At least two mornings the big boys got notions of decorating their vehicles. I don't remember the specifics of the plans, but it involved copious amounts of masking tape and lined notebook paper. They spent well over an hour on their machines thus forcing a delay to the start of school.
But it was all good. They were happy; I managed to clean and putter a bit; and we still got our book learnin' in for the day.
When we finally got around to it, we concentrated our study on Appalachia, and Doug so helpfully pointed out that it was not a country. Really? Glad I finally know that. We read Lauren Mills' The Rag Coat along with several Appalachian books by Cynthia Rylant.
Andrew (left) and Stephen (right) created their own quilt squares ("Joseph's Coat of Many Colors")
while Matthew made a crazy quilt (I thought that was rather appropriate considering his personality).
The boys were quite taken with the idea of coal mines, dynamite, and tools. To further their educational experience, I simultaneously quilted and serenaded them with "Workin' in the Coal Mines" and "16 Tons" while they dug in their own mines in the backyard. Stephen even turned a race car into a canary (which died, of course).
It was too hot for pinto beans and we were plum outta okra, but I whipped up a skillet of Bill Bailey Cornbread. I admit that I am rather a cornbread snob which I blame entirely on my parents. My dad hates dry cornbread and my mom is a great cook who always made this moist recipe. And surprisingly, even with our dairy & eggless substitutions (like homemade tofu yogurt), it is still delicious.
Bill Bailey Cornbread
1 c. self-rising corn meal (I prefer yellow)
8 oz. plain yogurt
8 oz. cream style corn (real corn in cornbread!)
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
dash of salt
1 T. sugar (Doug's addition)
Combine all ingredients. Bake in a 9" cast iron skillet for 45 minutes.
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