The Wonderful Soup Stone

And I swear you could taste the chicken and tomatoes, 
And the noodles and the marrow bone. 

Have you ever had stone soup? If you haven't, well, you're missing out! The recipe is quite simple!

A while back I was lucky enough to have some of the Littles over for the week. They hiked around the mountain, examined all the new trees, played at the ranch and just had fun.

One day I asked them if they wanted to make Stone Soup. I got a look that said, “Mamye has really lost her mind. Doesn’t she know a stone is a rock? You can’t make soup out of rocks!” I sent them outside to each find a good ‘stone’.

“Stone Soup” is an old folk tale. I remember hearing it in second grade. Throughout the years there have been many variations. Basically, it goes like this. A traveler was making his way through a village one day. He was tired and hungry. He started a fire and got ready to set up camp for the night. He pulled out a pot that he filled with water. Then, he added a clean stone that he’d taken from his pocket to the pot. . Finally one of the villagers came over to see what he was doing. He told the villager he was making stone soup. The curious villager questioned him and he said it would taste better if there was a little cabbage to add. So the villager found some cabbage to add. This continued with the curious villagers asking about the soup and the clever traveler suggesting ingredients to add that would make the soup better. Soon he had an aromatic, tasty soup that he shared with the villagers. When everyone had their fill he gifted the stone to the villagers so that they could make stone soup long after he was gone.

The kids came in, each with a ‘stone’ in hand. I washed and scrubbed them until I was sure there wasn’t anything foreign and filled a pot with water. I put all of them in the pot and turned on the burner.

Clean stones to start the soup!

They went off, doing what they do, and I snuck some beef bouillon into the pot so there would be some flavor when they sampled their concoction.

After a bit of hesitation, making sure they weren’t eating dirt, they each tasted the broth. Because of the bullion, it had a nice taste. They approved.

Next we proceeded to see what would make it better. We loaded the pot with extra vegetables, some pasta, some tomato juice and even some meat that was leftover from another meal. The fun thing was I let them pick what to add.

The kids loved it! We all had a lot of fun. And they got to take their ‘stones’ home so they could do it again!

The verdict? Yummy!!

But it really wasn't nothing but some water and potatoes, 
And the wonderful wonderful soup stone. 

The kids were impressed with the Stone Soup we made. As soon as possible, Caleb went to the school library and checked out the book!

Is he checking to see if I told the story correctly?

Not to be outdone, Belle checked out a copy the next day!

Whatever it takes to make them read!

Little did their mom know that she would soon get to join in the fun! Guess what they wanted for supper? Right. They made Stone Soup!

Stone soup at home!

It’s good to know they will remember the time we all made Stone Soup with Mamye and Pap. It’s great to know that together we made a memory.

Just add a little love to the wonderful soup stone, 
And everything will be alright.
Oh, the wonderful wonderful soup stone...

Holiday

Before I run far away 

I need to take a holiday.  

Maybe it's a fall from grace, 

I gotta find a new place... 

It was spring break, and because both my husband and I are employed in the field of education, we got a vacation. For the first time, my office actually closed. In the past, I took vacation to be off when my kids were. And for once my husband also had the full week off. Usually, his staff, even though the entire school is closed, is on duty for a few days. This year too, which isn’t always the norm, 80% or so of the state had the same week off for their spring break. The kids are grown and gone but that meant Evan didn’t have to go to school either!

So we loaded the truck, and with a startling resemblance to the Beverly Hillbillies, except for the rocking chair on top, headed out. I know you’re probably thinking I’ve exaggerated when I said we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies. But I assure you, I wasn’t kidding! We were already packed, with me and everything else in the back seat, because it was looking a bit rainy and the truck is, well, a truck, so anything outside might get wet, and an extra passenger. All was snug and we hadn’t yet added two car-seats, at least two more suitcases, assorted necessities, like toys, cookies, pillows, blankets, and of course, three littles. We stopped to gather them and finally, with ‘stuff’ piled in every possible place, everyone strapped in, three in front and three in back, we were really off. It was cozy. Let the break (?) begin!

And they loaded up the truck...

The trip to the mountain house in New Mexico, from our house in Texas, is about 300 miles. It takes about six hours and that’s with very few detours. We only stopped to drop our extra passenger off where everybody refreshed and we were on the road again. The littles are fairly good travelers. You learn to be when you live out here in the middle of nowhere.

I’m not sure what time we got to the house but it was snowing. Not just a little, either. It was really snowing. We unloaded and Alan went down the hill for supplies. One thing about the location of the mountain house; if the weather is bad there’s a really big possibility after going down you won’t be able to get back up the mountain. That is, if you can get down! Slipping and sliding, he made it down and back. I put some soup on and we settled in for the night.

Me in the snow

About 7 inches of snow.

What a view!

Pork 'n Bean soup...recipe on Family Flavorites Tab

The snow was beautiful. There was about 7 inches at the house. We made snow ice-cream the next day. The kids were going to make a snowman but it was really too cold! They went out and looked around then came back in for hot chocolate. I found a blanket, a book, and some knitting, and settled in on the couch! I was reading Mary Higgins Clark, “I’ll Walk Alone”. It deals with identity theft and kept me interested from the start until the end. By late afternoon the roads were clear enough to wander around and the temperature was starting to rise.

Reading and knitting...Mary Higgins Clark...one of my favorite authors.

I had a birthday while we were there. Alan made me a cake. He baked it in a 9x9 square pan. I asked if he knew there was a 9x13 pan. I asked if he followed the high altitude directions. I got a blank stare so I guessed he didn’t! He and the kids took me to eat then we came back to the house for cake. I had a little help with the candles!

The birthday cake!

We had a good time, relaxing and just taking it easy. It’s nice to be away from the everyday stress of life!

Where's the snow?

Where the deer and the antelope play...

A new start 

I've broken too many hearts 

And I don't have any clue where to go 

I don't know 

But maybe I'll be back someday after my holiday 

I saw a cool thing on Pinterest. It was weaving on an old CD. I had a bunch so I gathered some yarn and took some CDs and the littles gave it a try. Evan really liked it. Belle could do it too and chanted, “Over, under, over, under” the whole time. Caleb did about two rounds and he was finished. He’d much rather play dinosaurs! But they turned out cute, don’t you think? Oh, and to show how behind I am...they didn't know what a CD was. It's a DVD Mamye!

Evan weaving...over, under, over, under

The little's projects! Here's more creative ideas!

A holiday.
I'll set off on a new chase.
I gotta see a new face.
I need to take a holiday...