Summer Blessings

Yesterday some friends came by to swim. It was rainy and cool, so we sat around the table eating snacks, and G asked us each to answer- "What is your favorite thing so far this summer?"
The kids said things like- "Six Flags," or "Our Trip to San Antonio." Ali chose- "Chiheb"- our friend who was visiting for a month. I thought a lot of those things sounded good.
I've been thinking about this still today. We've had a really blessed summer. I thought June was going to be stay at home and do nothing month, after a busy semester of soccer shuttling, girl scouts, and work. But my brother-in-law had asked us to invite a friend's son to visit, so early June, just before school got out, we greeted a teenager from Algeria at the airport. Right away it was clear he was polite. We soon found out he was also a really great guy. Ali took to him as soon as he found out Chiheb knew about Pokemon. They watched some videos online and hung out. By the end of his 5 week stay, which he had extended by two weeks, he was part of the family. He took the kids out to ride bikes almost every day, and willingly watched them in the pool so I could work. He also joined in with the chore jar, prompting A and L to participate uncomplainingly. He was interested in everything, and learned to make cookies with Leila.
I taught an online class in May and then 2 in June. Usually H is home to help out with Sami, but this year he started working in May when I got out of school. So I got P, a college student from Iran, to come and hang out with Sami in the mornings so I could work. She's been another blessing this summer. Even though I'm home much of the time, she takes Sami for walks and plays with him, and I've been able to get away a couple of times to run errands.
We drove down to San Antonio one weekend to see the Alamo and go to Sea World. Other than traffic that extended the 4.5 hour drive to 7, we had a great trip. The kids went to Six Flags one day with Joy and T, and I hung out with my sister who had flown in for a day. We also went to the mall more times than I've been in the last 10 years- it's one of the things Chiheb really wanted to do. We had friends over for dinner, and went to friends' houses, too, and in between I graded papers like mad.
Sami learned to kiss for real- I got a couple nice ones last night. He's also fallen down or bumped his head frequently enough that his face hasn't been unmarred in weeks.
Ali learned to ride a bike in the Spring with Grandpa's help and using a bike he and Grandma gave him for his birthday. Leila finally learned to at the end of June. It turns out there's a really easy way to do it, which I found on the internet. Go to a grassy hill. Coast down. Repeat. Then start pedaling at some point. Practice, practice, practice. Now the two of them ride up and down our street- which is my biggest blessing this summer.
Before we moved we lived on a busy, busy street with the garages all in front. This in turn means the driveways were in front. Now we live on a very long street with no feed ins, and most of the driveways are in the back. The few in the front are just little curved ones. Although there are busy streets on both ends of our street, people don't really cut through. This means that I feel pretty good about the kids riding around and even walking over to the neighbors across the street to play. As well as being a great biking street, it's been wonderful for Sami to learn to walk. When my parents were here, and now with P, he takes numerous walks down the sidewalk, with no danger from someone backing out of their garage.
Part of the street blessing is our great neighbors. There are lots of little boys Sami's age on the street, and there is a family halfway down the block with 4 kids. One boy matches Ali, the girl matches Leila, and the oldest one enjoys playing with them all. They spend their days together in that magical summer endlessness, riding bikes, hanging out, spying, exploring, and sometimes swimming. The other day the two girls had a lemonade stand- a first for both, and well supervised by the moms because of their dad's protectiveness.
All in all it's been a great summer so far. Now that I've wrapped up my June classes, I'm feeling like my summer has finally started. I'm working on so many things, of course, but I finally feel like I've got some times. Today I spent cooking for tomorrow night's Iftar dinner which we are holding here. Ramadan started last week, and dinner is late- just before 9. Last week we were at a friend's, and this week here. Next week the kids and I will be traveling, so I don't know what goodies they'll enjoy.
I do expect more blessings, though, because the summer is only half way through.

Party Weekend

The party continued on Saturday with 15 people for dinner- unplanned- and another showed up for dessert and music. This time I got to speak Spanish. I was embarrassed to have no cookies in the house, so threw together some no bakes. Unfortunately, I can't find my cookbooks yet, so I had to tweak an internet recipe, but it turned out.
Then Sunday was quieter- a friend and his son came by and we served tea and bsisa with pomegrante.
I need another weekend to recover from this one, but alas, it is straight into the fray with grading and exam preps.

Candelight

We dined  by candlelight last night for the first time in our new house. I used my wedding present candle holders from Angela and Curran and Laura.
There were 29 of us for dinner. Well, three of us were babies, but Sami and his friend Yusef put away some turkey! Habib cooked 2 turkeys, and I made a huge pot of mashed potatoes, and a sweet potato casserole and a corn one, as well as green beans and a big Cesar salad. Majda brought seafood bastilla which went very quickly. Other friends brought various desserts to round out the pumpkin pies Leila had made, and the 11 apple variety crisp that I made*.
As usual, the bulk of our guests were immigrants and foreigners. Two of my students even came, and had  a great time. One is Iranian and the other Iraqi, and quite good friends. Since many of our other guests were Arabic speakers, and Majda's husband is Iranian, everyone got to speak their language- (except no Spanish for me!). We had Moroccans, Tunisians, an American-Egyptian, an Iraqi, Iranians, a Colombian, and a Native American here.
I talked despite my almost non-existent voice (from a cold)**. About the time we had dinner I was overcome by exhaustion, but powered through. We did a big buffet table in the kitchen, stretched our new dining table to its fullest, and set up another table in the office/living room. Habib threw together a couple of benches for our old Ikea mattresses- (the kids have claimed them and fight over them now). I took Sami up to bed after everyone left, and Habib did all the dishes (the plates were easy- paper! I can't find all my china dishes yet.) Today I've done practically nothing- managed a turkey soup for dinner.
Habib said it was the best party we've had- and we like to party!
*Whilst in the store the other day, Leila said, "An apple is an apple," so I asked her to get one of each apple and we ended up with 11 which we taste tested on Wednesday night. She learned that an apple is not just an apple. Some are sweeter and others juicier.
**Wednesday morning I dragged into class late and wrote on the board: "Good morning. I made it. But my voice didn't!" My students were very understanding.

"Make good on your debts."

Interesting fortune as we just got a new car and are looking for a new house...
Actually, I'm thinking about non-monetary debt- the kind we run up with friends and family. I do "this" for someone, and they do "that" for me. But who keeps score? I have a bit of a tally in my head- if my kid goes to a play date at someone's house, I feel like next time I should host the play date. However, having a little baby changes that somewhat. Friends offer to take my older kids, and I let them, without feeling like I have to repay. One friend took the kids swimming with her daughter, and when they got back I fed them all dinner, but that just happened to work out.
 J and S, from my heart family helped out sooooo much in getting this house ready to sell. J cleaned every inch of the bathrooms, while S worked miracles on the yard in the hot Texas sun. Then they came back a month later, with more garden work for S and baby care for J. That's not the kind of debt I can repay- and being family, I don't have to.
It's nice to have the kind of relationships where debt isn't tallied and called in.

July 4th

 Patriotic toast a la Leila.

 Goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa

 Pool fun

Fireworks.
Sleep.

Sated

I took no pictures, but it was a feast. Two turkeys roasted all day. Pumpkin pies and cranberry sauce made with orange zest and a bit of juice waited around, having been made the night before. I invented a recipe using the 8 sweet potatoes I roasted and left to cool in the oven overnight. I combined them in the mixer, with the dregs of the whipped cream just mixed, 4 eggs, some orange juice, a bit of milk and a splash of cream, plus a dash of nutmeg. I didn't even forget the salt. I whipped them in the mixer for several minutes, till all the lumps were gone, then put them into a 370 degree oven for about half an hour. They were quite a hit with my skeptical guests and even H, who doesn't really like sweet potatoes. I couldn't win the kids over, though.
We also had mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, and green beans.
One Morrocan guest brought meat pastries because I loved them when she served them at her house, and little pecan tartlets. Our Tunisian friends brought pudding and red tea. (Tunisians boil red tea for a long time, and add a lot of sugar. It's surprisingly good, even without the geranium leaf we add when we're there.) We ate and ate. Then some more Moroccan friends showed up with a cake.
We had coffee with our pumpkin pie, and then green mint tea and red tea. Fruit was there for those who were still hungry, and whole nuts to crack.
The oud was brought out, and the Darbuka- (drum) and the house rang with music. No one over the age of ten was eligible to be president in the U.S., unlike two years before when one guy- from Libya- had actually been born here.  The kids played hide and seek and other fun things- and got along super well.
Now we're all snug in our beds, the temperature continuing to drop outside after yesterday being park weather. I'm thankful for it all- as one friend put it today- it's not about the food, it's about being with friends. So, I hope you have much to be thankful for this year, too. Blessings.

Halloween

An evening packed with friends, most of them neighbors, too. We started at our house.

 Witches fingers,

 bones,

 spiders on spider webs, and other scary foods too frightening to picture here.....

 Trick or treating at the neighbors,

 with a stop for dessert and drinks at our friends' house.

 More trick-or-treating, then home to bed.

The next day, there was plenty of candy to sort and ponder over.
(I just noticed the very appropriate text to L's right).