It’s family tradition around here to read Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus before opening gifts at Christmastime. We do it as a family and also with our extended family.
A couple of years ago, our now 9-year-old nephew Joshua read the passage aloud and did great. This year was my Andy’s turn. We had [...]

I can’t remember how long ago I started making these truffles at Christmastime, but ever since I did, they’ve been a hit. I originally got the recipe from Taste of Home magazine. My Aunt Jane requests them every year, and every year I happily go home with an empty platter tray! A few more people [...]

We live in a melting pot of cultures. The variety of restaurants we have is truly amazing, if you consider we’re in Indiana… you know, the place most people consider to be one giant flat corn field. Nevermind the fact that our area is considered to be part of “Chicagoland.”
Anyway, here in northwest Indiana, we’re [...]

I’m not sure how it came to be exactly, but each one of our children has had bananas as their first taste of non-breastmilk food. (Sort of… Connor tasted Dorito powder first, but that’s another story.)
We wait until they’re 6-months old to introduce any sort of food and it’s family tradition that the first thing [...]

The boys have been plowing through their school work. They’re amazing little sponges. I’m honored to be their teacher!
Andy just turned 7 last week. He’s now learning cursive (gasp!) and today he started multiplication (WHAT?!) It’s almost hard to keep up with how fast they’re growing.
To help them remember who’s who in Bible class, I [...]

I’m always on the look-out for recipes that are not only “cheap and cheerful,” but also ones that can be made in large quantities just as easily. Of course, I’d like them to be healthy, too!
Several years ago, someone made this for us and it has become a family favorite. My husband loves this white [...]

You know how the slogan for Carter’s is “If only they’d stay little ’til their Carter’s wore out?”
So true that their clothing is amazing durable. Just one of the many reasons I like it.
Well, our family has our own unofficial slogan: “We don’t do anything half-way.” It’s all or nothing around these parts, people.
So, we [...]

My boy Andy is getting to be an old man. He turned 7 yesterday!
As our firstborn, he’s mature for his age. He takes responsibility in stride and rarely complains about his role as the example setter.
As I tucked him into bed on Wednesday night, I kissed him and then hugged his long, lanky body. Then I [...]

We finally squeezed a family photo in. We would have done it sooner, but we keep getting sick. In fact, Nate hasn’t been feeling good since Saturday evening, but since he was the only one who seemed plagued, we went for it yesterday.
We explained to the photographer that we didn’t expect everyone to be smiling, [...]

This is a Public Service Announcement:
Army men — the little green kind, not the large human kind — can be washed and dried. I mean, they survive a trip through the spin cycle and permanent press.

No harm done. Much better results than trying to wash crayons.
Just in case you were wondering…