this is all i got

not sure why my posts have been so few and far between these days - we have been keeping busy around here. maybe that's why. by the time i have a minute to sit down, i just don't feel like doing anything. i have, at least, been faithful to keep up-to-date with all our fun summer pics.

we've been home from our outer banks vacation since saturday. chloe is still there with my parents but will be returning this saturday. i'm glad. i miss her. we miss her.

chuck and patrick leave this sunday for Camp Pinnacle, a church camp held in Carlisle, PA. this is our second year sending kids from our church. patrick is less than enthused (so is chuck) but both of them, by nature, would rather be home. for that reason alone, going is a good thing. i know they'll have fun and come home on friday with lots of stories.

in the midst of living with bits and pieces of my family, i'm trying to get life back in order. there is something about coming home from vacation that makes me want to get ready for fall. a bit premature when vacation takes place in mid-july, but i'm in the zone nonetheless. most of the kids' school supply shopping is done (except for the tissues and ziploc bags - and the fat 8 pack of crayons. cant find those anywhere for some reason). the last few days have been spent taking inventory of the kids' clothes for the upcoming season - and trying to decipher who needs what, what fits whom, etc. once i figure out what everyone needs, then i get to hit up every clearance rack i can find in search of spending the least amount of money for the most stuff. even better is the "trip" i took to my own basement only to discover several pairs of shoes for lucy and tucker as well as a box of clothes for patrick. such discoveries definitely help!

i did make some great purchases at target this week (and, yes, i went to all 3 in our area for my quest). i bought 4 pairs of shoes for about $20 - LOVE their clearance shoe rack :)

with all the new purchases comes some much needed purging. i'm looking forwarded to down-sizing the kids' toy collections. since lucy will be in school this fall, she'll be playing much less with toys, which means that the girls' bedroom will take a more grown-up look. don't worry, i'm not getting rid of everything. but there's only so much playing to be done after dinner and on the weekends. patrick is down to just legos and star wars action figures. and he doesn't miss a thing. i'm wondering if the girls would be ok with just polly pockets and barbies. ok,... i'm starting to ramble now.

this afternoon, i'm going to take a break from my frantic organizational pace to sit and read. we'll see how long that lasts.