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.

A busy day

Today, Virginia had two friends over to play. Ruby went to a friend's house, where the two applied Kool-Aid highlights to their hair. When Russ got home, we went to Yum for frozen yogurt concoctions, Soergels for produce, and Blueberry Hill for playtime. They have a really extensive monkey bar system there and all of the girls are really good at it. When we got home, we cooked steaks on the grill and had a late dinner outside.

Pool and Sir Pizza

Today, we met Russ at the pool after work for some late-day swimming. The kids had a great time swimming indoors and out and Daisy is getting really brave in the water. After, we went to Sir Pizza where we hungrily consumed one large and one small pizza.

A Wonderful Meal

Tonight Ruby cooked a wondrous meal for her family. She researched it for days and planned it out well, presenting me with a grocery list a week in advance.

Here is her menu:

Beverages:

raspberry lemonade
mocha madness

Salad

Mandarin Salad

Entree

Seasoned Pork Cutlets

Side Dish

Cold Peanut Sesame Noodles

Dessert

Baked Apples

It was a delicious meal for a hot summer day. The baked apples were especially fun. Ruby had an array of toppings that each person could fill their own apple with and then she baked them while we are our dinner. It was a great job and I am proud of her!

Sleeping Outside, Sans Tent

Today, Leah and Virginia did a sister camp where they trekked down through the woods to the creek and did various other nature and craft activities. They also made brownies, which all of us enjoyed. Ruby made herself a natural poultice for a small leg wound; it became painful after a while so she removed it. The girls wanted to sleep in the woods, which I vetoed. They wanted next to sleep in the yard with just sleeping bags, no tent. I agreed as long as it was up on the deck, so that they would be safer from mosquitoes and other beasts. They watched some Alfred Hitchcock on a mini TV out there and ate popcorn. Russ sneaked around to scare them with a Darth Vader mask on, but no one even flinched. They stayed out there all night! Virginia and Leah even slept in until after nine.