Garden Bounty

With the four oldest kids away for the week, life at home has been…different. Fewer meals to cook, less chaos, and somehow, the garden is thriving on its own. The zucchini? Absolutely massive.

It’s given me a chance to slow down and get creative—thinking it might be time to experiment with some zucchini salsa recipes. Sometimes, a little neglect is surprisingly productive.

Vicksburg National Military Park

Vicksburg National Military Park – History Meets Humidity

Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi was established in 1899 to honor the Battle of Vicksburg and preserve the land where it all happened. The main park stretches along the city boundaries and includes most of the original battlefield.

Kevin and I explored the park the day after dropping the kids off with their dad. It was fascinating… and extremely hot and humid, but still worth every sweaty step! Here are some snapshots from our whirlwind tour. We’re hoping to bring all six kids back when we pick up the oldest four—it should be quite the adventure!

Giggles

Okay, I know this is a totally random post… but who cares! 😄
I used the facilities at Vicksburg National Military Park, and I just had to share this—too cute not to!

Drumroll please… the company name?
Hiney Hiders!!! 😂

Seriously, how clever is that?!

Stone Mountain

My four oldest kids are visiting their dad in Atlanta for six weeks this summer. The boys got to climb Stone mountain today!  My grandparents lived there when I was growing up and we visited often so our family and all our cousins OFTEN had races to see who could get to the top first!  I had that mountain memorized.

One of the highlights of my youth was when our church youth group took a Lynx trip to South Carolina and we stopped to climb this mountain!  FOND memories of great times and GREAT friends!  Here's a picture of our trip back then:

I am so glad my kids have had the opportunity to see this, even if I wasn't able to share it with them.  For more information of Stone Mountain visit here.