Farm Eggs

My friend Stephanie just brought me fresh farm eggs from Coton, a nearby village. Aren't they lovely?

Tomorrow night is "Pancake Night" here at Tyndale House. We are all in need of eggs!

I Peter 1:22-25

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for

“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Dinner with friends

We have made new friends in the last week or two~they are another American family here in Cambridge from Pennsylvania. We met them at Eden (our church) and knew that we would like them right away.


They had us for dinner tonight, and after a lovely meal, we played cards! They taught us how to play 'Penuchle' and while Mary and I fought valiantly to win, Jim and James beat us fairly. (I would like to comment however that James is a mathematician and so (I feel) had an edge on us.) We will have a rematch!


Mary and I have also played Boggle, much to my delight. This is one of my favorite games~and she is very kind to play with me when she is such a pro!

While the adults played, our children had fun playing hide-and-seek. Libby (13) very sweetly took pictures of the event so I could play our game. Their daughter Rachel is a very direct answer to prayer for our Julia. They have connected very well, and really enjoy spending time together as friends.



A good time was had by all


Off for home to call Pappa King for his birthday!

Wounded--but not fatally

Compassion took a back seat to a good picture tonight. I admit it. (But I did ask her permission to put this on the blog. She wanted all the pictures of the wound, but I told her these would do.)


Poor little finger~

Names

One thing that still surprises me about being in England: namely 'names.'

What do I mean?

In America it is very normal to introduce yourself upon meeting a new person~in fact, I really enjoy learning someone's name, and then (hopefully) remembering it when conversing with them the next time we meet.

I have noticed that the Brit's are much less apt to tell you their name. This might have something to do with a more natural reserve that the English possess. I have particularly become acquainted with this at our girl's school (my "testing grounds" for many things British.)
After introducing myself all around with the mom's the first few weeks of school, I noticed a trend. Other people don't do this! In fact, some people would respond back to me with their name, others would not. I didn't know what to think at first~but then I noticed that this was how people in general interacted. As an American it was very strange for me!

It is very normal to go for months without knowing someone's name that you converse with on a daily basis. Now, you might ask, how is that possible? Aren't that person's friends coming up and saying, "Hello ______?" Well, no they don't! More often than not I see friends say to each other, "Hi-ya" which I take to mean, "Hello, you" or some other such thing.

When I asked one Brit about it, she said, "Oh yes, that is absolutely right, in fact I often find out a person's name at the end of a conversation. Like, "Hello, this is Pippa's mom" (how you introduce yourself often in organizing a playdate for your children) "can we get the girl's together?" "Oh, and by the way, my name is Helen." (as an afterthought)--this is after knowing someone for a long time! Even when you give your name, often someone won't give their name back.

This just happened tonight. Jim introduced himself to a mom who was dropping Claire off by saying, "Hello, I'm Jim" and she said, "Oh yes, I remember meeting you before." And that was that. Finally Jim said, "And what was your name again?" and then she told him.

Now, you Americans who are reading this might be wondering what this says about Brits. But I am also thinking tonight, "What does this say about us Americans?"

An interesting observation.

English Brownies

We were just given brownies (from a British friend) with many apologies.

"I know that Americans make brownies all the time, so they probably won't be as good."

WRONG.

Before eating them I mentioned to this friend that most Americans make brownies with a mix, therefore, anything homemade would probably be better. I was, however, amazed at just how delectable they were. They were some of the best brownies I have ever eaten.

SO, I decided I must give you the recipe.

English Brownies Extraordinaire

6 oz. butter
6 oz. plain flour
6 oz. chocolate (good baking chocolate, dark, of course)
1 teaspoon baking powder
12 oz. caster sugar (finer sugar than normal. She also mentioned that she puts a vanilla bean in her sugar to flavor it, not necessary of course!)
3 large eggs
nuts (optional)
(With these ingredients, how could these not be good brownies?)

grease and line 8x12 inch baking tin.

Melt butter and chocolae over water in a bowl (or stove.) When melted stir in sifted flour and baking powder, sugar and beaten eggs. Add nuts if desired.

Bake in a cool/medium oven (150 degrees celsius/325 degrees F) for about 25 minutes. Do not overcook or brownies will go hard. Cut into squares when cool, and sprinkle with icing sugar (powdered sugar.)

Enjoy a little taste of Britain!

Visitors!

Tonight we had the fun of seeing our friend Craig (our girls famous swim coach) and three of his college friends as they visited us for dinner.

These four awesome people are studying with Bethel College and are traveling as part of a study program throughout Europe for their "J" term. They landed in London a day or so ago, and came up to Cambridge today to tour around.

We caught them just days before they return home to the States, and knowing how busy their schedule is, we were glad they could connect with us. Our children were beside themselves, so happy to play with them all.

Jim and I are amazed at what opportunities and places they have been able to see. What a great experience they have had.

We finally figured out our camera; (how to activate the self-timer) and this shot shows us all laughing because the camera seemed to go crazy and take picture after picture!

Thanks for coming you all!


Hey, do you think we should grow our beards any longer, or shave them off?

Bike in a Bag

I have been scouring the town for one of these bikes. The problem is, I always see them in motion, and never have my camera ready in time. This bike is now VERY popular here in England, for one very big reason. It folds up.

Notice the hinge right in the middle of the bike~the bike folds in half, the pedals fold up, the seat screws down and the handle bars collapse too. This bike is taken on buses, trains and obviously cars. It can go inside to work, it can be stored in a closet or other small space not accustomed to bicycles. It is convenient for England! I am intrigued by how many of these bikes I see, but not surprised. Just thankful that I found one outside and not in motion, so I could snap this photo!

Look what's coming up~

Our backyard is growing up daffodils, everywhere! And imagine, it is only January~

Andrew's day with the BOYS!

Andrew is surrounded by girls, everywhere he goes. Today was different! He had his friend Noah over for lunch and to play, and they showed their strong muscles to the camera~

They play very nicely together with cars and animals and blocks, although they are learning how to share Andrew's SWORD.


Christian Joel stopped by and played play dough with us also~

and then, to cap it off, Andrew and Leo splashed through the puddles of Tyndale House and collected wood and sticks~


Could life get any better than this? Andrew doesn't think so!

Buddies and Bones

Iguanasaurus skull, found in a coal mine in Belgium. Archaeologists found 39 fairly complete skeletons in the same spot.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon and evening with our friends the Sewall's. They made the trip over from Flitwick, and we traisped through the rain to the Sedgwick museum. 10 children, 4 adults, and lots of bones.

We were amazed at some of the fossils that had been found nearby in our area,


Much to his delight, Andrew discovered that there is a reason that this museum is nicknamed the 'Bone Museum'...



Puzzles were done~


Stools were needed to see into the cases; Meredith did her best!


Friends~




Special souvenirs were had~much to the delight of all the children (and we've just confirmed that ALL of them took these rocks to church with them this morning)


Back to the flat for dinner. We were proud to squeeze 10 children around our table. A record (although Meredith did sit in her stroller~).

The only problem with the Sewall family, is that they don't live closer! Our children sighed as they went to bed, 'when are we going to see them again? We already miss them!' We so enjoy their friendship. God is good to us.

Sarah

Sarah: "It is a good thing to be bald."

"Why?" I said

Sarah: "Because then you don't have to worry about lice and ticks."

hmmmm

I went and bought a "nit comb" today the drugstore. A case of "Nits" or a.k.a. 'lice' was found in Claire's classroom. Tonight we have some very combed hair in the Johnston home. So far, so good. No nits!

A special surprise

A package arrived today. This happens rarely for us, one reason being, I'm sure, because it is astronomically expensive to send things via mail. Here is the precious package~


Our children were beside themselves, and could barely wait in anticipation for this great "unwrapping."


Thank-you Mark, Nancy, James, Amy, Josh and Sara. Each gift was absolutely perfect.

Julia says: Thank you Mrs. Ahrenholz for the cursive sheets, I am going to start working on them right away! (Julia has been sad because she is the only child in her class who hasn't learned cursive, since they start a year later in the States. Thanks Nanc, this is a wonderful gift, I am thrilled too!)

Claire says: Thank you Ahrenholz's for the presents. I miss you a lot Amy. I'm glad you gave me the Nicki book because I really wanted it. I am glad because there is already a new American girl doll of the year, and I wanted to read Nicki from last year.

Andrew says: I love you Ahrenholz's and I miss you. Thank you that I can have Bob the Builder. Thank you for the Bob the Builder present. Hi Josh and James and Josh. I love Josh. "Do you love James?" YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for Julia and Sarah and Clairie and me and Mommy to have the presents.

Sarah says: I love it! I love the tatoos that you gave me!

Lisa says: Sara, I love the picture you sent for me to finish coloring! I can't wait to do it~I also quickly snagged the 2 Lindt chocolate balls, because I am SURE you meant those for me)

Thanks again dear friends~we love you and miss you!



P.S. I (Jim) just read this, and this is the first I've heard of Lindt balls! So I'm asking, "Wait a minute! 2 Lindt balls, 2 adults??? Hmm, are you sure about that, Lisa??" I suppose that's what I get for working late tonight. :-/

And James, what's so funny about my beard?

Who is this stranger?

A little poem has been rolling through our house lately~

See my beard?
Ain't it weird?
Don't be skeered~
It's just a beard!

Jim decided he won't shave until his next chapter is done.

Bleaching a few socks

Where do you hang out this many white socks? The radiator and the drying rack are just the thing. I am looking forward to summer and sandals for us all!

Andrew's Blankie

Nana Johnston and Andrew (2 months old)

Once upon a time our little Andrew was given a beautiful blue blankie with his name and date of birth embroidered in one corner. It was warm, and cozy and very soft. He grew to love this blanket with all his heart. Every nap and every night would find Andrew holding his special blankie by its satiny edges.


And, through the years, and the tears, and the many hugs and washes, his blue blankie has persevered.


I knew I had to take a picture before the very last shred of the satiny edge of Andrew's blankie was gone.


Thank you blankie, and thank you Randy and Susan.

Claire's blog

Yesterday Julia and I went to Kings Junior Voices, a sort of choir thing. We are to go every Saturday from 10:30-12:00 in the morning. When we got in we signed in and got a folder each (mine was number 13 ) then we started with saying a tongue twister. After that we played a game, then we sang 2 songs and went in a circle and sang a poem. Then our teacher told us that we could have a 5 min break to go to the toilet or drink from our water bottles, then we sang two last songs and it was time to go.

Jim and I are excited to have the girls join this children's choir. The school where they practice (Kings College school) is a boarding school for 'choristers,' children who are prepared for major singing events. This school is where the King's College boys choir comes from. Obviously, our children are not part of such an elite group, but it is still wonderful for them to have this opportunity to sing while we are here in Cambridge.

The rest of the family walked to downtown Cambridge (while they were practicing) and did a little shopping, enjoying the sunny day and looking for construction sites (Andrew's favorite thing.)

Rain and Bikes

The rain began today in torrents. My high hopes of walking into town to return something were squelched as I drove home from school and realized, "this rain is not stopping!" Cambridgeshire actually has less rain (for some reason) than much of England. But not today.

Andrew and I set to work and began to clean~here is my favorite three year old helper hard at work~



He is awfully cute, isn't he?


After school the rain had virtually stopped and several of us Tyndale House moms went outside to admire our friend Kathryn's new purchase. I have never seen anything like this bike. It isn't like a Burley (obviously the children are in front) and it isn't a separate attachment. It is actually PART of the bike. It holds 100 kilos (220 lbs.) which means this contraption can be fitted out for four children.

We decided to test it out with a full load, but Kathryn only was able to move it about an inch. So we unloaded a few pieces of cargo, and the bike worked great!


Claire and I also took a turn up and down the alley way riding this fun new bike.



Although it looks like evening it is only 4:45~but we are thankful for every extra minute of sunlight we are getting now that the days are growing longer

A good word

"Rather, train yourself for godliness;
for while bodily training is of some value,
godliness is of value in every way,
as it holds promise for the present life
and also for the life to come."

I Timothy 4:7b-8

Julia's half-birthday

Julia turned 8 and 1/2 today! We celebrated with apple pancakes for dinner.

We don't really celebrate half birthdays, but somehow through the years the tradition seems to be growing that certain things happen on this day in the life of the child. For instance, Julia informed us today that she shouldn't do chores on her half birthday. (A cardinal rule on their real birthdays.) We acquiesced with 1/2 chores. "And I shouldn't be disciplined for anything" was the next request. "We will half discipline you" we retorted (now, what does that mean?) Fortunately there was no need to have to figure that out!

Today was a good day to honor Julia, however. Our philosophy is, "Honor as much as you can!"

Molly Dancers and famous ME

Two fun things happened yesterday. While picking Andrew up from pre-school we happened upon a strange event at the girls school.

There, in the play yard, were a group of dancers (all men) with crazy outfits and flowers around their knees, dancing. There were several accordion players performing music for the dancers, and it all resembled some sort of Austrian folk dance (costumes too.)

One man was dressed up like a woman having fun doing some crazy things, and the children loved it. What was this, Andrew and I thought?

Well, we had stumbled upon something called "Molly Dancing," which is a traditional English event that happens very specifically in East Anglia, the region Cambridge is in. Most Brits probably don't know what it is, but in our little area, this tradition is still practiced.

On "Plough Day" every year, (January 7th) which is traditionally the first day back for farmers after Christmas, these dancers (traditionally) would head from house to house dancing for money. If they weren't paid, they would plough a furrow in your front lawn. This has become now a fun tradition to break up the winter doldrums. (Although I didn't see a plough anywhere!) Anyway, it was a fun diversion for this mom, too.

The other funny thing that happened yesterday is that I was on television! Yes, that's right, I am famous. At least, that's what the children at school think! You see, I was stopped at the market in downtown Cambridge and asked if I knew who the character "Arthur" was. (The children's show.) I simply pointed to the character amidst many others on the reporters hat, and voila! I was put on T.V. I haven't let the glamour and glitz go to my head, however, I am still the same old Mom who made soup again for dinner!

The Pilgrims' Church~

On New Years Eve we went to visit the church where the Pilgrims worshiped before setting out for the New World. They came to Holland for freedom to worship and found a home in Leiden. And Leiden has not forgotten them, as the plaque below attests.

You'll notice Andrew is not in the picture; we left him sleeping in the van under Aunt Carole's watchful eye. :-)



The Pilgrims had an 11 year stop over in Leiden but it wasn't all they hoped for. After they became concerned with the morals that their children were picking up, they decided to leave for the New World.

The first plaque is in honor of John Robinson who pastored this church. The second one lists the family members who died in Leiden--notice how many young children.


Notice this cool bridge. We were amazed at the unique bridges that Dutch have built. Even the small canal bridges like this one in Leiden were made beautifully.

Funny Cheese

Stephen and Joy (Jim's brother and sister-in-law) bought some cheese for our New Years festivities in Holland.

When they asked about the cheese on the left, the store employees could not translate what type (or flavor) of cheese it was. After asking an elderly woman in the store, they were told with confidence, that is was "poison ivy" cheese. Curious, they bought the cheese anyway and discovered that in actuality it was "Nettles" that flavored this cheese. Similar to poison ivy, but the sting doesn't last as long!

Actually, it was quite good! (With no sting at all~~) And we've since noticed that nettles are used in other foods here, too. Anyone interested?