El Gato

All my son wanted to do tonight was finish up his Spanish homework before he went to bed. (He's got mono so he's crashing early these days.) Our cat, Minnie, had other ideas. She thought it was time for him to give her scritches. S would gently nudge her aside, but she'd come back and plop down again. Finally, they compromised - scritches first, then Spanish.

Berry Picking Time

Blueberry picking is one of my favorite things about August. I love torturing my children by dragging them out into the woods and not feeding them until they reach their hourly berry quota. Yeah, I'm that mom.

Seriously though, the kids are usually pretty willing to pick for at least a few hours, especially if the weather is cooperative. Luckily my son remembers the amazing blueberry pie filling I made a few years ago. Now, all I have to do is suggest that we are getting close to having enough berries for pie and jam and he gets a renewed burst of energy. (Regular snacks help, too.)

We almost didn't go this year because summer had been so dry. I'm so glad went after all because the berries were better than they've been in two or three years. The four of us managed to pick 12 pounds (abut 5.5 kg) of berries in just a few hours.

My daughter even spent an additional hour winnowing with me when we got home. I think she's hoping there will be some blueberry jelly in her future...

Favorite

Hands down, this is my favorite bread-making book. (Check out the authors' other books here.) I love bread. And when I say love, I mean love. No question, my daughter inherited her weakness for all things bready from me. 

My favorite thing about this recipe is I can come home from a long day at work and still have fresh bread on the table for dinner. (Which actually never happens any more since Allen does all the cooking on school nights. Yes, I know how lucky I am to have a husband like that.)

So now I enjoy easy-peasy homemade bread on the weekends.  As often as I can.

Fall

Fall is my absolute favorite time on Mackinac Island.  I love the warm days, the cool nights and even the rain. (Except the horizontal rain in November. I really don't enjoy that.)

Don't get me wrong, I love summer.  Sleeping late, puttering in the garden, and having a looser schedule all make me smile. I just don't love hot weather. Once fall rolls around, it's warm enough where I can wear dresses and sandals to school, but I'm not sweltering in the heat. I much prefer the "sweater weather" of September. 

Ready to Go

The kids are out in the kayaks; Allen and Kelaine are out fishing; and I'm here, enjoying the peace and quiet of my dear friend's cabin.

I've not taught language arts in a long time, but my upcoming week is all planned. I am ready to teach my very first week of our reading program - Wonders.

Reading lessons? Check.
Spelling lessons? Check.
Grammar lessons? Check
Writing lessons? Check.

I have a feeling it is going to be a great week. And, if for some reason something doesn't go quite right, it will not be due to a lack of planning...

Best Year Ever

That's the plan - to have the best year ever.

The computers are all updated,

my reading corner is stocked,

and my 3D printers are up and running.

Now all I need are my six fantastic sixth graders,

and the first day of the Best Year Ever can begin.