Blog Posts

Motherlode

Sometimes it feels like I’m surrounded by mothers: Mom, step-mom, mother-in-law, grandmother, spiritual mentor-mothers, a sister who’s a mom, a multitude of magnificent mommy friends… Mothers make the world go

April Birthday Parade

Birthday season’s officially upon us! In our household, April heralds the start of our fast-yet-furious birthday parade… …Beginning with my dad’s, which we celebrated at Top Golf, a new favorite

Holy Week

Happy Easter! He is risen! This Holy Week we’ve been thinking about Jesus’ sacrifice and gift of life– good golly we’re grateful for our Lord and Savior. Good Friday we

Goin’ to the Chapel

I think it’s been a decade since I attended a wedding. As Husband & I are just about to ring in our 18th wedding anniversary (!!!), the flux of nuptial

Party of Five

We’ve just mailed off our final post-placement adoption report to our agency and China. Five years ago we became a family of five. Accompanying a thorough update on Little Man’s growth,

Twitterpated

Spring has arrived in the Willamette Valley. Everywhere I turn birds are chirping, trees are flowering, and dormant bulbs are emerging to blossom triumphant. The kids are spending more hours

The 80’s

My sweet grandma turned 80 years young today. Family gathered to celebrate, and our kiddos debuted an original movie they filmed in honor of her beautiful life. It was a

Palentine’s

We must be surrounded by hopeless romantics because we are presently awash in Valentines. My mom and stepmom each delivered goodies, and today we’ll sport pink and red and pass

Noel

Merry Christmas from me & mine to you & yours. We’re grateful to have been able to celebrate the birth of our Savior, God’s redemption in the form of a

Giving Thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. -1 Chronicles 16:34 “… set apart the last Thursday of November next as a day of Thanksgiving

Patchwork

Often the very best traditions are the ones that manifest organically; that simply spring forth year after year, nearly forgotten, like daffodil bulbs. I’d wager my kids actually prefer customs that require

Lifesavers

The following are ten random, tangible blessings that are keeping me afloat lately; though this list is certainly not exhaustive… 1. Two words: Creamer frother. The most unassuming little gizmo

Fall Y’all

We’re having an unseasonably warm and wonderous fall. A born and bred Oregonian, I actually adore romantic, gloomy gray days sprinkled with intermittent rain-showers, but even the most passionate pluviophile

Homeschool, Inc.

We’re in the midst of another busy week of homeschool, pinballing around our city betwixt activities– curricular and extra. Often we tote our studies along, ala carte, including our latest read-aloud:

For Gramps

I hit the Grandpa jackpot. My grandfather’s an honest, patient, even-keeled man. A stoic, hard-working son of Depression-era farmers, he’s the unwavering, unglitzy foundation of my extended family. throwbacks It’s a

She Has Decided

Today was pretty much the best day ever, because Firstborn decided to make public and official her saving faith in Jesus by being baptized. Husband pushed back with written questions to

Summer Term

Learnin’ needn’t cease entirely simply because of the tilt & rotation of the earth ’round the sun. I find it easier to keep some educational momentum going with our homeschool studies by following

Facing Fears

Our close friends moor their boat in the same lake where my Great-Grandfather drowned, years ago, on opening day of fishing season. Our daughters’ favorite new friend tragically drowned in

Dad Life

This week’s What to Read Wednesday’s all about Dad-Life– but seeing as how today’s also our resident mermaid’s eleventh birthday, imma make this brief. (BRB w/party pics, obvi) Everyone knows I’m

Theatre Troupe

Firstborn seems to have received a generous helping of dramatic flair at birth; she’s a natural thespian, an undying lover of the theatre arts. She’s learning that being a true champion

Fixer-Upper House-iversary

It’s officially been a year since we closed on the purchase of our 1970’s fixer-upper… time flies when you’re swinging a hammer and rolling paint! Before: After: We never set out to

Mayday, Mayday

May’s proving nearly as full a month for our household as April was– in addition to our regular activities we enjoy celebrating whatever simple, minor holidays dot the calendar and incorporating them

Village People

This silly meme is going viral in homeschooling circles: Frankly, I don’t get it… I love my village. And who doesn’t love The Village People?!* Last week alone we had two

Geek Squad

Handsome Husband turned a year older this week. The kids and I were delighted to celebrate the guy who keeps all the plates of this family spinning, who quells the crazy with

Oscar the Grouch

Warning! File this under the label: Topics Devoid of Even the Slightest Semblance of Eternal Significance, and brace your haughty eyes. I love the Oscars. With mere minutes until the ceremony