Summer and Pineapple Sun Flowers

Summer is finally here! After two weddings and a month of traveling to Arkansas, Wisconsin, Colorado, Texas, Maryland and Virginia I am finally more settled and into the swing of summer.

 One day the two girls I nanny and I went strawberry picking. The girls were great pickers and we had so much fun. We ended up with a peck and a half of berries. Of course I promptly turned them into strawberry jam. They made over 15 pints of jam! I had never made strawberry jam before this summer and it was quite a sucess.

This weened I'm visiting my Mom, sisters, and brothers in Charlottesville. Every since I saw this recipe on Tammy's amazing blog I was dying to try it. Crissie and Chris are going to a picnic tonight so I decided to give them a try! They turned out great. I love the pineapple flowers. They are so summery and remind me of my favorite flower--sunflowers.

These are so easy to make, just slice a pineapple and pop them in the oven really low, about 225, for 4 hours. When they come out they can just sit in a muffin tin to get the flower shape and that's it! I am so excited about these, and can't wait to make more. Hopefully they taste good, but I'll have to wait for Crissie's evaluation tonight.

English Lessons

All semester here in Spain I have been working with two little girls at the Convento de Santa Isabel giving English lessons. The first day this was a nightmare, I was given ten minutes notice before having go out the door, and no instruction on what to do with them. Rocio (7yrs) was my student the first hour and she was sweet and made my job fairly simple. She was eager to tell me the English I knew and especially loved songs. Tania (8yrs), my second hour student, was the opposite. Though I don't know her particular background the majority of the children at the convent have very rough backgrounds with parents either passed-on, missing, unable, or unwilling to care for them. Tania was wary of new people and did her best to let me know I wasn't welcome. I just ignored her insults and did my best to make her excited about taking with me- English, Spanish, or whatever! Once she figured out she wasn't getting rid of me, she started to soften. By the end of my time I think she looked forward to our meetings. Yesterday, my final class with them, she asked if I was coming back next semester! For me that was huge progress. I was so frustrated with her at first my was screaming, "I'm here because I care about you, I just want to show you love, just accept it! Accept my help! I'm not leaving just because you act nasty to me!" When reflecting on this situation, and writing out some of my frustrations I realized, I am the same. I reject the Father's love, help, forgiveness, and compassion continually. I try to "be good enough" for him, worried that if I am "too nasty" he will leave, or his love will lessen. So I put up my guard, I get sulky and mean.  And despite myself, He loves me.


Not only get I get a huge spiritual lesson out of my time there I also learned a lot of great practical information when it comes to TESOL (which is my minor). The girls learned so quickly when I used songs and pictures a la Mrs. Betty style. I learned to use games to help reinforce the new vocab after a period of study and quizzing over the new information. And I learned that the girls love playing with play-dough! They were willing to learn any words as long as play-dough was involved. It was really a wonderful experience for me and I believe for them as well.

Winter Set!

Today I finished my two brother's Christmas gifts! Since they don't frequent my blog I feel safe with publishing the product of all my labor here.

In the beginning of my of my time here in Spain I bought some blue and gray yarn. Amber, yes that would be Amber of  Amber's Lace Scarf, and I are living in the same apartment here in Sevilla. She is the knitting goddess of life and when you are around her you cannot help but knit. She brought a book of patterns called "Knitting for Him" in which I found some hobo gloves with the bird's-eye pattern that I could not resist! After the first glove I got bored and decided to make a hat. After the hat was done I went back and finished the other glove. They were really good for learning a new patter and for learning to do color work.  They are beautiful and warm and best of all- finished! Now I am left craving more yarn and dreaming up projects.

A Holiday in England (Part 3: London)

We arrived in London a bit late a took a while figuring out where the hotel was. Finally we found it thanks to the help of several kind Englishmen and were greeted by a kind Indian man with a thick accent. We had a cup of tea and went to bed so we could get up early the next day to see London. We managed the transportation system much better in the morning. It took a bus, train, and the underground to get to downtown London. Making our way down Regent Street we were greeted with all the festivities of a Saturday before Christmas (yes all the shops were already decorated for Christmas!) Part of the street was blocked off for an old car show. The owners and their families were dressed up in turn of the century costumes and sat in their "horseless carriages." Some even had babies or dogs with them who were dressed up as well. You could see the excitement of the old men talking about and showing their prized cars. I kept hoping to meet Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! But instead I met one car from Wisconsin and on from Illinois in addition to all the English cars. We continued walking the streets all morning and by mid-day were in the Covet Garden's Market. It felt like a holiday with kids and their parents, red balloons on their wrists, and music playing. There was a street performer riding an eight foot unicycle and live statues. We found a small restaurant and bought hot pies for lunch. I a chicken and bacon pie and Lizzy a steak and ale pie. We sat at the food of a pillar and ate our pies while listening to a man playing music on the street and watching the people hurry by.

After lunch we walked to look at the famous parts of the city, the giant lions, Big Ben, parliament, Buckingham palace, St. Peter's Park, and finally Westminster Abbey. We made it just in time to attend the evensong service. The service was wonderful. We sat in the cross section between the choir and the head of the abbey. it was such a worshipful experience to join in the words of the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles Creed, to listen and meditate upon the psalms the choir sand and listen to the Word of God being read in a way that thousands of Christians had done before me. I was worshiping God in a place where he had been revered for ages ("God of the ages past our hope for years to come...")

After the service we went back to the hotel to get dressed up for . . . . . LES MESERABLES in the Queen's Theatre!!! I was bursting with excitement as we made our way to the theater and took our seats in is. I will not even attempt to tell you of the pleasure in hearing it live- if you've been you know- if you have hard the music you can understand-and if you have had the terrible fortune of never having hear the music I cannot possible describe it to you. I relished every not and let my tears fall freely at the end--"to love another person is to see the face of God!" It was a perfect last night in London and in England.

A Holiday in England (Part 2: Chester)

Tuesday morning we took a walk in search of some lunch for our bus rides. The stores were closed so we ended up walked all the way to the next town along the River Avon. It was beautiful fall weather and our brisk walk was perfectly accompanied by the crisp breeze.

A slow drizzle greeted us as we exited the coach but no Gabi or Mrs. Dickinson. A few minutes later we discovered we hadn't talked about where to meet up! After standing in the rain for over an hour and deliberating we decided to get a taxi. We got a taxi and it pulled into a group of houses and then the taxi driver said "wait a minute I don't think this is the correct address but I don't know where the correct house is." I decided to get out and try house #9 just to check- sure enough it wasn't the Dickinson's. Getting back into the cab I, out of ideas, said we should just go to a hotel. Then the cab driver decided he might know where it was. Finally we found the house!

Mrs. Dickinson ran down the stairs to greet us and we entered the warm home. She immediately sat us down and put cups of hot tea in our hands and offered us cake. It was the quintessential English home. She heated us some chive and potato soup for dinner and we settled in at once. I was able to put my feet up on the sofa wearing only socks and relax- such a refreshment after Spain!

Mrs. Dickinson went to bed fairly soon, but not before offering us hot water bottles. The old fashioned rubber kind that hold hot water and heat your toes! I exclaimed that I had only seen them in Peter Pan and she showed us how to used them. I stayed up until 1:15 talking with Gabi and Lizzy about Uganda. My bedroom was at the top of a windy staircase and was warm and cozy.

Wednesday I awoke early with the light of the morning and pulled back the curtains to see the word I had entered in darkness. My face must have lit up with a smile because all the confusion of the night slipped away as I took in the English countryside painted with the colors of fall. We were on a wharf and the water was shimmery in the sunlight. There was a constant flow of tea our entire stay at the Dickinson's. After we were all ready for the day we loaded up in the car to a barn filled with books. Gabi was feeling a bit car-sick so we stopped and took a stroll down the lane. So beautiful, I cannot capture natures beauty and really there is no need since the poets have already done it. Sufficient to say that my spirit was refreshed and my soul nourished.

The book barn was stuffed to the gill with books. Top to bottom far and wide used books of every topic. We spent a good amount of time looking at all the books and laughing at our love for all the children's books we saw. We stopped in a craft store just for a peaking before heading home.

We had cheese on toast for lunch. This was Mrs. Dickinson's response to my request for a "typical English lunch." I was so happy and comfortable sitting at the kitchen table sipping tea and talking with her as she prepared lunch. After lunch Lizzy worked on a project she had to finish for school so I sat and chatted with Mrs. Dickinson. Knowing our love for books she pulled out some old books she said she was saving for her children. Around 4:00 Lizzy and I decided to go for a walk on the footpath along the wharf. It got dark around 5:00 there so we set out hoping for enough daylight. Our "tramp" as Lizzy called it was lovely. It was muddy and a bit breezy but refreshing. We walked and talked and enjoyed the nature. We came to and old bridge and climbed upon it before turning around to head back. We came in quite dirty and rosy cheeked.

Mrs. Dickinson made jacket potatoes (baked potatoes) with tuna and salad for dinner. It wasn't an extraordinary dinner but the ordinary-ness of it made it special. We talked and lingered, enjoying tea and cake afterwards. Sadly I don't remember what we did after dinner but I do remember that before bed Mrs. Dickinson gave me a hug, a kiss on the cheek and wished me, "Goodnight and God bless." I went to sleep full. 

Thursday, our final day in Chester, Gabi took Lizzy and I into the town of Chester since they live out of town in Waverton. She took us for our first Marks & Spencer experience where we bought Turkish Delight and hot-crossed buns for our afternoon tea. We walked around Chester visiting the stories and trying on pretty things. For dinner that night we had fish and chips! Upon request Mrs. Dickinson's gave us a detailed description of what makes the best fish and chips. Ask me about it; I'll be happy to share!

That day I was wearing my hair in a French braid and Mrs. Dickinson asked me to show her how to make one. So after dinner we had a plait party! (Plait being the British word for braid.) She was a fast learner- after two tries she was better than I, making a completely successful crown braid on my head. I told her how Jennifer used to give me crown plaits for Easter and put baby's breath in it. Oh happy memories! 

The following morning we had to leave but not before stopping to thank God for our time together and praying for one another. Lizzy and I were both terribly sad to be leaving Chester, and the generosity and kindness of the Dickinson's.