Afternoon Tea

One of my favorite thing about the English is that in every and any situation they find it appropriate to drink tea. Every year we come here, one of the first things we do is go to tea room and have a Cornish cream tea.

 A Cornish cream tea is a pot of tea, served with two scones, strawberry jam, and clotted cream.
Let me just pause here and explain the deliciousness of clotted cream...The closest thing I can describe is something that is nearly the texture of butter and marshmallow fluff, but the flavor of fresh whipped cream.
Amen.

We go to a particular tea room every year at a place called  Morwenstow.  It is an old church rectory with a lovely garden.  Just beyond the garden, there is path that leads down to the coastal path.  So after we fill our belly's with all the good the tea room has to offer us, we walk off to the cliffs and admire the beauty that is this place.

The sea, the rocks, the sky....

Drink tea, lots of tea.

Grace and Peace
xxx

Long Post, Lots of Pictures

Yesterday morning when I looked out of my window this is the view that I saw.

The night before Kev took the girls  and I to visit his dear friend Jemma and her parents.  They own a B&B in a little village called Cawsand.  It is officially my new favorite place.  Literally, it is a hidden jewel of the world that no one knows exist except for the lovely people that live there.  Everyone...everyone knew each other.  It was like Maybury by the sea and with English accents.

It was a bit like having a vacation within a vacation.  We arrived just in time to head to the beach to watch Penny, Jemma's mum go sailing.  I have been watching the weather in this part of the world for the last month or so.  The weather channel gave me no indication that we would be experiencing any kind of of spring like weather during our visit.

That being  said, when I tell you that the weather in Cawsand was about as close to perfect as you can get, I am not stretching the truth in the slightest.  It was beautiful, and while the salty sea air was balmy and warm, I am afraid to say that the English sea never gets warm enough for me to consider even letting my little toe get wet.  This was not the case for my Little though.  With in minutes of settling into our seats in the sand her dress and leggings were off and she so perfectly fit her name of name of Freedom Flower...

Moments later, after a few too many waves washed over her as she sat on the shore line she completely disrobed.  We tried to stop her, but she just went running down the beach in all her greatness, laughing all the way..

I added the heart

To be honest we have had some rather difficult nights with the girls, since being here.  I guess it is to be expected, but this night being about the 5th in row of sleeping with little girls in my arms, coupled with the fact that Maggie and I got up at 5:30 in the morning, I was feeling exhausted.  When Maggie started to cry I told Kev I didn't want to talk about it.  I firmly expressed to the Littlest that she was done nursing for the night, then laid her next to her father in the bed...I then went and got Libby and laid her on the other side of Maggie.  I crawled into Libby's empty bed, and enjoyed a night of sleep, all by myself.  The girls normally sleep with a sound machine of waves crashing, but in Cawsand all we did was open the window.  It was a great way to sleep.

Tuesday morning  Jemma fixed us a lovely breakfast, she spoiled us really.  After that, we walked down to the beach and there we stayed all day.

Yesterday was one of those days that I didn't want to end.  I'll put it down in my books as one of my favorite days and places of all times.  

I've pretty much decided that I'm moving here when we retire.

Grace and Peace

xox

Enchanting

We left London Friday evening, made a stop in Bristol to visit our dear friends, then headed for the Cornish coast.  There is a beauty to this part of the world that I can not explain if you have never been here.

The hedges were fresh with spring leaves that curl over the roads that make it seem like you are driving through tunnels made of leaves.   Right when you think that it can't get any more magical, you come out of the tunnel and see patchwork fields of green, or golden road, or English lavender....absolutely magical.

Even though we didn't arrive here until later in the evening, Kev insisted that we walk down to the beach before bed time.  The beach and the sea were ours.  My Littles managed to jump and splash in every tide pool despite the temperatures that were less than what one would expect for May.

Today we ambled around town, tasting our favorite Cornish things and seeing our favorite Bude places.

I've so been looking forward to being able to just amble, to have no obligations, to just be with my family with out a to-do list in front of us.

Enchanting.

Grace and Peace

Touch Down

We landed.

I really appreciate Kevin taking this picture of me and then not suggesting that we try it again.

I'm happy to report that we had our smoothest flight to date.  Thank you for praying for us.  Before the captain turned off the fasten your seat belt sign, both little girls were fast asleep.  When they woke for the last 2 hrs of flying time they were all smiles.  Last night was different story, but that is done now and tonight they seem to be catching up with this time zone just fine.

This is a doll house at Kev's grandparents house.  It has tiny towels and wash cloths on that tiny little shelf, plus teeny tiny rolls of toilet paper.  Libby has spent hours playing with it since we arrived here.  Who wouldn't, there is even a tiny tea set, tiny old Toby mugs, and tiny kittens.

We're back in my husband's homeland.  With every step off the jet way I could see a little twinkle in his eye getting brighter and brighter.  Something inside him told him he was home, or maybe it was the captain when he said said "welcome to London, Heathrow, the temperature is a chilly 3 degrees Celsius, but it should warm up nicely for the afternoon."  Whatever it is was, it does us both well to be in this country.

You can't tell from this picture, but the Littlest is chasing a pigeon.  The pigeons in London are as big as chickens .  I think that Mags wants one as a pet.

This is the grandparent's back garden.  It is a little like a Beatrice Potter tale.  Apparently, there is a hedge hog that lives here and every night they are visited by  a certain Mr. Fox. With those red curls I think that if Mags was wearing a pinafore she could easily pass for the little girl in Miss Tiggy Winkle

Obviously for him, it is because he is home.  For me, it automatically takes me back to when I first met him.  When I walk through the double doors at Customs in Heathrow Airport's terminal 5, I can still see him standing there behind the velvet ropes, in his grey hooded sweatshirt waiting for me.  I was a nervous wreck, I didn't know if I should hug him or kiss him or shake his hand or run back to the plane.  As it turns out I didn't have to make that decision.  He threw his arms around me, hugged me and smiled an ear to ear smile.

Libs was so excited to play at this park with her cousins.  You don't need to wiped off your computer screen, there is dirt smudged all over her face.

I am so happy to back here.  Happy to spend time with our family that is watching our girls grow in pictures, happy to have three weeks of vacation time with my husband, happy to be reminded of what it was like when I was 22...just happy.

Grace and Peace
xoxo

Breath

Last Sunday night, I help my breath and watched my love leave us for all of this past week.  That night  the girls were especially energetic and I realized that I was going to have to have a plan to make it all week with out him.  So each day, I planned an activity to pass the time until we were reunited with him again.  It must be said that doing any activity with children takes just a little more energy than it would by yourself.  Doing it every day for a whole week had me cheering myself on every night before bed "self you can do it, the busier you are, the faster he'll come home!"

Monday, we had a special web chat with our friends the Herrenbrucks.  What happened after that I don't know. I have 0 recollection of what we did after that.  All I know is that we went small group that evening and were out quite late.

Tuesday, we went into the city to play.  We played at Cartwheels and Coffee, hit a consignment store, than shared a couple slices of pizza and a box of raisins for lunch. That night we rented a movie and stayed up quite late watching it.

Wednesday,  I tossed the wagon into the back of the car packed with beach towels and sun block and took the girls to the beach for the day.  Let me just pause here and say  that Libby and Maggie love treat days.  They get excited in a squealing and giggling sort of a way.  I love that kind of excited, it's my favorite kind.

 They ran back and forth from our beach blanket to the shore line about a million times, each time with treasures to show me.  Libby would say things like "Oh Mommy, look at this beautiful shell, it's so brown and color-flee."  Then Maggie would follow behind her and show me the shell that she had found then drop it on the ground so she could run back and catch up with her sister.

I promised them that when we left we would stop somewhere for a  treat (the theme word of the week).  I found a pretty outdoor mall that had a frozen yogurt place, plus live music.  I planned to get the yogurt and get on the road to head home, but the little girls heard the music and started dancing and I couldn't make them leave.  To be honest I couldn't make myself leave.  It felt like summer and I loved watching them dance and laugh and play.  For the record the leader of the band wore a straw cowboy hat and had long brown hair and beard.  Libby looked at him then cocked her head to the side and said, "Mommy, you see that man with the cowboy hat?  He looks like Captain Hook." Man, I love that little girl.

We pulled in the driveway just as the sun went down, and yet again I didn't get them to bed until quite late.
Thursday, we had a play date with friends and I had to go  to church to work on a project.  A little known fact on this blog is that every other Thursday night, this Mama gets a night off to go to church to help with a group for single moms. No Daddy here to watch the girls for me meant that the girls came with me this week, which was in fact a "treat" for the Little b/c she asks every week if she can come with me.  However, this too meant that for the 4th night in a row they were getting in bed quite late again.

 Friday, we headed south to place we have never been.  A friend of mine planned a play date at a  strawberry patch.  I have never attempted a trip like this with  both girls, but I'm so happy that we went.  As soon as the girls saw the lovely red berries growing abundantly in the field, they started eating them.

We stayed well passed any of the other pickers and the farmer offered us our own private hayride.  I think that he was charmed by my Littlest and her sweetness...as most people rightly are.

On our way home the Little said "Mommy, I wish that Daddy could pick strawberries with us, I wish that he wasn't in Atlanta."  She loves him so and misses him when he is away from us.
That night we had dinner with friends...and yes, I got them to bed quite late.
This morning I knew we were in need of a quiet morning, so I decided to let them run wild in the back while I wrote this blog.  Every time I sat down to write, disaster struck and I was needed to save the save the day.  I  looked at the clock and realized that I was going to watch it until Kev got home.  I kept saying "you can make it Mama, just a little longer." At that moment Libby was in her third time out on the step, Maggie was crying, and Gus was barking.  I grabbed the keys and the kids and put them in car and headed to the airport.  I remembered thinking last year that an airport was great place to let kids play:)

 I know that they ran to him when they saw him, but all I can really remember was that I felt like  I was holding my breath all week waiting for him to come home and when I saw him I could breath again....For as long as I can remember whenever he and I have been apart, when he finally comes back to me I always say "promise me that you'll never leave me again."  I know he probably will have to leave again, but I've said it for so long, that it feels like part of our greeting now.

Libby was determine that the strawberries we picked were to make her Daddy a pie.  So make a pie we did post nap time today.  She said "Mommy, this pie is going to make Daddy the biggest smile."  We had a picnic dinner on the living room floor while we watched a movie, and of course, we had strawberry pie for dessert.
Libby leaned over to Kev and put her hand on his arm and said "do-ya like your pie Daddy, I made it cause I missed you."  I swear I didn't make that last part up.  It was as priceless as it sounds.

I was so afraid of this week, but it was irreplaceable.  While I would much rather have Kev here with me everyday, I loved this week I spent with the girls...We made memories, and memories, my friend, our worth it  even if it meant a weeks worth of late bed time (including tonight).

Grace and Peace
xoxo