I woke up 'early' as usual Sunday morning, and was reading through some blogs that I keep up with. One is of a military wife in Germany, and she mentioned off-hand that they were changing their clocks forward Saturday night. Hmmm, I wonder if we do, too? No one at work mentioned it. So I checked Bob's cell phone, and it hadn't changed. Oh, but the computer clock had. So to be sure I searched it and found an article about the time change on BBC's weather site. Aha! Last Sunday in March - yep, that's today!
So we got ready for church in plenty of time, but as we headed out the door I thought maybe white socks weren't the thing to wear with my black skirt and black shoes. (On a forum I visit there is a smiley that slaps himself in the forehead - that thing sure is handy.) So I went back to look for black socks (didn't find any, so ended up going without), and Bob came to lock up after I left. As we were on the way out the second time the phone rang. It was work. Someone had gotten a DUI (driving under the influence - here they call it "drink driving") and the whole squadron had to come in, in dress blues, for a lecture at 4pm.
Anyway, on to church. We went to Mildenhall Baptist again. They were about 1/2 full as this was some event weekend, but still a decent service. Got out at noon, then went to RAF Mildenhall for lunch at Taco Bell. After lunch, which included two full rounds of bathroom visits, including Cedwryck leaking on his pants and therefore going to the car in just his top and diaper, we came back home for Bob to get his blues together. Now, being a maintainer, Bob usually wears BDU's (or whatever they call them nowadays - the camouflage uniform). But, at the school he's been in the last 2 weeks they have everyone wear blues (the uniform that looks like a nice suit) on the last day of the month, so he had it mostly out and ready to go already.
So he dressed up all pretty, and the rest of us changed into comfy shoes. The children played outside for about an hour, as it was sunny and over 50*. We left about 3, and Bob went to his shop for the pre-lecture discussion, and I took the children to the commissary. I found a really good description of shopping with 6 children here. It actually wasn't terrible this time. I got some produce that still looks edible, some of our favorite cereal was on sale, and I saved $2 on toilet paper because someone ripped the package unloading the crate. So we got all done, in spite of William crying at the checkout and everyone else going to the toilet (well, Except Ella, who played with the cash register tape printer on the empty register behind me). Loaded into the car and waited for Bob to call. (Aren't we glad I got a cell phone?)
We'd seen several people in blues in the commissary, so I figured the lecture was over, but Bob wasn't calling. Finally I figured I'd give it a shot in case he misprogrammed my number into his phone. He didn't answer, but called back a few minutes later. Yeah, he was done, but he'd get a ride to the commissary.
When he made it over it was nearly 5 (when we normally have dinner), but we weren't really hungry. So we went to the airplane display and I tried to take his picture and he took mine. They are on flikr now. Then we got to thinking about the groceries, and decided to get burgers at the drive through (since I didn't think to get bread and lunchmeat) and take the stuff home. 5 plain cheeseburgers, please! 1 whopper no mayo, one chicken sandwich no mayo. 10 minutes later we were on the road.
At home Bob ate his burger and changed. William got to lay on the floor! He was so happy.
Then we called a lady who had a set of dishes advertised on the base website, and went to go get them. She lives on the other side of Newmarket, so it wasn't too far. Now I have a complete service for 8! Woohoo!
It was about 8 when we got home, so we readied the children for bed, and relaxed a few minutes before falling asleep. (I actually fell asleep on the couch before 10.)
I guess all my 6-hour nights caught up with me, because I slept straight through to the alarm this morning, and I barely heard it.
what a day.
Monday, 31 March 2008
Sunday, 30 March 2008
By the way
Somehow or other I forgot to mention...
LAST Friday (the 21st) the thermostat on Bob's car went out on his way to work. He got a new one, but didn't have enough water to fill the radiator, but watched it on his way home. When he got home he left the car running and went to put in more water (so it would circulate), but the cap blew off when he opened it, burning his hand a little. He's looked for the cap twice, and Taryn looked once, but they didn't find it. So since then he's been driving the minivan to work.
THIS Friday Bob went over to the fuel shop to see how things are going. They've sent a lot of people TDY (temporary duty yonder) and so are undermanned (what's new?). So now they only have 2 shifts - 6 to 6. Guess which one Bob will be on when he goes back to work Wednesday? Yep! 6pm to 6am. People really don't understand that he has SIX CHILDREN at home all day. Including two boys who like to jump. Oh well. The school was sure nice while it lasted, but Tuesday it will be over.
My apologies to Bob and any car people if I got the details wrong on the thermostat thing.
LAST Friday (the 21st) the thermostat on Bob's car went out on his way to work. He got a new one, but didn't have enough water to fill the radiator, but watched it on his way home. When he got home he left the car running and went to put in more water (so it would circulate), but the cap blew off when he opened it, burning his hand a little. He's looked for the cap twice, and Taryn looked once, but they didn't find it. So since then he's been driving the minivan to work.
THIS Friday Bob went over to the fuel shop to see how things are going. They've sent a lot of people TDY (temporary duty yonder) and so are undermanned (what's new?). So now they only have 2 shifts - 6 to 6. Guess which one Bob will be on when he goes back to work Wednesday? Yep! 6pm to 6am. People really don't understand that he has SIX CHILDREN at home all day. Including two boys who like to jump. Oh well. The school was sure nice while it lasted, but Tuesday it will be over.
My apologies to Bob and any car people if I got the details wrong on the thermostat thing.
Saturday, 29 March 2008
What we did today
We didn't actually plan on doing anything today, since it was raining quite hard last night.
This morning the sun was shining. I was up at 5 (thanks, William) and Bob was up by 7, wanting to do something. So, having started to look at stuff yesterday, we had a direction to start with. All we had to do was finalize the plans, get maps and directions, pack a lunch and the diaper bag, get the stroller in the car, find all the shoes and coats and distribute appropriately. As we "weren't" planning on doing anything, Naysha's coat was in the dryer, and we had no bread for sandwiches.
So, we went, first, to Castle Rising Castle. Yes, there are 2 castles in the name. Google said it is 1hour and 17 minutes from our house to the castle. But we missed a turn, so went through the middle of Ely, plus stopped at 2 places looking to buy bread, and took a little detour through Hilgay to see a house that Bob looked at renting before we found this place (that I wasn't able to go with him to see). So it took us 1 hour and 40 minutes. Got there right at 11 (of course!), and still had no bread for sandwiches. So we decided to go on in, and eat later.
Just to be different, this time we walked around outside first, and then went inside. There is a steep (man made) hill all around the keep, and we walked almost all the way around before climbing down to the castle yard. There is the remains of two churches, an unnamed building, and a well in the yard. Then the keep itself. It is interesting. The main door has broad steps going up to the main hall, which was on the second floor (1st floor to any British person reading). However, the floor of the hall fell in about 500 years ago. So after that, people made a walkway into the wall on one side of the hall, so we walk along beside the former hall (now 3 stories high, with no floor or ceiling). There is a chapel on one side and a kitchen on the other, plus a toilet, and a guardhouse. That's pretty much it. I didn't see any place for the lord (or lady) of the castle to sleep, and they usually had their own room. There were some interesting features, such as individually carved bricks over a fireplace in the guardhouse. It is very defensible, with all the narrow slit windows, the big moat (dry), and several doors in the single entryway.
We stopped at the gift shop on the way out, and were going to buy a DVD of the castle but, though it said DVD-R format, all regions, the man said it would not work for American TV's or computers. So we didn't buy it. I carried William in my 'pouch' inside my jacket, and Ella walked with the other children.
Then we backtracked a little to a "farm shop" in a final attempt to get some bread. They had some! So I made and passed out peanut butter sandwiches while Bob drove on to the next place. That, and chips and pears and water and candy. And cheese. They each had 3 sandwiches, and would have had more, but I saved the last two slices of bread for Bob.
Binham Priory. On the way from the A148 to Binham, we got lost in Little Walsingham.
View Larger Map
But, going down a narrow one lane road we met a lady walking her dog (we had to wait for her to find a driveway to step into so we could pass), and asked her how to go, and she gave us the following directions:
"Go up here, turn right. Take the next right; go straight to the bottom, turn right again. At the memorial turn right, then take a left at the junction. Then turn left on Scarborough road, go right through Great Walsingham, and on to Binham - it's about 2 miles." She admitted it sounded confusing, so went through it all again to make sure we had it. Piece of cake! Before you knew it, there we were.
So, Binham Priory was knocked down at some point, but the main chapel was converted into a parish church which is still in use. Pretty cool. William was asleep when we got there, so I offered to stay in the car with him while Bob took the children around the ruins. Oh, we noticed on the way a sign at the church car park - "Wedding." There (fellowship hall? Town hall?) were several cars, and we saw a wedding cake through a window. Anyway, as we pulled up to the church there were people going in,, including a few gentlemen in white tie and tails. One person who went in had a dog, and left him outside. As Bob and the children went around, the dog followed them and became quite friendly. Ella kept calling the dog, but sure didn't like it when he came close to her. After a few minutes William woke up, so I zipped him up in my jacket with me (I like big jackets), and started out, just in time to see the children headed back to the van. Bob went inside to look around before the wedding started, and sent the children to get in the van. But since I was getting out, we all walked around the cemetery while Bob went in. (He asked a man in a suit if it was okay.)
He came back out in a few minutes and we all headed back to the car. I put Ella in one door, and when Taryn opened the other door for the boys to get in, the dog jumped in. Taryn got pretty excited, so I told her to hold William and I'd get the dog. He didn't come when called, so I tried to pull on his collar. That wasn't working, and I didn't want to drag him out by force in case he got excited and "leaked" in my car. So I was on my way in to pick him up when I noticed a cookie crumb on the floor. Bingo! I showed him the crumb and led him out quite easily that way, then fed him the cookie and petted him while everyone got in and shut the door. Good thing I wasn't in the market for a dog, or his owner would have been surprised when she came out of the church later.
So, next we headed to Wells-next-the-sea. That's the name of the town. The lay-leader person from Cheveley church told us it was a nice beach, so we went. We parked in the "pay and display" parking lot near the ocean - it was $7 to park! And got the stroller for the little 2, and coats, etc. (It had rained on us, driving, twice today, and looked like it could come down any minute.) And headed for the beach. Yes, I know my grammar isn't working. As we walked along the path, it came to a little bridge with a few signs. "No dogs on the beach" "Keep dogs away from seals" "No handrails on bridge" - this one posted to the handrail.
The tide was out, and Boy! was it out. Sand went on forever! We had a small spot of soft, dry sand that was quite difficult for the double stroller, but then we got to the harder, wet stuff, and it was easy after that. The children ran and shouted and found seashells. We actually made it to the ocean, and they each got to touch the water.
When the thrill finally wore off we headed back to the car park. There was a shop there with ice cream, so we relented and went in. We got 3 small cones to share, and it was fun. Rich creamy soft serve. $6.
Then we headed back home. As we had to go right past the base, we decided to go ahead and eat dinner there, so we went to Pinkerton's - the 'club' and had a decent dinner. While there William's diaper leaked and I was glad I'd brought a change of clothes for him. I had chicken cordon blue and it was pretty good.
Home by 7:30, and we were ready for bed.
Oh, I forgot to mention:
Ella was being quite stubborn (I don't know WHERE she gets that from!) and didn't want anybody to hold her hand or tell her to go to a particular spot.
When we got out of the car at the beach, there was a duck couple waddling around, and Taryn was afraid they'd get in the car. They were quite tame and got pretty close.
Also while there Riah opened my door and banged it into the car next to us with a lady in it. She gave me a dirty look, but I apologized and it didn't leave a mark.
Riah has been talking about heaven a lot lately. Tonight when we tucked him into bed he was going over his facts and mentioned drinking. I told him we could drink from the river of life. He said, "That will taste like... chocolate... and marshmallows... and... NOT vegetables!"
This morning the sun was shining. I was up at 5 (thanks, William) and Bob was up by 7, wanting to do something. So, having started to look at stuff yesterday, we had a direction to start with. All we had to do was finalize the plans, get maps and directions, pack a lunch and the diaper bag, get the stroller in the car, find all the shoes and coats and distribute appropriately. As we "weren't" planning on doing anything, Naysha's coat was in the dryer, and we had no bread for sandwiches.
So, we went, first, to Castle Rising Castle. Yes, there are 2 castles in the name. Google said it is 1hour and 17 minutes from our house to the castle. But we missed a turn, so went through the middle of Ely, plus stopped at 2 places looking to buy bread, and took a little detour through Hilgay to see a house that Bob looked at renting before we found this place (that I wasn't able to go with him to see). So it took us 1 hour and 40 minutes. Got there right at 11 (of course!), and still had no bread for sandwiches. So we decided to go on in, and eat later.
Just to be different, this time we walked around outside first, and then went inside. There is a steep (man made) hill all around the keep, and we walked almost all the way around before climbing down to the castle yard. There is the remains of two churches, an unnamed building, and a well in the yard. Then the keep itself. It is interesting. The main door has broad steps going up to the main hall, which was on the second floor (1st floor to any British person reading). However, the floor of the hall fell in about 500 years ago. So after that, people made a walkway into the wall on one side of the hall, so we walk along beside the former hall (now 3 stories high, with no floor or ceiling). There is a chapel on one side and a kitchen on the other, plus a toilet, and a guardhouse. That's pretty much it. I didn't see any place for the lord (or lady) of the castle to sleep, and they usually had their own room. There were some interesting features, such as individually carved bricks over a fireplace in the guardhouse. It is very defensible, with all the narrow slit windows, the big moat (dry), and several doors in the single entryway.
We stopped at the gift shop on the way out, and were going to buy a DVD of the castle but, though it said DVD-R format, all regions, the man said it would not work for American TV's or computers. So we didn't buy it. I carried William in my 'pouch' inside my jacket, and Ella walked with the other children.
Then we backtracked a little to a "farm shop" in a final attempt to get some bread. They had some! So I made and passed out peanut butter sandwiches while Bob drove on to the next place. That, and chips and pears and water and candy. And cheese. They each had 3 sandwiches, and would have had more, but I saved the last two slices of bread for Bob.
Binham Priory. On the way from the A148 to Binham, we got lost in Little Walsingham.
View Larger Map
But, going down a narrow one lane road we met a lady walking her dog (we had to wait for her to find a driveway to step into so we could pass), and asked her how to go, and she gave us the following directions:
"Go up here, turn right. Take the next right; go straight to the bottom, turn right again. At the memorial turn right, then take a left at the junction. Then turn left on Scarborough road, go right through Great Walsingham, and on to Binham - it's about 2 miles." She admitted it sounded confusing, so went through it all again to make sure we had it. Piece of cake! Before you knew it, there we were.
So, Binham Priory was knocked down at some point, but the main chapel was converted into a parish church which is still in use. Pretty cool. William was asleep when we got there, so I offered to stay in the car with him while Bob took the children around the ruins. Oh, we noticed on the way a sign at the church car park - "Wedding." There (fellowship hall? Town hall?) were several cars, and we saw a wedding cake through a window. Anyway, as we pulled up to the church there were people going in,, including a few gentlemen in white tie and tails. One person who went in had a dog, and left him outside. As Bob and the children went around, the dog followed them and became quite friendly. Ella kept calling the dog, but sure didn't like it when he came close to her. After a few minutes William woke up, so I zipped him up in my jacket with me (I like big jackets), and started out, just in time to see the children headed back to the van. Bob went inside to look around before the wedding started, and sent the children to get in the van. But since I was getting out, we all walked around the cemetery while Bob went in. (He asked a man in a suit if it was okay.)
He came back out in a few minutes and we all headed back to the car. I put Ella in one door, and when Taryn opened the other door for the boys to get in, the dog jumped in. Taryn got pretty excited, so I told her to hold William and I'd get the dog. He didn't come when called, so I tried to pull on his collar. That wasn't working, and I didn't want to drag him out by force in case he got excited and "leaked" in my car. So I was on my way in to pick him up when I noticed a cookie crumb on the floor. Bingo! I showed him the crumb and led him out quite easily that way, then fed him the cookie and petted him while everyone got in and shut the door. Good thing I wasn't in the market for a dog, or his owner would have been surprised when she came out of the church later.
So, next we headed to Wells-next-the-sea. That's the name of the town. The lay-leader person from Cheveley church told us it was a nice beach, so we went. We parked in the "pay and display" parking lot near the ocean - it was $7 to park! And got the stroller for the little 2, and coats, etc. (It had rained on us, driving, twice today, and looked like it could come down any minute.) And headed for the beach. Yes, I know my grammar isn't working. As we walked along the path, it came to a little bridge with a few signs. "No dogs on the beach" "Keep dogs away from seals" "No handrails on bridge" - this one posted to the handrail.
The tide was out, and Boy! was it out. Sand went on forever! We had a small spot of soft, dry sand that was quite difficult for the double stroller, but then we got to the harder, wet stuff, and it was easy after that. The children ran and shouted and found seashells. We actually made it to the ocean, and they each got to touch the water.
When the thrill finally wore off we headed back to the car park. There was a shop there with ice cream, so we relented and went in. We got 3 small cones to share, and it was fun. Rich creamy soft serve. $6.
Then we headed back home. As we had to go right past the base, we decided to go ahead and eat dinner there, so we went to Pinkerton's - the 'club' and had a decent dinner. While there William's diaper leaked and I was glad I'd brought a change of clothes for him. I had chicken cordon blue and it was pretty good.
Home by 7:30, and we were ready for bed.
Oh, I forgot to mention:
Ella was being quite stubborn (I don't know WHERE she gets that from!) and didn't want anybody to hold her hand or tell her to go to a particular spot.
When we got out of the car at the beach, there was a duck couple waddling around, and Taryn was afraid they'd get in the car. They were quite tame and got pretty close.
Also while there Riah opened my door and banged it into the car next to us with a lady in it. She gave me a dirty look, but I apologized and it didn't leave a mark.
Riah has been talking about heaven a lot lately. Tonight when we tucked him into bed he was going over his facts and mentioned drinking. I told him we could drink from the river of life. He said, "That will taste like... chocolate... and marshmallows... and... NOT vegetables!"
Friday, 28 March 2008
MIA
I've been missing in action.
Not a lot of excitement the last few days. It has been raining more or less all week, except for a few hours after I finally brought the blankets in off the clothes line. ha.
Wednesday night I was going to put the steaks in the freezer, when Bob said he'd rather grill in the rain than have to freeze good steaks. So last night we had a feast. Bob grilled a T-bone for himself, a ribeye for me, and hot dogs for the children. I made "Old fashioned pan rolls" (with about half whole wheat flour), baked cauliflower with cheese, and tossed salad. Ummmm, good. I was stuffed! Didn't even want dessert.
After dinner Bob went to the digital camera club. He missed last month because of work, but since he's on days this week he was able to go. They asked him to speak to the club in two months. I guess he'll be able to get away from work for that.
His class is almost over. As part of the class time they had to do a CLEP (test for college credit) in a subject of their choice. Bob only lacks Algebra for his Associates Degree, so he tried that. He did some studying, but all the college level study material tells how to do the problem, but not why. So Bob will sit and talk to the tutorials, "WHY?" He says on the test he mostly guessed "C." :-)
Well, Bob just called (1pm) and he's already done for the day, plus returned books to the library, got mail, and filled the van with gas. So he'll be home soon.
I'm trying to find something to do tomorrow. Maybe we'll go to Castle Rising Castle, and then on to Wells-next-the-sea. Or maybe not. We'd talked about going to London, to the Science Museum that Zane liked so well when he was 9, and maybe even watching the Oxford vs Cambridge boat race there tomorrow evening, but we haven't worked up sufficient excitement for that yet. To get to London we would drive an hour, then park, get our gear, buy tickets, and ride the Tube for another hour. Yikes! Not much scenery on the Tube. But that's the cheapest way, as you are charged to drive into London now, and the trains are a little high, too. So anyway.
I've been doing reading of other blogs, and some ebaying (bought Taryn 2 dresses).
Last night the children got into the water. We keep our filter pitcher on the counter for easy drinking, and "someone" decided to mop or something. Anyway the floor was quite wet. So I mopped it up. Then later it was even more wet, and I still hadn't got a drink! Now there is a baby gate across the kitchen doorway. I know, the sign of ill-trained children. But it will keep things neater while they are in training.
We got Ella's new shoes yesterday. We got them out of the box and when Ella came in the room she was so excited. She shouted, "shoes! babblebibblebobbleME!" Or something like that.
I guess that'll do for now.
Not a lot of excitement the last few days. It has been raining more or less all week, except for a few hours after I finally brought the blankets in off the clothes line. ha.
Wednesday night I was going to put the steaks in the freezer, when Bob said he'd rather grill in the rain than have to freeze good steaks. So last night we had a feast. Bob grilled a T-bone for himself, a ribeye for me, and hot dogs for the children. I made "Old fashioned pan rolls" (with about half whole wheat flour), baked cauliflower with cheese, and tossed salad. Ummmm, good. I was stuffed! Didn't even want dessert.
After dinner Bob went to the digital camera club. He missed last month because of work, but since he's on days this week he was able to go. They asked him to speak to the club in two months. I guess he'll be able to get away from work for that.
His class is almost over. As part of the class time they had to do a CLEP (test for college credit) in a subject of their choice. Bob only lacks Algebra for his Associates Degree, so he tried that. He did some studying, but all the college level study material tells how to do the problem, but not why. So Bob will sit and talk to the tutorials, "WHY?" He says on the test he mostly guessed "C." :-)
Well, Bob just called (1pm) and he's already done for the day, plus returned books to the library, got mail, and filled the van with gas. So he'll be home soon.
I'm trying to find something to do tomorrow. Maybe we'll go to Castle Rising Castle, and then on to Wells-next-the-sea. Or maybe not. We'd talked about going to London, to the Science Museum that Zane liked so well when he was 9, and maybe even watching the Oxford vs Cambridge boat race there tomorrow evening, but we haven't worked up sufficient excitement for that yet. To get to London we would drive an hour, then park, get our gear, buy tickets, and ride the Tube for another hour. Yikes! Not much scenery on the Tube. But that's the cheapest way, as you are charged to drive into London now, and the trains are a little high, too. So anyway.
I've been doing reading of other blogs, and some ebaying (bought Taryn 2 dresses).
Last night the children got into the water. We keep our filter pitcher on the counter for easy drinking, and "someone" decided to mop or something. Anyway the floor was quite wet. So I mopped it up. Then later it was even more wet, and I still hadn't got a drink! Now there is a baby gate across the kitchen doorway. I know, the sign of ill-trained children. But it will keep things neater while they are in training.
We got Ella's new shoes yesterday. We got them out of the box and when Ella came in the room she was so excited. She shouted, "shoes! babblebibblebobbleME!" Or something like that.
I guess that'll do for now.
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
New phone
I got my new phone yesterday. (Click on the link if you want to see it.) Opened up the box, put in the battery and charged it up. Finally it was time to use the thing. I read through the owner's guide, and it says there is a number lock, which is a good thing because it's the "candy bar" style. "To turn on the lock, press and hold the * key, then press 'yes.' To turn off the lock, press 'unlock.'" The only problem is, it comes locked, and there is no "unlock" button. Hmm. I read the manual again, I tried many combinations of buttons, I went to the website and read about the phone there. I was getting frustrated. But Bob found a review site, and in one of the reviews someone was complaining about the unlock feature, and to point out how bad it was they said how to do it. Yay! After the second try I got it to unlock.
So then I set it up with my home number and Bob's cell phone number, and made a trial call home. "hello, this is Taryn... Hi Taryn...Hi Mama...Bye Taryn." And this cost me 16cents. But now Bob doesn't feel bad about dropping me off at the commissary. Peace of mind is everything.
I'm SO not awake yet. Maybe I'll get more later. :-)
So then I set it up with my home number and Bob's cell phone number, and made a trial call home. "hello, this is Taryn... Hi Taryn...Hi Mama...Bye Taryn." And this cost me 16cents. But now Bob doesn't feel bad about dropping me off at the commissary. Peace of mind is everything.
I'm SO not awake yet. Maybe I'll get more later. :-)
Sunday, 23 March 2008
Resurrection Day
Well, it cooled off last night - it's still 30*F at 12:30 - and snowed all morning. We probably got 3-4 inches.
We decided to walk to Cheveley Reformed church this morning, but today their service was early and they'd already left when we got there. So we went on down to the Anglican church. They had service late, so we were early, but that gave us time to dry out little. This week they were in the main part of the church, in case of visitors. It's a lovely place. Only problem is, no toilets.
Now we are back home, and the boys are trying to warm up while the girls are out back making a snowman.
Time to get lunch.
Happy Resurrection Day! Christ the Lord is risen indeed, hallelujah.
We decided to walk to Cheveley Reformed church this morning, but today their service was early and they'd already left when we got there. So we went on down to the Anglican church. They had service late, so we were early, but that gave us time to dry out little. This week they were in the main part of the church, in case of visitors. It's a lovely place. Only problem is, no toilets.
Now we are back home, and the boys are trying to warm up while the girls are out back making a snowman.
Time to get lunch.
Happy Resurrection Day! Christ the Lord is risen indeed, hallelujah.
Saturday, 22 March 2008
snow
I guess we made the right decision about not going to the castle today. It snowed all morning, and most of the afternoon. It was not quite cold enough to stick, but would have been a cold, messy day outside.
As it was, we enjoyed the flakes from the windows. At times it would come down very hard, then it would be sunny, then sleet, then snow again.
We did go to the base after lunch to get a new ironing board, since the old one broke. I also got a new Charles Wysocki puzzle. That was my Resurrection Day present that I picked out. Then Bob said he wanted to get me a cell phone, too. So when we got home I picked out a phone from Tesco.com. Tesco is a grocery store chain that has its own mobile phone service.
Cedwryck is continuing his habit of getting into stuff. Today he ate 3 cookies (and took one bite out of the remaining ones), helped himself to a boiled egg (cracking it on the pudding pie crust in the fridge), brushed his teeth with great gobs of our toothpaste, and to top it off... We have a Vicks (as in Vap -o-rub) humidifier, and it has a place you can pour Vicks vapors so that it clears your sinuses as it moisturizes. Well, he got the bottle of vapors (think menthol concentrate) and poured it out in the bathtub, apparently in an attempt to wash a toy. So our bathroom is nice and smelly. As is the hallway, where Riah dripped back and forth twice, to show us the toy that Cedwryck "dropped in..." "Dropped in what?" "I'll have to show you." The rule is, if you don't know what it is, leave it alone!
Bob made dinner tonight! Chicken nuggets, veges, and chips. Yumm. I made the pudding pie, and got the marinade on the chicken for tomorrow.
Bed time.
As it was, we enjoyed the flakes from the windows. At times it would come down very hard, then it would be sunny, then sleet, then snow again.
We did go to the base after lunch to get a new ironing board, since the old one broke. I also got a new Charles Wysocki puzzle. That was my Resurrection Day present that I picked out. Then Bob said he wanted to get me a cell phone, too. So when we got home I picked out a phone from Tesco.com. Tesco is a grocery store chain that has its own mobile phone service.
Cedwryck is continuing his habit of getting into stuff. Today he ate 3 cookies (and took one bite out of the remaining ones), helped himself to a boiled egg (cracking it on the pudding pie crust in the fridge), brushed his teeth with great gobs of our toothpaste, and to top it off... We have a Vicks (as in Vap -o-rub) humidifier, and it has a place you can pour Vicks vapors so that it clears your sinuses as it moisturizes. Well, he got the bottle of vapors (think menthol concentrate) and poured it out in the bathtub, apparently in an attempt to wash a toy. So our bathroom is nice and smelly. As is the hallway, where Riah dripped back and forth twice, to show us the toy that Cedwryck "dropped in..." "Dropped in what?" "I'll have to show you." The rule is, if you don't know what it is, leave it alone!
Bob made dinner tonight! Chicken nuggets, veges, and chips. Yumm. I made the pudding pie, and got the marinade on the chicken for tomorrow.
Bed time.
Friday, 21 March 2008
Bummer
This morning I went to make frosting for the children to paint the cookies, and realized I had no food coloring. So I made white and chocolate, and let them use sprinkles. They had fun.
Bob got off work early. He went to work on the van mirror, but the glue didn't set up. Some of the framework is broken. He had to cut wires to get it off. But he thinks he can get it back on with the right sealant.
I tried something I'd read about - soaking rice before cooking it - and it didn't work. Basically it ended up as mush.
William was fussy.
The bread I made for tomorrow's lunch fell.
It's cold and windy and rainy.
So, we decided to not go tomorrow.
It's kind of a relief, but kind of disappointing, too. But there will be better opportunities, I'm sure.
P.S. I ordered Ella some new shoes from Target.com.
Bob got off work early. He went to work on the van mirror, but the glue didn't set up. Some of the framework is broken. He had to cut wires to get it off. But he thinks he can get it back on with the right sealant.
I tried something I'd read about - soaking rice before cooking it - and it didn't work. Basically it ended up as mush.
William was fussy.
The bread I made for tomorrow's lunch fell.
It's cold and windy and rainy.
So, we decided to not go tomorrow.
It's kind of a relief, but kind of disappointing, too. But there will be better opportunities, I'm sure.
P.S. I ordered Ella some new shoes from Target.com.
Shoe part two
Yesterday was pretty rainy. But, having put it off for awhile, Bob changed the oil in the van anyway. I made sugar cookies. (I'd made the dough Tuesday, thinking I would bake them Wed, paint Thurs, and send them to work with Bob Friday. Oh well.) We all worked out together. Bob discovered why the storage building is leaking (it comes in the walls).
Then about 4pm we decided to go to the base. We thought it might be nice to have something special for Resurrection Sunday dinner.
So we got coats and shoes... We looked for Ella a pair, but I guess that's the one size we didn't save. So onto Lakenheath. First to eat at the golf club. There was a wait for a table, but we decided to go for it. We won't again soon. The service wasn't great, to say the least. Everyone got corn with their meal, and it was pretty gross. Bob said it must be deer corn. Dry, tough, no flavor. But, oh well, we all got to eat. Then to the commissary where Bob dropped me off to get steaks and hot dogs, and a roasting chicken in case it rains.
When we pulled up there, the sideview mirror - my side - the one that got hit last month - went POP and fell off. Well, not fell, because it was dangling by a wire. Not the mirror itself, but the whole assembly.
Then to the BX, where Bob dropped me and Ella off to look for shoes. They have $10 baby shoes (size birth to 9 months). They have $10 children's shoes. But toddler shoes? The cheapest one was $22. I started to just walk away, but then thought about carrying Ella through another castle, so I went back. They didn't have any her size anyway.
Bob sent Taryn in after me to ask for super glue (for the mirror), but it was just too wet to try to glue it.
So then we went back home. We decided to stop back in the driveway where we lost the shoe and pick it back up. Maybe it'll dry out and be usable. It's pretty muddy, but I guess it's better than nothing.
When we got on the 'highway' and got over 50MPH, the mirror started banging around pretty hard. Bob said something about scratching the side of the van - I was worried it might break the window. So I rolled my window down a little and held it until we got to the exit (we took the first exit); then we went slow enough that it didn't bang around.
Whew. We made it home. Sometimes it just doesn't seem worth it to step out my front door.
So Bob is back at work today, and tomorrow we plan to go to Kenilworth Castle. They are having some medieval actor people there for the holiday weekend. It just occurred to me that we should have filled up with gas last night. argh. Sometimes we just don't think! I hope we get it figured out before we start having company.
Then about 4pm we decided to go to the base. We thought it might be nice to have something special for Resurrection Sunday dinner.
So we got coats and shoes... We looked for Ella a pair, but I guess that's the one size we didn't save. So onto Lakenheath. First to eat at the golf club. There was a wait for a table, but we decided to go for it. We won't again soon. The service wasn't great, to say the least. Everyone got corn with their meal, and it was pretty gross. Bob said it must be deer corn. Dry, tough, no flavor. But, oh well, we all got to eat. Then to the commissary where Bob dropped me off to get steaks and hot dogs, and a roasting chicken in case it rains.
When we pulled up there, the sideview mirror - my side - the one that got hit last month - went POP and fell off. Well, not fell, because it was dangling by a wire. Not the mirror itself, but the whole assembly.
Then to the BX, where Bob dropped me and Ella off to look for shoes. They have $10 baby shoes (size birth to 9 months). They have $10 children's shoes. But toddler shoes? The cheapest one was $22. I started to just walk away, but then thought about carrying Ella through another castle, so I went back. They didn't have any her size anyway.
Bob sent Taryn in after me to ask for super glue (for the mirror), but it was just too wet to try to glue it.
So then we went back home. We decided to stop back in the driveway where we lost the shoe and pick it back up. Maybe it'll dry out and be usable. It's pretty muddy, but I guess it's better than nothing.
When we got on the 'highway' and got over 50MPH, the mirror started banging around pretty hard. Bob said something about scratching the side of the van - I was worried it might break the window. So I rolled my window down a little and held it until we got to the exit (we took the first exit); then we went slow enough that it didn't bang around.
Whew. We made it home. Sometimes it just doesn't seem worth it to step out my front door.
So Bob is back at work today, and tomorrow we plan to go to Kenilworth Castle. They are having some medieval actor people there for the holiday weekend. It just occurred to me that we should have filled up with gas last night. argh. Sometimes we just don't think! I hope we get it figured out before we start having company.
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Electricity
Ganeida, this is for you!
Bob took a picture of an American style plug-in (power outlet) for you. It is here. This is at work, so it's not all pretty like some are in a house, but it's the basic idea.
Everyone also please see Taryn and Naysha's St. Patrick's Day pictures.
Bob took a picture of an American style plug-in (power outlet) for you. It is here. This is at work, so it's not all pretty like some are in a house, but it's the basic idea.
Everyone also please see Taryn and Naysha's St. Patrick's Day pictures.
Wild Wednesday
Tuesday Bob came home from work and announced that he had off Wednesday and Thursday. Yippee! What do we want to do? Well, we figured, since it was 2 days off, we could go a little farther than usual and just be tired the next day. Only, we didn't find anything before bed.
So Wednesday we got up (I at 5:50, Bob at 7:30) and after breakfast we planned. We needed to go on base and get gas, so we tried to find things in the northerly direction. Only thing is, everything north of here is either not open at all til next week, or is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. grrr. So it took us a few minutes, but we found Framlingham Castle. (Understand we were only looking at English Heritage properties, since we bought the membership and go free.)
So we collected coats, hats, gloves and scarves (it was about 40* all day), diapers, and directions. Then we went to the base to get gas. It was 10, so we thought about lunch... eat now or buy a picnic. Decided to eat now, so we went into the BX, but the hot dog place and the pizza place don't open til 11, and the children don't like the sandwich place. So we went to the commissary and got picnic stuff. They actually had whole wheat bread! I think that's the first time I've seen that there. By the time I got out of there it was nearly 11 anyway. I tried to open the sliding door next to Ella, to put the bage in front of her, but it wouldn't open since the car was in gear. But it opened enough for the "door open" light to come on. So we pulled over, put in park, and opened and shut the door (it is electric, so no one got out and walked over there) - I mention this detail because it comes in later.
Framlingham was just over an hour from the base, and we didn't make any wrong turns! We sat in the parking lot and ate our lunch, then bundled up and got out. We knew the stroller wouldn't go up the stairs, but there seemed to be a lot of places we could use it, so we took it. When I went to get Ella out, she only had one shoe on. Usually when she throws something down, it goes right beside the door, so I looked around - no shoe. I looked outside - no shoe. We got all the stuff out of her floorboard - no shoe. So we figure when we stopped to shut the door, her shoe fell out, and was now laying in the mud beside the road near Lakenheath. What are you gonna do? She spent the rest of the day in one socked foot.
Just to be different from last week's Orford castle, Framlingham had the wall nearly intact, but no keep. There was the 'poor house' made into visitor center and museum, but that was the only interior building. So we went in there and got the audio tours for Bob, me, and the 2 girls. They have two versions - the adult, calm version, and the 'topsy-turvy' version for children. After listening to one of each, I recommended the girls listen to the adult one, as it's much easier to understand. First thing to do was go upstairs, so we parked the stroller and carried the two babies. Up stairs and out onto the wall, where it promptly began to rain. No worries, though - by the time Bob got his camera cover on, it stopped. The clouds were alternating dark and brooding with bright and sunny the rest of the day.
We walked all the way around the top of the wall, which was pretty cool. Riah and Ced ran and played and fell down and shouted, while the rest of us listened to our audio thingys and took pictures. We saw two other couples there the whole time, so we didn't worry about bothering people or getting in the way. On the way down, back to the main building, there was a little hall off the stairs that led to an area museum. It was cute. Then on down to the visitors' center, where Riah had to go to the bathroom. SO I took him outside to the toilet area - both ladies and gents had "closed" signs up, and a man was there working on the electrics. So I went back in to ask the lady, and she said, well, there's the handicapped toilet by the car park... well, there were men working on it when we came up. So we went back out and asked the electrician if we could get in, and he let us use the ladies' room. Phew.
We got the stroller loaded back up and walked around the grounds a bit. First, the courtyard, as that's where we were, and then outside the walls. Bob was trying to get a picture of the whole thing. We went to one side of the gate, then around to the other side. The 'back' side was steep, as it had earthworks (used to be a walled garden there), and muddy from the recent rain. But we made it down and up. There we could see the "mere" - lake in Oklahoman - and the remains of the prison tower. The boys ran and climbed the muddy hill to the castle wall, and the girls tried to. Ella wanted very badly to "play," but she had no shoe. William fell asleep. Finally we'd had enough and headed back to the car.
Since William woke up getting in the car, and we had a decent drive ahead of us, we stopped just down the hill from the castle and I fed him while Bob went into the church.
On the way out of town (I always get direction going, but not coming back!) we missed a turn, ad so ended up coming home another way. Basically we went south and came home the same way we'd come from Orford last week (minus the wrong turn). The two castles are 12 miles apart, and if a person knew what they were doing they could both be seen in one day.
It was only 3 or so, so we decided to go to Mildenhall rather than home. We were there Sunday and looked at grills (BBQs), and Bob had decided to get one. There was a gas one for $199, and it seemed like a good deal. So we go in (used the toilet) and started looking. It wasn't there. There was a whole pallet on Sunday, and now they were gone. We asked a guy, and he said they'd ordered some 4 weeks ago, so maybe in a couple of weeks... bah. We went ahead and had supper, and thought and pondered. Bob thought he'd like to go ahead and get one, so back we went. He asked what I would do (dangerous!). So I said I'd get a charcoal one anyway, because it has better flavor. Oh! He didn't know I liked charcoal better than gas! Well, it's his thing, so whatever. So there was a couple of kettle types, from $80 on up, and two big barrel types from $120. I thought we ought to get the barrel type because the heat is adjustable, but Bob said he could work with the other and it would be fine. So we got the $80 kettle-type, and some charcoal and lighter fluid.
Then, finally, home by 7:00.
See pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/oliveplants
So Wednesday we got up (I at 5:50, Bob at 7:30) and after breakfast we planned. We needed to go on base and get gas, so we tried to find things in the northerly direction. Only thing is, everything north of here is either not open at all til next week, or is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. grrr. So it took us a few minutes, but we found Framlingham Castle. (Understand we were only looking at English Heritage properties, since we bought the membership and go free.)
So we collected coats, hats, gloves and scarves (it was about 40* all day), diapers, and directions. Then we went to the base to get gas. It was 10, so we thought about lunch... eat now or buy a picnic. Decided to eat now, so we went into the BX, but the hot dog place and the pizza place don't open til 11, and the children don't like the sandwich place. So we went to the commissary and got picnic stuff. They actually had whole wheat bread! I think that's the first time I've seen that there. By the time I got out of there it was nearly 11 anyway. I tried to open the sliding door next to Ella, to put the bage in front of her, but it wouldn't open since the car was in gear. But it opened enough for the "door open" light to come on. So we pulled over, put in park, and opened and shut the door (it is electric, so no one got out and walked over there) - I mention this detail because it comes in later.
Framlingham was just over an hour from the base, and we didn't make any wrong turns! We sat in the parking lot and ate our lunch, then bundled up and got out. We knew the stroller wouldn't go up the stairs, but there seemed to be a lot of places we could use it, so we took it. When I went to get Ella out, she only had one shoe on. Usually when she throws something down, it goes right beside the door, so I looked around - no shoe. I looked outside - no shoe. We got all the stuff out of her floorboard - no shoe. So we figure when we stopped to shut the door, her shoe fell out, and was now laying in the mud beside the road near Lakenheath. What are you gonna do? She spent the rest of the day in one socked foot.
Just to be different from last week's Orford castle, Framlingham had the wall nearly intact, but no keep. There was the 'poor house' made into visitor center and museum, but that was the only interior building. So we went in there and got the audio tours for Bob, me, and the 2 girls. They have two versions - the adult, calm version, and the 'topsy-turvy' version for children. After listening to one of each, I recommended the girls listen to the adult one, as it's much easier to understand. First thing to do was go upstairs, so we parked the stroller and carried the two babies. Up stairs and out onto the wall, where it promptly began to rain. No worries, though - by the time Bob got his camera cover on, it stopped. The clouds were alternating dark and brooding with bright and sunny the rest of the day.
We walked all the way around the top of the wall, which was pretty cool. Riah and Ced ran and played and fell down and shouted, while the rest of us listened to our audio thingys and took pictures. We saw two other couples there the whole time, so we didn't worry about bothering people or getting in the way. On the way down, back to the main building, there was a little hall off the stairs that led to an area museum. It was cute. Then on down to the visitors' center, where Riah had to go to the bathroom. SO I took him outside to the toilet area - both ladies and gents had "closed" signs up, and a man was there working on the electrics. So I went back in to ask the lady, and she said, well, there's the handicapped toilet by the car park... well, there were men working on it when we came up. So we went back out and asked the electrician if we could get in, and he let us use the ladies' room. Phew.
We got the stroller loaded back up and walked around the grounds a bit. First, the courtyard, as that's where we were, and then outside the walls. Bob was trying to get a picture of the whole thing. We went to one side of the gate, then around to the other side. The 'back' side was steep, as it had earthworks (used to be a walled garden there), and muddy from the recent rain. But we made it down and up. There we could see the "mere" - lake in Oklahoman - and the remains of the prison tower. The boys ran and climbed the muddy hill to the castle wall, and the girls tried to. Ella wanted very badly to "play," but she had no shoe. William fell asleep. Finally we'd had enough and headed back to the car.
Since William woke up getting in the car, and we had a decent drive ahead of us, we stopped just down the hill from the castle and I fed him while Bob went into the church.
On the way out of town (I always get direction going, but not coming back!) we missed a turn, ad so ended up coming home another way. Basically we went south and came home the same way we'd come from Orford last week (minus the wrong turn). The two castles are 12 miles apart, and if a person knew what they were doing they could both be seen in one day.
It was only 3 or so, so we decided to go to Mildenhall rather than home. We were there Sunday and looked at grills (BBQs), and Bob had decided to get one. There was a gas one for $199, and it seemed like a good deal. So we go in (used the toilet) and started looking. It wasn't there. There was a whole pallet on Sunday, and now they were gone. We asked a guy, and he said they'd ordered some 4 weeks ago, so maybe in a couple of weeks... bah. We went ahead and had supper, and thought and pondered. Bob thought he'd like to go ahead and get one, so back we went. He asked what I would do (dangerous!). So I said I'd get a charcoal one anyway, because it has better flavor. Oh! He didn't know I liked charcoal better than gas! Well, it's his thing, so whatever. So there was a couple of kettle types, from $80 on up, and two big barrel types from $120. I thought we ought to get the barrel type because the heat is adjustable, but Bob said he could work with the other and it would be fine. So we got the $80 kettle-type, and some charcoal and lighter fluid.
Then, finally, home by 7:00.
See pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/oliveplants
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
pack rats
Yes, three posts in one day. Sorry.
I have two pack rats in my house. They walk on two legs and only have hair on their heads, and no tails.
Yesterday I went to get a mixing bowl out of the cabinet, and it was full. A couple of books, a doll, and misc small toys.
Today I went to fix the min-blinds in the living room that "someone" had 'broken' (Boy, I wish I could catch "someone" - he sure causes a lot of trouble), and happened to glance down. In the space behind the couch, between the 2 radiators, was a lovely pile. So I pulled the sofa out and looked closer - there was the missing new pencil sharpener, my slotted serving spoon, a pencil, and who knows what else. LOL
on another, but similar topic, I went into the kitchen to mix up some sugar cookie dough, and noticed it smelled pretty good in there. Next, I noticed a brown spot on the inside of the (open) dishwasher door. Hmm, it should be clean. As I continued my investigation, I saw an empty vanilla bottle on the counter, and that the soap compartment of the dishwasher was also full of brown liquid. hmmm indeed. So I called Riah into the kitchen and asked him to tell me about the empty bottle. He "didn't do it." Didn't do what? "Didn't drink all that." Oh, mercy! I hope not. Vanilla is what, 20% alcohol min? So I called Cedwryck in. He also "Didn't do it." But what he "didn't do" was pour the vanilla into the dishwasher. Aha! We have a suspect! So I drug a confession out of him, explained about the soap compartment, etc. Good thing he's so cute.
I have two pack rats in my house. They walk on two legs and only have hair on their heads, and no tails.
Yesterday I went to get a mixing bowl out of the cabinet, and it was full. A couple of books, a doll, and misc small toys.
Today I went to fix the min-blinds in the living room that "someone" had 'broken' (Boy, I wish I could catch "someone" - he sure causes a lot of trouble), and happened to glance down. In the space behind the couch, between the 2 radiators, was a lovely pile. So I pulled the sofa out and looked closer - there was the missing new pencil sharpener, my slotted serving spoon, a pencil, and who knows what else. LOL
on another, but similar topic, I went into the kitchen to mix up some sugar cookie dough, and noticed it smelled pretty good in there. Next, I noticed a brown spot on the inside of the (open) dishwasher door. Hmm, it should be clean. As I continued my investigation, I saw an empty vanilla bottle on the counter, and that the soap compartment of the dishwasher was also full of brown liquid. hmmm indeed. So I called Riah into the kitchen and asked him to tell me about the empty bottle. He "didn't do it." Didn't do what? "Didn't drink all that." Oh, mercy! I hope not. Vanilla is what, 20% alcohol min? So I called Cedwryck in. He also "Didn't do it." But what he "didn't do" was pour the vanilla into the dishwasher. Aha! We have a suspect! So I drug a confession out of him, explained about the soap compartment, etc. Good thing he's so cute.
Catching up
I'm afraid this will be a bit random, so hang in there.
Saturday Bob was in bed by 3, and sort of woke up when I got up at 6, and sort of indicated he wanted me to wait and we'd go to town together when he got up. So we played quietly til 10:30, then we got our shoes on and headed out. First, lunch - Taco Bell, I think. Then we got groceries and brought the home, then we drove to Cambridge. (hey, it comes back as I write! I couldn't remember what we'd done.) There we saw a McDonalds and a Pizza Hut, and Bob went in a computer store while I stayed in the car with the sleeping ones. Then we turned around and came straight back out. Cambridge seems to be one of those places you don't want to just drive around in. It might not be bad with a good map, but England doesn't have those. We've decided next time we will do the "park and ride" thing outside the city.
Sunday we went to Soham Baptist church again. We sat in the balcony so we could all sit together, and stayed through church. Yay! William lay on the floor (on a blanket) for a long time, fell asleep without making a peep, and then woke up hungry but not fussy. He's so awesome. They did the children's talk again (I guess they do it every week). This week has Palm Sunday - "Hosanna" = "Deliver us!" (or Save us!) - children's talk about "save the planet." So the pastor introduced the talk with saving the physical planet. Reduce, reuse, recycle... Asked the children what they'd been taught at school about "save the planet." One said, "Walk instead of drive." Good one. There were a couple more. Then one little boy piped up, "Reduce the population!" Say what?! A laugh rippled across the audience, and pastor said, "We'll not talk about that one yet." Bob and I sat there thinking, "Yet another reason our children are homeschooled." What's the point of saving planet earth if there are no people to enjoy it? "Environmentalists" are so backwards in their thinking, but they sure are making 'progress.' I hear the Pope has issued a new 7 deadly sins list, and #1 is pollution. So if a man drives to work in order to provide for his family, he's committing a deadly sin? Kill people, save the planet! Makes me sick.
After church we went to Mildenhall for lunch, and to scout out where Bob's class is. We ate Taco Bell again. We've decided Taco Bell makes our children hyper, and Bob and I a little edgy. Yech. We both can see how much better we feel when we eat healthier foods, and lots of vegetables.
Speaking of, I've lost 7 pounds in the last 5 weeks. Not spectacular, but it's a start. William is flourishing, so I think I'm balancing things well.
Yesterday Bob was home at 3:30, and he got a 90 minute lunch break. It's like having a desk job! The military is supposed to be so uniform, but it's just not. People who "work on" people, whether medical or paperwork or what, work form 8-3, and have a lunch break, time out from work to do PT (physical training), no weekends, and 'down days' at least once a month for training. People who work on equipment (maintainers, crew chiefs, etc) work one of 3 shifts (open 24 hours), and each shift is 10 hours long; they don't get lunch, they have to do PT on their own time, they keep going all weekend, and there is no 'down day.' Grrrr.
Yesterday I did laundry, supervised cleaning of the bathroom, made chili and cornbread for supper, hung curtains in the girls' room, sorted all our sheets and blankets, had school, and started to iron Bob's dress shirts. But the iron wouldn't work right - it poured water out a hole instead of streaming. So I told Bob that, and it worked fine for him. Oh well, I guess we have a winner. (Bob gets to iron.)
Today, I better get busy or I will have nothing to show. I want to make sugar cookies tomorrow.
Oh, we started reading Robin Hood last night. It's fun.
Saturday Bob was in bed by 3, and sort of woke up when I got up at 6, and sort of indicated he wanted me to wait and we'd go to town together when he got up. So we played quietly til 10:30, then we got our shoes on and headed out. First, lunch - Taco Bell, I think. Then we got groceries and brought the home, then we drove to Cambridge. (hey, it comes back as I write! I couldn't remember what we'd done.) There we saw a McDonalds and a Pizza Hut, and Bob went in a computer store while I stayed in the car with the sleeping ones. Then we turned around and came straight back out. Cambridge seems to be one of those places you don't want to just drive around in. It might not be bad with a good map, but England doesn't have those. We've decided next time we will do the "park and ride" thing outside the city.
Sunday we went to Soham Baptist church again. We sat in the balcony so we could all sit together, and stayed through church. Yay! William lay on the floor (on a blanket) for a long time, fell asleep without making a peep, and then woke up hungry but not fussy. He's so awesome. They did the children's talk again (I guess they do it every week). This week has Palm Sunday - "Hosanna" = "Deliver us!" (or Save us!) - children's talk about "save the planet." So the pastor introduced the talk with saving the physical planet. Reduce, reuse, recycle... Asked the children what they'd been taught at school about "save the planet." One said, "Walk instead of drive." Good one. There were a couple more. Then one little boy piped up, "Reduce the population!" Say what?! A laugh rippled across the audience, and pastor said, "We'll not talk about that one yet." Bob and I sat there thinking, "Yet another reason our children are homeschooled." What's the point of saving planet earth if there are no people to enjoy it? "Environmentalists" are so backwards in their thinking, but they sure are making 'progress.' I hear the Pope has issued a new 7 deadly sins list, and #1 is pollution. So if a man drives to work in order to provide for his family, he's committing a deadly sin? Kill people, save the planet! Makes me sick.
After church we went to Mildenhall for lunch, and to scout out where Bob's class is. We ate Taco Bell again. We've decided Taco Bell makes our children hyper, and Bob and I a little edgy. Yech. We both can see how much better we feel when we eat healthier foods, and lots of vegetables.
Speaking of, I've lost 7 pounds in the last 5 weeks. Not spectacular, but it's a start. William is flourishing, so I think I'm balancing things well.
Yesterday Bob was home at 3:30, and he got a 90 minute lunch break. It's like having a desk job! The military is supposed to be so uniform, but it's just not. People who "work on" people, whether medical or paperwork or what, work form 8-3, and have a lunch break, time out from work to do PT (physical training), no weekends, and 'down days' at least once a month for training. People who work on equipment (maintainers, crew chiefs, etc) work one of 3 shifts (open 24 hours), and each shift is 10 hours long; they don't get lunch, they have to do PT on their own time, they keep going all weekend, and there is no 'down day.' Grrrr.
Yesterday I did laundry, supervised cleaning of the bathroom, made chili and cornbread for supper, hung curtains in the girls' room, sorted all our sheets and blankets, had school, and started to iron Bob's dress shirts. But the iron wouldn't work right - it poured water out a hole instead of streaming. So I told Bob that, and it worked fine for him. Oh well, I guess we have a winner. (Bob gets to iron.)
Today, I better get busy or I will have nothing to show. I want to make sugar cookies tomorrow.
Oh, we started reading Robin Hood last night. It's fun.
meme
Ganeida has asked me to do this 8 new things about me meme. Here are the rules. In the 8 facts about yourself, you share 8 things that your readers don’t know about you. Then at the end you tag at least 8 other bloggers to keep the fun going.
(I guess I'm officially a blogger now!)
One of my regular readers is my mother, and I think she knows more about me than she wants to, but I'll try to come up with something not readily apparent to the world at large.
1. I was born in Tokyo, Japan.
2. I manipulated schedules in order to graduate at 17 and marry at 18, just as I'd always planned.
3. I once bullied a DPS agent into giving me a driver's license without having my social security number.
4. I remember names better than faces.
5. I used to want to be a hermit when I grew up. (in between wanting to get married at 18, :-D )
6. I'm pushy and abrasive in print and over the phone, but in person I tend to nod and smile.
7. The hardest thing for me to bake is chocolate chip cookies.
8. I'm more sensitive to cold when I am pregnant.
(and a bonus 9 - it took me over 30 minutes to come up with this list!)
I only read a few blogs, but I've tagged:
Dorcas, Dawn, and Wil.
THAT took another 45 minutes! I've got clothes to hang up, and haven't done our weekend yet. Thanks a lot, Ganeida! :-D
(I guess I'm officially a blogger now!)
One of my regular readers is my mother, and I think she knows more about me than she wants to, but I'll try to come up with something not readily apparent to the world at large.
1. I was born in Tokyo, Japan.
2. I manipulated schedules in order to graduate at 17 and marry at 18, just as I'd always planned.
3. I once bullied a DPS agent into giving me a driver's license without having my social security number.
4. I remember names better than faces.
5. I used to want to be a hermit when I grew up. (in between wanting to get married at 18, :-D )
6. I'm pushy and abrasive in print and over the phone, but in person I tend to nod and smile.
7. The hardest thing for me to bake is chocolate chip cookies.
8. I'm more sensitive to cold when I am pregnant.
(and a bonus 9 - it took me over 30 minutes to come up with this list!)
I only read a few blogs, but I've tagged:
Dorcas, Dawn, and Wil.
THAT took another 45 minutes! I've got clothes to hang up, and haven't done our weekend yet. Thanks a lot, Ganeida! :-D
Friday, 14 March 2008
God is teaching me...something
...I'm sure of it. I'm just not sure what.
Remember back when I tried to schedule? And the next week Bob changed shifts? Well, I've been working on a schedule the last couple of days, and what did Bob find out tonight? You guessed it! He's going to be on day shift next week. Grrr. He has some kind of training.
But hey! He passed his PT test today, so that is good news. But no relaxing, since he has to test every quarter now.
I called yesterday to get a dentist appointment since the one I had was canceled. I get to go in on April 2. !!! Another 3 weeks, and I'm already worried about that tooth. I really hope they don't have to pull it.
Today the weather was quite nice. Some of us went outside with no coat.
My children! I made a lovely lunch of baked chicken with sweet potato, oven-fried zucchini, and rice. But nobody liked it, so they didn't eat much.
I made 2 loaves of bread, and they ate ALL of it at dinner. I couldn't believe they ate 2 whole loaves of bread. Plus apples and chips. What will I do when they are teenagers? Maybe by then we will be farming. Or at least getting very friendly with the local butcher.
Oh well. It's past bedtime, and tomorrow I have to get up and take the children shopping, because Bob will be working til after 3 tonight and will need to sleep in more than normal. Sigh. I just love the military.
Remember back when I tried to schedule? And the next week Bob changed shifts? Well, I've been working on a schedule the last couple of days, and what did Bob find out tonight? You guessed it! He's going to be on day shift next week. Grrr. He has some kind of training.
But hey! He passed his PT test today, so that is good news. But no relaxing, since he has to test every quarter now.
I called yesterday to get a dentist appointment since the one I had was canceled. I get to go in on April 2. !!! Another 3 weeks, and I'm already worried about that tooth. I really hope they don't have to pull it.
Today the weather was quite nice. Some of us went outside with no coat.
My children! I made a lovely lunch of baked chicken with sweet potato, oven-fried zucchini, and rice. But nobody liked it, so they didn't eat much.
I made 2 loaves of bread, and they ate ALL of it at dinner. I couldn't believe they ate 2 whole loaves of bread. Plus apples and chips. What will I do when they are teenagers? Maybe by then we will be farming. Or at least getting very friendly with the local butcher.
Oh well. It's past bedtime, and tomorrow I have to get up and take the children shopping, because Bob will be working til after 3 tonight and will need to sleep in more than normal. Sigh. I just love the military.
odds and ends
I have nothing to say!
Yesterday we had pancakes for supper. Ooo, yummy. I had 3 pancakes. The children each had 3 pancakes (plus a half each for the boys), a whole boiled egg, and some applesauce. I was stuffed. They wanted more.
Bob will test again today, at 3 our time. I pray he makes it.
We will probably go get groceries this afternoon.
Some funny things about England:
The toilet flush handle is on the wrong side of the tank. (bothers some people more than others)
You have to pump the thing to get it to flush.
I have a double oven, but neither is big enough for a large cookie sheet, or a roaster with handles.
Known for being a very damp place, everyone hangs their clothes to dry outside.
My tumble dryer, instead of having a "more dry" to "less dry" setting, has the following options for auto dry: Bone, Extra, Cupboard, Iron.
Every electric outlet has an on/off switch.
Instead of a routing number, banks have a 'branch sort code.'
A one time event is called "one-off."
Mail is delivered to your door at least once a day, but to send anything you have to go to a box or the post office.
I get my local Thursday paper on Saturday.
That's about all I can think of for now.
Yesterday we had pancakes for supper. Ooo, yummy. I had 3 pancakes. The children each had 3 pancakes (plus a half each for the boys), a whole boiled egg, and some applesauce. I was stuffed. They wanted more.
Bob will test again today, at 3 our time. I pray he makes it.
We will probably go get groceries this afternoon.
Some funny things about England:
The toilet flush handle is on the wrong side of the tank. (bothers some people more than others)
You have to pump the thing to get it to flush.
I have a double oven, but neither is big enough for a large cookie sheet, or a roaster with handles.
Known for being a very damp place, everyone hangs their clothes to dry outside.
My tumble dryer, instead of having a "more dry" to "less dry" setting, has the following options for auto dry: Bone, Extra, Cupboard, Iron.
Every electric outlet has an on/off switch.
Instead of a routing number, banks have a 'branch sort code.'
A one time event is called "one-off."
Mail is delivered to your door at least once a day, but to send anything you have to go to a box or the post office.
I get my local Thursday paper on Saturday.
That's about all I can think of for now.
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Cows
Yes, cows! Why not?
From our first trip off base, on the Newcomer's bus tour, whenever we go up toward Feltwell we see a herd of cattle beside the road. They are quite distinctive in that the front and back are black, and the middle is white. I called them "ice cream sandwich cows." One trip I noticed that they are 'furry' and so I guessed they were some type of Scottish cow. We never have been in a good place to photograph them, but we look every time we drive up that way.
Finally the curiosity got to me, and we browsed the internet for cow breeds, looking at pictures, until we found them (at Oklahoma State U, of all places). They are "Belted Galloways" - yep, from Scotland. I'm so smart! So I found the breed home page if you want to look. Click here.
Aren't my posts profound?
Oh, BTW, we had eggplant at lunch today and they are entirely unoffensive. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy them, but I have nothing against them.
From our first trip off base, on the Newcomer's bus tour, whenever we go up toward Feltwell we see a herd of cattle beside the road. They are quite distinctive in that the front and back are black, and the middle is white. I called them "ice cream sandwich cows." One trip I noticed that they are 'furry' and so I guessed they were some type of Scottish cow. We never have been in a good place to photograph them, but we look every time we drive up that way.
Finally the curiosity got to me, and we browsed the internet for cow breeds, looking at pictures, until we found them (at Oklahoma State U, of all places). They are "Belted Galloways" - yep, from Scotland. I'm so smart! So I found the breed home page if you want to look. Click here.
Aren't my posts profound?
Oh, BTW, we had eggplant at lunch today and they are entirely unoffensive. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy them, but I have nothing against them.
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
howdy
Sunday we went to Soham Baptist Church. They had small pews, so we had to split up - Bob and two children across the aisle from the rest of us. It wasn't too bad until William dirtied his diaper and I had to go change him. I plainly told Riah and Naysha to sit still and hush, and I'd be right back. Well, I hadn't got the diaper off yet when Naysha showed up in the nursery. She had to go to the bathroom. (I wish I had the emoticons here; I'd do a nice rolling-eye one.) So, fine. Then, when I was almost finished, Bob and Riah showed up. Apparently Riah decided to pee, too, but Taryn wouldn't let him out of the pew, so he got noisy. And anyone who has seen Riah has heard him, and knows how loud he truly is. (now it's time for a blushing smiley) So I finish the diaper, and took Riah back to the sanctuary. They were doing a children's talk, and Taryn and Naysha were at the front, so I slid in with Bob (who was now back in my pew). After the talk was "Sunday club" - Sunday school - and since there wasn't room for us all to sit down, Bob said the girls could go. (Now somebody tell me why they need both the children's talk, and the Sunday school.) I figured I'd better go to, just in case, and Bob said that was fine.
The girls were in different classes, so I went with Naysha (I had William with me). It was typical Sunday school stuff; not anything "wrong," just not a lot "right" either. When class was over we headed back down stairs to meet up with Bob and the boys. I didn't think he would be very happy with the situation, and he wasn't, but the people were very friendly and chatty. They kept coming over to talk, and really held conversations beyond "How nice to see you." So we were there for a while visiting, and finally made our escape.
Bob said the preaching was good, and he didn't feel lost in the crowd, but if we went back we'd have to try to balcony so we could sit together.
Afterwards we went to Lakenheath for lunch. We tried to golf club, as it has a steakhouse that is rumored to be decent, but they aren't open on the weekends. (Somebody explain THAT to me!) So we went to Burger King. yay. When we got home we changed shoes and went to the park in Cheveley. The children played a while, and then we walked across the field and through the woods that run alongside. That was fun, but a little chilly when out of the sun. When we got home the neighbor lady was taking out her trash (our pick-up is Monday morning) and she said it was supposed to storm. So we took out our trash, and I collected the laundry form the line.
Sure enough, it was raining and quite windy when we got up Monday morning. Monday was typical. Cook, clean, catch up.
Today it stopped raining, and we went outside after lunch (well, about 3pm). I went, too, to trim a hedge I'd missed last time. Then Taryn wanted to trim, so I let her do the one in front of the house (that was supposed to have been torn down in January to make a new parking spot) while the other children and I pulled weeds from the gravel that runs alongside the path from the front to the back door. So that was fun.
I got a veg box today, and it has some exciting new things to try. Leeks. Eggplant (they call it aubergine). And Jerusalem artichokes. I've never had any of those before. There was supposed to be a "purple sprouting broccoli" but I guess they ran out because I had regular broccoli. Also I got a funny-looking squash instead of the predicted cabbage. (This along with the normal potatoes, carrots, onions, swede, and a zucchini.) So I get to try some new stuff this week. The children poke through the box as if it's a Christmas present.
We seem to be getting runny noses. Taryn has a sore throat as well. We think my parents are sending it over the email.
So, 'nuff for now.
The girls were in different classes, so I went with Naysha (I had William with me). It was typical Sunday school stuff; not anything "wrong," just not a lot "right" either. When class was over we headed back down stairs to meet up with Bob and the boys. I didn't think he would be very happy with the situation, and he wasn't, but the people were very friendly and chatty. They kept coming over to talk, and really held conversations beyond "How nice to see you." So we were there for a while visiting, and finally made our escape.
Bob said the preaching was good, and he didn't feel lost in the crowd, but if we went back we'd have to try to balcony so we could sit together.
Afterwards we went to Lakenheath for lunch. We tried to golf club, as it has a steakhouse that is rumored to be decent, but they aren't open on the weekends. (Somebody explain THAT to me!) So we went to Burger King. yay. When we got home we changed shoes and went to the park in Cheveley. The children played a while, and then we walked across the field and through the woods that run alongside. That was fun, but a little chilly when out of the sun. When we got home the neighbor lady was taking out her trash (our pick-up is Monday morning) and she said it was supposed to storm. So we took out our trash, and I collected the laundry form the line.
Sure enough, it was raining and quite windy when we got up Monday morning. Monday was typical. Cook, clean, catch up.
Today it stopped raining, and we went outside after lunch (well, about 3pm). I went, too, to trim a hedge I'd missed last time. Then Taryn wanted to trim, so I let her do the one in front of the house (that was supposed to have been torn down in January to make a new parking spot) while the other children and I pulled weeds from the gravel that runs alongside the path from the front to the back door. So that was fun.
I got a veg box today, and it has some exciting new things to try. Leeks. Eggplant (they call it aubergine). And Jerusalem artichokes. I've never had any of those before. There was supposed to be a "purple sprouting broccoli" but I guess they ran out because I had regular broccoli. Also I got a funny-looking squash instead of the predicted cabbage. (This along with the normal potatoes, carrots, onions, swede, and a zucchini.) So I get to try some new stuff this week. The children poke through the box as if it's a Christmas present.
We seem to be getting runny noses. Taryn has a sore throat as well. We think my parents are sending it over the email.
So, 'nuff for now.
Monday, 10 March 2008
I can't believe I did that
I dislike mushrooms. As a child, if my mother accidentally put mushrooms in anything (I know she'd never do such a thing on purpose!), I would sift and sort through my plate to be sure I didn't ingest one of those awful creatures.
Bob likes mushrooms. He will occasionally get them as a side when we eat out. When I started the veg box delivery, most boxes came with some mushrooms, so I've been cooking them for Bob. The children won't touch them, and I don't blame them.
But!
Today I was making spaghetti for lunch, and I thought about those 'shrooms in the fridge, and how a lot of the bottled sauces have them, and before I could stop myself I had chopped up 4 or 5 of those fungi and put them in the skillet to simmer in the sauce!
It just so happened that none of the children saw me. Bob did, though. He thinks it was a combination of desire to please him and desire to be healthy by including more vege-type stuff.
So half-way through lunch Bob says, "Not bad, even with mushrooms." Everyone started looking for mushrooms on the table. Taryn got it, but the others just brushed off the idea. I finally spelled it out for Naysha. They took it well, and even had seconds. Who knew?
Bob likes mushrooms. He will occasionally get them as a side when we eat out. When I started the veg box delivery, most boxes came with some mushrooms, so I've been cooking them for Bob. The children won't touch them, and I don't blame them.
But!
Today I was making spaghetti for lunch, and I thought about those 'shrooms in the fridge, and how a lot of the bottled sauces have them, and before I could stop myself I had chopped up 4 or 5 of those fungi and put them in the skillet to simmer in the sauce!
It just so happened that none of the children saw me. Bob did, though. He thinks it was a combination of desire to please him and desire to be healthy by including more vege-type stuff.
So half-way through lunch Bob says, "Not bad, even with mushrooms." Everyone started looking for mushrooms on the table. Taryn got it, but the others just brushed off the idea. I finally spelled it out for Naysha. They took it well, and even had seconds. Who knew?
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Convictions
Have you ever heard anybody say "I do so-and-so because it's a personal conviction?" Hogwash.
Why would you suffer persecution or weird looks or whatever, just because you feel like it? Or better yet, "The Holy Spirit prompted me to do (XYZ)." ?? Does He have nothing better to do than convince each person to do a different thing, when He already inspired the Bible to tell us all what to do? If we all only did what we felt like, the world would be in chaos, and blaming Holy Spirit for it just isn't fair. He's been blamed for everything from marriage to divorce to church splits, and I don't think it's all His fault.
So what would be a good reason for doing a thing? I've already hinted at it - "for the Bible tells me so." If it's not in God's Word, it isn't worth fussing about. If if IS in there (and a lot of things are), then it applies to everybody. And I almost agree with R.C. Sproul on this one: there is only one right way to interpret a scripture. We can't disagree about what it says and both be right. I do believe there are oftentimes several complimentary meanings in one passage, but there cannot be contradictory ones.
So how does one know the proper meaning? Start with a basic understanding of English vocabulary and grammar. Read the King James, and take it at face value. Read the whole section, then go back and dissect it, then read it all together again to make sure you got it right. If you still need help, you can look up specific words in the original, read other versions (but be careful!), read commentaries, and consult church history (what was the generally accepted meaning up til the last 150 years).
Well, this post isn't going where I intended to take it!
Anyway, I say if you are going to have a conviction about something, it had better be based on truth. And if it's truth, have the courage to admit that it does apply to other people.
Why would you suffer persecution or weird looks or whatever, just because you feel like it? Or better yet, "The Holy Spirit prompted me to do (XYZ)." ?? Does He have nothing better to do than convince each person to do a different thing, when He already inspired the Bible to tell us all what to do? If we all only did what we felt like, the world would be in chaos, and blaming Holy Spirit for it just isn't fair. He's been blamed for everything from marriage to divorce to church splits, and I don't think it's all His fault.
So what would be a good reason for doing a thing? I've already hinted at it - "for the Bible tells me so." If it's not in God's Word, it isn't worth fussing about. If if IS in there (and a lot of things are), then it applies to everybody. And I almost agree with R.C. Sproul on this one: there is only one right way to interpret a scripture. We can't disagree about what it says and both be right. I do believe there are oftentimes several complimentary meanings in one passage, but there cannot be contradictory ones.
So how does one know the proper meaning? Start with a basic understanding of English vocabulary and grammar. Read the King James, and take it at face value. Read the whole section, then go back and dissect it, then read it all together again to make sure you got it right. If you still need help, you can look up specific words in the original, read other versions (but be careful!), read commentaries, and consult church history (what was the generally accepted meaning up til the last 150 years).
Well, this post isn't going where I intended to take it!
Anyway, I say if you are going to have a conviction about something, it had better be based on truth. And if it's truth, have the courage to admit that it does apply to other people.
Saturday
I got up at 6:15, and greeted each child as he or she straggled into the living room. At 7:15 they were all awake and starving, so I set them to eat cereal, and went to wake up Bob. He'd got off a little early Friday, so we went to bed together at 11:30ish. I made us each an egg, and got everybody a muffin. Not bad, but this brand of whole wheat flour is a coarser grind than the other brand, and I don't like it as well. The cocoa and peanut butter chips helped things out some. :-)
By 9:00 we decided that we wanted to go to Orford Castle and got directions from Google maps. By 10:30 we were out the door. (Did you feel the momentum come to a grinding halt? We all got ready, got a lunch together, fed the baby, printed the maps, went to the toilet........) It's about an hour and a half to get down there; the first half is on a highway, and the second half on narrow winding roads. I know in my mind that leaning to the inside of the car doesn't actually make it move over, but I couldn't stop myself. And I really don't know why I think it would be better to to have a wreck with a strained look on my face, but I sure cringed every time a car came too close.
We made it about noon. It was cool and very windy (being near the coast). Seeing the long line of steps up to the castle (it was built on a hill) we decided to leave the stroller in the car. So we got William out of his seat and changed his diaper and put him in my "pouch" - a soft baby carrier. I put my jacket on over that to keep us both warm, and put a too-big hat on his head. Ella wanted to wear the hat, but she has one built into her coat. This castle is owned (or operated by) National Heritage, which we joined, so it was free entry. The castle is very interesting. (only the keep survives) The main central room is round, with a 30 foot ceiling (I'm guessing here) - there are three levels of this - main hall, upstairs fancy hall, and downstairs room with a well. Around that there are a couple of rectangular sections with bedrooms, a chapel, several toilets, a kitchen, and storerooms. The stairs were a little freaky, being spiral with no rails. The main staircase had a rope to hold onto, and the steps were about a foot deep on the outside, but the secondary stairs were much narrower and had nothing to hold onto.
It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't afraid of heights, and I didn't have something blocking my view of my feet, and I didn't have to help someone else up and down. Up wasn't too bad, but down was nerve-wracking.
We went out onto the roof, and that was cool. Literally. If the rail wasn't there someone would have blown off. But great views.
On our way out William was fussy, so I went on to the car to feed him and Bob took the other children around the dry moat to run and play.
Now it was 1:30 and high time for lunch. We decided to see if there was a place in the town of Orford. There was a pub on the main strip, but no parking. So we thought we'd go to the ocean and have a snack, then eat lunch at the Little Chef about 1/2 way home. So we got down to the quay, but no parking allowed. They do boat trips (kinda pricey), and there was a place to buy fresh fish, but not much else. Anyrate, it wasn't the ocean. There is a river that runs parallel to the coast there, and runs into the ocean a ways south. So that wasn't as big a deal as we wanted it to be. We took one more turn through the town parking area - still nothing. But on the way out we noticed another pub, and it had its own private parking. Bingo! It looked crowded, but we gave it a try (here they say "gave it a go"). There was one table open, and it had a bench on one side and a high chair already set up there. Bob, Riah, and I got chairs, and the other 3 sat on the bench. Bob got fish and chips, I got a bacon sandwich (they call ham bacon - bacon is called streaky rashers), Taryn got "cheese on toast" (Welsh rarebit), and the other 3 had egg, sausage, and chips. Bob's was okay; Taryn didn't like her cheese; mine was delicious, and the eggs were okay. The pub had a nice atmosphere. The people at the other tables were real chatty, and it really felt like a fellowship meal. Everyone commented on our "large" family, and how well-behaved the children were.
I mentioned later to Bob about the number of empty bottles left on the table behind us. Not single-serving beer bottles, but wine and whiskey. It's a wonder any of that group could stand up straight. Bob said one of the guys at work has decided all Europeans are alcoholics. He (the guy at work) says, "They get up and drink. They drink on their lunch break. They go to the pub and drink. They go home and drink. They're just alcoholics."
We missed a turn on the way home and had gone a couple of miles before I was sure of it, so we had to turn around and go back. But no harm done. It drizzled on us some on the way home, so I'm glad we went in the morning instead of after lunch.
In Moulton there was a flock of sheep, and lots of baby lambs. So I asked Bob to stop and take a picture, and he did. Actually parked the car on the street and walked over to the edge of the field. As he was about there, a man who was walking down the opposite side of the street stopped to talk to Bob. Turns out it's his field. He said something about having just mowed it, and they chatted for a minute before he went on home and Bob went on to photograph. We had the window open in the car and could hear the bleating. Those lambs sure are cute.
So that's Saturday. Another castle to cross off the list. :-)
By 9:00 we decided that we wanted to go to Orford Castle and got directions from Google maps. By 10:30 we were out the door. (Did you feel the momentum come to a grinding halt? We all got ready, got a lunch together, fed the baby, printed the maps, went to the toilet........) It's about an hour and a half to get down there; the first half is on a highway, and the second half on narrow winding roads. I know in my mind that leaning to the inside of the car doesn't actually make it move over, but I couldn't stop myself. And I really don't know why I think it would be better to to have a wreck with a strained look on my face, but I sure cringed every time a car came too close.
We made it about noon. It was cool and very windy (being near the coast). Seeing the long line of steps up to the castle (it was built on a hill) we decided to leave the stroller in the car. So we got William out of his seat and changed his diaper and put him in my "pouch" - a soft baby carrier. I put my jacket on over that to keep us both warm, and put a too-big hat on his head. Ella wanted to wear the hat, but she has one built into her coat. This castle is owned (or operated by) National Heritage, which we joined, so it was free entry. The castle is very interesting. (only the keep survives) The main central room is round, with a 30 foot ceiling (I'm guessing here) - there are three levels of this - main hall, upstairs fancy hall, and downstairs room with a well. Around that there are a couple of rectangular sections with bedrooms, a chapel, several toilets, a kitchen, and storerooms. The stairs were a little freaky, being spiral with no rails. The main staircase had a rope to hold onto, and the steps were about a foot deep on the outside, but the secondary stairs were much narrower and had nothing to hold onto.
It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't afraid of heights, and I didn't have something blocking my view of my feet, and I didn't have to help someone else up and down. Up wasn't too bad, but down was nerve-wracking.
We went out onto the roof, and that was cool. Literally. If the rail wasn't there someone would have blown off. But great views.
On our way out William was fussy, so I went on to the car to feed him and Bob took the other children around the dry moat to run and play.
Now it was 1:30 and high time for lunch. We decided to see if there was a place in the town of Orford. There was a pub on the main strip, but no parking. So we thought we'd go to the ocean and have a snack, then eat lunch at the Little Chef about 1/2 way home. So we got down to the quay, but no parking allowed. They do boat trips (kinda pricey), and there was a place to buy fresh fish, but not much else. Anyrate, it wasn't the ocean. There is a river that runs parallel to the coast there, and runs into the ocean a ways south. So that wasn't as big a deal as we wanted it to be. We took one more turn through the town parking area - still nothing. But on the way out we noticed another pub, and it had its own private parking. Bingo! It looked crowded, but we gave it a try (here they say "gave it a go"). There was one table open, and it had a bench on one side and a high chair already set up there. Bob, Riah, and I got chairs, and the other 3 sat on the bench. Bob got fish and chips, I got a bacon sandwich (they call ham bacon - bacon is called streaky rashers), Taryn got "cheese on toast" (Welsh rarebit), and the other 3 had egg, sausage, and chips. Bob's was okay; Taryn didn't like her cheese; mine was delicious, and the eggs were okay. The pub had a nice atmosphere. The people at the other tables were real chatty, and it really felt like a fellowship meal. Everyone commented on our "large" family, and how well-behaved the children were.
I mentioned later to Bob about the number of empty bottles left on the table behind us. Not single-serving beer bottles, but wine and whiskey. It's a wonder any of that group could stand up straight. Bob said one of the guys at work has decided all Europeans are alcoholics. He (the guy at work) says, "They get up and drink. They drink on their lunch break. They go to the pub and drink. They go home and drink. They're just alcoholics."
We missed a turn on the way home and had gone a couple of miles before I was sure of it, so we had to turn around and go back. But no harm done. It drizzled on us some on the way home, so I'm glad we went in the morning instead of after lunch.
In Moulton there was a flock of sheep, and lots of baby lambs. So I asked Bob to stop and take a picture, and he did. Actually parked the car on the street and walked over to the edge of the field. As he was about there, a man who was walking down the opposite side of the street stopped to talk to Bob. Turns out it's his field. He said something about having just mowed it, and they chatted for a minute before he went on home and Bob went on to photograph. We had the window open in the car and could hear the bleating. Those lambs sure are cute.
So that's Saturday. Another castle to cross off the list. :-)
Saturday, 8 March 2008
Thursday and Friday
Thursday I went shopping. If we could stop eating, I would definitely stop shopping. It just wears me out. Bob left for work at 1:15, and we started getting ready to go. Out the door at 10 til 2. I made the drive with no incidents, in spite of the constant chatter from the backseat.
First stop, post office to check mail and send my Pampered Chef skillet back. That took a few minutes, but wasn't any trouble. I went by the referral office because I need to fill out some paperwork there for Riah to see a heart doctor, but they have moved. It would be too far for me to go and leave the children in the car, and too difficult to get them all out for such a short trip. So I decided not to. I do need to call and ask them to mail me the forms. A car parked on the edge of the parking lot (which is small enough anyway) and I barely made it out of my parking space (hard to describe, but this car was right in the spot I needed to back into). I did a 6 point turn and got out of there.
Next stop, the bank. We finally got the check from the landlord to cover the heating oil we bought last month, and needed to cash it. The bank doesn't really have a parking lot, but is across the street from the BX, which has a big lot (shared with the chapel). The first 3 rows closest to the bank were all full, so I just parked in the middle of the lot and loaded up the stroller. We all went to the bank - there was no line so that was easy.
Then we all went to the BX. I don't like the BX to begin with because there is an "Art" store in the front (in the food court) that always has a nudey picture up front where anyone can see it. Freedom of expression aside, some people choose not to look at stuff like that, and it should be kept in the back of the shop. But it's the only place to get some things. So we struggled in, got a cart that Cedwryck sat in and Taryn pushed, found the kitchen aisle and bought a casserole dish. Then we stopped by office supplies for a pencil sharpener on our way to the electronics where I bought a new cordless mouse for Bob's laptop. Okay! We got everything we need, let's get out of there. But no. The children are hungry. It's 3:15. But they are HUNGry. Fine.
I ordered a pizza and the girls filled the cups with water, we had a bathroom break, and then we ate a large pizza and a dozen breadsticks. I could feel the grease clogging my pores as I ate.
Now it's after 4 and we get to go the main event: the commissary.
I really don't want to talk about it. We got our stuff, and it was dark by the time we left. Oh! In the bread isle a woman said hi to me. She had seen us at church Sunday, but didn't make it over in the crowd. I told her we lived near Newmarket, and she asked if we'd tried the church in Soham, as it might be closer than Mildenhall. So I thanked her for the info.
We finally made it home, brought in most of the stuff without incident, and I made us a strawberry shake with my new blender. Yumm. Only, Ella wouldn't try it, and when I offered her a bite, she flipped the spoon with her hand, and got shake all down her leg, on her shoe, and the floor. So I had to clean her up, and she got upset, and I got upset because the rag I had put on the counter for such a time had disappeared. We finished up and the children went to bed. I was emotionally drained and so fed my flesh a bit with a bowl of ice cream and some computer time.
Then I went to bed.
Friday Bob told me that his commander has decided they have to take the run/situp/pushup test every quarter instead of once a year. So he will be working out all the time instead of just trying to get through the test. So I get the benefit of eye candy, but will have less time to look at it.
I was still feeling grumpy and lazy when I got up Friday morning, but then I went looking at some blogs and got preached at. I was reminded that housework isn't my job that I get done so I can move on to my life - it IS my life, my calling, my reasonable service, my glorifying of God. Yikes! I better get it going!
I spent a lot of time in the kitchen Friday, making bread for supper, a full lunch, muffins for today's breakfast, and a meat dish for today or tomorrow (I'd got the meat out of the freezer and so I had to do something with it).
It was sunny, so the children went outside to play, but Taryn had to do schoolwork after she came in. She's going along with division, and learning a bit of grammar, as well as science and history.
It's time for breakfast, so I guess that'll do for today.
First stop, post office to check mail and send my Pampered Chef skillet back. That took a few minutes, but wasn't any trouble. I went by the referral office because I need to fill out some paperwork there for Riah to see a heart doctor, but they have moved. It would be too far for me to go and leave the children in the car, and too difficult to get them all out for such a short trip. So I decided not to. I do need to call and ask them to mail me the forms. A car parked on the edge of the parking lot (which is small enough anyway) and I barely made it out of my parking space (hard to describe, but this car was right in the spot I needed to back into). I did a 6 point turn and got out of there.
Next stop, the bank. We finally got the check from the landlord to cover the heating oil we bought last month, and needed to cash it. The bank doesn't really have a parking lot, but is across the street from the BX, which has a big lot (shared with the chapel). The first 3 rows closest to the bank were all full, so I just parked in the middle of the lot and loaded up the stroller. We all went to the bank - there was no line so that was easy.
Then we all went to the BX. I don't like the BX to begin with because there is an "Art" store in the front (in the food court) that always has a nudey picture up front where anyone can see it. Freedom of expression aside, some people choose not to look at stuff like that, and it should be kept in the back of the shop. But it's the only place to get some things. So we struggled in, got a cart that Cedwryck sat in and Taryn pushed, found the kitchen aisle and bought a casserole dish. Then we stopped by office supplies for a pencil sharpener on our way to the electronics where I bought a new cordless mouse for Bob's laptop. Okay! We got everything we need, let's get out of there. But no. The children are hungry. It's 3:15. But they are HUNGry. Fine.
I ordered a pizza and the girls filled the cups with water, we had a bathroom break, and then we ate a large pizza and a dozen breadsticks. I could feel the grease clogging my pores as I ate.
Now it's after 4 and we get to go the main event: the commissary.
I really don't want to talk about it. We got our stuff, and it was dark by the time we left. Oh! In the bread isle a woman said hi to me. She had seen us at church Sunday, but didn't make it over in the crowd. I told her we lived near Newmarket, and she asked if we'd tried the church in Soham, as it might be closer than Mildenhall. So I thanked her for the info.
We finally made it home, brought in most of the stuff without incident, and I made us a strawberry shake with my new blender. Yumm. Only, Ella wouldn't try it, and when I offered her a bite, she flipped the spoon with her hand, and got shake all down her leg, on her shoe, and the floor. So I had to clean her up, and she got upset, and I got upset because the rag I had put on the counter for such a time had disappeared. We finished up and the children went to bed. I was emotionally drained and so fed my flesh a bit with a bowl of ice cream and some computer time.
Then I went to bed.
Friday Bob told me that his commander has decided they have to take the run/situp/pushup test every quarter instead of once a year. So he will be working out all the time instead of just trying to get through the test. So I get the benefit of eye candy, but will have less time to look at it.
I was still feeling grumpy and lazy when I got up Friday morning, but then I went looking at some blogs and got preached at. I was reminded that housework isn't my job that I get done so I can move on to my life - it IS my life, my calling, my reasonable service, my glorifying of God. Yikes! I better get it going!
I spent a lot of time in the kitchen Friday, making bread for supper, a full lunch, muffins for today's breakfast, and a meat dish for today or tomorrow (I'd got the meat out of the freezer and so I had to do something with it).
It was sunny, so the children went outside to play, but Taryn had to do schoolwork after she came in. She's going along with division, and learning a bit of grammar, as well as science and history.
It's time for breakfast, so I guess that'll do for today.
pondering
I have been browsing other blogs the last couple of days, and I find that the ones I think are interesting (as a stranger) are the one that talk more about what the author is thinking than what the author is doing. Reading about people I know, both aspects are interesting. So I began to think about including more of the "spiritual stuff" and my thoughts and feelings, etc. At first I thought I would make a separate place for that. Number 1, I know many of my regular readers won't agree with my conclusions on many topics, and I don't want to offend anyone. Number 2, which should be the lesser concern, but isn't: I am a very "private" person. I'm like the 7th grader who has a huge crush, but nothing would be so terrible as for the other person to know it. I really get terrified at the thought of other people knowing what I think. (I'm trying to find a place to put in a paragraph break, to make it easier to read, but so far it all runs pretty hard together. we'll see.)
So why is that? My parents were probably raised to not talk about their feelings, and God was something they did on Sunday, but let's not get radical. But they made a strong effort to tell us they loved us, and really tried to bring God into the everyday. But I always felt it was an effort. (Sorry if I hurt your feelings here, that isn't my intention; I'm just working through. Hang with me.) Dad hugged us because Dr. Dobson said he should. Reading the Bible was easy - we all liked to read - but talking about it always seemed awkward. This is part of what makes it interesting to see them as they are older: it started with Zane, but is more pronounced with the grandchildren - the interaction seems a much more natural flow than it did to me (and Wil and Heather).
Now, it's entirely possible that the fault was all in me. Maybe they really were just saying what was on their hearts and I just didn't want to hear, so it sounded strange to me. I'm fully aware that conversation isn't all in the throwing, but is largely in the catching. Either way, I don't fault Mom and Dad because I really think they did a great job in imparting love and wisdom, and I know they did their best. But I'm just saying maybe it had an effect on me not wanting to share. I'm sure they remember how I used to cry anytime I had to say something important.
Definitely time for a paragraph break.
SO I also thought maybe it should be a separate blog and let "strangers" read it, but not advertise it to family. But that would be stupid! Of all the people who might understand, and who might decide to like me anyway, surely my family will be at the top of the list.
So all this to say that I'm gonna try to cover both aspects of my life - the thinking/feeling, and the doing. Hope no one minds too much.
So why is that? My parents were probably raised to not talk about their feelings, and God was something they did on Sunday, but let's not get radical. But they made a strong effort to tell us they loved us, and really tried to bring God into the everyday. But I always felt it was an effort. (Sorry if I hurt your feelings here, that isn't my intention; I'm just working through. Hang with me.) Dad hugged us because Dr. Dobson said he should. Reading the Bible was easy - we all liked to read - but talking about it always seemed awkward. This is part of what makes it interesting to see them as they are older: it started with Zane, but is more pronounced with the grandchildren - the interaction seems a much more natural flow than it did to me (and Wil and Heather).
Now, it's entirely possible that the fault was all in me. Maybe they really were just saying what was on their hearts and I just didn't want to hear, so it sounded strange to me. I'm fully aware that conversation isn't all in the throwing, but is largely in the catching. Either way, I don't fault Mom and Dad because I really think they did a great job in imparting love and wisdom, and I know they did their best. But I'm just saying maybe it had an effect on me not wanting to share. I'm sure they remember how I used to cry anytime I had to say something important.
Definitely time for a paragraph break.
SO I also thought maybe it should be a separate blog and let "strangers" read it, but not advertise it to family. But that would be stupid! Of all the people who might understand, and who might decide to like me anyway, surely my family will be at the top of the list.
So all this to say that I'm gonna try to cover both aspects of my life - the thinking/feeling, and the doing. Hope no one minds too much.
Thursday, 6 March 2008
So I don't do well under pressure
After I got everyone to assure me that my blog is checked daily, I slowed down. How typical! But you insist you like me anyway, so I'll keep trying. :-)
Monday was typical Monday - we were tired, the house was a mess, no bread made, etc.
Tuesday while I was doing phonics with the children, Cedwryck really surprised me. He says the name and sound of the letters along with Riah and Naysha (mostly repeating what they say), but he was the one of the three who thought of words starting with the sound. Maybe he thinks like his Mama - has to have an example or it doesn't make sense. At lunch Tuesday we had a casserole type thing (wasn't very good) and half-way through the meal we heard a PoP! We all looked around, "what was that?" And then Bob saw it - my Pampered Chef glazed (9x13) Rectangle Baker was broken. There was a crack right down one side. I almost cried. I'd bought the thing in Iceland, so I guess 7 years or so isn't a bad service life for a pan, but Boo Hoo!
Speaking of Pampered Chef, I had been in contact with them about where to send in my skillet since the non-stick was wearing off, and when I realized I'd lost my receipt I figured I was out of luck. But they said I can send it in anyway! That's pretty cool. (The skillet has a lifetime warranty - the stone only had 3 years.)
Tuesday night William was grumpy and wanted to be held constantly. This is very unusual for him, but I didn't see anything to be worried about.
Wednesday morning William was very content again, and wasn't even fussing to be fed. I fed him anyway, and holding him afterwards he was holding my finger and chewing on it when I felt something sharp. Not being sure if it was fingernail or tooth, I looked and there they were! Two teeth - bottom center.
We almost got caught up on laundry and cleaning. We got our boxes from CBD that we ordered so the children can have presents on Resurrection Day. But still no box from Vision Forum that we ordered a few weeks earlier. I'm afraid they didn't insure the package, which means it's fair game for any military postal worker. At least that's the way it seemed in Iceland - if it was insured it came right away, but if not it was likely to be "lost." Well, if it is stolen, maybe the thief will watch the DVDs and repent.
Bob also got a camera lens. We wondered about that one, too. Bob had been shopping for this particular lens, and finally decided this place was the best price. So we were both looking when he clicked on "buy now", and filled in the info to pay. Funny thing, neither of us realized that he'd bought the Canon lens instead of the Nikon! We saw it in the confirmation email, though, so called the company to ask if they could switch it. In the checkout process the website said free shipping. It had a place for AE so it wasn't like we tried to manipulate it by putting in NY, like we have to do sometimes. Anyway, when I called the guy said no problem on switching to Nikon, did we want to buy a filter? No, just the lens. Oh, he says, we can't do free shipping to AE - that's only for UPS shipping within the 48. It'll be an extra $30. Even with that, it is cheaper than the other places, but I'm frustrated because the checkout didn't catch it. So he says he can do it for $25, and do I want a filter? No extra shipping to include a filter. No, thanks. We had the Nikon page up, and I repeated the item number so there would be no mistakes, and then I noticed that the Nikon was listed cheaper than the Canon. He said "Oh, that is a mistake! Someone is fixing it right now; refresh the page and you will see it is the same price now". Sure enough. So to help with that mistake he lowers the shipping price to $20. Do I want to pay with PayPal or credit card over the phone. I opt for Paypal; he says he'll send us an invoice. Okay, if we don't want a filter we are all done.
(This story is getting long!)
So the next day we still have no invoice for the shipping, so we call them again (I think we checked our account and it said the order was on hold). They were confused because Paypal is registered under my email, and Bob ordered the lens with his email. So the lady said she would "take care of that." The next couple of days the order was "processing" - but still no request for shipping $$. I was ready to call again and see what was going on when the website said the order had shipped. So we never did have to pay for the shipping. Go figure.
Tuesday Bob got the rest of our cordless phone that he bought from a guy who is leaving. (Did I talk about that before?) He also gave Bob a nightlight and a line splitter for the phone line. Last night I decided I may as well plug in the nightlight. So I stick it in, turn on the outlet (every outlet has an on/off switch), and it goes POP!! (louder than the pan breaking pop) and the light went out. So I turn off the switch and unplug it. Then I notice that the nightlight in the hall is out, too. That thing flipped the circuit breaker! So I got a flashlight and flipped the circuit back on - no fuses blown or anything.
And that brings us back up to date.
Monday was typical Monday - we were tired, the house was a mess, no bread made, etc.
Tuesday while I was doing phonics with the children, Cedwryck really surprised me. He says the name and sound of the letters along with Riah and Naysha (mostly repeating what they say), but he was the one of the three who thought of words starting with the sound. Maybe he thinks like his Mama - has to have an example or it doesn't make sense. At lunch Tuesday we had a casserole type thing (wasn't very good) and half-way through the meal we heard a PoP! We all looked around, "what was that?" And then Bob saw it - my Pampered Chef glazed (9x13) Rectangle Baker was broken. There was a crack right down one side. I almost cried. I'd bought the thing in Iceland, so I guess 7 years or so isn't a bad service life for a pan, but Boo Hoo!
Speaking of Pampered Chef, I had been in contact with them about where to send in my skillet since the non-stick was wearing off, and when I realized I'd lost my receipt I figured I was out of luck. But they said I can send it in anyway! That's pretty cool. (The skillet has a lifetime warranty - the stone only had 3 years.)
Tuesday night William was grumpy and wanted to be held constantly. This is very unusual for him, but I didn't see anything to be worried about.
Wednesday morning William was very content again, and wasn't even fussing to be fed. I fed him anyway, and holding him afterwards he was holding my finger and chewing on it when I felt something sharp. Not being sure if it was fingernail or tooth, I looked and there they were! Two teeth - bottom center.
We almost got caught up on laundry and cleaning. We got our boxes from CBD that we ordered so the children can have presents on Resurrection Day. But still no box from Vision Forum that we ordered a few weeks earlier. I'm afraid they didn't insure the package, which means it's fair game for any military postal worker. At least that's the way it seemed in Iceland - if it was insured it came right away, but if not it was likely to be "lost." Well, if it is stolen, maybe the thief will watch the DVDs and repent.
Bob also got a camera lens. We wondered about that one, too. Bob had been shopping for this particular lens, and finally decided this place was the best price. So we were both looking when he clicked on "buy now", and filled in the info to pay. Funny thing, neither of us realized that he'd bought the Canon lens instead of the Nikon! We saw it in the confirmation email, though, so called the company to ask if they could switch it. In the checkout process the website said free shipping. It had a place for AE so it wasn't like we tried to manipulate it by putting in NY, like we have to do sometimes. Anyway, when I called the guy said no problem on switching to Nikon, did we want to buy a filter? No, just the lens. Oh, he says, we can't do free shipping to AE - that's only for UPS shipping within the 48. It'll be an extra $30. Even with that, it is cheaper than the other places, but I'm frustrated because the checkout didn't catch it. So he says he can do it for $25, and do I want a filter? No extra shipping to include a filter. No, thanks. We had the Nikon page up, and I repeated the item number so there would be no mistakes, and then I noticed that the Nikon was listed cheaper than the Canon. He said "Oh, that is a mistake! Someone is fixing it right now; refresh the page and you will see it is the same price now". Sure enough. So to help with that mistake he lowers the shipping price to $20. Do I want to pay with PayPal or credit card over the phone. I opt for Paypal; he says he'll send us an invoice. Okay, if we don't want a filter we are all done.
(This story is getting long!)
So the next day we still have no invoice for the shipping, so we call them again (I think we checked our account and it said the order was on hold). They were confused because Paypal is registered under my email, and Bob ordered the lens with his email. So the lady said she would "take care of that." The next couple of days the order was "processing" - but still no request for shipping $$. I was ready to call again and see what was going on when the website said the order had shipped. So we never did have to pay for the shipping. Go figure.
Tuesday Bob got the rest of our cordless phone that he bought from a guy who is leaving. (Did I talk about that before?) He also gave Bob a nightlight and a line splitter for the phone line. Last night I decided I may as well plug in the nightlight. So I stick it in, turn on the outlet (every outlet has an on/off switch), and it goes POP!! (louder than the pan breaking pop) and the light went out. So I turn off the switch and unplug it. Then I notice that the nightlight in the hall is out, too. That thing flipped the circuit breaker! So I got a flashlight and flipped the circuit back on - no fuses blown or anything.
And that brings us back up to date.
Monday, 3 March 2008
Weekend
Saturday we went to a "travel fair" sponsored by the base ITT office (that's Information, Tickets, and Tours). It was held in the officers' club, and as we approached the building we realized how popular this event was. No parking. So we decided to let me go in, and Bob would do something else. Turned out he went to the car parts place to submit a request for a price quote on a new side-view mirror, and washed the car.
I went in and was overwhelmed by the size of the event. They had a drawing for prizes, but to enter I had to get stamps on a paper from all the vendors, thus assuring each vendor got lots of visits. So I walked through as quickly as possible, collecting stamps and brochures. I'm guessing there were 50 vendors, each with some tourist info for me to bring home.
After that we went to the village of Feltwell to buy a secondhand reclining loveseat, which we strapped on top of the van. Then back to Lakenheath for lunch at Taco Bell.
Then home. We unloaded the couch, then Bob mowed the grass and I picked up some dead leaves that were piled by the front door. The children played outside until dinner.
Sunday we went back to the Mildenhall Baptist church, then to RAFMildenhall for lunch at Burger King. We went driving before coming home, stopping to take pictures of a church or two, and some pheasants and horses.
Sorry this post has no personality. It's very noisy in here right now and I can't think.
I went in and was overwhelmed by the size of the event. They had a drawing for prizes, but to enter I had to get stamps on a paper from all the vendors, thus assuring each vendor got lots of visits. So I walked through as quickly as possible, collecting stamps and brochures. I'm guessing there were 50 vendors, each with some tourist info for me to bring home.
After that we went to the village of Feltwell to buy a secondhand reclining loveseat, which we strapped on top of the van. Then back to Lakenheath for lunch at Taco Bell.
Then home. We unloaded the couch, then Bob mowed the grass and I picked up some dead leaves that were piled by the front door. The children played outside until dinner.
Sunday we went back to the Mildenhall Baptist church, then to RAFMildenhall for lunch at Burger King. We went driving before coming home, stopping to take pictures of a church or two, and some pheasants and horses.
Sorry this post has no personality. It's very noisy in here right now and I can't think.
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