Day in the City

There is one week left of summer. Today the girls and I headed in to the city. We parked first in Oakland where we had lunch at the outdoor kiosks near Pitt. We ate under the tent canopy, and the pigeons kept attacking us to get the rice that Daisy kept dropping! We walked over to the carousel, where the nice operator let us ride an extra time for free! Daisy picked the dragon for her first ride and the seal for her second. Virginia loves the spinning car!





Then I showed the girls around Pitt for a bit. We went to the bookstore where I showed them how to look up what textbooks were required for your class and they were amazed at the prices. We looked in on a dining hall and passed by a few dorms. We strolled past the Cathedral of Learning and the girls peaked in on Heinz Chapel.
I'm not sure when classes start, but there were still a lot of parent milling about.














We then drove to the blue slide playground in Frick Park. There was a long line for the slide, as usual. We hadn't been there for a couple of years. Daisy liked the slide, but she really loved playing with other babies in the tot playground and sipping from the water fountain with Leah and Ruby holding her up! Virginia is a master at the monkey bars.
































Tonight, we went to the library and to Bruster's for ice cream. It is starting to get cooler at night. Leah stayed at a friend's house and Ruby's friend is here for the first night of a two-night sleepover.

Belated Birthday

Leah had a bunch of friends over tonight for a bonfire on the island. It was kind of a delayed birthday party and kind of a last-few-days-of-summer party. Russ made an awesome fire, but the kids got caught in a downpour and had to run home with the cupcakes, chips, gummy worms, and board games! The chips didn't fare so well, but everything else was O.K. Leah had made the cupcakes herself. The party continued in the family room, but that fire burned on through two hours of rain!

Leah is a High School Girl

Leah and I went to her high school orientation. She picked up her schedule in the library and we walked the halls for a while. I know it won't take her long to learn to navigate the building, though it seems daunting right now! She has gym first period, and I only teased her for ten or fifteen minutes about how great it will feel to suit up and start exercizin' at seven-thirty A.M.! At least, I told her, she won't need to fix her hair in the morning because it will get messed up as soon as she gets there, anyway. Ruby did a wonderful job of caring for Daisy and Virginia for the two hours Leah and I were gone. She played with her, fixed her lunch, and took care of a boo-boo!

A New Beginning

Today our air conditioner was fixed. Yippee! In addition, we had the little kids and babies of the neighborhood, along with their moms, over for a morning of play in the backyard. It was a lot of fun. Later, the girls and I met friends Megan and Hayley at the pool. We got takeout wings to eat in the backyard for dinner. a great day

Leah babysat today, while Virginia and Ruby each had friends over to play. Virginia loves to play school, so that is what she and her friend did for most of the time. Virginia is a very patient and kind teacher. Russ had a school board meeting, so the girls and I went to Sonic for dinner. I love the strawberry limeade. I mowed the lawn and Grandma took the three big girls shopping for school supplies. They came back with really bulging bags and are very ready now!

Tonight I went out to Pier One and got a really cool clock for the kitchen. Russ watched the girls and they played outside. They made a neat chalk drawing on the driveway! Daisy Sat and Spun.

Geocache and More

We searched for and found a geocache at North Park today. It began to rain during our search, but we persevered and found the cache near the Latodami nature center. We searched for a story pole (like a totem pole) that was relocated to Latodami this year. It used to be at our favorite family picnic spot in North Park, Parish Hill.
We couldn't find it and speculated that it must be in the barn, which was locked. Later, Leah went to a friend's to sleep over and we took the three younger girls to Wildwood Highland to play some games. Virginia had saved up tickets from her past few visits and was able to cash them in for a cool plush Batman doll! She will always be able to remember that she got the doll during the summer that they filmed the Batman movie in her hometown!

Some School Shopping and a New Guacamole

We did some school shopping at Kohl's and Target, mostly odds and ends and looking for shoes. To go along with dinner, I made a new recipe from The Pioneer Woman, grilled corn guacamole, and it was delicious. Leah is sick with a bad cold.

The Apes

Virginia attended a really fun birthday party for a friend today. They swam and played for four hours! God bless my friend Jamie, the hostess! They had such a great, active time that they couldn't even fit in the present-opening, and barely had time for the cake! Russ took Ruby and Leah to see Planet of the Apes and they liked it. They came home talking about previews for some horror movies that they saw before the film. I made a wonderful grilled vegetable pizza with fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, and a few slivers of Parmesan. Yum!

This morning, I drove through McDonalds to get my travelin' coffee and we set out for home from DuBois. We had to be home by noon because the air conditioner man was coming to try to fix it again. We made it home, unpacked, and settled back in. Daisy was glad to see her things again. Leah spent much of the day getting her Chinese water dragon's new habitat ready, transferring him into it, and cleaning out the old aquarium. She set up his new home beautifully and he really seems to love it. We had chicken and vegetable stir fry and crispy noodles with sweet and sour dipping sauce for supper. It was great to see Daddy again!

Storage Wars

During our stay in DuBois, the girls and I have watched several episodes of Storage Wars. We love to see what they get and how much they make on the discarded items. The auction process is also very interesting. I have a friend that owns a self-storage facility and she says that it is rare for these auctions to actually occur, however, because the renters always seem to come pay at the last minute. I am glad that many people don't lose their stuff in "real life." Tonight we went to dinner at Italian Oven, them took a ride to visit a few local cemeteries where relatives from both sides of my family are buried. We saw the grave of my Grandpa Fridley, who passed away ten years ago. We, creepily enough, located and admired the spot where my parents will spend their eternal slumber. Daisy sat near the car and played with driveway stones. We drove up to a fence in Home Camp and Daisy and her sisters confronted some cows. Daisy can say "mmmmm" for moo.

Moshannon State Forest

That is the name of the forest where Parker Dam State Park is located. Mom and I took the kids here today to picnic and swim. I remember swimming at the beach here when I was little. We took a picnic of subway subs and chips and fearfully ate our picnic at the park while some bees harassed us mercilessly. It rained a little, but the girls swam in the lake and Daisy played in the sand. After, we took a drive to the campground and scoped out a few sites where we would like to camp together in a few weeks. After a few years of camp ground with a pool, game room, store, etc., we are excited about trying more rustic camping again. Let's just wait and see how Daisy does sleeping in the tent...

A Wilderness Day

Today we went with my parents on one of our favorite annual trips: to Clear Creek and
Cook Forest State Parks. We started out with lunch at Dr. Doolittle's in DuBois. We then headed to Clear Creek, which has a beautiful creek nestled among the trees that the girls love to wade in. We caught crayfish, just like I remember doing so often as a kid. Daisy was really afraid of the crayfish. Virginia is pretty brave, but once she was standing on a big rock which must have harbored a crayfish nest because many of them kept coming out from under it and she was surrounded! We had a great time. Then, we went to Farmer's Inn where they have a great collection of animals to see and feed. Leah had a special affinity for a friendly emu, and she got to see a sugar-glider. My mom bought some delicious cookies from their bakery which I, I mean all of us, scarfed down. Next, we went to the Indian Trading Post at Cook Forest, where we love to browse. We drove through a few campgrounds around Cook Forest and inquired about camping there Labor Day weekend, but found that most are filled! We're a little panicked because we really want to camp together that weekend, and didn't realize that even tent sites fill up for Labor Day. I hope we can find two together somewhere!

This is Your Hometown...

Today, we had Sunday School and got to see some good friends, Shane and Teri,and their little girl for a little while there. The girls and I left church a little early because we had a date with Tatty and Pop in DuBois, and we wanted to be there when there store closed for the day! We had a great meal together, and I happily discovered that mom had made the peanut dessert for me again! Unhappily,though, Daisy seems to be getting sick again, because she was not herself during dinner. She rallied for a while, though, when I took her to visit my grandparents after dinner. Pop took the big girls to the DuBois pool to cool off. It is nice to be home.

Beautiful Summer Wedding

We attended the wedding of a neighbor at a farm about an hour from home, Lingrow Farm. It was one of the most beautiful weddings that I have seen; the venue, the dress, and the bride were all so beautiful. The girls came with us and enjoyed it very much as well. At the appointed time in the ceremony, a horse-drawn carriage brought the bride to the aisle! Daisy had a good time dancing, but Virginia may have had the best time of all because Charlie, her boyfriend for many years, was there and they enjoyed the photo booth, the dancing, and the candy buffet very much! It was a late but fun night and getting up tomorrow won't be easy!

Untitled Tuesday

Today I despair of ever having a working air conditioner again. I did yard work and we ran errands for many hours. We got the van's oil changed. But, hey, we had lunch at Chik-fil-a, accompanied by their wonderful lemonade...and we played a late-night game of Sorry on the deck by lantern light.

It is very hot

We don't know when the company will be able to fix our air conditioner. That's all I will say about that.


Ruby and her friend made a huge slip and slide in the front yard today with a tarp, tent stakes, hose and Palmolive!


Today I spent several hours cleaning and organizing in the garage and it looks great! I keep finding reasons to go down there just so I can walk around and admire!

A New Member of Our Extended Family

Today we celebrated Grandma's birthday one day early by taking her to brunch at the Original Pancake House. It was so good!









View my wonderful Reese's Peanut Butter crepe. I get the crepe every time, and am never disappointed. Ah, it is chocolately. View, as well, Russ's blueberry pancakes. Don't forget the bowl of freshly-whipped cream atop Ruby's silver dollar pancakes. The piece-de-resistance, however, is Russ's gargantuan sausage and cheddar omelet, the full size of which can only be appreciated when viewed in comparison to his fist.



After a, to say the least, very filling meal, we gave Grandma her present, a new turtle! He is an African Sideneck, a water turtle like Mulan. She seemed really surprised and happy. Ruby also knitted a dishcloth for Grandma with super-soft pale blue yarn. The three big girls went with Grandma to her house to set up the turtle's new habitat.

Sick Saturday and Harry Potter

Yesterday, I took Daisy to Dr. Mike and am sad that she has coxsackie virus, or hand-foot-mouth disease. She has had diarrhea, irritability, and sleepless nights and Dr. Mike saw blisters in the back of her mouth. Today we kept her in and gave her cool things to eat.

The three big girls and I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. The movie was great! It was really packed with action; there was a lot of chasing, a lot of battles, a lot of epic face offs. I can't believe that the series is over because I remember so vividly how excited Leah got over the whole Hogwarts world when she started reading them in First Grade. Now, Virginia is on book five and loves them, too. In fact, she is reading all the time, while swinging, eating, riding in the car, walking (sometimes)!

A Night Out

Last night, I had a night out alone to shop! I had the most fun at the Land's End Canvas sale at the mall. I got a few really cute things there, and shopped a few other stores for others as well! The kids played with chalk in the driveway and watched the classic film "Gaslight." Daisy ate some raspberries and kissed Golem.

Some time with Virginia

Today, on Ruby's last day of Girl Scout camp, Leah watched Daisy for a couple of hours so that Virginia and I could go to Soergel's and pick blueberries. Unfortunately, when we got there we were told that their blueberry season was unusually short this year and was over! We weren't deterred from having a good time, however. We went to the farm next door, Kaelin's, where we shopped for some annuals to plant at home. Virginia picked a foliage plant called "Cerveze and Lime," which has a wonderful lime scent. I kept saying, "But Virginia, it doesn't have any flowers!" Virginia really loved the plant, though, and pointed out to me that its tag said "Award Winner." We brought it home and really love its scent. After Kaelin's, we went to North Park to enjoy the new lake some more and to have icy treats. Here is the North Park boathouse, which is over 100 years old!

A Tent Full of Teens

Last night, Leah had five friends over for a campfire and to sleep in the tent. They tormented a few neighborhood boys and stayed up until 6:30. Good thing that, as they are teenagers now, I can assume my regular bedtime and trust them to their own angelic devices.








I made these adorable sliders for dinner. Yum!

A Reptilian Miracle

Today, a miracle occurred. Mulan, Ruby's red-eared slider turtle has been missing since early May. She escaped from her aquarium and we spent weeks looking, then had to assume the worst. We were really sad; she was a great turtle and fun to watch as she swam. We saw her grow from quarter-sized to as big as my hand.

Today, Virginia walked into Daisy's room and found Mulan, walking around, alive and healthy! We can only assume that she found a place to bromate for a few months. We put her in the tub and she took a very, very long drink! We are so glad to have Mulan back.

Water games

Today, Ruby started her Girl Scout Day Camp. After, her friend came home for a night of sprinkler play/ hose games/ sleeping in the playroom. The kids don't seem to mind sleeping among the world of arachnids. I applaud their bravery and sympathize their desire to sleep where it is cool and less humid!

We Beat the Heat

It is with great sadness that I report that our air conditioner, which has been working for only a few days after its last repair, is broken. Sadder still, it will be ninety degrees today and tomorrow. So...

Today we went to the library to enjoy an hour or so of state-of-the art air conditioning.



We then went to 7 Eleven for Free Slurpee Day.Next, we went to the fountain-steps at PNC Park to cool off in the water.

Sunday School Fun Day and a Shower

Today we had a fun day for Sunday School. We made Jehoshaphat's shields and filled a dry valley (cones) with blessings (goldfish and marshmallows) for a snack. After church, there was a surprise baby shower for Tess. She looked beautiful and got a lot of cute things. The food was good, too!

July Saturday

Russ, Ruby, and Leah went to the Y to workout. Russ goes every Saturday around 11:00, and the two older girls go with him occasionally. They can do the bikes and treadmills, etc. Then they changed and swam until their dad was done. Saturday evening, we had friends over for dinner and had a great time. Virginia played a lot with their little boy,Ami, and we all got to enjoy their littlest boy, Abram! We had a marinated flank steak, Asian noodle salad, roasted fingerling potatoes and fruit. They brought a delicious brownie-based dessert.