We heart Jacquie!

A few nights ago, we said a fond farewell to our summer sitter, Jacquie. She headed back to school Friday to start her sophomore year at Liberty University, promising to babysit again when she is home for weekends and holidays. Jacquie is adored by my children and her trustworthiness allowed me to get a few hours away each week so this mom of multiples could feel a bit more sane. She saw us through those frustrating days of early mobility and the crankiness that comes with teething. She did my dishes and folded my laundry. She stayed late a few times so my husband and I could go on a date. . . Sigh. I will miss her. We love you, Jacquie!

What a Peach!

My children have a new summer love. . . peaches! We did some picking last weekend at a local farm and Henry and Harper nearly knocked each other over fighting for the peach. After a few seconds of that, we decided there was enough low hanging fruit to go around, and they each got their own. Now I know that Virginia peaches are probably not the same as South Carolina or Georgia peaches, but I haven't seen any packages in the mail from my deep south girls (Laura? Gwen?), so we have to settle for what we can get! Seriously though, they are amazing and just a perfect way to end the summer. Of course, I had to go home and make a peach pie!

Two tips on peaches:

1. If you are like me, you want peeled peaches for your pie. I recently learned that boiling the entire peach for 2 minutes, then putting in a bowl of ice water, helps the skin separate from the flesh, and makes peeling a cinch!

2. Peach juice stains clothing! I mean, really stains. Especially when your children are just devouring the fruit with both hands and the juice is running down their faces! A few months ago, my mother-in-law gave me a bottle of Lestoil with her seal of approval. She was spot on (or off, depending on how you look at it). A little bit of this deep cleaner removes virtually any stain. If you can't find any in your local supermarket, you can buy a bottle here.

Peach juice all over the front equals. . .


. . .a few drops of Lestoil when we get home!



Enjoy your last few weeks of summer, friends!