November in Alabama…you’re blowing my mind. We had a taste of you two years ago, when we camped in the bus for the month of November. With your endless days of sun and gentle warmth, I felt like I won a vacation to a tropical location. This year we came by you honestly–we survived June,…
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When Your Art Feels “Ridiculous”
The other day Jesse came up to me with a solemn expression and made this confession: “Mom, sometimes when I’m in the bathroom by myself, I make up little songs but then I say ‘That’s ridiculous!’ to myself. And I stop.” Because this boy lives in a home that values creativity and celebrates all artistic…
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Harvest Season (a pictoral update)
I have so few words this week. Mostly pictures. We are working like crazy to be good stewards of the bountiful fruit harvest God blessed us with this year. The branches in the orchard are literally snapping under the weight of our largest harvest yet. We’ve been blessed by friends willing to come labor with…
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Jesse’s First Pet {in which we make sourdough starter}
When I decided to make our new sourdough experiment Jesse’s responsibility, I told him it would be like having a pet: he would have to feed and water it night and day. It would be good practice for the dog he dreams of. He was all for it. First he ground some flour. This is…
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Tinsel, Truth, and a Real Live Manger {How the Kids are Celebrating Advent}
I’m in the mood to give y’all a glimpse of how we’re celebrating Christmas around here with a 2, 4, and 6 year old. Do you mind? Great…here we go. Our new tradition this year is doing the Truth in the Tinsel Advent activity eBook. (affliate link–woot!) The kids adore their daily Christmas craft, and…
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Anyways, what IS the best feeling in the world?
His almost-6-year-old questions can be so random. And deep. Sometimes I laugh. Sometimes I’m left breathless and with no answers. Sometimes his questions lead me to answers I’d forgotten… “Mom? Is dirt in the same f’lamily as sand?” “Mom? Why do we call it ‘sewage’? “Anyways, what IS the best feeling in the world?” This…
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The Art of The Family Portrait
First, find a nice background and gather a few props. Insert human into frame to get the focus and settings right. Summon more humans. Encourage young humans to smile at small, flashing light… …then wait, and wait, and wait for self timer to work… Holden Family, May 2012 Jeremy, Trina, Jesse (5 1/2), Claire (3…
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While We Wait for Life to ‘Load’
I watch the blue, pixel stream surge along its banks as my email loads, and remember the days of dial up. Back then I’d set the computer to do a task and go off and busy myself so I didn’t waste precious moments waiting for the page to load. Sometimes it was 3 paragraphs in…
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In which we enjoy our spring bike rides…with a side of milk
I did a crazy thing the other day. We were just getting the bikes hooked up for a family bike ride, when I remembered we were out of milk. I looked at the clock–there wouldn’t be time to fetch it before a ride, nor after. We would have to do both simultaneously. Jeremy gave me…
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Little Listening Ears
One day my boy came downstairs and announced, “Mom! God talked to me!” I was terribly excited. “Really! What did He say?” “He just said ‘Jesse! Jesse! Jesse!’ over and over.” I could tell he was a bit confused, if not discouraged. I sent up a flaire-prayer for wisdom and received sudden inspiration. I stepped…
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A Dinosaur and “Pat”
Today he read his first solo word, “Pat”. With a single glance, he belted it out. A channel has opened and the water will never run the old route again. I wanted him to remember this moment as I fondly remember the day I read my first word, so I squealed and cheered until my…
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The Most Memorable Moment of Relevant11
I’ve just got back from a weekend in Harrisburg, PA, attending the Christian Women’s Blogging Conference, Relevant. It will take months to process and recount to you all the beauty, inspiration, and practical insight I received from this conference, but I simply can’t wait to share with you the Most Memorable Moment I exeprienced. No…
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On Top Of the World
Six Years ago today, Jeremy and I tied the knot… (no, I did not scrape my name into the seat of the ferris wheel with my diamond – I just found my name and posed next to it!) These photos of our family riding a ferris wheel last month aptly describe how…
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Letters From Home, Volume 1
Letters from Home is my new format to stay personally connected with my readers even as I endeavor to fulfill my vision of maturing my blog into a resource for a growing audience. So, whenever I have home news to share, I’ll do it under that heading, kind of like the letters I wrote my…
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Of Pancake Zoos and Native Accomidations
Our road trip last month was another chance to relive some fond memories and experiences from the homestead. Considering the bus’ difficulty keeping us cool at times, we cooked outside as much as possible. Thankfully, I don’t mind cooking over an open fire. Apparently, neither does my father-in-law. His specialty is shaped pancakes, which thrills…
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Go jump in a lake!
If it seems a bit quiet on the blog, it’s ’cause we’re out on the lake and you can’t hear us yelling from where you are!We’ve gone into summertime mode – making the most out of the few weeks out of the year that the lakes are actually warm enough to swim in – Whoop!…
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