Prairie Oak Homestead

I revamped a lot of Hunter's home school . We were using SOS for the full curriculum and I just wasn't happy with it. The History, Science, and Language went WAY too fast. They packed so much in that he'd only learn about one topic a day and then jump right to the next one. Ugh! So I got to looking and found a great site called Old Fashioned Education. It's based on 19 th century education. Very interesting. I was looking into Sonlight at first because my son is a wonderful reader and has a high comprehension level. But, Sonlight was WAY too expensive for us. OFE is a great alternative to that. It's literature based. You download the books for free and can print them out. Now I didn't want to use so much ink, so I ordered most all of them from Amazon. I didn't want to get the books from the library because I wasn't sure if they would carry them or not (most books are out of print) and I don't have a library card and I would have to p...

It's a very foggy morning here in central Illinois. My husband and son were going to go dove hunting, but I don't think they can. Maybe they can target shoot later if the fog lifts. I'm in desperate need of getting the house ready for winter. It's just not where I want it. There is so much to do and I haven't been well enough to do it. :( I'm feeling stronger today, so I think I will try to tackle some of it. I need to make laundry soap today and get some laundry done and then switch out the summer/winter clothes. The clutter needs cleaned up and the floors need mopped. The bathroom needs a good cleaning! Why can't boys ever hit the target?! Ugh. Maybe I should start sending them out back! LOL. We have a cookout to go to tonight and I think I'll take some gluten free brownies. They always taste like the original and so yummy. I revamped some of Hunter's homeschooling...more on that later. :) Right now, my tummy's grumbling. I'd ...

One of my very favorite things about fall are caramel apples! They are just sooo good. We have a store in town called Del's Popcorn Shop. They make the BEST popcorn and caramel apples. I treated myself to one today. Oh boy. Wow. Oh man. *wipes drool off lip* Sooooo good! The next best thing is pumpkin pie. :) There's only one problem right now. ALL of our stores are OUT of pumpkin!! WHY?! lol. I guess I'll just have to settle for an apple pie. :) Actually, I was going to make a Cast Iron Skillet Apple Cake. Tasty! This recipe comes from www.thepioneerwoman.com. You should check it out. :) It's just overall a great time of year! Looking forward to a lot of good ole homecooked pies and cakes!

It's the simple pleasures in life that mean so much. Enjoying a fire, listening to the leaves rustle, enjoying the sunshine, the smell of laundry dried on the line, collecting your own eggs, the beauty of fall, the smell of apple pie, the smell of oak burning in the woodstove, cuddling under a blanket with the one you love during a cool evening... All these things I love. I love my life being simple and not hurried. I watch people hurry and scurry and rush by and wonder if they enjoy that. Have they lost something in that hustle and bustle? They are missing a wonderful piece of life. I'm sure some thrive on that, but I think most if given a choice, would rather slow down and enjoy the simplicity of life. I don't like fancy things or an elaborate home. I like simple things and a simple, cozy, homestead home. I praise God He put that in my heart as a very young girl. I've ALWAYS wanted a simple, slow life. :) Enjoying the beauty and smells of the country and a c...

I just had to post this picture of our kitten we kept from the litter that was born 6 weeks ago. My son, Hunter, took this. He did a really good job! :) She is a cutie for sure!

This is really yummy! There is no crust so it's naturally gluten free. It has a topping to it that almost tastes lemony, but there is no lemon in it. :) Enjoy! Bottom 3/4 c sugar 2 pkg cream cheese softened 3 eggs Top 1 c sour cream 1 t vanilla 1/2 c sugar Preheat oven to 325. Mix bottom ingredients together until smooth. Pour into 8 x 8 pan. Bake for about 45 min and remove from oven. Let the center sink in. Mix topping together until smooth and pour on top of the baked bottom. Bake for another 10-15 min.