Last Hurrah

The half-dead cherry tree in the backyard astounded me for the second time this year, spilling over with yellow globes. Such a wonder!

Looking out the living room window, this was my first inkling that the cherries were nearly ripe.

(Aside: The headband Pip wears is the one Annie made her for her birthday. Cute....as a button. Groan.)

Cadie, as soon as the prodigal hat arrived, Annika wore it nonstop for the next week! Thank you. :)

And that cherry pitter you see Birdie using below? I borrowed it from my mom to make canning pass more swiftly, and, boy, does it ever work better than a hairpin. Fellow cherry canners, take note. Put the bobby pins back in the drawer. Buy or borrow a cherry pitter.

While you're at it, buy or borrow a Bird. They're tops.

Eight Ball, I Know You Well

Yes, bowls heaped with (thirty pounds of) cherries are a beautiful sight. I wasn't nearly as appreciative as I should have been, though, given the fact that I had yet to pack for the next day's vacation, with canning and jamming still to finish.

Fannie Farmer's Papa Didn't Have It This Good

For the second year in a row, Millie made John a birthday ice cream cake. He's not a fan of flour-based cakes, and ice cream always hits the spot in mid-July.

I'll have to post the fudge sauce recipe she used on buildabelly. It's a doozy.

And it tastes just fine on its own, too. (We tested it to make sure, for your sakes.)

Thirty-Two: Me and You

She loves her Papa. (We all do.)

Fluff and Nonsense...And Flowers

I was going to hop back on here to chronicle July in snapshots and to write more than this breezy post, but I'm off to the county office building to file a long-overdue deed.

I don't know why I took more pictures of flowers in June than I did of my own children. I think the July stash has more children in it.


This is, at least, my hope.

Luci by the Window

Little Sugarbush, will you smile?




Nope. Not grimace. SMILE!

Nope. Not show your bottom teeth (as impressive as they are). SMILE!




There you go. Much better.

The Promise

One reason I love peonies is that the buds look nearly as lovely as the blooms themselves.







I did say nearly.

Recap

Almost two months have passed since the last picture load, with the passing of many Big Events.

Sunny days: bathing suits: bread, butter, and tea on Nails








Baby chicks: Fourteen to begin! Six given by friends + eight hatched at home - three killed by an overly playful pup.


Two snuggled by Susannah.





Rainy days: bathing suits: playful pup






Little girls grown so fast who, for a blessed split second, look little again:




Downpour: Puddles:




Raincoats:



Pixie mischief:

Nighttime Run

The moon looked for all the world like a lost copper penny, so I went home to get my camera.




Ten minutes later, it was a large orange balanced incongruously at the top of the pear tree.

Oh, Cuckoo Bird

You slay me.

In Everything You Do

I am a bad secret sister. I forget to write cards; I find no time to sew gifts; I don't plan ahead.

Whoever has ME, however, is an overachiever. She's given us cool and quirky handmade gifts, candy, cards, and lots of flowers. She makes me feel guilty for what a rotten secret sister I am.

The girls and I have thoroughly enjoyed these gerbera daisies, and they even (barely) survived not being watered for a week while we were away on the Island.