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summer starts


Happy summer! Warm weather has arrived and the clover is in full bloom in our yard! Sprinklers have been set up and the weeds and mud are all over my bare feet! Then again, I go barefoot all year round!





Babies love mud. It’s like a scientific rule. If there is mud, they will find it. Considering how our backyard is mostly mud and weeds, it’s like a paradise for little people!





We had a “school fair” again this year as part of our end of school celebration season.





We saved the best work and work the school-age girls are most proud of, set it out on the kitchen table, and have dessert and invite my parents to join.







This year, we served hotdogs and macaroni and cheese.









After that, I saved a few memorable pieces of work, then cleared the clutter to make room for summer time in my sewing/craft/embroidering/photography/school/front room.







We have been busy reconfiguring rooms, straightening drawers of clothes that have gone radically out of control,







and finishing up a year of ballet.





In the afternoons, little ones sleep (or I hope they sleep) and the bigger ones watch Little House on the Prairie or






sit outside and read.





It always amazes me that God shows me pieces of His character and teachers me lessons even when I am simply an observer in a situation, even with my own kids. Growing up is hard to do! I am still growing myself and assisting my own kids in their growing up! This brings me to my knees and definitely shows my need for the Lord. In celebratory fashion, Linley who turns 11 and Ella Kate, who will soon be 10 this summer, had a Princess Diaries birthday party complete with tiaras and waffle bar! Yum!








I knew that even if the girls had not seen the movie before the party, their moms probably have! It will always be one of my favorites because Mia is so relatable. When I was 16, seriously, I just wanted to be invisible. At least