Miss.

I will miss this so "they" tell me. And it is a fact that I remind myself of daily.

Embrace this time.

Love the snuggles, the giggles, and the mess for it will soon be a thing of the past.

But some days, I feel like I am walking on the beach crunching in the sand and yet I am only walking in my kitchen!!

Helping Hand

I love to be in the kitchen.

I especially love to be in the kitchen with the ones that I love helping me.

And right now, I am seldom in the kitchen alone.

If Katherine hears me in there she grabs a chair and wants to "watch".

But seldom does it stop at watching.

And soon enough she herself has her hands messy and is busy as a bee in the kitchen.

And it warms my heart.

Oh brother!!

Oh the love that these two share.

She never minds holding him. No matter what she is doing, she loves to have him by her side. Whether eating, playing, reading, playing the piano and even doing her school work she loves to include him.

But at only 9 she sometimes doesn't realize how fast a baby can be or how far they can reach.

And that makes for some messy learning experiences.

But she loves him.

Messy hands and messy face. No matter what he splashes, spits, or sprays on her, she doesn't stop. He can still be found on her hip or on her lap or by her side most of the day.

Summer.

Our days right now are busy and full. The weather is hot and the days are long.

Many evenings find us outside even after dinner.

Playing. Mowing. Running. Smiling.

Swinging on our new tire swing.

Getting dirtier by the minute.

Even engaging in a game of "chase" before the night is out.

And then, as night falls and we head inside all hot and sweaty, summertime touches one more area of our home, our poor bathtub. The dirt of summer doesn't spare anyone or anything its mark.

What things are you enjoying this summer?

Meaningful Mondays.

It's been awhile since I have done this but I really like starting out my week focusing on my blessings. Striving to see my life through thankful lenses as God poors out blessings into my life. So, here are 10 of the things that right now I am particularly thankful for.

1. Window blinds to help shield us from the sun's hot rays this week when the temp is supposed to be over 100 degrees.
2. A garden that is producing and blooming in mass proportions. The Lord is blessing and I look for the harvest to be record.
3. Children that help without being asked, sometimes.
4. A church family that loves to fellowship.
5. Church leaders that are truly following Christ. Who are willing to try something new even if it is out of their "comfort zone".
6. A little girl who loves her daddy so much she texts him through out the day.
7. A full night's sleep with no interuptions.
8. Dinner tonight with my Dad. I still, though married for 10 years, enjoy cooking for him like I used to do while I was still at home.
9. Old sitcoms that are clean, that we can watch as a family.
10. New nursing bras! Might seems silly but I needed them badly and now my back doesn't hurt and I haven't had a headache since I got them! I hope that it lasts!

Would you share with me one thing you are grateful for? Or one thing heavy on your mind so that I can pray for you?

Join Me?

Want to find out how we are staying on track with our schooling this summer? Check out my post today over at Happily Domestic where I am the newest contributor.

Introducing!!

The newest contributor on Happily Domestic. I will be writing with Beth and the other contributors and I couldn't be more excited! Please hop on over there and spread some of your comment love around! I am looking forward to what God is going to do with this new partnership.

My.

My how time flies. I'm already a week late with this post. Our "little" Jeremiah turned 8 months last week and its time for another milestone post.

Here is what he is up to this month -

• Now has two teeth.
• Is almost mobile. Between scooting and reaching and twisting he gets what he wants most of the time.
• Sleeps from about 9:30 - 5:00am most nights. Then he goes back to sleep and sleeps until 8am.
• Still is mostly nursing although he is coming to love TABLE food more and more. He still wants nothing to do with "baby" food.
• He is still the happiest, smiliest baby I have ever seen. Everybody that meets him comments on how happy he is. He always has a smile for you!

Happy 8 month Birthday Jeremiah!!

Indoor Fun

I first wrote this post for Beth over at Happily Domestic. And while these ideas are great "rainy day" fun they also work while stuck inside avoiding the heat. I have several friends that are expecting or just had a new baby so outside time in the heat isn't a good thing. So, here are my ideas to break up the long summer days of staying indoors.



The first activity is one that I did as a child and I am sure that most of us did. I find though that as time passes sometimes we need a reminder of the simplest things. So, in honor of yesteryears, here is my first activity......

....build a fort.

The next activity might seem silly at first or you might not think your children could like something like that. But please, give it a try. My children LOVE this one. Even my older children ages 8 and 6 still play this for hours when I get it out. So grab your spoons, measuring cups, muffin tins and ......

....your beans.

Every mother loves good clean fun so this next activity should make every one of you smile!

It's shaving cream art. Pile it, spread it, draw in it, and then wipe it up and the tables all clean. A little shaving cream goes a long way so start with a little and add more as needed. I would advise to test the shaving cream carefully if using on finished wood tables. The safest place for this activity is a folding table or child's play table. It's the safest bet.

Another idea?

Bag Bread 

So, there you have four of my favorite ideas for rainy days. I could go on and on with this list. I could add bake cookies, do arts and crafts, read a good book, snuggle with some hot chocolate and a good movie, or sing and dance to some great music. But, most of those things are just things that we mommas do to keep our sanity when everyone is cooped up for the day. I hope that these ideas help you to make wonderful memories with your family. And maybe to even look forward to the next rainy day.

Fourth.

It was a busy weekend. And I fit in lots of photo taking time. I'm still learning and loving my new camera.

We played with precision.

We had a birthday and swam like fishes for hours.

We tied and climbed.

We picniced and laughed.

We wore ourselves plum out!! It was a blast!

Fresh Salsa (with link up)

Happy Friday! It's the start to a long weekend! And here in the midwest the heat is kicking it up a notch so all this summer time, let's not heat the kitchen much recipes, are going to come in handy. So, do you have a recipe for today? Write a blog post and add your link. Or leave me the recipe in your comment (it doesn't matter how long it is). Here is my last recipe -

Fresh Salsa

3-4 large tomatoes

2 cucumbers

1 onion

ccilantro (fresh or dried, to taste)

1 tsp garlic

1 tbsp lime juice (Ive used lemon juice or vinegar when needed and it was just as yummy)

Combine and chill.

Note - This salsa is wonderfully light and simple like this. I've played around with this recipe a lot and you can't really mess it up. My husband likes things on the spicy side so I have added chili powder and red pepper to it at times. Sometimes I feel it needs a little salt. Sometime I add lots of cilantro and other times just a pinch. It's kinda fun to throw it all together and have a new and different tasting salsa each time. And when the garden is in full swing all of these ingredients should be at your fingertips!