About

Kate

Mother, Maker, and Homeschooler

I am a migratory Yooper.  *Meaning: a person from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Once upon a time I traded in my plastic toy snow shovel for red cowboy boots and spurs. Only to later find myself trading everything in for the wonders of the desert and the life that was prepared for me there.

12 years later, I’m the wife to my best friend and a mother of 4, repatriated to the United States. Our family loves to play and laugh together and we spend our days learning together in homeschool. It has been such a joy, that it inspired me to create, endeavoring to help provide just a little of the tangible atmosphere that sets the stage for great discussion, learning, and memories.

Around the Spinney is my small business, inspired by A.A. Milne’s book, Winnie the Pooh. A spinney is a small forest or grouping of trees. In one of my favorite stories, Pooh and Piglet find themselves tracking a Woozle around one such Spinney. When I was younger I loved the cartoon made for television, but it wasn’t until I started reading Winnie the Pooh to my children that I started to see the real charm of the characters and the joy that they gave to my children as we laughed together through their blunders.

ConnorsRdCollective is made up of myself and my parents, who each instilled in me a sense of wonder and imaginative creativity through their creative mediums: quilting, woodworking, and cooking.  I watched them create with their hearts and their hands, and just couldn’t wait to do the same.  I hope you will be as inspired by them as I have been as you go on this journey with us.