Throwback to last fall’s visit to an apple orchard and corn maze in North Carolina.

One of my highlights from this past week was meeting Nikki, her mom, and her children for supper on Monday night.  Nikki and I first connected through our blogs.  (You can check out her blog here.)  This was the second time Nikki and I have been able to get together in person, and it was fun to meet more of her family on this visit!

We also had one of those “last” moments for our daughter as she navigates her senior year of high school.  On Thursday, she worked her last home game with the girls’ volleyball team.  She started out as the team manager, and for the last two years has kept the score book.  They did make it to the state tournament, so she’ll get one more trip with the team next weekend!

And since I’m rambling, here’s another interesting thing that happened this week.  Between my husband and I, I’m normally the more adventurous eater, especially when it comes to trying new, healthy foods.  However, on Thursday night, I served what was basically spaghetti sauce over spaghetti squash noodles for supper.  It about did me in.  Not sure if it was the smell of the squash or the texture or just the idea of this being so against what real spaghetti should taste like, but I don’t plan to ever put that combination in my mouth again.  My husband, however, went back for seconds!

Now on to a few good posts I’ve read recently.

Kari reminds us that Mean is Not Funny.

Lori shares 10 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Real Life.

With our temperatures finally cooling off a little here, I’m ready to add a few items to my closet.  I’ll keep in mind Kay’s 5 Shopping Mistakes We All Make…And How to Stop.

Even though she directed it toward homeschoolers, I thought Brooke’s list in The Ultimate Homeschoolers Gift Guide had great gift ideas for any kids.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Our girls are out of town, so last night my husband and I had a date night to Blossom Cafe, a favorite spot in downtown Charleston.

If you have tween or teen girls, have them read this post from Kari ~ Girls, Don’t Settle for Bad Relationships.  It’s a good mom-read, too!

Chelsia shares What We Can Learn from Mary & Martha.

Brooke has Movie Review Sites for Parents.  (My favorite is Common Sense Media.  I like that they include specific details about the positive and negative elements of the movie in their reviews.)

Crystal Paine (aka Money Saving Mom) recently started a podcast.  I enjoyed episode 3 this week, The Secret to Being a Happier Mom with Jeannie Cunnion.

I’ll be making this Milk and Cookies Icebox Cake soon.  Sounds easy and looks delicious!!

Most popular post from September ~ When You’re in the Pit, Look Forward to Your New Song.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

My decorating-challenged self found this cute pumpkin for our front porch in the At Home store.

Kristen shares Five Truths to Ease the Changing Season of Friendships.

Tracy lists Six Mistakes to Avoid When You Start Organizing.

Alisa Childers wrote a thought-provoking review in Girl, Wash Your Face?  What Rachel Hollis Gets Right and Wrong.

I really like shrimp and grits, so I tried Rachael Ray’s Creamed Corn with Sausage and Shrimp for supper on Thursday night.  Y’all.  It was SO good!!

I read two non-fiction and two fiction books this month.

The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch was a great book dealing with setting boundaries around technology in our homes.  He shared many practical tips that have worked for his family.  I think this book is helpful for all families, and especially those who are just introducing technology to their children.  Having a strategy beforehand is key to not allowing devices to take over your family.

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp is a book I’ve read several times before.  It’s a wonderful re-read when I feel I’ve lost the sense of gratefulness that I want to characterize my life.

The first fiction book I read was A Time to Stand by Robert Whitlow.  I’ve enjoyed some of his other books, but this one was seemed a little slow.  He didn’t develop the legal side of the story as much, which is what I typically like about his books

The Illusionist’s Apprentice by Kristy Cambron is about a young woman who was an apprentice of Harry Houdini.  This was not my favorite book by this author (that honor goes to The Lost Castle), but it was still an enjoyable read.  I’ve now read all of her books, and am awaiting the release of Castle on the Rise (second in the Lost Castle series) in February.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Happy Saturday!!  Thanks so much to all of you who’ve prayed for us this week as we waited to see what Hurricane Florence would do in our area.

I took this video yesterday morning.  I made sure to fit in a walk outside before the rain came.  Cabin fever is a real thing, lol!

I’m actually posting this on Friday afternoon, in case we lose electricity later.  So far it’s just a breezy, overcast day, but we expect to get lots of rain beginning this evening.  We’ve got all the necessities in place, and hopefully the storm will pass without any real damage in our area.  Trust that all of you have remained safe this week!

And now for some helpful posts, plus a new product that’s making our home smell so good!

Rebecca shares The Do’s and Don’ts of Helping Someone Who’s (Scary) Sick.

Becky points out The One Thing That Sets Kind People Apart.

Shaunti tells us Why Your Man Checks Out and Shuts Down.

Joy has 12 Creative and Cozy Dollar Store Fall Decor Ideas.

Fall weather hasn’t arrived here yet, but I’m craving all the fall-inspired food.  Think I’ll try these Pumpkin Pie Crescents soon!

I’d gotten to the point where I rarely burned candles in our home.  But while browsing a Bath and Body Works store in Water Tower Place during our summer trip to Chicago, I discovered this In-Tents Coffee scented candle.  Didn’t want to put that heavy candle into my suitcase for the flight back, so I bought one after we got home.  It’s amazing!!  While I don’t drink coffee, I’ve always liked how it smells.  This candle doesn’t have a sweet, overpowering scent; it just smells like freshly-brewed coffee.  Getting ready to order myself another one!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Elizabeth says Now I Can See What Really Mattered as a Mom.

Debra explains that You and Your Spouse DO NOT Need a Weekly Date Night Out.

Lots of good parenting help in a recent podcast from Focus on the Family.  Guest Cynthia Tobias talks about Surviving the Strong-Willed Child Part 1 and Part 2.

I enjoy following Sarah from Little Vintage Nest on Instagram.  This week she did a quick trip to Michael’s and shared five really easy ideas for fall decorating.  And trust me, if I say they’re easy, they’re easy!!

Stacy’s Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles sounds like the perfect dish to serve whenever we finally get some fall weather here!

Shared this on Instagram this week.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Throwback to our summer trip to Chicago!

Kimberly tells us How to Build a Life Worth Remembering.

Loved this article by Jennifer Earl sharing the Alabama School’s Hilarious “Opt-Out” Fundraising Letter.

Jennifer lists 20 Exciting Books for You and Your Tween Girl.

Deanna shares Easy Ways to Raise Grateful Children.

Axis released three videos on Reclaiming the Smartphone: 4 Important Conversations.  I thought this second video in the series was very helpful if you’re considering at what age to allow your child to have a smartphone.

This Santa Fe Chicken Pizza Pie was a delicious supper one night!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Walking in downtown Brevard, NC, last weekend and came across this old telephone booth.

Brie asks Is Satan Stealing Our Families?

Dr. Meg Meeker shares Five Signs You Might Be Overparenting.

Susan says Couples Who Out Love Have Marriages that Outlast.

Ann gives advice in When You’re Struggling with Midlife and Another Year Older – Remember This.

Homeschooler or not, there are some great ideas in Brooke’s list of 18 Homeschool Electives and Extracurricular Activities.

Here’s my end of summer reading (still a little heavy on the fiction side!)

The only non-fiction book I finished was Free of Me:  Why Life is Better When It’s Not About You by Sharon Hodde Miller.  I really enjoyed the middle part of the book where she talks about “Seven Mirrors” that reflect areas of our life we tend to make about ourselves.  For example, there are chapters on “When You Make Your Appearance about You,” “When You Make Your Friendships about You,” and “When You Make Your Church about You.”  The final part of the book shares four ways we can get free of focusing on ourselves.  I wish this part of the book had been a bit longer, so that the ways we can make those changes could have been more fully developed.

As for fiction, I read two books by Jaime Jo Wright, The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond and The House on Foster Hill.  Honestly, the first one was a little weird, and not necessarily something I’d normally read.  However, it was obviously entertaining enough to get me to read her other book!

A Sparrow in Terezin is another great book by Kristy Cambron.  It’s a sequel to The Butterfly and the Violin that I read last month.  I followed that up with her book The Ringmaster’s Wife.  I’ve really enjoyed all of Kristy’s books!  I have one left to read, and it’s on my list for September.

Should be a quiet Saturday at home here…not a usual occurrence lately, so I’m looking forward to it.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

We found this perfect picture spot while out shopping with my mom, sister, and my sister’s three children.

Happy Saturday!!  I almost feel like I need to introduce myself here again since I’ve been away from the blog all week.  I spent the first half of the week with my family in Virginia, and the last couple of days catching up on things around the house.

We have one more week before school starts for my girls…though in my mind, summer’s already over since both girls have a very busy week ahead.

I really do hope to get back to a regular posting schedule once we’re back into the school-year routine.  In the meantime, here’s some encouragement from other bloggers.

A great read for all parents from Katie ~ Parenting in the Digital Age:  Why You Have Nothing to Fear.

Lisa lists 5 Ways to Give Your Family Your Best.

A great read from Elizabeth for this time of year ~ Dear Daughter, There’s No “Right Way” To Do High School.

Caroline shares The One Secret I’ve Learned for a Successful Homeschool Day.

If you’ve ever taken your family to Disney World, you owe it to yourself to watch John Crist’s Instagram post here (there’s two parts; click on the small right arrow inside the picture to go to the second part after you’ve watched the first).  His take on “the most magical place on earth” is fairly accurate!!

I had a big jar of peanut butter I wanted to use up, so I tried these 3 Ingredient No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars.  They were a tasty, mostly healthy snack – enough so that I made a second batch!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we spent several days in Chicago this past week.  Here are some highlights of our trip.

Riding the Sky Wheel at Navy Pier

In the mirror maze at the Museum of Science and Industry

Taking a break from riding bikes along Lake Michigan

Sky Deck at the top of Willis (Sears) Tower

View of Chicago from the Sky Deck

And now on to a few posts I enjoyed reading this week.

Kristen shares How to Walk Through Our Circumstances.

Shaunti says This Is What Inadequacy Feels Like to Your Man.

I don’t have sons, but I thought Lori’s 12 Dating Red Flags to Share with Your Dating-Age Son would be very helpful if I did.

As for July reading…I just read one non-fiction book this month, Why I Didn’t Rebel by Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach.  She basically dispels the myth that all teens “have to” rebel, and shares what she believes her parents did right as they raised her.  There were some good insights here.

Then I fell down a fiction rabbit hole this month!!

So let’s start with the three Donna Parker books I read back then.  We found these at an antique store, and I remembered them from my childhood, though I’m not sure which particular ones I read.  Our girls and I all read A Spring to Remember, Donna Parker in Hollywood, and Mystery at Arawak.

Becoming the Talbot Sisters by Rachel Linden was not in the genre of book I usually read, but I enjoyed it.  It’s the story of two sisters who’ve grown apart, but are brought back together through some difficult life circumstances.  I enjoyed seeing how the sisters matured throughout the book and grew in their different relationships.

The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron is one of the best fiction books I’ve read in a long time.  It’s a split-time romance, which means it has a story line in the present, as well as in the past.  Each part was exceptionally well-told, and I was almost sad when it was over!

Catching the Wind by Melanie Dobson was written in a similar style as the one above, though I enjoyed the modern-day portion of this story more so than the historical part.

Finally, I decided to give The Butterfly and the Violin, also by Kristy Cambron, a try since I’d enjoyed her other book so much.  It was another excellent story, and very poignant – it had me in tears a couple of times!

Let me know if you’ve read any good books lately.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Nancy tells us 5 Things Moms Need to Do When Kids Disappoint Us.

Brooks says I’m Unhappy with God’s Plan, But I Choose Joy.

Donna lists 5 Ways to Remember to Pray for Someone This Week.

Dave’s got good advice in Make Sure to Look Up.

If you’re looking for quality children’s books, check out The Good and the Beautiful Library.  They are reprinting some old classics, many of which sound like interesting stories.

And the recipe of the week is this Broccoli Bacon Salad…which may or may not get made in my house, since I’m the only one here who eats broccoli.  I’m thinking it would be a nice, simple lunch for me, though!

In honor of a friend who visited Prince Edward Island this week…

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!