Big Church Day Out

For our first music festival experience as a family, we couldn't have asked for a better one.  We were blessed with a rare 2-days of glorious sunshine and temps in the mid 60s.  We arrived in West Sussex, down on the southern coast of England in the middle of the afternoon on Saturday.  The festival was held on the grounds of Wiston House, which was a beautiful venue.  Here is a photo of Mia standing with Wiston House in the background.

Anyone who really knows me, will know that Christian music is a HUGE part of my life.  So as you can imagine, I was quite excited about this festival.  So many bands that I listened to in the US were coming and some British and Irish artists that I've fallen in love with over the last 2 years were there too!  I was most excited about a relatively new band called Rend Collective Experiment and they did not disappoint.  Through our church here I've also become very familiar with the songs of Matt Redman, and it was such a treat to have him be the final act of the weekend....finishing of course with 10,000 Reasons.  

We all had a fabulous time and look forward to attending more festivals in the states when we come home.  Hopefully we'll be able to get some friends to come along next time ;-).

 Here are all the girls, sporting our new BCDO T-shirts...a lamb with big headphones on!

 One of the early acts on Sunday...Jars of Clay!

Halloween in the UK

Last year we chose not to participate in Halloween here because we didn't know what it was like.  We stayed home to hand out candy and only had 2 trick-or-treaters.  The kids don't have school during the week of Halloween, so there's no celebration at school.  In general, we've discovered that trick-or-treating is not as common here, by some it is considered begging.  Many people choose not to participate due to religious reasons, but an even more common viewpoint is that it is "American" tradition and they don't want to succumb to the commercialism.  That being said, there are a few people that choose to participate in trick-or-treating.  The grocery stores have halloween costumes for sale (much cheaper than in the US), but all the costumes that I've seen are of the scary and bloody variety...no princesses or cartoon characters here.  Though some would say that the traditions of Halloween are American, I would say that the way the British celebrate it is very different from America. 

We were encouraged to try trick-or-treating by a few people this year who said that their housing developments participated.  The girls wanted to dress up and we were invited to a friends house in one of these developments.  The children had a lot of fun, but if you're used to trick or treating in the US....it was a bit sad.  I would guess that about 10% of the houses had candy for the kids.  Because so few people participate, the way to know for sure who is hospitable is to look for a jack-o-lantern in the window.

I have to say that Halloween isn't my favorite holiday...the resentment that the British have of the commercialism of it all is shared by me to some extent.  But being here, and seeing how it is done differently, has helped me to appreciate what is good about this "American" tradition.  I love that Halloween is an excuse to get dressed up in costume.   I love that trick-or-treating is a reason for us to interact with our neighbors.  We are all caught up in our busy lives, how nice it is to go around and see all of our neighbors once a year.  I totally recognize the religious reasons to object to Halloween, though I choose to see the holiday not as a celebration of evil, but a seasonal community tradition with a bit of spookiness mixed in.

I'm so glad we got out to try trick-or-treating here.  It has helped me gain perspective and appreciation for our own celebrations at home. We had a lovely evening with friends tonight.  We were sprayed with mist while we walked, so we came back to our friends' house for a hot cup of tea and the Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin video. Celebrating time together with friends and family....a good old American tradition. Happy Halloween everyone!

 

Latest Developments

We were really excited that Avery gets to be a Prefect for his house at school this term.  This is an honor for Year 6 boys only and the responsiblity is usually rotated with each term.  Avery was so happy when he came home from school a couple weeks ago to tell us the news.  Avery's main responsibilities in this role seem to be to act as a role model for the younger boys and encourage them to behave appropriately...the main thing he seems to mention is that he gets to tell the other boys to tuck their shirts in!  He's learning the names of all the new Year 3 boys now.  On Monday, all the Prefects got to meet with the Headmaster to share some biscuits (cookies).

 

He's excited that he gets to keep his Prefect badge even after his role as Prefect is over.  It will be a nice souvenier of his school days in England.

 

Last weekend was Alexa's Dance recital.  The theme of her show was "Divas".  Though we weren't allowed to take photos during the performance (the UK is pretty strict about that kind of stuff), we were able to take a photo of her before her performances backstage.

 Alexa before her "Locomotion" dance.

Alexa and big brother before "Stop" by the Spice Girls.

Alexa before her "Miss Piggy" dance...too cute!

Happy Birthday Mia!

On Saturday, Mia turned 8 years old! We spent a fairly relaxing day together as a family...with presents first thing in the morning, a dinner out at one of Mia's favorite restaurants, and then an outdoor performance of the "Sword and the Stone" at Chatsworth. She's enjoying a day with her friends today: a trip to the cinema to see the Lorax, lots of girly play time, and a sleepover! 

Camping & Picnicking

Since it was a nice weekend, we scheduled a last minute camping trip in Bakewell, a short drive from home. Most camping in the UK that we've heard about is car camping on a farmers field. A bit different than what we're used to...not trees for privacy at all. But it was really nice to be in a nice big space. Since we were only staying one night, we didn't have a lot to bring (not that we could fit much more in our car), and it was easy to set up and take down our camp "site". We enjoyed a relaxed evening playing volleyball and frisbee in the big field of grass. 

In the morning we decided to go for a walk in Monsal Dale, on the Chatsworth estate. It was quite beautiful, though unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me to take photos. From there we went to the Chatsworth park to lounge by the river there, soak up the sunshine, and splash in the river. The day ended with a brief visit to the Chatsworth Farmyard...always fun for the kids.

A bunch of Chatworth bulls came over to check out the scene by the river.

Happy Birthday Alexa!

 Last Wednesday we celebrated Alexa's birthday. Our baby girl is 6 years old! Alexa insisted on having a water themed party, despite the fact that it's been so cold and rainy here in England lately. So we went ahead and planned a "Splish Splash" party and hoped for good weather. And.....we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day! It wasn't hot, but it was in the mid 60s and sunny. Alexa had 4 girls come over and they played on a slip 'n slide, the trampoline, had fun with water balloons, bubbles, and wet sponges all afternoon. All the girls had a wonderful time...especially when they figured out that they could make foam with the bubble solution, water and sponges and decided to cover the trampoline with foamy soap!

Haddon Hall

On one of our Tuesday outings, the American ladies visited Haddon Hall.  It happened to be a lovely day...sunny, mid 60s, very comfortable and pleasant.  Haddon Hall is near the town of Bakewell about an hour north of where we live.  The interesting thing is that Haddon Hall has been the location for many, many films.  Here's the description from their website:

Described by Simon Jenkins in “1000 Best Houses” as “the most romantic house to survive from the middle ages”. Set in the heart of the beautiful Peak District National Park, parts of the house date from the 12th Century, sitting like a jewel in its Elizabethan terraced gardens, and overlooking the River Wye.

Film-makers flock to Haddon Hall to use it as a location. The house and grounds have played host to no less than three versions of “Jane Eyre”. Screen credits also include "Elizabeth”, "Pride & Prejudice” and “The Other Boleyn Girl”. This year marks the silver jubilee of “The Princess Bride”, the cult classic movie in which Haddon Hall became Humperdinck’s Castle.

Haddon has its own romantic tale - that of Dorothy Vernon’s elopement with John Manners. Little wonder Haddon Hall is recognised as one of the most romantic houses in Britain.

The view from the courtyard.

The spectacular view over the garden wall!

Inside the gardens.

Project Completed!

Before I left for England I took a look at the huge pile of Volleyball jerseys I've collected over the years and decided that I wanted to make a T-Shirt Quilt.  So I cut the backs and some fronts off my shirts and moved them to England.  This Spring I finally got around to completing the project.  It only took me a couple of months.  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, but I'm not exactly sure hwat we'll do with it!  It could be a picnic blanket, but I'm not sure I'm ready to get it dirty yet...

Anyway, so I got on of my projects done.  Next....use up as much scrapbooking supplies as possible so that I don't bring many craft supplies home next year.  I'm also considering making some tea cozies (keep the tea in the tea pot warm)....

Lots of Updating to Do

OK, it's been a busy couple of weeks!  My parents have been visiting, we went to Wales and then to Spain.  The kids have been out of school for 2 weeks....I have lots of photos to share. First, let me share the most recent news....on our trip to Spain, Alexa lost her first tooth!  She has lots of wiggly ones, and one finally let go.  Here's a picture of her new smile, so adorable.

And yes, that is a Cadbury cream egg she's eating.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.  I'll be posting more photos of our adventures this week, so stay tuned!

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!

Snow Day

We got our first snowfall of the year on a Saturday night...if it had been on a Sunday night the kids would have missed a day from school.  Though I must say that if the snow clean up continues at this pace, they may not go to school tomorrow...It's now a bout 15 hours after the snow finished falling and we have not yet seen a plow, I don't think one is coming.  So now it's up to the sun to do the job. We got about 4 or 5 inches and I do see it thinning on the tops of the rooftops. 

It was so pretty last night watching the snow fall.  I was really missing it...not that I'm a big fan of snow, but it does make it feel like winter and the sight of snow falling is both beautiful and peaceful.  I was worried that we'd make it through the whole winter without seeing any.

Today was supposed to be my first day attempting to sing at church.  There was going to be a rehearsal at 8:45, so I cleaned my car off and drove up the hill of my road towards the main road.  Unfortunately, I couldn't make it onto the main road.  The car just couldn't do it.  So after about 8 attempts or so, I backed up down my road into my driveway and decided to stay in for the day.  It wouldn't have mattered to me so much, since I love snuggling up on these kinds of days, but I do miss singing in a band so much and it's been 6 months...

The kids have had a lot of fun playing in the white stuff, so I do have some photos and a video to share. They're still using the trampoline even with snow on it, and doing the usual, snow angels, snow balls, etc.

Hope you are all staying warm!