My life is full of people who I would like to give handmade gifts to but getting the timing right is often tricky. I don’t usually feel like knitting Christmas gifts in July which is really when I’d have to start if I were going to get them all done promptly. I much prefer to […]
While there is something to be said about having a good looking car, it’s also important to have a fast car. First, Bill and the boys file the nails with fine grit sandpaper and then they apply graphite. Next they have to nail the wheels into the car. It’s important not to push them in […]
I have learned a few things about painting pinewood derby cars from watching Bill and the boys. The trick is to start early. We began our cars over the Christmas break. If we hadn’t wanted the help of a special woodcutter, we might have been inclined to begin even earlier. Second, the details that Mason […]
Today was finally Mason’s First Reconciliation. He had been preparing for several months. Mason made a special book with the Ten Commandments and an example of each in his own words and the Act of Contrition. As a special part of the celebration, Mason received an envelope with letters written from many friends and family […]
Such is the state of the pond in our subdivision. To clarify further, parts of the pond are frozen around the perimeter. Walker and Mason have a genuine respect for the depth of the pond after watching a friend lose her footing and fall in one time. (She was fine and her experience has served […]
It’s another day of zero in these parts but at least there is promise of a heat wave. Since we are “electronics free” during the week, we have passed the time with audio books, Legos and puzzles. Enter the puzzles that the boys gave me last year. It was high time I got busy. By […]
School is closed. There is no snow to temp the boys to go outdoors. Instead, we are hunkered down for the day feeling grateful for good insulation and plenty of heat.
The pinewood derby is about two weeks away and prep is in full swing. After cutting the cars with Papa, it was time to get painting. It’s a good thing the boys have Bill for a dad because I know nothing about transforming a block of wood into something as shiny and decked out as […]
Every month Bill tallies up the laps that the students have walked. He creates graphs and pie charts that reflect the changes from month to month in class participation, distance walked and miles walked by each student. I enjoy posting those sheets each month. There is always a rush to see who has entered into […]