Today was a long day. It was a bank holiday, so Mike had the day off, but we didn't spend it playing. We spent the whole day cleaning. Why? Well, the house that we signed a lease for was dirty - uninhabitable, in my opinion - and our things are being delivered tomorrow. There was no way that I was going to let the movers place our belongings into a filthy house, so we spent the whole day doing some really deep cleaning. I spent four hours on the kitchen - an hour on the refrigerator alone!
We have some really great friends here in England. The Wilkinsons showed up around noon with their kids and a bunch of cleaning supplies. They worked just as hard as we did cleaning all the nooks and crannies of this house. When we were through, the place sparkled (sort of). Now it is ready for our delivery tomorrow.
About Me
- Kim
- "Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." ~Unknown
my counter
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A sign
Okay.
This has to be the best sign I have seen so far.
The Butts.
It's actually a street name!
Can you believe it?
(note: What I wanted to do was have our family pose with our bums sticking out under this sign, but it was on a busy street and we were in a hurry to get to Warwick Castle. The best laid plans...)
This has to be the best sign I have seen so far.
The Butts.It's actually a street name!
Can you believe it?
(note: What I wanted to do was have our family pose with our bums sticking out under this sign, but it was on a busy street and we were in a hurry to get to Warwick Castle. The best laid plans...)
Warwick Castle
This weekend we went to Warwick Castle (pronounced "war-ick" since apparently the w in the middle is silent). It was a fun filled day.
We toured the actual castle and grounds, watched lots of shows, and walked the castle walls. For a castle located only a couple hours away, it was the best we've seen yet!
We toured the actual castle and grounds, watched lots of shows, and walked the castle walls. For a castle located only a couple hours away, it was the best we've seen yet!
SOLD
At long last I can finally post this.
Our house has sold.
Today was the official closing. We took a bit of a loss, but that's hardly a surprise in this economy. We're just glad to have sold our house so quickly.
I admit, I cried today. It was sad to think that our dream house was gone.
I guess it's just time to focus on our new adventures here in England.
Our house has sold.
Today was the official closing. We took a bit of a loss, but that's hardly a surprise in this economy. We're just glad to have sold our house so quickly.
I admit, I cried today. It was sad to think that our dream house was gone.
I guess it's just time to focus on our new adventures here in England.
Failed attempt at sharing
Measuring cups vs scales.
For me it is no contest.
MEASURING CUPS.
All my recipes are in cups, tablespoons and teaspoons.
All the recipes in England are in milliliters, ounces and grams.
The other day I tried to share one of our favorite recipes with a friend.
I dutifully copied down the ingredients and the directions for Chicken Divan for her and delivered the recipe after one week. (I kept forgetting.) She was so happy and planned to make it very soon.
Fast forward to today...
I recieved a call from Cheryl early this morning. She was inviting me over to make dinner for her family. Cheeky? Just a little! :)
See it turns out that she really wanted Chicken Divan and when she looked at the recipe she didn't understand the cups and teaspoons as measurements! Silly me - I had forgotten about the differences here again. So we are heading over to Cheryl's house tonight to cook Chicken Divan for their family.
She even invited us to stay for dinner too! Ha ha ha.
Gotta love Cheryl.
For me it is no contest.
MEASURING CUPS.
All my recipes are in cups, tablespoons and teaspoons.
All the recipes in England are in milliliters, ounces and grams.
The other day I tried to share one of our favorite recipes with a friend.I dutifully copied down the ingredients and the directions for Chicken Divan for her and delivered the recipe after one week. (I kept forgetting.) She was so happy and planned to make it very soon.
Fast forward to today...
I recieved a call from Cheryl early this morning. She was inviting me over to make dinner for her family. Cheeky? Just a little! :)
See it turns out that she really wanted Chicken Divan and when she looked at the recipe she didn't understand the cups and teaspoons as measurements! Silly me - I had forgotten about the differences here again. So we are heading over to Cheryl's house tonight to cook Chicken Divan for their family.
She even invited us to stay for dinner too! Ha ha ha.
Gotta love Cheryl.
Keep children under control
I love this sign.
And I love Jon's pose.
This sign made me laugh when we visited Clifford's Tower in York the other day.
It seems to describe my goal this summer - to keep the kids under control.
It has been a really long summer for us since the kids got out of school in May in the states and don't start back again in the UK until September 9. Long days without much to do make it harder to keep the kids "under control".
And I love Jon's pose.
This sign made me laugh when we visited Clifford's Tower in York the other day.It seems to describe my goal this summer - to keep the kids under control.
It has been a really long summer for us since the kids got out of school in May in the states and don't start back again in the UK until September 9. Long days without much to do make it harder to keep the kids "under control".
A Day in York
Today we drove to York to tour the city. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time exploring museums and the pedestrian walkways.
We went to the York Castle Museum first. Then we went to Clifford's Tower for a look at the city from up high. Next we went to Jorvik Viking Centre. After walking through some of the shops in the pedestrian walkways, we walked to the York Minster and were amazed by how huge it was. I couldn't even get a picture of the whole thing! Finally we walked back to our car on the wall that surrounds the city.
We went to the York Castle Museum first. Then we went to Clifford's Tower for a look at the city from up high. Next we went to Jorvik Viking Centre. After walking through some of the shops in the pedestrian walkways, we walked to the York Minster and were amazed by how huge it was. I couldn't even get a picture of the whole thing! Finally we walked back to our car on the wall that surrounds the city.
Another food post
Recently, my sister sent me an email in which she bemoaned the fact that FOOD is such a big part/obsession of this earthly life. I can completely agree with her.
However...
I do love food and I also enjoy making food.
Take, for example, the following:
Today I made homemade applesauce.
My motivation?
I don't like the applesauce that they sell in England. It is too chunky.
Want to try my easy (except for the peeling of the apples) recipe?
Ingredients:
3-4 pounds of peeled, cored, sliced cooking apples
4 strips of lemon peel
Juice of one lemon, about 3-4 Tbsp
3 inches of cinnamon stick
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
(1) Put all ingredients in a large pot. Cover. Bring to a boil.
(2) Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
(3) Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels. Mash with potato masher. Ready to serve warm or can be refrigerated.
I know it's easier to buy a jar of applesauce, but this turned out really yummy. And for the food crazed people reading this blog, try the warm, fresh applesauce over vanilla ice cream. DELICIOUS!
However...
I do love food and I also enjoy making food.
Take, for example, the following:
Today I made homemade applesauce.My motivation?
I don't like the applesauce that they sell in England. It is too chunky.
Want to try my easy (except for the peeling of the apples) recipe?
Ingredients:
3-4 pounds of peeled, cored, sliced cooking apples
4 strips of lemon peel
Juice of one lemon, about 3-4 Tbsp
3 inches of cinnamon stick
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
(1) Put all ingredients in a large pot. Cover. Bring to a boil.
(2) Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
(3) Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels. Mash with potato masher. Ready to serve warm or can be refrigerated.
I know it's easier to buy a jar of applesauce, but this turned out really yummy. And for the food crazed people reading this blog, try the warm, fresh applesauce over vanilla ice cream. DELICIOUS!
Finding a place to live
At long last we have decided on a place to live "permanently" while we are here in England. We knew we anted to live in Beverley, but finding a house that was large enough and had enough space for all of our things from America was a challenge. Today I viewed a property that I think will work quite nicely for us. It is a four bedroom, three bathroom home with a large family room, a dining room, a recently remodeled kitchen and a laundry room. Although it will need some cleaning up before we can live in it, I am sure that it will be a great place to live. Mike hasn't even seen the place yet, but he is trusting me to make this decision...
This house will be the fourth place we have lived since landing in England. The first was The Station House where we lived in a small two bedroom apartment for a week. Second, we moved to another temporary housing situation at Anlaby House. This was a larger (and quite posh) two bedroom apartment that we stayed in for two months. Next we will move to the Beverley Parklands house that Mike rented while we were still in the states. It is a four bedroom home but is VERY small. In fact, our furniture won't even fit through the front door. Which is why we needed to find our fourth home on Molescroft Road.
The poor kids have been so confused with all the moving around and I haven't felt settled yet. Hopefully with our final move into this house, it will begin to feel like home at last.
This house will be the fourth place we have lived since landing in England. The first was The Station House where we lived in a small two bedroom apartment for a week. Second, we moved to another temporary housing situation at Anlaby House. This was a larger (and quite posh) two bedroom apartment that we stayed in for two months. Next we will move to the Beverley Parklands house that Mike rented while we were still in the states. It is a four bedroom home but is VERY small. In fact, our furniture won't even fit through the front door. Which is why we needed to find our fourth home on Molescroft Road.
The poor kids have been so confused with all the moving around and I haven't felt settled yet. Hopefully with our final move into this house, it will begin to feel like home at last.
Lovely litter
We went to The Deep today. It's an aquarium/museum.
My favorite thing to look at was not the fish - it was the artwork made entirely from trash found on the beach. There were serveral very neat pieces, but this one was my favorite.
It's a lovely display of litter collected from the seaside.
I'd like something unique like this to hang in my own house!
Potatoes
This in not a picture of a potato.
It is a donut.
A homemade donut.
Made by yours truly.
The secret ingredient?
Mashed potatoes!
Seriously.
I found this donut recipe online and thought I just had to try it. I couldn't believe that the recipe really called for mashed potatoes. Sure enough, I re-read it several times and found where it explained that potatoes are the most important part of the recipe. So I tried it. They were really yummy when they were hot and fresh!
Here is the recipe for anyone who wants to be adventurous...
1. Microwave 1 cup of milk so it is warm (not hot) and add 5 t yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup warm mashed potatoes, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 cup sugar.
3. Add milk mixture and 2 T oil to above.
4. Mix dough well for 3 minutes. Remove to a floured surface and knead a few times.
5. Spread out to 1/2 inch thickness with a rolling pin. Cut out donuts and place on a floured surface to rise for 10 minutes.
6. Pour 1/2 inch of oil into a frying pan and heat over medium heat. If the oil smokes, it is too hot. Test the oil with a small scrap of dough.
7. Cook donuts until golden brown on each side. Remove to a rack or paper towel to soak off excess oil.
I made a chocolate glaze for the top of the donuts...
1. In mug, microwave 1/2 cup milk and 1 t butter. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 T cocoa, and 3 T milk mixture until smooth.
3. Put a slightly warm donut face down in the chocolate glaze, turn slightly then remove.
Next time I am going to try sugared donuts or maybe cream filled ones.
It is a donut.A homemade donut.
Made by yours truly.
The secret ingredient?
Mashed potatoes!
Seriously.
I found this donut recipe online and thought I just had to try it. I couldn't believe that the recipe really called for mashed potatoes. Sure enough, I re-read it several times and found where it explained that potatoes are the most important part of the recipe. So I tried it. They were really yummy when they were hot and fresh!
Here is the recipe for anyone who wants to be adventurous...
1. Microwave 1 cup of milk so it is warm (not hot) and add 5 t yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup warm mashed potatoes, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 cup sugar.
3. Add milk mixture and 2 T oil to above.
4. Mix dough well for 3 minutes. Remove to a floured surface and knead a few times.
5. Spread out to 1/2 inch thickness with a rolling pin. Cut out donuts and place on a floured surface to rise for 10 minutes.
6. Pour 1/2 inch of oil into a frying pan and heat over medium heat. If the oil smokes, it is too hot. Test the oil with a small scrap of dough.
7. Cook donuts until golden brown on each side. Remove to a rack or paper towel to soak off excess oil.
I made a chocolate glaze for the top of the donuts...
1. In mug, microwave 1/2 cup milk and 1 t butter. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 T cocoa, and 3 T milk mixture until smooth.
3. Put a slightly warm donut face down in the chocolate glaze, turn slightly then remove.
Next time I am going to try sugared donuts or maybe cream filled ones.
Volleyball and puppy dogs
Today we headed to the beach again. This time we went to Bridlington South Beach with the Wilkinsons, our friends from church. Jon and Mike spent the entire time playing volleyball in the sand. They had fun and got sunburned for their efforts.
Sammy chose to stay by me and play in the sand. She created a dog-shaped sand sculpture, and then she just sat and sifted the sand through her fingers. No sunburn for her, but lots of sandy fun.
I spent the day sitting on a soccer ball (we forgot to bring a chair) and chatting with Cheryl. No sunburn, but a very sore bottom by the end of the day. I do not recommend it!
Sammy chose to stay by me and play in the sand. She created a dog-shaped sand sculpture, and then she just sat and sifted the sand through her fingers. No sunburn for her, but lots of sandy fun.I spent the day sitting on a soccer ball (we forgot to bring a chair) and chatting with Cheryl. No sunburn, but a very sore bottom by the end of the day. I do not recommend it!
Wish List
I wish I could wear pyjamas all day.
I wish I had already prepared my Relief Society lesson.
I wish I was skinny again.
I wish my things were here from the states.
I wish I was a fabulous cook.
I wish I had a list of great ideas to do with the kids on these long summer days.
I wish I could eat chocolate without gaining weight.
I wish I was a great typist - instead of hunt and peck.
I wish Mike didn't have to work such long hours.
I wish I could call my family and talk for hours.
I wish I was a better photographer.
I wish more of my clothes fit.
I wish I knew how to drive with confidence in this country.
I wish I was more outgoing.
I wish I was better at keeping in touch with friends.
I wish I never missed a photo opportunity.
I wish I had more family portraits.
I wish I had as much faith as Jonathan does.
I wish I was 25 again.
I wish I was happy with my life right now without wishing for anything more.
I'll keep working on that.
I wish I had already prepared my Relief Society lesson.
I wish I was skinny again.
I wish my things were here from the states.
I wish I was a fabulous cook.
I wish I had a list of great ideas to do with the kids on these long summer days.
I wish I could eat chocolate without gaining weight.
I wish I was a great typist - instead of hunt and peck.
I wish Mike didn't have to work such long hours.
I wish I could call my family and talk for hours.
I wish I was a better photographer.
I wish more of my clothes fit.
I wish I knew how to drive with confidence in this country.
I wish I was more outgoing.
I wish I was better at keeping in touch with friends.
I wish I never missed a photo opportunity.
I wish I had more family portraits.
I wish I had as much faith as Jonathan does.
I wish I was 25 again.
I wish I was happy with my life right now without wishing for anything more.
I'll keep working on that.
A garden party
Hats were required for admission to the party...
It was Nicola's 50th birthday celebration and Jen decided to throw a fancy garden party in her honor. Having just moved here a month ago, I didn't have a hat, so Eszter took me shopping and this is the one I ended up buying. Isn't it so much fun?
Unfortunately, because of traffic I arrived late to the party, but it was still in full swing when I got there. There were several yummy salads for lunch and a delicious array of desserts for afterwards. I wish I had a picture of the tables. It was such a pretty setting for an afternoon with a bunch of ladies from church.
All in all, there were 19 women there and almost everyone had on a fancy hat. I felt a little silly - like I was playing dress-up as a little girl - but it was so much fun! And for once, the crazy weather cooperated in this country and we had a sunny afternoon filled with good food and great company.
It was Nicola's 50th birthday celebration and Jen decided to throw a fancy garden party in her honor. Having just moved here a month ago, I didn't have a hat, so Eszter took me shopping and this is the one I ended up buying. Isn't it so much fun?
Unfortunately, because of traffic I arrived late to the party, but it was still in full swing when I got there. There were several yummy salads for lunch and a delicious array of desserts for afterwards. I wish I had a picture of the tables. It was such a pretty setting for an afternoon with a bunch of ladies from church.
All in all, there were 19 women there and almost everyone had on a fancy hat. I felt a little silly - like I was playing dress-up as a little girl - but it was so much fun! And for once, the crazy weather cooperated in this country and we had a sunny afternoon filled with good food and great company.
Beehive Camp
This week Sammy went to Beehive Camp...
And I went with.
It was really fun, actually.
We slept in tents, cooked our own food, went on a night hike, went canoeing, made several crafts, sang songs, did an agility course, and met new friends.
We didn't get much sleep, but Sammy had a great time.
When we got home, Sammy took off her socks and we laughed about how dirty her legs were. Definitely a sign that she had some good "dirty" fun during the week.
Luckily she is washable.
Cheap thrills
All of our games and toys are on a ship on the ocean on their way to England.
So what do we do in the meantime to keep busy?
Play with balloons!
And this great pasttime is hardly limited to our own family. Tonight we had the Wilkinsons over for dinner and aferwards we spent at least a couple hours "playing balloon". Yeah, we're pretty exciting people, I know.
The record for number of hits is currently 98, but the goal is at least 100. So I suppose we will continue to play this game until we succeed...or until our stuff arrives.