• What I learned in April

    I was reading the news the other morning and randomly, completely randomly, discovered that an article about a girl in Wausau who nailed a perfect score on the ACT was really a story about one of my favorite and most brilliant piano students ever, a little girl I loved teaching…

  • The Cousins Visit the Art Institute

    We were thrilled that the cousins, their parents, and Grandma Kathy came to spend the weekend with us!  It was a weekend jam packed  because the missions conference was taking place at church, Arrowhead Chorale rehearsals were proceeding as usual, Dr. Peds had to work one night,  and YaYa had…

  • Conversations: Concerning my Wardrobe

    This morning YaYa joined us for breakfast.  It was a special treat because she leaves for school later than the others, and often gets up late and makes her own breakfast because she doesn’t enjoy dealing with her siblings and especially her mother in the morning.  She was calmly sitting…

  • Quinoa Burgers

    The Banana and Dr. Peds made quinoa burgers last week.  I love that cooking quinoa burgers is something they enjoy doing together.  Last summer they researched and perfected a recipe for quinoa burgers to serve as an alternative protein source for our resident vegetarian when we cook hamburgers.  I’m not…

  • Water Balloons

    This week the weather is cold, wet and windy.  Last week the weather was warm and amazing.  In fact it was so ridiculously warm, it was almost hot.  We took out the outdoor furniture and hung up the hammock. The wind chimes are back on their hook, dangling in the…

  • AWANA Grand Prix Cars

    The Kidlets and especially Dr. Peds were have been busy building cars that zipped down the track at the AWANA Grand Prix on Saturday. The Banana built a kayak.  I loved it so much.  It was super fast considering it was a kayak and was carrying a somewhat clunky paddler…

  • Recent Conversations:

    The Banana had asked me the same question approximately seven times in less than 20 minutes. Me:  You are driving me to wits end!!!!! The Banana:  Yay!  We’re going to Wits End! She always has been the kidlet who wanted to go places.

  • In the Neighborhood: Maple Syrup Production

    With the warm up in temperature this week, the maple syrup season has ended, perhaps a little earlier than usual.  In the end though, it was still a long run for collecting sap, which started running much earlier in the year than normal.  In fact, our neighbor half way down…

  • Preschool Ambitions

    In Three Year Old Sunday School on Sunday we were talking about how God gives us different kinds of work to do.  We were making bookmarks with our kids.  They glued a Bible verse on the back of the bookmark, and on the front it said “When I grow up…

  • Sidewalk Chalk Art

    The middle kidlets decorated the front porch (which is in the middle of a major repair job).  Since then, welcome rain has washed off their masterpiece, but for a few days this bright and colorful art greeted everyone who came up our front sidewalk.  I hope they make something like…