Wow, has life ever gotten busy!
My cousin from Canada came for a visit just before Easter. Since we were out of town for Holy Week visiting Don's parents, we had to make up for lost time when we got home. So, in addition to preparing Easter baskets for half the country, buying presents for our children, pressing trousers and dresses, and making Ukranian food and dying eggs, we had to fit in visiting. We tried to spend every free moment for a couple of days with them. This cousin is the middle son of my mother's older sister, now deceased, and we haven't seen him since my parent's 50th wedding anniversary five years ago.
Randy left and, within a few days, my nephew from Alabama showed up. Daddy called down one morning and said that he had arrived during the night and his truck appeared to be packed with all his possessions. Daddy said, "I'm assuming he's planning on staying for a while." They talked over breakfast, and my nephew has moved in with them.
Again, I'm trying to spend as much free time as possible with Claude. We seldom get to see him and now, with him right up the road, I'm soaking him up like a sponge. He's always lived away from us and we've had precious little time to build a relationship. Now, at 20, he's realized he may not always have the opportunity to get to know his grandparents and has come to live with them for a season. I'm scared to death something's going to happen and he'll pack up and go back to Alabama, so I want to take every advantage of this chance to spend time with him. It can't be very fun for him - playing cards and doing yardwork all day long. He told me last night that Grandpa told him he hasn't eaten this well in years. Claude loved that. Grandma's feeding Grandpa 3 squares now that she has to feed Claude, too.
Then, Saturday, one of my nephews from California, his wife, 2-yr. old and 4-month old, arrived for a visit. When it rains, it pours!!! I haven't seen them since they married 3 years ago and I've never seen the children. His daughter looks very much like my sister (my father calls her "Apple Dumpling"), her grandmother, and it cracks me up to hear this little tidbit referring to my sister as Grandma. I have a 5-yr. old (just turned) and my sister's a grandmother, 4 times over.
My great-niece (the 2-yr. old) is bored stiff at my parent's house. Although they have a few toys they've kept around, she tried very hard yesterday to entertain herself with my mother's wooden Ukranian eggs, baskets, and keys. Not exactly a smorgasbord of toys for children. We invited her down to play with Daelyn, who has gotten quite attached to her. We didn't see her for quite some time - swallowed up by the void we like to call our playroom. It's wonderful having them here. Children grow up SO -O-O-O-O fast - if you blink, they're grown. And being that they live in California, we almost never get to see them. This is a rare treat.
Add to the mix the wedding of our good friend. 52 years old, never married, waiting for God to provide his perfect woman. God did, and the wedding is this Saturday. I'm in charge of the Rehearsal Dinner and several other aspects of the wedding. We had a shower that I helped with on Sunday afternoon, another last night, and the lingerie shower is Wednesday evening, sandwiched in with Dane's baseball practice at 6:00 and choir for Deanna and Handbell Practice for me, Dane and Don from 6 - 7:30. The shower's at 7. How to bilocate seems to be the question of the hour.
Then, yesterday, I got a call from my father. One of my niece's had been in a serious car accident and had been taken to the hospital in an ambulance. A truck in the oncoming lane had swerved unexpectedly and hit her head-on. The fire department was called, along with 4 police squad cars that answered the call, and she had to be removed from the vehicle with the "jaws of life" because her doors were so bent-in, they couldn't be opened. Mama and Claude took off for the hospital leaving my blind father and the California nephew and family to fend for themselves for lunch. Daddy called down here and asked if I'd come up and make lunch. When I arrived, my mother had left several things simmering on the stove - carrots, cabbage, and asparagus. My nephew's wife is nursing and can't have any gassy foods! I brought them down to my house and made ham sandwiches. My niece is alright but they think she has a broken ankle and lots of cuts and bruises. She's pretty shaken up and sore - she'll be traumatized from this accident for quite awhile.
Deanna has a huge, country report due tomorrow. She's been working on it for 6 weeks now. They have to talk about the history, geography, climate and people of their country. They have to hand-draw a map showing topography and pictures of typical dress. They had to show their teacher their library books, turn in their notes and rough draft, and the final draft is due tomorrow. Next week, they are to come to school in costume and each parent is to provide an ethnic dish to serve 16. Quite a big deal. Today, in addition to visiting with my two nephews and family, and making phone calls for the wedding to make sure my ducks are in a row, I have to return some clothes we bought for Easter that didn't work and type Deanna's report.
I keep hoping things will slow down after the wedding, but experience has taught me that April and May just keep getting busier until summer hits at the peak of exhaustion.
My Blog sits gathering dust while I deal with life. But occasionally I need the release of sitting and writing. It helps me with the stress.
Maybe that's why I tackled de-greasing the filter in the vent over the stove yesterday.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Peeled Kumquats
On the way home from the grocery store today, we decided we're going to start our own comic strip for the daily paper. We'll entitle it "Mr. Nasty and Little Miss Surly" in which we'll chronicle real-life stories of how children mistreat their siblings.
The first one will be a picture of an older sister cramming a peeled kumquat into her younger brother's mouth and shrieking, "It doesn't matter if I DID suck all the juice out of it!! I peeled this for you and you're GONNA EAT IT!!"
The children came up with several more ideas between their laughter.
Ah, families.
The first one will be a picture of an older sister cramming a peeled kumquat into her younger brother's mouth and shrieking, "It doesn't matter if I DID suck all the juice out of it!! I peeled this for you and you're GONNA EAT IT!!"
The children came up with several more ideas between their laughter.
Ah, families.
Yin and Yang
A friend of mine has two sons, similar in personality to my two. Yesterday she told me a story that I could see happening in our home. She said, "If I had a Blog, I'd write about this one." So I asked her permission to use it.
While we were still in England, a dear friend of ours died after a battle with cancer. She left behind a high school daughter. My friend's son, the one with a temperament very much like Dane's - thoughtful, sensitive, sweet, gentle - was very impacted by her death. One evening soon after the funeral, as the family sat around eating, he was very quiet. His younger brother, very much like Daelyn, is more boisterous, fun-loving, and lives life to the fullest. The more pensive brother looked at the more boisterous one and said, "What would we do if our parents ever died?"
The younger brother didn't miss a beat.
"Anything we wanted!"
While we were still in England, a dear friend of ours died after a battle with cancer. She left behind a high school daughter. My friend's son, the one with a temperament very much like Dane's - thoughtful, sensitive, sweet, gentle - was very impacted by her death. One evening soon after the funeral, as the family sat around eating, he was very quiet. His younger brother, very much like Daelyn, is more boisterous, fun-loving, and lives life to the fullest. The more pensive brother looked at the more boisterous one and said, "What would we do if our parents ever died?"
The younger brother didn't miss a beat.
"Anything we wanted!"
Friday, March 30, 2007
Lots More to Come
More pictures. The first is from a candy store, Thornton's, in the Trafford Center. They have this luscious chocolate fountain going (you can also buy them for about $100) and you can buy a stick of marshmallows to dip in it. As you can see, there's lots of dipping going on.
The second picture is Trafalgar Square in London - most prominent in the picture is the fountain.
#3 is Daelyn with a character from Lazy Town. In Warrington, there was a big Christmas celebration in Town Centre the beginning of December (or was it the end of November - I can't remember). Two of the characters from Lazy Town were featured, as well as a Billy Idol look-alike performing and lots of other fun stuff. The Lazy Town folks came around for pictures after the show. We almost missed it because Don had to run back to the hotel for the camera.
The fourth picture is of Clifford Tower in York. This was a huge tower that was built next to the palace and, at various times during its history, served as a palace, due to its heavy fortification and heighth. From the top, you can see almost all of York.
The last picture is our dear friend, Anne, and her daughter, Christine. We miss them terribly.
The Test Kitchen
During my career in Human Resources, I worked at a manufacturing facility where we made over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. When R&D came up with a new drug, we would test the production in a test kitchen. This meant making small batches of the product on the actual equipment that would be used for full-scale production to write the SOP's and determine if the drug could really be made with our existing equipment. If it was successful, and we received FDA approval, we would go into production, which always required some minor tweeking, but which, generally, yielded the same results as in the test kitchen. Although the minor tweeking could be frustrating to the employees, supervisors and managers working on the new line, it was rarely an unsolvable problem and frequently was something very minor, such us turning up the temp 2 degrees or cooking for longer.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if raising children was this easy? We have no test kitchen, no SOP. We go right into full-scale production from the moment of conception. The other day, I remembered a time I got pregnant and worried myself sick because I had taken some aspirin and a sleep-aide very early on before I knew I was pregnant. In the meanderings of my mind, I thought, "What are we, as women, supposed to do? Do nothing from ovulation until our periods start that may possibly harm a baby, month after month, just in case we're pregnant?" The answer came quickly, "Of course not. Life still has to be lived. " It cannot stop for "just in case" every single month for years on end. However, parenting begins in the womb. Caring for that progeny can be a daunting task - no hot tub baths, no medicines (unless approved by the doctor), strange cravings, the persistent nausea and the feeling that something has overtaken your body. With every pregnancy, I found myself driving so much more carefully and always making sure my seatbelt was snug against that little life inside me. Your mind even begins to work differently, and the baby hasn't even been born yet.
This morning, I was dealing with a child who is going through a rather selfish season. I asked for the box of cereal so I could pour a bowl for a breakfast late-comer, who was sitting patiently waiting, but the sibling continued reading the back of the cereal box and ignored my request. I asked a second time, and was snarled at because they "were reading the back of the box!"
After a stern lecture and slumped shoulders by the offender, I tried to return the kitchen to the pre-incident lightness, with cheerful banter and laughter. A few minutes later, the offender appeared in front of me, wrapped their arms around me, and laid their head against me, snuggling me. No "Please forgive me, Mama", but the change of heart was obvious.
We never know from one moment to the next if we're doing the right thing by our children. Unfortunately, we're human and frail, as well, and dealing with our own emotions and shortcomings while we try to raise these little people to be who God wants them to be. Perhaps that's His mercy for them. If we were perfect, how could they ever live up? Knowing parents are fallible gives them examples of how to gracefully (at least, we hope) pick themselves up after mistakes. It gives them something to aspire to. Aspiring to perfection is a little too much for most people, especially children, but aspiring to this person who sometimes loses their temper and cries with frustration occasionally may be do-able.
The thing I struggle with is the not knowing. I do my best, of course, but sometimes I wish for that test kitchen. It would be great to know that my children, as adults, will only have tweeking to do on their lives, instead of major overhauling because I failed somehow as a parent.
I often find myself standing on God's promise in this area - "Raise up a child in the way that they should go and when they are old, they will not turn from it." It doesn't say they will never turn from it - only that as they age, they'll see the wisdom of their parents and that formation we worked so hard to build will become their foundation.
So I keep chugging along at the foundation, trying to do more things right than wrong. Trying to be that example of graceful repentence, holding fast to God's promise. From my fingers to God's e-mail.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if raising children was this easy? We have no test kitchen, no SOP. We go right into full-scale production from the moment of conception. The other day, I remembered a time I got pregnant and worried myself sick because I had taken some aspirin and a sleep-aide very early on before I knew I was pregnant. In the meanderings of my mind, I thought, "What are we, as women, supposed to do? Do nothing from ovulation until our periods start that may possibly harm a baby, month after month, just in case we're pregnant?" The answer came quickly, "Of course not. Life still has to be lived. " It cannot stop for "just in case" every single month for years on end. However, parenting begins in the womb. Caring for that progeny can be a daunting task - no hot tub baths, no medicines (unless approved by the doctor), strange cravings, the persistent nausea and the feeling that something has overtaken your body. With every pregnancy, I found myself driving so much more carefully and always making sure my seatbelt was snug against that little life inside me. Your mind even begins to work differently, and the baby hasn't even been born yet.
This morning, I was dealing with a child who is going through a rather selfish season. I asked for the box of cereal so I could pour a bowl for a breakfast late-comer, who was sitting patiently waiting, but the sibling continued reading the back of the cereal box and ignored my request. I asked a second time, and was snarled at because they "were reading the back of the box!"
After a stern lecture and slumped shoulders by the offender, I tried to return the kitchen to the pre-incident lightness, with cheerful banter and laughter. A few minutes later, the offender appeared in front of me, wrapped their arms around me, and laid their head against me, snuggling me. No "Please forgive me, Mama", but the change of heart was obvious.
We never know from one moment to the next if we're doing the right thing by our children. Unfortunately, we're human and frail, as well, and dealing with our own emotions and shortcomings while we try to raise these little people to be who God wants them to be. Perhaps that's His mercy for them. If we were perfect, how could they ever live up? Knowing parents are fallible gives them examples of how to gracefully (at least, we hope) pick themselves up after mistakes. It gives them something to aspire to. Aspiring to perfection is a little too much for most people, especially children, but aspiring to this person who sometimes loses their temper and cries with frustration occasionally may be do-able.
The thing I struggle with is the not knowing. I do my best, of course, but sometimes I wish for that test kitchen. It would be great to know that my children, as adults, will only have tweeking to do on their lives, instead of major overhauling because I failed somehow as a parent.
I often find myself standing on God's promise in this area - "Raise up a child in the way that they should go and when they are old, they will not turn from it." It doesn't say they will never turn from it - only that as they age, they'll see the wisdom of their parents and that formation we worked so hard to build will become their foundation.
So I keep chugging along at the foundation, trying to do more things right than wrong. Trying to be that example of graceful repentence, holding fast to God's promise. From my fingers to God's e-mail.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
A Great Loss
Last night, I jumped on the computer to check out the weather predictions for West Virginia over the next week so I'd know how to pack. From our home page, Don has the weather report to Warrington, UK, as well.
After I looked up the temps at my in-law's, I scrolled down to Warrington and looked at a 7-day forecast. It's going to be getting down to 34. Don walked into the den and I looked at him with weepy eyes.
"I miss England so much, honey. It's going to be 34 there - cool weather. I miss my friends and the smells and the rain, and everything about it."
"I know," he responded. "I've been watching the weather there myself."
It's just this - everything there for us was good. I'm sure, if we lived there, we'd have some bad times and may even find we didn't like England if we lived there long-term. But we didn't live there long-term and our 3 months filled us with nothing but good things. Our family grew closer, we fell in love with the people and the land, and we made deep friendships. We had a mountaintop experience for 3 months, and it's hard to give that up.
As I sit here now, remembering, I'm choked up. I miss the church bells. I miss Kim, Anne, and Monika. For dinner tonight, Dane did the cooking as one of his requirements for Cub Scouts. We planned tortellini with creamed marinara sauce and a vegetable. He chose brussel sprouts. As we ate, we remembered England - Miss Jane at Salinger's Restaurant at the Village Hotel in Warrington (where we first ate tortellini with a cream marinara sauce, and loved it so much it's a regular addition to our menu), the hardware store in Culcheth by the Butcher's where there were baskets out front filled with stalks full of brussel sprouts ( we'd never seen sprouts on the stalk before; apparently, that's how they grow and we never tired of seeing them), and Lee at the grocery store who was the one who always got stuck helping us Americans find what we needed - we got to know him very well. Deanna misses Lucy and Meg and the cool weather and the cul-de-sac, and the bus drivers who were so kind to us, and the daily walks. Dane misses George, Lewis, and Lucy and the grocery store, Sainsbury's. He loved walking to the grocery store and home again and misses the time with his family. Daelyn's memory is already starting to fade. We tried hard to help him remember Jane and the other things we missed, but they're already fuzzy to him.
Monika, if you read this, tell Jane how much we miss her. And you and Chris, how about coming to visit. Kim and Kevin are planning a trip next March. I don't know how I can wait that long. We've only been home a little over a month and I ache for my friends and the land we came to love.
As we go into Holy Week, I'm trying to remember to lift this all up to the Lord - to thank Him for the tremendous gift He gave us and to recognize that the emptiness I feel sometimes is a poignant reminder of His sacrifice for us.
I keep expecting life to get back to normal, but it doesn't seem to happen. We long for England, long for all the things we remember the most. When we talk about it, it gets very quiet around the dinner table, each of us lost in our own deep thoughts.
A somber, grey Post today - just how I'm feeling right now.
After I looked up the temps at my in-law's, I scrolled down to Warrington and looked at a 7-day forecast. It's going to be getting down to 34. Don walked into the den and I looked at him with weepy eyes.
"I miss England so much, honey. It's going to be 34 there - cool weather. I miss my friends and the smells and the rain, and everything about it."
"I know," he responded. "I've been watching the weather there myself."
It's just this - everything there for us was good. I'm sure, if we lived there, we'd have some bad times and may even find we didn't like England if we lived there long-term. But we didn't live there long-term and our 3 months filled us with nothing but good things. Our family grew closer, we fell in love with the people and the land, and we made deep friendships. We had a mountaintop experience for 3 months, and it's hard to give that up.
As I sit here now, remembering, I'm choked up. I miss the church bells. I miss Kim, Anne, and Monika. For dinner tonight, Dane did the cooking as one of his requirements for Cub Scouts. We planned tortellini with creamed marinara sauce and a vegetable. He chose brussel sprouts. As we ate, we remembered England - Miss Jane at Salinger's Restaurant at the Village Hotel in Warrington (where we first ate tortellini with a cream marinara sauce, and loved it so much it's a regular addition to our menu), the hardware store in Culcheth by the Butcher's where there were baskets out front filled with stalks full of brussel sprouts ( we'd never seen sprouts on the stalk before; apparently, that's how they grow and we never tired of seeing them), and Lee at the grocery store who was the one who always got stuck helping us Americans find what we needed - we got to know him very well. Deanna misses Lucy and Meg and the cool weather and the cul-de-sac, and the bus drivers who were so kind to us, and the daily walks. Dane misses George, Lewis, and Lucy and the grocery store, Sainsbury's. He loved walking to the grocery store and home again and misses the time with his family. Daelyn's memory is already starting to fade. We tried hard to help him remember Jane and the other things we missed, but they're already fuzzy to him.
Monika, if you read this, tell Jane how much we miss her. And you and Chris, how about coming to visit. Kim and Kevin are planning a trip next March. I don't know how I can wait that long. We've only been home a little over a month and I ache for my friends and the land we came to love.
As we go into Holy Week, I'm trying to remember to lift this all up to the Lord - to thank Him for the tremendous gift He gave us and to recognize that the emptiness I feel sometimes is a poignant reminder of His sacrifice for us.
I keep expecting life to get back to normal, but it doesn't seem to happen. We long for England, long for all the things we remember the most. When we talk about it, it gets very quiet around the dinner table, each of us lost in our own deep thoughts.
A somber, grey Post today - just how I'm feeling right now.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The REALLY important things
Daelyn's 5th birthday is Sunday. However, we never thought about that when we planned the trip to visit Don's parents while the kids are out of school for Easter break.
We had intended to spend a week with them at Christmas, but the trip to England made that impossible. So we promised to bring their grandchildren in the Spring. We didn't realize until plans were well underway that Daelyn would be in West Virginia for his birthday and away from his daddy.
Don can't leave because this is a popular week for vacations at work, so he planned on working this week and giving the others guys the chance to be off. Plus, it's the last handbell practice before Easter, and he can't miss it. He gave Dane and I permission to miss if we practice REAL hard this week and take our music home with us. I gladly agreed. We're not playing anything very difficult.
Last night, I began to get a little overwhelmed. Dane's teacher sent a sign-up sheet home for their Easter party the day following Easter, when the kids return to school. I just couldn't deal with it. Overload. In addition to lots of things to do for the wedding of our dear friend, Ken, which is the middle of April, I also have Easter to prepare for before we leave and Daelyn's birthday. He's having a Chuck E. Cheese party with his friends on Friday morning, then the family party with Daddy Friday evening, and we leave Friday night. Somewhere inbetween, I have to fill and tape 18 eggs for Dane's party, buy several shower gifts for Ken's fiance, get Easter outfits and shoes for the whole family, pull together everything for the Easter baskets I do for all my family and a cousin who'll be spending Easter with us, buy gifts for the children from me and Don (we try to make Easter equally as important as Christmas and always give presents to stress the theological importance of this Holy day), get a gift for Don, do the laundry, the packing, and leave food for Don to eat while we're gone and a grocery list for what I'll need when we return.
Can you see why I'm on overload? Yesterday, I ran all day, from the time I left to take the children to school until 5:20, as we pulled in the driveway after school. I told the children that they had 15 minutes before we needed to leave again to pick up our pizza to take to our Support Group pizza dinner. Deanna said, "Mom, I've got a lot of homework."
"Why are you just now telling me this?" I asked her. But she got it all done and the evening got all done. Don and I fell into bed and I began to talk - a stress-reliever for me at bedtime. I told him about how I had let my brother-in-law down because I was supposed to take him to pick up my niece's car, but had to leave to get the kids from school before he arrived. When we came home to get him, he had already left. I told him about the busyness and how much more I had left to do. I told him that I longed for England and not having a car. I told him that I love our life but it sure is tiring. He fell asleep. I guess his life is tiring, too.
Now, I'm taking the time to post - another stress-reliever - before I jump into making dinner. I finished Dane's eggs for school and put them in his backpack. The children are hosing down my parent's car to wash off some of the pollen and playing in the water, being sure to squirt each other liberally. (It's okay. They all put on their bathing suits first.) Their laughter outside reminds me of what's really important in life.
Take time to smell the beautiful spring flowers, or hose down the pollen. Even if it's just a 5-minute Post in a very busy week, it's the little things that build the quality of our lives. Five minutes of fun and laughter can make a difficult day seem bearable and can make a fun day an absolute blast.
And pray for mercy - that only our Lord can give - in great big drops like rain falling from Heaven. Mercy for your busy people, Lord. Mercy.
We had intended to spend a week with them at Christmas, but the trip to England made that impossible. So we promised to bring their grandchildren in the Spring. We didn't realize until plans were well underway that Daelyn would be in West Virginia for his birthday and away from his daddy.
Don can't leave because this is a popular week for vacations at work, so he planned on working this week and giving the others guys the chance to be off. Plus, it's the last handbell practice before Easter, and he can't miss it. He gave Dane and I permission to miss if we practice REAL hard this week and take our music home with us. I gladly agreed. We're not playing anything very difficult.
Last night, I began to get a little overwhelmed. Dane's teacher sent a sign-up sheet home for their Easter party the day following Easter, when the kids return to school. I just couldn't deal with it. Overload. In addition to lots of things to do for the wedding of our dear friend, Ken, which is the middle of April, I also have Easter to prepare for before we leave and Daelyn's birthday. He's having a Chuck E. Cheese party with his friends on Friday morning, then the family party with Daddy Friday evening, and we leave Friday night. Somewhere inbetween, I have to fill and tape 18 eggs for Dane's party, buy several shower gifts for Ken's fiance, get Easter outfits and shoes for the whole family, pull together everything for the Easter baskets I do for all my family and a cousin who'll be spending Easter with us, buy gifts for the children from me and Don (we try to make Easter equally as important as Christmas and always give presents to stress the theological importance of this Holy day), get a gift for Don, do the laundry, the packing, and leave food for Don to eat while we're gone and a grocery list for what I'll need when we return.
Can you see why I'm on overload? Yesterday, I ran all day, from the time I left to take the children to school until 5:20, as we pulled in the driveway after school. I told the children that they had 15 minutes before we needed to leave again to pick up our pizza to take to our Support Group pizza dinner. Deanna said, "Mom, I've got a lot of homework."
"Why are you just now telling me this?" I asked her. But she got it all done and the evening got all done. Don and I fell into bed and I began to talk - a stress-reliever for me at bedtime. I told him about how I had let my brother-in-law down because I was supposed to take him to pick up my niece's car, but had to leave to get the kids from school before he arrived. When we came home to get him, he had already left. I told him about the busyness and how much more I had left to do. I told him that I longed for England and not having a car. I told him that I love our life but it sure is tiring. He fell asleep. I guess his life is tiring, too.
Now, I'm taking the time to post - another stress-reliever - before I jump into making dinner. I finished Dane's eggs for school and put them in his backpack. The children are hosing down my parent's car to wash off some of the pollen and playing in the water, being sure to squirt each other liberally. (It's okay. They all put on their bathing suits first.) Their laughter outside reminds me of what's really important in life.
Take time to smell the beautiful spring flowers, or hose down the pollen. Even if it's just a 5-minute Post in a very busy week, it's the little things that build the quality of our lives. Five minutes of fun and laughter can make a difficult day seem bearable and can make a fun day an absolute blast.
And pray for mercy - that only our Lord can give - in great big drops like rain falling from Heaven. Mercy for your busy people, Lord. Mercy.
Monday, March 19, 2007
The Family that's Sick Together
At least we can hold each other's head as we take turns throwing up.
It hit Daelyn first, during the night Thursday. Saturday morning, Dane started complaining and carrying a throw-up bucket around with him. Saturday evening, Deanna and Don started throwing up (on my birthday, while I was out celebrating at Olive Garden), and it hit me during the night Saturday.
Dane climbed in bed next to me yesterday. "I'm sorry your birthday was so terrible, Mama."
"It wasn't terrible, son. I got breakfast in bed, we got to go to the parade. It was a fun birthday."
Your criteria changes as you get older. We were all sick together - family time!!
It hit Daelyn first, during the night Thursday. Saturday morning, Dane started complaining and carrying a throw-up bucket around with him. Saturday evening, Deanna and Don started throwing up (on my birthday, while I was out celebrating at Olive Garden), and it hit me during the night Saturday.
Dane climbed in bed next to me yesterday. "I'm sorry your birthday was so terrible, Mama."
"It wasn't terrible, son. I got breakfast in bed, we got to go to the parade. It was a fun birthday."
Your criteria changes as you get older. We were all sick together - family time!!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Dog Scare
Over the last week, Donovan's increased his drinking considerably. Two to three times a day he licks his water bowl dry. I mentioned it to Don, a little concerned. He commented that drinking water was a good thing.
I began to notice throughout the week other changes in Donovan. Along with the increased thirst was frequent urination, which often resulted in accidents in the house (pretty unusual for him). He seemed disinterested in us and it was like pulling teeth to get lovin' out of him, even for Dane, the dog-magnet. He seemed listless, was starving all the time (beggin for food - another first for him), and would whimper for no apparent reason. Then, Friday night, he climbed up on the loveseat next to me in the den, his evening place, and started whimpering, then panting. He was just lying there, panting. I got really concerned.
Don looked up excessive thirst on the Internet and told me it was pretty bleak. I decided to make an emergency trip to the Vet on Saturday morning, just 8 days after his annual check-up. Apparently, the most common reasons for excessive thirst are diabetes, liver and renal failure. It was my birthday, and we had planned to go to the St. Patrick's Day parade as a family. We were going to take along camp chairs, a picnic lunch, and a cooler, and planned on arriving early and staking out our spot along the parade route. Then we'd feed the children so they could imbibe in the tons of candy thrown out by the riders on the parade floats. We were going to meet some family members at Olive Garden at 5:00 for dinner, then come home for ice cream cake (which my sweet husband made for me) and open presents.
I called the Vet Saturday morning and they told me all the appointment slots were filled, but I could be a walk-in, however, the walk-in wait time was 1 hr. I dressed, made our picnic lunch and the kids helped load up the van, then I headed with the pup and the boys for the Vet.
I was so worried. All week long, I had noticed every little thing Donovan did that was out of the ordinary. One night, when he didn't come to bed with me, I got really concerned and went through the house, looking for him. He's my baby. Truth be told, he's my constant companion, and I dearly love him. He's not one of my children, he doesn't rank quite up there, but there is a sense of responsibility that you have for a loyal animal that you've had since they were a puppy. I was really afraid there was something seriously wrong.
Turns out, ALL the symptoms, every single one, is a possible side-effect of the prednisone shot the Vet gave him the week before for his allergies and excessive itching. He gave me a print-out and there they were - all of them - listed on this sheet. I laughed when I realized it wasn't anything serious and my puppy was fine.
The Vet said he hadn't mentioned them because Donovan had never experienced any side-effects before. And they only last for 2 weeks, so we're half-way through the problems.
I'm so thankful to the Lord. The thought of getting into a serious illness at this young age was almost more than I could deal with. Turns out, our pup is healthy and has even begun to act more like himself since yesterday.
I complained to Don when we got home. "Not only did it screw up our whole day, but I had to pay $30 to find out there's nothing wrong with Donovan."
"Honey," he responded, "it's a small price to pay for your piece of mind."
Ain't that the truth.
I began to notice throughout the week other changes in Donovan. Along with the increased thirst was frequent urination, which often resulted in accidents in the house (pretty unusual for him). He seemed disinterested in us and it was like pulling teeth to get lovin' out of him, even for Dane, the dog-magnet. He seemed listless, was starving all the time (beggin for food - another first for him), and would whimper for no apparent reason. Then, Friday night, he climbed up on the loveseat next to me in the den, his evening place, and started whimpering, then panting. He was just lying there, panting. I got really concerned.
Don looked up excessive thirst on the Internet and told me it was pretty bleak. I decided to make an emergency trip to the Vet on Saturday morning, just 8 days after his annual check-up. Apparently, the most common reasons for excessive thirst are diabetes, liver and renal failure. It was my birthday, and we had planned to go to the St. Patrick's Day parade as a family. We were going to take along camp chairs, a picnic lunch, and a cooler, and planned on arriving early and staking out our spot along the parade route. Then we'd feed the children so they could imbibe in the tons of candy thrown out by the riders on the parade floats. We were going to meet some family members at Olive Garden at 5:00 for dinner, then come home for ice cream cake (which my sweet husband made for me) and open presents.
I called the Vet Saturday morning and they told me all the appointment slots were filled, but I could be a walk-in, however, the walk-in wait time was 1 hr. I dressed, made our picnic lunch and the kids helped load up the van, then I headed with the pup and the boys for the Vet.
I was so worried. All week long, I had noticed every little thing Donovan did that was out of the ordinary. One night, when he didn't come to bed with me, I got really concerned and went through the house, looking for him. He's my baby. Truth be told, he's my constant companion, and I dearly love him. He's not one of my children, he doesn't rank quite up there, but there is a sense of responsibility that you have for a loyal animal that you've had since they were a puppy. I was really afraid there was something seriously wrong.
Turns out, ALL the symptoms, every single one, is a possible side-effect of the prednisone shot the Vet gave him the week before for his allergies and excessive itching. He gave me a print-out and there they were - all of them - listed on this sheet. I laughed when I realized it wasn't anything serious and my puppy was fine.
The Vet said he hadn't mentioned them because Donovan had never experienced any side-effects before. And they only last for 2 weeks, so we're half-way through the problems.
I'm so thankful to the Lord. The thought of getting into a serious illness at this young age was almost more than I could deal with. Turns out, our pup is healthy and has even begun to act more like himself since yesterday.
I complained to Don when we got home. "Not only did it screw up our whole day, but I had to pay $30 to find out there's nothing wrong with Donovan."
"Honey," he responded, "it's a small price to pay for your piece of mind."
Ain't that the truth.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Teaching a Young Dog New Tricks
I'm trying to teach Donovan to run beside my bike while I ride. In the catalog from the store I use for his chews, they have a spring that you can mount on your bike to hold a dog's leash, so it doesn't jerk your bike this way or that when the dog stops to sniff, tinkle, or any of the other million reasons dogs seem to need to stop while walking.
Before purchasing the spring, I thought I'd try Donovan out to see if it was even a remote possibility. Yesterday, after dropping the kids off at school, we got on the highway and headed to my sister's house (she lives out in the country) to pick up my niece and take her to work. Her car wouldn't start yesterday morning and my sister was in quite a predicament, needing to get to school for a test she was having. She called her husband at work, but he was on a 4-way conference call and couldn't talk with her. So, when she called me, I told her to head on our for school and I'd pick up my niece and take her to work.
After that, Daelyn and I stopped at the store for a few groceries. On the way home, I suggested the bikeride idea to him. He was thrilled - the thought of riding together, just him and Mom, was too good to believe. We unloaded the groceries, I donned my helmet and wrestled my bike out of the shed, we put Donovan on his leash, and started out.
It took him a little while to understand what we were doing. At first, he ran from side to side, nearly getting hit by my front tire. I finally convinced him that he needed to stay on my right. He got drug a few times when he stopped to smell the ground, the neighbor's mailbox, and to visit with the dogs on the corner. But he quickly learned that he had to keep up. He ran next to me at a fast trot.
Everything seemed to be going quite well, once he understood the ground rules. Until - - - we turned a corner. The problem was that I needed him on my right side. Holding his leash, braking with my hand, holding the handlebars, and pushing the lock button on his leash when he got too far ahead was just too much for my left hand to do all at once. I could handle all of that on the right, but not the left. We turned to the right, and Donovan, afraid I was going to run into him, accelerated to get in front of the bike and switched sides. I had to stop to get him back over to the right side again.
The next time we turned, I was better prepared. I made it slow and gradual, and Donovan followed suit. It was a short ride, only about 4 blocks, but he had to run the entire time and I was just testing the waters. He did well enough, I'll definately try again. And if next time is easier, we may be purchasing a leash spring for my bike.
All the reading I've done on border terriers says they're extremely smart dogs. I guess we'll see just how smart the next few bike rides.
Before purchasing the spring, I thought I'd try Donovan out to see if it was even a remote possibility. Yesterday, after dropping the kids off at school, we got on the highway and headed to my sister's house (she lives out in the country) to pick up my niece and take her to work. Her car wouldn't start yesterday morning and my sister was in quite a predicament, needing to get to school for a test she was having. She called her husband at work, but he was on a 4-way conference call and couldn't talk with her. So, when she called me, I told her to head on our for school and I'd pick up my niece and take her to work.
After that, Daelyn and I stopped at the store for a few groceries. On the way home, I suggested the bikeride idea to him. He was thrilled - the thought of riding together, just him and Mom, was too good to believe. We unloaded the groceries, I donned my helmet and wrestled my bike out of the shed, we put Donovan on his leash, and started out.
It took him a little while to understand what we were doing. At first, he ran from side to side, nearly getting hit by my front tire. I finally convinced him that he needed to stay on my right. He got drug a few times when he stopped to smell the ground, the neighbor's mailbox, and to visit with the dogs on the corner. But he quickly learned that he had to keep up. He ran next to me at a fast trot.
Everything seemed to be going quite well, once he understood the ground rules. Until - - - we turned a corner. The problem was that I needed him on my right side. Holding his leash, braking with my hand, holding the handlebars, and pushing the lock button on his leash when he got too far ahead was just too much for my left hand to do all at once. I could handle all of that on the right, but not the left. We turned to the right, and Donovan, afraid I was going to run into him, accelerated to get in front of the bike and switched sides. I had to stop to get him back over to the right side again.
The next time we turned, I was better prepared. I made it slow and gradual, and Donovan followed suit. It was a short ride, only about 4 blocks, but he had to run the entire time and I was just testing the waters. He did well enough, I'll definately try again. And if next time is easier, we may be purchasing a leash spring for my bike.
All the reading I've done on border terriers says they're extremely smart dogs. I guess we'll see just how smart the next few bike rides.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Friends, flowers and Castles
The first picture is my children and the head of their snowman. The next is our friends, Monika and Chris, with the children at their house. There's one of our family on our last Sunday at New Parish Church, Culcheth and another of the beautiful irises that grow in the church garden. Then we have our neighbor, Sam, the morning we left - very stylish p.j.'s. The last three are Conwy Castle in North Wales.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
War Wounds
Most of my children have always been good nappers. Dane will still take naps if I lay down with him. Often, of weekends, we get him down for a nap.
Daelyn still takes naps, but I've been trying to break him, because he starts school in September, and naps will become a thing of the past. So, about every other day or so, I skip his naptime. Most days, he gets very grumpy, but at least he settles down to bed with his siblings at 7:00.
Sunday, we were shopping for my bike, and he didn't get a nap. On Monday, despite our busyness, I got him down. He was falling asleep in the van. Yesterday, we met my sisters for lunch to celebrate one of their birthdays. By the time we got home, we needed to pick up the other two from school - no afternoon nap for him.
I got the children's dinner on the table last night, then began to do some cleaning. I wasn't going to eat since I had such a late lunch, so I started on some much-needed projects in the living room. All of a sudden, I heard Daelyn shriek. I ran to the table and found him lying on the floor.
He had fallen off the bench and hit his eye on the corner of it. He cut his cheekbone and had a black and blue mark, swelling as I watched it. It took some time to calm him down. Showing him the boo-boo in the bathroom mirror seemed to help stop the crying.
Today, he's got a nice shiner - the war wounds of a 4-yr. old. But I may need to reassess the nap situation. When he's so tired he can't even sit at the table without falling off his seat, a good hard look at his rest patterns is in order.
Daelyn still takes naps, but I've been trying to break him, because he starts school in September, and naps will become a thing of the past. So, about every other day or so, I skip his naptime. Most days, he gets very grumpy, but at least he settles down to bed with his siblings at 7:00.
Sunday, we were shopping for my bike, and he didn't get a nap. On Monday, despite our busyness, I got him down. He was falling asleep in the van. Yesterday, we met my sisters for lunch to celebrate one of their birthdays. By the time we got home, we needed to pick up the other two from school - no afternoon nap for him.
I got the children's dinner on the table last night, then began to do some cleaning. I wasn't going to eat since I had such a late lunch, so I started on some much-needed projects in the living room. All of a sudden, I heard Daelyn shriek. I ran to the table and found him lying on the floor.
He had fallen off the bench and hit his eye on the corner of it. He cut his cheekbone and had a black and blue mark, swelling as I watched it. It took some time to calm him down. Showing him the boo-boo in the bathroom mirror seemed to help stop the crying.
Today, he's got a nice shiner - the war wounds of a 4-yr. old. But I may need to reassess the nap situation. When he's so tired he can't even sit at the table without falling off his seat, a good hard look at his rest patterns is in order.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Biker Family
I got my birthday present on Sunday, really a belated Christmas present. My birthday is this coming Saturday, St. Patrick's Day. Last year, I asked for a bike as a gift. Don was planning on getting it for me for Christmas, but England nipped that in the bud. So, Friday, we're sitting at the table talking and Don says,
"Well, I wanted to surprise you for your birthday, but I don't think there's any chance of that happening, since I can't find what I want to get you and you're going to have to pick it out."
"Yay!" I yelled. "I'm finally getting my bike?"
"That all depends on if we can find one for you that you like," he responded. "I looked at Wal-Mart, and you ought to go look the selection over and see if you like any of them."
"Wal-mart? Why Wal-Mart? I picked out one I liked at Target. Can't we go there and look?"
"I don't do Target. Too many people I know have been hit in the Target Shopping Center and I don't want another car accident."
I looked at Wal-Mart. No luck. So I talked Don into stopping at Target on the way home from Church on Sunday. We parked way out in the middle of the parking lot, away from all the other cars. That made Don a little less uncomfortable.
No success. I found two that would have worked, but Don insisted that I look at "the 'other' Wal-Mart", the not-so-good, not-so-large one on the other side of town. So we went there from Target. I found a 21-speed that had been marked down. Although it's steel and not aluminum, I don't think that will matter any to me. I don't ride that often or that well. I just need something of my own to ride when Don takes the kids for his weekend bikerides.
We added an extra water bottle and a nicer water bottle cage (from Dane), a helmet (from Deanna), gel-padded gloves and a wider, gel-filled seat (from Daelyn) and checked out. When we got home, I changed clothes and took the kids, along with half the neighborhood, around the block a few times. We had fun and I got the feel for my bike.
While in Wal-Mart, I looked at bike racks. Last summer, on the way to Don's parent's house in West Virginia, we were discussing how to more efficiently load the van. We had a rooftop rack and could purchase or borrow a rooftop carrier, but our bike rack fit overtop our rooftop rack, precluding us from using both. I commented to Don that someone had to have invented a way to do both. We watched the cars on the other side of the Interstate and, sure enough, someone HAD invented a way to do both. You put the bikes on a rear-end bike rack and then put your rooftop carrier on the top of the van. Very efficient, and lots of storage.
Than we totaled our van and bought a new one - one with a significantly smaller trunk. We've had MANY discussions about how to fit the bikes and all our "stuff" into such a small trunk for our trips. I told Don we had no choice but to go with the rear bike rack and the rooftop carrier.
The salesman helping us with the bike told me that you can buy different size racks for the rear of car that hold one, two, or three bikes. If we bought one that holds three bikes, we can put Don's, mine, and Deanna's on the back rack, put Dane's and Daelyn's in the trunk, and all our luggage in the rooftop carrier. Sounds do-able to me! Don refused to even look at the rear racks, which frustrated me no end.
Last night, a huge box arrived after dinner by UPS. Don stepped outside and announced that the box was for me. "For me?" I thought. I couldn't imagine who it was from. I walked around the dining room table and glanced at the address label. All I saw was the brand name "Thule". Within seconds, I realized that my sweet husband had bought me not only a bike and all the luxury accessories, but a large rear bike rack for my birthday.
What a guy!! No wonder I married him. He thinks of everything.
"Well, I wanted to surprise you for your birthday, but I don't think there's any chance of that happening, since I can't find what I want to get you and you're going to have to pick it out."
"Yay!" I yelled. "I'm finally getting my bike?"
"That all depends on if we can find one for you that you like," he responded. "I looked at Wal-Mart, and you ought to go look the selection over and see if you like any of them."
"Wal-mart? Why Wal-Mart? I picked out one I liked at Target. Can't we go there and look?"
"I don't do Target. Too many people I know have been hit in the Target Shopping Center and I don't want another car accident."
I looked at Wal-Mart. No luck. So I talked Don into stopping at Target on the way home from Church on Sunday. We parked way out in the middle of the parking lot, away from all the other cars. That made Don a little less uncomfortable.
No success. I found two that would have worked, but Don insisted that I look at "the 'other' Wal-Mart", the not-so-good, not-so-large one on the other side of town. So we went there from Target. I found a 21-speed that had been marked down. Although it's steel and not aluminum, I don't think that will matter any to me. I don't ride that often or that well. I just need something of my own to ride when Don takes the kids for his weekend bikerides.
We added an extra water bottle and a nicer water bottle cage (from Dane), a helmet (from Deanna), gel-padded gloves and a wider, gel-filled seat (from Daelyn) and checked out. When we got home, I changed clothes and took the kids, along with half the neighborhood, around the block a few times. We had fun and I got the feel for my bike.
While in Wal-Mart, I looked at bike racks. Last summer, on the way to Don's parent's house in West Virginia, we were discussing how to more efficiently load the van. We had a rooftop rack and could purchase or borrow a rooftop carrier, but our bike rack fit overtop our rooftop rack, precluding us from using both. I commented to Don that someone had to have invented a way to do both. We watched the cars on the other side of the Interstate and, sure enough, someone HAD invented a way to do both. You put the bikes on a rear-end bike rack and then put your rooftop carrier on the top of the van. Very efficient, and lots of storage.
Than we totaled our van and bought a new one - one with a significantly smaller trunk. We've had MANY discussions about how to fit the bikes and all our "stuff" into such a small trunk for our trips. I told Don we had no choice but to go with the rear bike rack and the rooftop carrier.
The salesman helping us with the bike told me that you can buy different size racks for the rear of car that hold one, two, or three bikes. If we bought one that holds three bikes, we can put Don's, mine, and Deanna's on the back rack, put Dane's and Daelyn's in the trunk, and all our luggage in the rooftop carrier. Sounds do-able to me! Don refused to even look at the rear racks, which frustrated me no end.
Last night, a huge box arrived after dinner by UPS. Don stepped outside and announced that the box was for me. "For me?" I thought. I couldn't imagine who it was from. I walked around the dining room table and glanced at the address label. All I saw was the brand name "Thule". Within seconds, I realized that my sweet husband had bought me not only a bike and all the luxury accessories, but a large rear bike rack for my birthday.
What a guy!! No wonder I married him. He thinks of everything.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
A Tiny Spot in the Birthday
When I picked Dane up from school today, he told me that he's been invited to the birthday party of a friend, and it's Saturday.
"Did you get an invitation?" I asked.
"Yes," he answered, "but I forgot it and left it in my desk at school."
"You'll need to remember to bring it home tomorrow. We'll need to know what time the party is."
"We don't need the invitation, Mom," he assured me. "I read it. The party's from 2:50 to 3:00."
Wow!! Has that Mom ever learned to streamline.
"Did you get an invitation?" I asked.
"Yes," he answered, "but I forgot it and left it in my desk at school."
"You'll need to remember to bring it home tomorrow. We'll need to know what time the party is."
"We don't need the invitation, Mom," he assured me. "I read it. The party's from 2:50 to 3:00."
Wow!! Has that Mom ever learned to streamline.
The Whittler
Took Donovan to the Vet this morning for his annual check-up and because he's scratching like mad again. Our friends that kept him while we were in England had to take him once while we were gone.
He loves going to the Vet. So many smells, so many animals, so much to do!!! He gets excited as soon as he sees the sign from the road.
This morning, as usual, he ran wildly around the Vet's office, taxing me as much as possible to keep a 19-lb. dog under control. They quickly put us in a room. When the doc walked in, Donovan got so excited, he ran over to me, cocked his leg, and whizzed on my pantleg. I was floored. He's never acted like that before. Dr. Walker laughed and said that happens quite often.
Upon returning home, I told Don (who took the day off) and Daelyn about my experience on my way to the bathroom to change pants and socks. Don laughed and Daelyn acted shocked (no more shocked than I was to feel wet on my pantsleg.)
Just a few minutes ago, I was doing a computer inventory of the children's savings bonds, just in case our house burns down or we have a break-in. The Treasury Department has a nice little savings bond calculator that prints up a great little reference for you. Daelyn was getting impatient with me, because we're supposed to go to the grocery store, but I wanted to finish this task before leaving. It's something I always make a mental note to do some day, but have never gotten around to. It was high time to get this job done.
To ward off my son's frustration just a little, I explained what I was doing. He gets a savings bond from his grandparents every year for Christmas, so he knows what they are. I told him I was making a record of them in case someone broke into our house and tried to steal them.
Daelyn looked at me very matter-of-fact. "Mama," he said, "if anyone tries to break into OUR house, Donovan will either pee on their leg or jump up and bite them."
Mercy like raindrops, not tinkle, Lord.
He loves going to the Vet. So many smells, so many animals, so much to do!!! He gets excited as soon as he sees the sign from the road.
This morning, as usual, he ran wildly around the Vet's office, taxing me as much as possible to keep a 19-lb. dog under control. They quickly put us in a room. When the doc walked in, Donovan got so excited, he ran over to me, cocked his leg, and whizzed on my pantleg. I was floored. He's never acted like that before. Dr. Walker laughed and said that happens quite often.
Upon returning home, I told Don (who took the day off) and Daelyn about my experience on my way to the bathroom to change pants and socks. Don laughed and Daelyn acted shocked (no more shocked than I was to feel wet on my pantsleg.)
Just a few minutes ago, I was doing a computer inventory of the children's savings bonds, just in case our house burns down or we have a break-in. The Treasury Department has a nice little savings bond calculator that prints up a great little reference for you. Daelyn was getting impatient with me, because we're supposed to go to the grocery store, but I wanted to finish this task before leaving. It's something I always make a mental note to do some day, but have never gotten around to. It was high time to get this job done.
To ward off my son's frustration just a little, I explained what I was doing. He gets a savings bond from his grandparents every year for Christmas, so he knows what they are. I told him I was making a record of them in case someone broke into our house and tried to steal them.
Daelyn looked at me very matter-of-fact. "Mama," he said, "if anyone tries to break into OUR house, Donovan will either pee on their leg or jump up and bite them."
Mercy like raindrops, not tinkle, Lord.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
My Friend, Kim
I called my friend, Kim, this morning. She lives two doors down from the house we leased in Culcheth. She was at her mother's house with her Mother's Day present, having her mother try it on. I asked when Mother's Day is celebrated in England. It's my birthday weekend, March 18. I told Kim my birthday is on St. Patrick's Day, thus the name, and she told me that her birthday is in April.
The day I met Kim, I casually asked if anyone was living in the house next to us, inbetween us and Kim, the other half of our duplex or, as the English call it, a semi-detached home (which means two houses in one building or a duplex!!).
Kim responded, "No. She died. And the wife of the man who lives on the other side of me died. And the people who live behind me died."
A little startled, I commented that she was a scary person to live near. She laughingly told me that's what her husband, Kevin, says.
So today, we're talking about birthdays. Kim tells me hers is in April - "the day the Titanic sunk!"
She really is a little frightening to be around. It's a good thing she has such a winning personality and such a fabulous sense of humor!!
Love you, Kim. Hope you read this soon. I miss you terribly, my friend, and our conversation this morning made my whole week.
The day I met Kim, I casually asked if anyone was living in the house next to us, inbetween us and Kim, the other half of our duplex or, as the English call it, a semi-detached home (which means two houses in one building or a duplex!!).
Kim responded, "No. She died. And the wife of the man who lives on the other side of me died. And the people who live behind me died."
A little startled, I commented that she was a scary person to live near. She laughingly told me that's what her husband, Kevin, says.
So today, we're talking about birthdays. Kim tells me hers is in April - "the day the Titanic sunk!"
She really is a little frightening to be around. It's a good thing she has such a winning personality and such a fabulous sense of humor!!
Love you, Kim. Hope you read this soon. I miss you terribly, my friend, and our conversation this morning made my whole week.
Daelyn Strikes Again
Daelyn, upon waking from his nap yesterday and running, wide-eyed (and bed-headed) through the house:
"Have those people come home from school yet?"
"Have those people come home from school yet?"
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Chester Photos
These are some pictures from Chester which we visited the weekend following Thanksgiving. It's a lovely city (one of my favorites) and is surrounded by a wall built by the Romans. It was used as a fortress for hundreds of years, and you'll see the plaque on the wall where one of the kings watched his demise.
There was a European Market in downtown Chester, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The wreaths are fresh floral and fruit wreaths that were being sold in the Market. The winding staircase is the Town Hall of Chester sand I think everything else is self-explanatory.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Old "What's Her Name"
Deanna has a Science test at school today. True to form, she forgot about it until bedtime last night. She studied furiously for about 15 minutes while her brothers bathed and got ready for bed. Then I tucked her in, with promises that I'd wake her up early for studying.
This morning, I reminded her to hurry and dress so she'd have studytime. She sat at the breakfast table, trying to remember the difference between herring and mackerel. Her brothers were busy eating while Deanna's food sat getting cold. I finally glanced at the clock and began fussing at her.
"Sis, put your schoolwork away and eat your breakfast. It's already 7:35. You're going to be late for school."
As she reached for her food, Daelyn asked,
"Mama, does that mean we'll need to get a tardy slip for Dane and that other person?"
I glanced at Deanna. She frowned and looked back over the top of her glasses. "I guess I'm the "other person"?
"Sorry, Sissy," Daelyn responded. "I forgot your name."
Sissy is so hard to remember, after all.
This morning, I reminded her to hurry and dress so she'd have studytime. She sat at the breakfast table, trying to remember the difference between herring and mackerel. Her brothers were busy eating while Deanna's food sat getting cold. I finally glanced at the clock and began fussing at her.
"Sis, put your schoolwork away and eat your breakfast. It's already 7:35. You're going to be late for school."
As she reached for her food, Daelyn asked,
"Mama, does that mean we'll need to get a tardy slip for Dane and that other person?"
I glanced at Deanna. She frowned and looked back over the top of her glasses. "I guess I'm the "other person"?
"Sorry, Sissy," Daelyn responded. "I forgot your name."
Sissy is so hard to remember, after all.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
The Mall to Die For
Above are pictures from the Trafford Center, a high-end mall in Machester, about 20 minutes from our house in Culcheth. Two are of the Christmas Decorations (people come from all over England just to see the decorations) and one is of the Picnic Area, complete with an on-deck pool and lifeboats. It was really amazing, and we spent lots of time just walking around looking at everything.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Door-warmer
I've tried to Post a few short things. I know it gets tiring reading books everytime someone finds their way to my Blog. There are some that I used to read religiously that I simply don't anymore, because they just took up too much time.
Donovan is thrilled to have his family home again. Don was struggling with jet lag earlier this week, so I attended a meeting without him. When I came home 1 1/2 hours later, the entire house was dark. I opened the door and was greeted by a very vivacious pooch who jumped straight in the air as high as my waist.
"Don," I asked, when I finally found him, "did Donovan sit in front of the door waiting for me to come home the whole time I was gone?"
"No," he replied in his quiet manner. "I took him out to tinkle. THEN he sat in front of the door and waited for you to come home."
I'm not going to be able to leave this puppy for a while. Separation anxiety can do nasty things to pets.
Donovan is thrilled to have his family home again. Don was struggling with jet lag earlier this week, so I attended a meeting without him. When I came home 1 1/2 hours later, the entire house was dark. I opened the door and was greeted by a very vivacious pooch who jumped straight in the air as high as my waist.
"Don," I asked, when I finally found him, "did Donovan sit in front of the door waiting for me to come home the whole time I was gone?"
"No," he replied in his quiet manner. "I took him out to tinkle. THEN he sat in front of the door and waited for you to come home."
I'm not going to be able to leave this puppy for a while. Separation anxiety can do nasty things to pets.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Liverpool
Below (or above, depending on how this Post saves) are some pictures from Liverpool. The children are enjoying Fish and Chips (notice the size of the fish in this picture!!) on the street in Liverpool that we bought at a Take-Away Chip Shop. A man leaned over just after I took this picture and asked me where we found the Chip Shop. He said it so fast, I had no idea what he said. I smiled and offerred him some of my fish. Finally, after a fair amount of effort, we realized he was saying "Chip Shop" and I told him where we had purchased our lunch. Chip Shop is now a part of our vocabulary.
The next one is the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace in London. Don't know how this got with the Liverpool photos, but - ah, well. Interestingly, while we were in England, there was a long article in the newspaper about an animal rights group that is trying to get the Queen's Guards to substitute fake bearskin for the real bearskin hats the guards wear. Their first three attempts didn't pass muster, apparently because the fake fur wasn't soft enough. But the animal rights group has prevailed by encouraging the guards to recycle their hats and extend the wear. They really are beautiful but, according to the article, extremely costly.
The last is of the children with Queen Victoria. She was the longest reigning queen in all of England's history. This memorial to her is on the site of the Liverpool Palace, which was demolished sometime ago. Queen Victoria seems to have been quite portly, but the likeness to her is quite remarkable. I'm Posting in the new Beta Blogger and I can't get Queen Victoria's picture to turn the right way. I'll have to work on it a bit more later. In the meantime, hope you can turn your heads sufficiently to see it.
Enjoy!! We sure did.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Pizza on Wheels
As Daelyn and I were getting in the van yesterday afternoon to pick up Dane and Deanna from school, a black sedan passed by us with a Domino's dome sign on the top.
"Look, Mom," Daelyn remarked, "there goes a Domino's Taxi."
I guess he got used to taxi signs while in England.
"Look, Mom," Daelyn remarked, "there goes a Domino's Taxi."
I guess he got used to taxi signs while in England.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Noodle worms
We had Pesto (my homemade sauce from basil grown in my herb garden last summer) chicken and fettucini for dinner Monday night. My kids absolutely love my pesto. I have to say, it's really pretty good. I put tons of extra cheese in it and it's really nice.
At the beginning of this school year, when I made out lunch menus for each day of the week, the children asked for hot lunches a couple of days a week. They said they wanted pesto left-overs anytime I made it, as well as Ramen noodles occasionally and soup some days. So, dutiful Mom warmed the pesto chicken and noodles, added salt and an extra sprinkling of Parmesan, and put them in their thermos containers Tuesday morning.
Dane came home from school yesterday, plopped down at the kitchen table (it's so wonderful to have our kitchen table back - and all the sunlight, which was in short supply in England), opened his lunchbox and began eating his pesto - at 3:30 in the afternoon.
Me: "Dane, why are you just now eating your pesto?"
Dane: "Well, I didn't eat it at lunchtime and I'm hungry now."
Me: "I can see you didn't eat it at lunchtime. Why not?"
Dane: "Well, it was embarrassing."
Me: "WHAT was embarrassing?" (in an incredulous tone of voice)
Dane: "My lunch. Everyone was staring at me when I started to eat my pesto, so I put it away and I'm eating it now."
He's only in the 2nd grade!!! And he's embarrassed by his food - my wonderful homemade pesto that he's crazy about? Something's got to change.
After Deanna clamored out of the new van this morning at school, I asked Dane to stay behind. We talked about the importance of pleasing only God and that it doesn't matter what other people think. The ONLY thing that matters is holiness and what God thinks. It's a hard thing to learn. I still struggle with it. But if he can just get this concept down now, life will go much better for him.
When he looked at me doubtfully, I took another tact.
"Make it into a joke, son," I suggested. "If the kids make fun of what you're eating, pick up a big forkful of the noodles, say, 'It's just worms - yummy!' and laugh. Your friends will all yell, 'Yuck' and 'Gross'. Some may even yell 'I want some!' Then everybody will laugh and it'll all be okay. Humor helps a lot in dealing with hard situations."
Dane's doubtful expression never changed. "Mom," he began, "we're not allowed to laugh at lunch and we're certainly not allowed to talk."
But Daelyn got a kick out of it. As he sat at the kitchen table eating his spiderman macaroni and cheese for lunch, there were several comments about it being worms.
Maybe it'll sink in with Daelyn and one of my children will rise above what other's think.
At the beginning of this school year, when I made out lunch menus for each day of the week, the children asked for hot lunches a couple of days a week. They said they wanted pesto left-overs anytime I made it, as well as Ramen noodles occasionally and soup some days. So, dutiful Mom warmed the pesto chicken and noodles, added salt and an extra sprinkling of Parmesan, and put them in their thermos containers Tuesday morning.
Dane came home from school yesterday, plopped down at the kitchen table (it's so wonderful to have our kitchen table back - and all the sunlight, which was in short supply in England), opened his lunchbox and began eating his pesto - at 3:30 in the afternoon.
Me: "Dane, why are you just now eating your pesto?"
Dane: "Well, I didn't eat it at lunchtime and I'm hungry now."
Me: "I can see you didn't eat it at lunchtime. Why not?"
Dane: "Well, it was embarrassing."
Me: "WHAT was embarrassing?" (in an incredulous tone of voice)
Dane: "My lunch. Everyone was staring at me when I started to eat my pesto, so I put it away and I'm eating it now."
He's only in the 2nd grade!!! And he's embarrassed by his food - my wonderful homemade pesto that he's crazy about? Something's got to change.
After Deanna clamored out of the new van this morning at school, I asked Dane to stay behind. We talked about the importance of pleasing only God and that it doesn't matter what other people think. The ONLY thing that matters is holiness and what God thinks. It's a hard thing to learn. I still struggle with it. But if he can just get this concept down now, life will go much better for him.
When he looked at me doubtfully, I took another tact.
"Make it into a joke, son," I suggested. "If the kids make fun of what you're eating, pick up a big forkful of the noodles, say, 'It's just worms - yummy!' and laugh. Your friends will all yell, 'Yuck' and 'Gross'. Some may even yell 'I want some!' Then everybody will laugh and it'll all be okay. Humor helps a lot in dealing with hard situations."
Dane's doubtful expression never changed. "Mom," he began, "we're not allowed to laugh at lunch and we're certainly not allowed to talk."
But Daelyn got a kick out of it. As he sat at the kitchen table eating his spiderman macaroni and cheese for lunch, there were several comments about it being worms.
Maybe it'll sink in with Daelyn and one of my children will rise above what other's think.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Lakes, Mountains, Beaches, and Mystery
I'm Posting from our new computer. We've been living in the Stone Age, apparently. This screen is amazing - huge and clean and has a camera inbedded in it. The keyboard is also nice and clean, bright white, and we have a new laser printer that's awesome. I just love new toys.
I've been just itching to write about our travels in England. I made reservations for a rental car with National which had an office in downtown Warrington. The kids and I packed a lunch, loaded up backpacks with drinks, school work, and maps, and headed out on the bus for Warrington. We got to the bus station and walked through town centre to the large traffic circle on the south of town, then crossed the bridges and traffic circles (we had to cross about 6 roads) and found our way to National. We signed the papers and took off.
Shifting with my left hand was interesting. Driving on the left side of the road was more interesting and driving on the right side of the car was another step up. But the biggest problem, by far, was remembering to look to the left to see through my rearview mirror instead of to the right. I spent two days looking out the right window before I realized the mirror wasn't there.
Monday was our day to the Lake District in Cumbria (a county in England). The Lake District is on the Northwest coast of England and is mountainous with amazing lakes everywhere. You would be on a narrow, windy road and look to your left. A lake would drop off directly from the road, with no barrier between us and it, except curbs in some areas. I was unaccustomed to the size of the car and driving from the right side, so I hit curbs at least 3 times. Despite feeling like we could fall into a lake at any minute, the Lake District was incredibly beautiful. The most amazing part was driving through the base of two mountains with them rising on either side to craggy cliffs at the top. Going up the mountains, all the way up the steep slopes to the summit, were impeccable stone walls, handmade, each stone chosen and placed carefully to fit perfectly, some hundreds of years ago. The fields were traversed with these walls, each with sharp, pointed stones on the top. I'm told it's to keep the sheep from jumping the walls.
The children and I drove through some minor roads and found a castle that we wanted to visit right off the main road we were on. We drove through the property and were shocked to see an imposing castle rising above us on a hill. However, it was closed for the months of December through March. Am employee of the gift shop came out to the car to talk to us. This castle is a family home still inhabited by family members. Over the holidays, they like to entertain and spread out, so the castle is closed. The rest of the year, they live in one wing and the rest of the castle is opened for visitors as part of the National Trust. The children and I drove around the front and looked at the battlements, trying to imagine what it must be like to have a castle for your family's home.
We ate our picnic lunch along the way but, as the temperature began to drop and the roads got icy, I decided it was time to head for home. We drove to a point at the far north of the National Park, then picked up the Motorway (the English version of the Interstate) and headed home. It was a lovely day.
Tuesday morning, we loaded up the car and headed out early, this time without a lunch. On Monday, we passed by snow-topped mountains. The kids went crazy and begged me to stop so they could play in the snow. It was impossible, though that seemed difficult for them to understand. Monday night at dinner, they prayed for snow the next day. I tried to explain that it would be dangerous for me to drive in the snow, so they added to the Lord that the snow should be on the side of the road, not ON the road. I was trying desperately to not burst their bubbles or rob them of their hope or faith that God COULD answer their prayers, but I also didn't want them to be disappointed. If driving through the mountains didn't produce playable snow, driving across a flatter part of England certainly wouldn't. I kept trying to explain to them that chances were slim to none that we would encounter snow, but they continued to pray and trust that God WOULD answer their prayers.
So, we headed across England, the children ever-hopeful. The temperature was -2 Celsius, which thrilled them and scared the daylights out of me, but it soon warmed up and the streets were clear. We drove for a couple of hours and then hit the outskirts of York. And wouldn't you know it?!? - SNOW, on the side of the road, not where it left the road slick. Dane and Deanna shrieked and thanked the Lord for hearing and answering their VVVVERY specific prayer. We pulled over to the side of the road and they made snowballs and had a mini snowball fight. We got back on the road soon after, but I took a wrong turn accidentally and we headed towards York proper. About two blocks down the road, we found a restaurant (a Toby's Carvery, if you know what that is) with several cars in the parking lot, covered in snow. There was no traffic or movement, so we pulled in and the children played for quite a while in the snow. I videotaped them and Deanna taught them to make snow angels. I took pictures and Deanna taught them how to make hard, big snowballs. I showed them how to scrape the snow up with their feet to build enough of a pile to make larger snowballs, and Deanna taught them how to salvage used snowballs and make them bigger. (My little girl has learned a thing or two about snow in the last 10 years.) They all had a wonderful time (and I got some great pictures - and a few snowballs in the face, to boot.)
After a very fun time, we got back on the road headed for the East Coast and Scarborough ("Are you going to Scarborough Faire? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.") We had only been back underway for about 30 minutes, talking excitedly about how good the Lord is and how much fun the snow was and how the children KNEW he would answer their prayer, when it BEGAN TO SNOW. It got harder and harder and the kids absolutely squeeled with excitement. I handed Deanna my phone and she called my friend, Anne, to tell her. I had to concentrate on driving. We drove for about an hour in snow, then it began to clear up and the sun came out. It got very warm just as we reached Scarborough. We followed the signs to the Beach and drove down a steep hill through the mountains and directly onto the BEACH. The sun was shining and surfers were out in the waves, which were huge. It was like a scene from Hawaii. We drove up and down the boardwalk, then parked and the children got out and played in the sand while I took pictures. Then we headed out of Scarborough and turned north to Whitby, driving along a coastal road through the mountains. The road is hazardous and narrow, with no shoulder, and it winds up and down, up and down. It began to sleet, then hail. The children laughed, I cried. How could you go from sunny surfing to sleet and hail on a little tiny mountain road within 15 minutes? Welcome to England!!
As we were driving along, it seemed extremely foggy. The sky out in front of us was dark grey and bleak. All of a sudden, I noticed a ship and realized that it wasn't fog, it was the ocean. Tankers were chugging up the coast. Suddenly I realized that, if we weren't careful, we'd fall off our mountain road into the ocean. It was quite shocking. I slowed down and we continued down the winding road to Whitby.
It's hard to describe Whitby. It is an ocean port (obviously) where Bram Stoker wrote the book, "Dracula". The port and town is between two mountains, both topped by cliffs. On the right cliff is the ruins of an old Medieval Abbey. The town is cut into the other cliff. Below, the ocean cuts deep between the two mountains, dividing the town into two parts. In the bay between, there are whalers and fishing ships. There is one bridge that joins the two sides and it only has one lane. There's a stoplight to allow one directional traffic through at a time. We crossed the bridge, parked along the bay, and walked to a seafood restaurant on the other side - Trenchers. We had fish and chips and a cup of hot tea. We sat for a while and savored the lovely town of Whitby. Then, an hour before dark, we took our final pictures, loaded back up, said goodbye to the beautiful Whitby, and headed back over that treacherous road to Scarborough. From there, we headed home, praying for clear roads and warm weather, but all thrilled with our day.
I think Whitby is possibly the most beautiful town I've ever seen. It has a style and flavor that's unique in this day and time, an old-world charm that steals your heart. And the mystery of that Abbey and the cemetery alongside it, calling to visitors to explore and take a step back into time, searching for the truth about Count Dracula. It's the stuff good novels are made of.
Wednesday was even more amazing, but that will have to wait for another Post. Besides, it's pretty hard to follow Whitby and I want to let the memory of that picturesque town settle in my memory.
It was a day I will remember forever and the shouts of joy from my children are are videotape to remind us all of the pleasure of snow and the hope of prayful children.
I've been just itching to write about our travels in England. I made reservations for a rental car with National which had an office in downtown Warrington. The kids and I packed a lunch, loaded up backpacks with drinks, school work, and maps, and headed out on the bus for Warrington. We got to the bus station and walked through town centre to the large traffic circle on the south of town, then crossed the bridges and traffic circles (we had to cross about 6 roads) and found our way to National. We signed the papers and took off.
Shifting with my left hand was interesting. Driving on the left side of the road was more interesting and driving on the right side of the car was another step up. But the biggest problem, by far, was remembering to look to the left to see through my rearview mirror instead of to the right. I spent two days looking out the right window before I realized the mirror wasn't there.
Monday was our day to the Lake District in Cumbria (a county in England). The Lake District is on the Northwest coast of England and is mountainous with amazing lakes everywhere. You would be on a narrow, windy road and look to your left. A lake would drop off directly from the road, with no barrier between us and it, except curbs in some areas. I was unaccustomed to the size of the car and driving from the right side, so I hit curbs at least 3 times. Despite feeling like we could fall into a lake at any minute, the Lake District was incredibly beautiful. The most amazing part was driving through the base of two mountains with them rising on either side to craggy cliffs at the top. Going up the mountains, all the way up the steep slopes to the summit, were impeccable stone walls, handmade, each stone chosen and placed carefully to fit perfectly, some hundreds of years ago. The fields were traversed with these walls, each with sharp, pointed stones on the top. I'm told it's to keep the sheep from jumping the walls.
The children and I drove through some minor roads and found a castle that we wanted to visit right off the main road we were on. We drove through the property and were shocked to see an imposing castle rising above us on a hill. However, it was closed for the months of December through March. Am employee of the gift shop came out to the car to talk to us. This castle is a family home still inhabited by family members. Over the holidays, they like to entertain and spread out, so the castle is closed. The rest of the year, they live in one wing and the rest of the castle is opened for visitors as part of the National Trust. The children and I drove around the front and looked at the battlements, trying to imagine what it must be like to have a castle for your family's home.
We ate our picnic lunch along the way but, as the temperature began to drop and the roads got icy, I decided it was time to head for home. We drove to a point at the far north of the National Park, then picked up the Motorway (the English version of the Interstate) and headed home. It was a lovely day.
Tuesday morning, we loaded up the car and headed out early, this time without a lunch. On Monday, we passed by snow-topped mountains. The kids went crazy and begged me to stop so they could play in the snow. It was impossible, though that seemed difficult for them to understand. Monday night at dinner, they prayed for snow the next day. I tried to explain that it would be dangerous for me to drive in the snow, so they added to the Lord that the snow should be on the side of the road, not ON the road. I was trying desperately to not burst their bubbles or rob them of their hope or faith that God COULD answer their prayers, but I also didn't want them to be disappointed. If driving through the mountains didn't produce playable snow, driving across a flatter part of England certainly wouldn't. I kept trying to explain to them that chances were slim to none that we would encounter snow, but they continued to pray and trust that God WOULD answer their prayers.
So, we headed across England, the children ever-hopeful. The temperature was -2 Celsius, which thrilled them and scared the daylights out of me, but it soon warmed up and the streets were clear. We drove for a couple of hours and then hit the outskirts of York. And wouldn't you know it?!? - SNOW, on the side of the road, not where it left the road slick. Dane and Deanna shrieked and thanked the Lord for hearing and answering their VVVVERY specific prayer. We pulled over to the side of the road and they made snowballs and had a mini snowball fight. We got back on the road soon after, but I took a wrong turn accidentally and we headed towards York proper. About two blocks down the road, we found a restaurant (a Toby's Carvery, if you know what that is) with several cars in the parking lot, covered in snow. There was no traffic or movement, so we pulled in and the children played for quite a while in the snow. I videotaped them and Deanna taught them to make snow angels. I took pictures and Deanna taught them how to make hard, big snowballs. I showed them how to scrape the snow up with their feet to build enough of a pile to make larger snowballs, and Deanna taught them how to salvage used snowballs and make them bigger. (My little girl has learned a thing or two about snow in the last 10 years.) They all had a wonderful time (and I got some great pictures - and a few snowballs in the face, to boot.)
After a very fun time, we got back on the road headed for the East Coast and Scarborough ("Are you going to Scarborough Faire? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.") We had only been back underway for about 30 minutes, talking excitedly about how good the Lord is and how much fun the snow was and how the children KNEW he would answer their prayer, when it BEGAN TO SNOW. It got harder and harder and the kids absolutely squeeled with excitement. I handed Deanna my phone and she called my friend, Anne, to tell her. I had to concentrate on driving. We drove for about an hour in snow, then it began to clear up and the sun came out. It got very warm just as we reached Scarborough. We followed the signs to the Beach and drove down a steep hill through the mountains and directly onto the BEACH. The sun was shining and surfers were out in the waves, which were huge. It was like a scene from Hawaii. We drove up and down the boardwalk, then parked and the children got out and played in the sand while I took pictures. Then we headed out of Scarborough and turned north to Whitby, driving along a coastal road through the mountains. The road is hazardous and narrow, with no shoulder, and it winds up and down, up and down. It began to sleet, then hail. The children laughed, I cried. How could you go from sunny surfing to sleet and hail on a little tiny mountain road within 15 minutes? Welcome to England!!
As we were driving along, it seemed extremely foggy. The sky out in front of us was dark grey and bleak. All of a sudden, I noticed a ship and realized that it wasn't fog, it was the ocean. Tankers were chugging up the coast. Suddenly I realized that, if we weren't careful, we'd fall off our mountain road into the ocean. It was quite shocking. I slowed down and we continued down the winding road to Whitby.
It's hard to describe Whitby. It is an ocean port (obviously) where Bram Stoker wrote the book, "Dracula". The port and town is between two mountains, both topped by cliffs. On the right cliff is the ruins of an old Medieval Abbey. The town is cut into the other cliff. Below, the ocean cuts deep between the two mountains, dividing the town into two parts. In the bay between, there are whalers and fishing ships. There is one bridge that joins the two sides and it only has one lane. There's a stoplight to allow one directional traffic through at a time. We crossed the bridge, parked along the bay, and walked to a seafood restaurant on the other side - Trenchers. We had fish and chips and a cup of hot tea. We sat for a while and savored the lovely town of Whitby. Then, an hour before dark, we took our final pictures, loaded back up, said goodbye to the beautiful Whitby, and headed back over that treacherous road to Scarborough. From there, we headed home, praying for clear roads and warm weather, but all thrilled with our day.
I think Whitby is possibly the most beautiful town I've ever seen. It has a style and flavor that's unique in this day and time, an old-world charm that steals your heart. And the mystery of that Abbey and the cemetery alongside it, calling to visitors to explore and take a step back into time, searching for the truth about Count Dracula. It's the stuff good novels are made of.
Wednesday was even more amazing, but that will have to wait for another Post. Besides, it's pretty hard to follow Whitby and I want to let the memory of that picturesque town settle in my memory.
It was a day I will remember forever and the shouts of joy from my children are are videotape to remind us all of the pleasure of snow and the hope of prayful children.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Home again, home again, clickety-click!
The kids and I came home last Sunday. Don got home this past Thursday night. Turns out, my mother doesn't need surgery, but she and my father were cleared by the doctor to go to Australia and New Zealand and we wanted the kids to get some time with them before they left. Also, there were tons of things they needed to do before the trip to prepare and Mama couldn't drive, so someone had to run them here and there.
It was a teary goodbye. My friends, Anne and Kim, came over Saturday night for a glass of wine and a last visit. Then Kim helped me pack. It was very hard to leave. The children and I cried a lot. Sunday morning, Don went with me to the airport. We wanted to upgrade our tickets to Business Class using frequent flier miles, but the Delta agent said he would need to be with us to confirm. I was very thankful he accompanied us to the airport. I wasn't looking forward to leaving him behind.
The week before we left, Dane got very sick. On Tuesday, while I was trying to pack, Dane started running a high fever. He was complaining of feeling poorly and an ear-ache the night before and was up half the night. I took his temp on Tuesday - 104.2. I've never had a child run such a high fever before. I gave him a dose of Children's Tylenol that Don had brought back with him from his short trip home and waited, impatiently, for his fever to drop. After 1/2 hour, I took his temp again, not expecting a huge drop, but hoping for 4 or 5/10ths of a degree (down t0o 103.8, at least). It had risen to 104.5. While I was staring at the thermometer in disbelief, Dane told me that the TV set was shrinking and then getting really big. I realized he was hallucinating. I made several phone calls, then loaded him in a taxi and headed for the ER (known as the A&E in England). Our insurance required us to use a private hospital but, when I arrived, they informed me that they couldn't treat him, that they didn't have an emergency room. Apparently, they are a surgical center for elective surgery - not exactly what I needed at the time. I really don't understand why insurance sent me there, but while I was discussing the problem with the reception people, Dane threw up all over the lobby. Suddenly, they found a staff pediatrician who was willing to see us.
My sweet boy had a viral infection AND a bacterial, including an ear infection. We started him on antibiotics and Ibuprofen, and his fever started going down. By the next day, Daelyn had it and began running 104.1. Packing was quite a challenge. For 5 nights running, the boys were up and down all night long, waking up crying when they fever spiked again.
But we managed to get home - to a vanless house with a crashed computer. Don has ordered a new computer, but we won't have one until later this week. I've been a crazy person, trying to run my parents errands, unpack, get the children back in school, recover from jet lag, and shop for a van. But I'm finally making a little progress.
One thing is for sure - I want to hang onto the simplicity of our life in England. I don't want to return to the clutter or our Georgia life. It's going to take s0me time and effort, but it's certainly worth whatever the cost.
I think Don just went to bed without me. Now that I know he's connected this laptop up to our Internet connection, I'll be able to Post again soon. And the new computer arrived today.
We're buying a van tomorrow. See? Things are falling into place.
It was a teary goodbye. My friends, Anne and Kim, came over Saturday night for a glass of wine and a last visit. Then Kim helped me pack. It was very hard to leave. The children and I cried a lot. Sunday morning, Don went with me to the airport. We wanted to upgrade our tickets to Business Class using frequent flier miles, but the Delta agent said he would need to be with us to confirm. I was very thankful he accompanied us to the airport. I wasn't looking forward to leaving him behind.
The week before we left, Dane got very sick. On Tuesday, while I was trying to pack, Dane started running a high fever. He was complaining of feeling poorly and an ear-ache the night before and was up half the night. I took his temp on Tuesday - 104.2. I've never had a child run such a high fever before. I gave him a dose of Children's Tylenol that Don had brought back with him from his short trip home and waited, impatiently, for his fever to drop. After 1/2 hour, I took his temp again, not expecting a huge drop, but hoping for 4 or 5/10ths of a degree (down t0o 103.8, at least). It had risen to 104.5. While I was staring at the thermometer in disbelief, Dane told me that the TV set was shrinking and then getting really big. I realized he was hallucinating. I made several phone calls, then loaded him in a taxi and headed for the ER (known as the A&E in England). Our insurance required us to use a private hospital but, when I arrived, they informed me that they couldn't treat him, that they didn't have an emergency room. Apparently, they are a surgical center for elective surgery - not exactly what I needed at the time. I really don't understand why insurance sent me there, but while I was discussing the problem with the reception people, Dane threw up all over the lobby. Suddenly, they found a staff pediatrician who was willing to see us.
My sweet boy had a viral infection AND a bacterial, including an ear infection. We started him on antibiotics and Ibuprofen, and his fever started going down. By the next day, Daelyn had it and began running 104.1. Packing was quite a challenge. For 5 nights running, the boys were up and down all night long, waking up crying when they fever spiked again.
But we managed to get home - to a vanless house with a crashed computer. Don has ordered a new computer, but we won't have one until later this week. I've been a crazy person, trying to run my parents errands, unpack, get the children back in school, recover from jet lag, and shop for a van. But I'm finally making a little progress.
One thing is for sure - I want to hang onto the simplicity of our life in England. I don't want to return to the clutter or our Georgia life. It's going to take s0me time and effort, but it's certainly worth whatever the cost.
I think Don just went to bed without me. Now that I know he's connected this laptop up to our Internet connection, I'll be able to Post again soon. And the new computer arrived today.
We're buying a van tomorrow. See? Things are falling into place.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
A Night "Out"
I'm writing from Monika's house. She and Chris invited us to dinner. The kids and I arrived around 4:30 and have had a wonderful time, right up until I locked us out of the house.
The boys wanted to play in the backyard. It snowed today (the kids believe this was a direct answer to their prayers - Dane says children's prayers get to Heaven faster than adult's) and there was some snow left in Monika's backyard. After the children were out there for a few minutes, Monika decided she needed to make a fire in the firepit on the deck, so the children would have something to look at in the dark. She got a lovely fire started, after plying us with wonderful Estonian hors d'oevres. I was so thrilled with the fellowship and food that I decided to call Don at work. He was coming after work, as was Monika's Chris. I slipped my boots on and headed out the back door, without my coat on, to tell Monika what a wonderful time I was having, carefully closing the door behind me. Unbeknowst to me, the door has no handles on the outside, and I locked it. The front was also locked, and I was outside in the snow without a coat.
Deanna, the eternal optimist, recommended we pull deck chairs up to the fire and drink wine until Chris came home. Thank goodness, I had my cellphone in my pocket, having just talked to Don, so Monika called Chris and asked him to come home and let us back in the house. In the meantime, we had a wonderful time around the fire, using the bellows to stoke it and talking about her jacuzzi (in a beautiful wooden shed that Chris built) which they're having removed because it's too big (can you imagine such a thing? a too-big jacuzzi?). Apparently, Chris installed beautiful tile and they want to make it into a sort of sauna with a small jacuzzi, and the one they purchased fills the whole room. Deanna frowned at Monika. If they had just told her they had a too-big jacuzzi, she would have brought her bathing suit.
Chris came home early, let us back in, and Monika put on another movie for the children - on her room-size TV with surround-sound, which Chris installed for Monika (such a display of love - he built her a greenhouse, too, as a birthday present, a real labor of love).
So, back to the snow. The forecast last night was for snow all night. When Don got up this morning at 6:00, I had him look out the window quickly. No snow. The boys got up about 7:45 and I heard them clamoring for the window. I called to them, "No snow, guys!" They responded, "Yes, there is, Mama. Look!!!!" I jumped out of bed, looked out the window, and there was a lovely snow falling. I yelled to wake up Deanna, and she called back that she was already up. The snow was sticking wonderfully. I helped the kids dress quickly and sent them out to make a snowman. Deanna showed the boys how to make snow angels.
Unfortunately, it didn't stick very well and was all melted, except, it appears, in Monika's backyard, by noon. But it snowed most of the day, on and off. If it freezes tonight, it will be treacherous tomorrow - YAY!!!
Don is planning on taking half the day off tomorrow to take the children to a museum in Manchester. In the meanwhile, my parents are on a mission trip to Mississippi. My mother fell yesterday and has broken her kneecap. My siblings are working together today to get her and my Dad home so he can arrange for medical care for her tomorrow. The doctor in Mississippi said she needs surgery, but we'll have to see what the Augusta docs say. I woke my sister up this morning (at 5:3o am her time) to tell her it was snowing and she gave me the news. If Mama's having surgery, I'm going home. I'm not going to have my sisters trying to drive 1/2 hour to care for Mama when I live 5 houses down from her (when I'm not in England). So, Trina's supposed to call me daily with the latest news and, if the doctors decide to operate, I'm outta here. Got to get packed and ready in case.
The taxi will be here soon to pick us up and take us home - it's almost 10:30 - so I need to post this soon, but I'm still itching to tell you about when we had the rental car.
Before that, my nephew, James, posted a comment on my last post. Thanks for the comment, sweetie. I'm so sorry we'll miss you next weekend, but I've been thinking about you. When Don came home last week, I sent your Christmas present. I couldn't find anything suitable for you before we left, but I found something over here for you that I want you to get it before you leave for Peru. Make sure you get it from your Mom while you're home. And be careful on your trip, hon. I love you and will see you when you and Brad get home.
Now, to all of those that have posted comments since we've been in England. I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. It's been wonderful having those contacts with home. I read them and even print them occasionally so Don can read them at home.
Chris and I have been sharing a glass of wine all night. I had a glass on the table to my left and he had one to his right. He kept, accidentally, reaching for mine, but we decided the alcohol killed any germs. What a wonderful evening it's been.
The notes from our travels will have to wait for another day. The taxi will be here in 10 minutes and I want to get some pictures first. I doubt I'll see them again before we leave - very bittersweet.
Pray for my parents and for wisdom for the doctors and a quick healing for my mother. We will be home now within two weeks. Our drop-dead date is February 21. If all else fails, that is the day we'll be on the plane.
Hope all is well with each of you. Rach, I hear you'll be expecting a baby for me in about 5 - 6 months. Keep in mind, I've been praying for this baby and, if it's a girl, she's half mine - the boys and Paul will have to share.
Love to all. See you soon.
The boys wanted to play in the backyard. It snowed today (the kids believe this was a direct answer to their prayers - Dane says children's prayers get to Heaven faster than adult's) and there was some snow left in Monika's backyard. After the children were out there for a few minutes, Monika decided she needed to make a fire in the firepit on the deck, so the children would have something to look at in the dark. She got a lovely fire started, after plying us with wonderful Estonian hors d'oevres. I was so thrilled with the fellowship and food that I decided to call Don at work. He was coming after work, as was Monika's Chris. I slipped my boots on and headed out the back door, without my coat on, to tell Monika what a wonderful time I was having, carefully closing the door behind me. Unbeknowst to me, the door has no handles on the outside, and I locked it. The front was also locked, and I was outside in the snow without a coat.
Deanna, the eternal optimist, recommended we pull deck chairs up to the fire and drink wine until Chris came home. Thank goodness, I had my cellphone in my pocket, having just talked to Don, so Monika called Chris and asked him to come home and let us back in the house. In the meantime, we had a wonderful time around the fire, using the bellows to stoke it and talking about her jacuzzi (in a beautiful wooden shed that Chris built) which they're having removed because it's too big (can you imagine such a thing? a too-big jacuzzi?). Apparently, Chris installed beautiful tile and they want to make it into a sort of sauna with a small jacuzzi, and the one they purchased fills the whole room. Deanna frowned at Monika. If they had just told her they had a too-big jacuzzi, she would have brought her bathing suit.
Chris came home early, let us back in, and Monika put on another movie for the children - on her room-size TV with surround-sound, which Chris installed for Monika (such a display of love - he built her a greenhouse, too, as a birthday present, a real labor of love).
So, back to the snow. The forecast last night was for snow all night. When Don got up this morning at 6:00, I had him look out the window quickly. No snow. The boys got up about 7:45 and I heard them clamoring for the window. I called to them, "No snow, guys!" They responded, "Yes, there is, Mama. Look!!!!" I jumped out of bed, looked out the window, and there was a lovely snow falling. I yelled to wake up Deanna, and she called back that she was already up. The snow was sticking wonderfully. I helped the kids dress quickly and sent them out to make a snowman. Deanna showed the boys how to make snow angels.
Unfortunately, it didn't stick very well and was all melted, except, it appears, in Monika's backyard, by noon. But it snowed most of the day, on and off. If it freezes tonight, it will be treacherous tomorrow - YAY!!!
Don is planning on taking half the day off tomorrow to take the children to a museum in Manchester. In the meanwhile, my parents are on a mission trip to Mississippi. My mother fell yesterday and has broken her kneecap. My siblings are working together today to get her and my Dad home so he can arrange for medical care for her tomorrow. The doctor in Mississippi said she needs surgery, but we'll have to see what the Augusta docs say. I woke my sister up this morning (at 5:3o am her time) to tell her it was snowing and she gave me the news. If Mama's having surgery, I'm going home. I'm not going to have my sisters trying to drive 1/2 hour to care for Mama when I live 5 houses down from her (when I'm not in England). So, Trina's supposed to call me daily with the latest news and, if the doctors decide to operate, I'm outta here. Got to get packed and ready in case.
The taxi will be here soon to pick us up and take us home - it's almost 10:30 - so I need to post this soon, but I'm still itching to tell you about when we had the rental car.
Before that, my nephew, James, posted a comment on my last post. Thanks for the comment, sweetie. I'm so sorry we'll miss you next weekend, but I've been thinking about you. When Don came home last week, I sent your Christmas present. I couldn't find anything suitable for you before we left, but I found something over here for you that I want you to get it before you leave for Peru. Make sure you get it from your Mom while you're home. And be careful on your trip, hon. I love you and will see you when you and Brad get home.
Now, to all of those that have posted comments since we've been in England. I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. It's been wonderful having those contacts with home. I read them and even print them occasionally so Don can read them at home.
Chris and I have been sharing a glass of wine all night. I had a glass on the table to my left and he had one to his right. He kept, accidentally, reaching for mine, but we decided the alcohol killed any germs. What a wonderful evening it's been.
The notes from our travels will have to wait for another day. The taxi will be here in 10 minutes and I want to get some pictures first. I doubt I'll see them again before we leave - very bittersweet.
Pray for my parents and for wisdom for the doctors and a quick healing for my mother. We will be home now within two weeks. Our drop-dead date is February 21. If all else fails, that is the day we'll be on the plane.
Hope all is well with each of you. Rach, I hear you'll be expecting a baby for me in about 5 - 6 months. Keep in mind, I've been praying for this baby and, if it's a girl, she's half mine - the boys and Paul will have to share.
Love to all. See you soon.
Monday, February 05, 2007
"Fill This Land"
What I Will Miss About England
* The simplicity of life
* The people - absolute strangers who stop you on the street to visit because they've heard your accent and figured out you're American.
* Extra thick double cream - you've never had anything like this in the States. It's so thick, you have to spoon it out, but not sweet. Pure, dairy goodness.
* The amount of quality time I have with my children.
* Single cream - perfect for coffee or tea.
* Double cream with Corvoisier and Brandy, with Amaretto, with Cointreau (notice a pattern here?) They have these in plentiful supply during Christmas. I stocked up at the after-Christmas sale - on 26 containers. I'm now down to 6. Think I've gained any weight while in England?
* The church bells at the Parish Church (only about 4 or 5 blocks from our house) calling us to morning worship. They're rung the old-fashioned way with a team of people hand-pulling them weekly. Each Parish has its own melody. The sound from the steeple echoes off the buildings and pavement and resounds in the crisp, quiet morning air. They're so clear and bold, a sound I will never forget and will always miss.
* The people - kind, inquisitive, sensitive, loving, friendly, warm - the real jewel of England.
* A kitchen windowsill so cold that I keep my ice water and tea on it.
* A lack of "stuff" to clutter our lives and minds.
* How quickly I can clean the WHOLE house.
* My friends - Anne, Kim, Monika (and their spouses), Freda, Jan and Rupert, Guy ...
* The Cul-de-sac
* My children playing outside for HOURS at a time.
* The people - the smiles I'm always greeted with as we walk down the street or encounter people in the grocery store.
* Crumpets and white chocolate (or Belgian chocolate) spread.
* Beautiful (and cheap) cut flowers in the stores. Last week, I found tulips marked down to 50 p. a bunch. I bought 2 bunches of about 9 tulips each for a whopping $2.
* Seasons - a real Winter, complete with frost and cold weather
* Fish and Chips - you've never tasted anything so good unless you've visited England. Cod that's battered to perfection and fried so it tastes buttery and so tender, it literally melts in your mouth.
* Being able to walk EVERYWHERE. We really get a tremendous amount of exercise and don't even notice it anymore.
* Puddings - what they call cakes and desserts. They have small ones that you can microwave and that are the perfect amount of dessert for a family of 5 without being decadent.
* Crocuses, snowdrops and iris' pushing their little heads up through the ground and blooming, despite the cold. They remind me of the will of live and the beauty of God's creation.
* Speaking of beauty, the beauty of the architecture. What a miracle that things so old can be so exquisite. Sometimes, during church, it's hard to listen. I find myself gazing at the beauty of our Parish Church and realize it's a small drop in the bucket of the architectural beauty in England.
* Boots - everyone has them, most people have several pairs. I am dying to buy some, but they all seem to have 8" heels, which are quite out of my range of ability.
* English hothouse leaf lettuce - similar to our Bibb lettuce, but more delicate and tender. Cheap, as well.
* Plug-in water kettles that shut off on their own when the water boils. No more burned-up tea kettles, no annoying whistle, perpetually hot tea water. Don seriously wants to find one that we can use at home. It's an amazing invention. My relatives in Canada use them, so we might try on-line.
* A bus system that's truly amazing. The trains, also.
* Living in a small town - something I've wanted for my entire life. The Lord is so good. This is a dream I never thought would come true.
* Wellies or, for those of you who don't speak English, Wellingtons (rubber boots). They have them at the local garden store in hot pink with purple accents. They have amazing, colorful designs on them, also, and I'd get me a pair if I could think of ANY excuse for wearing them.
* Tea. It just seems to be better over here. (It's probably the cream!!!!)
* Have I mentioned the people?
I'm quite certain there are many more things I could add to this list if I had more time.
Things About England I Won't Miss
* The MUD. It's on all the walls in the front hallway, the front door is coated in it. Everyone's shoes (except mine) will never see white again.
* Attempting (to no avail) to do something, anything, with my hair. The humidity just takes all the body right out of it.
* The Washing Machine. (I think you know the deal here.)
* The beds. The springs in the mattresses poke right through. My first week in the house, my ribs were bruised from the mattress on our bed.
* Being cold EVERY afternoon.
* The dust balls. I vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, and, within hours, the corners of every room have dustballs again. I don't understand it!!
* Homeschooling. While I love the time with my children, we're together 7 days a week, 24 hours a day with very little interruptions. Mommy needs a little break from her sweet children.
* Having no car, although I won't have one at home, either, since I totalled the van before we left for England.
* Not being able to cook or bake because they don't sell ingredients over here.
* Having to go to the library to use the Internet. (Although, the librarians are all lovely people, and I enjoy seeing them and the kids need the break from the house and school.)
* Paying 30 p. ($.60)/min., charged by the second, for my cellphone. (Have you ever heard of such a thing? It's highway robbery!)
* Having no landline phone so I can actually call friends during the day.
* British TV (although we get great movies on Sunday afternoons and enjoy having family movie time together).
* Don working 7 days a week.
* The schedule we have to keep so the children get to see their Daddy before bed - up late, sleep in late ... not exactly the way I like to do things, but some nights, Don's not home from work until 8:30 or 9:00.
* The water - it's so hard, I ruined about 8 pairs of socks our first 2 weeks here and have had to buy new socks for everyone in the family. It also tastes terrible. And it leaves horrible hard water and lime stains on everything.
I think what I'm going to miss far outweighs the negatives. Deanna and I are already getting teary-eyed. Sunday afternoon we had a special candlelight service at church called a Christingle Mass. We sang "Shine, Jesus, Shine" and I got so choked up, I had to stop singing. The line, "Fill this Land with the Father's glory" is what got me. Truly, my prayer for this land and these people is to be filled with the Father's glory.
We have begun to realize that we will leave a part of ourselves behind when we leave England (big lump in throat - I'm glad I'm writing and not talking). Ssomething of who we are as individuals and as a family was redefined while in England. We will never be the same again.
Thank you, Lord, for this Land, your people here, and the beauty of England. And thank you for allowing us to glimpse it and be a part of it, even if it was just a short time.
* The simplicity of life
* The people - absolute strangers who stop you on the street to visit because they've heard your accent and figured out you're American.
* Extra thick double cream - you've never had anything like this in the States. It's so thick, you have to spoon it out, but not sweet. Pure, dairy goodness.
* The amount of quality time I have with my children.
* Single cream - perfect for coffee or tea.
* Double cream with Corvoisier and Brandy, with Amaretto, with Cointreau (notice a pattern here?) They have these in plentiful supply during Christmas. I stocked up at the after-Christmas sale - on 26 containers. I'm now down to 6. Think I've gained any weight while in England?
* The church bells at the Parish Church (only about 4 or 5 blocks from our house) calling us to morning worship. They're rung the old-fashioned way with a team of people hand-pulling them weekly. Each Parish has its own melody. The sound from the steeple echoes off the buildings and pavement and resounds in the crisp, quiet morning air. They're so clear and bold, a sound I will never forget and will always miss.
* The people - kind, inquisitive, sensitive, loving, friendly, warm - the real jewel of England.
* A kitchen windowsill so cold that I keep my ice water and tea on it.
* A lack of "stuff" to clutter our lives and minds.
* How quickly I can clean the WHOLE house.
* My friends - Anne, Kim, Monika (and their spouses), Freda, Jan and Rupert, Guy ...
* The Cul-de-sac
* My children playing outside for HOURS at a time.
* The people - the smiles I'm always greeted with as we walk down the street or encounter people in the grocery store.
* Crumpets and white chocolate (or Belgian chocolate) spread.
* Beautiful (and cheap) cut flowers in the stores. Last week, I found tulips marked down to 50 p. a bunch. I bought 2 bunches of about 9 tulips each for a whopping $2.
* Seasons - a real Winter, complete with frost and cold weather
* Fish and Chips - you've never tasted anything so good unless you've visited England. Cod that's battered to perfection and fried so it tastes buttery and so tender, it literally melts in your mouth.
* Being able to walk EVERYWHERE. We really get a tremendous amount of exercise and don't even notice it anymore.
* Puddings - what they call cakes and desserts. They have small ones that you can microwave and that are the perfect amount of dessert for a family of 5 without being decadent.
* Crocuses, snowdrops and iris' pushing their little heads up through the ground and blooming, despite the cold. They remind me of the will of live and the beauty of God's creation.
* Speaking of beauty, the beauty of the architecture. What a miracle that things so old can be so exquisite. Sometimes, during church, it's hard to listen. I find myself gazing at the beauty of our Parish Church and realize it's a small drop in the bucket of the architectural beauty in England.
* Boots - everyone has them, most people have several pairs. I am dying to buy some, but they all seem to have 8" heels, which are quite out of my range of ability.
* English hothouse leaf lettuce - similar to our Bibb lettuce, but more delicate and tender. Cheap, as well.
* Plug-in water kettles that shut off on their own when the water boils. No more burned-up tea kettles, no annoying whistle, perpetually hot tea water. Don seriously wants to find one that we can use at home. It's an amazing invention. My relatives in Canada use them, so we might try on-line.
* A bus system that's truly amazing. The trains, also.
* Living in a small town - something I've wanted for my entire life. The Lord is so good. This is a dream I never thought would come true.
* Wellies or, for those of you who don't speak English, Wellingtons (rubber boots). They have them at the local garden store in hot pink with purple accents. They have amazing, colorful designs on them, also, and I'd get me a pair if I could think of ANY excuse for wearing them.
* Tea. It just seems to be better over here. (It's probably the cream!!!!)
* Have I mentioned the people?
I'm quite certain there are many more things I could add to this list if I had more time.
Things About England I Won't Miss
* The MUD. It's on all the walls in the front hallway, the front door is coated in it. Everyone's shoes (except mine) will never see white again.
* Attempting (to no avail) to do something, anything, with my hair. The humidity just takes all the body right out of it.
* The Washing Machine. (I think you know the deal here.)
* The beds. The springs in the mattresses poke right through. My first week in the house, my ribs were bruised from the mattress on our bed.
* Being cold EVERY afternoon.
* The dust balls. I vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, and, within hours, the corners of every room have dustballs again. I don't understand it!!
* Homeschooling. While I love the time with my children, we're together 7 days a week, 24 hours a day with very little interruptions. Mommy needs a little break from her sweet children.
* Having no car, although I won't have one at home, either, since I totalled the van before we left for England.
* Not being able to cook or bake because they don't sell ingredients over here.
* Having to go to the library to use the Internet. (Although, the librarians are all lovely people, and I enjoy seeing them and the kids need the break from the house and school.)
* Paying 30 p. ($.60)/min., charged by the second, for my cellphone. (Have you ever heard of such a thing? It's highway robbery!)
* Having no landline phone so I can actually call friends during the day.
* British TV (although we get great movies on Sunday afternoons and enjoy having family movie time together).
* Don working 7 days a week.
* The schedule we have to keep so the children get to see their Daddy before bed - up late, sleep in late ... not exactly the way I like to do things, but some nights, Don's not home from work until 8:30 or 9:00.
* The water - it's so hard, I ruined about 8 pairs of socks our first 2 weeks here and have had to buy new socks for everyone in the family. It also tastes terrible. And it leaves horrible hard water and lime stains on everything.
I think what I'm going to miss far outweighs the negatives. Deanna and I are already getting teary-eyed. Sunday afternoon we had a special candlelight service at church called a Christingle Mass. We sang "Shine, Jesus, Shine" and I got so choked up, I had to stop singing. The line, "Fill this Land with the Father's glory" is what got me. Truly, my prayer for this land and these people is to be filled with the Father's glory.
We have begun to realize that we will leave a part of ourselves behind when we leave England (big lump in throat - I'm glad I'm writing and not talking). Ssomething of who we are as individuals and as a family was redefined while in England. We will never be the same again.
Thank you, Lord, for this Land, your people here, and the beauty of England. And thank you for allowing us to glimpse it and be a part of it, even if it was just a short time.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
A Little Bit English
I've been just itching to get back to the Library to post again. The children ran over to my friend, Kim's, house on Saturday evening to see if Lucy could go to church with us on Sunday. They told Kim we were staying another two weeks and she got so excited, she came over to visit. She and her husband, Kevin, were going out for the evening, so she came over all dressed up while Kevin got ready. We had a cup of tea standing in the kitchen and she began telling me how excited she was that we were staying.
"I know you're probably not happy, but the children and I are thrilled," she said. Then she began telling me about the impact we've had on her.
"Sam (her 4-yr. old who plays with Daelyn) asked me the other day what gas was," she told us. "I said it was when you have a tummy ache."
" 'No!' Sam said. 'Not that kind of gas. The kind you put in a car.'
Kim: "That's Petrol, baby, not gas."
Sam: "It is SO gas. Daelyn told me."
Kim: "That's the American word, Sam. The Americans call it gas. We call it petrol."
Sam: "It's GAS, Mama. That's what Daelyn says. You put GAS in your car."
She went on to explain that her daughter, Lucy, no longer calls her "Mum", as she has since she began talking. She's now "Mama" with a distinctive southern drawl. And, unlike everyone else in the U.K., who call our country "America", Lucy now calls it the U.S., again, with a southern drawl.
Kim had me in tears I laughed so hard listening to her imitation of her children imitating us. Then I explained that we're dealing with the same issue on our end.
Sunday morning after church, while waiting in the coffee line for my tea and biscuit in the family room, Daelyn ran up to me.
"Mum," he said, "where's the bin (English for garbage can)?
"Why do you need a bin, son?" I asked.
"For my biscuit (cookie). I don't like it and need to throw it in the bin."
Boots are now Wellies (short for Wellingtons, English rubber boots) and the kids request tea to drink when we go out. Deanna uses the word "mind" for "pay attention to" as in "Mind the gap", which you hear incessantly in the London tube stations, encouraging you to watch the gap between the platform and the train upon entering and exiting. We're not even quite sure how deeply we have been influenced by these English.
Anyway, Kim and Kevin are making plans to visit us for 5 days next March. Kim has a brother in Baltimore and they plan on flying into Atlanta, renting a car and driving to Augusta, then heading through Virginia to her brother's for a week or so. I'm in the process of encouraging my friend, Ann, to consider the same.
Don's home right now. He hopped on a plane Sunday morning, arrived home Sunday night, and gets back on a plane Tuesday afternoon for Manchester. He had to restart the clock at work on his away time, or he'd lose his security clearance.
I'm dying to tell you about our week with the rental car, but the library closes for lunch in 15 minutes and I've just gotten a 3-min. warning, so it'll have to wait until next time.
For the Shrewsbury's - Mark and Rose, we tried our darnedest to get to Shrewsbury in Wales on Thursday. I'm told it's a lovely town and I wanted to visit your namesake, but I was just too tired to spend 4 more hours driving. Perhaps we'll have another chance. In any case, I've been thinking of you and love you both. By the way, they pronounce it Shrowsbury. Can't wait to get home and talk with you about it.
Love to all. Hope to write again soon.
"I know you're probably not happy, but the children and I are thrilled," she said. Then she began telling me about the impact we've had on her.
"Sam (her 4-yr. old who plays with Daelyn) asked me the other day what gas was," she told us. "I said it was when you have a tummy ache."
" 'No!' Sam said. 'Not that kind of gas. The kind you put in a car.'
Kim: "That's Petrol, baby, not gas."
Sam: "It is SO gas. Daelyn told me."
Kim: "That's the American word, Sam. The Americans call it gas. We call it petrol."
Sam: "It's GAS, Mama. That's what Daelyn says. You put GAS in your car."
She went on to explain that her daughter, Lucy, no longer calls her "Mum", as she has since she began talking. She's now "Mama" with a distinctive southern drawl. And, unlike everyone else in the U.K., who call our country "America", Lucy now calls it the U.S., again, with a southern drawl.
Kim had me in tears I laughed so hard listening to her imitation of her children imitating us. Then I explained that we're dealing with the same issue on our end.
Sunday morning after church, while waiting in the coffee line for my tea and biscuit in the family room, Daelyn ran up to me.
"Mum," he said, "where's the bin (English for garbage can)?
"Why do you need a bin, son?" I asked.
"For my biscuit (cookie). I don't like it and need to throw it in the bin."
Boots are now Wellies (short for Wellingtons, English rubber boots) and the kids request tea to drink when we go out. Deanna uses the word "mind" for "pay attention to" as in "Mind the gap", which you hear incessantly in the London tube stations, encouraging you to watch the gap between the platform and the train upon entering and exiting. We're not even quite sure how deeply we have been influenced by these English.
Anyway, Kim and Kevin are making plans to visit us for 5 days next March. Kim has a brother in Baltimore and they plan on flying into Atlanta, renting a car and driving to Augusta, then heading through Virginia to her brother's for a week or so. I'm in the process of encouraging my friend, Ann, to consider the same.
Don's home right now. He hopped on a plane Sunday morning, arrived home Sunday night, and gets back on a plane Tuesday afternoon for Manchester. He had to restart the clock at work on his away time, or he'd lose his security clearance.
I'm dying to tell you about our week with the rental car, but the library closes for lunch in 15 minutes and I've just gotten a 3-min. warning, so it'll have to wait until next time.
For the Shrewsbury's - Mark and Rose, we tried our darnedest to get to Shrewsbury in Wales on Thursday. I'm told it's a lovely town and I wanted to visit your namesake, but I was just too tired to spend 4 more hours driving. Perhaps we'll have another chance. In any case, I've been thinking of you and love you both. By the way, they pronounce it Shrowsbury. Can't wait to get home and talk with you about it.
Love to all. Hope to write again soon.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Storms and Coasts
Gosh, I didn't realize it had been so long since my last Post. We've been awfully busy.
First off, Happy New Year!! Don and I were so exhausted on New Year's Eve after our trip to London that we headed to bed early. I was awokened at midnight by all the fireworks, but fell quickly back asleep. Don and the children never stirred.
A few notes about Christmas. Last year, I started a new tradition on Christmas Eve night. Since we go to 5:30 church, we always eat dinner when we get home. I wanted to have something special, something traditional, for Christmas Eve dinner. After much thought, I finally came up with the idea of Fondue. We had a wonderful time, it was fun, and the children liked it, so we decided to continue the tradition. This year, however, I wasn't sure what to do with being here. I was telling a friend from church about it and she volunteered her fondue pot and recipe. So we got our fondue after all.
Once again, I was so excited on Christmas Eve night that I could barely sleep. I stayed up until after midnight to call my sisters and tell them Merry Christmas. We talked until about 1 a.m., when I finally headed up the stairs to bed. But I couldn't sleep. Finally, at 4 a.m., in frustration, I woke Don up and asked him what was wrong with his children. How could any NORMAL kids sleep that late on Christmas morning? He tried VERY hard to woo me to sleep, but to no avail. Around 6, after two hours of me tossing, turning, and fussing, the children finally woke. But I got a nice nap. We usually are fairly rushed to get the presents opened, get dressed and go to Mom's. This year, we took all the time we wanted, ate when dinner was ready, and stayed in pajamas at least half the day. It was peaceful and fun - a wonderful family time. We missed our families and the usual commotion of Christmas, but different was nice, also.
Now, to the present. I started getting really depressed about 2 weeks ago. I was just ready to come home. I was tired of being housebound doing schoolwork with the kids, tired of strange foods and not being able to cook, tired of the rain and mud and cold, and feeling very lonely for my friends. I tried to call a few people, which helped a little, but I was really starting to feel depressed, which is unlike me.
I talked with my friend, Anne, and told her how I was feeling.
"Oh, Patti, I'm so sorry I've neglected you," she said. "What you need is some hospitality."
See what I mean? Aren't these people lovely?
She had the children and I over for lunch and spoiled us rotten. She decided to have an American Diner motif, so she made the kids milkshakes and hamburgers for lunch, then we had banana splits for dessert. She had walked to our house to pick us up (the kids can't ride in cars because, by law, both Dane and Daelyn must be in carseats) and walk us to her house. It was raining and we were drenched by the time we got there. She fired up the gas fireplace, put a Disney movie on for the kids (Lady and the Tramp - one of Deanna's favorites), then put on the tea kettle for us. We sat in the kitchen and visited over tea while she made lunch and the children laid around on the carpet in front of the fireplace watching a good old American movie. It was a lovely afternoon - I hated to leave. But it did the trick . . . for a while.
About a week later, I was feeling blue again, but didn't have the heart to tell Anne. She's already done so much for us. We ran into each other at church and she invited the children and me to join her for tea on Tuesday at a cafe in town. I was thrilled - an excuse to get out of the house. It's just this - Deanna was a little behind in school, and we needed to get caught up. I thought Dane was behind, also, but I spoke with his teacher and discovered he's really about 2 weeks ahead. I want to get Deanna to where she's a couple of weeks ahead, too, so she'll have time to rest from jetlag when we get home and acclamate a little easier to sitting in a classroom after three months. So we've been working HARD and long. We've discovered some rather negative things about some of the boys in our neighborhood (when Daelyn was chanting a filthy word in the kitchen one day. Thankfully, he had no idea what the word meant or that it was a curseword, so I just told him I didn't think it was a nice word and he shouldn't use it any more. He said okay and that was it.) and decided it was best if our boys had very little to do with them. Our friends two doors down are no problem and Daelyn and Deanna still have playmates, but not Dane, and it's very difficult when there are children in the neighborhood that you don't want your children to play with. So the kids are lonely, I'm lonely, and it costs us £4 to take the bus ANYWHERE, which is $8, a little steep just to get out of the house.
Anyhow, Anne invited us for tea. We had a lovely tea with hot scones (they don't pronouce the o the long way - they say it ah) but the children were getting a little antsy and Anne and I hadn't quite finished. Across the parking lot from the cafe is the village green and park, so I asked Deanna to take the boys over the play while we finished up. I paid the bill and had just put on my coat when I saw Daelyn running towards me without his siblings. I knew something was wrong. I looked towards the park and saw Deanna walking towards the cafe with her arm around Dane. I ran to them. Dane had fallen off the see-saw (with a little help from Sissy who was trying to give him a really good ride), hit it, and split his ear open. He was bleeding profusely and obviously needed stitches. Anne took me immediately across the street to her doctor (there are some real advantages to living in a small town - everything's right down the street or right across the street) who looked at Dane and agreed that his ear needed stitches. The ear was cut clean through in the lobe and needed to be sutured from the front AND back. He also had a bad knot behind his ear and the doc thought he needed an X-ray. I called Don who came home and met us on the way. Deanna was very upset and Dane was hysterical. My little girl blamed herself, of course, and Dane was in real pain. Daelyn just saw the whole thing as an adventure.
Don took Deanna and Daelyn home and Dane and I boarded a bus for the hospital. Navigating the English medical system is interesting and certainly leaves no doubt in my mind that private healthcare is a far better system that national healthcare. We got into the doctor rather promptly, but the nurses treat the patients, not the doctors. The doctor came over, looked at the ear for about 2 seconds, then pronounced judgement and the nurses were left to complete the task. He said no X-ray and no stitches - all Dane needed was glue and steri-strips. Interesting, considering I had asked the doctor in Culcheth if they could glue it back together and he said no. He also sent us to the hospital specifically FOR the X-ray. The ER doc spent quite a bit of time telling me how much better English medicine is than American, but Dane's steri-strips came off yesterday, and his ear is not joined and will have a permanent disfigurement. I have a few strong opinions about National Healthcare.
That was Tuesday of last week. We were planning a trip to Glasgow last weekend, but it fell through Wednesday night, so we needed to go into Warrington to the train station to see if we could get our tickets refunded before Friday. The kids and I did our chores and some schoolwork on Thursday morning, then headed to the bus stop. The wind was very strong and cold, and we laughed about Mary Poppins' east wind. Our bus never showed, and we finally, 45 minutes later, took a different one. Turns out, they had hurricane-force winds of up to 99 mph, and there we were standing at the bus station, oblivious. Trees had been uprooted everywhere and chimneys had been blow into the streets. Don told us he even heard about two cars that lost their tops. Roads were closed everywhere. A bridge coming out of Warrington was overturned and there we were, sitting on the bus. All the highways had been closed because of the winds and traffic was being routed through Warrington, so between the tripled traffic and the closed roads, it was, literally, bumper to bumper. It usually takes 25 minutes on the bus to get to town - we sat on it for 2 1/2 hours before we finally got off and walked into town. We got our refund, but there was no way to get home. We talked to Don (thank God for my cellphone) who suggested we have dinner at the Pub and then walk to the hotel. One of his co-workers volunteered her room for us to hang out at until the Highways opened back up and the roads cleared, which was supposed to happen around 7:OO.
Anyway, the computer just warned me that I only have 5 minutes before they shut me down, so I'd better move along. We ended up staying at the hotel overnight in two of Don's co-workers rooms and they spent the night at our house. They couldn't get to the hotel, we couldn't get home.
This week, we rented a car. I decided that I had to see somemore of England. We picked it up on Monday with a sack lunch in tow, and headed for the Lake District. On Tuesday, we went to Scarborough and Whitby on the North Sea (the East Coast of England), yesterday we went to Stratford-upon-Avon (YAY, YAY) and, today, to Wales.
We won't be coming home on the 31st after all. Don expects to get us new tickets today for Feb. 16. I'll write more about that next time but, for now, goodbye, my friends. Cheers.
First off, Happy New Year!! Don and I were so exhausted on New Year's Eve after our trip to London that we headed to bed early. I was awokened at midnight by all the fireworks, but fell quickly back asleep. Don and the children never stirred.
A few notes about Christmas. Last year, I started a new tradition on Christmas Eve night. Since we go to 5:30 church, we always eat dinner when we get home. I wanted to have something special, something traditional, for Christmas Eve dinner. After much thought, I finally came up with the idea of Fondue. We had a wonderful time, it was fun, and the children liked it, so we decided to continue the tradition. This year, however, I wasn't sure what to do with being here. I was telling a friend from church about it and she volunteered her fondue pot and recipe. So we got our fondue after all.
Once again, I was so excited on Christmas Eve night that I could barely sleep. I stayed up until after midnight to call my sisters and tell them Merry Christmas. We talked until about 1 a.m., when I finally headed up the stairs to bed. But I couldn't sleep. Finally, at 4 a.m., in frustration, I woke Don up and asked him what was wrong with his children. How could any NORMAL kids sleep that late on Christmas morning? He tried VERY hard to woo me to sleep, but to no avail. Around 6, after two hours of me tossing, turning, and fussing, the children finally woke. But I got a nice nap. We usually are fairly rushed to get the presents opened, get dressed and go to Mom's. This year, we took all the time we wanted, ate when dinner was ready, and stayed in pajamas at least half the day. It was peaceful and fun - a wonderful family time. We missed our families and the usual commotion of Christmas, but different was nice, also.
Now, to the present. I started getting really depressed about 2 weeks ago. I was just ready to come home. I was tired of being housebound doing schoolwork with the kids, tired of strange foods and not being able to cook, tired of the rain and mud and cold, and feeling very lonely for my friends. I tried to call a few people, which helped a little, but I was really starting to feel depressed, which is unlike me.
I talked with my friend, Anne, and told her how I was feeling.
"Oh, Patti, I'm so sorry I've neglected you," she said. "What you need is some hospitality."
See what I mean? Aren't these people lovely?
She had the children and I over for lunch and spoiled us rotten. She decided to have an American Diner motif, so she made the kids milkshakes and hamburgers for lunch, then we had banana splits for dessert. She had walked to our house to pick us up (the kids can't ride in cars because, by law, both Dane and Daelyn must be in carseats) and walk us to her house. It was raining and we were drenched by the time we got there. She fired up the gas fireplace, put a Disney movie on for the kids (Lady and the Tramp - one of Deanna's favorites), then put on the tea kettle for us. We sat in the kitchen and visited over tea while she made lunch and the children laid around on the carpet in front of the fireplace watching a good old American movie. It was a lovely afternoon - I hated to leave. But it did the trick . . . for a while.
About a week later, I was feeling blue again, but didn't have the heart to tell Anne. She's already done so much for us. We ran into each other at church and she invited the children and me to join her for tea on Tuesday at a cafe in town. I was thrilled - an excuse to get out of the house. It's just this - Deanna was a little behind in school, and we needed to get caught up. I thought Dane was behind, also, but I spoke with his teacher and discovered he's really about 2 weeks ahead. I want to get Deanna to where she's a couple of weeks ahead, too, so she'll have time to rest from jetlag when we get home and acclamate a little easier to sitting in a classroom after three months. So we've been working HARD and long. We've discovered some rather negative things about some of the boys in our neighborhood (when Daelyn was chanting a filthy word in the kitchen one day. Thankfully, he had no idea what the word meant or that it was a curseword, so I just told him I didn't think it was a nice word and he shouldn't use it any more. He said okay and that was it.) and decided it was best if our boys had very little to do with them. Our friends two doors down are no problem and Daelyn and Deanna still have playmates, but not Dane, and it's very difficult when there are children in the neighborhood that you don't want your children to play with. So the kids are lonely, I'm lonely, and it costs us £4 to take the bus ANYWHERE, which is $8, a little steep just to get out of the house.
Anyhow, Anne invited us for tea. We had a lovely tea with hot scones (they don't pronouce the o the long way - they say it ah) but the children were getting a little antsy and Anne and I hadn't quite finished. Across the parking lot from the cafe is the village green and park, so I asked Deanna to take the boys over the play while we finished up. I paid the bill and had just put on my coat when I saw Daelyn running towards me without his siblings. I knew something was wrong. I looked towards the park and saw Deanna walking towards the cafe with her arm around Dane. I ran to them. Dane had fallen off the see-saw (with a little help from Sissy who was trying to give him a really good ride), hit it, and split his ear open. He was bleeding profusely and obviously needed stitches. Anne took me immediately across the street to her doctor (there are some real advantages to living in a small town - everything's right down the street or right across the street) who looked at Dane and agreed that his ear needed stitches. The ear was cut clean through in the lobe and needed to be sutured from the front AND back. He also had a bad knot behind his ear and the doc thought he needed an X-ray. I called Don who came home and met us on the way. Deanna was very upset and Dane was hysterical. My little girl blamed herself, of course, and Dane was in real pain. Daelyn just saw the whole thing as an adventure.
Don took Deanna and Daelyn home and Dane and I boarded a bus for the hospital. Navigating the English medical system is interesting and certainly leaves no doubt in my mind that private healthcare is a far better system that national healthcare. We got into the doctor rather promptly, but the nurses treat the patients, not the doctors. The doctor came over, looked at the ear for about 2 seconds, then pronounced judgement and the nurses were left to complete the task. He said no X-ray and no stitches - all Dane needed was glue and steri-strips. Interesting, considering I had asked the doctor in Culcheth if they could glue it back together and he said no. He also sent us to the hospital specifically FOR the X-ray. The ER doc spent quite a bit of time telling me how much better English medicine is than American, but Dane's steri-strips came off yesterday, and his ear is not joined and will have a permanent disfigurement. I have a few strong opinions about National Healthcare.
That was Tuesday of last week. We were planning a trip to Glasgow last weekend, but it fell through Wednesday night, so we needed to go into Warrington to the train station to see if we could get our tickets refunded before Friday. The kids and I did our chores and some schoolwork on Thursday morning, then headed to the bus stop. The wind was very strong and cold, and we laughed about Mary Poppins' east wind. Our bus never showed, and we finally, 45 minutes later, took a different one. Turns out, they had hurricane-force winds of up to 99 mph, and there we were standing at the bus station, oblivious. Trees had been uprooted everywhere and chimneys had been blow into the streets. Don told us he even heard about two cars that lost their tops. Roads were closed everywhere. A bridge coming out of Warrington was overturned and there we were, sitting on the bus. All the highways had been closed because of the winds and traffic was being routed through Warrington, so between the tripled traffic and the closed roads, it was, literally, bumper to bumper. It usually takes 25 minutes on the bus to get to town - we sat on it for 2 1/2 hours before we finally got off and walked into town. We got our refund, but there was no way to get home. We talked to Don (thank God for my cellphone) who suggested we have dinner at the Pub and then walk to the hotel. One of his co-workers volunteered her room for us to hang out at until the Highways opened back up and the roads cleared, which was supposed to happen around 7:OO.
Anyway, the computer just warned me that I only have 5 minutes before they shut me down, so I'd better move along. We ended up staying at the hotel overnight in two of Don's co-workers rooms and they spent the night at our house. They couldn't get to the hotel, we couldn't get home.
This week, we rented a car. I decided that I had to see somemore of England. We picked it up on Monday with a sack lunch in tow, and headed for the Lake District. On Tuesday, we went to Scarborough and Whitby on the North Sea (the East Coast of England), yesterday we went to Stratford-upon-Avon (YAY, YAY) and, today, to Wales.
We won't be coming home on the 31st after all. Don expects to get us new tickets today for Feb. 16. I'll write more about that next time but, for now, goodbye, my friends. Cheers.
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