Spring in Ohio

I made more cards last week for Pascha, the feast of our Lord's Resurrection.  I left some of them blank so that you can color them in as you wish, or let your children help color.  Check them out in my etsy shop:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/homemadegoodness ♥

Friday our homeschool co-op went to the Krohn Conservatory, which is a giant greenhouse, and was so humid in the rainforest room that my camera lens kept fogging up, hence this fuzzy group photo:

One of the boys reaches toward a cacoa pod!  That's our chocolate starts off...pretty cool, huh?

The main room was Avant-Garde theme, lots of glass flowers and bowls in bold colors.

 In the cacti room, isn't this aloe stunning?

This is in the bonsai room! 

My friend, Anya, took this picture of some of us after church yesterday.  You can see 5 year old Sofia in her wheelchair and my Godson, 1 year old Timothy in his mom's arms. Her husband was working with the other men helping to assemble the new playground!  My daughter Hannah holding my nephew Timothy, who is now a month old!

Sunrise...sunset

We woke up at 4:30am Pacific Time (felt like 1:30am Eastern Time) to watch the sun rise over Crater Lake in Oregon.  It came over the horizon about 5am, but before it did the sky changed so much. Horrible mosquitos there!  BUT it was worth putting up with.

Rob standing by Crater Lake midday.  Clear and beautiful.  From there we drove down to the Redwoods in California.

 Hannah caught a tadpole in the Smith River...and let it go.

 The Redwoods at Jedediah State Park and National Park.  The girls earned a Jr. Ranger badge here and at Crater Lake!

 I got that striped skirt in a shop called Mia's in Portland, just a walk from my sister and her husband's place...when I saw that it was "made in USA" I had to get it.  Their green tent.  We had an orange one.

 

 

 

In the distance you can see the Battery Lighthouse.

We took a tour of the inside of the lighthouse and got up in the top.  $3/adult and $1/children.  The times for the tour depend on the tide.  It is inaccessible when there is high tide...an island.

Grilling hamburgers with Oregon's Tillamook cheddar atop...and onions and pepper cooking in the cast iron skillet on the side. 

Me and Theodore (often called "Theobeans") in our checkered Vans.

Then, a few days later, we watched the sun set at Crescent Beach, California. And roasted marshmallows over the fire and ate them with Seattle's organic salted toffee Theo milk chocolates and graham crackers.  Best kind of s'mores!

Piper sandals (made in the USA)

For Mother's Day ♥ I got a pair of Piper sandals...they are made in the USA.  San Antonio, Texas, to be exact, by Dave Piper and his son, a small family business.  They are $119/pair.  On the home page, it says they've made 48,000 pairs since 1971.  Each sandal is marked and mine is the 52,830th pair they've made!  We are considering getting Hannah and Olivia a pair, as they are $49/pair for children!

I refused to by "made in China" only to have them last a year.  The last pair that I had that were decent were made in France.  I still wore them, although the cork sole is cracked and the leather strap between one toe is disattached from the sole.  They were a gift on Mother's day about 3 years ago.  I thought they should've held up for longer.

So, if you're looking for a leather, quality, made in the USA, supportive sandal...look no further!