Church Softball in the south is a serious thing.  (To everyone except me. Shhh.... don't tell, they'll kick me out.)  They have rules.  Lots of rules.  For instance, there are rules about switching teams.  To be a "free agent" you have to meet certain conditions.  You think I'm kidding.  I am not.  Church softball is serious.

You want to know what I like best about church softball (besides the Chief hitting a homer and my cute kids)?  I have a friend who brings her camera and takes awesome pics of our kids.  You want to know what Josiah likes best about church softball?  The endless supply of ring pops.   

Thanks so much for the pics, Hope!  I love them!

Fishing is the sport of drowning worms.  ~Author Unknown

The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad.  ~A.K. Best

Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught.  ~Author Unknown

My own prescription for health is less paperwork and more running barefoot through the grass. - Unknown

Deep South + Late July = HUMIDITY! 

I had planned to show you the pennant banner I made for our front porch but it is so humid my camera lens fogged up.  We have the weather to thank for this post. 

This is my humid day hair braid:

Long hair is new to me.  The last time my hair was this long was our wedding almost sixteen years ago.  Shortly after our honeymoon I got it cut. 

This is a simple twist braid to the side.  Just the thing for days like today! 

Hope you are staying comfortable and cool!  Happy end of July!

We love our Savannah Sand Gnats.  Our local Subway offered a promotion where we could buy a family 4 pack and get four Sand Gnats tickets.  What!?  We love Subway.    Sign us up! 

Now, I know what you are thinking.  Sand Gnats are a pansy mascot.  After all, how many gnats have you squished?  Well, let me tell you, sand gnats are mean.  They bite. 

Sand gnats, also called sand fleas, are biting, blood sucking gnats found in  sandy areas.  They are also called no-see-ums, chitras or punkies.  The bites  leave large red bumps and rashes.

Don't be messing with no sand gnats. 

Plus, Grayson Stadium is just awesome.  The general admission seating is covered (no sun bearing down on you) and they have these massive fans to keep you reasonably cool.

Summer = Savannah Sand Gnats games for the Trent Tribe!   

We enjoyed our 4th at home.  We had hamburgers, watermelon, and strawberry delight.  We swam, ate, swam, and watched fireworks on our front porch in our pajamas.  Josiah startled a little and then decided he kinda liked the big booms and bright lights.  The Chief manned our fireworks or "arsenal" as the men in our family like to call it.  Sparklers were lit.  Everyone came through uninjured.  I breathed a sigh of relief (thank you, Jesus!).  We remembered how proud we are to be Americans.  How much we love God and our country.  We never want to take forgranted our freedom or those who protect our freedom. 

May the sun in his course visit no land more free, more happy, more lovely, than
this our own country!  ~Daniel Webster

We must stay full of God’s presence or we won’t have anything to give everyone else. 

Take time to recharge.  Take time to connect with God.  Take time to rest.  

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31

It's not summer without pulling out the popsicles molds!  Frozen lemonade is pretty much awesome.

Our basic recipe:

1 cup lemon juice

1 cup sugar (or splenda)

2 quarts of water

Thanks to Pinterest, I'm gonna get fancy smancy with it this summer and make these:

P.S.  Everything is better frozen.  Including gatorade, kool aid, and crystal lite peach tea. (I'm the only one who likes that last one.)  Y'all it gets hot!  We gotta do what we gotta do to stay cool. 

P.P.S. Paper cups work just as well as popsicle molds.

We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does.  Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining - they just shine. Dwight Moody