Although we do not have huge piles of snow like some of our US neighbors, our world is white too. The fireplace roars, we wear sweaters and extra socks–although Miss 12 did run into the snow on bare feet to rescue a stray dog–and we’re stocking up on holiday chocolate. And we are so grateful for […]
Simple Joys
Miss 12’s Spelling Solution
Some children can spell easily, but others struggle, and struggle, and struggle. Somehow, they just don’t see the individual letters in a word or hear the individual sounds. As we struggled for a solution, Miss 12 came up with a new way to study her problem words. This way she always has them with her […]
Winter’s Beginning
Sunday morning, some of the ‘raindrops’ did not fall, but tumbled and drifted in the wind, the winter’s first attempt at snow. Our fire is burning and we have cups of tea standing around and there’s the promise of soup for lunch. We make the extra effort to focus on warmth and coziness, sleep in […]
Pickled Beans, Large and Small Batches
Large Batch Pickled Beans: Use about 5 gallons of freshly picked green beans to make about 14 quarts pickled beans. Carefully wash and trim beans. Into each hot, clean quart jar put: 2 cloves of garlic 1 head dill weed 1 t crushed chili peppers Fill with carefully cleaned and trimmed beans, allowing 1 inch […]
Vacation Wrap Up
In our lives these weeks… We’ve been to Manitoba and now we are back home, after 5900 km. We enjoyed precious hours with extended family, with countless conversations, walks, games, and meals, and hours of play in and out of the water. Our memories are full of people, wildlife, waves, and the endless tree-carpeted hills of […]