Christmas in July and Why it was a Must This Year

2020. The year that will never end, right?? From a global pandemic, and systemic racial oppression, a tanking economy, fear and uncertainty, and everything in-between...this has been a tough year for everyone. (Oh yeah, and flippin Murder Hornets? They were a thing too.) We left our classrooms in March not knowing what in the world would be next, and come August, we will return to school once again…online. The kids miss their friends, their teachers, socializing, and let’s face it, we honestly miss the normal work routine as well and being able to mingle with our co-workers. There has been tension, stress, a lot of unknowns, and a LOT of sadness and negativity flooding social media.

We decided it was time for something happy.
We decided that Christmas in July was a must this year.
…so we did it!
Once the kids went to sleep on July 23rd Asa got out some of our Christmas decorations and we (he..) got to work.

We set our alarms on the 24th and woke before the kids did. Reese is usually the first to wake right at 8am and she was right on time ‘Christmas Eve’ morning. As we drank our coffee and beamed up at her, she was SO confused. As soon as she came around the corner and actually saw the Christmas trees with presents underneath, she sprinted to Pierson’s room and excitedly woke him up. Their reactions were priceless and the joy in our home felt like a warm blanket. They looked at the presents (they each got a total of seven) and then we sat on the couch to watch Christmas movies (starting with Curious George’s Christmas that they have loved since they were toddlers.) Our plans were to spend the next two days together as a family (not that we haven’t had a ton of just family time), but to be more intentional with the things we did; baking cookies, cooking, coloring, decorating, creating, movies together, and big holiday like meals. We had Asa’s mama over as she typically joins us Christmas Eve, and after dinner Asa read the Birth of Jesus to all of us and then we watched a Christmas Story. We baked Gingerbread cookies with a Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting, and earlier in the day we went to Lotsa Pasta to get fresh ravioli for the next night’s dinner. The home was just the right amount of Christmas decor—and the whole mood of the house just felt so peaceful.

On July 25th we had breakfast and then let the kids open their gifts. Again, they got 7 each, and we wrapped things separately like paint by itself, paintbrushes, canvas’s, and then Reese got a couple of dresses and Pierson got a couple of new pairs of shoes. It wasn’t about the presents or spoiling the kids—this was all to create a happy memory for all of us for what has been such a tough and challenging year.

I diffused our Christmas Spirit oil in ALL our diffusers around the clock the entire two days. When we say it smells like ‘Christmas in a bottle,’ we totally mean it. It’s a little spicy, a tad sweet, and just smells completely heavenly. (Want it for yourself? Leave a comment here and I’ll hook you up!) Overall, we highly recommend participating in Christmas in July yourself. You don’t have to go BIG, you don’t have to set up a ginormous tree, just make it what you want and how you want! We used our porch tree from Treetopia and the pre-lit garland that we had from the same company. I had a lot of people message me and say they wanted to do this but it seemed like so much work; my husband will tell you it probably took him an hour start to finish [he is the speedy decorator, again, he is kin to Buddy the Elf so it’s just in his blood,] and he would also tell you it was completely 1000% worth it. August is around the corner, online school will be happening at LEAST the first six weeks (let’s face it.. probably longer..) and we are just praying we can take it ALL in stride and that everyone can stay healthy and happy.

Rock Island State Park and the Most Magnificent Waterfall

Safe at Home has been the famous phrase we’ve heard for months, right? But for us it’s been more like, ‘safe at home AND in nature…’ When Asa first told me though that he had booked a campsite in Rock Island, TN, I’ll admit I was not super excited about the three hour drive there. But I WAS excited for some family time, and that my big brother and his wife were even able to join us. I have never camped with my brother before this and it meant so much to have him there! But anyway, back to the camp site. When we arrived, there was a torrential downpour. My sister in law Jana is the most badass woman I’ve literally ever met, and she and her three kids were practically done setting up their tent and site when we arrived. Soon, all of us were together, (my brother and his wife came later, after dark, and they had to set up their tent with minimal light but hey, it got done!) At first I was super grumpy about the sloppy grounds, dirty feet and the fact that my white English Cream Golden was filthy within minutes of our arrival… but I pretty soon got over it. The kids were having a blast, we all brought our dogs and Emma was in literal dog and camping Heaven, and it felt so good to just BE together. (Quarantine STINKS!!!!)

Some may tease me, but I have ZERO shame in always getting a site with electricity. I also have zero shame that we have the worlds largest tent and that my husband who is six foot four can stand UP in said tent. We sleep best with a fan, so we always bring one. All of that means I am way LESS ornery when I am woken up at five a.m. to the sound of birds and the blinding sunlight pouring through, because I sleep WELL, and we are never crowded.

Asa brings the best food camping (he brings and makes the best food in general….) but I really love our mornings on these trips. Did I mention we also bring an electric coffee maker because hello, it’s faster, and it brews a very large pot?! Those cups of coffee spent with family around a fire are so dang special.

Now on to some more fun stuff… Rock Island has a bunch of trails, most are pretty short. The longest trail (on the map) is 2.65 miles, most are even shorter. You can grab a trail map, water guide, and other important info from the welcome center near the camp grounds. VERY close to the campsite is the Historic Cotton Mill, and Old Mill Gorge Trail. Unfortunately when we were there, the trails were closed to do extreme flooding. However, there is a stunning lookout at the parking lot/trailhead that allows for gorgeous views into the gorge! From there, if you look into the distance, opposite side of Center Hill Lake, you should be able to see one of the swimming areas. The trail there is short, if it’s open, and will take you down into the gorge, and to one of the swimming locations.

There’s a trailhead called ‘Down Stream’ and that is where you will find Twin Falls, and perhaps THE most breathtaking waterfall you’ve ever seen—at least that we’ve ever seen :) We climbed our way onto the rocky bank and made it to the water to truly appreciate the beauty of the magnificent falls.

From Twin Falls, follow the trail upstream until you get to a staircase. These will take you to the Upstream Trailhead and the road you originally drove in on. Upstream is the trail that leads to where we spent MOST of our time swimming. The climb down into the gorge is doable for small kids, (we even met an older gentleman on a cane who made the climb down), but I would NOT recommend a stroller or wagon. The water was cold but very refreshing. Swimming above water falls and down in a gorge was both scary and magical—absolutely an adventure worth having!!

Hiking was so much fun, but as always, please use caution and good judgement when exploring the gorge, especially along the water. The current was quite strong and I am very grateful for LOTS of hands and adults to help watch and monitor our kids and all the kids. Emma had a BLAST swimming, but ultimately she wore herself out pretty significantly and I kinda wish I hadn’t let her swim as much as I did… but we lived and learned and really, this trip was magnificent. We did NOT swim at Twin Falls, and there were plenty of signs reminding us and cautioning us that lives have been lost there. Be safe, use your head, go with people, have fun and remember how big and vast our Creator is!! PS: the country side and drives there were one of my favorite parts…I even had to get out and photograph some adorable cows. There were rolling hills for days and my heart was so full as I took it all in.

And here is a video of the most magnificent waterfall video taken by my brother Sean Rogers, isn’t it beautiful?!

Grab and Go Power Snack

I’ve heard such great things about ‘power bites’ but have never made them until now! I did a quick search on Pinterest actually, when we were going to spend a day on the boat. I was looking for an easy and homemade snack that I thought everyone could enjoy—and these were definitely a hit!

I’m sure there are so many ways to make these, but this recipe was from Like Mother Like Daughter’s blog page (and I believe she found it from another blogger too.) I have made these two times, the second time I just eye balled the ingredients (that’s how simple it is to make!) There are no eggs or flour and no added white sugar—sure, there are some m&m’s and mini chocolate chips, but still these are so much healthier than your average cookie. And the protein is a bonus for me, because I always need more of it :)

Here’s the easy peasy way to whip these up:
Add 1 1/4 cup of old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter, 1/4 cup of honey, and 1/3 cup of both mini m&m’s and mini chocolate chips into a bowl and stir it all up until combined. Then roll the mixture into small balls (I used a cookie dough scoop, about 1 to 1.5 inches in size.) Washing your hands in between to prevent all of it from sticking too much to them will help! Then place the bites onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and let it set in the fridge until solid/chilled. You can store these in an airtight container or a ziplock bag (which is what I do) and I leave ours in the fridge to stay nice and chilly.

The kids love them, I love them, and they take maybe 5 minutes to make so this is definitely a winning recipe in my book!

According to her website here are the nutrients: Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

I would LOVE to hear if you make these and what YOU think! Comment on this blog post or tag me in your Instagram stories if you share!

HAPPY SNACKING!
xx

Only a Decade

A post I recently shared on Instagram said this:

“Who else’s son (or daughter) can barely fit on your mama lap anymore...? It keeps dawning on me we have a decade until this kid turns eighteen. Doesn’t a decade seem SO short when you think of it regards to our kids growing up?! Anyway, Pierson is going on an adventure with his dad today and I’m just holding on to his sweet self as long as I can. They are going on a fishing trip with a professional fisherman, staying in a cabin, and I just know they are going to create the best summer dad and son memory together. * Hang tight to your babes, friends. Soon their feet will dangle off your lap and holding them won’t be as easy!* ❤️”

Lots of other mamas shared their hearts with me there; all agreeing the years have gone much too fast. Our Pierson Clive turned 8 on June 15 and I am still in disbelief. I’ll never forget laboring with him, bringing him home from the hospital, and the precious newborn moments we had. Eight years of this boy…EIGHT! On his birthday I turned to my husband and said, “We only have a decade left until he’s an adult….”

Yeah, yeah I know…18 is very much still a teenager in many ways, but you know it’s that weird mix: teen + adult + brand new person ready to take on life full speed. I mean heck, when I look back at my OWN years, I was married at the age of 20! Two years past 18?!

I wonder where he will want to go to college..I wonder what he will want to be..I wonder what he will accomplish..I wonder what he will fail at..I wonder if he’ll still need me.

I’m sure you’ve had those thoughts too. I say it all the time and I’m not the one who came up with this phrase: “The days may be long but the years are short.” Only a decade, P Man…you’re growing so fast.

You are a brave and kind soul, Kiddo. Right now you are OBSESSED with ‘creatures,’ big and small, the creepier and crawlier the better. Recently you brought me a LIVE spider IN TO MY KITCHEN, and I quickly applauded you and asked you kindly to take him back OUT. You are my frog catcher, fishing lover, sweet, sweet son. In a couple of months, you start third grade, and I just can’t believe it. The end of your second grade year was pretty robbed by a pandemic, but you took it in stride and did amazing, as we knew you would. We are proud of you, cheer for you, and daily ask the Lord to keep you close to Him. Sure eight looks great on you, but my mama heart will always be a little sad that you are getting SO big. I wonder where the baby boy who fit so perfectly on my lap went…and then I look at you, and you’re right here. Growing, changing, maturing, laughing, loving, learning, and I love each and every single stage with you.