A Squash Mystery

Early this spring I noticed a couple of squashes growing along my front sidewalk. I planted flowers there but I also let the little squash plants be. I just didn't have the heart to kill them. I wasn't sure where they had come from but I had a pretty good idea. In the same area last year I had planted a butternut squash and a zucchini. They had ended up taking over the sidewalk so I decided not to plant them there ever again. But when they started growing on their own I just couldn't destroy their small little lives.

As they grew I couldn't figure out what they were. The fruit was perfectly round and green. I picked one and cut it open. It smelled like zucchini so I figured it was because I had planted a hybrid and a plant not true to the mother plant was coming back. It also began to take over my sidewalk so I hacked away at it with abandon. I ended up throwing 1/2 of it away covered with countless little round squash. I never picked any of the squash to eat because we had plenty of zucchini already growing. So I just let it be.

About a week ago I noticed one of the squash was turning orange. The plant I have been hacking at mercilessly is a pumpkin! Oh, the guilt. I love pumpkins. During the fall it is a trying experience to go anywhere with me because I have to point out the piles of pumpkins in front of every fruit stand and grocery store. Something about piles of big orange pumpkins makes me happy. And I have been killing them! With abandon!

I called my mother to tell her my joy and lament. Joy that I was growing pumpkins and lament that I have been killing them. This is how the conversation went:

"Mom, do you know what I am growing out front?"

"Yeah, they're pumpkins."

"You knew they were pumpkins? How long have you known they were pumpkins?"

"Oh, I don't know, about three weeks."

"Well why didn't you tell me? I've been killing them off."

"Um...well... I figured you knew what you had planted."

Well no Mom, I didn't. I had no idea. I still don't even know where they came from. My best guess is they came from our neighbor. They had some pumpkins they had allowed to rot last fall. When they started cleaning up their leaves for the fall I told them they could just dump them in our yard. I would use them for mulch and compost. So I am guessing some seeds got mixed up with the leaves and ta da...surprise pumpkins!

Baby Smiles

Today Sam turned six weeks old. So he decided to do what all six weekers are supposed to be doing.
If that doesn't make you just a little gooshy inside then I'm not sure this blog is for you.

Libby's 5th Birthday

August 24th -
Libby was excited to go to Settler's Park to celebrate her and two of her cousins' birthday. Oh, the great joy! Aunts, uncles, grandma, cousins and a splash pad. Yeah, it was grand. There was a butterfly cake she helped to decorate, there was homemade ice cream, and there was the dress up outfit from our family friend. Oh the rapture!

This is one of the other birthday kids. Xander turned four the day after Libby turned five. Love the cousins.


Libby requested a raspberry cake, so by popular demand here is the recipe:

Raspberry Cake

1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 (3 oz) package raspberry jello
12 oz frozen raspberries
2 or 3 tbl sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup hot water

Mix the cake mix and jello. Let raspberries defrost then let 5 year old smoosh them with the sugar and water using a potato masher. Add everything else. Mix well. Cook like the back of the box tells you to. Feel a little guilt for using stuff filled with preservatives and fake ingredients but realize it is only a few times a year. Everyone will survive.

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese (brought to room temperature)
1 cup (give or take) powdered sugar
a little vanilla

Whipped the cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl beat the cream cheese and sifted powdered sugar until well mixed. Mix in a little vanilla. Gently mix the whipped cream and cream cheese until thoroughly combined. I did end up using the electric mixer and it worked out. Frost cool cake and put in fridge. The original recipe said this could be piped. The people who wrote that recipe are filthy liars.

August 25-
Alright, now back to the main event. On Libby's actual birthday I told her she could invite a couple of friends to dinner. Here they are enjoying pepperoni pizza. This is what Libby ALWAYS requests for her birthday dinner. It is also what Ethan ALWAYS requests. It is about the only time each year they get it. I don't hate pepperoni but there is a lot of other things I like better and I am the one that does the cooking.


Libby blowing out the candles on her birthday cookie. I was just way too tired to make her another cake. She was okay with the cookies because Michael's parents and siblings were coming over. Yay! More excitement!


The fancy dress her Aunt Kristal gave her. Note she is also still wearing the dress up clothes from the day before. She hasn't taken them off yet.

Finally!

Grace

is

WALKING!

First Bath

We were starting to wonder if Sam's nasty little umbilical cord stump was ever going to fall off so we could give him a full bath. I was talking on the phone to my mother with both babies on my lap. I looked down just in time to see Grace pulling Sam's stump off. I was grossed out, Grace was confused, and Sam didn't even notice. When I told my mom what had just happened she laughed. The good news is that on July 29th Sam finally had his first bath.