I read all of the little house books voraciously long before we moved to America and in my mind when landed in JFK that snowy December I fully expected to find myself in some log home in the middle of the prairie, lol. Though we didn't live in a log home on the prairie we got pretty close by spending the first three years of our life here in a tiny little town called Hayward, WI. There were plenty of log homes around and we did in fact catch our dinner sometimes from the myriad of lakes that are clustered around northern Wisconsin. I'll always treasure the memories of our life there... it was such a gentle way to ease ourselves into life in the States.

Looking through the books now it's unbelievable how many gems were stored inside these pages:

“This earthly life is a battle,' said Ma. 'If it isn't one thing to contend with, it's another. It always has been so, and it always will be. The sooner you make up your mind to that, the better off you are, and more thankful for your pleasures.”

“There's no great loss without some small gain.”

“Our inability to see things that are right before our eyes, until they are pointed out to us, would be amusing if it were not at times so serious. We are coming, I think, to depend too much on being told and shown and taught, instead of using our own eyes and brains and inventive faculties, which are likely to be just as good as any other person's.”

“Laura felt a warmth inside her. It was very small, but it was strong. It was steady, like a tiny light in the dark, and it burned very low but no winds could make it flicker because it would not give up.”

“Home is the nicest word there is.”


“The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.”

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.”

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”

“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness -- just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm.”

“As you read my stories of long ago I hope you will remember that things truly worthwhile and that will give you happiness are the same now as they were then. It is not the things you have that make you happy. It is love and kindness and helping each other and just plain being good. ”



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This was the one you guys... The halloween to end all halloweens! We went on Friday because we would be traveling to a wedding on Saturday. It was the most glorious fall day - warm, a hint of chill in the air and all the trees in their peak autumn beauty bathed in an orange pinkish glow as the sun began to set. We had one eager Sherlock Holmes and one very sleepy baby bear in the backseat as we traveled to a local "trunk-or-treat."
Our little teddy bear shook the sleep from his paws and as soon as he was released onto the ground began running with the glee that you only see on children when they first discover walking, or in our case running. Ms. Holmes adjusted her hat and in a very serious tone told us "I want to go chicka-tweet! Please!" How could we say no? We were defenseless against that drawn on mustache.
And so we went! I held hands with both our kids (kids??? kids?? I couldn't get over the fact that I was out trick-or-treating with my TWO kids!) and we made our way over to the festive trunks of cars spilling over with candy and cobwebs and balloons.
Birdie delivered her lines with humble timidity but her hands were rather nimble when it came to picking up more than one piece of candy. She was easily forgiven and given a pat on her head and sent along to the next car. After we had made the rounds and her basket had grown heavy she declared that she must eat all her candy "now, right here." So we found and bench and plopped them both down and watched them ravage the basket until they were both a sweet sticky mess. Finally, once the sun had almost completely retreated behind the trees we let them each have one more lollipop, collected all the wrappers and strapped them back into their seats. It was mostly a silent drive home save for the one time Birdie opened her blue green mouth and said "I waik chicka-tweet. I had so much fun!" And I'm pretty sure our hearts burst right there.
It never fails to amaze me just how little it takes to make a child's day and just how much their joy makes my life worth living. It just doesn't get much better than this!!