I love baking veggies instead of frying... today we had baked carrots and zucchini! With all of the summer zucchinis it's a way to put them to good use... Slice it, toss it in a little olive oil and salt, bake it for 25 minutes and Voila! A yummy snack that my kiddos don't even realize is healthy!

Summer Days

Classic. The colors of summer. Warm lazy days.

A yummy classic summer day meal, the sweet refreshing flavor of ripe juicy watermelon mixed with the rich, tangy flavor of a hotdog topped with ketchup.

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Days of our lives fly by. Each one so different. Each one a gift.

Today, I relish amidst, delight in and tuck away yet again, sweet memories... this moment, these tastes of summer.

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Mommy's little man can't get enough of this tasty fruit!

Fun idea: Carve out the leftover rind and make into a sailboat to float in the pool, in a stream or in the tub. Another marvelous summer activity that will be fun for everyone.

Tennis Boots

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Mommy's angel was told by daddy to get some shoes on in preparation for a trip to Memaw's house to play with her cousins! A few minutes later she reappeared from her bedroom with her beloved boots on... daddy said sweetly,"Maybe we should find some tennis shoes so you can run and play around outside a little better." Mommy's angel replied," But, these are tennis boots, daddy!"

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Even when my baby is crying because a frozen berry smoothie is poured down her front by her brother, not that that happened, I try and remember these sweet times, those calmer waters... and I feel joyful and more at peace.
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All knowing, All powerful, I am in awe of You, my God

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Job 11:17-19
"Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning.
You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety."

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Psalm 139:11-14
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

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Deuteronomy 33:12

"Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders."

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My little man

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Joy, smiles, energy, imagination...

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A much needed summer haircut... alleviates some of the sweaty, stickiness from this little boy's usually thick head of hair.

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Nothing makes my day brighter than a genuine smile, sparked by good old imagination and enjoyment of life! A glow that radiates trust, contentment and peace. Such joy, real joy cannot be fashioned, wielded or contrived by earthly things or circumstances. The things of this world try to bog down my adult, "grown-up" mind and heart with sorrow, loss of hope and the disillusion that everything is unraveling as life continues in a downward spiral... My Saviour, through our little ones' naivety to the world, reminds me daily that true inner joy is not found in "things" or circumstances but in my overall attitude towards life, a curiosity and excitement for the unknown things to come, the new adventures around that next corner... and smiling just because... God, at all times, has all of His children in His very capable and loving hands.

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