Still Standing and Taking Time to Breathe

Oh my goodness!  I have been away from this blog for so long!!  I really thought I might have to abandon it--things got so busy and stressful that I just had to go into survival mode.
But alas!  I survived!
The craziest school year ever finished up successfully (meaning I am still standing and feeling like I can foray into the battle realm again next year) and my arm (and hand) got over their persistent pain and I have most of my range of motion back.  I am now in that blissful catch-up time of year when I read like a madwoman and crochet and knit like one possessed.
I have also been baking--two cakes.  One was a the Celestial Chocolate Cake I've made before. And this time when the icing once more didn't come together I blamed it on the recipe.  Seriously.  The other cake--my attempt at an Angel food was a complete fail.  But it wasn't the fault of the recipe, it was a combination of things that interrupted the fragile chemical balance.  I may try again later this summer--or maybe not.
Meantime, I have been doing a bit of outdoors tramping/snake hunting with my oldest young man, while my youngest man went through the usual rites of passage that cause mothers to breathe wistful sighs.