Trimming Roses (But Yet, Not Boring)

It was necessity that forced me to trim our absurdly overgrown roses this year. Drew is painting the house, and if I want him to paint the washhouse also, I was going to have to trim the rose bush that had literally overtaken the entire south side of the shed. Thank goodness roses like to be trimmed. This is like going into the barber for a trim and coming home with a buzz-cut. Sorry... 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... Read More

Windows of the Soul

Last week I was away from home, house-hunting. I have a bit of catching up to do and some thoughts to record, so you get two posts from me this week (second post is coming). Thanks, as always, for reading… I live among scrub oak, short pines, and rock on the side of a mountain at 7250 feet. I know that the people who have lived here all their lives couldn’t be torn... Read More

A Hike Through Sonoran Desert Flowers

Missed you all the last couple of weeks! Our family has been on vacation, and away from cell phones and computers, so I’ve had no contact at all with the blog. We live right by a mountain park in Phoenix, and I regularly hike the trails there. This is supposed to be wildflower season for us, and I thought I’d take my camera out and get a bunch of pictures. But with... Read More

Baby Cows, New House

Hi all! Debbie and Annie posting together from the Midwest 🙂 this week. Annie is temporarily without internet, and Debbie is temporarily without her computer setup, so we’re combining Gerber Gardens and Wolfe Wednesdays for one big happy Wednesday evening post! Mom, Debbie, Annie (and baby Gerber), and the kids all went to the city today for Wolfe house-hunting. We may have... 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... Read More

Gearing Up for A One-Year Homeschooling Trial

Most endeavors – even the most fun ones – hit a lull at some point. I hit one recently with my section of the blog. I can’t describe how much I’ve loved “meeting” with friends and family each week to talk photography, kid antics, and even the occasional identity crisis. 🙂 This has brought some positive things to our home, and I’m thankful... Read More

An Aunt's Duty

This is Debbie posting this Saturday. It is a well-known fact that part of one’s duty in becoming an aunt is to take lots of photos of nieces and nephews! This also applies to grandparents and, I’m sure, many other relationships. Proper etiquette in this area can be a little confusing. 😉 But I figure if I stay behind the camera and take lots of pictures, I’ll... Read More

New Seedling Growth and House Painting Preparation

These last few days have been a frenzy. Friday was my last day of work and when I officially moved permanently to my new home. Saturday, I spent unpacking while my husband power-washed the house to prep it for painting. The power-washer is a fantastic time saver since it saved us from scraping by hand (yuck!), but the finished product is hideous! I’m so glad these are the... Read More

The List: A "Typical" Homeschool Morning

Each morning, I hand each of my kids a clipboard with a list attached to it. This list, folks, is a pipe-dream, a wild hope that they can manage to get through all of their assignments before 4:00. It rarely happens. But, after seven years of homeschooling, I still hope. And, after most-of-their-lives of homeschooling, they still react with shock and dismay to The List. Our... Read More