Around the house...

We've had tons of fun touring Lebanon with my parents and Paula, but there has also been plenty to do around the house thanks to all the fun treats they brought.  Here's a look at some of the crafting/cooking/family fun that we've had over the past few weeks.  We were sad to send Paula back to the states today, but thankful that we get to keep Da and Annie for another week.  Thankfully this goodbye won't be near as hard since we'll be in America within 6 weeks. 

Maddie was especially excited about making flowers out of paper.  This was one of her favorite craft kits that Paula brought.

A beautiful arrangement that never dries out...

Abbey got into the jewelry making and made Maddie a bracelet for her birthday.

One of the biggest hit was the scrap booking supplies that Paula brought.   They kind of took over our table for a week or so...

But it was worth it...

Showing off their new scrapbooks..

So there's been plenty of crafting going on, and of course, as with any family gathering, plenty of eating.  We've had a taste of the wonderful Lebanese cuisine around the country and we've also enjoyed some home cooked meals as well.  

One of our fave meals this summer has been grilled veggie and sausage kabobs.  See here for our recipe.  Here we are gathered around the table one of many times...

And no good meal is complete without a yummy dessert and with the fruit in Lebanon, you can't go wrong with cobbler.  Click here for my fave cobbler recipes.

Since we're on the topic of cooking, I got adventurous and made us an Arabic meal.  It's really not that difficult, just pretty time consuming.  It's worth it though as the combination of flavors are so yummy.  We had a traditional Arabic dish called "Magloubeh" which basically means upside down.  Click here for how I made it and you'll see why.  We also had Lebanese style green beans, tomatoes and onions, garlic flavored yogurt dip and flat bread.  Yummy!

Da and Maddie are usually among the first two up in the house each morning.  Since Maddie is on such a cooking kick lately, they made us breakfast one morning.  Scrambled eggs, bacon and toast- can't go wrong!

We're staying busy and having a great time!