The end of the day before sets the tone for the day to come.  Likewise the end of the school year is the perfect time to lay the foundation for the upcoming year.  We have a good ninety days to deep clean the house, select and organize materials and lay the rails of good habits in ourselves and our kids.  In the coming weeks I will be revisiting my favorite resources for doing these very things. 

Several people have told me they were praying about the purse mishap yesterday.  I must be more cynical than I thought because, sweet as that was, I truly didn't expect those prayers to be answered.  This morning we got a call from a woman saying she had just found my purse at a Lowe's store which is across town from the Walmart it was last seen at yesterday.  She left it with customer service where I picked it up when we got back into town. Amazingly enough – its completely intact, right down to the cell phone and checkbook.  The credit cards don't appear to have been used.  

The wind was sharp the day we visited Lake Erie but it was worth weathering the cold.  The little ones had never seen such a vast expanse of water before.  I had also not considered that Tess had never walked on sand before.  I realized that when she first stepped off the path onto the beach and looked so bewildered as the sand moved out from under her steps.   

The big kids were thrilled though and shouted to each other over the roar of the waves and the engines of the tractors combing the beach.  The section nearby which we walked had not yet been cleared of the debris accumulated over the winter but that left lots to explore too.

Did I mention it was cold?

Rebecca has a special knack for finding sea glass:

Kieran following Ben:

the beach grew on her as we went along.  Sitting went better than walking however…

Brendan brought his "light saver" 'cause you never know when you may be called upon to do battle with the dark side – even if you are in Ohio   ; ) 

afterwards we trudged back up the path for lunch at a local hot dog shack.   I love this picture of Rebecca's Mary in the back of my van. She is a funny, funny girl. : ) 

Then before we knew it we were back to the caravan and packing up to go home again. This would be me with Rebecca at the end of that day. A little wind-blown but happy. : )   

"People resemble steamships. They toot loudest when they are in a fog."  

Living on a Dime just posted this quote which had me laughing. So true.

I have so enjoyed the Southern Lady  blog.  Lots of decorating inspiration from real homes.  And hey, she has my pantry door. <g>

There is nothing more fun than using things in unexpected ways.  This is doubly true if chalkboard paint is involved.  Y'all know I have a bit of a fascination with chalkboards. <g>  Well, check these out.  Bless This Nest made a gorgeous chalkboard out of an old silver tray.  She got the idea here.  This isn't her first erasable project though.  Here is here snazzy pantry door.

This chart proposes to identify which nutrients your body is asking for when you crave certain foods.   Interesting!  Though I wonder what craving these means…..

sigh.  Somedays I really miss corn syrup.