Open House

Maggie is getting super excited for the upcoming school year.  She is very excited that one of her very best friends is also in her class this year!!  She enjoyed meeting her teacher and is looking forward to a great year.  We are trying to figure out how in the world the baby of the family is going to be in 5th grade?

Maggie and her bestie Ava

Somehow, this summer, I was talked into and agreed to become the APT president of Maggie's elementary school.  These precious ladies, plus one more, agreed to also serve on the board with me.  I'm thankful for these ladies and I'm looking forward to a great year!

 

Lunch with Mr. Archie

 Today Mr. Archie had a doctors appointment in town and called to take us to lunch.  It was one less meal that I had to prepare and was so good!  I think everyone enjoyed it!!

Celebrating Abby!

Last week, Caroline and Josie took Abby to dinner and downtown for pictures.  They created the sweetest photo album of pictures of the three of them from 15 years ago...it was so sweet!!  They worked so hard!  These are the most precious pictures of the trio.  I know that it's going to be really hard to see Abby leave for college but hopefully their will keep in touch and enjoy time together every chance they get!

 

Peach Ice Cream

 One of the things on our summer bucket list was peach ice cream.  We got local fresh peaches to add in our homemade ice cream.  It was so yummy!!  Every time we make homemade ice cream, I always wonder why we don't make it more often...

A fun day with my staff

Last Friday, my staff and I headed to our annual staff training in Columbia.  This is always a rich time together, learning and enjoying each others company.  We had a great time and we are looking forward to a GREAT year!!
 

A day with Granny

 Last week Granny spent her day off with us.  I had to do some things at work so she picked the girls up and we met at Sam's.  She let each one pick out something they needed for back to school.  Maggie got uncrustables, Caroline got oatmeal and Nori said she didn't need anything.  Then we enjoyed lunch at the Club.  So thankful for time with Granny and also thankful for the items that will make breakfast and lunch so much easier!

Dress Fun

This past weekend, Caroline and Josie went to the mall.  They ended up at a dress shop and tried on some super cute dresses!  I can't believe these sweet girls are old enough to wear such gorgeous dresses!

 

Girls Beach Day with Friends

Back in June, when Lia and I spent over 20 hours in her car together, we said it would be SO much fun to have a beach day with the girls.  We literally had ONE day that worked for all the working girls and us.  Today was the day.  The Lord was so gracious and gave us a gorgeous day.  We left town early and got to the beach shortly after 10.  There was a 50% chance of rain and shortly after we got set up, I got a weather notification that rain would begin in about 10 minutes.  Praise the Lord it went around us and we never had one single drop of rain.  We enjoyed lunch, rest, reading, walking and just soaking up the sites and sounds of the sand and sea!  Such a wonderful gift!!

After several hours on the beach, we packed up and headed to the outlets.  Because I mean, these girls can't go to the beach without visiting the outlets...however, there weren't too many purchases as the girls were hungry and ready to eat.  Once they got their bellies full, they chilled and of course, my girls went to sleep for the ride home.

 Such a wonderful way to finish up the last few days of summer vacation...

Mrs. Haire

 Maggie has an orthodontist consult today.  She was SO excited to see one of her most favorite teachers...Mrs. Haire!  She hasn't seen her in about 2 years.  We adore this sweet lady and all the time and energy that she poured into Maggie in first and second grade.  Great teachers are never forgotten...

Face Masks Fun

 Prepping for 10th grade pictures tomorrow...we all tried one, mine just isn't as noticeable as theirs...yet so much fun!

Catequest

This week is one of our most exhausting, most exciting, most rewarding week of our summer.  Catequest...we arrive by 8:30 each morning and don't typically leave until 2:30 or 3:00.  It's nonstop...teaching, games, eating, activities!  Our youth pretty much run the entire thing, which is pretty amazing.  The adults are in charge of the major activities but it's our youth who create and perform the skits, our youth who are in charge of the groups of kids, etc.  They are such a gift to us!!

 

Alice in Wonderland

 Tonight we went to see "Alice in Wonderland" at our local theatre.  Several of Caroline and Maggie's friends were in the shower.  It was extra special that Tyler and Nori were also in the show.  It was a wonderful production and a fun night out!!

200 days of 10,000 steps

 Today was day 200 of hitting 10,000 steps per day!!!  I am so proud of this major milestone!!  Thankful for a heathier me in 2024!!

GS Family Night

Our church family got together a few weeks ago to enjoy family fun night.  The sweet men in our church grilled hot dogs.  We had a volleyball net set up as well as a game of kickball going.  I absolutely love our church family and thankful for these opportunities to gather together. 

Family Picture

 Last year when I did my parent meeting at work, the first slide of the presentation has a family picture that was two years old...neither girl looked like themselves.  So I told the family that I wanted to get a family picture at church today to update my slide show.  Our sweet friend Josie met us a little before church to take it.  I thought it turned out really nicely considering it was thrown together at the last minute!!

Family Dinners

When COVID shut the world down in 2020, we started family dinners during the summer.  We would get together on Monday nights and enjoy all the yummy summer veggies!  Some summers have been more consistent than others but it is always something that we look forward to.  Tonight was our last night of summer meals.  We were super thrilled that Grace was able to join us!  What a blessing family is!! 

CHAMPS!

Summer Swim 2024 was good to us.  It was a huge blessing having Caroline drive them so that I was able to use the time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to do other errands.  Sadly there were only 3 meets and the girls missed one of them.  So they swam 2 and both did well and showed improvement.  Both girls swam really well today.  Caroline finished first in points for her age group and Maggie finished 3rd for her age group.  So proud of them!  Both are thankful it's over! HAHA!

 

Tubing with the youth

 I got the opportunity to join our youth group for their first tubing trip.  It was SO much fun.  I actually thought it was a better experience than our trip in Brevard.  We laughed until we cried.  The kids were great.  The float was relaxing and no big issues until it was time to get out...that's when I got out too soon and went right under...thankful for a life jacket and that I didn't loose my hard or sunglasses!!  Everyone got good laugh!

Cooking Camp

A few weeks ago Maggie and her friend Hadleigh took a cooking class through the local 4H club.  The first day was a little rough but then she found her groove and LOVED it.  She brought home her leftovers and it was all delicious!  They were given a cookbook with all of the recipes that they cooked.  We look forward to trying more at home!

 

Way to go Mags!!

Maggie completed her summer reading checklist to earn a free book of her choice from Barnes and Noble.  She was so excited to choose her free book!  
 

A gorgeous July morning!

This morning when I got up to walk, I wondered if I woke up in a different place...it was an absolutely gorgeous morning, no humidity and a slight breeze. I enjoyed my first cup of coffee on my back porch this summer.  It was lovely.  Sadly I had an early morning dentist appointment which made me come in early...thank you Lord for gorgeous days like today!
 

Blueberries

It was time to pick blueberries again.  The bush was loaded and I knew there was NO WAY I could get them all myself.  So I told my folks I would need their help.  Maggie's friends came over to play and asked if they could go with us.  Five extra hands really made a difference!

This is just what we brought home...we shared with the girls and their family since they were such a huge blessing helping us pick.

Once we finished with the blueberries, we headed to feed the goats.  Everybody, including the goats, enjoyed that treat!!