It’s time to catch up—camera roll edition! Here’s a peek at what life has been looking like around here according to my camera roll.
Lots of playtime, sweet moments, and everything in between! Let’s catch up. 😊
Have you heard that Nutella came out with a peanut butter?! We gave it a try! Sadie wasn’t a fan but everyone else in our house approves. I saw they also made an ice cream. I need to hunt that down ASAP.
One of the cutest things lately is when Mordecai asks me to make him a smile. It’s just a plate of snacky food arranged into a smile! It’s a guaranteed way to get my toddler to eat. 😉
I’ve also been busy in the kitchen making pie and granola. I made a cherry pie and worked on an Etsy order. I’m not overly busy with Etsy right now, but it’s honestly just right. I’ve been getting orders here and there and it’s always a delight!
I plan on selling fall chocolate covered Oreos soon and I can’t wait to work on them. Product development is one of my favorite aspects of having a business.
I’m thinking the next thing I bake will be my marbled chocolate pistachio bread!
Sadie thought it was funny to try on Jimmy’s clothes recently! She has been having the very best summer. She is go-go-go from morning until evening and loves spending time with her friends. She has a way more active social life than me. 🤣
On the reading front, I’ve been bouncing between a few books:
- Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten –> rereading this because I enjoyed it so much the first time around.
- Simple Abundance: 365 Days to a Balanced and Joyful Life by Sarah Ban Breathnach –> I just read a passage or so every day and it’s delightful, uplifting, and inspiring.
- Every Thought Captive by Kyle Idleman –> Just started this but am loving the connection between our thoughts, spiritual life, and actions.
- Vision in White by Nora Roberts –> Just something light to turn my brain off at the end of the day!
- The book of Amos in the Bible –> I finished studying Nehemiah and decided Amos was next and whoa is it applicable to our present day.
- Sadie has been enjoying the Princess in Black series as well as Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Speaking of books, I was thinking the other day that I never feel more rich than when I’m holding my library card! It always boggles my mind that I can check out books, attend events, and get passes to local attractions for free through the library. Apparently I want to be public libraries’ PR person, haha.
The one thing I wish is that libraries had more Christian literature. I’m doing my part by getting my books on the shelves, though. 😉
Poor Dakota is sick with something. She has had a high fever this week! She’s such a trooper, though. Hopefully she’s over it soon. Maybe it’s her molars coming in? You just never know sometimes! She has been extra snuggly, which I am loving. I fed her on our bed with Malcolm on my lap and it reminded me so much of her newborn days.
I have been thoroughly enjoying our hot tub early in the morning lately. By early in the morning, I mean before 5:00 am. Our neighbors probably think Jimmy and I are nuts when they see us in the hot tub with mugs of coffee at 4:45 am! It’s just so calm and quiet. The perfect way to start the day.
I love an evening dip in the hot tub, too. It’s definitely one of the best unnecessary purchases we’ve ever made! 😬
Mordecai has been into crafts lately! Makes my heart so happy. He painted a plaster turtle and recently tried out paint sticks. He thought they were very cool!
I can’t believe kids are going back to school soon. It’s crazy! We’ve had a pretty relaxed summer school-wise, doing a few days of homeschooling when we can each week. We’ll be back to daily lessons soon, but I’m not stressed about it because that’s the beauty of year-round homeschooling. We’re always working towards the state-mandated 180 days of instruction!
In some ways, I will miss the freedom of summer—the slow mornings, the last minute plans with friends, and late nights—but I also love routine. Basically, I love the variety of our life. It’s all good.
I also love summer produce. How pretty is a simple skillet of vegetables cooking? I sautéed banana pepper and cherry tomatoes and then added Swiss chard. Yum!
I’m excited to share my next grocery haul. It involves some bargain hunting. My friend, Shelby, is teaching me all about penny shopping at Dollar General (have you heard of this?!) and I popped into Family Dollar and hunted through the clearance bins.
I scored all the items below for around $5. I was so excited. I’m donating a few things to our church’s food pantry, too. It’s so fun to find deals and share the love.
Niva is having a great summer, too. She escapes our house about 3x per week. I like to say she takes herself on a walk when she does that. I also walk her, but I guess that’s not as fun for her. 😜
I think Niva is ready for fall, though. When she’s in the house she can always be found in front of our air conditioning vents!
Thanks for coming along with this rambling catch up post! I will leave you with a picture of what I came home to after I went to the store.
Just Jimmy and the kids sending Mordecai’s Hot Wheels cars down the track from the house to the driveway. 😂
Living My Full Life 