Jonathan turns 14

14 wonderful things about Jonathan:
(1) he is patient
(2) he is a loving big brother
(3) he has a strong testimony
(4) he is an avid reader
(5) he is kind to others
(6) he is a good student
(7) he is dedicated
(8) he is dependable
(9) he is honest
(10) he is very creative
(11) he is thoughtful
(12) he has a broad range of interests
(13) he is strong
(14) he is intelligent

USA ONLY

Here's a hint:
If you are planning to move to a new country and take some of your things with you, check the back of your TV for a little label that says "USA ONLY". It will save you a lot of trouble if you do.

We didn't.

So, when the technician came to install our satellite TV, he was unsuccessful. He spent four hours at our house and even called another technician for assistance. When he finally gave up, we called another specialist from Comet to have a look. After an hour and several phone calls, he told us that it just wasn't going to work. He said, "Apparently, USA ONLY means just that."

So on Monday we will be getting a brand new TV. It is actually the exact same model as the one we already have, but it is the British model. So in theory it will work.

Is nothing ever simple?

First Day of School

Uniforms.
Aren't they cute?

In England all the schools require students to wear uniforms. Not such a bad idea, I suppose. It really takes the guesswork out of getting ready for school each morning.

Jonathan will be attending Beverley Grammar School - an all boys high school.
Sammy will go to school at Beverley High School - an all girls school.
They will walk to and from school each day (as will I since I will take Sammy to school). It should be interesting with all the rain we get here in England.

Cookie Monster

It's a running joke in our house now that Mike has turned into a Cookie Monster.

You see, the grocery stores here sell bags of 5 home-baked cookies for only a pound! It's quite a deal, and I admit that they are really yummy. Soft and fresh and delicious.
BUT,
Mike picks up several bags a week. Sometimes seven or eight bags at a time! He jokes that he's on a cookie diet. He has lost some weight since he's been here, but I can't figure out why. With all the cookies he eats, it's surprising. And unfair. A "cookie diet" for me has the reverse effect!

Special Delivery

Today the movers unpacked the last box and placed the rest of our furniture in our house. It has been really fun the past two days watching them unload everything from our sea container. It has been two months since we have seen most of our belongings and so it was a bit like Christmas as they unpacked each box. The kids were so happy to have their toys and books and games. I was excited to unpack my dishes and put them away in the (now clean) kitchen. Could it be? Are we finally getting settled here?

DEEP Cleaning

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.

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...)

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!

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.

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.

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".

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

A chilly trip to the beach

Today we headed up a bit north of where we are living to the coast. We hiked all around a beautiful cove. The rock formations were very pretty and it was a clear day - unusual, for England. Beautiful pictures. Some of the first ones I've taken since being here.

After walking around the cove, we headed to Bridlington North Beach and wandered up and down the promenade. The beach itself wasn't very busy as it was chilly and windy. I sure wish I had packed some jackets for us. But it was so nice to be out in the fresh air.

I hate it, I want to go home!

Confession time...
I have had a really bad attitude lately.
My mantra has truly been "I hate it, I want to go home!"

Everything feels so different here.
The apartment is ridiculously small. There are no closets. It rains almost every day. I miss my family and friends. I can't drive and with my poor sense of direction. I'm afraid to leave the apartment for fear that I'll get lost. So I feel trapped. I can't cook efficiently. Mike is working long hours so I'm lonely. The kids are bored and I have no idea what to do with them.

Worst of all, I can't seem to conquer the grocery store. I actually had a panic attack in Aldi because I couldn't find what I needed. Everything is located in unusual places. Or called something different. Or not available at all. It is all too overwhelming for me. Mike saved me the first time by taking over the shopping for the day, but eventually I will need to figure it out.

The truth is, I hate change. I am not very adaptable. I am not adventurous. I do not look forward to new experiences. I thrive on predictability and routine. And I don't have that right now. Eventually I will adjust...I hope. But for now, I've been pretty unhappy.

Now for the public goal:
I will begin to look at things in a more positive light.
I will start to be more cheerful.
I will leave the apartment and learn my way around.
I will try not to focus on how different everything is.
I will ask for help when I need it.
I will smile more often.
I will change my mantra to something less negative.

Free Range Eggs

“The waiter said, ‘All of our chicken is free-range.’ And I said, ‘He doesn’t look very free there on that plate.’” – Bob Joe Briggs, “We Are the Weird”

I baked Suzy Q's today.
Another adventure in baking.
But it was also mildly entertaining. Because when I opened up the carton of eggs, they were brown and were marked with a stamp identifying them as "free-range" eggs. I'll have to ask someone what makes these better than the eggs I am used to purchasing.

What I found even funnier was the egg carton's description of what makes their eggs better. I wish I had written it down. But "free-range” evokes a positive image of chickens living outdoors with plenty of fresh air, sunshine and open space to roam in. To me it also reminds me of the Bill Engvall bit where he talks about his wife buying "free-range" chicken.


A snippet from the comedy bit:
The other day my wife and I were at the store. She said, "Go get some chicken.” she's on this big chicken kick right now; she said it's healthier. Which, I grew up around chickens - it's not, trust me. They're yard birds, all right? I've seen chickens eat food out of their own poop. Tell me why that's good for me! But I ain't gonna win that argument, right? And so I get this package, grab a pack of chicken, throw it in the cart, and she goes "No, don't get that kind. Get free-range chicken." And I said, "What are you talking about?" And she goes, “You got cooped-up chicken.” And I said, “All chickens are cooped-up chickens. There's no such thing as a free-range chicken.” I said, "I studied history, I did real well in it. And I don't ever remember reading about the herds of chickens that used to roam this land. There was never the great chicken wars. Nobody hunts chickens - they're not wild."


So the whole time I'm making the Suzy Q's I'm picturing chickens running wild across the plains.
Good thing I was alone in the apartment as I was giggling to myself, which could have made me look silly, right?

An adventure in cooking

For the first few days in England, Mike was sweet enough to take us out to eat for each of our meals. This was not only sweet, but necessary as we had not done any grocery shopping. This luxury could not last forever, however, since eating out in England is pretty pricey. So I went shopping. I actually felt like I had a personal shopper with me because Mike arranged for Cheryl Wilkinson to take me to several stores to help me find what I needed. I was pretty proud of myself because I was able to get what I needed for two meals for about 10 pounds!

Fast forward to tonight.
The plan was to make baked chicken and mashed potatoes and rolls.
Well, the rolls turned out great (purchased for the store). The rest was less wonderful.

I got out the chicken and went to preheat the oven. Okay, it's in Celsius. Now what?
Jonathan was great. He remembered the formula for converting Fahrenheit to Celsius. Okay.
There were no words on the oven, only pictures. And I couldn't for the life of me decipher what they meant. So I called Mike. He didn't know either. Fine then, I'll fry up the chicken instead.

Time to make the potatoes. The instant, easy to make potatoes. Except that the directions were in liters, not cups or ounces! I had no idea how to convert that. I was close to calling it quits when I discovered that one of the pans I was using has liter markings inside of it! I was saved!

What an adventure. One I prefer not to repeat.
Who knew trying to cook dinner here would be my downfall?