Chasing Fireflies

Colors of our Weekend

BLUE, BLACK, RED, YELLOW, PINK, and WHITE

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The continuation of our savoring summer proceeded over the weekend:

We went SWIMMING

and

We CAMPED OUT - complete with a tent, a campfire, s'mores, lanterns, sleeping under the stars, temperatures in the 60's, sleeping in a sleeping bag on the ground, going to sleep to the sounds of crickets and frogs, waking to a rooster crowing (30 minutes before sunrise) and birds chirping, pink sunrise clouds, and cobblestone clouds.

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We also were able to attend 2 phenominal presentations in our church by Hank Hough and his black labridor retriever, Bandera, of Kingdom Dog Ministries.  "Using dogs as a visual illustration, Kingdom Dog Ministries blends humor with simple and timeless biblical truths to show the power of obedience in the life of the believer." ~ from www.kingdomdog.org

Savoring the End of Summer ~ August 23rd

The end of summer is nearing...

Here,

we are savoring ALL that is left.

 

Eating tomato sandwiches for lunch with some of the last of our garden tomatoes,

making yard art out of recyclables,

playing hopscotch,

admiring butterflies on zinnias,

drawing zinnias cut from our garden,

and weenie roasts for dinner.

How are you savoring the end of your summer?

A Fun and Memorable Day on the River . . . and After ~ TAKE TWO

Several weeks ago we had a fun and memorable day on the river with our friends.  Unfortunately, the weather wasn't so cooperative and we promised each other a redo pontoon Day on the River.  Last Saturday was our "Take Two."

This time my facebook status read:

Take Two - Day on the River
Sunscreen - check
Life jackets - check
Food and water for the day - check
Fishing poles - check

Boat rental for the day - check
Ready for fun with friends on the river all day - CHECK!!! :)
Taking our chances and not taking ponchos!  :)

Take Two proved to be a glorious day.  Temperatures in the mid-80's, sunshine, and blue skies. 

Our Captains Jake and Michael

Junior Captain Jude driving

After riding upstream awhile, we found a cove to swim in and all took a dip.

Picturesque side view of our swimming cove

After our swim, Olivia and Hanna got to intertube creating fun childhood memories.

For lunch we dined on delicious Snake Sandwiches Michael made for us.

While eating we made our way to Goat Island.  Why is it named Goat Island?  Are there really goats on the island?  Can you see the goats?  Are the goats dangerous?  were some of the questions asked as we approached shore. 

[I am very intrigued in knowing the history of Goat Island, so if someone would like to share with me, I would be much obliged.  :) ]

A bottle/shoe tree welcomed us ashore

After arriving on Goat Island, a portion of us began a search party for "The Goats of Goat Island."  When 20 minutes had passed and no goats were spotted, our party began to grow restless and questioned if goats really do live on the island.  We decided to split up.  Finally, someone claimed they had spotted the goats!  We all gathered together to approach "The Goats" as a group and slowly walked up a hill.  And sure enough, goats we saw!  And I have pictures to prove it! :)

Goat Island proved to be a great place to dock for awhile.  Not only for the sighting and novelty of seeing goats on a small island, but also for collecting shells (that I plan to use for a special project in the future)...

and a GREAT place for fishing!

Michael and Jake fishing with the kids

 

Olivia and Hanna enjoyed exploring the shoreline

A beautiful Sun Fish (Orangespotted?)

Unhooking our 9th and final fish

I even found a heart shaped rock for the love we found on Goat Island!  :)

Before taking back off we enjoyed ice cold watermelon.

Jennifer, who was celebrating her birthday on the river, soaking up the sun

After leaving the island, cliff jumping was next on Michael's agenda for the day.  Jake found the perfect spot for he and Michael to jump off cliffs until we had to head back to the marina.

  

Isaac and Jude after a game of throwing around driftwood

Jennifer and I

On our 45 minute trip back to the marina we enjoyed the quiet and beautiful views.

Jude sacked out.

Out of 5 children, Olivia was the only one not to fall asleep.

Back at the marina - What a wonderful and perfect Day on the River!

Next, we went home, cleaned up, and got ready for a party!  Stay tuned...

What's for Dinner Tonight

We're still enjoying summer around here and the vegetables coming in from our garden.

On our menu tonight:  Baked Turkey Cutlets with Maple Cherry Sauce, Fried Okra and Potatoes from our garden, and Green Beans from our garden

Are you eating anything from your garden for dinner tonight?

Colors of our Weekend

RED, GREEN, and BROWN

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Our weekend was spent in the garden, with friends, and in church.

Our close friends, Scot, Lesley, & Lincoln came to town for a visit this weekend.

We ate Italian with them 2 nights in a row.  :)

I made homemade salsa from our garden veggies.

Michael dug up our potatoes.

The kids each cut a watermelon from our garden.

We attended a parenting seminar at our church.

We had our 1st annual Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest.  Michael was the winner spitting a seed a whopping 26 feet 8 inches.  Olivia came in 2nd at 15 feet, I was 3rd at 12 feet 6 inches, and Isaac 2 feet.  Joshua was too tired to participate.

Picking Peaches

Saturday morning we met Michael's parents at the orchard and picked peaches. 

We ended up with 29 pounds and and LOTS of ideas of ways to use them.  :)

After picking peaches we admired the rest of the orchard- a fig tree with a nest, grapes, and chestnut trees.

A Fun and Memorable Day on the River ... and After

Last Friday morning I updated my status on facebook to read:

Sunscreen - check
Life jackets - check
Food and water for the day - check
Fishing poles - check
Boat rental for the day - check
Ready for fun with friends on the river all day - CHECK!!!  : )

Last Friday we took off to the river for the day with our close family friends.  The day was HOT and we had to use a great deal of sunscreen.  It was a beautiful morning and the breeze felt divine as we skimmed across the water.

After traveling a few miles we found a cozy cove to anchor down in and all took a splash in the water.  It was a first for each of my kids...to wear life vests and to swim in a lake or river.  They each enjoyed it, but Joshua did the most.  He had a huge grin on his face the entirety of the time he spent in the water.

Our swimming cove

After swimming and eating a scrumptious picnic lunch the boys pulled in the anchor and we took off on an adventure.

After riding around for about 30 minutes we found the perfect fishing cove to cast our hooks into.  However, at about the same time we also began to see an approching storm including lightening.  Unfortutely, it wasn't too far off from us either.  So we tried to outrun it.  But, when we realized we weren't going to be able to and in addition saw the lightening getting nearer and nearer, we knew we needed to get off the water and under cover.  F.A.S.T.

We happened to be near an aquaintance's lake house, texted him for permission, and tied off at his dock and took cover under his porch while we waited for the storm to pass.

Well, we thought it would pass.  We watched the storm system on our phones and saw another storm forming right behind the one we were in.  We had a few moments to try to beat the next storm and try to stay out of the rain and get our rental boat back in time.  We like living on the edge!

As my friend later pointed out in response to my facebook status ...Ponchos - NO check!

While riding back to the marina in the pelting COLD rain, a white rain wall followed us.  Through it all, we were still having fun though because we were together.

Even though we were disappointed we didn't get to fish or ride out to our final destination, I have to admit that we were all grateful to arrive back safely even though we were wet drenched and cold. 

But, our day didn't end there.

Our friends went home, showered, warmed up, and came over to our house for a pizza dinner and s'mores.

Then to top off the day, the grown-ups played Mexican Train Dominoes while the kids played quietly in their rooms all evening long (well, most of the evening was quiet).

We made memories that day that will NEVER be forgotten! 

Thank you friends for our day on the river ... and after.  P.S.  How 'bout a "rain" check on our fishing trip.  Ok?

Selling Zinnias

Olivia has started a business of her own this summer at our local farmer's market.  She's selling zinnias that she has been growing in our garden.  She was SO excited to make her very first three sells today! 

Colors of our Weekend

BLUE, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, and BROWN

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Our July weekend of memories included:

A day we'll never forget on the river with our close family friends.

An evening with the same friends making s'mores and playing Mexican Train Dominoes.

Meeting up with Michael's parents and picking 29 pounds of peaches.

The kids experiencing their very first snow cones.

Beating the heat with a family movie afternoon indoors.

Isaac discovering and catching a frog in our yard.

July 4th

Our Fourth of July was Full of Flags, Food, Family, Friends, Fun, Fellowshipping, and Fireworks!

Berry Picking

Saturday morning we rose and headed out of town bright and early to the blueberry fields.  The high was predicted to reach 95 degrees so we wanted to make sure we were finished with our picking early.

The kids were very helpful this year . . . in their own ways:  Olivia picked this year without any complaining, Isaac stood by my side holding his bucket for me to drop blueberries into, and Joshua picked and ate, and ate, and ate his and everyone else's share of berries.

During our time picking, the kids gave me all sorts of suggestions of recipes to make with our blueberries.  First up they wanted blueberry pancakes and muffins.

Notice what Joshua is doing in almost all of his pictures?  He ate pretty much the whole time we were at the farm.  He wasn't eating one at a time either-he was stuffing whole handfuls into his little mouth.  He should have enough antioxidants to last him for at least a week.  ;)

We ended up with just a little over a gallon of berries.  We probably would have had two if Joshua wouldn't have been eating.  :) 

We can't wait to go back to pick more . . . especially Joshua!

Colors of our Weekend

YELLOW, BLUE, BLACK, and WHITE

 

 

   

 

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Our first weekend of summer has been a whirlwind of fun summer activity.

FRIDAY

The kids and I made zucchini muffins and freshly squeezed lemonade.

Homemade pizza was for dinner.

SATURDAY

We woke up bright and early to go blueberry picking.

After blueberry picking we bought peaches at an orchard and plan to go back in a few weeks to pick our own.

A visit to the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall sobered us all.

An afternoon on the couch as a family watching An American Tail was enjoyed by all and brought back fond memories from when I was young.

After getting the kids to bed, Michael and I watched Sherlock Holmes.

SUNDAY

After church we feasted on blueberry pancakes and sausage for brunch.

I enjoyed a rare Sunday afternoon nap.

I spyed a tomato in my garden finally starting to turn.  :)

Our Summer To Do List

What's on your list?

In my garden this morning

Colors of our Weekend

PINK, TURQUOISE, YELLOW, PURPLE, and RED

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Our wonderful weekend included:

Celebrating Olivia's 11th birthday with a Vintage Birthday Brunch with her family and friends;

Having my Granddad, Grandma, and Uncle Robert pay us a visit for Olivia's party;

Having my Mom and Dad here to celebrate Olivia's birthday with us;

Some summer Slip 'n Slide fun;

A summer cookout with hamburgers, sides, and watermelon.

Our Memorial Day Weekend

This year our Memorial Day weekend turned into a staycation - getting things done around our home, working on Olivia's upcoming birthday party, relaxing, eating dinner outside each night, and spending time together as a family.  On Friday the kids and I made a day trip to Memphis.  The drive was spectacular with Queen Anne's Lace blanketing the roadsides.  We spent the majority of our time in an antique mall talking about and learning about history.  Saturday we tended the garden, the kids played in their pool, we grilled out hamburgers, and we had a family game night consisting of Jenga, Busy Bugs, and Blokus.  Sunday brought us watermelon, more time in the pool, a batch of tea cakes like my great-grandmother used to make, a family movie, Dolphin Tale, and a late date night movie, Moneyball.  Monday we spent more time outside in the pool, Olivia and I went on on girls shopping trip, and we worked on our Memorial Day dinner - Olivia shucked corn, Michael grilled barbeque chicken, and I worked on all the sides.  We were grateful to spend time together as a family this weekend and are so thankful to live in a country where men and women sacrifice for us and our freedoms daily. 

Colors of our Weekend

PINK, KHAKI, GREEN, and BLUE

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This weekend:

I made invitations for Olivia's upcoming 11th birthday party,

Michael painted our dining room,

Michael ran in a 5K and placed 2nd in his age group,

We went fishing,

We watched a family movie Sunday afternoon - Hugo (based on one of Olivia's and my favorite books)

Isaac and Olivia both sang in our church's children's choir musical.

H O T

 

In from the garden

July 11, 7:40 P.M.

Mississippi is welcoming us back with her extremely hot summer temperatures.

Dangerous heat index. Outdoor exposure should be limited.

Severe
Right Now
Mostly Clear
93°F
Feels Like: 107°
Past 24-hr: Precip: 0 in Snow: 0 in
Wind: Calm
Through 1am: Mostly clear with temperatures falling to near 81F. Winds light and variable.