How silly of me...here I am writing like the world knows who I am but I haven't even introduced myself. 

I grew up in Ohio, went to college in Virginia, moved to Maryland where I met my husband, we then lived in Chicago for five years and finally we moved to Alaska.  My husband and I are missionaries with Avant Ministries and we serve at Echo Ranch Bible Camp in southeast Alaska.  We have worked at the camp since the summer of '99.

We have four children ranging from age 11 to 1.  Our homeschooling began with my oldest, Abigail, when she was in kindergarten and have continued to add the next two children as they arrived at "school" age.  Our homeschooling philosophy is definitely eclectic.  In our second year of homeschooling, I tried an all-in-one curriculum but I was frustrated that some subjects were not presented in a way that Abbie needed.  The Charlotte Mason Companion was quite influential after that and I continue to use real books for any subject we can.  We also take a week off every so often to do a unit study.  During that week we do not have to do any regular schoolwork but instead we study a geographical area --either a country or a continent.  Finally, I like the logical nature of the classical homeschooling strategy so I am working to move my children along the line to rhetoric. I almost forgot to mention that I just read The Thomas Jefferson Education.  Good book but I haven't been able to implement it yet though.  I just got the Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion.  Maybe that will help but I can't read it yet.  I won't have time until our road trip this fall.

As for other interests, my husband has been very patient as I move from one crafting hobby to the next. Hmmmmm...right now I wish I could get some scrapbooking done...I have a whole pile of yarn waiting to be knitted...there is a pile of papers/stamps/etc. sitting on the counter waiting to be made into greeting cards...the sewing machine is surrounded by sewing projects.  Besides crafts, I am totally in love with "homesteading" as in making my own soap, using wild berries and plants for feeding our family, not to mention wild game that my husband brings home, and raising chickens for meat and eggs.  I would love to have a goat, too, but my husband has drawn the line there.  Rats!  Oh, and I love to read, too.  My favorite author is George MacDonald but I also like Francine Rivers, Jan Karon, Jane Austen, Mrs. E. Prentiss and John Grisham.

I just this minute had a revelation; it isn't just my homeschooling style that is eclectic, it is my whole life!