Happy New Year

Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

Not sure who wrote this, but I have always liked it.

Cheers!

Posted New Pictures for all of December

VW Birthday

We made VW a cake and had pizza on his Birthday. Here are pics of the cake and the kids the next morning.

VW and I also spent a night out going to a hockey game and dinner. We saw the Coventry Blaze. They are an the English pro hockey team, mostly Canadian and US players. They recently made a rule that 10 players on each team need to be British. The stadium is about the size of a high school arena. Our guess was that the level was around D2 or D3.

They won by the way: 4 to 3.

Fairy Party, just because

We made fairy skirts to take home, wands for them to decorate, and had wings and headbands for each girl. They seemed to have a great time. We started with wand making (huge success, they all did two a piece and asked for more,) then they ran around a bit, had biscuits (cookies for the yanks), listened to Alice the Fairy book, played more and headed home.

Most of the mums stayed and had coffee and tea. X was most definitely overwhelmed by 7 little girls and their giggles. I think he is used to being the loudest. VW was home early that day and was able to enjoy the party as well.

S and VW sneak out

They slipped out for a treat.

Christmas Bazaar at S's School

S and her Teacher.

Abby Park

We spent a lovely Sunday, at Abby Park. It has a pet zoo, playground, café, train rides, lake and dam. We ran around kicking footballs (soccer for you yanks), had lunch and hit the playground. We will save the rest for next time.

They think it is cold here. Around 35 F. If they only knew!

We have spent most of the last several weeks trying to get better. Someone always seems to be sick. Currently VW is the latest victim. And X has a runny nose. I think there is a whole string of bugs here we aren’t immune to getting.

Shhh, don’t tell the Toddlers

X and I attend a playgroup. There is usually around 80 or so people that attend on any given week. It is held in a church hall, with games, books, puzzles, toys, scooters and playdough. Each year the organizers plan a Don’t Tell the Toddlers party. It was a great Saturday night, with just the ladies, a dj, games and appetizers. It was a sold out event with 80 mums. We whooped it up until 12 am. It is those moments I know that I will cry when we leave because I will miss my British friends.

Poor Baby

Xander fell at the store, he has a huge fat lip. There was blood!

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was truly our best meal in England. The B family really welcomed us. The turkey was divine, I loved the soup, the Banoffee Pie was to die for, the seasonal vegetables oh! I ate three days worth of food. I have included the menu they laid out (it lost its formatting.) I thought you should see…

L. and J. welcome you to
Chez Baker
Thanksgiving Day Dinner

Aperitif
Perfect Turkey (cocktail)
Roasted Hazelnuts with Thyme

Entrée
Cinnamon Spiced Squash Soup
Served with Cornbread
Wine: Californian Pinot noir or Californian Pinot Grigio

Main Course
Roast Turkey with Pork, Cranberry and Chestnut Stuffing
Thyme and Bacon Chipolatas
Roast Potatoes
Grandma Bernie’s Sweet Potatoes
Creamed Corn
Seasonal Roasted Vegetables
Accompanied by Cranberry Sauce and Brandy and Redcurrant Gravy
Wine: Californian Pinot noir or Californian Pinot Grigio

Dessert
Banoffee Pie
Pecan Pie
Wine: Chevalier du Pastel d’Yvon Mau

Cheese Board
Somerset Brie with Walnuts
English Cheddar with Black Olives
Stilton with Figs
Wine: Special Reserve Port

Coffee & Chocolate Brownies

Remember Someday

I have been writing about the fun or interesting things of late (at least from my point of view.) But I want to remind myself someday of all the normal things of life. Sunday we stayed home, I cleaned all three bathrooms, did laundry, washed dishes, cooked and picked up groceries. VW watched the kids, made a nice breakfast and worked. I am still doing laundry. I have so much laundry hung around the house right now to dry, I am not sure where I will put the next load. And I didn’t let it get away from me, I just didn’t do any on Saturday and all the sheets, towels and rugs also needed a wash.

My car needs an oil change, our furnace keeps losing pressure and not heating the house and my bank card isn’t working.

It is so dark here most of the time, it is light only from 7:15 am to 4:00 pm.

X won’t wear his winter coat because it doesn’t have a hood and he hides whenever it is time to poo. S loves school and her friends one day and cries the next.

Life can be just as mundane here as it can be at home. But as I tell S, if you spend your time worrying about what you miss or what you don’t have, you don’t have time to enjoy what you do have.

Falling in Love again

X has developed a fascination with ties. First, anyone who is wearing one is going to work (of course.) Yesterday he said to me, “Mommy, you buy me a tie at the store.” “Yes, dear I will.” I told VW last night about our conversation. This morning (running late) VW and X came down the stairs in ties and white shirts and blazers. Oh were they cute and X was sooooo happy. We took pictures and danced around. Then X kept saying, “I am going to work.” Oh, oh , the disappointment was going to be a killer. He couldn’t actually go to work. VW ran upstairs to finish getting ready. Then came down scooped X up and took him for a drive. When they came home, X announced, “We went to Leeds.” It is those very moments, I fall in love with VW all over again.

A side note, he recently made S a “mixed cd” of girl songs. Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Daughters, What it feels like for a girl, etc….

What a great dad. I love him so much.

Anniversary of Sorts

We have lived in England 6 months today.

Lanzarote Pictures

Pictures posted in November for our Canary Islands vacation.