Sunbathing

We've been enjoying some really sunny and warm weather lately.  Last weekend, we spent lots of time in the garden (back yard), and the girls did some sunbathing.

 I'm really not sure where the girls learned about this kind of meditation...

 Even Sean ad Cooper kicked back for a little bit.

Happy Spring everyone!

Homemade Scones

A couple of weeks ago Sean decided to make homemade scones with the kids.  He used a simple recipe that he'd gotten from a friend and had the kids help. They all had a great time mixing and cutting.  They turned out fabulous. 

To celebrate the success we made a yummy dessert with them...berries and ice cream....ooooh, delicious!

English Mothers Day

Today was Mothers day in the UK, sometimes referred to as Mothering Sunday.  Here it's always celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent.  We had a pretty relaxing day.  My morning started off by receiving all the cards and presents that the kids and Sean have been working on over the last couple of weeks.  We then enjoyed a nice breakfast together before church.  Later in the day we enjoyed a bit of sunshine in the garden, some bouncing on the trampoline, a evening movie on the TV, and an amazing dinner.  Sean made a new recipe for Cottage Pie with meat, peas, carrots, mashed potatoes, cheese and gravy!  Yum! 

Now I need to remember the American Mothers day without any media/commercial help in May! Wish me luck!

My First Traditional English Afternoon Tea

This week the American wives went back to Chatsworth to check out their traditional afternoon tea.  This was my first afternoon tea ever and I found it to be very nice.  We started out by choosing the kind of tea to drink, which was served in our own teapot.  It was loose leaf tea, so you have to strain out the leaves as you pour it into your glass.  Then our "meal" is served on a tiered tray, which includes finger sandwiches in four varieties, a scone with clotted cream and jam, and then 3 small desserts. Yum!

Spring is here!

This past week, we've been enjoying the blooms of crocuses that are planted in patches of public grass around town.  It's quite a lovely site.  And we can see the daffodil buds about ready to pop soon in the next week or 2.  Yesterday, I saw 4 convertibles with their tops down!  Not typical for a New Yorker, but i've heard that this is what usually happens here in Derby.  Flowers start blooming in late February.  We've had some really mild weather in the 50s these last 2 weeks, with some periods of nice warm sunshine.  I hope it lasts, though it looks like we'll be back into the 40s again next week.

Here are the kids standing amongst the crocuses after I picked them up from school...happy that it's Friday!