Lazy Days of Summer

 

Look at this girl all snuggled up.  That pretty much sums up what the month of June has been for me.  Slow, quiet, lazy and relaxed.

In the mornings after Rob leaves for work and while the kids are still sleeping I take a cup of coffee on the back deck with my Bible and spend some time reading, praying and reflecting.  One of the benefits of my job is having the summer off and I just love how it gives me a chance to go at a slower pace.  

We do have a lot of fun things scheduled for the rest of the summer but for June it's been full of rest.  My kids get bored but I enjoy the days that aren't so full.  Today Rob and my son headed to his college for a new student orientation day.  My daughter and I are at home relaxing and she wants to do some crafts with me later and she may get a chance to visit her friend for swimming.  The day will be good.  There is cleaning to be done, as usual, and it will be done slowly but surely.  

I hope you are all enjoying the lazy, hazy days of summer, too.  Even if you aren't a summer person like I am, I do hope you find peace within these days.  God bless!  

Father's Day Recap

 

Good Monday morning!

Another week is upon us.  The last full one of June.  Summer has been off to a relaxing start.  The kids are back from camp and had a great time but are still catching up on the sleep that had been lost.  I'm starting Monday on the deck with a cup of coffee and the sounds of birds around me.  I'm going to catch up on my daily Bible app because I'm a few days behind and then it's a day of typical chores.  

I hope the men in your lives had a great Father's Day.  Our day was busy but I did make a breakfast casserole in the crockpot and chili in the crockpot for dinner.  We had church, then took a trip to see my dad for a few hours, then to evening service.   The evening was spent at home eating and opening gifts.  My husband deserves more than I can give him and I'm blessed to have him as the dad to my children.   

Happy Father's Day, Rob!  Thanks for working hard and stressing yourself out so your family can have a home and all that's in it.  Thank you for showing our children what a man of God looks like.  I love you! 

On Saturday night we enjoyed a fire with some smores until an unexpected rainfall came down.  It was a great weekend.  Busy but great.  

Dam Hiking and Chickens

 We made it to Wednesday and it's day three of camp for my kids.  I hope they are having fun!  We'll be going to church tonight for Bible study so hopefully I can get an update from the pastor.  

I have been cleaning and reorganizing and I also had to take a 6 hour driving training course for work, and I broke that into two days.  It's kept me from doing more of what I wanted to around the house but I wanted to get it done while the kids aren't here.  At the end I had to take an exam and I got 100 percent.  

Today I took a break and visited my husband for lunch.  Just down the street from his work is this man made dam.  

It took a little bit of a hike to get there.  

We were joined by a dragonfly.  

I've been watching my friend's chickens while they are away at the beach.  I always wanted chickens and now I know what it is like.  They are messy but easy to care for.  They are also quite inquisitive.  

And they leave plenty of eggs.  She said I can keep what they hatch.  This isn't even all of them.  

Back when egg prices were high they decided to get chickens.  I truly wish we could have them but not on my property.  It's not allowed.  Maybe if ever we do get another house we can get one not in a neighborhood.  

Tomorrow Rob is taking off work and Friday I will be going over to my parents house and the kids will be home by that evening.  I can't wait to hear all about their experience at camp.  

A Week Without Kids

 Good afternoon and Happy Monday.  Before I talk about what's going on today I'll give a recap on what was a fun weekend.

On Friday night our church had a drive-in movie night featuring The Forge.  It's a movie we had already seen but the intent of the night was to help the teens raise money for their camp.  Camp was $300 per teen.  They had a car wash that took the cost down to $150 for each teen and this was to hopefully help with the rest.  While our teens worked Rob and I sat in the back of his Ford Escape.

There were a lot of technical difficulties and the movie ended up having to be displayed on this television screen.  They started the movie before the sun went down so it was hard to see but once the sun went down it was fine.  Like I said, Rob and I already saw this movie so it was no big deal to us.  We were there for the teens.

Then when we left we caught this gorgeous sunset from the back of the church.  God's design is so breathtaking.  

On Saturday Bri and I went to see the recital for the dance company she had moved to last year.  This year she decided not to go back.  Giving up dance was a tough decision for her and I could tell how heartbroken and regretful she was while watching.  It could have been her on that stage.  It felt weird having her in the audience with me.  But she's thriving with cross-country and marching band.  She can't do it all and that's what's frustrating.  

Also, my friend and her family took a trip this week to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and she asked if I could take care of their chickens.  I have no experience with chickens but she showed me everything and it seemed simple enough.  I've been going there in the morning, afternoon and at night.  So far so good. 

And this morning I dropped the kids off to the church for camp.  I'm not sure if they arrived yet but I am praying it will be an uplifting week for them and that their hearts and minds are open to hearing God's word.  I also pray that friendships will be built.  Last year at camp really changed Matthew.  He decided from there to dedicate his life to serving the Lord and it's been amazing to see how strong his faith is growing.  I have been wishing and praying my daughter gets that experience this year.  They will be back Friday evening.  I miss them already but am taking this time to get the house clean and organized.  It's easier without distraction.  My husband and I will have the evenings together and it will be nice to be able to focus solely on our marriage without the distraction of being parents.  

An exciting thing, is the other day I received an unexpected Facebook message from a cousin I had not talked to in years.  In fact, she was a baby the last time I saw her and now she's grown with three children of her own.  My uncle left his marriage and gave up the responsibility of fatherhood as well.  None of us were happy about that.  At the time she was a baby and her older sister was a very small child.  I was at the hospital with my grandma when her sister was born.  I feel so bad for what happened.  She wanted to reach out to members of his side of the family and start a relationship with us, which I am thrilled with.  For years none of us knew where my uncle was living and he died a few years ago.  He was my godfather and my dad's youngest sibling.  They didn't have a relationship either.  I did forgive him and pray his daughters and my father can do the same.  

Time to get back to the cleaning.  I have goals for this week to get through a lot of what I don't get to usually.  But don't worry, there will be time for relaxation and fun too.  Have a great week!