Snow!

This week has been very cold in England and we finally got some snow!  It stuck to the ground on Wednesday – but has mostly melted since then.  I love walking in it!  Here are a few pictures form the week.

Tuesday was clear – but very cold!  Richard visited me in London for lunch and snapped a few photos while he was there.

Then the snow came on Wednesday…

And more on Thursday night…

Outside our house

The joy of a snowball in your hand!

The girls on their end of term walk home from school on Friday

We had breakfast at a corner pub (Gordon Bennett’s) this morning as a part of Market Day on Maple Road.  I love the atmosphere with the fireplace and Christmas decorations.

It was also the first time Alexa went to order on her own – you had to order at the bar.  I am not sure this is setting a good precedent.

Here we are today for our Christmas photo in our back garden.

Merry Christmas!

Christmastime in London

The past few weeks have been unbelievably busy.  Work has kept my free time to a minimum and the rest has been filled up with Christmas shopping, school events and trying to get some rest.  In all of this rush, we have been trying to see as much English Christmas culture as possible.  I have attached pictures below for your viewing pleasure…

Rainbow from our den window.

Selfridges on Oxford Street

Oxford Street

 

The Mall in Kingston

 

Public message in the tube station

Fog by the river at night

Our milkman offering additional services…

Saturday morning walk from the grocery store

Alexa on her way to school

 

Christmas market candy stand

 

Christmas Market in Kingston Marketplace

Where’s the beef?

My favorite wine

Amber in Richmond

 

As Christmas gets closer, I will work hard at posting more.  I am hoping to stay more organized in the New Year and be a little more on top of my communication.

Heading into Winter

The windy weather has just about taken all of the leaves off of the trees now. Cold weather is moving in - but it is not freezing yet. Still, we do wear coats every day - and sometimes hats and gloves.

We have ivy leaves covering our back fence and they have turned beautiful colors this fall - but I never got around to taking a picture. When the winds came through last weekend - all of the leaves fell off and are now on the walk. Doh!

I know I have not blogged much - but honestly, work is taking up quite a bit of time. Business is very strong though - which is a very good thing!

Also, I have been really enjoying family. We get through dinner and suddenly it is bed time and we are off to sleep. Then we spend every second of the weekend trying to fit in as much as possible. The Christmas lighting is this coming weekend and the German Christmas Market has started up. I will be sure to send some pictures and tell you all about it.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today the angels are smiling as they remember the birthday of Sharon! I hope you have a most wonderful birthday and wish I could be there to celebrate with you!

Reasons I celebrate Mom's birthday:

She was the "mean" mom who taught me the strong values and ethics that I use every day.

She loves me.

She read to me when I was little.

She laughs easily.

She always made me feel better when I was sick.

She is caring and kind and generous.

She makes the best breaded pork chops in the world.

She is curious about everything.

She is the best Grandma ever!

She is always hopeful.

She is strong and independent and persistent!

I love her!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Guy Fawkes Day is here!

Today is Guy Fawkes Day in the UK. It is always November 5th and commemorates Guy Fawkes attempt to blow up Parliament in the early 1600's. It is a little weird in that part of the celebration is to burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes in a bonfire. But there are lots of fireworks as well. It reminds me of 4th of July, except that no one gets the day off of work. As I was walking home from the station, I could hear fireworks all the way home and passed one effigy bonfire.

Since it is in the middle of the week, there will be residual celebrations all weekend as well. We live across the river from Hampton Court and they are sure to have a big celebration this weekend with fireworks as well, so maybe we will check it out.

Alexa has been learning all about the Tudors and is really fascinated by them. She likes to write down facts about them. (check out her blog) She even has a somewhat positive view of Henry the VIII. Anyway, she is going to Hampton Court tomorrow with her class and she couldn't be more excited.

Mouse in the House

It appears that we are hosting a little mouse in our house. We discovered him this weekend. Late Sunday night I was sitting at the bottom of the staircase typing an e-mail on my blackberry and he came out of the living room to take a look at me. I now have a feeling he was trying to get up the stairs.

Richard and I spent a good 45 minutes trying to shoo the little fellow out of the back door. We were sure we failed, but we could at least no longer find the creature. I ordered a two in one rodent repellent for next day delivery that night before I went to bed.

Well, the ordered device has still not arrived and the mouse is becoming bolder. This morning I woke up to a Alexa screaming, "Mommy!" (side note: I feel bad because I thought it was some kid outside screaming. When I finally got up to look out the window, I realized it was the child in the bedroom across the hall.) Anyway, I went into Alexa's room and she was sure there were mice all over her room. So we sat and listened and sure enough, something was in there making scratching noises.

We finally pinpointed the noise to her pile of stuffed animals. Alexa pointed out a bag and told me she thought there were chips in the bag. While on top of her bed, I threw a few additional stuffed animals at the bag and nothing happened. I had already turned on the lights and the sun was creeping through the windows by now. finally I braved it and look in the bag - there were chips there - but no mouse. Then I began moving the stuffed animals one by one. I felt that the mouse had surely moved on my now and there was no real danger. I found another bag with the wonderful meal the mouse had been eating - a granola bar. (No - food is not allowed in the bedrooms - but yet there it was.) Then as I moved the next stuffed animal, I discovered the little brown mouse staring up at me.

Now what? He is so cute, but so creepy. It's weird! Anyway, I could not find anything to catch him in and he is way too fast anyway, so I settled for getting him around the room and down the stairs. Bad news is then he ran into Amber's room and we started the whole thing over again. In the meantime, the girls have named him Despereaux. They beleive he is adorable - but got dressed on top of their beds all morning.

Finally, he made it all the way downstairs and into his usual hiding place (no idea where that is by the way.)

So we are still waiting on my next day rodent repellent device that is 3 days late so far and living with the mouse. I just saw him sneak out of the living room - I decided to follow only so far as to ensure he did not climb the stairs. Although I am creeped out - I am just trying to not think about it too much until the repellent device arrives. Please be tomorrow!

Halloween in the UK

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! It is definitely not as big of a holiday here in the UK. We started the day in a coffee shop on High Street and they were playing Christmas music - which I secretly enjoyed.

No big decorations were out, but we did see a few witches and princesses roaming the streets late afternoon. It was beautiful and blustery with leaves falling off the trees and swirling in the wind before settling like a blanket on the ground. Here is one of our favorite spots by the river.




Amber dressed up in about 5 different costumes just for fun. (I am sure she will post them on her blog shortly.) Alexa was planning on being Miley Cyrus - but the shirt she wanted to wear was in the washing machine. It's the first year they have not gone trick-or-treating. We only had one bunch of kids come to our door all night. A group of girls dressed up as mice in tutus. Needless to say - we have a lot of leftover candy.

So as the cold weather threatened rain outside, I made stew from scratch and we ate it with Yorkshire pudding while we snuggled under blankets watching Harry Potter (IV).

Happy Birthday!

Very special birthday wishes go out to my wonderful mother-in-law Frances! We hope you have a fantastic day!

Also, Frances is taking care of our wonderful dog for us until we can get her over to London. How wonderful is that? We cannot thank her enough. Here is a pic of our sweet Sara Lee:

Feeling better

Well, I finally got sick enough that I found it necessary to try the health care in the UK. I had to go to a walk-in clinic in Teddington. Richard went with me last Tuesday and we did find our way - about 45 minutes to get there by bus.

I signed in and about 20 minutes later, a nurse practitioner called me into a room. She took my temperature and asked about my symptoms. She said she thought the doctor should see me, but he would not be in to the office for another 10 minutes. I was sent back to the waiting room.

About an hour later, a doctor came out and called my name. I had to follow him quickly through a maze of hallways to an examination room. He asked me about my symptoms, when I had last used antibiotics and took my blood pressure.

Then he asked me, "What do you have on under that sweater?" I thought that was a little weird, but told him and he said to keep it on for now. Then he listened to my lungs through the sweater.

He told me he would prescribe a nasal spray and an antibiotic - but did not give me an official diagnoses. He sent me back to the waiting room so he could write out the prescriptions, which he hand delivered to me 10 minutes later.

So, in the end - it was a long process for only 10 minutes with the nurse and doctor combined. However, I got what I needed to get better. The appointment was free and the prescriptions only cost 14.60 pounds.

The most important thing is that I am feeling much better!

Sick

Although I still love Autumn and cold weather, I am tired of being sick. Amber, Alexa and Richard all had a severe cold a few weeks ago. I seemed to have picked it up about 10 days ago as they were all recovering. I cannot seem to shake it! Now I have a deep cough and my voice is going in and out. I am sure I do not have Swine Flu as I have not yet had a fever. But come on already - I gotta get better!

We finally turned the heaters on today since it has started to dip into the 40's. I like sitting inside snuggled under a blanket watching TV. I am getting into the cold weather comfort food too. Today I am having Fish pie while everyone else is having grilled cheese. We had King Ranch Casserole last night and we will have to have some chili this week too. The leaves are changing colors and we have had a few blustery days like in Winnie the Pooh. Reminds me a lot of Michigan in a way.

Anyway, we did venture out for a walk today. Here are a few pictures from around where we live:






This last one is on Maple Road and we have not seen any of these cross yet - but who knows?

For the man of my dreams and my life

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful man in my world - Richard! I love you, Richard and am so happy that we are together as a family for your birthday. The last month that you have been here has been the best time in my life and I never want to be apart from you again. I wish you the best birthday ever!

Accents

This week, Richard made a trip into the city to have dinner with me. He is so sweet and it is so nice to spend time with him like that. We found a great restaurant - you guessed it - Italian. It was so fun. I have really missed just being together like that.

Before we went to dinner though, we went to the pub for a pint and were soon joined by my bosses and a few colleagues. Three are Scottish and one has an English accent. Having been around these accents even before I left Houston, I have grown pretty accustomed to it. I will say there are still times when I miss things though, particularly when there are colloquialisms being used - like "brawlie" or "ta". Also, when there are three or more gathered with a like accent, the accent becomes stronger. This was the first time Richard had been around these guys in London and he has not spent a great deal of time in lengthy conversations and no time in the pubs before this. As we chatted, Richard seemed to be in on every joke and I thought he was more ahead of the conversation than I was.

Later that night, he confessed. He said there were several times when the conversation was like a different language for him and he happened to laugh in the right places. I guess we will have to get him to the pub more often...

To be fair though, there have been times when I have been lost in the conversation and quickly asked, "What?" Then everyone has laughed because I apparently made a great joke. Great for me as I look witty - but I still do not know what was said.

Weekend Adventures

Here are a few photos from some of our recent weekend adventures in and around London.

  

This first one is for Joan – the first tree to show color this year.

 
Maple Road near dusk.

Prizes the girls won from a festival booth.
 

Amber in the tube station.

St. Pancras Station – where we ate crepes.
 

And for your entertainment – an accordionist by the river.

It's like Harry Potter...

I just found out today that Alexa's school has houses that each class is divided into from start to finish. Obviously they do not live there, but they are divided in each class into different houses and stay in that house as long as they are at the school. They also earn "house points" through good deeds and lose points for bad behavior.

I feel a little out of the loop on these things - but honestly - Alexa just doesn't tell us these things. I only found out today because she earned her house (Herons) two points today for informing the teacher of a stranger taking pictures of a group of girls on the playground. The Head Mistress even seems a bit like Dumbledore - she came into the Year 4 class and had Alexa and her group of friends involved stand up and expressed how sensible they acted and awarded them the points. Cool.

I just found out that Alexa also has a dance recital tomorrow afternoon. I have no idea of when it is - but she has apparently been preparing since school started. Too bad I will miss it, but I am sure Richard will video for me.

I will post some pictures soon of our recent weekend adventures. We have visited Richmond, seen the remnants of a regatta on the river, attended the Surbiton Festival and gone to see The Monument and St. Pancras station. I will show and tell all about them soon.

Time - where does it go?

I thought I would have so much more time when Richard and the girls got here - was I wrong! Don't get me wrong - I am not complaining AT ALL. I love that I get questions and requests from three separate people when I walk in the door - I know I am loved and missed all day.

I just thought that I would be able to get to bed at a decent hour every night since I would not need to stay up to talk with my family on Skype every night. Not the case. I guess it is just make up time for being apart for so long. Richard and I seem to be up until 11 PM or later every night and we cannot seem to figure out where the time goes.

It is all good though - I love it and would not trade it for anything. I am looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday though!

Happy Birthday to my sisters

How wonderful to be able to celebrate two birthdays in one day. Here's a big shout-out to Joan and Kelly - Happy Birthday! I hope you both have a wonderful day!

Joan - I am so glad you are my big sister! I used to think it would have been better of you were my little sister - but now I know it was meant to be this way. Thank you for Seventeen magazine when I was in high school, sharing your clothes with me sometimes, taking me to see Kenny G, including me in confirmation retreats and all the fun stuff we used to do. Thank for being not only a sister, but also a friend and a confidante and for staying in touch with me so well in this big move. I hope you have a wonderful year!

Kelly - I am so lucky to have acquired you as a sister - what a nice side benefit to marrying Richard. You are always so supportive and helpful. I miss car pooling with you and shopping with you and generally talking with you. I wish we had had more girl time together before we moved so far away. Thank you for all of your help and for watching out for my family while I was away from them. You are a true friend and sister! I hope this year is your best yet!

Here's to the birthday girls! Hip hip hooray!

Amber's first day

As I predicted, Amber had a great first day at school - after a shaky start. I tried to buy her a day pass for the bus the night before and the guy at the train station was trying to go home and not listening well to me. I ended up with round trip train tickets instead. So we left the house just a few minutes late, bought a bus pass at the convenience store and then she just missed the actual bus. We waited for the next one for about ten minutes when Amber said she was supposed to be early that day. Since she only had 10 minutes to get there - I bundled her into a taxi and sent her on her way. She made it just in time.

She went through her first few classes without a schedule, but everyone was very helpful. She spent her lunch break hanging out with the Guitar Club and learned how to play Spoons (the card game - not the instrument). She has made few friends and really likes it so far.

She has 10 different classes that she attends over the course of a two week schedule. She is required to take English, Math, Science, PE, Religious Education, Citizenship, and Information and Computer Technology. Then she chose to take History, Textiles and Graphics. She has only attended a few of these so far and has a LOT of homework. Over the weekend she has to read a book, write a 1300 word essay, start another paper on the book - all for English. Then she has to come up with a brand idea for her name for Graphics and draw ideas on the flow of water for Textiles. Hopefully this seems like a lot only because she missed the first 4 days of school.

In any case, she came home with a smile on her face and we now know how all the transportation works.

Amber is starting High School!

OK - so it's not American High School - but I think it still counts. She will be starting 10th year in the UK. She is really nervous - but I am sure she will have a great day.

With that said, I remember how nervous I was on my first day of high school and I totally feel for how she is feeling. Not only is she starting school in a foreign country, but she is also starting 5 days after the rest of the students started.

I am positive she will be accepted well and that everyone will be helpful though. She is so likeable - who wouldn't want to be her friend? I will let you know how it all goes this weekend.

SURPRISE!

Richard flew into London today to stay! He ended his employment with Deloitte as of Friday the 4th and flew over last night. The girls were so surprised and we are all so happy! Videos to come soon of how we surprised the girls.

Alexa's first day of school

Alexa's first day of school in the UK was today. We arrived to the school early to drop off all of her paperwork and meet her teacher. Then we went out to the playground to wait for school to start and mingle with the other parents and students. The mingling was minimal, but the Head Mistress did rustle up another Year 4 girl to help Alexa to her classroom. As she introduced Alexa to Maxine, about 4 other girls ran up to us to see the new girl. Alexa acted shy. Then the bell rang and she was led by Maxine into school, looking back only once. She said she was pretty much over her shyness as soon as I left.

When we picked her up from school this afternoon, she was all smiles.

Unfortunately we received very little information from her aside from the fact that she really liked the school. She talked with Grandma on Skype and a little more at dinner and here is what we have pieced together:

- Assembly is every morning and they sing hymns and have some sort of worship (It is a Church of England school)
- There are three break times (recess), one in the morning, one with lunch and one in the afternoon. This seems to have really impressed Alexa.
- They eat their lunch outside and then play.
- The "Big Field" is only open once a day and when it is, everyone runs with their hands in the air to get there.
- Alexa is teaching some of the girls a new tag game that involves sharks, fish, minnows, octopus and rock/paper/scissors
- She played American Idol in the first break with some girls and went first with a dance routine.
- She played America's Got Talent in the second break and also found the secret club of some of the other Year 4 girls.
- She played Britain's Got Talent in the third break.
- In the first and second breaks, some Year 6 girls kept following her around and asking her to say something. So she said, "Hi." Then they would ask her to say something else and she said, "Bye." Then she and her friends ran away.
- There is homework only once a week (we will see about that)
- She will be learning French on Mondays
- In class, she had to introduce herself and tell where she is from. She told them she was from America, from Texas and from Houston. All of the kids had a collective intake of breath after each announcement.
- During one of the breaks, Alexa and her friends were seeing how far out they could pull their skin by their hairline when one of the girls noticed that Alexa had a red bump on her forehead. No one seems to know where it came from, but Alexa had to go to the office and put ice on it.
- Alexa is trying out for Football (Soccer) tomorrow, but it is really only for boys. She is trying out anyway - but not gonna be on the team.
-Although she has made 5 friends, she only knows Lily's name.