Summer Flashbacks, A Few Favorite Things, "Africa," and Soup Chat... It must be 7 Quick Takes!

Challenge to Blog Daily: Day 6

(See this post for the background info on this challenge and please forgive whatever you find "imperfect, incomplete, potentially uninteresting, and quite possibly incomprehensible.")

Thank goodness this personal challenge is almost over :)

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(1)

We "harvested" our carrots last week!  Our gardens are small, and we didn't have tons of carrots to harvest, but we were all ecstatic.  We did much better on carrots this year than last year.  We've snacked on some but we all decided it would be fun to use them for a carrot cake.  That's my plan for this afternoon.  (update - the cake didn't happen.)

(2)

This happened over the summer but didn't really require a separate post...

I read the kids an abridged version of Moby Dick over the summer, as well as the graphic novel version.  We had been inspired to read it because we all loved our Cozy Classics version so much!  Here are some pictures of when the boys built their own Pequod and staged portions of the story in the baby pool.  (No sperm whales here, only a humpback understudy)

a row boat leaves the Pequod

Aaron wielding a harpoon

the inevitable destruction

(3)

Speaking of pictures from summer, here's one of my favorites...

(4)

Puzzle Pods.  Have you heard of these?  Get them.  They will change your life (well, at least that small corner of your shelf where you store kiddie puzzles and the surrounding floor space where random puzzle pieces wait to attack unsuspecting bare feet.)

"Puzzle Pods stick to the back of a board puzzle and hold all the pieces that used to fall out and get lost," says the mom who wishes she invented this genius idea for making millions!

(5)

This game.  Animal Upon Animal from Haba.  It's been a real crowd pleaser lately - and it's really something when you can find a game that appeals to Mom, and a seven-year old, and a three year old.  ("Actually, I'm three and half plus a little more," she'll tell you.)

(6)

"Africa" performed by Slovenian group Perpetuum Jazzile.

The kids and I could watch this over and over.  Oh wait... we have.  Enjoy!

(7)

And finally, can we talk soup please?  It's the best thing to eat all Fall and Winter long, right?  I'm getting ready to go into my frenzied soup-making mode and I'm looking for some new recipes for soups that will freeze well.  Hope to hear (lots of!) your suggestions!  And I'll keep you posted on the planning and prep for the Fall Soup Party (it's next Thursday!)

Thanks, Jen, for hosting another Seven Quick Takes!