Summer Evening Reverie
Summer evenings make some of the most nostalgic memories. We’ve been soaking up the evening play time, when the heat has relented a little, bedtime is still an hour or two away, and the light starts looking magical. The kids love it… At least, I think they do. Sometimes I wonder about the littlest. But they all seem to enjoy themselves, in their own ways… even with no specifically planned activities. Like sharing a summertime drink... Read More
Annie Had Her Baby…Shower!
Last Saturday we threw a “Bee My Baby” Shower for Annie! She plans to use Burt’s Bees Baby products for her little boy, so we had fun planning a bee theme, with some daisies thrown in for good measure. (Click any image to view it larger. Click here to view my bee baby shower idea collection on Pinterest with links to ideas and places to buy supplies.) I had just moved, so lots of people pitched in to help me pull this party together.... Read More
Preparing to Move
Last week my parents and one of my husband’s brothers came for several days to help me get a head start on packing. The guys would have liked more “manly” things to do, beyond changing the oil in the tractor and running errands, but they were good sports about how much I needed someone just to watch the kids so I could string two thoughts together and make thousands of little decisions. Building Lego cars to entertain kids is valuable... Read More
Another Blogging Break
A few months back, I took a blogging break when all six of my immediate family members got sick with a stomach virus. My sisters rose to the occasion and filled in for me. Wonderful things happened as a result, and now I’m ecstatic to be sharing this blog with three other family members! So I’ve decided to take another break, just to see what wonderful things might happen again! 🙂 Actually, that’s not the real reason. The real... Read More
The Trouble with Indoor Photography: Time to Start Shooting RAW?
My oldest daughter is like I was as a child in one particular way: She has a somber, pensive personality. I’ve made it one of my primary goals in life to get her to laugh as often as possible. And it would be the icing on the cake if I could catch it on camera! The other evening the kids and I were lounging around on the bed, and I was probably occupied with folding laundry or something. It suddenly occurred to me that The Serious One was laughing... Read More
Of Felines and Phonics: Teaching Preschoolers to Read
My older daughter is enamored with cats lately. Here she is, below, with Aunt Annie’s remarkably patient cat: This is more than just a brief, passing phase. In the house, she crawls around looking for bowls of milk. When she takes a bath, she’s a catfish. When she gets hurt, she cries, “MeOW!” This is serious. I wasn’t worried until one day when she was “reading” her Bible to her little sister. She announced... Read More
Hey There, You with the Light in Your Eyes
I’ve taken a break from the photography section of the blog. I knew that was a mistake when I hit a long lull… I’ve decided to tuck the photography section into its own little corner (link in the lower right hand corner of the blog). Anyone interested can come peek in, and others who aren’t quite so obsessed with buttons and dials can feel free to pass it by. I don’t plan to feature many of the posts on the front page,... Read More
Bucket Lists and Checklists: Our Vacation
As promised, I have vacation pictures for you! I blew it on the book review, though. I’m slowly learning never to promise anything to anyone in April and May; they’re by far the busiest months of the year for my family. This vacation could be called “Checklists and Bucket Lists.” My husband’s parents have had, “Take the Family on a Cruise” on their bucket list, and this spring they got to check it off.... Read More
A Homeschool Preschool Schedule
I think that if I never had children, I might have flown through life by the seat of my pants, accomplishing things in bursts of energy followed by down times. God apparently thought it was a good idea to give me a child who is different from me. My oldest girl thrives on schedules. She stretches me as I try to serve her. We don’t follow a schedule every day. But even doing some of it every few days brings smiles to faces around here. I don’t... Read More
Patient Pansies
It happens every year during early spring. The temperatures temporarily soar up into the 70s and even 80s, and I spend a couple cheer-filled days outside, digging, tidying, and fighting the urge to plant tomatoes. Jack is NOT helping! These last couple of days have been a lovely mix of great joy, finally working on my OWN HOME, and horrible impatience, going crazy waiting to see what all plants I have. So far, peonies and lilacs have shown themselves,... Read More
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