Author Archives: allyanne

My brother told my husband that when Piper found out she was coming to our house for Auntie Camp, she was all excited to see Aunt Ally, Uncle Chad, and Aiden. And then she said, “I get to make things!” … Continue reading →

Last week, Aiden and I met up with Willow and the boys at The expERIEnce Children’s Museum in Erie, PA.  It was about 2 hours to drive there from our location in northeastern Ohio, but it was a clear, sunny … Continue reading →

. . .and I’m not sorry, either. February was a bit of a stinker this year. Cold, dark, snowy, COLD. It was cold, too. Really cold.  But we did do some fun things besides shivering at home under piles of … Continue reading →

  We had school today, but that’s not hard, since we have school at home every day! We started early, though, because the air temperature was finally warm enough to play outside in the fresh, wet, lovely snow. First, we … Continue reading →

It is the coldest week we’ve had since last winter, that winter of the now-infamous “Polar Vortex.” I remember now. Cold. Cabin fever. Clutching the hot water bottle all the time. Endless cups of tea. Non-stop fireplace hang outs. Cooped-up … Continue reading →

So, it’s a new year! I love the new year, the way it feels so full of fresh promise. After all the STUFF of the holidays and the crazy food and the TOO MUCH, the spare, wide-openness of January is … Continue reading →

That’s me. Ninja blogging. Because I’m being kind of sneaky, and I’m blogging again without really telling anyone about it. I’ve been thinking lately about my motives for certain activities. Why I post things on Facebook, why I started a … Continue reading →

We waited a week longer than usual this year to get our tree. Aiden was DYING to get it, and he asked us almost every day if we were going to get it “today?” Finally, on Sunday, we went to … Continue reading →

Besides wishing I had a river I could skate away on, I’ve been trying to stay cheerful during this holiday season, just floating along and taking it as it comes. It would help, I think, if it would finally SNOW … Continue reading →

Someone loves it, and went right out there first thing yesterday and got busy. I’m not sure how I feel about this snow-stuff right now. I love snow. I do. But it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, and the snow is … Continue reading →

Lately, I’ve been missing my blog. I have had this blog since 2005, back in those heady, early days of blogging, before every writer had a niche, advertisers, affiliate links, and Five Steps to Make Your Life More Awesome. People … Continue reading →

Someday, like in July, we’ll look back on this and laugh, hahahahahaha. Laugh at all the layers of clothing we wore, how many blankets we walked around the house in, how much firewood we went through, how many cups of … Continue reading →

It’s been snowing. That feels like an understatement, and I know that most of the eastern and northern parts of the country have had snow, too. But snow is always exciting to me—I love to watch it fall, I love … Continue reading →

I failed as a blogger the past few weeks. As usual, I have so many photos, I am overwhelmed at the thought of editing and posting, so I do nothing. bwahahah! Here are some of my favorites from the last … Continue reading →