart bestill:

What need our little life

Our human life to know,

If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife

Of things both high and low,

God hideth His intention.

God knows. His will

Is best. The stretch of years

Which wind ahead, so dim

To our imperfect vision,

Are clear to God. Our fears

Are premature; In Him,

All time hath full provision.

Then rest: until

God moves to lift the veil

From our impatient eyes,

When, as the sweeter features

Of Life’s stern face we hail,

Fair beyond all surmise

God’s thought around His creatures

Our mind shall fill.

-Minnie Louise Haskins