Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is a copy of the very first Thanksgiving Proclaimation made by George Washington. And here is what it says in old fashioned English. I hope you are all digging in to your Thanksgiving dinner as well as remembering the reason we celebrate this holiday. I am missing it over here, but I hope you Americans will do me proud.

Thanksgiving Proclamation
By the President of the United States of America
WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble Gobble....

Some Snowy Scenes

Cromer church and pier

The Lighthouse in Cromer

The church in Gresham

A frozen pond on our walk

Tim and I enjoying the snow!

Snowed In!

Yes, well they say it never snows in England, if anything just a dusting and that is that. How depressing for an American who has lived her life always dreaming of a White Christmas! Well, I have to confess, it really wasn't that much snow (compared to some storms that I have been through), but we got a good 3 inches which caused the weather people to issue a Severe Weather Warning to north Norfolk (where Tim and I were staying for the weekend) and warned people of the dangerous road conditions and the icy Arctic winds! We, had planned to go up to Gresham, where Tim's parents own some cottages. It was going to be a nice weekend away all by ourselves. When, I woke up with snow coming down in the morning, I couldn't have been happier! I love waking up to snow, and here we were, tucked away in a cozy cottage all alone! It wasn't cozy when we got there, of course, with no heat on, but we had it very cozy by morning when I woke up to the snow. We had gotten there the night before, so the snow really came in the night and we enjoyed a nice walk around the countryside to take a few pictures, and then drove to town (Cromer) which is on the sea and walked around a bit more, had some lunch and then headed back to our cozy cottage. Where we were staying was supposed to be the worst of the weather. HA! This was not enough snow to stop school or work from going on as usual, but I can see why it stops people here. The roads are way too narrow and curvy, and no one has ever plowed anything before! They barely salted the major highways the night before this storm was to hit. Although the snow story was big enough to take up space in the newspaper (3 inches can you believe that?) So of course, you can really drive on narrow, winding roads, which barely fit 2 cars passing each other on a normal day. It all makes sense to me! Well, anyway, this was just perfect for our weekend. And everyone laughed and said it would be too cold! We had a lovely time.

Anything Goes (with the in-laws!)

Last night, we all went the Harlow Playhouse to watch Anything Goes. Tim, me and the in-laws all sitting in the second row with a great view of the stage. I have actually performed in this show before so I knew all the lines and scenes and was comparing everything in my head. This production was very well done and much more professional than the one I did, but nonetheless I thought I could have probably played my old part better then the actress who did it this time. That is just a load of overconfidence I am sure though. Ah actors! We always think we can do something better or we are determined to try to beat the next person in something theatrical. It is not unlike healthy sports competition I don't think. Well, we had a nice time, and I am hoping to join the group that performed it which meets in Bishop's Stortford so it is very convenient. The best thing is that next year's production at the Harlow Playhouse is My Fair Lady! Is that not a perfect part for me or what? I hope I get it! But I better join first so they get to know me because I am sure there are a lot of politics involved as always. One thing is for sure, I will definitely have plenty of help in practicing the correct authentic cockney accent! I can certainly help them all with their American ones after what I saw last night. They weren't bad, but could definitely use some dialect coaching form an expert in more ways than one!

My Favorite Cookie

As some of you will remember, I was following a strict diet due to my food intolerances of wheat, dairy, sugar, eggs, corn and peanuts. That is, until I got healed! Well, I have noticed that since my healing, I have still felt that I gravitated towards the things that I had used to replace these foods in my diet. I think it is possible that I may have created a healthy pattern, and that although I am ok to probably eat these things when I feel like it, I don't need to eat wheat every day just because I can. So I have started to incorporate these yummy ingredients when I am eating out or at friends' houses or when I am just craving a slice of cheese etc. I also noticed that my skin has not improved since I have been healed of my food intolerances. I am not sure why that is, but I do know that the food could have had an impact on that. I probably need to wait a bit longer to see lots of improvement, but until then I am going to eat all these goodies in moderation! Besides, it isn't just me who has had problems with sugar. Too much sugar is bad for anyone's diet. In fact, sugar is what fungus feeds on, and fungus in your body can cause acne, so I think that is one I am staying away from anyway since I always get a headache from too much of it. I have replaced refined sugar with honey if I put it in coffee or cakes etc. I am loving the honey. The best honey is the raw local honey which still contains the pollen and enzymes from the little bees. These have a great health benefit for us in fighting off infections from the local germs. Ok, now to the cookie story, well these Nana's cookies I originally purchased at Whole Foods in Montclair, NJ. They were my solution to going out for coffee and wanting to have a cookie with it, or if I didn't bake my own cookies, I would eat them at home with a glass of soy milk. Well, i thought I had to give them up forever until a thought crossed my mind yesterday as I was heading to my first coffee date and was passing by the one of 2 health food stores in town (Bishop's Stortford). So I went in to look for a granola bar or something when, "Eureka!" There on the bottom shelf were a pile of Nana's cookies. now I don't know which flavors they normally stock or if they alternate, but my favorites are the chocolate chip and the oatmeal raisin. So I bought the chocolate chip one to enjoy with my soy latte. Yummy! I never thought I would find them here, and I did which was very exciting.

Coffee with a Friend

Yesterday I had the pleasure of having coffee with two of my new friends. So today I thought I would start introducing some of my new friends so they are no longer faceless and nameless. This is Margaret and Reuben who live down the road from us. Reuben here has just gotten his first tooth which is why he is so happy! They are home during the day just like me, so we usually hang out together at some point during the week. I often go to Margaret's house and we play with Reuben while baking, or we go out for a walk or into town for a coffee. Yesterday we went to the deli/cafe down at the bottom of the hill in our little village. Technically I am told, that Stansted (where we live) is a village and Bishop's Stortford is a town. We go there for things like shops, banks, and church etc. It is about a 5 minute drive and a 3 minute train journey. I often get the train in for a wander around town to the charity shops and have a cup of coffee and read my book. Today I am not going into town, but I might need to pop to the shops in the village for something to cook for dinner.

Pippin, a Window Puss?

Well, for those of you who follow my blog regularly, you will remember that Pippin is the closet puss who spend most of his time during the day in the closet...up until now! Pippin has started to come out of his shell a bit an mingle a bit more with us and enjoy the rest of the day like we do (not sleeping). He has been seen recently during the day enjoying a window view, chasing his brother, and looking for affection from the family. We are all happy to see that Pippin has begun to grow up a bit. I think this may be due to the fact that both cats have started sleeping a bit more at night and therefore being a little more awake at times during the day. Both sweet boys are still taking their catnaps and playing around with each other, but it is a bit more spread out now over the 24 hours instead of mostly sleeping during the day and mostly playing at night. They must have realized by now that we are not nocturnal and decided to conform! Here is a picture of Pippin posing pensively on the window sill. I don't know what we expect, they are such sweet boys!

Barn Dance

So what do the English really do on a Saturday night? Why of course, they go to a Barn Dance. At least, some of them do. Tim and I got talked into going to a Barn Dance (note: not actually in a barn, sadly) on Saturday night with the Bishop's Stortford Baptist church but actually located at the Methodist Church hall. Well, actually I got talked into it by my mum-in-law and Tim basically got dragged along. He was a good sport although vowing beforehand to not partake in ANY dances. Tim and I ended up taking a little walk outside during the evening, and when we got back, Tim was ready to leave. So as we got up to go (much to the chagrin of his mum) the guy on the mike shouted, "Hey Tim, you can't leave yet! I've got a special song just for you!" So, basically Tim got forced onto the dance floor through sheer embarrassment (and with me holding his hand). The thing with a Barn Dance not actually in a barn is that you have a band that plays country folk style music while someone calls out the steps from the stage and everyone follows along. It is sort of like a square dancing kind of thing in that it involves changing partners and a bit of spinning and docey-doeing. So Tim joined in with me and the lot for the last 2 dances which was fun. At the end of the night we were all a bit sweaty but everyone was still smiling. Tim actually said that he enjoyed his 2 dances and I think particularly because to get me back for making him come, he got to spin me around super fast and almost get me to fall down. All in all it was good fun and a great silly night out! By the way, in the picture is my father-in-law sporting his plaid shirt for the occasion and dancing with one of the little girls.

Freecycle

I have joined the Bishop's Stortford Freecycle group which has been pretty good. So far I have only received things, but probably I will end up giving things away if I don't have time to drop them off at a charity shop instead. Anyway, this is one of the great finds I have acquired. Although you usually don't get to see pictures of stuff before you get it on freecycle, this person actually posted one which was an added bonus. It is a cat design trivet which now sits on the kitchen table and we use it every night to put hot food on when we eat dinner. It is very handy and kind of cute too. Among the other things I have gotten are a black bag which holds a lot of stuff, an old lady style coat (which I am hoping to turn into a bag since it is hound's tooth and might look nice), plastic bags for crocheting from a very nice girl who is also crafty and that is it I think. Well, the good thing here is that freecycle doesn't go so fast around here. Back at home, I used to ask for stuff that was offered and it was usually already spoken for. Mind you, it was great to get rid of stuff because when I posted it, I was bound to get a few bites within the first few minutes. Everything there was just a faster pace. Here, since it is a bit more relaxed, I can really have a shot at getting some of the good stuff. Long may it continue!

Something Familiar?

Hey, does anyone from Liquid recognize this photo? It happens to be advertising Hertfordshire Libraries, but it was used for Life Groups at Liquid if anyone remembers. I have also seen another similar picture that was used by Liquid on a website somewhere. I wonder where they get their pictures from. Anyway, I am a member of the library, but I have to confess that I haven't gotten many books there since they have a pretty small selection and nothing like what we used to do to order books in Bloomfield which was free. Here you have to pay 50 pence to order a book and I would have to pretty much order everything. So instead I have bought a few books at Charity shops and also found some friends who happen to have books I would like to read and am hoping to borrow from them. In the meantime I will keep my eyes peeled for other familiar photographs around.

Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

We are in various stages of organization around here. Although I have nothing else to do but organize and make Christmas presents, I have actually been busy with all of that as well as helping Tim with his papers etc. so that the organization is still not entirely complete. At the moment, this is the state of the kitchen. I have actually (after Tim and I worked hard to bring them all in, mostly Tim) gone through each one and labeled what is outside to help us better prepare them for re-wrapping (if needed) especially for the books and the pictures in frames etc. We don't want all the damp of England to seep into our cherished memories both figuratively and literally! So I have found pretty much everything I need so far including the long lost lonely shoe separated from its mate for the entire journey as it seems they slept in separate boxes. I have located most of my craft things which is handy and also the books (although I have yet to actually lay eyes on all the books to see which ones are urgently needed or too dearly loved to leave in the garage). I fear that I will want to have everything with me all the time, but that is not necessarily good or even at all possible so it will be a sad and difficulty process to determine what goes back in the garage and what stays with us. The only little teeny problem is that I have not yet found my address book which contains (as you can imagine) all the important addresses that I need to send out Christmas cards etc. So the hunt is still on for that! If you have no faith in me, and really want a Christmas card, feel free to send me your address to be sure you get one!

Gifts from Home

Well, I have been enjoying a little bit of mom from far away recently. She sent me some candles and some fall coasters so I put them out on the conservatory table and light them for some ambiance with my hubby when no one else is around. I have enjoyed doing that. I also recently received some pictures from my grandparents from the party we had before we left and a little of the cousins and everyone in CT. It was nice but also bittersweet knowing I won't be seeing them this Christmas. I hope I will not be too sad away from home this year. The last 2 times I have spent Christmas in England I have been technically taking up my permanent residence in NJ, so this time I can tell it will feel different. I am looking forward to enjoying my first Christmas as a UK resident though, so it should be fun to see the differences in how they build up to the holiday and all of that. So far I have started to collect and make some Christmas presents just because I know it will take a while if I have to actually make things for people. I am hoping it will all work out right, and that I may actually get to start work at The Body Shop sometime before Christmas to maybe help me top off the gift pile I am making. But as always, it will not be the Christmas season until after Thanksgiving for me! Though the Brits don't have that Black Friday to start them off, and the stores are already starting the festive decorations. We shall see if Christmas in England is as I imagine it like A Christmas Carol or not!

Robinsons "Squash"

This is a drink called Squash, which is pretty much just some kind of concentrated fruit juice with barley in it apparently. I have no idea why it is called Squash! To drink it, you put a little bit of it in a glass and then fill the rest with water to make it taste good but not too strong. You can do it as strong or weak as you like, but I like it a bit stronger for flavor I guess. It says no sugar added, but it is basically fruit juice from concentrate so not that fresh, but it does have some nice flavors. The picture I took here is not really how it looks. I happened to notice that the one bottle behind the other made it look as though the drink was two- toned, but anyway I think it is pink grapefruit and orange there. I thought it looked cool, but it did come out kind of blurry. Well I better go try to get my clothes dry (which involves moving them around from drying rack to radiator etc. until they all end up dried). It is a bit of a kerfuffle!

The Body Shop Job

Hello there, I am a recently hired and then postponed employee of The Body Shop! Yes, I applied, got offered the job and then, there was a freeze on hiring Body Shop Christmas staff before I could start work. So now, I am forced to wait until they call me back to find out when I can actually start working. The main problem is that the Christmas trade is not picking up at all yet, and many retail businesses are not hiring Christmas staff yet due to the slow sales. So keep praying that business will pick up soon so I can work a little before Christmas. I was hoping I could get some part-time work in while I waited for my certification to come in so I can do my real job, but it still may be some time before that happens. It would be great to get this job started soon! I would like to get started buying some of my favorite things there and maybe a few Christmas presents too!

Remembrance Day

Here in Britain, it seems like everyone actually participates in Remembrance Day which is like our Veterans Day except in the US, nobody does anything for it. Here, in the weeks leading up to November 11th, people are making donations and receiving a poppy to wear on their clothing as a sign that they are remembering those who died in the wars. They also have special services and parades at war memorials where people spend 2 minutes of silence. It is supposed to be at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, but they now do it on the Sunday closest to the 11th of November. So that was today. We went to a service in Bishop's Stortford at the castle gardens around the war memorial that is there. The service was led by a minister from a local church and we were following a procession into the area and out afterwards that was made up of different organizations wearing their uniforms and carrying flags. It was very reflective, and I even saw a young lady wipe her eyes at the end which surprised me. These Brits usually don't shed a tear, but they do seem to want to really remember and honor those who gave their lives to provide freedom today. Incidentally I did not actually wear a poppy...Maybe next time.

Guy Fawkes

On the 5th of November, 1605, a man named Guy Fawkes tried to burn down the Houses of Parliament but was caught and then executed. For this reason, every 5th of November the English celebrate the memorable event also called Bonfire Night when they light fireworks and create a Guy out of old clothes and newspapers and sew on some kind of head (ends up looking like a scarecrow I guess) and burn him on a huge bonfire. The man is infamous and gets burned to death every year just top make the point and punish him all over again. There is a saying that says, "Remember, remember the 5th of November!" And the advice there is never try to burn down the Houses of Parliament because you will get caught and humiliated well after your death! Well anyway, we actually did not have a guy on a bonfire but did go to see some fireworks last night and also set off some fireworks at one of Tim's friend's house on Friday which was fun. I am so used to having fireworks on the 4th of July that the cold weather and all seems very different to me. It was fun anyway, but I have to say the fireworks were not as big and spectacular as they are back in the States but still a fun evening out.

Our Ship Came In

Here is our shipment of everything we own being delivered to the house this morning. It has been a long day of unpacking, but let's just say that although we have too much stuff, it is nice to have our stuff with us finally. I am exhausted and can't really think of much inspiring to write, but you would be proud of the way me and my mother-in-law unpacked pretty much all the clothes and I organized and put them all away as best as I could. It has been a busy day. As my grandfather always says, " We'll sleep good tonight!"

Poor Little Birdie!

Yesterday morning, I was in the kitchen looking out the window through to the conservatory when there was little long tailed tit who didn't realize that the conservatory was a window and flew right into it. So my mother-in-law and I put our rubber gloves on and went out to rescue it. Fortunately it was not dead! He was just a little stunned. So she picked him up and stroked him a little until he started blinking and looking around. We didn't want to leave him there for the neighborhood cats to find, so we waited a few minutes and then he just flew right away. Hopefully he has found his family by now. Poor little birdie...BTW this is not the actual bird, my camera was out of battery.

Pippin, The High Puss

Pippin is our little shy puss who is very affectionate despite wanting to spend most of his time in the closet during the day. But he also enjoys being up high where he can purr loudly as he looks down at everyone else to watch what is going on. Pippin is pictured here in the book shelf that we just cleared because we are getting ready for our shipment to arrive tomorrow! Finally! On the other hand, we are totally not ready in that we have almost nowhere to put the clothes and books that are coming. Either way, Pippin is not worried, he thinks that he has just been given a new high place to sit. Little does he know that is most likely going to be the spot for some of my clothes and we will have to figure out a way to block off the side of the bookshelf so that he doesn't make a bed out of them. That is all I need, more clothes covered in cat hair! But, I don't know what we expect, they are sweet boys!

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

Recently, I have been learning how to crochet using plastic bags. To date, I have only made one bag for myself, but have started collecting more bags to use for the same purpose. The great thing is that these bags can be used for anything. You can make large to medium to small bags using plastic yarn "plarn" and you can even line them with fabric to extend their life. I think it is a great idea. Just look at this picture from the Daily Mail. This family is going to take all those bags home about once a week right, and then what will happen to the bags, they will end up getting thrown in the garbage and eventually harm innocent animals through very bad garbage disposal systems that seem to be a trend these days. Check out this article if you think crocheting plastic bag yarn is a waste of time. http://www.icis.com/blogs/icis-chemicals-confidential/files/2008/02/banish-the-bags-uk-newspaper-c.html
For me, there is little I can do about the birds and sea animals who are getting killed by these monsters (plastic bags) or about proper and ethical garbage disposal, but I can do my part and let everyone I know to either recycle your bags with the plastic recycling stuff or donate your bags to a crafter like me who will lovingly reuse them into something useful and fun. Currently I am collecting orange Sainsbury's grocery bags, and I have a bunch that I will be using to create some bags and pouches. Keep Recycling!