First I want to apologize for my silence the last few days, two things brought that on:
* Life
* Server Maintenance by SailBlogs

The later is promised to bring about new and improved, better than ever hosting and the former will hopefully follow suit! Yep!

The Life category and all the exciting changes that will be taking place is deserving of its own, lengthy, post so be on the lookout for that in the next week or so!

Now, on to a few of the exciting things that have happened recently in the on-line category...

First, dear inspiring Theresa at LaPaz Home Learning (slight change to the name) has tagged me with the lovely to behold Blogger Reflection Award.


The description of the award:
"This award should make you reflect on five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, or have been a Godly example to you. Five Bloggers who when you reflect on them you get a sense of pride and joy... of knowing them and being blessed by them."

Thank you, Theresa! This award means so very much to me coming from a person who daily inspires me!

Now for my part of the bargain, sharing the wealth, as it were. But first I really want to highlight something Theresa said so very eloquently in her post,

"I am so glad to get this opportunity to slow down and think about what a blessing my online friends are. I live in an area in which my particular demographic is a rare bird. I often feel isolated and alone IRL. So I turn to my virtual friends, who are in fact more real support to me than anyone IRL , with the exception of family."

She has hit the nail on the head. As some of you may know, my sisters and I were (and one still is being) homeschooled and I have a very hard time recalling any homeschooling friends of my own, much less other moms who homeschooled for my mother to be friends with. The lack of community we felt then compared to the warm and rich sense of community today brings tears to my eyes.
Thank you, one and all!

After that how in the world am I going to choose only 5 bloggers?

Alice at A Number of Things for stupendous ideas like the Traveling Art Journal which arrived aboard the S/V Mari Hal-O-Jen this past weekend!

Marjorie at Lettres de mon Moulin for inspirational nature posts and bilingual beauty.

Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight for being an organizational whiz with the best ideas who doesn't mind sharing those afore mentioned ideas on-line, in person or through snail mail!

Elizabeth at Real Learning for starting this amazing community of gracious homeschoolers and continuing to inspire us with beautiful thoughts.

Susan at More Than We Can Imagine is a grand IRL friend who has the perfect plan for the new school year after observing how much kids want to go through anything that comes in a mysterious box on your porch!

There! Five bloggers tagged! Five bloggers whom I find very inspirational and encouraging.



Now on to my next cool on-line thing that has happened this week, if you are interested in homeschooling please drop in on Kim at Starry Sky Ranch who hosted the Loveliness of Back to School Fair on Monday. So much food for thought by those 33 women in what must be the largest Loveliness Fair yet!

I've also been pondering ways to Nuture Beauty in our lives and what that might look like translated to our lives on our sailboat.

Good late summertime thoughts for the heat of the day! Much better than obsessing about the latest storm!

ETA: Yes!!! I went to Wunderground to link to a system off the Bahamas and found no mention of it! Love it when a storm dissipates! Made my day. :)