By Holly Giles | Family , Florida
Mount Dora is a quaint historic town surrounding Lake Dora in Lake County, Florida. They have wonderful festivals of art and patrons come from all over the country to attend. I applied for the Mount Dora spring show in hopes of our family experiencing a large show and to sell enough feed sack totes to keep […]
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By Holly Giles | Family , homeschooling , Motherhood
Looking for Peace Have you ever been in search of peace, quiet and joy among all the busyness and noise of your life? After a week of small disasters at home, I was at the tipping point. Sleepless nights and the dishwasher breaking down kept me tired and looking for paper plates. We have been […]
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By Holly Giles | homeschooling
Grayson was preparing to make his debut as a homeschool conference speaker last weekend. He and I were presenting a workshop together. The week leading up to the event was chaotic for many reasons and my hair ended up being a casualty! Navigating opportunities and deadlines seemed to be consuming my family the last few weeks. […]
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By Holly Giles | seasonal
Cowboy cookies are a favorite around the Frontier. Every few years we put them on our gift giving list. They are always a hit and I want to share them with you! First, you need a couple of eager kitchen helpers. Lining up jars, measuring, pouring and covering the floor with flour is their specialty. Children love to participate in […]
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By Holly Giles | Field Trips , Florida , florida vacations , Great Outdoors , homeschooling , Nature Study
The wonderful weather beckons us to be outside! We met up with some friends for a day at Hontoon Island State Park. Come along with us to this hidden Florida gem. Hontoon Island sits along the St. John’s river in Volusia County. It is accessible only by boat. It is a treasure trove of […]
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By Holly Giles | DIY , Simple Living
Homemade Laundry Soap Making my own laundry soap was never on my radar of wanting to try. Then, I got caught up in a season of DIY and too many dirty clothes. I figured once I got started I might as well make some for our family too. Our tradition of gift-giving is from the […]
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By Holly Giles | homeschooling
Stepping out in faith can be hard to do, especially when you travel the road alone. This past weekend I was an exhibitor at a homeschool special needs/struggling learners conference. My expectations were high because of the investment my family made. What really happened was not what I had planned. Four days before the conference […]
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By Holly Giles | Florida , homeschooling
Our homeschool co-op gathered today at our local VFW post to serve our troops by filling boxes. A veteran spoke to the children before we began and the profound sentence he said resonated with us all. “They need to know we care”. No matter your stance on politics or war, we have American citizens who serve […]
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By Holly Giles | Great Outdoors , Motherhood
This is our first season of playing a sport. Grant wanted to try soccer this season, so we joined our city’s league. I wish someone had told me about the secret soccer mom society before I showed up in my grungy shorts! Our whole family showed up for the first practice like it was the […]
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By Holly Giles | handicrafts , seasonal
I found a bag full of old wooden spools in my grandmother’s sewing box. A beautiful array of rich colors. I had an idea of how to bring them to life and re-purpose this necessity of the past. The deep pumpkin orange color caught my eye and I decided to make a necklace for the […]
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