The Stuff of Summer

I had planned to write this clever little post that shows what our days look like right now, but I honestly don't have anything 'clever' left in me tonight :)

So, I'll just post what random pictures I have that will still account for a portion of what we've been up to this week ....

Eric and I have gotten up at 6:15 EVERY morning to run before he goes to work.  He never insists that I get up and it's usually my idea, but just the fact that he's with me every morning keeps me from taking a short cut home through my neighbor's yard.  Only one morning this week did I feel like running.  But, he always talks to me about something random and makes me forget I want to lay in the nearest ditch. 

Which is always a good thing.

Two miles isn't much for some, but for ME, it's a huge accomplishment.  This is only my 3rd week, so I'm pretty happy with that.  The only downside is that I have never ran so many days in a row, so tonight my legs feel like they'd rather not hold me up.  But, hey, I'm building up endurance so I'm happy :)

When we come back in from running, we usually find Olivia here ...

On the sofa reading. 

My soon-to-be-first-grader is blowing me away reading books like The Tale of Despereaux.  It's a hard book! She is enjoying it so much, though.

Emma has had soccer camp this week.  As hot as it's been, you'd have to really love soccer to want to play it for 4 hours straight in the scorching heat.

Good thing she does love it.  She has had a blast and learned so much!

Doesn't she look tough? haha

Before she leaves every morning, she has one request ...

Homemade Chocolate Chip Waffles. 

Carb Overload!

After she leaves for camp, I usually get to settle in for my quiet time while Olivia plays upstairs.

This picture makes me happy for several reasons .... 

1) Eric often buys me flowers, but these are extra special.  Those are the kind of roses we used in our wedding.  They make me happy :)
2) Emma made me that cup for Mother's Day when she was in Kindergarten.  It has her sweet handprints on it.  If it ever breaks, I will cry.  It's my favorite for hot tea!
3) That's the yummiest apple muffin.  I just made a batch (using granny smith apples which makes them darn near perfect!). 

Other than all that, Olivia has been taking swimming lessons this week.  When she's finished, we usually swim for awhile at the Y (or go to my parents' pool).

My nieces have joined us several times as well as spent the night. 

(Emma and Anna)

My little bug :)

We love having them here!!

So, this has been the busiest Summer week for us, by far.

But, it's been so much fun!

Courageous

We're pretty jazzed about this movie coming out in September. Another one from Sherwood Baptist (Facing the Giants and Fireproof).

Check it out ...

Let's Flip For It

Have I ever told you when I first met Eric, he was a cheerleader for NCState?

Ha! He was.  That, and he coached an all-star cheerleading team, as well as taught gymnastics.  All during college. 

If I'm honest, I would tell you that him being a cheerleader freaked me out a bit at first.  If this were his blog, he would tell you it was all by accident.  He was a football player in high school (remember this picture ~ try not to laugh :) and actually went to State's cheerleading tryouts to help one of his (girl)friends try out.  They picked him instead.

And, so a new path ....

Ofcourse, he doesn't do any of that now.  Neither of our girls are into cheerleading and only Olivia expresses a desire for gymnastics.

But occasionally, he gets to use his skillz :) :)

One of our nieces has been working on some tumbling for dance and Eric has been itching to work with her.  She spent the night last night and it wasn't long before I found them in the backyard.  I won't post pictures of her tumbling because I don't have permission, but she did amazing.  Eric was so proud of her.

It was only a matter of time before Olivia wanted in on it ...

And, ofcourse, my husband had to do his thing to prove he still could.

Not bad for a 40 year old! Good job, honey! You still got it!!

Eventhough Anna couldn't stop laughing at him :)

I think she thought he was too old to be doing that .... which only made him want to prove her wrong.

Again and again and again ....

Cookies and Cream

I am not a fan of ice cream.  I rarely eat it unless it's really, really hot outside.  Even then, I pile it with toppings.

But, my kids (and Eric) love it.

So, I made them a treat last night that I found on Richella's blog.  I can honestly tell you that this is
de-li-cious!

Truly.

And, it's super easy.

Here's the recipe .... you know you want it :)

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Dessert

1/2 gallon low-fat vanilla ice cream
8 oz cool whip
1 package Oreos

Crush cookies.  (I used my mini chopper and left some of my cookies chunky instead of chopping all of them so fine).  Soften ice cream slightly.  Thaw cool whip.

Mix all 3 ingredients together thoroughly.  Spread evenly in the pan (I used an rectangular pyrex dish), cover and freeze.

Once frozen, cut into squares to serve.

See? Easy peasy.

Girls, do you love it?

Yep.  It's a hit!

Great for hot summer days! Thanks, Richella!

Sunday Letters

Dear Emma,

You are enjoying your summer, girl! I was a little worried the first week that you and your sister (and me) were not going to be able to stand all the *togetherness* :) but, we've all worked it out and are now finding peace with each other.  You are beginning to sleep late (hallelujah!) and always wake up and read for awhile in your bed.  Tomorrow, you begin soccer camp.  I have been hesitant about scheduling any camps this summer, but this is one you really wanted to do.  Plus, you will get to see a lot of your friends from school which I believe is what you're looking forward to the most.

Dear Olivia,

As much as it saddens me, this is your last week as a 5 year old.  What in the world? You're very unaffected when I whine about it.  You cut to the chase and ask me what I'm giving you for a gift - ha! At the same time, you still like being close to where we are .... which I LOVE.

I got so tickled tonight when you were pulling at your fingernails (something I ask you repeatedly not to do).  When you were finally successful in pulling off the tip of one, you held it carefully in your hand.  I asked you to throw it away and you told me you were saving it for the *fingernail fairy*. 

That's a first.  Let me know if she brings you money ;)

We started a new discipline system at the beginning of summer that simply encouraged you and Emma to be kind to one another.  I was desperate since you were both irritable from all the *togetherness*.  If I catch either of you speaking kindly to or about one another or serving one another, I put a marble in a jar.  This was actually our very first devotion of the Summer.  We agreed that once the jar was filled up, you would be rewarded.  You both asked if that reward could be a trip to Coldstone. 

I'll be honest and say during that first week, I wasn't sure either of you had a chance of going to Coldstone by the end of Summer.  But, after just a few weeks, you made it ....

Coldstone ... last Wednesday night.

My goal is to reward you with things that don't cost money .... like a trip to the Park, Library, Science Center, etc.  Most of all, you're 'getting it' and loving each other. 

Which is a win for all of us.

Dear Eric,

I can't tell you what it has meant for you to run with me the past 3 or 4 times I have ran.  When I don't feel like it, (which let's face it, is always the case) you encourage me and push me a little more.  I love having the company.  You know exercise is my least favorite thing in the world! Thanks for being so supportive.  I love you!

Dear Mom and Dad,

Tomorrow you will be married 46 years!!

Incredible.  God is gracious, longsuffering and downright good.  He redeems all things!

I love you both.  Happy Anniversary!

Pinterest .... and a bunch of random

My days really don't bring much to blog about.  We are doing a lot of nothing.  In fact, I've gotten really weird about committing to the simplest things.  I like it that way.

So, here's a quick list of what little we have been doing ...

** Eric and I are *thinking* about remodeling our kitchen.  As in ... a full renovation.  Our kitchen is falling apart and needs serious attention.  We've gotten some estimates for simple resurfacing of the cabinets, as well as replacing the countertops, and the quotes have been unbelievably high. 

But, we think we've found a solution and if it pans out, I'll have a whole new, modern and gorgeous kitchen.  I'm careful about getting too excited over things until I see them completed, so I'm just telling myself to take one step at a time.  We'll see ...

**  I finally started running again.  Slowly, that is.  I'm trying to be diligent about getting up in the mornings so I can.  I never feel like it.  Never.  But, I am always so glad I did when it's over.  The only downside is my feet started giving me problems, but nothing I haven't learned to maintain.  Exercise is the only thing that helps my energy level, as well as my spirits.  So, I need to do it.  The easy mornings are when Eric decides to run with me.  He can't do it often, but when he does, I find I'm more apt to push myself a little more.  Eric works out at the gym everyday, so running with me is a wimpy workout for him ;) but, he's good about encouraging me.

**  Our summer devotions are going well.  I allowed myself some grace from the very beginning, but forgot to stress that to Emma.  She is a tyrannt about it.  One morning, when we had a few appointments and couldn't work it in, she kept questioning me about it.  I had to talk myself out of false guilt over not doing a formal, sit-down time with them.  With that said, she and I had a talk about expectations and how it's not meant to be something we check off a list each day.  She's lightening up.

One thing that has worked well is their required quiet time.  I set the kitchen timer for 20 minutes and tell them to find a spot for their own devotion.  Olivia has done well with this (I wasn't sure if she would).  My favorite thing that happened last week was reading her devotion journal.  The devotion was on lying and it included a question that said, "When have you ever told a lie or simply exaggerated?"  Olivia wrote in large letters "N E V E R".  Ha!  I can't wait to show her that one when she's older.

**  I'm addicted to Pinterest.  I'm sure you already know about it, but I'll explain anyway.  Have you ever clipped pictures or recipes from magazines to keep for inspiration? Well, Pinterest is a website that allows you to *pin* those pictures to different boards (categories) so you have everything is one central location.  I use it to save pictures for decorating, crafts, yummy food and even clothes I like.  I even have a board called "Memory Lane" that I put things that remind me of my childhood.

Like these ...

(I had a yellow kick-n-go exactly like this.  I still vividly remember the Christmas I asked Santa for this.  Love.)

(Remember what it was like before texting? My friends and I folded our notes just like this!)

I probably *pin* the most to the board for decorating.  Like these ...

 (Bookshelves - of any kind - are a dream :)

 (I'm a bit obsessed with these curtains for my dining room.  But, not the price tag.)

(I'm a sucker for mason jars - as candeholders or vases.  Love.)

And some just show my style ...

Or, spaces I would love ...

Or, places I dream of going ...

You get the general idea.  It's just a place to keep all the things you want/dream of/wish for in one place.  I've also saved some craft ideas I want to remember to do with the girls.  Also, you follow people (and get followers) so you can get ideas from them as well.

Check it out.  If you do, let me know so I can follow you.  You can find me at deidre1118. It's fun!

Tonight, I saw this idea and immediately tried it.

It took me about 10 minutes to make them.  I had girls anticipating the yumminess from the back deck :)

They were delicious!

**  One last thing ... some riveting information.  Some of you have asked how to get email notification when I've updated my blog.  I never really saw the need, but with some persuading, have now added this feature to my blog.  Just look on the top right corner of my sidebar and add your email address.  After verification, you'll receive an email when I post.

Which kind of makes me sick.

Have a good night.

Monday has a new meaning

Mondays take on a completely different meaning in the Summer.  What usually brings dread and the blues now is just another day .... like another weekend day.

We love it.

My girls have become a bit obsessed with playing Barbies.  Here's the odd part ... Emma has had Barbies since she was a baby.  She just never really played with them a lot.  As of last Thursday, all that changed and now they've become a bit obsessed.  In fact, we've taken Emma to the store twice since then to buy new doll clothes.  She is usually great about saving her money, but she spent almost all she had earned and is now down to $1.00.  (She's determined to read to make some quick cash :)

Eric and I have figured out the reason for their new found obsession.

No TV.

They are discovering toys they haven't played with in awhile. It's amazing what happens when you remove a huge distraction.

Several of you have asked how our summer is going without TV.  To be honest, I was pretty worried about how it was going to go - maybe more for myself than my kids.  The truth is, it hasn't been a problem.  I gave my girls the freedom to watch a movie whenever they want, yet they have only watched 2 since Summer started.  And, when I asked them today if they miss TV, their answer is still an emphatic "No!".

Amazing.

We are having some good days :)

Today, Eric and I had an appointment and had to take the girls along.  This is what they did for the entire hour and a half!

We were amazed! I think they are serious about earning some money :) (The only 'allowance' they receive is earning 2 cents per page for reading.)

Whatever it takes!

Then, this afternoon, the girls and I had an idea to surprise Eric.  We spent Father's Day having a big picnic with my extended family (aunt, uncle and cousins!) and didn't really do anything for Eric. 

So, I cooked his favorite meal (Chicken Kiev), green beans, pasta salad and Chocolate Chess Pie.  The girls set the dining room table very fancy and made Eric cards to set at his place at the table.

I wish I had pictures, but we were working too fast to take any :)

They made signs directing him straight to the dining room when he walked in from work.  He was so surprised!

He really is the best.Dad.ever. so it was neat to surprise him.

Later tonight, I went to the movies with my Mom while Eric spent the rest of the night alone with the girls.  They played Dominos, caught lightening bugs and worked on round-offs in the backyard.

Which explains why Eric is icing his back on the floor beside me while I post this. 

The price of being a good Daddy ;)

Sleeping In

Since my girls were toddlers, they have both wanted breakfast the moment their little feet touch the floor.  This may have been this biggest adjustment to Motherhood for me.  I am not a morning person at all and rarely ate breakfast (now, I force myself to).  So, getting up and immediately putting breakfast on the table takes serious strength for me.

I've always dreamt of the days when my girls would want to sleep in, have breakfast when it's pushing lunchtime and just relax a little. 

I still don't think they are there completely, but I think we're getting close :) They have slept past 8:30 the past 2 mornings - yay! And, so far, it's 10:15 and they haven't come down for breakfast.  They are playing dolls in the bonus room.  Together.  With no fighting.

Hold on, I may tear up.

Getting up late could have everything to do with getting in bed so late because of Vacation Bible School.
Last night was the final night of our VBS.  I lugged my camera around all night, but only got a few pictures of Olivia and her cousins on the giant slide.

I never saw Emma long enough to get a picture of her.

They've had so much fun all week.  Olivia cried last night before bed because she has to wait a whole year to do it all again.

Funner

Tonight is our final night of Vacation Bible School.  The girls have had so much fun.  Olivia did complain the first night because she said her teacher made them sit down while she explained the Bible story.

The nerve ;)

She was even more upset she wasn't allowed to do cartwheels in class. 

I have no idea where she gets this stuff.

I am still dealing with some sort of cold/sinus mess and felt like poo last night.  When we got home, I took some nighttime sinus medicine and then told the girls NOT to wake me before 8:00 this morning.  More specifically, I said "unless you are bleeding, stay in your room and read".

Desperate measures.

As it turns out, neither one was up before me.  They both slept until after 8:00 which is rare.

God is in the details, y'all. 

First thing this morning, Olivia began talking to me and a lens from her glasses popped out and fell on the floor.  She didn't even know what happened.  She just shouted, "My eyes! My eyes! I'm blind!"

Bless her little dramatic heart.

It's true, though.  She can't see at all without them, so against my plans for the day, we were soon heading to Walmart to get them repaired.

I was still getting ready when I found her coloring with a magnifying glass and then reading ...

And, now her glasses are fixed.  She said she wasn't in the mood to read anymore, though, because "it's funner when it's all blurry".

Blessed Are the Meek

The Lord is showing some serious favor on my city this week.  We woke to another morning of no humidity and 65 degrees.  Yay!

I didn't sleep hardly at all last night.  I think I'm getting some sort of cold/allergy junk.  When, I finally did get to sleep, Eric screamed out, "You climb down from there! Climb down from there NOW!"  Really loud.

I about came out of my skin and wondered who on earth needed to climb down and from what??? He was dreaming and after that, there was no chance that I would the rest of the night.

We are a freak show, y'all!

You have no idea.

Even though I was seriously exhausted this morning, I still got up to run.  I'm really trying to do better, plus I promised Emma I would let her go.  I loved having her with me.  She smiled really big most of the time, but started crying at the end.  Bless her heart.  I don't even have a lot of endurance.  She was in shock, I think :) Eric had a chocolate chip waffle ready for her when we got back, so it wasn't long before she was smiling again.

Speaking of Emma, she continues to blow my mind.  When I wheeled the garbage can to the curb last night, this was taped to the top ...

She had written a note to the 'garbage men'.

What a unique child she is!

SSMT - Verse 12

We are halfway through our journey of memorizing scripture.  Unbelievable. 

I lost my spiral a few weeks ago and still haven't found it.  I've been carrying around a paper with all my verses on it, which is fine, but I really miss my spiral. I told myself if I didn't find it by today, I would make another one.

We're still memorizing Psalm 139 as a family this summer, so I'm going to use those verses as the ones for SSMT.  We're mastering the first 2 verses this week ...

"O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off."

I love hearing my girls memorize this.  What a great truth (Psalm 139) to hide in your heart!

Did You Hear It Feels Like Spring Outside?

I stumbled to the kitchen this morning with one eye open, opened the refrigerator and caught a glimpse of the indoor/outdoor thermometer.  It read 66 degrees OUTSIDE.  I literally ran to get my bible and journal, and then to the back deck.

Ahhhhh.  What a beautiful morning with no humidity!

So, where did I go wrong? I should never have ran.  Because that draws attention to myself and makes my girls wonder what's going on, which means my 'quiet time' was less than quiet.  They interrupted me immediately!

But, it was still nice :)

Our summer so far has been wonderful .... and relaxed.  We are having some very lazy days and I'm fine with that.  I know I eventually need to clean out some closets and organize this house, but that will have to wait.  I just don't have it in me right now. 

Eric and I were able to have a date night on Friday.  My girls spent the night with their aunt and uncle, so we went back to T1 Tapas.  (I wrote about our first time there here).

It was yummy!

Other than bible school, our days have consisted of not much more than bike rides, watching movies and reading.  Bliss.

Oh, and my two monkeys lost TWO more teeth last night.  Both of them, on the same night AGAIN.

Here they are seconds after they pulled them. 

Olivia was not happy!

And, seriously ... Emma is going to have to slow down with losing teeth.  If  she keeps this up, she will have to resort to baby food.  She's losing them faster than they can come in!

The Truth

I loved hearing from all of you, whether through comments or emails, about all the resources you use to teach your pre-teen/teen girls.  That's why I love blogland! We learn so much from each other.

I have to tell you, I was lying in bed last night trying to will myself to sleep and a thought crossed my mind that made me shudder.  Maybe because of one particular email I received.  However, it did cause me to stop and think.  I don't ever want to present myself as something I'm not.  So, if you have the very inaccurate notion that our home is all about structured devotion time, literature lessons, cleaning, knitting and cooking (I'm being funny), please know that cracks me up!

Nothing could be farther from the truth!!!

Our house is loud, laundry is thrown across the floor, I break up fights every 30 minutes, I beg for Eric to bring home dinner more than I cook, I lose my temper sometimes hourly, I haven't mopped my kitchen in a month - okay, 2 months and I can't see the floor of any closet in my house.  There are cobwebs in the corner of my living room that I've grown accustomed to.

I start most days with good intentions and end not being able to cross one thing off my lists.  I vow to do better, and rarely do. 

These are the days when pajamas get more wear than regular clothes....

.... alarm clocks are turned OFF and breakfast sometimes consists of a cookie :)

And, I'm perfectly okay with that!

Living with Purpose this sUmMeR

Today is officially the first day of our summer vacation.  With the mood around here, you would think we're heading to Disney World. 

We're not.

We're just really, really glad to be out of school!

After church last night, Eric and I sat the girls down and gave them their goody bags that would tell them about our summer plans. 

Not vacations or swimming or playing.  But, what we would do spiritually as a family.

Every year since I can remember, Emma has said she can't wait for summer so we can have devotions together.  Yes, we have devotions all year, but not as purposeful or as in-depth as we do in the summer.  There is just something to be said about no time constraints and schedules so you can focus on what's important. 

This summer will be all about our value in God's eyes.  I have devotions planned about attitudes, serving others, etc. but the main focus will center on what God says about us and in return, how we are to honor Him.

And, we'll spend a great deal of time finally answering 'why' where Emma is concerned.  Why we are to dress modest.  Why it isn't a good idea to give our hearts away to a boy.  Why it's important to honor God with our decisions even now.

I've become more and more convinced that if I continue to just tell Emma these are our rules for her, without her ever understanding what God says about it, she will eventually receive them as legalistic views and abandon them at the first opportunity of freedom.  God has shown me that there must be a time all that knowledge has to make it's way to her heart and become her beliefs ... not just mine and Eric's. 

And that is my sincere prayer!!

So, back to what's in the bags ....

I made both girls a memory verse spiral ....

But, inside I have already added a specific chapter.  We will all learn Psalm 139 this summer .... memorizing 2 verses each week.  This way, we will finish by the first week of school.

I underestimated how much these would mean to the girls.  They actually cheered over them which tickled Eric and me.  They immediately flipped to the first day (verses 1 and 2) and started making up motions to the words.

Really cool.

It was also funny to watch Eric copy Emma's motions - ha! - he is totally engaged in what we're going to do :) I love that about him!

I also gave Olivia a summer journal (something I always did with Emma) so she could easily write about what she does this summer, as well as draw pictures.  She has filled up 2 pages already :)

We also gave her a devotional appropriate for her age that she'll use in her own quiet time.

Emma got a plain journal and pens. Though we will all be learning the same things, Emma and I will have a little more one-on-one time.  I'm using this book and this book to guide me a little more.

If you have a daughter, I HIGHLY recommend Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl.  Seriously, Go now and get it! You need it. 

Emma and I have our first date tonight.  When I told her all this, she hugged me and said, "Finally.  I feel like I haven't had any quality time with you."

Ugh.  I'm trying not to let that bother me and just stay excited about what we're doing. 

Most of all, we want God to be glorified.  We are seriously flawed and a down-right mess most of the time.  But, I feel like time is slipping by and the harvest is plenty in my girls' hearts right now.  We're reminded daily that their hearts are up for grabs most days and the enemy wants to destroy what innocence and child-like faith they have.  My prayer is that He will keep me motivated and continue to show me the time is now to sew His word in their hearts. 

It will be accomplished only through Him!