Why I'm Smiling

• It's mid-July, and the summer heat is still tolerable without installing the air conditioner.
• I have a batch of dog food cooking in the kitchen, and the dogs love it way more than store-bought. They keep telling me, too.
  
• God is managing our finances.
• My A1c went down again (6.0), and I've never eaten more ice cream in my life!
• I'm loving my new perm.
• My new glasses will be in this week; no more super glue, nail polish, or weighted contacts.
• The garden is growing.
• We have 27 happy chicks growing in the back yard to fill our freezer in a couple months.
• Lynae is now a more confident swimmer than her mama.
• We've sold 11 dozen eggs in the past 3 days and have room in our refrigerator again.
• By changing the direction of a table in the kitchen, I've effectively doubled our usable work space.
• I found relief from deerfly bites today, using plantain. It's not very tasty, but it works! After years of knowing about this wonderful plant, I've finally gotten smart and harvested some to keep on hand.
  
• Lynae has memorized our bread dough recipe.
• When Loren woke up (in the recliner) a while ago with a leg cramp, I rubbed his leg with a bar of soap and he was able to go back to sleep. (He keeps two small bars in the bed, and no longer suffers from leg cramps there.)
• I ate peas from the garden today.
• My sons are working together to clear a pond. I understand they're making up songs while they work.
• I got to watch a young bluebird learn to fly yesterday.
• God is still on the throne, and I get to enjoy the wonders of His creation.