Moms' Back to Home School Night!

Dear Home School Moms!

Cannot believe in a couple weeks it will be time for us to begin homeschooling again?  Summer flies by sooo quickly!  We have had a great, fun-filled summer.  

Thinking ahead, it would be great to get Moms together for an encouraging outdoor gathering on our patio and/or garden and inspire and encourage one another.  Homeschoolers need all the support they can get, yes, me too :)  We can share what worked for us last year and get ideas of what to do differently this year.  So please join us!  Feel free to bring any curriculum that you really LOVE and would like to share with others :)

So please mark your calendars for Friday, August 29, 2014 at 6:30PM.  Please bring a dish to share, casual, appetizers, desserts, healthy munchies? :)  Herb dishes always go over well!!!  

We'll enjoy food, fellowship and devotion together to begin our school year with God's blessings.  Please email Kim at DecadentChocolate@gmail.com so we know how many to plan for.  It should be a lovely, inspiring evening!  Thank you and looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting many new ones :)  Feel free to bring a friend or those considering homeschooling.

May God's grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Kim

"Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body."  James 3:1-2

LEGOland at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens

Hi All!

Hoping your summer has been fulfilling and fun!  This past weekend we enjoyed company with my husband's sister's family.  The kids enjoyed seeing their cousin :)  Our time was spent at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens to see their LEGO display!  Wow, some were phenomenal!!  They larger than life displays are throughout the gardens, inside and out.  If you get a chance, you may want to check it out if you love LEGOs, flowers, etc…The exhibit runs until August 24th - ENJOY!!!

Also saw some great gardening ideas and some incredible plants!  Did you know there are some that smell like buttered popcorn or peanut butter?  YUM!!!

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,"  1 Timothy 2:5

Sea Salted Caramel Brownies!

In the Lucak Kitchen, we enjoy cooking and baking from scratch.  We enjoy making, sharing and eating most of our creations.  From hubby experimenting with combining recipes to the kids jumping in to help, there is usually something happening in the kitchen.  Their favorite is helping to make homemade waffles and cooking their own eggs.  There are herbs that are added to scrambled eggs and frittatas flying in and out of the oven.

Here is a fabulous recipe I thought I would share with you.  It is fast, easy and mouth watering.  Today we will be sharing a meal with friends for lunch and then more friends for dinner, so thought it would be a great opportunity to make these as they have been on my radar :)

INGREDIENTS

Brownies

• ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1¾ cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Caramel Sauce

1. Make your own homemade caramel sauce, or do what I did and use caramel sauce from a jar?
2. You may choose to add the caramel sauce to the batter as I did or drizzle on the top of the cooled brownies.  Experimenting, I actually did a little of both.  I poured the brownie batter in the pan and then added caramel sauce that I then swirled into the batter.  When they came out of the oven I drizzled some on top as well.

INSTRUCTIONS

Brownies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 12 baking dish with parchment paper or butter and flour.
2. Melt the butter and 1 cup of the semisweet chocolate chips in a medium bowl set over simmering water. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, vanilla and sugar.
4. Stir in the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
5. Once combined, add the unsweetened cocoa powder.
6. In a medium bowl, sift together ½ cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture.
7. Toss the remaining ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips in the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Add to the chocolate mixture.
8. Spread evenly in a prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.
9. Once cooled enough to handle, drizzle caramel over baked brownies.
10. Sprinkle sea salt over top, if desired.  (Remember salt brings out the flavor in all foods, even desserts and chocolate)!!!

I tasted them for you and YUMMMMM!!!!   They are sure to be a crowd pleaser at your next gathering ;)  I encourage you to invite someone to share a meal with you.  We have friends that we take turns hosting for family dinners.  It is so nice to receive and invite and such a blessing to invite others.  Give it a try!  You'll be glad you did.

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  1 Corinthians 10:31

Pioneer Days Program

Get ready to start your homeschool year with a Pioneer program!

PIONEER SCHOOL: A hands-on, experiential field trip designed to provide students an opportunity to touch, smell, feel and take part in life on the Ohio frontier in the 1830’s. Students will perform chores in an authentic 1813 log cabin, participate in a “blab” school lesson from 1834 and hand dip a candle to take home.  Workbooks provided. 

DATE:  Friday, August 22, 2014

TIME:  10AM - 12:30PM**
COST:  $5/person (each family please check in at the front desk for payment)

ADDRESS:  415 Riverside Dr, Painesville

Suggested Grades 2-5
Group Size:  60-70

** If you would like to make a FULL day, please see post "Fairport Harbor...."  We will be bringing a packed lunch to eat between the programs. 

To register your family, please email Kim at DecadentChocolate@gmail.com by August 16, 2014.  As always, if you need to cancel, kindly notify so we are respectful of others time.  Thank you!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."  James 1:2-3

Francais - Piano & More

This has been a year of foreign languages, from Italian to now French.  As we begin our French journey we think of all things French that are fabulous - beautiful language, lovely music, art, gardens, and delicious food.  Would you like to join us?

The kids have been taking piano lessons and at their most recent French lesson we learned a new song - "Sur le pont d'Avignon" (and a little dance)!  As soon as our teacher began singing it, our child said, "oh I play that on the piano" :)  We then spoke of Aloutte and our child asked to play it on the piano.  The French teacher enjoyed and was impressed that she has all the notes memorized.

We LOVE our French teacher, she just came back from France and even brought the kids a small token/souvenir.  She has been a blessing to know and really enjoys teaching us.

We would enjoy sharing French with others.  If your children know some French and would like to join us for:

• Meeting for “un peu de café ou le the et de conversation.”
• French food/cooking lessons
• Songs, games
• A visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art to see the French Collections!
• Field trips to sites of French interest.

please email Kim at DecadentChocolate@gmail.com with questions.  Planning on beginning in September or October.  Thank you!

Upcoming French holiday - Bastille Day, looking forward to learning/celebrating!!!

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."  Psalm 19:1

Children's Theater - PLAYHOUSE SQUARE

Playhouse Square has some wonderful shows for children for 2014/2015!  Please join us for the following:


Stella, Queen of the Snow
The story of two children as they spend the day playing in the snow.  The forest, snowballs, snow angels and the mysterious white stuff itself provide fuel for Sam's questions and Stella's answers as they discover the world of winter together.

First published in 2000, the book remains a favorite!

Features whimsical puppets, striking scenic effects and evocative original music.

DATE:  Friday, October 31, 2014

TIME:  10AM

Recommended GRADES:  Pre-K - 2

Please check out this Youtube video of the theater company putting the puppets and sets together:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULAFXt2Xvd8





The Ugly Duckling and the Tortoise & the Hare
(I have seen this group before - fantastic!!!)

DATE:  March 13, 2015

TIME:  Noon

Recommended GRADES:  K - 4




The Star Keeper

Theatre of images, shadows and light, the world of Pretzel is inhabited by comical, surprising and touching characters: a spider who tap dances in the theatre-belly of a man, a mermaid playing hard to get at a fish ball, a family of picnicking seahorses, a temperamental baby and a dignified lady who is very, very old…

Universal theatre without words and without borders, The Star Keeper is immersed in the magical universe of children's dreams. The puppets, music, scenography and special effects create a delicate and poetic language which tells the story of the initiatory quest of Pretzel and his shining star.

DATE:  Friday, May 8, 2015

TIME:  10AM

Recommended GRADES:  K & Up


**  With a group of 10 or more for each performance tickets are ONLY $5 each if ordered before September 30, 2014.  Please send order/check to Kim Lucak by September 18, 2014.  Please email Kim at DecadentChocolate@gmail.com for address :)  Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you do not think you will see me before SHOWTIME!!!

PLEASE NOTE:  Playhouse Square does not allow any children under the age of 2 in the auditorium.

"And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”"  Luke 10:27