Photo Hunt: Messy

When Christmas is over the "wrapping center" on the bed in the guest room can be classified as messy. Maybe cleaning up will be a good New …

Ten Mile Road Trip: The Center of the Universe

Go Figure: This is for you! A few nights ago Silver Valley Girl and I took a trip to the other end of Shoshone County to Wallace, Idaho. She wanted to…

Sibling Assignment #49: Gentle Reminders for 2008

I gave our sibling assignment for this last week of 2007: Often people make New Year's Resolutions, but find them hard to keep. If you had a list …

Images of The Holidays in Kellogg

Today my brother Raymond Pert drove me to Spokane Valley to meet JEJ and return home. JEJ left Kellogg earlier to make sure the house, the cats, the…

Snug the Joiner

Snug is my brother's Springer Spaniel that loves being in North Idaho. He doesn't see much snow back home in Eugene, Oregon so this morning h…

Reflecting on Raymond Pert's Birthday

Today is my brother Raymond Pert's 54th birthday. I caught this image of RP and his dog Snug looking out the window at our mother's house. I …

Silver Valley Snowfall

When I awoke this morning I was greeted by a new blanket of snow in Kellogg. It fell most of the day creating a peaceful setting at Silver Valley Gi…

"How do You Say Broken Yule Log in French?"

Silver Valley Girl saying, " Bon appétit !" Each year on Christmas Eve my sister Silver Valley Girl orchestrates a dinner highlighting the foo…

Appreciating a Place We Call Home: A Christmas Letter

There are numerous things we appreciate about the place we call home. The last year we have spent more time close to home taking short road trips th…

Moments of Quiet

Before the holiday journey With the to-do list done I have Some moments of quiet. It includes a mug of coffee, The Christmas Waltz with Karen and Snow f…

Winter Solstice: Relearning Winter

As we drove home the snow was falling, the road was turning icy, and the day was growing dark as we celebrated Winter Solstice. We were steered aroun…

Celebrating With Students, A Moment of Quiet, and Winter Break Begins

Today when I arrived at school there was no down time to squeeze in that last swallow of coffee or check my mail. Excited middle school students wer…

"It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas"

As I prepared goodie packages for family members tonight I noticed it was finally beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Since tomorrow is my last …

Sibling Assignment # 48: Sixth Grade, The Carpenters, and Christmas Bells

Silver Valley Girl gave us our sibling assignment this week. "One of my favorite Christmas carols is “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day”, base…

'Oh...the weather outside is frightful... but the fire is so delightful."

I think it snowed most of the day at school. The official measurement by an eighth grade student about 2:45 was ten inches on the playground. School…

A Christmas Meme

Here is a fun Christmas meme that has been sighted on numerous blogs. Please feel free to participate if you have ten minutes of time between wrappin…

Christmas Baking: An Inland Empire Girl Tradition and Keepers from the Recipe Box

At holiday time each year I do baking as gifts for family, friends, and neighbors. Some years I do a variety of cookies. Other years I mix it up and…

Sibling Assignment #47: Reconciliation : The Winter Dance

Raymond Pert gave us the following assignment: "My WR 121 class has been studying reconciliation and reading all these papers about their struggl…

In the Bleak Mid-Winter : A Visit to the Greenhouse

When the weather is icy and cold and the days begin and end in darkness, it is a nice reprieve to take some pictures in the greenhouse. Our greenhou…