Spring Break 2009

This spring break we are staying put - Anna Catherine is trying to begin the arduous task of studying like never before for the GCSE exams in May. I asked Julieanne how her break was so far and she surprised me with, "Great!" I asked why it was so great and she said, "it's nice not having to be somewhere, you can do stuff around here" which is exactly what we've done. We took some friends with three kids to see Pixar's 'Bolt' on Monday, Nathan went to a three day sports camp, Julieanne and I went up to Carlisle to look for Erin Nye's 13th birthday present and to get her new guitar looked at. (Later blog coming on that cool story!) She and AC have joined some of the kids from the youth group working on new banners for the youth service. We spent 5 hours at St. Bees school redoing their bulletin boards in the main school hallways. Let's hope they don't look 'too happy' for the British private school look. Honestly, anything would be better than the tattered, faded paper they had up but bright yellow, green, blue with patterned borders may be over the edge - let's hope they get used to them.

Dennis is off Good Friday and Monday. We celebrated by going on a date Thursdayto see 'The Maid of Buttermere' at the Keswick Theatre By the Lake. Dennis and AC are out running trying to get the blood pumping while Julieanne is going ape at a high ropes course called 'Go Ape' for a friend's birthday. I'm getting ready to do some cooking for Easter lunch for us and the Greene family. The mom, Karen, went with us on the CYFA retreat along with the boys Ben and Joe who are AC and JA's ages.

During the week, the kids each have cooked a meal or two. AC spent 3.5 hours making caramel bread pudding and Iowa Skinnies. There was nothing 'skinny' about the meal other than the pork tenderloin that was thin before you battered and sauteed it in oil. It was a labor love which we really enjoyed.
Julieanne took her turn with peanut butter marble brownies and three meat calzones. Yummy. Nathan had a go at his now famous breakfast - eggs and bacon. He's still working on the clean up part. His definition of 'clean' and my definition are hugely different.

Anna Catherine has commented that she likes how we cook most nights and enjoy dinner around the table. (some of her friends call it 'banqueting' because we are at the table so long some nights) She said she hopes she will be like that someday when she has a family. Getting practice in the kitchen now gives them training as well the appreciation for what it takes to put a meal on the table. Someone has to pay the price to make the meal - it doesn't have to be fancy or gourmet but it still takes planning, shopping, and preparing. It seems to be the best way for us to keep up with each other on a daily basis. Otherwise, we're just running in different directions. Plus, they learn to listen and ask questions. (They're great at the talking part but not so great at the listening. That is a learned art and an important one for all life!) It really is a precious time. Thankfully, my mom let me make huge messes in the kitchen while I 'learned' how to cook. Julieanne and Na take after me in that way. My brother and Dad still laugh at one of my early meals of tacos where I didn't drain the meat...they were a little greasy as you can imagine but I haven't made that mistake again. Dennis' mom gave him the gift of enjoying a good meal and time around the table as well.

A funny story from 21 years ago about us when we were newly weds. I was a school teacher so I was off the first summer we were married. I would try my hand at the cooking each day making all sorts of dishes. Dennis being the engineer type of guy that he is had this way of judging or critiquing the meals. At the end he would say, "That was about a '5' on the Dennis 1 - 10 dinner scale. Next time, maybe you could add such n such or take out this or that." I wasn't exactly super confident in the kitchen and I was trying real hard to please Dennis so after a few of the Dennis Dinner Scale conversations, I lost it, yep, tears and feelings hurt. He wasn't trying to be mean or ungrateful just 'helpful'. Let's just say that Dennis gave up the Dinner Scale although he still pulls it out to rate his weekend sometimes. He's such a turkey.

Anyway, we're enjoying the break though it takes us a little adjusting to so much free time - we're so accustomed to being booked that 'nothing to do' undoes us for awhile. Pathetic aren't' we. Nonetheless, we have one more week off. Hopefully we'll get to watch some of the Masters on TV this weekend. We are looking forward to being at our church , St. John's for the Easter service. We were in Wales last year.