Okay, so I'm fashionably late...but I'm here! It's a BLOG PARTY! This is a fun idea from the gals over at 5 Minutes for Mom and I am delighted to take part :-)

The concept is to get to know other bloggers and let them get to know you. If you've been blogsurfing for any time at all, you know there's a pretty incredible community out there...some remarkable writing talent, some great ideas in the areas of homemaking, crafting, homeschooling, personal finance, you name it...and then a few gems that restore and nourish the soul, like the one tended lovingly by my cousin/best friend. My lovely daughters have blogs here, here, here, here, and here. The family blog is here. So I could easily spend WAY too much time in BlogWorld! What time I can give to blogging and reading blogs is a treasure to me, and I hope you're enjoying it too...

So for those of you visiting me for the first time, come in off the porch (since it's still a little cool) and join me in the kitchen. You can read about me in my profile (right sidebar) so I won't repeat much of that here. But I would like to introduce you to my family!



They are, in order of appearance left to right (and in some cases wincing at the bright sunshine!): John (The Papa), Cathi (Granny), Aubrey, Kristen, Annie, CJ, Nathan, Bethany, Shelley, Caleb, and Timothy. This picture was taken in back of Grandma Lola and Pawpop's home this past weekend, and it represents one of the now rare times that we have all nine of our children together!

You might have noticed my "tagline" in the header: Celebrating Learning and Loving Across the Generations." Most of the time when I post for the day (rarely more than once in a day) I look back at that line and think, "Am I staying true to my theme?" Obviously that theme can cover a LOT of topics, and it does...my blog covers family happenings; political events, activism, and humor; goings-on with my HOPE group of homeschooling moms; musings from our 22 year homeschooling journey; the occasional comment on pop culture; a recipe or two; lots about books; a little about music. But in everything I want to CELEBRATE learning, loving, sharing with my children, my grandchildren, and God willing, someday with my great-grandchildren. I hope you'll come and get a spark for the joy of life-long learning and for the joy that awaits all of us when we share what we learn with love and generosity.

Stop back by often...soon it will be warm enough to be on the porch, and soon after that it will be way too HOT to be on the porch, but wherever we're gathering you're welcome to join in with insights, questions, or just mindless banter. I enjoy it all!

Labels: Blogstuff, Family