Even if he seems all grown up

Reminder to self: he's still my baby.

We're gonna miss this

Lately I've been thinking about how very fast time is flying by, especially since Reed will be 9 in just two weeks. How? When did it happen?

That being said, I cannot for the life of me listen to this Trace Adkins song without losing it. Just read these words:

"You're gonna miss this/ you're gonna want this back
you're gonna wish these days/ hadn't gone by so fast,
these are some good times/ so take a good look around
you may not know it now/ but you're gonna miss this"

It's so easy to speed through each day, each week, each month without really enjoying these good times. My boys will never be 8 and 5 again. And I will miss it one day.

Pictures of the 4th on the 19th

I'm not sure why, but I just realized that I never posted about our trip to the beach for the 4th of July. We went to Nags Head, where Jay's parents recently bought a beach house! It is so beautiful; Linda has done a great job decorating it. We had a wonderful time, relaxing and hanging out as a family. Shelley and her family were down for the 4th, too, so it was neat to meet them on the beach for a few hours each day. We watched a few fireworks from their deck and then drove the 2 miles back to our place to watch the rest. Here is our trip in photos...

VBS '08

I thought I'd share a few pictures from VBS this year. The theme was "Power Lab", and Jay was "Professor Wilmer"... the crazy scientist who messed up all of the experiments and made the kids laugh. I wish I had pictures of the toilet paperlauncher that he made; the kids loved it! Reed and Brad having fun at VBS

Quiet

It's quiet in our house right now. Both of the boys have gone to spend the night with friends; it's Miles' first sleepover! Jay has gone to help out with VBS at a church about 45 minutes away. He'll be home soon, but for now, it's just crazy quiet around here. For a homeschooling mama who is always with her kids, it feels weird to not have them around.

But I never said I didn't like the quiet.

Every now and then.

WFMW - free samples!

Ok, so for those of you who know me well, this won't come as a surprise... I am frugal. With a capital "F". Jay says I'm cheap, but that just sounds so wrong. I am definitely frugal, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it! And for the frugal, you can't beat FREE!!! So, for this week's "Works for me Wednesday", I'm sharing a link that will get you free samples of all kinds of products. WalMart.com/samples is an easy site to use, the samples arrive in just a few short weeks, and best of all, it's free! Of course, a sample is a sample, so it isn't like we're getting a huge box of cereal or an entire bottle of lotion for free. However, most of the products are for new items and I always like to try something to see if I like it before shelling out the cash.

Works for me! For more "Works for me Wednesday" ideas, go here.

Quick Energy Pick-Ups

Today over at Shannon's, she is asking for our favorite recipes with 5 ingredients or less. I'll be honest and tell you that I haven't made these in years, but that may change soon because I remember these being very yummy. I actually got this recipe in the 7th grade from a home ec. class. Let me know if you've ever heard of them.

Quick Energy Pick-Ups

3-4 squares graham crackers (can substitute quick oats)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
3 Tb. milk

Mix together first four ingredients. Place mixture in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes until firm. Using a 1/4 tsp., scoop mixture and form a small ball. Roll balls into crushed graham crackers (or oats) and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Refrigerate 20 minutes until firm. Enjoy!