Afternoon Coffee and Evening Tea

Random Photo Friday

Happy summer, my friends! Officially, that is! I hope you are enjoying these long, lazy days in whatever way you choose! Here is how we spent some of our time this past week...

We went on early morning walks...

On some really pretty roads.

We sat on the deck...

A lot.

(That would be Steve in dress socks and shorts after work. He has done that our entire life!)

We celebrated this most awesome Daddy on Father's Day...

And fell in love with some precious little new friends.

We ate fresh from the garden a lot!

Basil is my new go to!!!

Steve and the kids ventured out to the ballpark and had an amazing time!

I stayed home with the puppies, my laptop, some coffee, and The Crown.

I got some groceries.

Don't you just love when you get your groceries in and put away and are all set for the weekend?

Steve's brother and his wife invited us for dinner and swimming at their beautiful home one night, his sister took each of my girls out for lunch and ice cream, and his other brother and wife invited us to their amazing lake view home last night.

We sat on the dock and enjoyed this amazing view.

And I thought about how thankful I am that we moved here to this beautiful place and are able to spend so much more time with Steve's amazing family.

Have a beautiful weekend, my friends!

Thank you so much for visiting!

Trust, Faith, And Perseverance

When Madison returned to Denmark in May, she left her beautiful little orchid behind. She asked Flynn to please take care of it for her. Although Flynn had never cared for a plant before...perhaps because Mommy has no ability to keep one alive...she agreed in a heartbeat. And so Madison left her very special orchid in her little sister's hands.

Madison placed her trust in Flynn to care for and nurture her little flower. As for Flynn, she continued to demonstrate an admirable amount of faith and perseverance. She had faith that even though she had no idea how to care for the little plant, she could do her very best by following the directions Madison gave her. And Flynn most certainly demonstrated perseverance as she waited for some sign that her faith and hard work would come to fruition. She continued to water and watch and wait until one day, a tiny bud appeared. Then finally, the beautiful white flower bloomed. The joy and excitement in her little voice as she told Madison all about it is something I will remember forever.

I could take a lesson from these two young people. What if I tried harder to stop analyzing and worrying and instead, trusted that the God who cares for me will either protect me from my the things I worry about or help me through whatever it is I fear? What if I had more faith and perseverance in my prayer life? I think I would find that I too would be filled with joy. And that the anxious pieces of my soul would be replaced with peace.

What We Are Watching This Summer

I know. I know. Summer means more time spent outside. And we do spend evenings outside after dinner. Of course we do. But we also spend time together doing one of our favorite things...snuggling on the couch watching our favorite shows. Our time spent together at the end of the day is a special part of our family routine. We come in from outside, get washed up, put on fresh jammies, and take our places on the couch. Here is what we are watching this summer. Maybe you are watching some of the same?

This is one we watch every year.

It is on Sunday nights on Food Network.

Yep!!!!

We are over-the-moon happy around here!

Head on over to Madison's for the complete story...

You can find her here!

Random Photo Friday

The weekend again! Father's Day Weekend at that! Which means Fourth of July is not far behind. Summer is here!!! What have we been up to? So glad you asked!

Summer arrived!

(Well not technically...but you know what I mean!)

A Bunch Of Really Random Thoughts

Yep. That's about it. Just some random thoughts today. No reason really. Just because. : )

People who do this really annoy me.

People are busy. Some by necessity. That's one thing.

I am referring to the people who are busy by choice.

You can say no, you know.

In fact...

Things I'm Loving Now

Here are just a few things I am all about this second week of June. Maybe they are some of your favorites too?

You may have wondered if I brought my Yankee Candle obsession with me when we moved.

In a word...yep.

And this one smells so good.

I am on a mission to make mango the new avocado.

Avocado is everywhere, right?

Just wait. Mango is next.

Random Photo Friday

Happy Friday! I hope your week was relaxing and cozy and bright and warm. Here we sat out on the deck one day, and lit the fireplace inside the next. Keeping us on our toes, right?!