Sumners in Scotland

Playful Parenting!

2010-07-30T07:25:00.033+01:00

Four Ways to Practice Playful Parenting
I loved this recent post at Simple Mom with four tips for being a playful parent. I am especially encouraged and challenged by the first and fourth tips.

Start the Day with Play
The first tip challenges the very start to my day. Too often I quickly feed the kids and start into my chores, leaving them to occupy themselves until I am ready to go. But I happen to know from experience that giving them my attention first thing in the morning normally leads to a more peaceful day (especially the afternoon).

The "Cereal" Trick
The fourth tip challenges my response to their desires throughout the day, particularly those we cannot meet. The name, the "cereal trick," comes from the story of a child who wants a specific cereal that they don't have. "I wish I could magically make a box appear," is his mother's understanding, sympathetic response. "Sometimes just having someone understand how much you want something makes the reality easier to bear."

Check out this post and enjoy some playful parenting.

Arbroath Abbey

2010-07-29T07:28:00.001+01:00

After touring Edzell Castle, we headed south to the little coastal town of Arbroath to visit the ruins of the Arbroath Abbey (and to eat Arbroath Smokies, but that is for another story).

The abbey was founded in 1178 for monks of the Tironensian order by King William the Lion. The abbot's house, the guest house and the gate house are still relatively intact, but the abbey church has fallen into ruin.

We loved exploring these beautiful buildings. The stones contained the same red coloring of Edzell Castle only a short distance away. And we enjoyed the improving weather as well. The rain stopped and the sun came out shortly after we arrived.

There is some incredible history that occured here, the most famous being the Declaration of Arbroath to Pope John XXII after Robert Bruce defeated Edward II of England at Bannockburn in 1314. The letter laid out Scotland’s case that it was an independent, sovereign kingdom and should no longer be excommunicated from the church.

The stunning front windows of the altar area draw your view toward the front of the church. Standing among the fallen pillars, you can imagine the worship of the past echoing through the cathedral.

The interior of the abbot's house was incredible. I loved the arched ceilings and central pillars. Joshua was not fond of the darkness inside the house, and I can only imaging how dark it was years ago only lit by candle, especially in the middle of a Scottish winter.

Abigail more bravely explored the house and enjoyed the break from the wind. By the end of our visit, we were all in short sleeves (except Joshua, who always wears his sweatshirt) and rejoicing in the sun.

Visit our photo album for more pictures from our visit to Arbroath Abbey - July 2010.

Edzell Castle

2010-07-28T07:04:00.010+01:00

Now we begin the adventures of our second weekend with a car. I just finished our trip to St. Andrews, which took place in mid-June. In mid-July we rented a car for a second time, and explored more of northern Scotland.

Our first stop was Edzell Castle, about an hour south of Aberdeen.

After all the gray castles, made of granite and other almost colorless rocks, the red coloring of this castle was a beautiful contrast. You can especially see the coloring in this close up of the outer wall.

One of the most amazing features of this castle ruin was the incredible walled garden.

I love the plant boxes the lines the walls. There were lovely carvings in the walls and the garden house was still in great condition.

We also enjoyed the fields of sheep and goats on the other side of the castle walls. They must have been gathering the animals for sheering or something else because there were an amazingly large number of them all in the adjacent field. The goats sounded comically unreal -- like a person poorly imitating a goat -- with a low "mmaaaaa." Too funny!

We also enjoyed the wild life on the property. Joshua followed a little rabbit through the grass and Abigail was fascinated by the peacocks. You can see more of these animals in our full photo album.

This was a lovely castle, one I would definitely recommend. Though the ruins themselves were not as interesting to the kids, we all enjoyed the walled gardens.

Take a look at more pictures from Edzell, including peacocks, sheep and goats, bunnies and more in our Facebook album: Edzell Castle - July 2010.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-07-26T07:21:00.001+01:00

Last week we really enjoyed the Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs) and Mexican Rice. My husband made the rice and it was the best we have had since moving here.

We are repeating a few meals from last week because of some last minute change of plans (like a wonderful, last-minute BBQ on a sunny afternoon, and a chance to watch the kids so our friends could go out and celebrate).

Here is the menu for this week!

Monday -- Chinese Chicken and Cabbage
Tuesday -- Roast Beef and Cheddar Sandwiches
Wednesday -- Pesto Tortelloni with broccoli and mushrooms
Thursday -- Japanese Chicken and Japanese Salad
Friday -- Roast Beef Italian Stew
Saturday -- Chicken Basil Pasta
Sunday -- leftovers

Check out more great meal ideas at Organizing Junkie.

Happy Monday!

Starting week 4

2010-07-25T07:47:00.081+01:00

Read the Bible in 90 Days: Week 4 - I am right on schedule for today's reading.

Starting in Genesis and ending in Revelation, we will begin 2 Samuel tomorrow. It takes about a hour of reading each day to stay on schedule. I take my Bible everywhere with me and use spare moments to read a little more. I even take a break from email or Facebook to read a chapter or two online.

There are a few things that have struck me during my reading.

It feels like I better see the plan of God as he moves through history. I more clearly see how He is working over hundreds of years -- and how patient and forgiving He is.
I am struggling with the abhorrent violence in the OT. Not sure what to do with this right now. It definitely deserves more meditation and prayer. I can see why people de-mythologize the OT in light of the NT.
Reading straight through Judges into the life of Samuel and David has given me a different perspective of the chaos in Israel, how little unity there was, and how the introduction of a king forever changed Israel.

I am still excited about this challenge, but as the initial momentum begins to wear off, it is taking a little more discipline and creativity to stay on schedule. I'm almost a quarter of the way through the Bible, with only 69 days to go.

Albondigas and Mexican Rice

2010-07-24T07:54:00.001+01:00

This week we tried the Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs) recipe from the Morrison's July magazine.

I served the meatballs with Mexican Rice. We enjoyed this meal, and I wanted to share the recipes with you.

Below are both recipes, the meatballs and rice.

Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs)

Ingredients:

500g minced beef (I used mince turkey)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
100g breadcrumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
400g tomatoes, deseeded and chopped (I used canned/tinned)
200ml beef stock
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
coriander (to scatter on top before serving)

Directions:

Mix onion, garlic and minced meat with egg, breadcrumbs, cumin, chilli power and salt. Roll into 20 small balls.
Heat oil in a large pan; fry meatballs on all sides, turning frequently until evenly browned.
Add chopped tomatoes, broth and paprika; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, so the meatballs are cooked through and the juices have evaporated a little.

-----
Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons canola oil
350g cooked rice
400g tomatoes, deseeded and chopped (I used canned/tinned)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
200ml beef broth

Directions:

In a heavy skillet sauté onion, green bell pepper and garlic until onion is softened.
Add tomatoes, chili powder, salt, and broth. Mix well; add rice.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.
Taste and add more salt if needed.

-----

St. Andrews: the beach, the university, the food

2010-07-22T07:49:00.010+01:00

After our tour of the castle, we headed down to St. Andrews beach for some fun and relaxation.

The water was beautiful, and this part of the shore had amazing rock formations creating tide pools and climbing opportunities.

Joshua and Abigail were much more interested in rock-throwing. They were inspired and frustrated by the waves. The goal was to hit the incoming wave without getting your feet wet.

Abigail was more excited about the tide pools that don't move -- much easier target to hit with a rock.

We strolled up the road to tour some of St. Andrews University. Darren was hoping to hit the library for a few minutes, but they had reduced hours for summer and were not open. It is a nice campus, spread out all over town.

For dinner, we decided to try a little, carryout Fish & Chips place on restaurant row. This little shop had huge queues all evening (normally a really good indication of good food), and our wait was well rewarded. The kids and I found a little table on the sidewalk outside while Darren waited for our food (and watch Dr. Who on the little TV).

The food was very good. Joshua enjoyed his enormous fish cake. Abigail ate all her fish fingers. Darren and I shared shrimp scampi and half a haddock with chips. And it was such a beautiful evening to eat outside and enjoy the sun.

There are a few more pictures of our day at: St. Andrews - June 2010.

Abigail gets a bob

2010-07-21T20:37:00.001+01:00

Today Joshua got his hands on a pair of scissors and decided to cut Abigail's hair. She didn't come running to me, so some how he had convinced her that this was a good idea.

Well the results were somewhat comical, though I was closer to tears than laughter when I first saw it. It was quite the layered bob with several long strands still hanging down her back, almost like a few poorly-placed "rat-tails" from the 80's.

By the time we took pictures, I had already cut the long strands. But you can see some of the layering on this side that Joshua added.

I tried very hard to blend in all the various lengths in her hair. I finally had to stop, knowing that I was just cutting shorter and shorter. Its just hair... it grows back.

Joshua giving a "sorry" hug. She wasn't convinced that she wanted a hug...

So here is her new haircut. I know it is not the same length on each side, but I really couldn't bring myself to cut the other side as short as Joshua had.

I can laugh about it now (especially remembering the haircuts I may or may not have given my sisters as kids). But I'm still disappointed about no more pig tails for a while...

St. Andrews Castle

2010-07-20T07:13:00.012+01:00

After our visit to St. Andrews Cathedral, we hurried down the road to the St. Andrews Castle ruins, overlooking the sea.

The visitors center of this castle has a nice exhibit about the life and times of this castle, including the influence of the Reformation and John Knox.

Joshua loves it when castles have a moat or a ditch that requires a bridge to enter the castle. And he was not disappointed with this bridge.

We enjoyed climbing over the broken down walls and up the remaining staircases. There was a huge well in the middle of the courtyard that we all look down into.

This castle also had a "bottle" dungeon, named for its unique shape. It looks like a well at the top, but opens up to a rounded room about 20 feet down. I would not want to be dropped into that prison.

The kids enjoyed the view of the sea crashing on the rocks below the castle. We promised a trip down to the sandy shores when we were finished looking at the castle.

One unique feature of this castle was the remaining mines and counter-mines that were dug by enemy soldiers under the wall of the castle. The goal was to weaken the integrity of the ground beneath the wall, so it would collapse. It was freaky crawling down this dark, narrow tunnel that had been dug so many years ago. This tunnel continued for 500 feet at least, but I was not willing to go beyond the first corner. Never knew I could be claustrophobic, but this did it for me.

The castle is beautiful from the view of the sandy beach. The sea had begun to wash away the outer edges of the castle. They built this retaining wall to keep from losing more of the castle to erosion.

After the castle, we headed to the beach for some play, down the road to the University, then on to downtown St. Andrews for some dinner. Visit our facebook photo album, St. Andrews Castle - June 2010, for more pictures of the castle.
Coming soon, more pictures of St. Andrews beach and downtown.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-07-19T07:34:00.002+01:00

I feel like it has taken me all week to recover from our weekend of touring last week. Although there are still some housecleaning chores that I have not gotten to yet. Sorry pictures have been so slow in coming. I have been too tired in the evenings to do much of anything.

Our 11th wedding anniversary was last Saturday. We are going out to dinner and a movie on Thursday. We haven't decided where we are eating, but we have a couple places that we have been wanting to try.

Here is the menu for this week!

Monday -- Crockpot Beef Roast and veggies
Tuesday -- Chinese Chicken and Cabbage
Wednesday -- Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs) - new recipe, from Morrison's magazine
Thursday -- Anniversary Dinner Out
Friday -- Pesto Tortelloni with broccoli and mushrooms
Saturday -- Chili and Cornbread
Sunday -- left overs

Check out more great meal ideas at Organizing Junkie.

Happy Monday!

St. Andrews Cathedral

2010-07-16T07:16:00.001+01:00

A few weeks ago we drove down to St. Andrews to do a little site seeing. We wanted to spend some time at St. Andrews Cathedral, the Castle and walking the town and University. This was actually one of the other schools Darren considered before deciding on the University of Aberdeen for PhD studies.

Our drive down was overcast and drizzly, but we were pleasantly surprised that only a hour south of Aberdeen was beautifully sunny. We had wonderful weather for our trip.

Our first stop was St. Andrews Cathedral. This was our first church ruin and it was more inspiring than I had expected. To walk the grounds where people had worshiped for hundreds of years was incredibly humbling and gave a sense of communion with the saints who have gone before us.

There is so much history here at this site. The story is that St. Andrews bones were brought here after 300 A.D. when St. Rule established the city and place of worship. Although the documented story indicated that the spiritual community began here in the 700's.

This largest cathedral ever to be built in Scotland was dedicated in 1318, after 150 years of construction. It became a place on conflict in the Reformation as well, when John Knox preached at St. Andrews Parish Church in 1559, stirring crowds against the Cathedral with its "popery."

These cathedral ruins overlook the North Sea. If you are ever in the area, it is worth spending a few hours taking in the history and beauty of the buildings and the location.

Check out the full photo album at St. Andrews Cathedral - June 2010.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-07-12T14:23:00.001+01:00

Last week we really enjoyed the Crockpot Tamale Pie. I added leftover roast chicken to the recipe. It seemed a little dry, though; I might have overcooked it, or the shredded chicken may have absorbed all the moisture. Maybe another can of tomatoes would be better. I also forgot how much stronger my chilli powder is here (and yes, they do spell 'chilli' with two 'L's here), so it was a little too spicy for the kids, though they enjoyed the cornbread crust.

We have a few repeats from last week. This weekend we were sightseeing the entire time and had dinner out most evenings.

Here is the menu for this week!

Monday -- Nachos
Tuesday -- Salmon Fishcakes & Chips
Wednesday -- Crockpot Beef Roast and veggies
Thursday -- Chinese Chicken and Cabbage
Friday -- Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs) - new recipe, from Morrison's magazine
Saturday -- Loosemeat Sandwiches
Sunday -- left overs

Check out more great meal ideas at Organizing Junkie.

Happy Monday!

July 4th in Scotland

2010-07-09T09:52:00.002+01:00

This year we celebrated the 4th of July in Scotland... very different, as you might imagine. But we had a good ol' American BBQ. I did not remember to pull out the camera, but our wonderful host for the BBQ, Emily, captured the entire event in her 4th of July post (and yes, there are pictures of the event).

And, so our Canadian expats would not feel left out, we had an O Canada celebration at our monthly AWF get together on Monday. Emily also included some pictures of that fun!

Forgive my laziness for not writing my own post. And check out Emily's account of our fun!

4th of July & Canada Day in Scotland!

Kid's aprons in a snap!

2010-07-09T07:15:00.009+01:00

My kids love baking in the kitchen with me. Recently they asked me why they didn't have aprons like mommy, so I had to find an inexpensive, easy solution to this dilemma.

Here's what we did, in three easy steps...

1. Find a tea towel with a fun pattern.

Joshua liked the red and blue (his favorite colors) of this 3 for a £ tea towel.

2. Round up some kind of cord or belt that you can use to tie the apron around your child's waist. I was going to use shoe laces, but Joshua immediately thought of his belt and asked for that instead.

3. Fold the towel in half over the cord or belt and fasten it around your child. Or copy Joshua, and simply have the child hold the towel while you fasten it.

Abigail chose this cute little chickie towel I found in a charity shop for 20 pence.

For her apron, I found a ribbon-belt that I strung through the fold in the towel.

She didn't want to hold the towel like Joshua did.

And the result was wonderful. They were so inspired and pleased with their new aprons. Though for next time I think maybe a little gathering or pleating around the belts might make it more comfortable.

What do you do to inspire and include your children in the kitchen?

Aberdeen Highland Games

2010-07-08T07:26:00.002+01:00

I'm a few weeks behind posting pictures from the Aberdeen Highland Games, but I thought you would still enjoy hearing about it. Highland games are held throughout northern Scotland to celebrate Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage. The games are known for the kilts, bagpipes, dancing, heavy events and light events.

We didn't have the nice camera with us this day, so there aren't many pictures from the competitions, but we really enjoyed them. There were pipe bands (as pictured above) and lively highland dancing (similar to a "Riverdance" style). The dance competition was truly beautiful. And everywhere we wandered, we were surrounded by the music of bagpipes. Wonderful!

The light events include tug-o-war, racing and other competitions. But the Highland Games are better known for the heavy events: the caber toss (pictured above), stone put (similar to shot put), the hammer throw and more. I most enjoyed the caber toss and the weight over the bar throw (also called weight for height).

Joshua and Abigail loved the Mini Cooper parked in one of the shopping tents, as a giveaway for a drawing. We all enjoyed wandering through the booths looking at all the merchandise.

And then there was the food! I was very excited to check out the Abroath Smokies, a famous smoked haddock that dates back to the 1800's. The fish are smoked in halved barrels with fires underneath, trapping the smoke under layers of hessian sacking. Amazing flavor, but very difficult to eat as fair food. The wrap the whole fish (after removing the bones) in paper and hand you a fork. The juices drip out the bottom as you attempt to pull the delicious pieces of fish out. Very messy! Very good! (sorry I forgot to take pictures).

The kids, on the other hand, went for the yummy ice cream. This ice cream had the texture of whipped cream, but the taste of real ice cream. Very strange, but the kids enjoyed it. It was so funny watching Abigail learn how to eat ice cream from a cone.

After treats, we had to check out the carnival rides. Both kids were drawn to the vehicles on this particular ride. Joshua was excited to be in the driver's seat of this jeep.

Abigail took an upstairs, front row seat on this colorful, double-decker bus. Her first carnival ride. She loved it!

Both kids were given free balloons. Joshua was very pleased with his sword (though half the time he played it was a walking stick, like Mr. Fredrickson from the movie UP). Abigail loved her beautiful flower (though most of the leaves had popped by the time we reached home).

We also wandered into a tent with music competitions. Abigail was immediately struck by the fiddles and bagpipes. She started dancing to the music! It was so cute. She loved all the dancing competitions, and told me she was going to dance when she was bigger.

The competition winners (in addition to their cash prizes) go on to compete at the larger district games later this summer. We may have to check out some of the bigger games as well. What a wonderful day we had at the Aberdeen highland games! Check out the rest of our photo album: Aberdeen Highland Games - June 2010.

Goulash: Scotland's only Hungarian Restaurant

2010-07-07T07:21:00.001+01:00

Last Saturday evening, Darren and I had the pleasure of eating at Goulash, a little Hungarian restaurant here in Aberdeen. This restaurant is very small and cozy with a nice, warm atmosphere and they served our meal on authentic, Hungarian porcelain plates.

For large groups (we had 13 people in our party), they serve a the full selection of the two-courses in a buffet or family style. This gave us the opportunity to try several of their entrees (appetizers), main courses and desserts. And the food was amazing!

Here are the many dishes we tried. Most of their menu is on their website.

Entrees (appetizers):

HUNGARIAN HORS D` OEUVRES -- Hungarian salamis, authentic cured ham, homemade ewe cheese pate, etc.
HORTOBÁGY PALACSINTA* -- Minced chicken in a folded pancake with creamy paprika sauce. This was my favorite; the chicken was very flavorful and the pancake (more like a crepe) was the perfect texture.
VADAS MEAT BALLS -- Crispy minced wild boar and venison, served with wild berry jam. The wild berry jam with the meatballs was delicious.

Main Courses: (All dishes were incredible!)

LECSÓS CSIRKE -- Diced chicken breast with blend of peppers, tomato, herbs and spices, served with rice. This chicken was very flavorful. The chicken was quite tender and the peppers were stewed perfectly.
HOMESTEAD SZŰZÉRMÉK* -- Griddled pork medallions topped with smoked cheese, tomato, served with potato croquettes. The homestead szuzermek pork with smoked cheese and tomato was my favorite dish of the night. It was amazing! The pork was so soft it almost melted in my mouth, and the cheese and tomato added the perfect, smokey flavor.
ROAST GAME -- Tender wild boar and red deer slices with piquant rich, dark and delicious sauce and potato croquettes. The roast game was very tender and the sauce was delicious. Definitely worth a try if you enjoy venison.
TRADITIONAL BEEF PÖRKÖLT (GOULASH)** -- Lean, diced rump steak in mildly hot authentic stew blend of ingredients, served with choices of traditional Hungarian pasta, rice or potatoes. Darren enjoyed both of the beef dishes. His favorite was this goulash. The beef was so tender and the sauce was amazing (I really need a thesaurus).
JÓÓASSZONY ROSTÉLYOS -- Tender slice of fillet of beef from the griddle, with authentic ragout blend of fine cut onions, mushrooms, smoky bacon, peas etc. and wedge potatoes. The jooasszony rostelyos was also very tender. I loved the blend of mushrooms and onions it was served with.

Desserts:

GUNDEL PALACSINTA -- Ground, sweet walnut purée blend in a folded pancake, served hot with home-made dark chocolate cream. This chocolaty dessert was perfect. Again, I loved the texture of the pancakes. The sweet chocolate was nicely accompanied by the creamy walnut puree.
FRUIT STRUDELS* -- Variety of sweetened fruit cubes, some walnut, raisins & herbs filling in layers of wafer thin pastry. Served hot with optional ice cream or custard. I love strudel and this did not disappoint. We had peach strudel on this particular evening, and it was wonderful. I only wish I could have had more.

Lastly, I had a cup of their Hungarian coffee. This strong coffee is mixed with Casino rum and topped with whipped crème. I ordered this medium sweet, which was perfect to enjoy the flavor of the coffee. But be warned, this is a very strong drink... not just strong coffee, but also strong rum. Although it was good, I couldn't finish it.

I highly recommend this restaurant. A few tips to making the most of your visit...

Check out their website for an idea of cost level. It is not the least expensive place, but it is worth the money. I think they coupon vouchers in SPREE.
Make sure to call ahead to be assured of seating (it is a very small location), and expect to spend more time than typical.
With our three course meal, we were there for several hours (though some of that is because of our large group). It didn't feel slow, but they did allow time to enjoy each service of the meal.

Enjoy!

Glamis Castle

2010-07-06T07:32:00.017+01:00

Last Saturday dawned rather wet and cloudy, but we only had our rental car for 3 days and we were going to make the most of it, rain or shine. The plan was to spend the day in St. Andrews, about two hours south of Aberdeen.

But we decided to make a stop at Glamis Castle (pronounced 'glams' by the locals)on the way. Because of our limited time, the added expense, and the tension of going through "don't-touch" castles with the kids, we decided to enjoy the exterior of the castle and the gardens, and save the interior for another day.

This is a privately owned castle, still occupied by the family. Parts of the grounds and castle are not open to the public. But they go a long way to make the experience enjoyable. The tour guides are dressed in authentic type costumes and shared bit of history with us. Joshua even got to hold the cross bow (not loaded) for the picture.

Behind the castle they have a children's playground and several different nature walks. On our 20 minute walk around the pasture land, we enjoyed a wonderful view of grazing, highland cattle and a few calves. There were also ancient rhododendrons, in full bloom, that rose at least 30 feet tall.

We only had time to visit the Italian gardens ... beautiful! I was especially impressed with the fountains and the beautiful archways created by the trees. The kids love the freedom of open gardens and ran around, finding sticks to play with. They also threw coins (and rocks) into the fountains. There are more pictures of these gardens in our photo album.

Glamis Castle is the most "fairy-tale" castle we have visited here. Beautiful castle! And we hear that interior is also incredible. Maybe we will make it back to see their beautiful, private chapel and suits of armour.

Check out the photo albums with more of the kids, the castle and the gardens at Glamis Castle - June 2010.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-07-05T14:43:00.001+01:00

On Sunday, we had a wonderful 4th of July BBQ with our American (and Canadian) friends. The weather was a little rainy, but it stopped in time for dinner.

I also had the last-minutes opportunity to join the closing theology conference dinner at great, little Hungarian restaurant, Goulash (down a little alley, right off Union street). Very good food! I'll try to write a little review of the place later this week.

This week we are renting a car again for the weekend. I'm not sure what will happen for evening meals, but I'll have some ideas on hand if we are back in time for dinner.

Here is the menu for this week!

Monday -- BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Tuesday -- Crockpot Tamale Pie - new recipe
Wednesday -- Chicken Caesar Salad
Thursday -- Crunchy Turkey Tacos
Friday -- Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs) - new recipe, from Morrison's magazine
Saturday -- Salmon Fishcakes & Chips
Sunday -- left overs

Check out more great meal ideas at Organizing Junkie.

Happy Monday!

Last Day of School!

2010-07-02T07:17:00.004+01:00

Today is Joshua's last day of school for the summer. To celebrate all the parents were invited to come to a special song performance by our children. The class chose four of their favorite songs to sing for us.

Pictured above, Joshua and his classmates are singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" with the corresponding hand motions.

Joshua has become very enthusiastic about music and hand motions. He love to teach new song to Abigail. This morning I woke up to Joshua singing in his room. I went in to check on them and he informed me that they were playing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". He was teaching Abigail the words and motions for this fun song. Wonderful!

The concert included a nursery rhyme in a middle eastern language (or maybe Egyptian, I can't remember) and a song in French. They concluded with the children's favorite, "Mash Bananas." This closing shot is the end of the Banana song. There are a few more pictures at Joshua's Last Day of School.

Everyone had a wonderful time. Abigail especially loved sitting at the little preschool tables sipping her juice while watching the singing. And we all enjoyed the yummy biscuits!

Joshua has loved his time in the OWLS class these five months and is looking forward to another great year. I was pleased to learn that his class is staying together for another year of nursery school (only two of the students are old enough to start Primary 1 (P1) / Kindergarten).

Getting Ready!

2010-07-01T13:36:00.003+01:00

We are just about to start our Reading Through the Bible in 90 Days. This begins on Monday, July 5.

For those of you joining me in this venture, Mom's Toolbox has posted an update about how to participate through her blog. This is really about helping with accountability! If you are really doing this, take a moment to fill out the short registration form. This will allow the mentors to pray for you and encourage you.

Let's help each other finish this goal on time!

MacDuff Marine Aquarium

2010-07-01T07:47:00.002+01:00

And our car-rental, weekend adventure continues...

After our visits to Tolquhon Castle and Fyvie Castle we headed due north. Our destination was the MacDuff Marine Aquarium, located on the norther coast of Scotland.

Although MacDuff is not as far north as you can go in Scotland, it was definitely the furthest north Darren or I have ever been. The rocky shores were beautiful! When we first arrive, we sat outside the aquarium in the parking lot enjoying the view.

The center of the aquarium was a large, circular, open-air tank containing all the large fish that actually live on the coast of Scotland. There were large salmon, cod, haddock, etc. The kids liked the rays and the Lesser-Spotted Dogfish.

Joshua was especially like the large Wolf Fish. His fearsome teeth are for crushing crabs and sea urchins. This large fish passed by our view window several time, to the great excitement of our kids.

Abigail enjoyed the smaller display tanks full of beautiful Dahlia Anemone. She described each of the colors and sized she saw in this tank.

The large rays were also fascinating to watch. They would practically float around the tanks then sink to the bottom, skimming gently over the rocks and other fish.

Joshua loved this small tank. There were blue lobster, small rays and other funny fish. Several fish, including a ray, loved to poke their noses out of the water. We could lift Joshua up so he could see the fish noses.

There is a small auditorium with view windows of the large central tank. It is probably for educational talks. The kids sat here for the longest time watching the fish swim past.

We also really enjoyed the touch pools with starfish, anemones, hermit crabs and other fun creatures. But somehow I completely forgot to take any pictures.

We had a wonderful time at the aquarium, and enjoyed the beautiful coast! Check out the additional pictures in our photo album: MacDuff Aquarium - June 2010.

Our day was now coming to an end. The kids did great in and out of the car all day. We all went to bed contentedly tired, dreaming of the adventures awaiting us in the morning.

Fyvie Castle

2010-06-29T07:40:00.003+01:00

To continue our adventures from last weekend... After we left Tolquhon Castle, we headed north toward the coast. The plan was to spend the afternoon at the aquarium in Macduff. However, on the way, we decided to make a quick stop at Fyvie Castle only a mile or two off our route.

Fyvie is a beautiful castle, that feels more like a fairy tale castle more than the others we had seen. The approach was incredible. Down the long lane, line with trees, you could see the castle growing in the distance. Very impressive view!

The front of the castle is equally impressive. The front entry was definitely designed to impress any visitor with its splendor.

The kids were properly impressed with the castle as we walked from the side around to the front view.

Because this was a last minute addition to our trip, we had not looked up information on the castle and learned upon arrival that it was not open on Fridays (except in July and August). So we did not get to see the inside.

No one was really in the mood to tour the gardens on this visit. There was too much excitement about the upcoming aquarium. So we enjoyed the outside view of the castle, and the extensive lawns.

The kids have found the joy of laying in the lawn and playing (wrestling) with each other. They have also learned that if they smile, Daddy can't resist snapping some pictures.

Beautiful day! Beautiful castle! The sun was shining brightly, but the wind was still quite cold. There are additional Fyvie pictures at: Fyvie Castle - June 2010.

We enjoyed our quick tour of Fyvie, but were ready for our next destination. Come back for more...

Tolquhon Castle

2010-06-28T14:26:00.002+01:00

With our rental car loaded and ready, we headed out on our family adventure. Our first stop was Tolquhon Castle (pronounced toll-hon') about half-an-hour north of Aberdeen (though not accessible by public transportation).

The initial tower to this beautiful ruin was built in the 15th century. This is a great castle to explore with kids. It is safe enough to let them wander (a little) and explore all the nooks and crannies.

The gate house has fascinating gun holes that provide a perfect view of the front lawns. Abigail especially like looking through these hole at the dog playing outside. (See our photo album for pictures of these holes).

The original tower was in the front corner of the tower, while the later family quarters (seen in the background) have the huge fireplaces, wonderful rooms, hiding places for the family treasure, and even a dungeon (that is literally a deep, dark hole).

The country side was beautiful. This castle had an amazing view of the surrounding lands, including cattle and a pigeon house (with a few nesting boxes still intact).

Joshua and Abigail loved all the staircases to climb, and I loved all the safety measures taken to help the kids (like railings).

This was a beautiful start to our family adventures! After lunch in our car (it was too windy for our planned picnic), we headed out for more fun. Check out more pictures from Tolquhon in our photo album, Tolquhon Castle - June 2010. And come back soon to read about the other things we did on our weekend with a car...

Menu Plan Monday

2010-06-28T07:13:00.001+01:00

We tried several new items on our menu last week, but none of them were wonderful. I was very excited to try a new chicken piccata recipe, but it was not good enough to add to our 'repeats' list. I was just spoiled by the great flavor of Trader Joe's piccata sauce -- we use to add chicken, extra artichokes and sometimes extra capers. So good! Maybe we will live near Trader Joe's again some day.

Here is the menu for this coming week!

Monday -- Sweet 'n Sour Chicken - (scroll down for the recipe)
Tuesday -- Red Thai Curry with chicken, courgettes (zucchini) and cashews
Wednesday -- Crockpot Tamale Pie - new recipe
Thursday -- BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Friday -- Baked Ziti - roll-over from last week
Saturday -- Crockpot Chicken Makhani - new recipe
Sunday -- BBQ with friends

Check out more great meal ideas at Organizing Junkie.

Happy Monday!

His Affection - Praying Wife, Chapter 5

2010-06-27T12:25:00.002+01:00

When I first read this chapter years ago, I had not that affection is a separate issue from sex in the physical life of a married couple. But it is not the same as the sexual relationship of a couple, and needs to be addressed as a serious aspect of a healthy marriage.

My husband and I both grew up in families that had healthy affection modeled for us, so this is not an area that we have struggled with. However, we have found that there are times we become too busy or are so tired that we forget to show physical affection. Some days we just both realize that we need to hug more, or snuggle while we watch a movie, or hold hands during dinner. For me, there is nothing quite like being enfolded in my husbands arms to feel loved, secure and content with the world.

Stormie makes some interesting observations about affection and marriage. Many men view sex and affection as being the same. For most women, however, affection is their greatest need from their husbands. This issue is often further complicated by a woman's self-image and worth.

Let us pray
Here are some thoughts from Stormie's prayer to encourage you as you pray...

"Help us to demonstrate how much we care for and value each other."
"Change our habits of indifference or busyness. May we not take each other for granted..."
"Transform us and make us the husband and wife You called us to be."

--
Next up, Chapter 6: His Temptations. As wives, we need to pray continuously for our husbands as they face temptations everyday. Who else would our enemy work to trip up more than Godly men of faith? We will consider the various temptations that surround us each day, and how to pray specifically for victory.