Seagrove Beach Babes

Well, we have just returned from a wonderful week at Seagrove Beach, Florida. This was our fifth time to vacation in that area. We just love it. The water is clear, the beach is beautiful white sands, the people are friendly, and the town is quaint. This has become our family's favorite vacation spot. Last year, we decided to forego our beach trip in order to save money for our Disney trip in the fall. And I missed it! I was so happy to go back to our favorite beach spot this summer. And we totally lucked out with the weather and the clear water! We had several cloudy days and a few small rainstorms, which kept the temperatures down in the 80s. It sure was a nice break from our unbearable Houston heat!

This year, Drummer Boy's sister and her 2 kids joined us, which added to the fun. It's so much more of a vacation for the adults when the kids have friends to play with:)

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week:

Drummer Boy gettin' serious about his Sand Castle

Our favorite snowcone stand in Seaside

Snowcones!

Mom and girls in the clear Florida Gulf

Cousins in the pool

Sweet Summer Smile!

Surfer Girl 

Playing Beanie Boos at the Beach

Our favorite VRBO beach house

Pumpkin catchin' a wave on the Boogie Board

Mid-week concert in Seaside

Dinner at Bud & Alley's Taco Bar

Beautiful Florida sunset

A Most Colorful Dish

Last week in my veggie co-op, I received blue potatoes. I don't happen to have any blue potato recipes on hand, so I searched the internet and found this jewel:

Fresh Corn and Blue Potato Hash

It was perfect because I also received 6 ears of corn in my share of veggies. The only ingredients I had to buy at the store were fresh spinach and manchego cheese.

Drummer Boy and I thought it was delicious with a little added salt and pepper. Princess also liked it a lot. Pumpkin balked at the fresh spinach, but ate the corn and some of the blue potatoes.
One thing is for sure: it is the most colorful dish I have served in quite some time. I thought it looked and tasted lovely. I loved the fresh spinach and fresh corn. It felt very healthy. And if you don't have blue potatoes, you can use any small, slightly waxy potatoes.
We will definitely be making this dish again!

9 Years Ago...

Nine years ago, I became a mother when this little pipsqueak was born, purple-faced and screaming. She's still just as LOUD and just as dramatic. And I still love her to pieces!

To celebrate her birthday, she invited 2 friends to join her at the American Girl Bistro. We had a nice girl's lunch and she dropped her doll, McKenna, off at the salon to get her hair done. After a little bit of shopping, we headed home. The girls played and swam together all afternoon and then we had family over for dinner. Princess requested that I make Hoppin' John (a black-eyed pea soup) for dinner, and she wanted lemon cupcakes for dessert. Of course the birthday girl's requests were honored.

It's strange to me to see her getting so big and acting so grown up in some ways, but also keeping that little girl part of her that loves to play with her American Girl doll and stuffed animals. I hope we can keep the little girl part of her close by for a while longer. I'm not ready for the pre-teen drama and sass and all that jazz!

First Christian Camp Experience

Last weekend, Pumpkin and I went to Tanglewood Christian Camp with a group from our church. We stayed one night. It was an introduction to church camp for the youngest kids, 6 and 7 year-olds. I was looking forward to getting to spend one-on-one time with Pumpkin, but I really didn't know how much fun it would be! The best part about the weekend was watching her get so excited about every part of camp.

On the way there, she continually asked me, "How many more minutes?" Once we arrived and found our bunks, she went straight to the swimming pool and diving board. She loved the diving board!!

She also loved roasting marshmallows and making s'mores, of course! And she loved the group games and the bible stories. She loved it all! 

I especially loved getting to talk with her about Jesus and tell her how special she is to him. She's so smart and sweet, and she has such a joyful heart. I think she's probably one of God's favorite people. She's one of mine, that's for sure!