Not for a lack of writing material

Each time I have a conversation with a certain friend of mine about my blog, it gives me pause to once again put pen to paper, or fingers to the keyboard as it were. I love doing it, but for the past 2 years, give or take, I have found it difficult to find the time to do so. 

That all said, gobs of things have happened over the summer or even more recently, worthy of talking about. It's been a fantastic summer! I love everything about it- it's my time, a little time away from our home school routine, running the older kids to as many activities, a time to have my friends over for a pool day, to run or not as was the case during the heatwave,  to go on dates, to look forward to family reunions, weddings, barbecues, time spent at my in-laws', long weekends up north, painting projects, and my list could go on.

The weather, even when it was way too hot, was perfect for me. When you have a swimming pool, you want to enjoy it, and enjoy it we did. Shawn put his garden in and it produced tomatoes, jalapenos, zucchini, cucumbers, watermelons, onions, lettuce, corn that the cranes came and ate, and the broccoli, too, and beans. We made cucumber salsa, canned pickles, pepper jelly, tomato salsa, and various jams, and we baked pies, too. It's the simple things that bring so much joy.

We had lots of firsts:

Austin got his driver's license

He got a new (to him) car

He landed his first job

He was able to golf about 10 times this summer

He had braces put on in May

Braaten just started 9th grade at Marshall High School

She made the freshman volleyball team

Bray also has braces on since May

Braaten paid for her own ticket and flew to Manchester, England to visit our friends for 3 weeks

She went to the Olympics (women's volleyball- US vs. North Korea) We won! She saw Hope Solo up close

She passed me in height this year- she's 5'7" now and still growing. I'm a whopping 5'6"

I'll be left in the dust by all 5 before I know it 

Melanie started the 7th grade in Marshall Middle School

She made the 7th grade volleyball "A" team

She joined the rocket football cheerleading team

Can we say 1 too many activities for 1 child? Yes!

Live and learn...:)

Grant & Cooper, who always get lumped together because they're twins, joined the 5th & 6th grade Rocket football team

They played on a travel baseball team and really loved it

They get to be home schooled without their older siblings and they are loving that time with momma

And momma loves it, too. 

Life is busy, it's hard sometimes, but we press on and continue to find joy in the journey. 

God is so very good all the time.

A pot o' pepper jelly. It's really good.

I painted and distressed the table. The chair, on the other hand, got distressed by being outside.

A homemade blackberry pie.

Homemade blueberry jam. Not as appealing looking, but ever so tasty.

I painted and distressed this mirror that I snatched up for a dollar.

Shawn picked this bucket of blackberries and picked a whole lot more than that.