catching up again and the weekend

I forget how to blog regularly in the summer months, apparently.  I thought I'd catch up on here what we've been up to in the past week or so.

Last Tuesday afternoon, Jonah, Noah, Alex. and I went to my mom-in-love's house.  We had sandwiches and/or chicken salad for dinner, which was quick and easy, so that we could go play miniature golf after dinner.  There is this golfing range off of Macon road (for you locals) that I've always admired.  A few months after they opened, they added a miniature golf course.  I've been wanting to try it for a while, so when my mom-in-love mentioned going, we jumped at the chance.  It was so much fun!

I love playing that game and the views around were pretty spectacular, especially as the sun began to set.

It's very reasonably priced~six dollars for one game, but we had a coupon and got a dollar off.  The place is called Vantage Point.

I confess here that I've been so bad at quiet time lately.  I've been in rut again, but the one thing I consistently do is write out scripture.  So I've been doing this plan, and I love the topic of the month, obedience.  I cannot encourage you enough to do this, if this is appealing at all to you.  One year I did this on notebook paper and kept up with it all in a big three ring binder, but now I write it in my journal.

I may have posted this last week, but I love all my curly headed boys!  This one is Jonah, and though he fights his hair to make it straight, this is what he always wakes up looking like.

Lunch one day last week consisted of this avocado.  I love to eat these!  I season it up with a little salt and pepper, and eat it straight out of the skin.  I've been lazy and have been drinking protein drinks for lunch (as well as breakfast), but I don't love doing that, because by dinner, I feel like I'm too hungry.

My friend Marissa tried a new phone (the Samsung S8) for twenty four hours before taking it back to get the latest iPhone, but she still had this case and gave it to me.  I love it!  This is the color I'm currently obsessed with.  It's even on my nails.

Last Thursday I went out to my mom's house to visit with her.  I hadn't seen her in forever, it seemed, so it was good to catch up and help her out a tiny bit around the house.  She's recovering from a fall and a messed up knee, and she needed someone to sit with her and help her out a little while Bill cut their grass.  (It takes him several hours.)

I love how pretty and fresh everything in her house looks.

I can't remember what else we did Thursday.

On Friday, Graham and Drew got home around four, and I started on piles of camp laundry for the last time.  That night I had a bowl of leftover taco soup, and then we all went swimming.

I must have REALLY been craving this soup, because it tasted extra delicious this time.  The fresh cilantro helps out a lot, though.  And about the swimming~Jonah and Noah are dog sitting for two families right now, and one of the families has a pool they said we could use.  So after dinner we all went over together.  Graham didn't swim, but he did eventually come over and sit with us and talked while we were in the pool.  It was so much fun, and so, so relaxing!  Does anyone else feel that way about swimming?  I sleep so good on the nights I swim.

We swam some more on Saturday, and then that night, we were out at my mom's again for dinner.  Todd and Graham were working, but the other three and myself had no plans.  We had wings for dinner, and Drew was in his happy place.  I love it out there!  Bill, Jonah, and Noah were feeding the fish at the pond in the one above.

Part of my quiet time has been spent reading through Ephesians, and this was what I read Sunday morning before church.  This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture to pray over my kids.

Sunday was church, and community groups were that night.  Todd and Graham worked at a fireworks show that night, and Drew and Jonah went to see those, while Noah was with his friend Weston.

On Monday, we enjoyed a lazy day.  I read my book, and did laundry and cleaned a little.

Look at my beautiful little great nieces!  Kylie is the one on the left, and Kinsley is on the right.

I could stare at these sweet faces all day long.

A really, really sweet teenage girl brought me this candle from her vacation this past week!  This is my very favorite scent of summer.  She gave me an identical one last year on Mother's day, and I burned up every ounce.  I've already been enjoying this thoughtful gift.  She is a very special girl, and I am so grateful that she thought of me.

We swam more on Monday, and then watched some fireworks.  They were gorgeous!  It surprises me every year, how beautiful they are, but the town outdid itself once again.

Yesterday was more of the same~relaxing, swimming, and fireworks.  We went to Mom's again for dinner (ALL OF US!!) and they hurriedly shot off some fireworks before the rain came.  Once it started raining, we came home so we could get the dogs outside and fed.

I watched the season finale of The Good Witch on Hallmark, then went to bed.  It was a great weekend, and I am so thankful that even my husband spent a good amount of time relaxing and having fun.  It's not often that he unwinds like that, but it was much needed.

Well, my daily to do list is calling my name, and this floor isn't going to vacuum itself, so I'd better run.  Thanks for reading!  Love to all.