Welcome to The Happy Apple Home!

So, what in the world do I plan on doing here? 

I've got a few ideas:  I love food pictures, so there will be plenty of those.  Wine is something my husband and I really enjoy, so I hope to post wine tasting notes.  Together, we all have a love of the National Parks, cross country trips, and adventures, so I can share our love of our beautiful country with you.  Finally, sometimes I am inspired (or encouraged by others) to share stories from my past.  I've got a colorful history which has brought me to this happy place in my life, and I see every moment as God leading me and my guardian angel protecting me along the way. 

So let's get down to the basics, I have been married to a mathematician for 10 years (at the time of this post), and he keeps me sane and level headed.  I truly look up to him, and admire his great intelligence.  He is my best friend and I absolutely love being with him.  We have 4 beautiful children.  Knowing others use special names for their kids on their blogs,  I plan on using the same format.  My husband and I have always been little foodies at heart, and thus we have named each of our girls after some kind of food.  Our son developed his own special name by chance.  It just happened that way, unplanned...really.  So my oldest is Peanut, our second is Tomato, and our third is Potato.  Our fourth is simply, Bitty.  Someday he will want that changed, but for now he is okay with it.

We call ourselves "homeschoolers" though I like to think we are well-adjusted homeschoolers.  We've tried a few different kinds of schooling, and like to stay open.  But, for the most part, we homeschool.  This year my children will be attending a Montessori program part time, and we'll stick with mathematics and language arts at home to make sure all bases are covered.  We happen to live in an awesome community where socialization is really a non issue.  There are so many activities, it's hard to find time to get schooling done!

Finally, and most importantly, I'm Roman Catholic.  I was raised Catholic, I rejected all things Catholic, and then I embraced Catholicism and have never looked back.  That story will be a later post.  I always try to remember:  God first, my husband second, my kids third, and then everyone else.