The Space Bar-B-Que

Raphael has found his thumb.

Poppy is quite pleased at having rolled her own tortilla!

Peregrine encounters a bear!

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, I used to post on my blog. I always envision summer being full of lazy days, but somehow it fills up quickly. Here's a bit of what's going on in our lives, as well a few random ponderings.

• Is anyone else baffled, every year, that by the time the weather warms up swimsuits are already on clearance and back to school sales are in full swing? Let us enjoy our summer, okay, Marketing People? 
• As a follow-up to this post, I've been spending a lot of time going through our stuff and putting it in boxes for a garage sale, and listing items on Craigslist or ebay. It feels so good to be paring down. And we're putting the money toward following a dream of ours! More to come on this topic in the (possibly) near future.
• The summer Erik and I were engaged we used to drive out of town and watch sunsets and hold hands. Those were simple pleasures, and we're seeking to unclutter our lives so we can recapture the joy of those things. (And if summer sunsets would happen a bit earlier we might be able to fit one in before bedtime!) Heartathome wrote an interesting post recently that linked to a broadcast that is worth listening to on rediscovering joy in our lives. 
  
• We enjoyed our first camping trip of the summer, and the very first ever with Raphael. We went with several other homeschooling families, and a wonderful time was had by all. The last night there was a terrific gust of wind and a treetop came down in the site directly across from us. Thankfully no one was injured, and it was with sober and very grateful hearts that we saw it the next morning. It could have easily killed any of us, and had been where there were lots of children running about all week. I know God protects our lives, but it's good to be reminded of it like that sometimes. We hope to get in a couple more camping trips this summer/fall.
• Remember when I stocked the freezer? Well, I'm so very glad I did. It's so nice to have some quick-to-prepare dinners on hand. Erik was very impressed the other night when I said I'd make spaghetti with meatballs and fifteen minutes later it was ready to eat! It was as simple as warming up the sauce, dumping in the meatballs, and cooking the pasta. Hooray for make-ahead meals! 
• Raphael is a full three months (and six days, but who's counting?) old now. I'm always amazed at how quickly they grow. He's worth dedicating a whole post to, but can I just say how thankful I am for this little guy? He brings such joy to my days. 
• We're enjoying strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries from our garden; also sugar snap peas and baby carrots. Most of our plants went in fairly late this year so it will be a while before our veggies begin to produce. And on the topic of gardens, why is it that weeds grow so much faster than the things you want to grow? I've been thinking about how this seems to parallel life too. Sinful habits seem to be so much more easily formed than godly ones. And harder to get rid of.
• When watching movies on our computer we press the space bar in order to pause it. Today Poppy told me to "press the bar-b-que" instead of the "space bar". Space bar-b-que anyone?