Ice cream for dinner

Thank you to Uncle Andrey, who treated us for ice cream tonight!  It turned out to be a sunny and hot day.  So sunny, everyone is squinting in this photo...

Elizabeth got blue flavor burst soft serve from Dipper...matching the bench.  Her papa, Andrey, said "You don't want blue, it's full of chemicals," but she did get it, in the smallest size possible...and loved every bit.

 Hope you have a sweet weekend!

Keeping cool....supposed to get hotter here, 90 on Monday!

94 years

 We visited my grandfather who is 94 years old.

 

 He is Paul's great grandfather.  Olivia knew 3 more great grandparents, who have passed away since, and Hannah also met my grandma, who passed away when Hannah was just 9 months.

My grandfather collects canes.  He started collecting them before he ever needed one.  I should've asked him, but I think his father may have started this collection.

He will turn 95 later this year.  He was father to my father, who passed away 2 years ago.  It was very hard for him to hear of his son predeceasing him.  His daughter, my father's sister, also predeceased him.  Her name was Martha and she passed away in a car accident, the year before I was born, so that's how I got my name.  I wish I had met her. 

 We all went to my father's grave.

Our time at Otsego Lake was nice.  Rob sailed his NEW 1969 Potter for the first time.  I finished reading Echo and highly recommend it.

The day we left...you can see the lake in the background!

2 years

Two years ago my father passed away.

My daughter took the photo with the dandelion garland (that she made just before the memorial service).  She posted it on her instagram account:  https://www.instagram.com/hannah.baier/
And the photo of my mom and two of her grandchildren taken by my sister, posted to her instagram account:  https://www.instagram.com/mrsanishchenko/

Our favorite nearby cafe, in Cooperstown, NY....my younger daughter got a beautiful red raspberry smoothie.

Such a pretty book, by Dinara Mirtalipova!  I'm currently reading a book called Echo (written by Pam Munoz Ryan) that Dinara illustrated...aimed at a juvenile audience, but historical fiction around the second world war, a harmonica, and children.

Mother

Over the weekend, we went to see my in-laws. We brought a bouquet of peonies from our yard for Rob's mom.  And Rob made pulled pork, we also brought salad and mango sorbet, I chopped up a pineapple and my mother-in-law had pound cake and strawberries.  We had a nice picnic.

My mom came over here Sunday afternoon and we got ice cream sundaes together.  It was another great day....the weather just perfect!  We have had so much rain that these sunny days are very welcome.

 

We participated in a lovely May pole tradition.  And there was a beautiful buckeye tree there in full bloom.

One more photo a friend sent from last week, after the dinner at the Peterloon estate.

Prayer request

I found out yesterday that our friends, George and Vera, were in a car accident and need prayers.  ♥ Above is a photo of me and George at ORPR camp, and below that's Vera, who is in charge of admissions and meal planning and overall most things involving ORPR camp.

Over the weekend, my husband and I were lucky to be able to go to a lovely dinner and fundraiser for the church at the Peterloon estate.  We arrived there in a horse drawn carriage.  The weather was sunny and just perfect.

Banana Cake

We celebrated my husband's birthday last weekend.  This is our rendition of the "Manor Born Banana Cake with Coffee Buttercream" in which I accidentally doubled the butter in the batter (but it turned out just fine, thankfully) and we used 2 9" cake pans because I don't have 3 8" ones...my sister-in-law bought me the cookbook with this recipe as a gift after a trip to NYC.  Here is the recipe:
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/The-Manor-Born-Banana-Cake-with-Coffee-Buttercream

We had a nice time with my sister's 2 big kids, while she took out my girls for pedicures!  Here they are playing with play dough.

Bright week...procession with icons outside.

 After Liturgy, we went to my mom's house, for lunch and an egg hunt.  The weather was really nice!

 My niece with her suction cup man...meet Oogi.

Successful egg hunt, thanks to Grammie.  ♥

Does anyone know what this is?  I seem to remember digging up a plant when we visited my cousin and taking it home.  I was thinking borage, but from the pictures I've seen, probably not.

Pascha

My mom made kulich for each of her grandchildren (that's 12), plus other people, one friend who is gluten-free...she also was busy baking lots and lots of prosphora for all the church services.

 Kisses as a thank you!

My friend from over 20 years ago, has been in Korea, as she is in the Air Force, we were so glad to have her here for Pascha. 

 Ready for our basket to be blessed.

We went to my sister-in-law's house for lunch and had a little egg hunt.  It's been a wonderful Pascha so far! ♥  I wish you all a happy festal Paschal season...Christ is Risen!!!