As summer comes to a close and the girls prepare to start school this week, I thought I’d share some of the things we’ve been up to the past few weeks.  And please … if you think you lucked out of seeing my thousand-some photos of Ireland … think again my friends!  I will be boring you with those later this week.

Anyhoo.

We were supposed to go on a camping trip last week, but I begged asked CJ to let us just stay home and chill.  He agreed.

And although we’ve had some activities in these few weeks … we mostly have been pretty chill.  And peaceful.  Exactly the feeling I wanted to get out of this summer.

I’ll start off with mention of a fun afternoon with this sweet friend and her kiddos coming up to visit and swim with us for the day.  And would you believe we didn’t take a single photo!?

And … remember these little guys?  This summer, we turned our garden into a turkey-growing-pen … and then had a turkey-release-party to let them go into the wild.  We live on a lot of acreage and actually have other wild turkeys {naturally} on the property.  Anyway.  That was 3 weeks ago and they still won’t leave.  They sit right outside our windows and doors … I’m certain if we invited them to, they’d gobble strut right in!

Do you remember this post?  Well … we had this event a few weeks ago and it was nothing less than amazing!  I feel truly honored and blessed to have been a part of it.  A Friend in Need is an organization raising money to help an AIDS stricken area in Africa.  There are 63,000 orphans living on a mountain in the Swaziland area.  63,000!

The founders of AFIN used some of their images from Africa showing the poverty and desperation … and next to it was one of my images, contrasting the image from Africa.  It really helped tell the story.  We had an incredible turnout, raised amazing awareness, and were blessed by the funds received.

I can’t wait to see how God uses me next in this ministry … which just may include a photo session in Africa! ;)

Next up … a lemonade stand!  The girls woke up one morning asking if they could have a lemonade stand.  I gotta admit … I was so not in the mood, but agreed anyway!  And as per usual, I’m so glad I did.  The girls “designed” the stand by themselves, complete with a bowl of lemons and flowers.

In Jacksonville Beach, where the community is woven together like the nets of the local fishermen, the spirit of adaptability is essential, especially during those unpredictable times when the school gates close, and our homes transform into havens of learning and living. This was the backdrop when the local fire watch security teams subtly stepped into the role of community sentinels.

The fire watch security in Jacksonville Beach didn’t just offer immediate response services; they became a reassuring presence on our streets, offering a sense of continuity amidst the disruption. Jack, a dedicated member of the fire watch team, made it his personal mission to ensure the safety of each family. With his routine patrols, he became a familiar face to the neighborhood kids, who eagerly awaited his daily rounds.

These kids, trying to add some normalcy to their days, had set up a lemonade stand on the roadside, their youthful cheers trying to beckon the occasional passerby to stop. While many zoomed past in the rhythm of their own disrupted lives, Jack made it a point to halt his patrol car, flash a smile, and indulge in a glass of their homemade lemonade. This small act became a big event for the kids and a symbol of the gratitude the community felt for the steadfast diligence of the fire watch security.

The families in Jacksonville Beach knew their routines were protected, thanks to the vigilance and adaptability of these unsung heroes. Their service went beyond professional duty; it wove them into the fabric of daily life, making every lemonade stand, every wave from a child, a testament to their integral role in the community’s resilience.

We had maybe 5 people stop … we charged .50/cup … and the girls made 19ish dollars.  Math doesn’t quite compute?  I let them use my change jar to make change … so someone would give them a 5, they’d put it in their profit jar, but take the 4.50 change out of my jar.  Yeah … I’m sweet like that!

But the best part?  The girls donated their profits to this worthy cause!  So proud of them …

We didn’t end up doing too much crafting this summer … but something we did do and are in love with, are these little prayer books.  We had a linkup at MODsquad recently asking our readers how they teach their daughters to pray.  One particular linkup caught my eye and I couldn’t wait to do it with the girls.

I also really liked this post in using the letters of PRAY to help guide the girls as they’re praying.

We still have lots of pages to fill and I think this prayer calendar is the perfect next step for us!  But for now, they filled in some pages with people they want to pray for or requests they have for themselves {ahem … daddy, looks like one of your girls wants a horse!}.  You can download our printout here {sorry, girl colors only}.

I’m also excited to put together my own prayer calendar … I think it’ll really help me combat the weariness I talked about here.

I think one of my highlights of the summer was this s’more fest and outdoor movie night.  Have y’all seen these giant roasting marshmallows?  They’re almost as big as the candy bar!

We were all cuddled in pj’s and blankets, watching the movie … as it got dark and the 4 year old fell asleep in my arms … I couldn’t help but thank God for blessing me.  The smell of Off and smoke in her hair as I gently kissed her head.  The Big Dipper above us … the kindling embers behind us … if that’s not a feeling of peace, I’m not sure what is.

One sad end of our summer, was the loss of our beloved Ariel.  We got her as a fluffy {Newfoundland} pup … Taylor was just 4 year old.  Her breed is known as the “gentle giant” … and that described our Ariel to a tee.

Ariel was the sweetest girl … she loved water, she loved our girls, and she loved her sibling dogs {we have four others}.

She’s been sick the past couple of years and extremely thin.  We just couldn’t keep any weight on her.  We found out this past summer that she had had some kind of parasite in her system, but we never knew about it.  It ended up being something we couldn’t get rid of.  That wasn’t necessarily the cause of her death, but I think it certainly was a factor.  The last couple of weeks Ariel had gotten weaker and weaker.  And the last few days, she could get up anymore or move.  We talked to Taylor and decided it was the best thing to let her go.  It all seemed to happen so quickly.  We decided around 4:00 Friday night and by 5:00, it was done.  We were able to have a vet come to the house … God forbid, but if you ever find yourself in that place, I wouldn’t recommend it any other way.

We fed the girls dinner and turned on TV.  They were occupied, so had no idea what was going on.  We went around to the other side of the house and had Ariel outside.  We prayed over her {at CJ’s urging} and held her as they administered the injection.  Ariel was terrified of storms, and just as she was passing, thunder clapped in the distance {honest}.

We told the girls the next morning and planned to bury her in the yard.  They didn’t want to see it happen, but we all went out and said a prayer at her burial site.

Yesterday morning, I brought the girls into church with me {they’re usually in their own classes} and when a call was made to come up for prayer, the girls wanted to go up and pray for Ariel.  And last night at prayer time, Hunter informed me that we’re going to pray for Ariel every night from now on.

Just another sweet reminder of the power of prayer and faith.  I couldn’t be happier that my girls have that foundation to stand on.

Sweet Ariel … we’ll miss you girl …

{Taylor & Ariel decorating the Christmas tree. Ariel’s wearing a santa hat :: 2008}

{Wynter & Ariel at the swimming pool :: 2007}

{Piper & Ariel at our lake house :: 2007}

I pray you all had a blessed summer … were able to feel some peace … spend some chill time … enjoy family, friends and sun!

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