I don’t tend to get too sentimental over many possessions. I treasure many of our books and certainly cards and other items that my husband, the girls or other close family members have given me. Outside of that, one of the things I do love most in our home is this picture.
Our Girls
Those of you who read here regularly know that I don’t post a lot of pictures of my girls – just my own type of “Internet phobia,” I guess. However, I did want to share these few that my brother-in-law took several weeks ago when we were visiting family.
Here’s my”baby,” our sweet six-year-old, who has been wanting to have her long hair cut into a bob, but, as haircut day approaches tomorrow, is changing her tune.
My precious eight-year old who is growing up way too fast! She’s moving back into the “growing out my bangs” phase that makes me crazy for months as I try to keep it out of her face!
I thank God for these blessings He has given us! My brother-in-law takes some great pictures; you can view some of his nature photos here and here. My sister will never have to pay a professional photographer to get great shots of her kids!
An Unplanned Trip
My father-in-law had an unexpected surgery last week so we made an overnight trip to Georgia to visit him in the hospital. We are probably some of the most “un-spontaneous” people you will ever meet, which made this somewhat of a big deal for me! Here are some things I learned from our little adventure.
- It’s actually less stressful and uncomplicated when you only have a couple of hours to pack as opposed to a couple of days.
- If you’re looking for a certain restaurant at which to stop for breakfast, you will not find it no matter how many exits you continue to pass.
- My youngest can sit still for long periods of time when she’s on her Granny’s lap.
- If reviews for the hotel at which you made last-minute arrangements to stay include the phrase “worst hotel I ever stayed at,” your expectations will be so low that you’re pleasantly surprised when it’s not as bad as you thought.
- Traveling in general gets easier as the kids get older.
Did you learn any great lessons this past week? See what others are sharing at Musings of a Housewife.photo courtesy public domain pictures
Thirteen Things I Love About Summer
Since we’re sweltering in the heat here this month, I decided it would be good to list thirteen things that I love about summer.
- Vacations
- Sleeping in a little later
- No homework for the kids
- Going to the beach
- Longer periods of daylight
- Not having to pack lunches for the girls
- Swimming at the pool
- A more relaxed schedule
- Trips to visit family
- The large variety of fresh produce
- Celebrating our wedding anniversary
- It’s easier to clothe the girls – simple cotton dresses with flip-flops or sandals works for most any day
- Cold treats like ice cream!
Hope you are enjoying your summer wherever you are!!This post is linked to Thursday-13.photo courtesy public domain pictures
Making Summer Memories With Family
We are back home after spending a week making some special memories with my family. I thought I’d share pictures from a few of the fun things we did!



God gave us safety, smooth travel and absolutely gorgeous weather for which we are very thankful!
13 Favorite Walt Disney Movies
This week we were collecting some DVDs to take along with us for the girls to watch in the car during our trip. Several of them are Walt Disney movies, which got me to thinking about my favorite Disney movies. Here would be my top thirteen.
- Beauty and the Beast
- The Story of Robin Hood
- Mary Poppins
- Summer Magic
- The Parent Trap (1961)
- The Apple Dumpling Gang
- The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
- Lady and the Tramp
- Cinderella
- Pollyanna
- Peter Pan
- Bambi
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
If you have a favorite that’s not on the list, feel free to share!
July 4th Weekend in Review
Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! We were blessed to be able to do several fun things together as a family.
On Friday night we went to a minor league baseball game where the girls got their faces painted…..
…..took in some baseball action…..
…..and ended the evening with some pretty neat fireworks.
On Saturday my eight-year-old and I made July 4th Cupcakes…..
…..and late in the afternoon we headed to a friend’s house for a cookout and some time for the girls to play with friends.
What I Learned This Week
After returning from a wonderful week of family vacation, I can definitely say I learned some things! Maybe you can relate to some of these.
This week I learned that…..
- starting the day at a theme park with your first-ever roller coaster ride as a family and getting off the ride with both daughters crying can be overcome
- there is a valid reason I normally don’t ride water rides at theme parks
- I actually can get tired of eating out
- seeing a picture of your daughter’s face taken at the height of a large roller coaster ride is unbelievably priceless
- riding the swings five times in a row is one child’s notion of pure pleasure
- watching your husband being a great dad and having fun with his kids is one of the best feelings ever
- there’s nothing like sleeping in your own bed
- I thank God for my family whom I love so much and enjoy spending time with
- I’m already looking forward to our next vacation!
Thirteen Things That Make Our Vacation Fun
Okay, are you tired of hearing me talk about the family vacation we’re going on next week?? Since I haven’t yet tired of talking about it, here are thirteen things that will make this vacation fun.
- Anticipation. Thinking about and planning for our vacation is lots of fun in and of itself.
- Watching the girls play in the hotel pool. Finding a hotel with an indoor pool is pretty much top priority for any trip these days. That way we know that they can be entertained no matter what the weather. They don’t have a lot of opportunities to swim in a pool here at home, so they thoroughly enjoy all-day access to a pool.
- Spending time together as a family.
- No cooking (although I am definitely ready for a home-cooked meal by the time we get back)
- No cleaning
- Being in the mountains. For whatever reason, I seem to feel more calm and peaceful when I see mountains around me.
- Reading. Without laundry to do and meals to prepare, I have more time for reading books and magazines.
- Amusement parks. The girls are at the age where they’re able to ride more rides (and want to ride the same ones over and over again!)
- Shopping.
- Relaxing. No schedule or bedtimes to keep…..
- Water. I love seeing waterfalls or even just the little streams that run alongside the road.
- Pictures. I like taking pictures of the girls in the different places we visit, to record the fun times we have together.
- Getting home. As much fun as it is to go away, it’s also pretty sweet to sleep in your own bed after several nights away!
Packing Made Easy

In case you missed my many references this week to our upcoming vacation (ha!), I thought I’d share one of my favorite packing tips. Not to confuse things, though – I really dislike packing. I must say, however, that it is so much easier at this stage of life when we’re past carting all the baby gear along!