Naming a child is one of the most important decisions new parents must make. There are numerous baby name books and websites available for help and ideas. When our first daughter was born, my husband and I could not agree on her name. In fact, she still wasn’t named when it was time to leave […]
Adoption – a Journey with Books
As with most people, family is at the top of my Thankful List. Each family has its own story – our just happens to include adoption. November is National Adoption Month and I’ve been thinking about how adoption not only changed our lives but opened the world up to us. My husband and I planned […]
Nuts for Nuts!
When autumn arrives, most people think of pumpkins and colorful leaves. Now, I like pumpkins and leaves as much as anyone but around here are other signs of the season. I’m thinking of nuts! When I first moved to California’s Central Valley I was amazed to drive past mile after mile of walnut trees. Our […]
Three Books for a Pumpkin Patch
Every year my field trip buddy, Carmen, plants an acre of pumpkins at her family’s Bettencourt Farms. She plants a great variety making sure to have giant, tiny, heirloom, and different colored pumpkins. Then she opens her patch to local kids to come and enjoy. I get to be the official pumpkin presenter. Yesterday, Hanford […]
Chronicles From Chateau Moines
One of the best things about books is that they allow you to visit new places as well as other periods of time. I recently traveled to 1970’s Normandy, France through the pages of Chronicles From Chateau Moines by Evelyne Holingue. Set in a small French village, we meet seventh grader Sylvie, who no longer […]




