I always hate starting a post with an apology (almost as much as I hate reading them)-- but here I am again apologizing for this long and unexpected absence.  I was so proud of myself for posting weekly throughout the summer, and just when I was about to reach the end of it, I up and deserted this spot.

We packed a lot into the last weeks of summer--  I made three trips to Indianapolis, first to see my ailing Grandmother, again for her funeral, and back for a whirlwind trip to see a family member having some tough times. We visited two zoos, the Indianapolis Children's museum, some towns along lake Michigan, and made a few trips to Ann Arbor, all while readying Elliot for Kindergarten.  I did some thrifting, consigned (bought and sold) some of my kids clothes, and painted the largest room in my house.  And my husband took several business trips in there too.  Wow, just reading all of that makes me exhausted!  It's no wonder that after the first week of school I nearly collapsed from exhaustion and missed my family reunion.

Last week, I produced my first craft for my new guest spot at B:Kids, one of my favorite blogs for and about kids.  It should be up this Friday, so please check it out.  It's a fun back-to-school craft that your kids could do with your help, or you could even do as a little gift to them.

This week I've managed little more than painting Elliot's radiator cover with chalkboard paint, something I think could make every room a bit nicer.  I've been painting things with it since way before I had kids (if you live at 6 Dwight Street in Boston's South End, you may have my first chalkboard paint project) and I'm crazy for the stuff. 

Every radiator in our home has a cover, but for some reason the one for Elliot's room was in the basement and in tough shape, so this week I painted it up and we're quite pleased with it.  The finish matches perfectly with his steel Parson's bed.  It inspired some bedtime doodling last night complete with a quick game of tic-tac-toe between Elliot and Scott.   (shhh...Elliot won)

Next on my list?  I'm going to paint a bookshelf from a garage sale and a table from a thrift store.  I will post when these projects are completed.  What are you filling your extra time with for those of you whose little ones have gone back to school?