The Pillars of the Earth

For Christmas last year, Ethan's cousin Tara sent us a book called The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I had never heard about it before, but she really encouraged me to read it since it is set in midieval England.

I am so glad that she did.

This book is an epic novel, and is close to 1,000 pages long. Before I began reading, I have to admit, I was a little doubtful that it would hold my interest. But truthfully, I was hooked on page one.

The story is set in England, and spans from the early to late 1100s. It follows the lives of multiple main characters including a master-builder of a cathedral, a prior, an earl's daughter, and the ever-so-evil William Hamliegh. There are many plots throughout the novel, but the main plot revolves around the building of a cathedral. The story truly does have it all: violence, sex, love, integrity, injustice, etc.

What I especially appreciated was how this book has changed my perspective towards the wonderful sights that I am currently so priveledged to live near: castles, abbeys, cathedrals. I can better imagine the work and effort that went into building these landmarks, and the villages that sprung up near them to supply the workforce.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially to my American friends here in England. I have already lent it to a friend, but if you're interested in reading it, let me know, and I'll mail it to you.

The Laundry Channel

"All laundry... all the time!"

This is Collin's favorite new source of entertainment: the front-loading washing machine."Whites at 11am, colors at noon..."

Speaking of our little mischief maker, Collin turns 10 months old today. We took him for a check-up yesterday and found that he is 24 pounds, 9 ounces, which puts him in the 98th percentile for his weight. Yes, our nickname for him is "Tank."

Collin seems to have a "healthy appetite for exploration". In other words, he is good at finding trouble! Recently, his explorations have led him up the stairs and into the kitchen cabinets and China hutch. The other day when I was out of the house, Ethan watched Collin empty our snack cabinet. Ethan didn't think there was much trouble in there, but Collin somehow managed to open up a granola bar wrapper. Ethan found Collin surrounded in a pile of granola bar crumbs, desperately licking some bits off his face!

Collin also enjoys jumping in his crib and on our small trampoline (with a handle), and he is starting to stand for longer amounts of time. We don't think he's said any official words yet, but he certainly makes the "ma-ma-ma, da-da-da, ba-ba-ba" sounds, and it almost sounds like he says a "hi" sound when he waves!

In less that a week, I will be wrestling this 24-pound gorilla on an 8 hour plane ride as we fly to the States. I would appreciate any advice for flying with a baby this young and mobile, as well as wisdom to help him adjust to the 5 hour time change. We are trying to start getting him adjusted while we're still here, feeding him and laying him down a little later each day. So far, his schedule is about an hour and a half later than usual. It's a start.

Impulse Buy

I am not one for impulse shopping. It would have to be something really special for me to shell out some unplanned spending money.

That being said, when I saw this in the store last week, I just had to have it.
Yes, it is a toilet brush holder shaped like a Welly (rain boot). Need I say more?

Flake

Those of you who know me know that I am a big fan of ice cream. Thankfully, so are the British. Ice cream trucks can be found at many local parks, playgrounds, festivals, and fairs. The great thing about these ice cream trucks is that they sell locally-made ice cream. Oh yeah!!! Most have "ice lollies" (popsicles) too, but the majority of people buy ice cream.

I have yet to find a place in England that has the variety of flavors that you can find in any ice cream shop in the US, but that's okay. They have the standard vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, and sometimes even bring out a toffee or mint chocolate chip.
Just as the flavors are limited, the toppings are limited too. There are no options for sprinkles, whipped cream, M&Ms, or crushed Oreo. The only thing that you can get as an ice cream accessory is Flake. Yes, Flake. "What is Flake?" you ask. Well, Flake is a small chocolate bar made by Cadbury that looks likes compressed flaked chocolate. It's yummy. Nothing to write home to mom about... or blog about.... wait.

Well, I guess I just thought some people might find it interesting.

Sleepover Parties!

On the weekends, we let our kids have sleepover parties. No, we're not crazy enough to invite their friends over, but we do let them sleep in each other's rooms. We pull out the sleeping bags sometimes, and they sleep on the floor in Maddie's room or in the hallway, or in Tim's full-size bed. We let them talk and laugh a little later than usual, and then they usually fall asleep (although, they often receive threats of having to go back to their rooms at least once).

Well this week, Ethan has been in the States. So, when it came time to decide where to have a sleepover, it was a no-brainer: Mom's room!

When I went to my room the other night, this is what I found:
Believe it or not, I was able to push them both over, get rid of a stuffed animal or two, and find enough room for myself. And yes, I got an elbow in my face in the middle of the night. But, I suppose this is one of those things I will miss someday, right?

Sunday's Funday!

On Sunday, the kids and I went to a local village called Dacre Banks. We met up with our friends the Kolleps who live there, and together we went to the village's annual FUNDAY!

Funday had lots of different stalls for food, arts & crafts, a small car boot sale (a "boot" is the trunk of a car, so a "car boot sale" is basically a yard sale out of your trunk), music, raffles, a dog agility course, and plenty of things for the kids. Maddie gravitated towards the bouncy castle, of course. But I encouraged Tim to try something new...

Bungee trampolining.
You've probably seen these before, but the idea is that the kids jump on a trampoline while being harnessed to two bungee cords at their waist. It really helps them to jump HIGH! It also makes it easy to try front and back flips, too.
I could tell that Tim was a little anxious about it, but it was the perfect opportunity for him to give it a go! It cost 5 pounds (about $8) for 5 minutes. He tried so hard to do a back flip, but he just couldn't manage to get around. Maybe next time. But, he certainly had a lot of fun soaring to new heights!