~ 1 ~

The crazy busyness of July has made way for a less busy August schedule (until school starts on the 24th) and that has allowed me to catch up on housework as well as spend some play time with the kids. This week we’ve gotten into the habit of playing outdoors until they are ready to drop from tiredness and heat. (Heat being a relative term since 80 degrees constitutes a heat wave here.) Then they come indoors and we watch a movie. I have taken the opportunity to let them view a few of my favorites. This summer they saw for the first time Jurassic Park, The Princess Bride and the entire Star Wars saga (only Andrew watched Episode 3. Anakin’s turn to the dark side was too intense for the younger boys). Next they wanted to watch The Pirates of the Caribbean. I told them okay but it would have to be a fast-forwarded version since they couldn’t watch the scarier parts.

So while they are getting settled with their snacks and being introduced to Captain Jack Sparrow, I’ll type up a short 7 Quick Takes.

~ 2 ~

As the kids have been playing outside and building Legos or Minecraft creations, I have done some serious purging and organizing this week. I know I have been breaking blogging code by continuously promising to post some organizing results then never actually posting but the blogging code is more of a guideline so…. next week! That’s a pirate’s promise.

~ 3 ~

I will say that while cleaning out my closets I found a treasure chest of picture frames that I had purchased on sale or clearance but that I never got around to hanging up. (I can hear my mom say, “Well, that’s a shocker.”) Sigh. I know, I know but yesterday I said, “No more!” I got a hammer and nails and got to work. Yay! Now my wall looks happy, even though there’s one spot that needs a small frame to complete the look.

~ 4 ~

As I have been busy cleaning this week, my phone has kept me entertained with a stream of podcasts and periscopes. My newest podcast love is for Building Bridges by Jenna Guizar and Cristina Trinidad. I’ve heard half their podcast list so far (#1 – 4) and next week I will catch up with the other half. There’s some great content, fun moments and a large dash of crazy.

~ 5 ~

Besides podcasts, I’ve also become a fan of Periscope, which is basically a social media app that allows you to interact with a person doing a live video. (You interact by typing in comments that they see live and you tap your phone screen to give them “hearts” if you like what you’re hearing.)

My favorite periscope show is Cultivating the Lovely by Mackenzie of  Bold Turquoise. Mackenzie’s daily challenge is for each of us to pick three things that we will do to bring loveliness into our busy (sometimes messy) lives. Mackenzie is also a Christian and I love how she encourages you to first spend time in prayer and the Word and then ask God what three things He would like you to work on. If you’re never caught the show live, you can watch her replays here.

~ 6 ~

My other favorite scoper is Mystie Winckler from Simplified Organizing. I am currently taking her organizing course and being able to interact with her online has been fun.

It was Mystie’s course that inspired me to clean out the closets and Mackenzie’s quest for loveliness that inspired me to pretty up our family room. 😉

~ 7 ~

Since I’ve been busy cleaning and movie watching I’ve also needed some easy dinners. I found ample inspiration from Dwija’s post and link up Easy Slow Cooker and One Pot Meals Link-Up. Go check it out. There are some yummy options there!

Okay, I’ve got to run. The pirates need refills of popcorn and lemonade and a certain young scalawag wants me to find him a pirate costume ASAP. Savvy?

Have a blessed weekend!

xoxo,

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