The Last One

 It started with a $71 curriculum order and a leap of faith when my oldest, Roman, was due to begin first grade.

"Just take it one year at a time," my husband wisely counseled.

And so, with nothing more than a few good books and a kitchen table, we began our homeschool journey.

I fell in love with the care-free lifestyle quickly, almost daily pinching myself that this could be real life: No early busses to catch? No PTO meetings to attend? 

Our schedule is our very own?... to do with as we like?!....

As Booker T. Washington observed after the Emancipation and recorded in his autobiography, "Freedom was a more serious thing than they had expected to find it." 

I felt the same.

But we soon settled into a comfortable routine, where every morning consisted of chores, hygiene, and formal lessons, and every afternoon was some combination of outdoor play, baking or crafting, with the occasional play date or doctor's appointment thrown in.

Over the years I learned to conquer diagramming sentences, making equivalent fractions, and solving for x right along side my growing kids.

I learned to stick with the same curriculum year after year to build familiarity and mastery, so the next kid in line could benefit from a confident mother.

Each year bled into the next until homeschooling began to feel like the easiest, most natural thing in the world to us.

Then, in the blink of an eye, we came to this morning...

 I helped Elsa finish her final lesson in her 5th grade arithmetic book... the last one... and I realized this season of our family's homeschooling is shifting. My baby's done with 5th grade? That means we are officially through the elementary years! I now have all middle schoolers and high schoolers.

Uncertain if I should feel sad, sentimental, or proud of myself, I rummaged through the attic bins looking for room to pack away this year's books, and almost as Divine Acknowledgment, I uncovered Roman's first grade curriculum. The books that started it all. I hadn't seen them in years. 

With them in the bin was a completely filled notebook. I had written out this daily and weekly plan on the first page...

And the following pages, revealing his handwriting and mine, were made up of little assignments and quizzes I had created for him.

I thumbed through the pages carefully, pondering how my younger self hand wrote all these assignments... I was learning how to homeschool, I thought, nostalgically.

Never believing I was cut out for the job, but trusting in the Lord fully, I stuck to the work and now find our elementary years behind us.

(Nola's final illuminated letter in her cursive book...

 If you zoom you may see she creatively turned it into the phrase, The last one...)

"Being confident in this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

The other kids are officially done with their school year, too. Homeschooling in the upper grades has proven to be an enormous blessing, but I will have to write about that another time.

💐

~ Courtney 

Easter Eve

 An Easter Eve family dinner...

Just the six of us tonight.

Nola requested chicken/ tortellini soup, so I made a pot of that.

But I am currently inspired by the book I'm reading to "go the extra mile" with food.

So I also made two salads - one savory and one sweet.

Along with some cheeses, summer sausage and nuts.

The book isn't about food; it's actually an English couple's account of moving to France in their retirement years. But the French make such a ritual out of meal times that it's only natural for that to shine through the author's writing, and it's quite inspiring!

"One of the characteristics which we liked and even admired about the French was their willingness to support good cooking, no matter how remote the kitchen may be. The quality of the food is more important than convenience, and they will happily drive for an hour or more, salivating en route, in order to eat well."

A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle

Before my trip to Paris I showed you these two books I selected for the occasion...

I read The Lost Bookshop on the flights there and home, finishing the final chapter during a layover in Canada.

I enjoyed it. It was a cute story, but sad in some spots. The main character gets her start in the world of book dealing when she lands a job at the famous Shakespeare & Co. bookstore in Paris. 

So you can imagine my delight to have visited it in person... It is charming!

(This is what the inside looks like. Can you think of a more lovely way to spend an afternoon in Paris?)

Having attracted historical figures like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, the bookstore is considered legendary today, and is a popular stop for tourists, as you can see from these lines!

I picked up A Year in Provence upon arriving home, and am now almost done with it. The author is really funny, and I would recommend it as a light, quick, entertaining read. And as I mentioned, he somehow makes plates of sausages, cheeses, salads and roasted tomatoes sound like the most delectable thing in the world!

And for the moment, I am inspired to grocery shop in the specialty cheese section to enhance our family dinners.

(Quick, kids! Eat well while you can before your mother reverts back to her true nature of frozen pizzas and the All-American drive-thru!)

I hope you have a blessed Easter.

(...enjoy and eat well!)

💐

~ Courtney 

Back Home

 Integrating back into family life after international travel is like jumping back onto a merry-go-round (that you never should have gotten off of in the first place), and trying to steady yourself as it continues its endless loops.

We arrived home in the middle of the night, exhausted from having been up for 24 hours. (There's no way around it - that trans-Atlantic haul is a doozy!) I was in desperate need of a hot shower and my own bed. But after just a few hours of deep sleep, it was morning and time to hit the ground running again.

We are winding down with school for the year. Elsa completed her 5th grade Language Arts course...

She can write a research paper, recite poetry, and diagram sentences like a pro.

A diligent year always pays off!

Another highlight from this month has been Soren's 13th birthday.

(Photo by big brother Roman)

I am now the mother of three teenagers! I made him his favorite breakfast: Scrambled eggs with peppers and mushrooms, alongside homemade cinnamon rolls.

It feels great to be back in the rhythm again. Paris was a beautiful adventure, but there's no place like home.

I was able to bring a little French flair back home with me.

The shops there sell authentic Made in France pillow covers that had me swooning!

In Versailles, the gift shop had a small selection of Marie Antoinette inspired pieces. I chose this embroidered pillow cover for my bed...

(Notice the M for Marie! 🌸)

Her style was famously lavish, and she loved florals. This was her bedroom in her smaller, more private chateau...

I could move right in, couldn't you?! 

😉

I also purchased, in another shop, these whimsical pillow covers for my couch...

I am just tickled over them!

To justify the purchase to Micah I tried pointing out how hard it is to find genuine decor in America. 

The pillows here are printed transfers, I explained. So you understand my urgency in buying these while I have the opportunity, right?

One could not argue with such clear logic.

It still feels like we were just there, navigating the metro... taking in the sights... (with a cafe creme in hand), but I couldn't shake the thought that, as fun as it is to visit, I wouldn't want to live there.

'Tis fine to see the Old World, and travel up and down

Among the famous palaces and cities of renown,

To admire the crumbly castles and the statues of the kings -

But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things.

So it's home again, and home again, America for me!

My heart is turning home again, and there I long to be.

Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air,

And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;

And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;

But when it comes to living, there is no place like home.

"America for Me," by Henry Van Dyke

It's good to be home.

💐

~ Courtney 

Paris is Always a Good Idea

 Thursday, March 27, 2025

6:24am

"The house is quiet. I just finished my Bible reading and prayer. I slept well last night and feel rested. I also feel ready and at peace. I've experienced a variety of emotions in the weeks leading up to today... from giddy and excited, to fearful and nervous. Traveling abroad can take a toll on a person, and a lot can go wrong. But I have covered this adventure in prayer and trust the Lord will watch over us and protect us on our journey. I hope we can relax, enjoy, and bravely face whatever this trip throws our way."

Excerpt from my travel journal

Bonjour! We are back home safely from our visit to Paris, where we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary.

💘

Paris was a dream, and I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have been able to experience it.

Even through my initial anxiety, the desire to go was irresistible.

After weeks of planning and researching, the final draft of my itinerary was jotted down in my journal:

Day 1 - Palace of Versailles/ Eiffel Tower at night

Day 2 - Cathedral day: Notre Dame mass/ Sainte Chapelle 

Day 3 - Walk and explore streets of Paris/ Bus tour/ Champs-Elysées/ Louvre museum

Everything worked out so smoothly, I am still pinching myself that it was real!

Long weekend in Paris, anyone? Oui? I'll take you through the days...

Versailles was incredible! You could easily spend an entire day here.

My favorite features of this palace were the Hall of Mirrors...

and Marie Antoinette's bedroom...

Have you ever seen anything so lavish in your life?

Saturday, March 29, 2025

"This morning we toured the Palace of Versailles and surrounding gardens. It is breathtaking! The weather started out chilly and blustery, but warmed up as the day progressed. We bought a sandwich and a soda for each of us, then found a comfortable place to sit by a sparkling lake for a picnic. It felt very warm then, and we enjoyed our lunch."

I had read once that the Eiffel Tower lights up at night, and twinkles on the hour for five minutes from dark until 11:00pm. 

I wasn't sure if that was true, or if we'd even time it right... (five minutes is over in a flash!) But we thought we'd jump on the metro and give it a shot. 

Glancing at the time every few seconds and murmuring to each other an affirming, I think we're gonna make it... we ascended the escalator up to the 7th arrondissement and took off full speed toward the tower. She began her twinkle show right before our very eyes, and we couldn't believe our luck!

It was a highlight of our trip, for sure.

Sunday morning we dressed for church and walked a block from our hotel to Notre Dame Cathedral.

We got in line at 8:15 to attend 8:30 mass. It is free and open to the public. I couldn't believe how quick the line went and how easy it is to just walk right into this famous, iconic cathedral. 

The service was beautiful, reverent, and over in 45 minutes. We Baptists aren't used to getting out of church so quickly, *wink... so we decided to stay for their hymn service at 9:30. The French gentleman standing next to me was singing along splendidly and seemed to know exactly what to do, so I tried to discreetly copy him. When he sat, I sat. When he stood, I stood. When he sang, I tried to sing along. (Practically impossible. It was all in French!) 

He then turned to me, offering his hand, a head nod, and the word, "Peace." I nodded in return and realized the entire congregation was engaged in this hand-shaking ritual. The little girl directly in front of me, who was being held by her father, reached her little hand behind his back and toward me. I took her tiny hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. She looked at me and said, "Peace." I smiled in return. 

One does not need to be Catholic to appreciate this unique and worshipful experience.

That afternoon we visited Sainte Chapelle, and what an amazing encounter that was! 

I've never seen anything like what we saw there!

We Americans cannot wrap our heads around a structure that is a thousand years old. It truly blows our minds! This chapel in particular was the most ornate, intricate, and colorful building I've seen in my life. Stained glass windows, carved stone pillars, hand painted walls... It was a feast for the eyes everywhere we turned.

We learned it was designed and built by King Louis IX to house Jesus's Crown of Thorns.

We left in awe.

As the afternoon grew later, I decided I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower from the perspective of my travel journal cover picture...

We found this charming street that offered a strikingly similar view...

A nice lady was willing to take our picture together in this spot.

(It's funny to me seeing this photo...)

(When Micah travels he likes to be casual. When I travel I like to dress up.)

😊

Monday was full. We spent hours walking around the city, taking in beautiful sights of the people, window displays, tall buildings, and cafes. The area around our hotel was quaint and quiet. 

But we noticed a difference when we explored the famous Champs-Elysées. This avenue is high-end and bustling! 

We hopped off our tour bus for a photo...

Monday, March 31

"We lunched at a darling outdoor cafe before walking across the street to the Louvre. I apparently didn't know what I was ordering because I was served warm milk with honey and a plate of raw salmon on a bed of potatoes. Can't say I've ever had a lunch quite like it before! I offered up a nervous prayer over that raw salmon!"

Finally, to the Louvre we go! The lines were long. I was so glad we had a pre-paid reservation.

This museum is enormous! We got lost a few times looking for Mona Lisa, and accidentally wandered into this wing...

The Louvre was the original palace for French royalty before Versailles was built. So happening upon these rooms was a happy mistake, and my favorite area in the museum.

But we wanted to find Mona Lisa! You know, to see how she's doing. So, we decided we could enjoy a nice wander once that was checked off our list. She was a little difficult to find. We checked our map and asked several guards for directions.

Monday, March 31

3:00pm

"Louvre museum - 60 degrees and sunny outside. The glass pyramids must have a greenhouse effect, because the inside of the building was so hot. We roasted! We battled a shoulder to shoulder line and inched our way up to view Mona Lisa. Very crowded room, and we were sweating. I used my paper map of the museum to fan my face as we waited. This is not for the faint of heart. But we did it!"

Ambling among the many carved statues, I thought of my 12 year old Soren. He would appreciate these tough guys...

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

8:13am - last entry

"Final morning here. We fly home today. This has been a wonderful trip. We got to see so many iconic sights. There is no city like Paris! Everything's magnificent here! Our hotel was perfect. We've been so pleased with it. Great location. Clean and safe. Our room faced an inner courtyard, so it was very quiet at night for sleeping. 

What I want people to know about Paris?... Paris is safe! Everyone should visit! French people are placid, and not at all rude to Americans. Maybe that's an outdated stereotype, because everyone we came across was friendly and spoke English with us. 

 Thank you, Lord, for answered prayer. You blessed us with a smooth, happy, healthy trip."

"Be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you."

- Deut. 9:3

I'll echo what Julia Ormond said in that 90's remake of Sabrina...

"Paris is always a good idea. I was happy there. You would have been, too."

💐

au revoir!!

~ Courtney