By Sun and Candlelight

This makes me very sad ...

Rest in peace, Reading Rainbow.

You know ...

... sometimes you just have to wonder what messages the universe is trying to send you, lol. 

About two weeks ago I had a small domestic mishap that resulted in my computer being completely ruined. (Long story short: full glass of wine + cat tangling underfoot = sodden laptop.) Thankfully - not to mention, unbelievably - the folks at the Apple store were able to save my entire hard drive, but the machine itself was a total loss. Two weeks later I am now the proud (if slightly chagrined) owner of yet another macbook ... and all thanks to my husband who is a patient and exceedingly generous man. :) 

So back in business, right? Well, not so fast it seems.

Earlier this week our camera mysteriously broke - and by "mysteriously" I mean no one has owned up to anything recently going amiss. I certainly don't want to point any fingers, but this was the last picture taken ...

Hmmmm ...

So now the lens won't extend and the camera just powers off after trying a few times. Blah. Until I am able to purchase a replacement, I am trying very hard not to notice anything remotely interesting and I'm begging my beautiful morning glories to hold out another week!

In other, happier, news ... summer is coming to what seems a rather sudden end, and our first day of homeschooling is almost here. I am spending this weekend cleaning the learning room from top to bottom - setting up new school bags, bulletin board, bookshelves etc. - and writing out weekly plans from now until Christmas. Ambitious, yes  - but we have a hurricane descending upon us so we'll be at home anyways and I'm just going to do my best to focus and git 'er done (to quote Cars, one of Earlybird's favorite movies). It's been a nice summer but I'm eager to get back to weekly routines and daily rhythms. Lately I feel the need to bake and clean and put things in order ... so fall must surely be upon us. Hooray for my favorite time of year!

"A nip in the air today, and autumn plays hide and seek with summer ..." 

(from "August Ends" by Leondard Clark)

Well, I hope you are all enjoying these last weeks of summer. I'll check back in again just as soon as I can. :)

Crackerjack's Lego Birthday!

It sure is a day for smiles!

Before I get into the party pictures, I first have to tell you first that we got our approval letter in the mail today! We are all set to homeschool again this year! This is a big relief - our town has gotten slightly more difficult in recent years. We've never had a real problem, but I've been kind of holding my breath waiting for something to come up. No such worries this year though - we're good to go again. And, if you can believe it - and I hardly can - this will be our 10th year of homeschooling!

But now onto more important matters ~ today is Crackerjack's birthday! He turns 10 at 6 p.m. (or roundabouts). A little while ago he said to me, "Well, now I'm 10. I feel more mature somehow." Lol. Here are some pictures from his Lego-themed birthday party last weekend:

The birthday boy. :)

The mascots (mix and match Lego minifigures).

The candles (just a neat shot).

The pinata before ...

... and the pinata after. (That's Bill under there!)

The silliness ... ;)

And the birthday cake - yes, I made it! :) Pan can be found here.

So last weekend was friends, today is lunch with more friends and dinner will be his favorites. This weekend we will have his family party - no Legos this time, but aunts, uncles and grandparents, etc. Oh, and lasagna. ;)

Well, thanks for stopping by and checking in. Hope your Thursday is going swell, too. See you all again here real soon. :)

It's the most wonderful time of the year ...

... because I am DONE with the year-end reports and I have finally FINISHED the ed. plans for next year! 

*big sigh of relief*

Gosh, it took me so long to get all of this pulled together and I'm sorry I had to stay away but honestly staying offline was the best way for me to juggle all I had going on these past few weeks. And it's not just the reports - there's a lot going on here at home. Nothing bad, I promise you - I've just been busier than normal recently. And as for being online, sometimes there's no such thing as "a little bit connected" - sometimes it's better to just take a break from distractions (and as much as I love the internet I do find it completely distracting!) and focus on the task(s) at hand. 

But now I have sitting on my kitchen counter an especially thick package ready to mail to the school department - all three boys are accounted for coming and going. I will share our new year plans with you all very soon ...

I have tell you, I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging in the near future. I certainly don't want to give it up, but I have appreciated how much more present I've been to my family and my household this past month. I will have to work on a "workable" writing schedule for myself - maybe weekly updates until I get back in the groove - but for now I'll ease back into things by sharing a few photos from my backyard with you all ...

And now I have to turn my attention back to the preparations for Crackerjack's birthday party which we're holding here tomorrow ... things to clean, food to cook, party games to coordinate ... can you believe he'll be 10 years old next week?

Talk with you all again soon! Thanks for checking in and keeping my family in your thoughts and prayers. You are all always in mine. :)