capturing life through pictures...

This season has been a whirlwind with so many new adventures and activities… Jake’s birthday flew by and we haven’t even had a free day to plan a party!  On his birthday which was September 25th, we ate pancakes and sang happy birthday and then we made his favorite supper, ate too much chocolate cake, […]

Our culture is ever changing, always evolving… As we navigate the world of social media and try to conquer this thing called connectivity we must accept that it’s not going anywhere.   As many negative and unhealthy parts of it that we have discovered along the way, we can’t ignore the positive effects as well. […]

A couple of years back is when it all began… that little mama intuition nudge in my heart.  I felt drawn to homeschool.  It was a compilation of events and conversations, but it boiled down to having the freedom, privilege, and curiosity to chase my children’s interests.  With a background in development and education I’ve […]

I’m bringing small talk back… If you’ve been here long, you remember when I first began this journal I would post small talk entries documenting my kiddos cute sayings and happenings and just having a relaxed mama conversation with readers.  Somewhere along the way I stopped.  I guess I felt I was documenting it all […]

The magic of the corn maze.  Each year we plan a fun family day at our local pumpkin patch/corn maze and each year we come and go with sweet memories made. This particular  year we went at dusk which was so beautiful to watch the sunset behind the big red barn.  We played and laughed […]

I’ve been wanting to write on culture for a while now, but I keep feeling like it’s something I’m still not good at…  Is it something we must strive for or is it the people we already are? To me culture is what we represent as well as who we are becoming.  It’s ever evolving… […]

It all started when we went camping on a whim this past summer.  We loaded up last minute and headed for the W I L D.  We were craving some unexpected and that’s just what we got!   We were surprised to discover that camping really isn’t that hard.  In fact, it’s pretty free and […]

Mostly it’s the man’s job right?  To fight for things and be the leader, to take charge…  Well this may be a surprise, but I don’t exactly agree with that!  Sometimes a man is not always going to be able to lead you in the best direction.  Remember, he’s a human, not a hero.  Sometimes […]

Since I was a young girl I’ve always been influenced by my Ozark heritage.  Living in the hills through the changing seasons is something I treasure deeply.  I’ve traveled many places, but the beauty of this place is described simply, “like coming home.”  It’s warmth and comfort is unmatched.  The pine designs and rough cedar […]

Big Cedar Lodge has always been our favorite place to stay in the Ozarks.  It’s America’s premier wilderness resort for a reason!  It’s nestled in the Ozark Mountains with views that take your breath away and adventures that leave you with lasting memories.   The atmosphere at Big Cedar is the most family friendly and […]