The Night Before School Mama's Prayer

These two are headed out to school tomorrow...2nd grade and Kindergarten. I told myself I wouldn't cry this year. We have been to school enough, it's no big deal, I said. Who was I trying to kid...as I cried snuggling them to sleep. But we are so stinkin' proud of them that we are excited to show them off to the world, to send them out for God to use them in the plan He has set in place.

Lord, we entrust these girls to You as they walk into their hallways ready to shine Your light and love to the Comanche classes of 2026 and 2028.

 Thank you for a wonderful summer with them by my side...

 Please hold their hand when I am not there to. You have created them with special, unique gifts, and I know that You will use them even at ages 5 and 7 to do Your work.

Comfort my heart when it aches to have my babies back...and if at all possible, please make time slow down just a little this year. Amen.

Rutti Tutti Fresh and Fruity

Our summer also consisted of fresh grown fruit...and all the yummy desserts you can make with them!

Blackberries from our friends' organic farm...

Made into cobbler!

Then my favorite time in our yard...picking peaches off our little tree...

It's Brenna's favorite time, too :) We still have homemade peach ice cream in our freezer!

Thank you, God, for your gifts of sweet fruit and sweeter girls!

Chance of Friends

It's been a summer of friends! Is there any other way?

Community Rehab delivering food and Superhero posters to our Daddy's crew with our friend Ryker

Kids all over my living room...back to the good ol' days!

Penny Auction!

4th of July!

Next season is cooler with a good chance of....friends!

Alone on the Ashley

I loved our special anniversary trip because  it was beautiful and romantic and Southern...but mostly because I was with my best friend, the love of my life for 10 years and forevermore.

Secret Gardens

We stayed a couple of nights at the Inn on Middleton Place. It was so quiet and beautiful. We felt all alone as we toured acres of secret gardens.

We even ran into a few of these guys...

This would have been the front view of the plantation as people arrived on the Ashley River to visit.

Sunset was my favorite time to walk around with Josh.

The Inn at Middleton Place

Garden Nymph

The Nymph is set across the pond to the left in this picture

The Palmetto, as found on the South Carolina flag

Josh said we should have gotten married at this spot :)

Middleton Oak, it was so big and old that the branches had braces to help hold them up

African American Chapel

And then there was the FOOD: Hangar steak in mustard cream sauce, porkchop brined in apple cider with collards and risotta and field peas, Biscuits and peaches in a skillet, pulled pork BBQ with Hoppin' John, Hugenot Torte Apple Crumble with cinnamon ice cream...Very memorable deliciousness.

And I enjoyed our dinner companion behind us...as company, not food!

The best tea I've ever had...

Straight from the cow...

Josh sitting outside of the plantation house on the South Carolina bouncy bench

Sitting peacefully under a canopy of Spanish moss

We headed back to the room early the last night because a storm blew in, but it was nice listening to the thunder at the river and rain on the roof.