I just have to start by saying that all of my friends on the East coast have been greatly on my mind. Though I know many of you are save, the damage is extensive. I'll be checking in with all of you to see what we can do and how we can help.

So where have I been?

Thank you for your lovely emails, facebook messages, and comments. Everything is fine and we are well. This hasn't been my usual summer of travelling to Sweden and hanging with family and friends. In May, during the violent storms in the southern United States, we had damage done to our house and our daughters car was very badly damaged due to 8 inches of golf sized hail. I decided that it was best that I stayed home this summer to deal with putting a new roof on my house and to work with the insurance company on the car issue. It's still on going.

Being home this summer gave me lots of time to write and craft. What could be better when you can combine both together? This week I'll get to share with you the fruits of my labors as both Rhythm of the Home and the new Little Acorn Learning Enrichment Guide comes out.

Summer days were spent with felt sewing seahorses, starfish, and unicorns.

The Little Acorn Learning Enrichment Guides have a weekly theme and a weekly emotion. Eileen Straiton, owner of Little Acorn Learning, happily sends the themes and words and encourages all of the contributors to craft and create an idea for each week.

As I'd sit at my kitchen table, inspired by all of the ideas in my head, I always had help close at hand.

Along with felt there were a few days creating bugs, more specifically ladybugs.

You can find all of the Little Acorn Enrichment Guides right here.

 Eileen says:

"Our new Monthly Enrichment Guides are filled to the rim crafts, recipes, activities, stories and inner-work suggestions than our regular Childcare Lesson Plan Guides and they also 
follow a weekly theme to keep your home or school following a seasonal rhythm – they are structured a bit more loosely so you can use the ideas as time allows without having each day 
specifically planned out for you and the guides are not laid out as daily lesson plans."

And then let's not forget my other projects. We have a new book in the works over at Audrey Press. I can't divulge what it is yet, we're waiting for our final copyright clearances, but I promise you, it is going to have you jumping into a certain book like never before. Currently we are starting our final editing process which is filling my days and nights.

Over at Jump into a Book we gave away 19 Elsa Beskow books to Erin over at tiny twist creative and now we have a giveaway going on for 5 Kate di Camillo books.  Be sure to enter. Contest is open until September 11th 2011. 

We've posted a lot of book reviews and activities this summer on our favorite book site. One of the more exciting things to happen was that Kirby Larson author of Hattie Big Sky and The Friendship Doll , emailed me after I reviewed her book and made some little origami dolls. She will be taking this craft with her when she visits An American Girl club in Wisconsin. Really exciting. If you haven't read The Friendship Doll, please do it's wonderful.

So I think this pretty well sums up my summer, crafts, garden, books, and food. Kids have gone back to school and I am slowly coming back into my blogging self. I've missed you all and look forward to gnome week, which is still going to happen , and catching up with your summers.

Katten and I are back and ready to blog as usual.

Be well!