Saturday, November 23, 2013

Homemade Fudge

As those of you who read my blog know, two of my children have participated in a cooking class with their 4H club.  One of the recipes they made was fudge.  It was absolutely delicious, like sinfully so.  :-)  This recipe is from the 4H Amazing Rays book A.

Ingredients
1 pound powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Prepare an 8x8x2 baking pan by reasing the bottom and sides with butter or margarine

If you have a sifter, sift the powdered sugar and cocoa.  If you do not have a sifter, pour them each into separate bowls and gently work out all large lumps with a fork or spoon.  Set bowls aside.





Put the 1/2 cup butter or margarine in a 2-quart microwavable bowl and heat on Medium (50%) for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted.

Add powdered sugar and cocoa mixture, and evaporated milk

Cook on High (100%) for 2 minutes or until warm and mixture becomes thin.  Half way through the cooking time, stop microwave and rotate dish if your microwave does not have a turntable.



Add vanilla and chopped nuts.  Stir until well mixed.

Pour mixture into buttered baking pan.  use a wooden spoon or spatula to spread mixture until it is even.

Chill in the refrigerator until it becomes firm.  Then cut into squares.  Enjoy!  We did!  :-)



Linking up with the Gathering SpotKids in the Kitchen, Tasty TuesdayTempt my Tummy TuesdayDomestically Divine Tuesday, Raising Mighty Arrows,Addicted to RecipesHomemaking Wednesdays, Living Well Wednesday,NOBH, Judy H-J's ThoughtsWisdom Wednesday , Favorite ThingsModest MomFull Plate Thursday and Melt in your Mouth Monday and Show Off Friday and Tuesday's Table and Look What We Did and Titus 2sday Mom's Monday MingleMonday MingleCrafty SpicesBetter Mom,Create with JoyThursday's TreasuresTasty Thursdays and Wonderful Food Wednesday and Mondays with Countrified Hicks and Tuesday How to Party and the Tried and True Recipe Party and Kids and Mom in the Kitchen and Family Fun Friday and Clever Chicks Blog Hop andAll My Bloggy Friends and Hearts for Home Blog Hop and Foodie Friends Friday and Family Fun Friday and TGIF Linky Party and Food on Friday andHip Homeschool MomsA Wise Woman Builds Her Home andGood Tastes Tuesday and Thriving Thursday and Friday Flash Blog Hop 

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Friday, November 22, 2013

Homeschool Mother's Journal/Weekly Wrap-Up November 23



First and foremost, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your wonderful support during the Homeschool Mom Blog Awards.  I am humbled and am very grateful that your votes helped me to win in the Best Homemaking/Recipes category.  All of the blogs nominated are amazing and I am privileged that mine was included among such company.

Now to all of the happenings in the Home to 4 Kiddos this past week....

On Saturday, two of the kiddos participated in another session of cooking with their 4H group. They made lasagna and fudge!  I'm sure glad that the parents get to have a sample, too!  lol.  :-)



You can see photos of their delicious finished products here.

On Monday, the kiddos all worked together and made a 3D replica of Jamestown.  We just love hands-on projects.





When they were deciding the colors for the model, we looked at the photos we took while we were in Jamestown as a reference. (you have to love awesome field trips!)


Didn't it come out great?  :-)

The last week or so, I have been teaching myself to knit with the help of lots of youtube videos.  My daughter has expressed an interest in doing knitting with 4H, so I thought it best to learn so I can help her when needed.  My very first project was a hat for her pigie.  :-)


The kiddos also worked on their Italian assignments that the teacher gives them via Quia.

These two photos are from a heated Italian Jeopardy game.

Here Kiddo #4 is basking in the fact that she won Italian words Hangman.

We also had a trip to our library, which we always enjoy.

Yes, I even take my camera to the library.  :-)



Wednesday night, Kiddo #1 surprised us all with dinner.  He made biscuit pizzas.  They were really good.  We actually liked them more than regular pizza.


We ended the evening with canning some cinnamon apples.




What we are looking forward to this coming week:
4H Cooking class on Saturday
Visit to Hershey, PA
Kiddo #4's 10th birthday!
Thanksgiving

My blog posts this week:
Blarney Stone Bread
Try a New Recipe Tuesday
Top 10 Review Items This Year
Cooking Fun
Hearts for Home Blog Hop
Field Trip Friday

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!  God bless!

Linking up today with:  Homeschool Mother's JournalWeekly Wrap-UpNOBHShow-Off FridayLearn and Link and It's a WrapFriendship Friday and Friday Connection and Family Fun Friday and T.G.I.F. Linky Party and Let's Homeschool High School and This Week

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Field Trip Friday- November 22

It is time again for Field Trip Friday!  I love seeing all of the wonderful places that you visit with your families.  :-)  I am happy to be joining Jen at Chestnut Grove Academy for her wonderful linkup



Here is your chance to share about special outings with your family.




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Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Hearts for Home Blog Hop- November 21

Welcome to the Hearts for Home Blog Hop!  I am thrilled to be a co-host with 20+ other awesome bloggers.  :-)

This week's most clicked on post was:







My three features this week (they were all wonderful!) are:






Were you featured this week?  If so, congratulations and help yourself to one of our "I was featured" buttons to display on your blog: 



Hearts for Home Blog Hop
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.upsidedownhomeschooling.com/hearts-for-home/" title="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r505/upsidedownhomeschool/HFHFeature_zpse5060e68.jpg" alt="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>



 Are you ready to share your posts this week?  Let's go!  Use the form below to enter your links.  Posts can be anything that shows your heart is for your home: homeschooling, homemaking, parenting, marriage, faith, family, crafts, etc.  Please just kindly link back to this blog or display our Hearts for Home button in your post or on your sidebar.



Hearts for Home Blog Hop
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.upsidedownhomeschooling.com/hearts-for-home/" title="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r505/upsidedownhomeschool/HFH150_zpsf22ef64f.jpg" alt="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>



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Cooking Fun

Last Saturday, two of the kiddos participated in a 4H program called "Microwave Cooking."  They made lasagana and chocolate fudge.  And, the class was taught by a dear friend.  Good food, good friendship.  How can you go wrong?  The kiddos had an awesome time and are already telling us about how they are going to make this for us at home.  :-)






We are looking forward to spaghetti and apple crisp next week!  :-)

Linking up with: Judy H-J's ThoughtsMama to 4 BlessingsCreate with JoyNOBHMusings from a Stay at Home MomTina's Wordless Wednesday,Judy @ CoffeeJitters and Wordless Wednesday at Wordless and  Living Well WednesdayModest Mom Homemaking Wednesdays and Crafty SpicesLook What We Did and Do Small Things With Love and Wordless Wednesday Bloggers and A Sorta Fairytale and Friday Flash Blog Hop

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Top 10 Crew Review Items This Year

As you know, I was a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew this past year and got to review curriculum, books, online programs and more.  I am also glad to announce that I was selected to be on the Crew in 2014, as well!  :-)

The Crew members all voted on their favorites and the vendors are receiving Blue Ribbon Awards in many different categories.


I decided to do "voting" of our own here at the Home to 4 Kiddos and asked my children what, out of the 40 items we reviewed for the Crew this year, were their favorites.  :-)

After not much deliberation, lol, they named the following (with some input from mom):

1) Apologia Zoology 1


2) Apologia Chemistry and Physics


3) In the Hands of a Child
4) Papa's Pearls (I added this one!)
5) Making a Picaboo Yearbook (We LOVED making this!)


6) Supercharged Science


7) Reading Kingdom
8) Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder
9) Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns


10) Top Story Magazine





To see how our favorites stacked up with the Blue Ribbon winners, click here.


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Monday, November 18, 2013

Try a New Recipe Tuesday- November 19

It is (almost) Tuesday again and that means it is time for Try a New Recipe Tuesday!  I look forward to seeing what delicious recipes you will share this week!

We baked a bread called "Blarney Stone Bread" a few days ago.  I got the recipe from dear friends.  It was delicious.  You can find it linked up in the number one spot below.  :-)

Here are today's features:






Today is the last day to vote for Home to 4 Kiddos in the Homeschool Mom Blog Awards.  I would VERY much appreciate your support in the two categories in which we were nominated- Best Homemaking/Recipes and Best Super Homeschooler.  You can vote on each of your devices!  
:-)

You just have to click on the circle to the left of Home to 4 Kiddos and then click on vote.  If you don't click on vote, it won't count.

Thank you SO VERY MUCH!  Here are the links:
www.hsbapost.com/best-homemaking-andor-recipes-blog-2013/
and
www.hsbapost.com/best-super-homeschooler-2013/






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