After church yesterday we zipped an hour and a half northeast to do some fall hiking. Gregory and I love, love, LOVE autumn. I love that the bugs, now frozen, have disappeared. I love wearing comfy hooded sweatshirts. I love cool crisp air. I love dressing my kids in cuddly…

Do join us for some afternoon pandemonium, anytime. Really.

All week long Sarah has been working on pictures to give to her classmates. When I was teaching secondary English, I had one student who was a truly amazing writer, so good in fact, that when I read his first story he turned in I actually called him to my…

This is my neighbor’s fantastic red maple tree that I get to see out my dining room and kitchen windows, and walk right past at least two times a day when I take Sarah to and from the bus stop for school.

I was on the phone with a close friend from North Dakota. We hadn’t talked in ages, and when the phone rang, I ran into the bedroom to tell my husband that he needed to finish up with Mr. Sneaky Pants’ bath because I was going to be on the…

Isn’t this just the cutest little toadstool ever? Mr. Sneaky Pants discovered a whole village of these next to the hiking trail last Saturday. They looked like something out of the Smurfs, I thought, or a home for a delicate little fairy. I loved the bright orange color and the…

Our favorite resident fruit turned one on Saturday! The celebration has been a bit of a drawn out affair because Dr. Peds was in Boston for a sedation conference, so we waiting until tonight to have cake and presents. The events started out with our favorite tradition, breakfast in the…

The bird migration has started, which is big news in this place, because a hill not too far from my house is one of the most important stopovers for migrating raptors in the upper midwest. Yesterday after the kindergarten bus came and left, The Banana, Mr. Perpetual Mess and I…

A few weeks ago I found this marvelous hand knitted sweater with a matching hat at a garage sale and snatched it right up! I was so excited about my two dollar find, partly because it is hand knitted (I love hand knitted things, but I fear that even though…

The long, long awaited Kindergarten has finally started, and I can no longer call this girl Ms. Crazy Preschooler. I’m not sure what I’m going to call her! She was rather nervous about riding the bus, but when she got home, she promptly exclaimed that the bus ride was her…