Here are some random pictures from our trip to Missouri last week. My two oldest children attended a fine arts camp at the college I teach online classes for. They’ve been going to this camp for two years in a row now and I think it will become a yearly tradition as long as my parents continue to live there. The kids LOVE it!
{Don’t tell my 8 year old, but the 6 year old is really talented!} They both do a wonderful job and have a great time, though. I’m still kicking myself for forgetting all of their lovely creations at my parent’s house. I want to frame these 2 pics!
While the two bigs were busy at camp, the two littles and my mom had fun in our own way!
Baby got new shoes! Every kid needs a pair of pink chucks, right? I’m pretty sure this is the first brand-new pair of shoes she’s had. Body casts for 3 1/2 months kind of negate the need for shoes. And we’ve been pretty lucky to find her cute shoes at Goodwill and yard-sales. But there’s just something about these shoes that makes my heart sing. And she’s in love.
And we ate out more than I care to admit. Normally, we’re slaves to the garden this time of year, but since my dad’s garden is mostly dead, we were free! We tried out a new restaurant one day while out Amishing. It was just ok. 
But the kids were super cute.
Hope you have a great weekend. Mine will be spent cleaning the basement and picking and canning tomatoes. Hopefully I can sneak in a few batches of pickles. 
Catch you in a couple days!
About Michelle
Welcome! I'm Michelle and I'm glad you're here. Simplify, Live, Love is a blog about simple life in rural Iowa. We are a self-employed, frugal, green, mostly homeschooling family of 6 working to go off the grid on a modern day homestead in Eastern Iowa. Please subscribe for gardening tips, green living hints, recipes, fun giveaways, and frugal ideas. Thanks for stopping by.
Precious photos – and I LOVE the Chucks!! I need a pair for me!
Me, too!! Love the no laces look!
What fun photos! I definitely think you need to frame the pictures from your two artists! Love them both! I had to laugh when you said this was probably her first pair of new shoes!
I was the youngest of four and lived in hand me downs for years!!!! I finally learned how to sew so I could have NEW clothes. 
Thanks for sharing these pics!
Wow. The youngest of 4! I still have a hard time believing I have FOUR children…
She gets a few hand-me-downs, but my kids are so hard on their clothes (or maybe I’m terrible at laundry?), most of them go in the trash. But I rarely buy new. Yardsales & Goodwill are my best friends! 