Harvey, me, Sona, Andrea, and Ash Noah

Andrea Noah riding Piney

Sona Noah making us an authentic Indian meal of chicken curry and Rajmah with chapatti.

Flattening out the chapatti

Rebekah Joan Masloske reading one of her favorite books.

About 1 1/2 years ago, we became a foster family for two little girls, ages 6 and 3. Briefly, they came to us in a pretty bad way - first from parents who did not take care of them at all, and then from living six months in the foster system (i.e. sat in front of a TV for hours a day in different homes). They both had speech problems (the only consonants being d, t, and w), and the 6-year-old could not even count to 10. I need not add they had very short attention spans. There was talk about diagnosing them with learning and attention disorders.

Enter, a Zero Television policy, read-aloud classic literature, TATRAS, Math-U-See, and much prayer. The little girls are doing so well the state is allowing us to homeschool them this year (truly a miracle). In less than a year their speech problems have completely disappeared, their attention spans are terrific, and their (mostly informal) math skills are great. Oh, and it must be stated, that learning first-time obedience was at the top of the chart when they came into our home (thank you, Laurie, for suggesting The Mother at Home some years ago).

We want to thank you for all the information you provided on your site. We wanted to let people know also that these methods helped two really troubled children, when “professionals” had decided they couldn’t be helped without extensive therapy and medication.

We are humbled, and grateful to God to be a part of this process.

– A Reader

And we still don’t have a winner in the last newsletter contest.

Kyle Royer with knife collector, Paul Kessler, at the Chicago Custom Knife Show

Sold, $1,250

Sold, $900

Kyle Royer looking for stag and mammoth ivory handle material

Hey, look at our new baby!

Helena and Daddy

In Erie, 1984

Grabbing Daddy’s ink pen

New bonnets

OK, I’ll comb your hair now, Helena, if you promise to comb my hair when I’m old.

The never-ending game of dolls

Helena standing next to the current science fair projects

History Fair

If you need anything ironed, give it to Helena. She loves to iron.

Lilia Wilson’s piano recital

Mercer County 4-H Fair judging

Primitive Civil War ball costumes

Helena wins a ribbon at the fair for her black cape

The blue dress

Keithsburg, Illinois pine forest

One of Helena’s quilts for her hope chest

Ribbon embroidery

Helena’s first pet, Gwennie.

Insertion lace

1914 Afternoon Dress

Ball Gown

Day Dress

White water rafting in Colorado

Unidentified people at New Year’s Eve party

She needed this….

…to go here.

Playing guitar with her teacher

Drawn-thread work

With friend Emily

Helena’s little helper, Ronnie

Abeashe Orpusce

Email me at bluedorn AT triviumpursuit DOT com