May, Beautiful May

May 1 - Moments with my People

May 2 - Packaging in England is very descriptive.

May 3 - These two really love each other.

May 4 - Too many Treats

May 5 - This pineapple from Poundland made me happy.

May 6 - Lovely big dandelions in the garden

May 7 - May Day Fun

May 8 - Curious Cows After School

May 9 - I found a new favorite place for coffee and books.

May 10 - I love homeschool days.

May 11 - We found some beautiful trees when we dropped K.J. off on the west coast for his bike ride.

May 12 - Ella's Artwork 

May 13 - Wild Yorkshire Coast

May 15 - Curry with Blake and Hannah

May 16 - Beauty on the Street

May 18 - A Rainbow at Sunset (such a fun and beautiful surprise!)

May 20 - Saturday Morning Breakfast Club

May 21 - An English Summer

May 22 - 13 Years

May 23 - Science Experiments

May 24 - New Walkways

May 25 - Perfect Summer Day, Perfect Summer Boy

May 26 - Reading in the Tent

May 27 - Blowin' in the Wind

May 28 - Made in the US of A

May 29 - We always see a new sign when we visit York.

May 30 - Breathtaking Beauty

May 31 - We'll have strawberries soon!

A Spring Tradition

It's been that time of year again where we've enjoyed seeing the bright yellow fields intermingled with the green whilst driving through North Yorkshire.  After having an injured foot for the past month, though, I've mostly been driving past and not walking, so I hadn't taken any pictures!  It feels wrong not to stop in the midst of such beauty, and I was thankful to get a chance when the kids and I were on our way to pick up K.J. after his coast-to-coast ride.

James got out of the car with me.  I think he remembered last year's outing.  Considering how much he can struggle with spring allergies, it might not have been the best idea.

But it had some cute results.

Stories from the Road, vol. i

Last month when we spent at afternoon in Robin Hood's Bay we stopped in for a late lunch of fish and chips at the Fish Box.

As we were sitting at a table waiting for our order to be ready, a lady came rushing in with stress and anxiety oozing off her.  She sat her elderly mother down at a table across from ours, and I couldn't help but overhear her frantic voice on the phone explaining her situation to a car recovery company.  Her car had broken down and she was now stranded here with her 90-year-old mother who had dementia.  It was definitely a stressful situation for her as she made phone calls and then did what every good British person does in a stressful situation:  procured a cup of tea.  

When her order was called and she left her table to pick it up, K.J. and I glanced over at her mother, who looked back at her daughter and then over at us and said cheerfully, "I don't know where she's going, or why I'm here!  I tell you, the older you get, the more worries you have."  We laughed and smiled at her reassuringly.  K.J. told her to just sit tight.  In the midst of the chaos and with a mind that no longer comprehended it all, there was nothing for this lady to do but sit tight and smile.  

I loved that moment.  I thought of that sweet lady again today when I was reading those familiar verses from Matthew 6 where Jesus tells us not to worry about what we'll eat or what we'll wear or money or anything that's going to happen in the future at all because we have no control over any of it!  And in life's chaotic moments we don't have a stressed-out Father in heaven making frantic phone calls to try and sort it all out.  We can sit tight because He "knows what you need before you ask him."  And if you're British, you might as well enjoy that cup of tea.

April

April 1 - We visited one of our favorite bookshops to buy a birthday gift. It was hard to get the kids out the door, as you can see.

April 2 - Headed to Maypole Practice on a sunny Sunday afternoon

April 3 - I said no to playing the Wii, so that meant a yes to playing in the mud.

April 4 - Homecoming  Most days he works in an office in the back garden, so I was feeling extra affectionate when he came home from this office day.  James told me this week that, "You chose a good husband."  Yep.  Except that he feels more like a gift I wouldn't have known to ask for rather than the result of my good choosing.

April 5 - How long will the stopwatch run?  James has this habit of starting the stopwatch on the iPod and leaving it.  This felt like a possible world record to me.

April 6 - Coloring-in the Louisiana Purchase  This little map project was Ella's idea, and I love what a self-starter of projects and learning she is.  I also love reading history books with her.  I was reminded again today of how I used to walk around the backyard reading my Alabama History book out loud in 4th grade.

April 8 - Spring is magnificent at the York Minster and everywhere else.

April 9 - Just look at those lambs skipping!

April 10 - My Kids Stories = 💓

April 11 - Egg-Painting  You don't see egg dye sold as much here, but I found this fun activity at our local grocery store.

April 12 - Wednesday Night Sunshine  It's so nice to have the longer and warmer days coming back.

April 13 - Playground Blooms

April 14 - Pirate James  The kids loved our Easter Holiday Bible Club theme this year.

April 15 - We had some of the best colors yet when we dyed eggs.  I forgot to go looking for white eggs, but I thought the brown ones turned out beautifully.

April 16 - I love Easter lunch.

April 17 - The North Yorkshire Moors  It is such a different landscape from the rolling green hills elsewhere!  They look really beautiful in the sunshine with the gorse blooming.

April 18 - Whitby Abbey  Speaking of sunshine, this picture makes me want to run back to the seaside stat!

April 19 - Grosmont Station  One of the most delightful things about being in an old country, is stumbling upon treasures like this train station, preserved in its 1930s-era glory.  It is the most adorable thing I've seen in a long time.

April 20 - Sherlock's  I heard someone say recently that you know it's a good place to eat when they only accept cash because they're so good they don't have to bother setting up a credit card machine.

April 21 - No pictures while we're reading!  Coming home from vacations before you have to get back to the regular routine is such a good idea.  It was so nice having a chill day before the end of the Easter holidays.

April 22 - E-mailing Big Daddy  We recently signed up for an e-mail address for James so he could continue his short story exchange with his grandfather.  I've gotten a few e-mails from my son that included heart emojis, and it was the best thing ever.

April 23 - Dessert for the Kids  T brought us some American sprinkles that can hold up to being baked.  We've learned sprinkles here tend to dissolve.  They also look so bright and fun on vanilla ice cream.

April 24 - A Nearly Empty Sweet Tea Pitcher  We had Americans from Georgia over for lunch on Sunday, and it made me smile to find the pitcher like this on Monday morning.

April 25 - Glorious Morning Colors and Light

April 27 - Yorkshire Dales Views

April 28 - Morning Birdwatching

April 29 - Sweet Bedtime Moment

April 30 - Made me so silly, happy