He Leadeth Me

I may be just a little biased, but I think this is one of the cutest Raggedy Ann's I have ever seen. My grandma Bergeron made this little dress for Kelly when she was about Cora's age.  I know she would have loved seeing her great-great granddaughter wearing it. Cora is teaching us all a lesson in patience.  Instead of being frustrated with her cast and all the things that she can't do, she has been such a little trooper and her smile is contagious.   This is the first time she has played with the Raggedy Ann doll that Grandma Bergeron made, but I have a feeling it won't be the last. What a little ham!  She knows when a camera is pointed her way (as they so often are) and she looks up and flashes her dazzling smile. She can travel quite well on the hardwood floor, but only backwards. It's funny to watch her scoot, get stuck under a chair or other object, and then wait for her certain rescue. I have a picture somewhere of Cora's pretty...

Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is the BEST book I have read in a very long time.  If you enjoy Historical Fiction, please read this book.  It deserves to win the Newbery Medal. View all my reviews

I received a group e-mail from my brother Lynn recently. He also sent the e-mail to my mother, my brother Terry, and my sister Kim telling us to watch for a gift he had mailed to each of us. This is the gift that we each received. Lynn explained that he had seen these dishtowels  (he later  discovered they were called Torchons)  in a Paris flea market and that they called out to him. As many of you know, my sweet father's initials are BA for Bill Aven, and because daddy is now in heaven, we don't get to see these initials as often as we used to. Every time I pass this precious gift in my kitchen, I think of my wonderful daddy and look forward to being greeted by him with a big hug when I get to heaven one day. On a side note, Lynn later discovered that these French dishtowels,   or Torchons,  have a very interesting history. If you want to read more about Torchons, click here .  

My very creative son, Jeremy, made me coasters for Christmas that he knew would put a smile on my face each time I use them. Now, I am going to allow you to join in the fun by guessing what children's books the coasters represent. Be the first to get all 5 correct without using Google and you will win, either a  picture book or one of the professional books that I have written for using Children's Literature to teach  reading and writing  skills. YOUR CHOICE. I will mail the book to the winner. (USA winners only--Sorry!) You must leave your answers in the comment section of this blog (not on FaceBook). Ready, Set, Go! #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 A winner (along with the correct answers) will be posted in the blog comments of this post on Wednesday, January 15th, 2014, so don't forget to check back.

Jeremy and I have been talking for a while about taking his boys on a Road Trip. We finally decided it was time to go! The final goal was Mt. Rushmore but Jeremy is very good about scouting out fun spots to stop along the way. Wyoming was our first stop. We stopped the first night just a short way from Mt. Rushmore.  We had driven through pretty bad weather and driving conditions but Jeremy is a pro and the boys were convinced we were going through a "time tunnel".  What an adventure! Mt. Rushmore is absolutely amazing. When we rounded the bend in the road, there was the sight that I have seen in pictures all my life, but even more spectacular. It dawned on me that it was one of the wonders that I never really expected to see in person. After all, who wants to drive all the way from Houston to South Dakota. But now that I live in Colorado, the trip wasn't bad at all.   This is a reflection of the mountain in the glass of the museum.   The tunnel o...

I just returned home from a super fun ROAD TRIP with Jeremy, Caleb and Aaron. We visited 3 states in in 50 hours and I had never been to any of the states before. NEBRASKA Impressions Flat, Beautiful, Amazing Sunset SOUTH DAKOTA Impressions Rugged, Beautiful, Mt. Rushmore is a site every American should see. WYOMING Impressions  Wide Open Country, Beautiful, Windy! I will share more of our adventures as soon as I have recovered! What an amazing way to end 2013!

I always get a little nostalgic when I put the Christmas ornaments away for another year. The ornaments below are ones that teachers made with my children through the years. I so wish I had put years and teacher's names on the back of the ornaments, but I didn't think of that at the time. I probably had no idea that these simple hand-made ornaments would be some of my favorites 30+ years later.  If you follow this blog and helped my children make one of these ornaments, PLEASE comment and let me know.   Kelly--preschool She still likes to sit with her feet up in the chair. Jeremy--what a handsome young man. Thank you to whomever put the date on the front.  This would have been the year that her little brother was born so she would have been in Mother's Day Out. I'm guessing 4th Grade with Mrs. Hollis for this one but I'm not sure. How do you like that "bowl cut" haircut? I know this was 4th gra...