Won't you join us for a moment as my daughters and I go to our ladies' tea party? First, I'll tell you why we had this special occasion. For the past year, us ladies each had one of the girls, down to the first graders, as our secret sister. Every now and then we'd take a gift along to church ...

As I mentioned last week, we as a church would sometimes draw names from our 18 families and single households to determine who would be gathering at which home in an attempt to have everyone involved. We never wanted anyone with no relatives or living on their own to be alone on Thanksgiving ...

Thanksgiving has always been a highlight in our house. As a little girl, my mom would always cook up a big meal, and without fail we'd have guests at our home unless we had received an invitation to join another family. Sometimes when the holiday season rolled around, we as church families ...

You know the apprehension of waiting, the stress of not knowing how things will turn out? That's been our story on behalf of my youngest brother, Jeriah, who is six years younger, and his wife, Esther. When Jeriah was a little chap I'd carry him all over, even though my grandma would say he's ...

Today when I asked Julia what I should write about in the column, she immediately popped up with, "About our trip to town with Montana!" I was glad for the suggestion, so why not join us as a family as we make a nine-mile trek to town and back with the horse and a wagon? Usually, we hire a ...

I'll stick with my promise and fill you in on our homeschooling days, or perhaps I should say "moments." It seems that though I try to stay with routines, my days pass, taking a moment at a time trying to keep things as calm and cool as possible. As you know, when we first began homeschooling ...

As crispy coolness fills the air with the return of the sweet tang of apples and fresh pumpkins, there is no doubt that summer is fading into fall. At the Yoder home, this season is a welcome change. Shorter days are resulting in earlier bedtimes, steaming cozy lattes, and snuggling in fleece ...

Fright Night will return Oct. 19. Presented by First Federal Bank and the Downtown Improvement District, the annual Halloween event features more than 30 activities throughout the day and evening. "Fright Night is an awesome day and evening of activities with something for everyone,” ...

It’s early in the morning. I was up with two of the children at 4:30; after a while they settled down, so I decided to stay up and enjoy a few quiet hours. My usual quiet moments in the morning had fizzled out the last few weeks as the children had a little cold, just enough to disturb ...

Fort Wayne's first foodie tour, which also combines historic and architectural commentary, has been sold. Sarah Arnold and Randy Harter, who founded Fort Wayne Food Tours three years ago, have passed the torch to a new owner, Amber Bouthot. Bouthot, dditor of Glo and Home Living magazines, ...

Repeatedly we hear from you readers whose favorite topic is the one I enjoy writing about the most (that is, next to writing about hubby, of course). So this week I'll plunge into the topic of our rapidly growing children. This time I will start with little Elijah, who is 19 months old. He has ...

Editor's Note: The column is being written this week by Gloria's mother, Dorcas Raber, who gives us insight into Amish funeral traditions. After battling cancer courageously for six years, my 74-year-old Uncle Paul passed away. We knew he had been losing out and that he was longing to go to ...

Conjure Coffee has signed a lease agreement with Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation to open a café inside the Botanical Conservatory in downtown Fort Wayne. The agreement was approved by the Board of Park Commissioners during their monthly meeting on Thursday, Sept. 12. Conjure Coffee's home ...

Last week we talked about the little fishing trip we had for Daniel’s birthday. This week I’ll fill in a bit about his birthday supper. At our house, whoever is having a birthday gets to choose his or her meal. Daniel chose one of our all-time summer favorites, chalupas. Now, if you’ve ...

Yesterday was Daniel's 31st birthday. I had asked him what he would like to do. Guess what he picked? He chose to have the two of us go fishing on a pontoon at our neighbor's pond. I am not all that much of a fisherman, but on hubby's birthday, it seemed nothing short of a perfect option. ...

Hey, good news! The way it looks, the adoption is going to happen before long! The adoption worker contacted us today wondering if she could come next Wednesday, (which happens to be on Daniel’s birthday), and bring out a bunch of paperwork, medical history, and the likes. Yippee! That news ...

My dream is coming to reality. What I used to consider a stark negative is now not only intriguing but exciting. When I was 6, my parents were among those who established our parochial school. This is where I attended from grades one through eight. I was the first student to complete all eight ...

Another busy afternoon is coming to a close, and an hour from now my family will be gathering at the dinner table expecting a hot meal. A big thanks to my cousin Owen who stays at our house and simplified things for me tonight. He purchased a chicken for a quick meal. Owen does outstanding in ...

We were all ready to go at 7 a.m. Friday when the taxi pulled in the driveway. At last, all the clothes were sewn and pressed, the shoes were cleaned and polished, even the diaper bag was packed, and all five car seats were outside, ready to be buckled in for the short drive to where my sister ...

Can it be true? My little sister is getting married. Twenty-one years ago, I stood by my mother's bedside, in complete awe and wonder; I beheld her tiny face; it was my dream come true. I could hardly believe that Mary Grace was my very own sister. The first question that popped out of my mouth ...