A Visit with Family

We've had an awesome week with cousins! It was so much fun to have them here. Our kids all hit it off right away, and entertained eachother well, which made for a lot of good talking time for Delores and I :-) Sigh. My heart is full after a week like that.
Here is just a little of what we did together...


...picnic by the ocean

...lots of beachcombing

...exploring

...looking for sea glass

...cousin time!!!

...beautiful sights

...Paul teaching Daryl to make a dead chicken :-)

...more exploring

...hanging out at the harbour

Anna-Christina is thoroughly enjoying her first year in soccer!

Little Cindy Loo Whoo

Sometimes Emilie thinks that if she prays while she's waiting her food will come sooner. It's soooooo cute.

Reading

A few of you have been asking what I'm reading...since you all were so kind and gave me so many suggestions.
So far I've read The Shack (too lazy to go check who the author is), Escape by Carolyn Jessop, and I'm beginning No More Jellyfish, Chickens or Wimps, by Paul Coughlin.

I've really enjoyed all three and would especially recommend Escape. It is a first hand story of her life as a wife in a polygamist cult. Very interesting.

Still here...

Just a quick one to let everyone know I'm still alive. Wow, I was so impressed with getting 20 comments on my last post (even though two of them were mine!). It gave me a good ego boost for the week. :-)

We are enjoying life...

- Anna-Christina is in soccer. We tried to get Olivia in too, but there was a waiting list and apparently a half hour early to sign up isn't early enough! Next year we'll stand in line for an hour.

- the girls have their last art class at the Art Gallery tomorrow. Hopefully our friend will continue lessons throughout the summer.

- tomorrow my cousins come!!! Our first company and we're so excited! I'm praying for nice weather so that we can be outside exploring a lot. I have a homemade ice cream cake in the freezer, just in case my sisters want to know what yummy things we'll be eating.

- the gardens continue to amaze me here. There are huge azaleas and rhododendrons blooming all over the city. Right now I have roses and irises.

- last week the girls' "home ec." assignment was to plan and execute a brunch for some lady friends. Anna-Christina picked Auntie Karla's ham and asparagus breakfast casserole (and made it), Olivia picked fruit kabobs and made them, we also had croissants and I made Kim's cherry tomatoes with basil, and rhubarb cream cheese coffee cake. Oh yes, Adrienne "made" the lemonade. They did really well, and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. It was a rainy day and we sat and drank coffee for a long time.

and last but not least,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!
We LOVE you!
See you "soon"...we're counting the days!

Suggestions, anyone?

I need some new reading material. I am not at all up on new books, and I need some advice. I went to Amazon tonight to order some stuff and I don't even know what I want. I'm just tired of going to the library and seeing the same old garbage. I like all the "how-to" books, but I'm ready for something "meaty".
If you are reading something that is worth purchasing, would you please share?
I have some criteria:

-Books must have lots of pictures and large print. Just kidding. But I like something that's easy to read.

-I'm not into any kind of romance, be it "Christian" or otherwise.

-I'm not opposed to a good novel, but my preference is for something that will challenge my thinking.

Thanks in advance. I know there's a lot of avid readers reading this, so I'm anxious to hear from you!