Biscuits and Gravy

Snow!

2012-02-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

It finally, FINALLY, snowed here yesterday. It started late in the afternoon and we watched and watched and watched out the window the entire evening. Gauging the size of the snowflakes, how fast they were falling, and how hard the wind was blowing. We were transfixed by the winter swirling around outside our windows. After the kids grudgingly went to bed with hopes of massive snow falling throughout the night, is really when Mother Nature started her show. Big, heavy flakes fell and covered everything. The streets were completely white with snow, you couldn't even see where the street ended and the sidewalks began.

Personally, I had been waiting for the snow to come, believing that it probably would not happen this year, maybe next. So, after Joe and Joci were snuggled down in their beds, I went for a walk by myself in the snow. As I walked I was amazed at how quiet it was. I could hear the snow hitting the trees, the wind whipping the snow all around me, but mostly into my face. I saw cute little animals tracks in the snow as I walked down to the park and then back through our secret path that we picked blackberries along in the summertime. I listened to my snow boots (first time I've ever worn them) crunching the snow, almost echoing in the quietness of the night. I'm sure some people that saw me, there weren't many, probably thought I was mad, smiling away so happy to finally be in the snow. But, I don't care. I've always wanted to live somewhere that had some snow, had a winter to experience, and it was finally here.

I almost cried I was so happy.

When I finally came home, Jon came out and we made a little snowman outside the front door for the kids in the morning and even threw a few snowballs at each other.

The next day, Joe excitedly woke us up exclaiming that it had snowed! Joci slept for almost another hour and then came down stairs to tell us that it had snowed! Both of them were so excited to get out and play in it. I made them eat a hot breakfast before getting dressed in layers to play in the snow.

First up were snow angels and then a huge snowman. I have never actually rolled the snowball that makes the snowman and thus the kids did a better job of this than me. Making the snowman was definitely Joci's favorite thing. She enjoyed putting the carrot on for a nose and placing the stones for his eyes, smile, and buttons down the front. Of course, our snowman was a Bears fan, wearing a Bears ski hat.

Jon shoveled the driveway, front walk, and sidewalks using the extra snow to help the kids make a snow fort next to the front door. Sadly, the both had no idea what Jon was trying to show them to do. Eventually, though, we got the fort made and the snowball fight ensued. We didn't pelt them too badly with our snowballs, after all, Jon throws a truly WICKED snowball.

After we finally came in from our winter wonderland fun, Jon made a nice warming lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Later, he made a fantastic roast beef dinner complete with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts, yum. While Jon took a nap, preparing to stay up really late to watch the Superbowl at a friend's house, the kids and I played Joe's new Doctor Who game, of which he pretty much ground Joci and I into the ground.

It was a great day, one that I hope to remember for a really long time.

Christ Church Cathedral

2012-01-25T16:28:00.000-07:00

After the Dublinia exhibit, we headed into Christ Church Cathedral. I'm such a sucker for European Cathedrals. The most beautiful one I've ever been in was Notre Dame in Reims, France. However, Christ Church in Dublin was gorgeous, and they also gave access to the 'catacombes' (basement, really) under the church.

Stained glass windows, and the intricacies of the stone and marble sarcophagus always astonish me in how beautiful and respectful they are. I find myself staring at them, sometimes overcome with a sense of awe in the devotion it must have taken to make such beautiful works of art.

I hope you enjoy these pictures of this beautiful cathedral.

Strongbow's Effigy. Don't know who Strongbow was? Check out here.

I loved this gorgeous little statue in the cathedral.

Costumes used in 'The Tudors' cable tv show. If you haven't watched it, watch it. I was fascinated by the display of costumes they had, and apparently much of the series was actually filmed in Ireland.

Dublinia

2012-01-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Dublin is, in essence, a Viking settlement? There is a large museum, Dublinia, hosted inside Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, all about the Vikings while they ruled Dublin. Did you know that Leif Ericson is thought to have discovered American in 1000AD? Well, we had a good time exploring the Dublinia museum and learning lots of new things about the Vikings.

Our cute little Vikings!

The Dublin Zoo

2012-01-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

Jon and I have been talking a lot about how we need to incorporate the kids more into our travels. That's not to say that we don't take them. But, I think while we are touring and driving and discovering so many amazing things about Europe we need to do a better job of including them in the history or information of what we are experiencing. True, we've done this, and most of the time, they could care less. But we believe it's very important that they understand and remember these times that we are experiencing right now.

Ireland was a big part of this process. And so, the first full day of Ireland we decided we would do something really fun for the kids. We went to the Dublin zoo and had an amazing time. Jon had a 'moment' with one of the chimpanzees as he looked at him through the glass in a weird, kind of knowing way. I joked with him that he was wondering how Jon got out. Joci followed Joe trying to jump a mud puddle and landed, unfortunately, face first into said mud hole with her arms tucked inside her jacket. She was quite literally covered head to toe in mud. I was never so happy that I brought some wipes in my purse that day.

This sweet tiger was pacing back and forth right in front of a huge glass window for us.


This big guy was amazing. He was begging for pieces of our apple, but didn't put forth a lot of effort to do it. He just sat there and held out his hand.

An African Sulcata tortoise just like what our tortoise at home will look like when he is older.

Joe had so much fun snapping pictures of all the animals.

Who is that adorable little penguin in the back there?

The California Sea Lions were hilarious. They swam around and would play king of the platforms with each other. We decided that they must have been siblings as much as they fought and played at the same time.

Joci's favorite animal in the zoo is the Flamingo. We had to circle back just so we could get a picture of her in front of them. Side note...here you can see some remnants of the mud puddle that Jocelyn fell into.

I'm not sure how this little red panda found such comfort being perched up on top of this pole, but he looks cozy to me.

Love this picture of the kids.

Holyhead, Wales

2012-01-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

We decided a while ago to take a holiday starting the day after Christmas. At first we were looking at Italy, or even Egypt, but ended up with Ireland.

Originally we were going to drive down to Cork and all of us kiss the Blarney Stone, but since I had been sick and in the hospital with pneumonia and my Irish doctor was telling that he would prefer I not kiss the most germ infected piece of stone in the world, we decided to stay in and around Dublin.

We were going to take the ferry across from Holyhead, Wales over to Dublin Ireland. The ferry is about a 3 1/2 hour trip. This time we sprung for the individual cabins, and I'm so glad we did. The ferry was absolutely packed with people just laying about on the floor in places. Being in the cabin we were able to turn some music on so Joci could do a little dancing and Joe played some games for a bit. Big bonus was that we had our own toilet as well.

But, before the ferry trip we had a bit of a layover in Holyhead. It's a cute little port town, and not too far from port there was a lovely little beach that we decided to spend some time at. Jon took the kids for a little hike up the side of one cliff, one at a time, and I took some photos. I love taking pictures of the sea, the colors are always so beautiful, even on overcast days. At the top of the bluff was an old battery building in ruins that was fun to climb in and around.

Joe had a really great time as it was the first chance he got to use the new camera he got for Christmas. He was so excited, learning about his camera and taking pictures. He actually told me at one point that taking photos was his new passion. So sweet.

Children's Assembly

2012-01-05T05:56:00.000-07:00

Both kids had assemblies in December.

Joe had a pirate assembly. He had to learn a song, and also did a reading (that he wrote) about the blunderbuss. The song we heard before and were expecting him to do a good job at. We didn't know about the reading, though, until at the assembly when he stood up and read so well, never missing a line, never stammering, and read. We were so proud of him and pleased that he did such a great job.

Joci had a traditional Christmas assembly. She was a sweet, beautiful angel. During the assembly she had a slight wardrobe malfunction with her halo, but she picked it up and carried on with it.

Happy Birthday Joseph!

2012-01-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet little boy. These wishes are a little late this year as Mummy was in the hospital with pneumonia for the week leading up to Joe's birthday. I was finally able to come home the afternoon of Joe's Birthday, just in time to see the joy on his face when he opened the door coming home from school and I was there to meet him. Both he and Joci ran to me and gave me huge hugs, as happy to have me home as I was to be home.

Joe had the best surprise when he woke up the morning of his birthday and found that it was snowing! He had never seen it snow before and so it was a fantastic surprise for him on his birthday.

Daddy did a fantastic job of making sure Joe was happy on his birthday, even though I couldn't be there. Joe got to wear his favorite coat and bow tie to school, and he got his favorite breakfast, pancakes!

The next day Joe had his friends over for a Doctor Who birthday party. Daddy set up the Xbox for a great time for all the kids and even exploded two ENORMOUS confetti canons over the children, much to their surprise.

Jon did such an amazing job making sure that Joe's Birthday was a great success since I was unable to help much at all. Except when he tried to chop the end of his finger off making dinner for the children.

Our Joe is growing so fast and becoming such a big boy. He's so full of ideas and observations. He's still the sweetest boy ever, and the girls all still love him for it. He loves to learn and has been working really hard in school. He has loads of friends, his closest being Sam and Amy. He's still not much into sports, but loves arts and crafts and reading. He loves his Horrid Henry books, and of course, anything to do with animals. Eight sure did come fast. It doesn't seem like that long ago he was just a little baby. Joe still promises me, daily, that he will always love me, give me hugs and snuggles, even when he's a teenager, and I believe him.

Happy Birthday Joseph! We all love you so much!

Holland Park, Kensington, Chelsea, and Notting Hill

2011-12-05T15:34:00.001-07:00

After we had a blast at the Dr. Who Experience we decided to get some lunch and then take a walk. We just happened to stop at an Italian restaurant right across the street from Holland park. Curious we decided to see what it was and found that it was a beautiful park. Full of 'secret' paths that led this way and that with little hidden treasure gardens all throughout. There was a Japanese garden, a playground, a chess set, peacocks, an ornamental garden, a stately house, the list goes on. It was truly magnificent. We walked all through Holland park and came out over near Notting Hill.

We decided to take a little break at McDonalds, mostly to rest our feet and get a drink, and noticed a large mural on the wall with Portobello Market on it. We had never heard of it, but thought since it was painted on the wall, it must be significant, right? Well, it was HUGE, and that is putting it mildly. There were more people there than can be imagined and the stalls went on and on for what seemed like a mile. Tons of 'antiques', food, lace, purses, copper, silver, etc. I found a really beautiful wall hanging that was turquoise and hand beaded, but a bit expensive at 43 quid. I regret not buying it, but it simply wasn't in the budget. We ate, and then stumbled upon a Mexican food stall, and I so badly wanted to try it but was just too stuffed to eat anymore.

We rode the train home, tired but thrilled with our spontaneous detour we took on our time in London.

Walking into Holland Park

Holland House

A typical house in Kensington, quite posh.

Part of Portobello Market

Entrance to Holland Park

Back to London and The Dr. Who Experience

2011-11-21T14:33:00.001-07:00

We have been wanting to do the Dr. Who experience for the kids for awhile now and decided to just do it already. We left for London early and went straight to the Dr. Who Experience. It was a surprise for the kids as they didn't know where we were going until we got into a taxi to get there.

The Experience was so much fun. I knew the kids would have a great time, but Jon and I definitely did as well. Since being in England we have been watching Dr. Who as a family quite a bit and it is Joe's favorite right now. He went as the Dr. for Halloween and is obsessed with all the toys, etc., as well. Joci really likes Dr. Who as well and so it was a great choice. We got to drive the Tardis and we were attacked by Daleks. Then we flew into the space/time vortex in a 3D wormhole. The kids took some fun pictures, of them flying away with the Tardis and driving the Tardis, and I got lots of pictures of the different aliens and costumes.

Old Wardour Castle

2011-11-20T05:16:00.001-07:00

After we visited Stonehenge we still had quite a bit of time and decided to look through our new English Heritage book for an idea of something close by that we could go and see. We ended up at Old Wardour castle. The castle is beautiful, romantic, and absolutely fascinating. The castle was built in the late 1300's and then destroyed in the English civil war in 1644. A new castle was built on the property leaving this one as Old Wardour castle.

To get to the castle we followed our sat nav down many one lane roads, that were lined by a beautiful wood shedding it's leaves into the autumn air. One of the most gorgeous drives I've ever been on. At the end of this winding road was one of the most serene estates with a reflective lake and rolling hills all around, and...quiet. It was so quiet there. We even saw two deer meandering through a meadow close by.

The most amazing part of the castle is that you are actually allowed access to walk completely through it, ancient ruins and all. You got to see all the nooks and crannies and imagine how people lived then in their small rooms and many fireplaces. It would be the most amazing place to be able to camp out overnight in.

For more information on Old Wardour castle go here.

The view of the lake from Old Wardour castle. I could easily get used to that view.

The front entrance of the castle.

Stonehenge

2011-11-13T15:58:00.001-07:00

Originally we were supposed to go big on this last weekend. We were going to leave Friday night when Jon got home, drive south, and stay at a hotel. Then we would go see Stonehenge and a few other sites around that area. But, things happened and we ended up deciding not to do anything this weekend and make our plans for the next weekend.

Well, Saturday morning came, and with it our normal routine. Which is a trip to the market for our fruit and veg and other essentials. Then we decided to head out to the American food store which we had just heard about. Little did we know that it would take us within an hours drive of Stonehenge.

We went a bit crazy in the store. We bought Stove top stuffing, tinned pumpkin, tinned sweet potatoes, Nutter Butters, Lifesavers, Frank's Redhot sauce (gallon size), Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, Jif peanut butter, graham crackers, green hotdog relish, Kraft mac and cheese, Goldfish crackers, A&W rootbeer, Combos, Bisquick, Gatorade, Chocolate chips, Butterscotch chips, White chocolate chips, and Swedish fish. To say that we went stupid as soon as we walked into the store would be a vast understatement. We left there with a big smile on our face and a giant hole in our bank account!

After that Jon and I decided to surprise the kids and drive down to Stonehenge. We got there at 3:30 and they closed at 4, so we boogied and took some amazing pictures at sunset of Stonehenge. We did end up buying the English Heritage membership so that we could visit for free there, but also lots of other sites as well.

We decided to stay nearby and then go back first thing in the morning. I'm so glad that we did. We stayed in a great little quaint inn that has been around since the 1500s and ate in their tavern. The next morning we were some of the first people at Stonehenge. Joe did a lot of sketches, which was so cute as he was so excited about it all. Joci listened and listened and listened to the radio tour provided, and then after we said goodbye to Stonehenge, we spent another huge amount of money in their gift shop.

Stonehenge is one of those places that you feel in awe of being close to it. It doesn't really seem like much, just a bunch of big stones stacked up in a circle, but truly there is something about being there that is truly inspiring. Who knows, maybe it really does put off some kind of psychic energy or something, but I think it has to do with human ingenuity.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

We were surprised to see Stonehenge as we came over the hill driving there.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

This Halloween ended up being a lot more fun than I had feared it would be. The week before Halloween was a midterm break, so we did lots of fun activities including a trip to Gullivers, which is like a really great Carnival or a really small Disney...take your pick. The kids opted to wear their costumes to Gullivers so I got lots of great pictures of them in them, better than Halloween night. We rode a rollercoaster, the kids' first, and went on the spinning barrels, where I narrowly missed losing my lunch. We then did the log flume which was, by far, the favorite ride of the day.

On Halloween night we went Trick or Treating as usual. There are definitely differences between the States and the UK. Not bad, just different. Here they are very much more into the scary or gory part of Halloween, where as in the States we just dress up, it doesn't have to have a scary theme. Most of the costumes that we saw on kids were zombies, witches, and vampires. Yup, that's it. Part of the fun for me in the States is guessing what everyone is when you see them. Joci and Joe were told many times that they looked very smart. There weren't nearly the numbers that you see in the States, either, but there were more than I thought there might be. We were often recognized as the American family as we went through the night, or asking where we were from. There was only one house that was decorated on the outside of the house and they were having a party.

Something we noticed was the difference in candy, especially for those that are 'American'. For instance, here a Milky Way is like the American 3 Musketeers, and the Mars bar is like an American Milky Way. Cadbury chocolate is probably my favorite here, although, to me, it pales in comparison to true Belgium chocolate.

So we ended up having a great Halloween and we hope you did, too!

Joci and Joe's first rollercoaster ride. They loved it!

The Trick-or-treating bags I made for the kids.

My beautiful Belle and Dr. Who.

I think this picture shows just how annoyed we were with Joe's screwdriver and the noises it made all day.

I worked really hard on Joci's Belle hair.

The ride that Joci freaked out on. She did not like the heights and cried the entire time.

Completely got talked into riding the spinning crazy barrels with the kids as Joci really wanted to ride it and was just barely too little to do so by herself. Completely regret doing it. I had to shut my eyes most of the time and had to sit down afterward trying not to get sick. But, she loved it.

Fall in England

2011-10-26T15:52:00.005-07:00

I admit it. I took them to the park today for entirely selfish reasons. I wanted some pictures of the changing of the leaves. The first I've ever really experienced, and maybe some good pictures of the kids for our Christmas cards. I wasn't disappointed. I took so many pictures and we really enjoyed the fall weather, cold and wet. We got stranded under a gazebo while a storm cloud rained down upon us, but it was fun, giving us a chance to talk and snuggle.

Let's Talk About Halloween in the UK

2011-10-22T01:11:00.005-07:00

Halloween Past:

Sleeping Beauty and Harry Potter, 2009

Coaches from the past, 2009

Black Eye Pea, Deviled Egg, Luke Skywalker, and Ariel, 2010

Adorable little Bunny and a scary Spider, 2008

So I have to admit that I have been really homesick lately. I miss my parents, and I miss my country and all of our customs and way of life, especially now that the holidays are coming around.

In the past we have done BIG Halloweens. We always dress up, we always make it fun and special for the kids, and we always have a great time pretty much for the entire month of October. We go to Schnepf farms, we go to or have parties, we always go Trick or Treating. Typically on Halloween night, we have a firepit, an outdoor movie, our house is completely decorated out front, and we hand out GOOD candy.

So that pretty much doesn't happen here. We were invited to a party, but Jon is out of town in Bulgaria until just one day before Halloween. There are many people that just don't do Halloween at all. Most of them think it's an over-commercialized American holiday, and they're right. But, I say, who cares? It's about having fun, it's a necessarily a true holiday, just an excuse to have fun. There are zero outdoor decorations, and there is very little to buy in the stores. What there is to buy is very...cheesy, kind of like what you would find at Walgreens. We live in a neighborhood with a ton of kids, so we have been told that there is lots of Trick or Treating and we have been told not much, so we aren't really sure what to expect there. I did buy some candy, but again, not nearly like the candy that we would hand out at our house in Arizona. So, I bought good Christmas candy, chocolates, etc.

Here, we've gotten lots of comments about the kids' costumes. Joe is going as his new obsession, Dr. Who. Joci is going as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Typically, when people hear what Joci is, they make a comment about it not being scary at all. From what I've seen in the stores, most of their costumes are of the scary variety, and more traditional, witches, zombies, etc., lots of blood and gore and fake limbs.

So we are adapting. We aren't doing many decorations, except for a few little arts and crafts inside the house. The kids are still dressing up and going Trick or Treating, and I hope it works out and they have a good time. We are going to a little amusement park that is having a haunted Halloween party, and I am letting the kids wear their costumes to that as well. We have already bought our pumpkins, and so we will also carve those. We bought the biggest ones we could find, which still seem like a medium to small size in the states. We will absolutely still make roasted pumpkin seeds...yum.

So, we will still have a lot of fun, just different. We're bringing some of ours, and taking part of some of theirs, and meeting in the middle. Hopefully, it will help with the homesickness and with Thanksgiving around the corner, we can find our groove with the holidays.

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

2011-10-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

The best Broccoli and Cheddar Soup ever. Perfect for those cold nights at home.

1 lb. broccoli cut into bite size pieces
4 Tablespoons of butter
2 large carrots, finely diced
2 medium chopped onions
8 Cups chicken broth
1/2 Cup flour
3 Cups milk
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4-5 Cups cheddar cheese

In the butter saute the onion and carrot until soft. Add two cups of the broth and cook until onions and carrots are very soft. Using a hand mixer, blend till semi-smooth. Add the broccoli and the remaining broth. Whisk the flour and milk together in a separate bowl, then stir into the soup. Add the seasonings. After the broccoli has cooked down to the doneness that you like, add the cheese, but DO NOT bring the soup to a boil after adding the cheese or it will curdle. Serve.

Brussels, Belgium

2011-10-12T01:42:00.012-07:00

So, Brussels was...interesting. We had a very difficult time just getting to our hotel in downtown Brussels. Their main roads in the city are interesting, to say the least. They have these tunnels that run down the middle, and then it can be very confusing how to get out of them, etc. Our GPS was having a difficult time with our translation of the hotel's address, also. My parents were COMPLETELY lost as well and Mom and I were texting back and forth trying to get them to where we thought we were going.

Once we got to the hotel, 'The White Hotel', well, it was an interesting place to be sure. Everything inside was very modern and as you might guess, all white. Jon had a difficult time checking in and then we found out that their parking garage was full. After a frustrating drive there, and finding that out, then walking to their very strange elevators, we weren't very optimistic about the interiors of the room, and for good reason. The rooms were ok, but certainly not over-accommodating. The funniest part was in our room, where the 'art' was three orange street cones with a string of lights in them. They were sitting in front of the air conditioner, which did not work, and so we thought that it was a barrier telling us not to use it. So we called the front desk and were told that it was the art...hmm. We weren't impressed with the hotel, or the service, but their breakfast was fantastic the next morning.

The biggest tourist attractions in Brussels is The Grand Place, Manneken Pis, Belgium Chocolates, and Belgium Beer. We did all 4. The Grand Place is big, very big, extravagant, and seriously ornate. There are thousands of statues and carvings on the center square buildings with so much Golden accents on them that they shine in the sun. Originally, this was a center of the town where they would do their markets, and it's still used for that today. Manneken Pis is the tiny fountain of a young boy literally pissing into the fountain. The kids loved it, and we all got tiny statues as keepsakes. We even bought chocolates in the shape of Manneken Pis. When we visited, he had clothes on when we visited, we were assuming for Soccer, but apparently they dress him up for different things all the time. and, finally, yes, the beer and the chocolate was amazing. Jon liked the beer, we liked the chocolate.

Other than that, we weren't that keen on Brussels. It was busy and loud, and not really, well, our speed. We all agreed, been there, done that, no need to ever go back.

From Brussels we moved on to Luxembourg, which was a beautiful surprise for us.

The Manneken Pis.

He is everywhere in Brussels. Eating waffles, made of chocolate, EVERYWHERE!

Our hotel room...

The 'art' in our hotel room. No, I'm not kidding.

Waiting patiently for Grandma and Grandpa.

Joe wanted his picture taken in front of the flowers, and he was right to do so, this picture turned out great!

We ate at a great little side street cafe. The stew was AMAZING!

It was obvious that this pretty lady was being touched, a lot, for luck. We must have watched 20 people do it while we were there, so we did too!

Joci loved the sweets store, especially the one with a barbie in it.

Brussels, Belgium, September 16th, 2011

Brugge, Belgium

2011-10-10T01:26:00.015-07:00

While my parents were visiting us here, in the UK, we had planned on seeing a bit more of Europe. We were going to see Belgium, Luxembourg, and a bit of France. We ended up taking separate cars, my parents in their rented Fiat, and us in our Volvo, which also ended up working out just fine.

We took the SeaFrance ferry after the kids got out of school from the white cliffs of Dover over to Calais, France. The ferry ride was very interesting, none of us had ever been on one, and it was funny to marvel that while Jon and I were in our late 30s doing this, our kids were young and already doing it. We had a hard time walking on the ferry, the rocking was a bit difficult to adjust to, especially for Joe and I. We ate a quick dinner on the ferry and before we knew it, we were there. We were able to drive straight off the ferry and into France, and though I had been excited to get another stamp in my passport, it didn't happen.

We drove into Brugge, Belgium and got there late, checked into our hotel and went to bed almost immediately, anxious to start our adventure the next morning.

In the morning after getting around, we drove into the city center, and I fell in love with Brugge. We ate in a little cafe next to a building that had been built in the 1600s. While eating a ham and cheese omelet we watched the tour groups, one after another, walk by talking about the buildings surrounding us. After breakfast, we toured the city ourselves.

The main civic center is enormous. It houses government buildings, restaurants, museums, cathedrals, and more chocolate and lace stores than you can imagine. Speaking of chocolate stores, there were tons of truffles and lots of 'naughty' chocolate shapes as well, for both men, and women, insert your visual image 'here'. In the civic center there were horse and buggies that you could rent to have a tour around the city, and with Jocelyn's current horse fascination, we decided that we had to take one. So, while we were on our buggy ride, Jon and Dad went to have a couple of Belgium beers to whittle away the time. The kids LOVED our little buggy ride. Halfway through, we had a stop to let the horse rest, and during that we visited a little monastery, which had a serene beauty about it, which was broken, of course, by me yelling for Jocelyn not to run ahead. As we made our way back to the horse, we noticed that the driver was getting his horse water from an actual horse fountain, installed just for the horses of Brugge.

After our little adventure and walking around a bit, we ate lunch at a fantastic cafe, and Dad and I shared the best pot of mussels with garlic cream sauce, that I've ever had. They were so fresh they tasted like the sea, a clean sea.

Later on our walks through the city we went to 'Our Lady's Church' where they have the marble statue 'Madonna' by Michelangelo. We bought lots of chocolates, and marveled at the canal system that meandered all the way through and around the city.

Brugge is a place that I will never forget. It was charming and so lovely, and I would go back there again if given the opportunity to do so.

The kids did so well on the ferry, and on the road for all of our travels.

Along our walk into the center of Brugge.

The building that we were next to while eating our fabulous breakfast of ham and cheese omelets. The kids ate REAL belgium waffles, which are more of a dessert here than a breakfast.

Part of the civic center in Brugge.

Joe and Joci were fascinated by this little water fountain. Both, of course, had to turn it on and off.

During our buggy trip around town.

Loved this sculptural art along one of the canals in Brugge.

Doors leading to the monastery.

This is all Mom. She wanted her picture taken with Humphrey Bogart whom we found as we strolled through the streets.

Jon and the kids found this right outside of the 'love bridge'. Jon had the kids stay there and start to yell and beg to be let out as one of the tourist canal boats went by. They got a pretty good laugh from the people passing by.

Mom and Dad chatting on the love bridge. I love this picture.

Jon and I on the love bridge. To get this picture was a near miracle. It was the busiest spot in Brugge and there were so many people I was shocked that there was nobody else in the picture. Everyone was clambering to get a picture on the bridge.

Famous statues 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse".

My two little cherubs.

Brugge, Belgium. September 15th, 2011

Reuben Sandwich Soup

2011-10-04T04:07:00.002-07:00

This is a souper yummy soup that is quick, easy, and very satisfying.

1 Onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 head of cabbage chopped
1 package chopped polish sausage, kielbassa
8 cups chicken broth
2 tsp caraway seeds
Homemade noodles (2 eggs, salt, flour, mix and roll out, cut into strips and dry)
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese

Put the first 6 ingredients into a pot and bring to soft boil. Add noodles to cook, serve with shredded swiss cheese sprinkled over the top.
Serves 5-6.

Warwick Castle with Mom and Dad

2011-10-02T08:42:00.011-07:00

We had so much fun during my parent's visit. One place we visited was Warwick Castle in Warwick, England. It was a nice drive and a beautiful castle. About the only drawback was that it was very 'Disney'd'. Kind of like a Renaissance festival meets a true historical castle.

The kids were trying to figure out what was inside the tent, but too scared to actually go in.

The decor and ceiling were amazing to me. Such detail in every corner, every angle, amazing artwork!

Another beautiful ceiling.

This was a beautiful blue boidouir (sp?). The painting, tapestry, and everything else was all original and just gorgeous.

The kids REALLY wanted to shoot a bow and arrow. Joci did very well at it.

We had a proper English tea in Warwick in a 500 year old house. So cool. While sitting in this room I would say that the floor slanted a good 5 to 6 inches.

Fall Leaf Garland

2011-09-03T13:39:00.002-07:00

We've been making a lot of crafts this last week since our crate from the States came. One of them was a leaf garland. We went to the local park and found lots of different shaped leaves and took them home. Then we did rubbings off of them with crayons, drew with some glitter glue on them, and then cut them out before hanging them on some hemp twine. The kids loved how the rubbings turned out, like magic!

Picking Black Raspberries

2011-09-01T14:35:00.003-07:00

So, in years past my Dad would drive us up north to pick fresh blackberries in the mountains. It was really popular with a lot of people and often there wouldn't be many berries. There were a couple of years when it would just be my Dad and I spending the day together picking berries. The secret is to get a large plastic cup and fill them as full as you can. That way the berries don't get squished or bruised in a ziplock baggie, etc. I always had fun, and it's one of my fondest memories of spending time with my Dad. Joe has even gone up with Grandpa a few times to pick raspberries and make jam. He's talked about it often, reminding me that he knows how to make jam because Grandpa showed him how.

Imagine my surprise when we discovered a TON of fresh raspberry bushes within a block or two of our house here in England. The last couple of days the kids and I have been picking berries, only the ripe ones, and then go back every couple of days to pick a few more hoping that more are ripe. Today we found a small path that we took to find a HUGE amount of bushes that have yet to be picked. Joe was ecstatic. Joci doesn't enjoy getting scratched while picking the berries and is perfectly happy to just eat what Joe and I pick.

The best part is that my parents are coming to visit us next Thursday, and we can't wait to show them all the bushes. We also decided that Grandpa and Joe can make some raspberry jam while he's there.

We skyped with my parents just to show them how many we had the first day and they thought it was pretty cool. The first time we picked about 6 cups, today it was about 8 cups. We'll probably go back tomorrow to our new 'secret' spot, and get some more.

Joci's face after eating at least 1/2 cup or more of raspberries right off the bush.

Joe standing in front of a HUGE bush of raspberries along our secret path.

Our take. All three cups had been completely full before Joci got to them. :)

Leigh-On-Sea

2011-09-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

In August we rode up with Jon on one of his work training to Maldon. We had a very interesting stay there as they were renovating, but still had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant. That night I started planning where I wanted to take the kids the next day while Jon was working. Joe has wanted and wanted to go to the beach and since we were closer to the shore, I tried to find something 'close' and desirable.

The next day when we arrived it rained and rained and rained some more, but even though it rained the kids had the time of their lives. They went in the paddling pool, we did a little shopping, and had lunch at a nice cozy restaurant. After the tide came in we found some shells and lots of sea glass.

Whipsnade Zoo

2011-08-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

I have a really great new friend here in England that was kind enough to share her 1/2 membership tickets with the kids and I for a day at Whipsnade Zoo. It's considered to be one of the best in England, and I can see why. There are amazing views as the zoo is at the top of a hill. There are huge grassy areas for the kids to run and play in. The animals are very accessible and there are quite a few new ones, for us, that were different from those in the Phoenix zoo. The kids had so much fun that they became tired and whiny towards the end, and that was our cue to wrap up the day. Both sets of kids fell asleep on the ride home. I hope you enjoy the pictures half as much as we enjoyed being there.

These brown bears were so funny. We decided they must be brother and sister as the sister kept taunting the brother, getting into his new space each time he would walk away.

Horrible view, huh?

You can kind of see that one of these otters is holding something. He never let it go and would twirl it around and around in his hands. We thought they must have been very hungry as every time they heard a vehicle go by they would run after it, and seemed to be begging us for food.

I think all kids love rolling down grassy hills, don't they?

Picnic at Emerson Valley Park

2011-08-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

We took a nice long walk and explored our neighborhood park last Sunday. We took along a picnic and enjoyed being outdoors.

Jocelyn and the Holy Bible

2011-08-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

So, we have traveled a lot and stayed in many hotels. So much so that the kids know the routine. They know where the pile for dirty laundry goes. They know the rules about being in corridors. And Jocelyn especially knows where to find the Holy Bible in each room. She has claimed the Bible as hers the last few rooms we've been in. She will find the Bible, sit down somewhere, and 'read' for a very long time. We've had a few talks about the Bible and what it is, but she's still a little young to really understand. I was able to take a few pictures of her reading when we stayed in the Corinium Hotel while we were in Cirencester. She is just so beautiful.

Bibury - Cotswold

2011-08-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Beautiful cottage in Bibury.

The leaves on this bush were about 4 feet across. They were enormous!

Arlington Row, which was first built in the 1300s, then redone in the 17th century. Absolutely beautiful.

Cotswold Animal Farm

2011-08-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

Cotswold animal farm was a lot of fun for the kids. It gave them a good break in the middle of all of our Cotswold touring. They got to feed goats, bunnies, sheep, and cows, and hold baby ducklings and guinea pigs. We all went on the trim trail and the kids enjoyed the jumpy pillow. It was a nice break for us all.

Wish I knew what to do with this and I would have bought some.

Bourton on the Water - Cotswold

2011-08-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

Bourton on the Water was beautiful, but a little too touristy and busy for us. We did have fun in the Miniature village and letting the kids get into the water. We also had our first real cream tea there in an awesome little tea room.

Loved the art above this door.

The Corinium Museum - Cirencester, Cotswold

2011-08-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

While we were in Cirencester we visited the Corinium Museum. It is all about Roman times long ago in Cirencester, and is based mostly upon all the mosaics found in the area, a few of which I have pictures of below. It was a very educational experience, and the kids had a lot of fun, too. Like all museums, though, by the end, you're ready to get out and get back to the present. The most fun part is when the museum hosted a craft time for the kids to make Roman helmets, which they wore the rest of the day.

Jocelyn is really infatuated with horses right now, so she was fascinated with this roman cavalry.

Joci loves, loves, loves doing these 'put your face in the hole and take a picture' things, so we of course, obliged.

This was really interesting to me. The ancient Romans actually made under floor heating! So ingenious so long ago!

Beautiful Roman murals still intact. If you look closely you can still see the ethereal images looking back out at you.

Roman God, Mercury.

Parish Church St. John Baptist - Cirencester

2011-08-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

Some pictures of the Parish Church, the cemetery behind it, the old abbey, and the abbey park behind that.

The Anne Boleyn cup.

The Cotswold

2011-08-13T07:13:00.012-07:00

Jon and I were looking for a quintessential English getaway for his birthday weekend. We were told by several people that we should head down to the Cotswold and they were absolutely right. Driving there we commented about how THIS was the England that we really wanted to see. The roads were tiny, one lane really, and the trees joined together from either side of the road at the tops to make a beautiful canopy as we drove. There were little cottages with thatched roofs and loads of country charm. It was all incredibly beautiful. I ended up taking over 800 photos, yes, 800. Only going to post a small portion here, but will do so in several posts, so that you can get a good sampling of them.

The town we stayed in was Cirencester, which is considered the capital of the Cotswold. The Cotswold are even more famous because of the ancient Roman ruins there, and Cirencester was once Corinium, a Roman town. The Cotswold became wealthy because of the wool trade there, and you can still see evidence of this while traveling around seeing all the sheep grazing on the hillsides. The B&B we stayed at was also called The Corinium and had a fantastic breakfast that we enjoyed each morning with good strong coffee and awesome fresh, hot croissants.

Our first day there we just explored Cirencester, which turned out to be my favorite of all the places we visited. It has lots of winding, narrow roads, with buildings right on the sidewalk. It also had a big beautiful parish church of St. John Baptist. The church was so old, so historical, and had been added on by other churches, and had such gorgeous architecture, it was truly awe inspiring. Behind St. John Baptist was the remains of the abbey that had been reclaimed by Henry VIII, and then a beautiful park, that was enormous. We found this fabulous little italian restaurant tucked away behind some building and had a GREAT lunch. The kids got pizza, and it was one of the best pizzas we've had while in the UK.

The next day we went down to Bourton on the Water on a tip from someone else. Admittedly we were a little disappointed. It was truly tourist central (us included) and there were just too many people. We saw the miniature village, and looked for affordable pottery. We did end up having our first official cream tea and we let the kids get into the shallow little river that we assume is the water within Bourton on the Water.

After that, we decided that we wanted to do something for the kids and so we headed to the Cotswold Animal Farm. They had a blast and it was a lot of fun watching the kids enjoy themselves. We fed goats and sheep, bunnies and cows. We did a trim trail, the kids played on a jumpy pillow and they also got to hold a baby duckling and some guinea pigs.

The next day after we looked in every charity shop in Cirencester to see if we could find a little tea set for me, we left and drove through Barnsley. Barnsley is beautiful, and exactly what you think a quaint English countryside should look like. After Barnsley we drove into Bibury, which I had commented to Jon on the way to Cirencester I would very much like to go back to and photograph. We went to the trout farm there and were surprised by the beauty of it all. We decided that when my parents come to visit in September, we might take them back to the trout farm so that Joe and Joci can fish with them, and more importantly, so Grandpa can clean and cook the trout. We took a lovely little walk around Bibury, down Arlington Row, and back around. We even were able to feed some big cows at the end of the pasture. Bibury is so beautiful, it reminds me a lot of the movie The Holiday, and the cottage that Kate Winslet's character lived in. Love that movie, by the way.

After that it was time for home, and some of the worst traffic we've faced on the way.
Hope you enjoy the pics.

The entrance from the street into our hotel where the Cirencester map is mounted on the wall.

Cecily Hill where they always have hanging baskets of flowers leading up to Cirencester park which is right next to a huge manor house.

So, I've been looking for a Kitchenaid mixer, I miss mine in the US so much, so when we saw these, I had a big smile on my face until I found out how much they were. 420 British pounds, uh, no thanks.

Along the river walk, we saw this neat door, a duck on his nest, and a sweet horse that let us pet him.

Loved this sign. Yes, it's above a bunch of trash cans in an alley, but I thought it was VERY English and so proper. I suppose only serious tipping is allowed.

Part of the original Roman wall. This was behind the St. John Baptist church in the massive park.

Leaver's Assembly

2011-07-24T08:03:00.004-07:00

It's the end of the school term here. Friday was the kids' last day. Next term Joe will be moving up to the next school, and Joci will be staying at her school, moving up to the foxes class. Last Wednesday the school had a little assembly and production for the 2nd year class leaving. It was very cute and a lot of the parents were crying by the end. The parent association provided Oxford dictionaries for the year 2 kids and a school keychain with the student's names on them. It was all very nice.

Here the kids are walking to school for one of the last days. I love it when Joe and Joci hold hands.

Joe doing his production.

The kid in the yellow and blue is actually a professional 'street' dancer.

Joe receiving his dictionary from the head teacher, Mr. Upton.

Joe's teacher assistant, Mrs. Merchent. She was an amazing support for him, and one of Joe's favorite.

Joe's new best buddy, Sam.

Joe with his teacher, Mr. Bolger. Truly an amazing teacher, everyone loves him, he's the kind of teacher you wish you had when you were a kid.

Joe with the 'principal' or head teacher, Mr. Upton. Really, really nice and welcoming man for us.

Soccer, I mean, Football

2011-07-21T12:20:00.004-07:00

So, Football here is a VERY BIG deal as I found out last Wednesday during Joe's first football match.

Apparently, he had the choice between doing regular PE or doing the football club for school, and Joe chose football which is coached by his teacher and has his best buddy, here, in it. Then, at the end of the school year, his class has a match against another school. No big deal, right? Wrong.

Joe's match was a bit after school and he was being walked over to the grounds by his coach and teacher. I walked Joci home and she had a snack, and then we headed over to the grounds. The sight that I saw when I got there was surprising. There were a lot of people and they were all cheering and laughing and having a great time. It was obviously a much bigger deal than I thought.

Joe had a great time and really did his best, trying hard and keeping up with all the kids. He did get to kick the ball a few times, and each time did well. I was so proud of him.

All during the match, Joci played with one of her school friends, too, and I talked with some of the other Moms there, mostly about where we were from, why we are in England, and how long we're staying, etc. That's typically what most people want to know about us when we meet new people.

I was told that I should expect to have football take over our lives in the winter, as it's a big deal here when the professional season starts. Now, I believe it, just seeing how excited everyone gets over a kids' friendly football match.

Oh, and the score? It was a draw, one to one.

A Hot Breakfast

2011-07-19T07:59:00.002-07:00

One of my fondest memories of childhood, now, is of my Dad making us a good hot breakfast each morning before school. I say now, well, because at the time I would have given ANYTHING to just sleep a little longer, and breakfast didn't always appeal to me. Of course as an adult, and a parent, you look back at the things your parents did for you and finally feel like you privy to some secret society. Also, to be fair, my Dad still makes breakfast each morning that I have ever been at their house, even as an adult.

Now, as a parent, I have always wanted to make the kids a hot breakfast. Before, when working and trying to get everything around in the morning, I had a hard time figuring that out. Now, not having to work, and having school start at 9am rather than 8am, amazingly, a hot breakfast is now part of our daily routine.

To prove this I took a picture this morning as it was the first time I got the kids to try over medium eggs, rather than just scrambled. Joci loved them, Joe hated them. One of their favorites is oatmeal, and I did use to make that for them, in the microwave, but now that we don't have a microwave (by choice) I make it the 'old fashioned' way...on the stovetop. Which, again, reminds me of my Dad. Mom would want oatmeal and Dad would make it for her and leave it on the stovetop until she was ready to eat.

Can you tell I'm missing my parents?

It's these little things that sneak up on you, when you're doing a chore that is how your Mom taught you, or figuring something out similar to how your Dad would, that remind me of my childhood, and how fortunate I was to have the parents I did. These are also the things that I tell my kids about all the time, because I want them to have a sense of history.

So, Mom and Dad, tomorrow I will be making another hot breakfast...probably oatmeal. Love you.

Discos and Proms

2011-07-07T03:02:00.004-07:00

I visited the kids school yesterday 4 different times, there and back. Once to drop off/pick up. Then to take Joci to her Disco, once to take Joe to his Prom, then back to pick up Joe. It was all certainly worth it, though, and the little extra exercise was good for me. The kids had so much fun at their end of the year festivities. Joci's Foundation class had a Disco with the Year one class. Joe had his Leaver's Prom to celebrate moving up to Year 3 at a different school. They both got to help pick out their outfits the night before. Joe was REALLY excited to get to wear a tie and vest. He was very sweet, too, asking me to show him how to 'prom' before the dance in case there was a slow dance, and he could ask his little friend, Chloe, to dance. Seriously, showing him how to do a basic slow dance is something I will remember forever. Poor Joci had a hard time walking in her sandals. She fell down three times in them. Once, reinjuring a scraped up knee, so that when we got to the school, the head teacher, Mr. Upton, cleaned up her knee and put a plaster on it for her. They even had a DJ, and flashing lights. It was pretty neat. Their school has been really special and they have had so many activities and a great attitude towards kids. Last weekend we went to their BBQ, the biggest surprise being that they served alcohol to the adults(!), it made Jon and I laugh to have Joci's teacher serve us a beer.

London continued...

2011-06-18T02:18:00.005-07:00

Here we are continuing our trek through London. There were so many things to see and do and look at. The architecture in London is amazing. It's hard not to stare at all the beauty, actually it was very hard to stop and look as there were more people there than I have ever seen in my life. I can only imagine how the kids felt being constantly toted along in between big people and tucked in and around just to walk on the sidewalks. I have never, in my life, seen so many people and tourists everywhere we went.

So, did you know that Big Ben is just the bell inside the tower (that no one knows the name of)? We are told this every time we tell anyone that we saw Big Ben, even though they never seem to know the name of the actual tower, either. Joci really, really wanted to get close to Big Ben and so I got her as close to it as I could.

This picture is from later, across the Thaymes (pronounced Tims).

Westminster Abbey. I believe the window is from King Henry VIII.

St. James park was beautiful. They had a Princess Diana walk with these markers all over, but, we never saw anything else about her there in the park. On another visit I plan to go to the Kensington area and also see the Princess Diana memorial.

Ooops, sorry about the order of these pictures...this is the front of Westminster Abbey.
There was actually pelicans in St. James park!

The changing of the guards at the Guard's Museum. Did you know their hats are made of bear skin?

First Day of School

2011-06-15T14:22:00.003-07:00

Monday was the kids' first day of school. They were so excited, and frankly, so was I! All we could talk about the week before was school and how it would be and who they would meet, etc. Aren't their school uniforms adorable? Joci also has a little yellow summer dress that she wants to wear all the time, I'll try and get a picture of that one, too.

Here you can see our apartment complex and a quick couple of pictures before we took Jon to his work and then the kids to school.

After getting Joci settled, she was a bit quiet and nervous, I took Joe down to his class. His teacher told us that they were in for a lot of questions about the United States, the kids were excited that they would have someone new from the States there.
After I left Joe, I went back to check on Joci and found her here, much more excited and animated about getting to check out the little chicks. Doesn't she almost look like she'd like to try one for a snack?

Buckingham Palace and the Queen Victoria Memorial

2011-06-13T02:48:00.000-07:00

So coming out of Green Park is Buckingham Palace, and I have to admit that at first I did not know that's what it was. To be honest, up close, it kind of looks like all the other architecture around London. When we got up closer to the gates I knew something was going on just from the number of people there and all were sitting next to the gates, waiting for something. We got up towards the front and suddenly we saw the carriages and the riding band come out. Later we saw them come back. The kids and I decided to stay for the changing of the guard. Joci thought that was really neat. She also thought she saw the Queen in one of the carriages, and I've just let her believe it.

We found out later that it was all in preparation for the 'Trouping of the Colours', which is a celebration of the Queen's official birthday, which we ended up watching on the telly yesterday.

Right in front of Buckingham Palace is the Queen Victoria memorial. A big beautiful fountain made for the current longest reigning monarchy.