Girls To Grow

Nurturing moms in their walk with God

Saturday Salutes ~ Growing in Faith, Hard Parenting Tips, and Cheap Summer Activities

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It’s the weekend again! I realized this week that my younger daughter begins her junior year of high school one month from yesterday. I’m trying not to let that get lost in the shuffle of college preparations for our oldest!

In the meantime, we’re fitting a lot into this final month of summer…including some family badminton matches. We have a set similar to this one that’s held up well so far in our backyard.

I didn’t intend to have so many parenting posts in this roundup, but that’s what I found this past week.

Ayanna has suggestions for Why You Are Not Growing in Your Faith.

If you have teen or young adult children, I highly recommend you read Lisa’s 7 of the Hardest Parenting Tips You Will Ever Need.

Nancy shares 3 Choices Your Teen Needs to Make Every Day.

Lara lists 7 Things Your Strong-Willed Child Needs from You.

Mary shows us 10 Kids’ Summer Activities Using Dollar Tree Items.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small percentage from any sales.  This does not affect your price in any way.)

Saturday Salutes ~ Your Personal Growth, Emotional Teens, and a Yummy Brownie Recipe

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Hard to believe another week of July is behind us! It’s the height of summer heat and humidity here in South Carolina. Beyond the air conditioning, it’s all about the cut-up watermelon in the fridge, smoothies in our Ninja blender (still my favorite blender ever!) and ice cream in the freezer.

Hope you’re beating the heat wherever you are! Here are some helpful posts I’ve read this week.

Courtney reminds us This I Know – God is for You!

Ayanna tells us Why Personal Growth Should Not Be Optional.

Tricia tells us What You Really Need to Know About Emotional Teens.

We’re reminded to make the most of our summer in The Mid-Summer Happiness Hustle.

My younger daughter’s been cooking again (yay!) and this Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Penne was another winner!

And then…these S’mores Poke Brownies…all I can say is that it’s a good thing she only has time to bake during the summer or I’d be seriously on a sugar high all the time! I’m not even a fan of marshmallows, but these were SO good.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

(This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. All opinions expressed are my own.)

Saturday Salutes ~ Prayers for Direction, July 4th Decorating, and Books I Read in June

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Jennifer shares 10 Verses to Pray for God’s Direction.

Anna gives us 5 Bad Habits to Avoid This Summer.

I pinned Christy’s Seven Tips for Helping Your Adult Kids Through Struggles so I could refer back to it in a few years.

Kathy has cute ideas for Quick and Easy Fourth of July Decorating.

Our younger daughter made this Parmesan Crusted Steak and Potato Sheet Pan Dinner for us a few weeks ago, and it was delicious! I made it again last week, but substituted fresh green beans for the asparagus since my husband doesn’t like asparagus.

This week she baked Death by Oreo Cupcakes and they were very tasty, too!

I read a little more than usual this month, thanks to our cruise vacation! Four of the books were non-fiction reads.

The Proximity Principle by Ken Coleman had valuable, practical advice for putting yourself in a position to grow and develop your career and find the job you want.

I read The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman on my Hoopla app for free. Even before I finished it, I ordered the hardcover edition from Amazon. I rarely buy physical books anymore, but I found myself wanting to underline things and make notes all through the book. I’m now reading it through again. If you’re facing any decisions – or think you will be in the near future – I highly recommend this book.

Loving My Actual Neighbor by Alexandra Kuykendall centered on seven practical ways we can be a neighbor to the people right around us.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede is an account of what happened in this small town when a number of planes were diverted to its airport due to US air space being closed on September 11, 2001. I had never thought about the effect of 9/11 on flights headed to the United States that had to be redirected due to our air space being shut down. This was an interesting book that followed the stories of a number of passengers on those flights.

I also read three fiction books.

I think I’ve read – and enjoyed – all of Katherine Reay’s books, and her latest, The Printed Letter Bookshop, might be one of my favorites.

Mismatched by Chautona Havig is the second book in The Agency Files series. I think I liked it better than the first one!

Once I got into Drummer in the Dark by T. Davis Bunn, I realized I’d read it a long time ago. However, I didn’t remember how it ended, so I read the whole thing again!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small percentage from any sales.  This does not affect your price in any way.)

Saturday Salutes ~ College Good-Bye’s, Generous People, and Books for Boys

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It’s been a week since we returned home from our cruise vacation. I already shared pictures on Instagram, but here’s a brief recap.

We sailed from Miami for seven nights on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas. We stopped in Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya, Mexico; Cozumel, Mexico; and at Cococay, which is Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas.

Walking a nature trail in Honduras
On a nature walk in Honduras

This was our “family vacation/oldest daughter’s graduation/milestone birthday for my husband and me this year” trip. Lots of firsts ~ I ziplined (the others had done it before), we interacted with dolphins at Dolphinaris in Cozumel, the rest of the family tried paddleboarding, and we all rode jet skis.

We rode bikes to a little village in Costa Maya

We didn’t pay for the Internet package onboard, so we were unplugged all week. It was great!

Morning view in Miami before we got off the ship

Now for some helpful posts I found recently!

Going to need Beth’s advice in a few months! She shares How to Tell Your Daughter Goodbye at College.

I love the story Dave shares in Generous People Make Me Smile.

Sarah asks Who Else Wants to Break Up with Comparison?

Jennifer lists 20 Books to Capture the Imagination of the Boys in Your Life.

Julie has a practical list of 62 Things to Declutter That You’ll Never Miss.

It’s been back to real life here this past week. I even made our hotel reservations for the weekend we drop our daughter off at college in August (sadness!!)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Saturday Salutes ~ Prayer, Road Trip Hacks, and May Reading

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Kathryn writes about How to Talk to God in Prayer.

Lisa shares 7 Signs Your Little Girl is Becoming a Teen.

Dan lists 13 Rules for My Teenager.

Ayren has 23 Family Road Trip Hacks That Will Save Your Sanity This Summer.

And while I’m not planning a trip to Europe at this point, I still enjoyed Shruti’s post on Top 10 Cheapest Countries to Visit in Europe in 2019.

On to the books I read in May.

My one short non-fiction read this month was The Latte Factor: Why You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Live Rich by David Bach and John David Mann. It’s a neat little parable about how to achieve financial freedom.

I finished three fiction books in May.

The Memory House by Rachel Hauck was an excellent read. That led me to read another book of Hauck’s, The Wedding Chapel, which was also very good. Both were sweet and moving stories, with a touch of romance and a satisfying ending.

Justified Means by Chautona Havig was more of a mystery/suspense read, but I enjoyed it as well – and have plans to read the next book in the series.

Can you relate to this??

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Saturday Salutes ~ Bible Study Methods and History Book Series for Kids

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Our annual Mother’s Day walk on the beach

Anna gives encouragement for When It Doesn’t Feel Like You’re Making Progress.

LeeAnn talks about Digging Deeper: 5 Effective Bible Study Methods.

Elise shares 8 Essential Traits of a Good Friend.

Emily lists 20 Book Series to Get Your Kids Hooked on History. Our girls read several of these series when they were younger.

Planning a garage sale any time soon? Crystal has 10 Tips for Having a Successful Garage Sale.

Headed to a graduation party for a friend’s son this afternoon, then taking my younger daughter shopping. Missing our oldest who’s on her Senior trip.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Saturday Salutes ~ Scripture Prayers, Bible Apps, and Slow Cooker Chicken

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Happy early Mother’s Day to all the moms who read here!! I’m so thankful for my own mom, and for the two girls God gave us to parent.

There were several years when Mother’s Day was hard for me. I wanted to be a mom, but that hadn’t happened for me yet. If you’re in that place, I’ll be praying for you this weekend.

Here are some good posts I read this past week.

Alisa has 4 Things to Remember When You’re Stepping Out in Faith.

Lyli lists 10 Powerful Scriptures to Post on Your Prayer Room Wall.

Arabah Joy shares 12 Must-Have Bible Apps for Every Christian Woman. Many of these were new to me! I use the You Version Bible app for my daily audio Bible reading.

In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought we should revisit Kari’s 10 Truths Moms Should Know.

This Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken Recipe sounds so easy, but delicious. I’ll be trying it soon!

And while Easter is behind us for this year, Sarah has a compilation of Best Easter Side Dishes that I think would be great for any family meal.

We had the last choir/band concert of the school year on Tuesday, and the school’s sports banquet on Friday. (Here’s a link to one of my favorite pieces from the concert by the handbell choir. Our girls are third and fourth from the left.)

All of the official school functions are over for us until high school graduation on the 31st. May is a full, fun month!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Saturday Salutes ~ Kids’ Screen Time, Farmhouse Decor, and April Reading

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I’m in the process of sending out graduation party invitations for our oldest daughter. This is the picture we chose for the front of the invitations. A very talented and sweet friend took some great photos for us!

Phylicia shares marriage advice in Helping Your Gentle Man: Three Tips for Wives of Quiet Husbands.

BJ gives some tips on screen time in Mommy, Can I Watch a Show?

Corilynn shows us 30 Affordable Farmhouse Pieces from Walmart.

Kay discusses How to Build an Appropriate Wardrobe.

Eric writes about Boundaries with the Opposite Sex in Marriage from a Husband’s View.

This quote I found on the iMom website is so accurate!

“iMOM director, Susan Merrill, says having teenagers is like riding a fast, furious fun rollercoaster every day. You’re either thrilled or throwing up.”

I finished three books in April.

Both of the fiction books I read were excellent!! Castle on the Rise by Kristy Cambron was the sequel to The Lost Castle. Then I read Courting Mr. Emerson by Melody Carlson. It was such a sweet story!

My non-fiction book was a biography about John and Abigail Adams titled Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage by Edith Belle Gelles. It had been awhile since I read a biography, and this one reminded me how much I enjoy them!

My younger daughter has her first paying piano gig today (!) (she’s playing for a ladies’ tea – basically live background music), but otherwise our weekend is fairly open. Hope yours is a good one!!

Saturday Salutes ~ Boundaries for Kids and Gifts They’ll Remember

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We have some beautiful roses growing in our backyard this spring.

Ayanna shares Why Your Kids Need Boundaries.

I loved Joshua Becker’s list of 35 Gifts Your Children Will Never Forget.

A post from iMom gives 6 Ways to Respond When Your Husband Annoys You.

If you’re struggling with an ongoing issue (like organization), read through Tracy’s post Do You Wish to Get…Organized. She gives tips on making changes in a particular area of life (and uses organization as an example).

These Carrot Cake Blondies sound intriguing, but I’m trying this Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle for our Easter dinner dessert.

I trust that your weekend will be full of worship and praise as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ!!

Saturday Salutes ~ Fighting Fearful Thoughts and Sharing Jesus with Your Kids

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After a week off from sharing any personal pictures, I’m back with a photo of our oldest daughter before her Junior~Senior Banquet last Friday.

Then this past week we were in Greenville, SC, for a national fine arts competition with their school. Their band won first place!! This is the second piece they played – Avalanche by Jonathan McBride – and is probably my favorite song they’ve ever performed.

Our girls play saxophones, so they’re hidden in the second row.

I’m telling you, literally every week brings some “last” moment or event for our graduating senior…but I’ll not go down that emotionally-charged road today!

Here are some good posts I read this week.

Anna shares ideas on How to Ease Tension in Your Home.

Jenn gives us 5 Everyday Ways to Share Jesus with Your Kids.

Michelle tells us How to Fight Fearful Thoughts and Win.

Sarah Joy’s Cottage Style Kids Bedroom is just adorable!!

There’s a bunch of helpful resources in Michelle’s and Annie’s list of Simple Steps to Get Ridiculously Organized for a Stress-Free Summer.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!