Welcome!

I'm a wife to my "Mr. Right". A momma of five. A maker of slow food and simple living. A collector of memories, a keeper of books, and a champion for books that make memories. An addict who likes my half-and-half with a splash of coffee. A fractured pot transformed by the One Who makes broken things beautiful. I heart homeschooling, brake for libraries, and am glad you're here with me on the journey! Be sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter. Or, follow along with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google +, Youtube, or Pinterest.

Homeschool Art the Charlotte Mason Way

JMW Turner Art Copy

In her Philosophy of Education, British education reformer Charlotte Mason wrote, “Every child should leave school with at least a couple hundred pictures by great masters hanging permanently in the halls of his imagination.” (vol. 6, p.43) Miss Mason set aside time not only for her students to express themselves artistically but also for them to study the lives, styles, and works of the great masters.

8 Homeschool Helps You Didn't Know Your Library Offered

looking for a book in the library

With the recent rise of irreverent, sexualized, and agenda-laden books being added to the juvenile sections of local public libraries, you may be tempted to cut up your membership card and abandon the stacks. 

I don't blame you. Several years ago, when my then-preschooler and I were perusing the "new to the children's shelves" section together, he stumbled into a forward-facing picture book with a blood-thirsty zombie on the cover and naturally began crying. I made an immediate bee-line for the circulation desk to lodge a verbal complaint with a librarian. Over the next few days, the conversation continued up the chain of command until the book was eventually re-shelved in the YA section.

A Case for IEW Structure & Style {curriculum review}

girl working on homeschool lesson

Written by Krista Smith.

Last year during my summer-long quest to find the best curriculums for my family for the 2022-2023 school year, I needed to assess and address something I had (possibly purposefully) ignored. Writing. I had eclectically sewed together what I prayed was a stellar Language Arts experience for them, but I had to admit I hadn’t done my children justice in the writing department.

Favorite Read Alouds From 2022

stack of books on a chair

In years past, this annual read-aloud round-up consisted of the top books we enjoyed together from the previous twelve months. However, this year, I'm mixing things up. A large portion of our read-aloud time was spent enjoying the Chronicles of Narnia. Since it's difficult to rank books in a series, as they are best read in sequential order, I've decided to throw in some of the books that my kids have read individually.

The 10 Best Books I Read in 2022

Woman reading on a chair

I'm sipping a cup of Novel Tea as I write this. These little sachets of rich English breakfast blend were a gift from a writing friend. What sets these particular tea bags apart from the average Brit brew are the literary quotes attached to each one. During each 5-minute seep, I read whatever pithy phrase just happens to be hanging from the end and smile because I love bookish sayings almost as much as I love books.