Would You Like Some Pumpkin Leaves?

This past weekend, we were privileged to be co-guests at Ed & Cyndi's house with a family from Malawi.

During conversation one day, it came up that in Malawi, they not only eat the pumpkins but they also eat the pumpkin leaves. Though Paul promptly ate a leaf raw, Bridget and others gathered up a few leaves and headed to the kitchen to cook them up Malawian style. Here, Bridget and Nadia add a few tomatoes to the pot:

And everyone agreed. Mmmmm . . . . good!

And Now For A Few Beach Pictures

My niece, Savannah, has perseverence like none other.
Paul and Shifrah lounging with my neice, Brianna:

My nephew, Peter, was so sweet to Shifrah. He would fill up the water gun for her, hand it to her so she could shoot him with it. All week, Shifrah kept running after Peter wherever he went.

Three of my many neices. Remember my cat person's dog? I still think Chloe is the best!
Taking a break.

The Only Place Cool Was The Pool

I think Josiah is here kicking his cousin in the head, no?

Is it candy or keep-away?

Hydrangeas

Everywhere I go nowadays, the hydrangeas are gorgeous. And ours are no exception, I'm happy to report. What a exquisite plant!

Weary for Heaven

When I in righteousness at last

Thy glorious face shall see,

When all the weary night is past

and I awake with Thee,

to view the glories that abide

then, then I shall be satisfied.

Yippeeeeeee !!!

Hadassah's class on a recent classt trip:

Last day of school for Hadassah today.

10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 -3 - 2 - 1 - yippeeeee!

Followed by the traditional hat-throwing and ice cream.

PreSchool Pals

Seven moms. Thirteen kids from the three and under crowd. Two pools. Three ride-ons. Swings galore. A playhouse. Sounds like fun?

Tia grins as soon as you take the camera out:

Little helper:

The boys wouldn't smile for me.

What is it with running that is so fun? Giggle. Run. Giggle. Run. . . .

Of course, it was Shifrah who figured out how to escape:

And the one who made the biggest mess:

Thanks, Nicolette, for a fun day!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

My Sweetie Girl!

You know how they say that toddlers always like to copy their mommies? That's why you can get all those plastic cleaning toys for toddlers - irons, mops & brooms, vacuums, little kitchens, . . . cameras . . .

But, not always so sweet. This was her oatmeal for breakfast that I should not have given her right after she asked for play-dough.

And Aunty Ada really needs to come home now so my little girl can get a proper nap!

J.J.'s Friends

Our friend, J.J. - currently in State Prison and awaiting his mansion in glory - has written a "book". Mary and I (and my mom-in-law) have done much editing of this book and are in the process of publishing it. His request was to have a picture of our two families with him on the back cover - a group of people who have never all been together at the same time. And thus, my paintshopped photo (it's novice but it will do!):

Clematis Up Close

What It Means To "Lumber"

I was a bit...er...bummed that all we got to see was the bear's rear. More bear activity as of late, I notice.

Watchin' These . . .

Memorial Day Parade

Possibly, the better photo would have been of all the parents trying in vain to get these kids lined up in a nice little smiling group for a photo. As you can see, we did not succeed! Shifrah was most impressed by all the "rescue trucks" and less so by all the candy. Try as we did, she just couldn't figure out that she was supposed to dive in there and get as much candy as she could. She did get a few pieces and is no worse off without a bounty. Maybe next year!

Shifrah is Three!

S H I F R A H . . . J U B I L E E

Has it been three years already?

This little girl has been a constant joy since the day we met her. With her crazy curls and a personality to match, we're having a bit of fun here. And as she tells me herself, she's my "sweetie girl"!