Start the year with a great dump!

So goodbye 2009 I guess you were more gentle on us than 2008.

The snow is coming down and it is intending to snow all night and tomorrow day.

What a great way to start 2010 with a good dump!

Here are the photos when it has been snowing for 2 hours...tomorrow will reveal the dump load in its full glory!

I felt that it was a good time to clear out the old & bring in the new so we had a sock fest. This photo shows all of our family's socks that have lost a partner throughout the year...quite frightening indeed! We did manage to make a couple of pairs but that is all. I felt guilty chucking 15 odd socks out. I should have made puppets out of them?

What the heck time for a clear out Daffodilly.

So I wish you all a warm and a lucky 2010.

And of course World Peace! 

A Belated Merry Xmas everybody!

Christmas was such a blur! Yet a warm memorable one.

Twinkling lights, pine tree scents, masses of unwrapped parcels that were soon ripped apart with many an "ooh" and "ahhh".

Yummy food cooking and filling the air with mouth watering aromas.

Tasty pomegranete fizzes to drink.

Sharing the day with special friends/family....ahh it was lovely!

Fresh snow covered the ground ready for the Christening of the new sled and snow shoes!

The teenager modeling her sunglasses and flicking her mane of hair around! Where did my little girl go?

Number 2 playing for hours on his Ripstick, number 3 trying to copy him amongst the falls & bruises!

Playing games around the Christmas tree followed by the meltdown of a 6 year old who was shipped off to bed clutching a new soft toy YODA!

Ahh perfect!

Guilt Pays!

An exciting day at our house yesterday as number 3 lost his first tooth!

Now being a Superdoopermum when my other two lost teeth we had a great build up as I have a broad imagination & I love all the magical fairy tales. We had the stories of the tooth fairy, I bought cute little wooden boxes to leave their teeth in, and we wrote letters to the tooth fairy when she forgot to deliver the dosh due to a heavy snow storm! I really created a magical experience!

The original boxes.

Now number 3 is the youngest by 5 & 7 years....and I failed him!

We never did the stories or "build up" as we are so busy going every day to basketball, indoor soccer, the Christmas build up and parties as well as applying for new jobs etc etc.....I know all excuses!

So yesterday when his tooth fell out it went from excitement to wanting to keep it! I told him to put it in his tooth fairy box and told the tale of the fairies using the teeth to build roads and castles.

"What tooth box?" was his response!

Holy shit what a bad Superdoopermum I am, may have to loose the Super bit!

The poor child suffers so......... I had never even bought him one!

So my motor mouth kicks in and I make a big fuss that we will go and buy him one after basketball. How lucky was he that he would get to choose a special tooth box?

The build up was a little late but what the heck! I was trying!

So off we go all excited and me thinking that I got out of that one nicely!

I guess there had been a rush on the boxes as there were none to be found...this ended in a tantrum! Are you watching Santa?

Off to the next basketball game ...screamer enclosed!

I nipped out to the expensive store in town and found this gorgeous tooth fairy box that was 4 times the cost of the original boxes with a cute poem enclosed. Of course I bought it, had it gift wrapped with bows and gave it to him.

He loved it.......and here it is!

You lift off the shell and put the tooth in it! How cute or what?

Bah Humbug!

I have two ways of looking at Christmas:

1. I love to receive photo cards to see people who I never get chance to re-connect with & to view their children.

There again what do you do with them all afterwards? I feel guilty chucking them!

2. I love the sparkly lights everywhere & walking through the snow laden streets as it really fels like "its" here.

What a waste of electricity!

3. All the baking of cookies & chocolate covered pretzels feels so special...

until it hits the hips!

4. The excitement in the air as the kids count down the days to go.

Putting pressure on the parents...will it arrive on time...shit how much more do I have to do?

5. Seeing the pile of presents grow under the tree as the British parcels arrive & are all given a good poke & shake!

Please do not let any of them break!

6. Getting together with friends for drinks & nibbles.

Wishing you had not had that last drink where you grabbed the microphone & sang "like a virgin" girating your hips & all!!

7. Not exercising as you are just sooo tired.

Your aching muscles as you re-new yet again your resolution to go to the gym more regularly.

8. I love Christmas Eve when it is all done and you can relax & wait for the excited voices to wake you up in the morning.

The "wow that was all over very quckly"...it took months of  buying & packing that lot!

9. Keeping old traditions such as Christmas crackers  (we make our guests wear the crappy crowns) and introducing new ones such as making reindeer food.

No moan on that one!

10. Reading Christmas stories to the kids snuggled up by the tree.

No moan on that one either!

And the snow arrives.............

Good deeds.

As the recession is still in full swing in NH despite what the press and media say I am trying to teach my children to be grateful for what they have and to help others that are not as fortunate.

It surely is a struggle at times...ungrateful wretches!

Our village hosts a  "Festival of Trees" every year where business and families can make and donate a Christmas tree all decorated which is then given to a local family who have fallen on harder times.

This year I picked up a gorgeous tree in the summer and decided what a great project to do with the kids for Christmas.

I spent a fortune at "Michaels" & "Walmart" buying lolly sticks, glitter, glue, paint, candy etc. and we were ready to start our project.

I had a romantic image of us all around the kitchen table with hot glue guns singing along to Christmas songs as we made our homemade decorations.

Alas it was not to be!

The boys had little to no interest and my daughter started off with great gusto that then petered out! She did achieve alot though.

Anyway it is finished and I had to go and put it up this week ready to be on show.

That was a challenge as one set of lights died on me so I had to rush out & buy more!

Any way here is a photo of the finished product.

Our theme was " An Old Fashioned Christmas." Hence the tin foil star!

Drag them out!

My older kids do not want to do anything. They prefer to stay at home, listen to music, watch TV, play on the computer blah, blah, blah. This ticks me off.

My six year old is "oh so positive and full of vim & vigour."

So today I woke them all up at 8.30am...I know I'm mean!

Then dragged them all out for a day at the seaside.

Of course there were some harsh words from the 11 & 13 year old however, my six year old was carefully "NOT" turning the basement upside down looking for his bucket in sheeer intrepidation.

Two hours later we were there in 62 degrees weather walking along the beach.

Molly also came for her introduction to seawater which was amusing as she continually tried to drink it as she is used to the lake water.

We collected shells, had fresh seafood & returned home exhausted, smelling of the sea and happy.

Everyone admiitted that they had had a good time as we all fell into bed.

It was well worth the harsh wake up call!

"See kids your mum knows best!"

How to mix onions into stuffing without crying!

Chilly!

Its cold!

I know I cannot complain as it has been a really warm and gobsmackingly gorgeus November.

Sir L is in the UK!

I have cranked the heating up, wrapped my mums cosy sweater round myself and am about to indulge in a hot cuppa & chomp away at Sir L's last bag of Midget Gems which will give me great satisfaction!

I know I am bad!

The Graham Norton Show

Oh last night I laughed & laughed so hard I nearly wet the bed! It felt so good the laughing (not nearly having an accident!

Sir L & I were watching "The Graham Norton Show" on BBC America. He hosts a chat show and is extremely funny bouncing off his guests & having everyone in stitches. To make it even funnier his guests were Dawn French who I adore, Rod Stewart who has a cracking sense of humour & Michael Palin who brings everything down to lavatory level in a funny way.

Dawn French is snogging her way around the world looking for the best kisser....you rock girl! SHe says her hubby Lenny Henry is still the best which of course gets every male going as they al have such a big ego! Rod Stewart was confessing how he would dress up as an airline pilot and pose at Heathrow Airport to pick up women. He also got thrown out of a hotel in the states as he & his band wrecked the joint then had the nerve to go back the following year & sign in as Fleetwood Mack! Michaal Palin was in deep discussion regarding colonoscopie's.

Oh I do miss the British humour of quick funny comments that always seem to head towards the dirt or loo's!

So if you are feeling homesick watch this on a Saturday night at 10pm Eastern time. It really is worth it! Of course there are people out there who actually have a social life on a Saturday night...lucky sods!

Football Champions

I have just been to our schools football championship which has left me rather confused.

I had the game explained to me a few times yet I am still none the wiser.

Never mind.

The atmosphere was intoxicating, the crowds were a roaring and there was a great feeling of the community all coming together.

Even the younger children succumbed to the excitement by running around and sliding on the hills getting covered in green grass stains.

Well the good news is that we won & are now the local champions. I do wonder how many people knew what the heck was going on or was I the only ignorant one?

I have to admit that the boys looked good in their outfits and played to the audience getting everyone revved up.

So well done lads!

Things to be grateful for or relieved about!

This is not just the "norm" my family etc really things that you have to dig deep to find.

1. Watching my washing blowing on the washing line gives me a good feeling. Is it due to my heritage as it is very Eglish, the delicious scent on your bedding or the being eco friendly? I guess it is all of them.

2. The relief when you feel a little down, brew a cupof tea, look for some chocolate and are dissapointed and then as you shut the door you spy a corner of your favourite wrapper...relief! It was just hiding!

3. Hearing your cellphone go and not being able to find it until th last ring & you manage to grab the call in the nick of time.

4. So grateful that it is November and it is still warm enough to just wear a fleece outside!

5. Looking for a clean tisue in your pocket or bag as your nose is abou to drop a dollop & finding the last tissue in the packet.

Sulking & sacrifice!

As you can see my bottmom lip is still sticking out a mile!

Not only is Sir L going to the UK over Thanksgiving when he gets back for a couple of days he is then off to Japan for a week! WTF?

Sometimes the sacrifices that a mother makes are just too huge. Sir L's job often entails travelling all over the world at the last minute. I have always worked part time since we have had children so that the family life contnues as we have no family support for sick kids, emergencies etc except for a few good friends.

Due to living in such a beautiful yet rural area jobs are few & far beween so my job expectations have dropped dramatically since living here. In the UK I was a buyer for a leasing company with tons of perks. Since living in the USA I have done daycare, taught at preschool, cleaned houses, waitressed and worked in a call center.... all menial jobs. Now all 3 kids are in school full time I was hoping to re-join the career market but oh no there is a recesssion which is making it a slow process. For example there were 4 jobs listed in the paper today..2 for nurses, 1 for a carpenter and one for snow removal help!!!!

So whilst Sir L hits the airports and restaurants around the world I will be taxing the crew around NH!

So my bottom lip is pertruding, life is unfair & I just maybe I am a little hormonal!

Indulgence is.................

A darn big bottle of Smoking Loon and English chocolate to ease the pain!

LIFE IS UNFAIR!

So, Sir L has been requested to go to the UK for a week leaving asap. This happens all the time which is no big deal as it can be anywhere in the world, however when it is returning to the homeland & Daffodilly is feeling rather homesick its not fair. To make it worse he is going to my hometown to work.

I have been googling flights but alas at $760 each we cannot go with him so LIFE IS UNFAIR!

Can you keep up with technology?

Is anyone else struggling with keeping up with technology like I am?

I replaced my cellphone and I had to learn how to use a new one. Obviously if you were able to replace it with a replica (which is unheard of these days as they have always gone out of style) it would be alot easier.

I now own an Ipod Shuffle, I was so excited about becoming trendy but what problems! First you have to learn how to use it and then I am still fathomng out how to get itunes off the computer and into the Ipod. When will they invent a verbal command? I want to be able to plug the Ipod into the computer and say " please transfer "Beautiful Day by U2" to my Ipod." Not learn to download this, put it into a file, name it and then download onto the Ipod. Hassle!

Yes folks you are looking at a woman who can still not tape anything off the TV! They have invented Tivo and video's and DVD's why not the verbal command?

Every new item of technolgy also comes with a password that you have to remember.....well now that we have so much stuff how many passwords do you know or should I say remember? Life is getting out of control!

Drowning in spit?????

6.30am I was awoken by our 6 year old jumping on our bed.

"Good morning' he said in a chirpy voice. Part of me groaned & then the other part of me thought what a cheery child.

He snuggled between us and says "I killed a ladybug today."

"Oh" I responded.

"Yes, I drowned it with my spit!"

So how did you wake up this morning?

The Flu

What in the world am I going to do?
I still have this rotten lousy old flu?
My nose is all cracked, dry and peeling
I really look very unappealing!

Every day I neeed an afternoon nap
I hate feeling this lazy & crap!
My poor head is all airy & woozy
I'm still in my PJ's like an old floozy.

I'm full to the top of green gooey snot
At least my fevers are no longer hot.
My body still aches for most of the day.
I need more of my nasal spray.

Maybe next year I will get a flu shot
If they can provide alot,
Why oh why are there not enough?
When living with the flu is so tough.

Well I am back off to my bed
To rest my snotty aching head.
Please let me get better over night
So I do not not look such a scary sight!

Feeling
Lousy
Unbearable

Third Day of NaBloPoMo

So what do you do when you are sick at home for the week with the flu? Oh yes let's challenge yourself by joining NaBloPoMo which means writing a post for 30 days non stop. I must be mad?

Well I'm watching Survivor and just had a gulty feeling that I have not posted today as I've been blowing my nostrils to pieces trying to keep up with the snot removal! This flu is a rotter. I've has the unable to get warm stage, shivers stage, headaches stage, achy body stage, exhausted stage and now I am at the snot stage. When will it end?????

Of course I could look at this through Pollyanna's eyes: "I'm feling a little under the weather so I stayed at home so that I would not spread my germs. I'm sure I will feel better tomorrow. Darn Survivor is back on got to go folks!

I know sad isn't it? At least I've posted today!

Knitting Queen?

As you may know from some of my older posts that are mainly posted in the winter I do dabble at knitting.

Since my mum died last year I wanted to be the one to carry on the family tradition. My children had great wardrobes of beautiful homemade sweaters and blankets that were well admired by our friends. So I bought a pattern for a sweater for number 3 in February 2009 to continue in her footsteps.

A cocky shop assistant talked me into buying it and convinced me that I could do it. It was one of those scenarios that your gut tells you there is no way you can attempt a pattern that complex but you do not want to look like a looser so you buy it anyway!

Normally I am a very strong personality so it is very rare that I get bullied by a shop assistant yet this was a great example of being caught "off guard." I was determined to prove to myself that I could and would finish this god dam sweater.

It took 10 months of constantly rushing to my mentor who lives down the road to get this sweater completed. It has travelled from NH to FL, ME and MA.  I lost faith in it, unravelled it at least twenty times and swore at it as I cried many tears of pain and frustration.

Well it is complete and it is running a tad on the short side:  nothing that a few good pulling sessions will not fix.

My son was thrilled at first as I have drummed into him how much love has gone into making this sweater, however my heart has just been broken!

I pulled his clothes out for him to wear tomorrow and he said "I don't want to wear that sweater as the kids will laugh at me!" Since I am recovering from a heavy dose of the flu I had a hissy fit & stormed out of the room. Sir L went to try & resolve the issue.

He found that number 3 likes the sweater but only for home use as another kid at school wore a homemade sweater & everyone teased him.

I could understand if we lived in the city......hell most of the kids around here are dressed in Walmart specials. Peer pressure or what?

Needless to say my next masterpiece will be a scarf for me!

How many lives does a dog have?

We nearly lost Molly our 7 month old lab this weekend. Infact she has had quite a rough week.

She chewed through her new lead which we have had for almost 2 weeks...the rotter.

Worse still she attacked my daughters Uggs & chewed the fur off them......we are in the process of sticking them back together! My daughter is trying to find it in her heart to re-bond with the dog.

Then she wandered off & did not come home for a hour...I thought that she had been eaten by a wild animal!

On Saturday we had a bonfire party and Sir L was chopping wood with his electric saw mill. Molly picked up the wire and bit through it. She went into electric convulsions and her mouth was jammed to the wire. Thank god Sir L is an electrical engineer by trade as he picked up the wire wth the dog dangling on it and shook her off it. When she hit the floor she woke up. The first I heard of it was the dog screaming in pain and running around the garden.

I grabbed her and her whole body was shaking & her eyes were rolling. We managed to calm her down and found that her tongue has a "cooked line across it."

She is ok but we were all distarught.

I'm wondering if she is related to Marley???????????????

Nice photo's from a local hike in NH.

Smelly people day!

So I am now working fewer hours & have joined the "lucky day shoppers group." (Whilst in the process of trying to get another job.)  No more frantic rushes after work to pull a dinner together. Lucky me I thought...or not as the case may be today!

Since I live in the boonies once a month I travel an hour to go to the larger supermarket to stock up. Plus we had a few flurries today urging me onwards incase of a snow day so I hit the highway.

I pulled into the parking lot, grabbed a trolley and hit the aisles.

Now I do not think that I am snobby however today tested my "keeping your gob closed capabilities."

The shop was heaving with hefty looking folk and it seemed to me that they all seemed to have a nasty body odor, greasy hair, grubby clothes & tight fitting leggings showing lots of knicker lines (the chunky chinny ones!).

Oh my the stress!

The lady in front of me lets call her "Big Bessie" with her partner "Pongy Peter" smelt so badly of wee I thought that I was going to faint whilst looking for their puddle on the floor!

Over at the vegetables aisle I was loading a bag with broccli and the man next to me smelt of shower gel I was so surprised and happy I nearly commented on his cleanliness!!!! I fought for control of myself as I realised what a tart I was being , he would probably think that I was trying to pick him up!

But when I got to the check out with the hundreds of "stinkers" (as they had long queues) the lady in front of me "Queen Muck" had a cart full of white processed bread, donuts, chocolate bars, frozen ready made meals and grape soda. I swear there were fumes coming off her! I was so tempted to get her attention and say "oh my, love you have forgotten to buy soap try over in aisle 1 and grab some bleach too you smelly cow!" I did'nt. Too make it worse she was pregnant. Then to cap it all she bought a huge box of cigarettes.

My mouth was twitching to give her a mouthful, however you would be so proud of me as I managed to control myself!

What is happening to the world?

Sisterly love

You may ask what is this?

This is Tiptoe a stuffed pet rat that Santa gave to number 3 last year. He has become a treasured member of our family...probably because I loathe rats & constantly find him hidden in my bed or car! Much to my kids delight!

Well our darling 6 month old lab Molly decided she was a little jealous of the attention that Tiptoe receives from our kids and attacked him over night.

When we woke up he was missing two paws.....number 3 goes into hysteria..wanting to get rid of the dog, his life will never be the same blah blah blah!

Darling sister jumps to the rescue & offers to sew him up & put him in a hospital bed to recuperate.

Situation resolved...thank you darling daughter!

Here is the guilty culprit.......

Before the freeze begins.....

Leaves & Pine needles after the storm.

Our swimmers rock.

Pretty leaves.

Such clean lake water....gorgeous!

Do you laugh very much?

I have found that since I moved to USA the amount of laughing that I do or things that amuse me seem to be few & far between.

I wonder is it that I am older? Have I lost my sense of humour? Do I miss the English sarcasm & people on my humour wave length so that you can compete bouncing off each others comments? 

Kids amuse me and I do tend to read English authors for a laugh eg Sohie Kinsella. Which brings me to a movie that Sir L & I saw last week.."Couples Retreat.:'"

This is worth going to see as we howled with laughter. The scenic shots are breathtaking & the morals behind the story pretty real life scenarios.

So if you want a laugh go and see this film...its good for both men & women.Vince Vaughan is hilarious with his facial expressions.

Have a laugh!

Wonky Nose...sue them!

Nose Job continued....

So number 2 had a broken nose, then surgery that suposedly mended it. He wore a cast on it for a week, then we went back to the specialist a week later to have it checked.

Can you beleive it the end of his nose is still wonky! The "cocky so called specialist" ageed that he needs to have the surgery again. In fact in his carefully chosen words NOT...

"I can stick a needle up his nose, numb it & re-straighten it now if you like, however it is very painful." As he so carefully described this to my son all of 10 years old he screamed!

Yes like that was going to happen! Nice one Doctor tactics, lovely bed side manner!

His solution  was to re-do the surgery as "it is only a 10 minute proceedure" & this time he would put a splint up his nose with padding as well as a cast.

My thoughts were....."Why the F.. did you not do this the first time?"

I asked "will you do the surgery for free since it is a repeat?"

"Oh no your insurance will cover it."

They never cover all of anything there is always a sneaky $200.00 we have to pay for some crap reason!

Never mind the inconvenience of both parents having to take the day off work, get up & out by 5.30am, the other 2 kids getting up, walking the dog & getting themselves to school on time. Oh yes & the stress for my poor son & pain is all too much.

We feel like this doctor is out to rip us off. He knows we have insurance, the patient/guinea pig is young & healthy so no complications & his schedule needs filling up.

The English in me wants to be agressive & clock him one.

The American side of me wants to sue, but do we want to go there?

No, we are not that way inclined, plus the stress & costs are not worth it. Not that we could afford it anyway.

We feel guilty about whether he should have the surgery again or not...so what should we do?

He can breathe ok, it is more of an issue of a wonky nose. It is not ugly in fact quite cute. When he is a teenager he will probably only be able to snog on one side! It might even delay him getting to first base!

Does anyone know the system out there or have any ideas about what we should do?

To spay or not to spay?

So today my little Molly (dog) went to get spayed...poor baby!

I have this terrible guilty feeling every time we have one of our animals neutered as I feel that they should have the oppurtunity to have a family at least once. Of course I compare them to humans ...how would you like to be snipped without being asked?

Molly's biggest issue this morning was " why can't I have any breakfast mum?"

However on the practical side I would never be able to sell/give away their babies & Sir L would leave me!

So tomorrow I have to pick her up from the vets and face her inquisitive look of "mum what have they done to me?"

So to make her feel better I am going to buy her a new bed & lead since she has chewed them to bits!

I know I am a soft sod!

The Fall

• Golden and red leaves brighten up the day.
• Great time to go for a walk and wear a cosy fleece, stuff your hands in your pockets & march briskly as you try & hold out for putting hats & gloves on until November...you have to be hardy to live in NH!
• Washing liine drying days are getting fewer and further apart.
• Chipmunks are on overdrive as you hear a constant thud of acorns falling from the trees as they prepare for the winter.
• Pulling out all the hats, coats & winter woollies....gives mixed feelings.
• Putting the garden to bed & layering it with manure that your gorgeous white lab decides she loves to roll in!
• Making homemade soups and stews......hello I'm Delia Smith/Marth Stewart!
• Closing the curtains at night to shut out Jack Frost.
• Testing the generator just incase we need it! We always do!
• Get the cars snow tyres fitted.
• Bring in all the kids clutter from the garden.

There is definetley a sleepy feeling about the Fall as you prepare for the long,cold days ahead of you. I'm tired just reading the few things that I have to do before the snow arrives!

It is almost like hibernating as you set yourself up with knitting projects, grab a stash of books and batteries for the torches.

As we await the arrival of winter............BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

A mothers love.

What a stressful week....................

Number 2 had to go in for surgery and have his nose re-broken & re-set. He broke it playing American Football at recess.

This is the first time that any of my children have been operated on & I think that I have aged about 500 years.

Oh yes, we have had broken bones before as Number 1 broke her leg in K ice skating.

Somehow this felt much worse.

Of course the first person I want to share all this with (since Sir L is also going through it too but in his macho quiet manner!) is my mum. Alas maybe one day this may get easier.

It is a very difficult moment in time watching your child wearing Johnny's (a gown in english) with a shower cap & boots on.

As his eyes flickered & started to droop, he continued to fight the sleepiness. Part of me wanted to grab him and run ( beside the fact that he is nearly as tall as me & too heavy for me to lift without killing my back!) and the other sensible part of my brain tried to convice me that this is not that bad really! After all it was not brain surgery!

Horendous scenarios ran through my mind:

What if he never regained consciousness?

What if when they broke his nose they hit part of his temple & gave him brain damage?

Will he survive?

Just to mention a few.... I know I am a drama queen!

Anyway he survived and has a cast on his nose....I know you cannot imagine how that looks. Like a piece of metal moulded over his nose with a band aid (plaster) on.

We were by his side when he woke up....it felt like a scene out of Grays Anatomy minus the hunky doctors.  I was on the look out for the nurses & doctors sneaking into rooms for a quickie..alas I did not catch anyone!

When he came too he wanted a hug...I cried with relief....he was alive!

However the moment was short lived as he then pewked all over the place!

Unfortunatley bad mother had no spare clothes for him so we were given some scrubs.

Anyway to cut to the wick he is fine, I am now greyer on top & drained from all of the drama.

On the brighter side he is all set for his Halloween outfit now!

Kids Quotes!

Kids Are Quick


TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America .

MARIA: Here it is.

TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?

CLASS: Maria.

____________________________________



TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?

JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.

__________________________________________



TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'

GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'

TEACHER: No, that's wrong

GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

____________________________________________


TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?

DONALD: H I J K L M N O.

TEACHER: What are you talking about?

DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.

__________________________________


TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.

WINNIE: Me!

__________________________________________


TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?

GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.

_______________________________________


TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I. '

MILLIE: I is..

TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'

MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'

________________________________


TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?

LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.

______________________________________


TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?

SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.

______________________________


TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?

CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.

___________________________________


TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?

HAROLD: A teacher

Summary

Summary of the first month of school:

1. Number one off sick for 2 days....

2. Number 2 has broken his nose playing football at recess.....off for a nose job next week. Lots of blood
 and attention, it is like living with a war hero!

3. Number 3 is "mischief" in the classroom. In one week he had been to the Support Center twice, then I received a phone call from his teacher to complain another day.....I was expecting the Pricipal for dinner on Friday! Apparently his new skill of making "tooting noises" using his arms & legs is not apreciated in the classroom!

4. Thank god there is no number 4!

A Beautiful Flower.

Look, how gorgeous is this flower? Unfortunatley I cannot remember its name. It reminds me of a ladies crinoline dress.

The Good Old Camps

I went to visit Mme L a yummy friend of mine who I taught to knit moons ago. She has taken to it so well that she now advises me on my projects. I am obviously a good teacher & a crap knitter!

She works at a local camp for boys and I had the privelage of a private "out of season tour", it was like stepping back 100 years in time.

The first thing that I noticed was a wooden hut that was fully kitted out with an oil drum and lots of old oil lanterns...the sort that they used in "Little House on the Priairie!" Very quaint. They use these to wander round the camp at night. Needless to say there are no PSP, DS,Cellphones etc over here!

The buildings were all wooden and had the most beautiful structures surrounding them made from the local trees. Inside the dormitories (that looked like POW camps) from "The Bridge over the River Kwai" were tin beds in straight lines, they were so basic & ancient that you could feel the snoring of the boys from 50 years ago with the odd chatter in the background.. All the walls, ceilings etc were carved with boys names or initials. What really amazed me that even though it was so old there were no swear words or colours used at all, it was all old fashioned penknife etchings. These must be good kids.

Every year they host a play at the camp and make posters to advertise it. These old posters were posted all over the stage & camp auditorium dating back 50 years. Each year a photo is taken of the whole camp, framed & displayed on the walls.

After all of these years the boys still wear the same t-shirts.......its strangely comforting to see that good old fashioned camps are still around.

I could not resist taking some photo's of the camp to share with you all as it was so interesting.

I'm becoming a local New Hampshirite!

What do you do when you have an abundance of pears?

Become Martha Stewart and can them!

Are you impressed folks?

I think I have been living in NH far too long as lots of people do this with all sorts of fruits & veggies.

Does anyone have any other ideas what to do with lots of ripe pears?

A beautiful walk in the woods...

My what big roots you have my dear!

Jumping for joy with Molly....where did that puppy go?

Squam Lake..or Golden Pond as in the movie.

Roots can be so interesting.....how the heck does this tree survive with the extreme weather conditions & the hundreds of kids that clamber over its roots?

FRUSTRATION!

The definition of frustration today:

1. A new tenant that gets 2 kittens & not one as agreed in the lease....they have only been there for 2 weeks!

2. The bank charge for the box of checks....Hello advertised as a Free Checking Account!

3. My Zen MP3 player & my sons both break on the first attempt to re-charge them!

4. A neighbours child hits my child with a slingshot, which resulted in a heated discussion with the parent.

A day of agro (hassle & conflict) and it is only 2pm.......

A Cadbury's Flake Moment.......

After the first week of school & the juggling of soccer, cross country, play dates, working, shipping the in laws off back to the UK....Friday night appeared.

I managed to find a Cadburys Flake that was untouched....a miracle!

I ran myself a nice Aveeno bubble bath, grabbed a new book, put my hair up in a ponytail & brewed a fresh cup of tea.

Digging in the bathroom cupboard I found my long lost blow up towelling pillow.....oh yes here we go relaxation & child free time is a comin!

The bath was ready, the bubbles were ready, the music was playing softly in the background, I blew the cushion up, put it into position.....ahhh relaxation here we go.

I got in the bath singing the "flake song" sat down & relaxed.....yet another Ahhhhhhhhh!

Approximately 5 seconds later I heard a slow rushing of air (no I had not relaxed that much!)

My pillow had a leak & as I laid on it the air was gushing out & making a terrible slow tooting noise!

WTF!

Moment spoiled.

For 5 seconds I was the Flake girl all gorgeous & sexy.....not anymore!

I was so upset I stuffed the Flake in my mouth, guzzled the tea & had a quick soak......anyone have a puncture repair kit?

Interesting English Words

We have had guests for the past 10 weeks with a few days off in between to change & wash bedding & stock up on food.

Needless to say my English accent has strengthened significantly & some of my old words are back in use. Here are a few of my faves:

1. A tosser: a person who has annoyed you & you do not want to swear in front of your kids!

2. Brilliant...I'm not sure why I have stopped using that word...no I do not use awesome yet!

3. Gym Bunny: a lady who spends lots of time at the gym & is generally high maintenance.

4. Knackered: meaning tired yet not used in NH so people just smile when you use it as they are unsure of what you have said. It gives you a smug feeling...naughty Daffodilly!

5. "Ow do?" slang for how are you.

6. Chaffer: someone who has no standards....not me!

I'm sure some more will come into my tiny memory...so watch this space!

First Grade...no more babies!

Well the kids are back at school, we have new tenants at 6 sheds and my hours have been cut from my part time job.

Some news is good and some news is bad!

Now I am trying to find another part time job to replenish the bank account & to keep me busy.

Number 3 started in first grade and I was expecting myself to have a total crying & emotional fit as I loosened my apron strings to throw the last child into the clutches of "The System."

However, when I saw the queue of parents clutching their children's hands & waiting in a huge line to go into school & that there was no where to park...the police were even present. I asked number 2 to walk him to his classroom & dropped them off with a huge kiss & a wave.

I know you all think that I am the worst mother of the world, seriously I'm not.

Not until they got home & number 3 said he went to his classroom all alone as he wanted to. The independence of the third child.

Of course I was riddled with guilt that he went to full time school all on his own and that the teacher thinks that I am an uncaring mother. I'll soon fix that & deliver some spare snacks & volunteer in the classroom to get back into favour!

Montreal the land of beautiful people.

Just spent the weekend in Montreal, Canada. What a gorgeous place and what beautiful people.

They are all tall, slim with chiseled features and perfect manners.

It's interesting that you can drive 4 hours away and hit a different country, with a foreign language, interesting architecture and food that you would kill for. Of course there is the advantage of scrummy wine and my favourite of course.....CHOCOLATE!

It was superb to be in civilisation again...it's been along time. Back came the city clothes, yes you must wear a bra Daffodilly, put the Crocs away and put on some leather shoes. No shorts & a tank top will not suffice get the good gear on girl! Oh yes un peu make up too...you scuffer!

So clad in my "city look" Sir L and I hit Montreal...oh yes we were child free! How could I forget to mention that?

We perused around Le Plateau with its trendy boutiques and to die for restaurants and bakeries.

Wandered around the old port with its quaint cobbled streets.

Last of all a quick jaunt into Ikea to buy our favourite meatballs & $353.00 of stuff!

Needless to say a wonderful weekend was had by all...here are a few photo's of Culture visit......just getting the hang of my new camera so hopefully my photo's should improve...soon!

Summer time & the living is easy......

Idle days by the lake are nearly over....

Too many Margarita's & I can do this......

Food

Yesterday I posted at http://pondparleys.blogspot.com

Check it out as Mike H & I compare our least favourite foods:

The 5 Strangest things I have eaten in USA?

Artichokes: Who the heck invented this horrible bland, mushy veggie? Yuck. It just seems almost cavemanlike picking the leaves off, popping them in melted butter & then (god forbid) sucking the stuff out of the leaf! It reminds me of a “Survivor bug eating contest!”

Pretzels; In the UK they do have twiglets & they are always what are leftover from a cocktail party…the reason is that they taste like crap but are considered kind of posh. When I arrived in USA it was pretzel heaven. Everyone eats pretzels; they even serve them on the planes instead of peanuts. They come in every shape, size and either with or without salt. Now it took me a while to adapt to these however I have to say that covered in chocolate & jimmies (100’s & 1000’s) they are quite delicious. In fact a must as the salt & sweet flavor clash & give you that kind of “ahhh feeling!”


Eggplant Parmesan; Or aubergines fried in breadcrumbs & covered in a marinara sauce….why oh why would you do this let alone eat it? Throw the disgusting thing away!

Pickles: The Americans are pickle crazy. They come with every dish, sandwich and burger as a garnish where as the Brit’s would use a sprig of parsley. These are big dill cucumbers the size of a mans hand that are pickled. Everyone seems to make their own as it is a family tradition. I guess as I was brought up with Branston Pickle & Piccalli I lead a sheltered pickle life. I cringe when I see toddlers clutching a pickled cucumber & chomping away on it….god only knows what their diapers are like!

Chinese Chow Mein: This took me 8 years of purchasing Chinese food in USA to find the correct equivalent to the English version of Chow Mein. A little history is needed here. Chow Mein in the UK is a noodle & meat or fish dish….very tasty. In America it is a pile of MSG that looks like the thickest nastiest pile of snot you can imagine. We traveled all over USA looking for our noodley Chow Mein & left many a restaurant from posh ones to grubby back street ones with empty bellies. It cost us a fortune. One night some American friends came over for dinner with some Chinese take out…we were flabbergasted when we saw our Chow Mein……..they then taught us the magic word….Low Mein…… 8 years it took!

Thank you Mike & Expat Mum for inviting me.

Well hello there summer!

At last another delicious day at the lake, yes that makes two in a row....Mother Nature is on a "let's make Daffodilly a happy lady mode!"

"Oh thank you so much Mother Nature please oh please may I have a few more sunny days?"

Today can only be described as "Delightfulness in a nutshell"......

1. Getting up early to a blue cloudless sky.

2. Having coffee on the deck listening to the wood pigeons...& trying to keep Molly quiet...she has found her bark!

3. Setting off on my morning walk & hearing the bullfrogs in the "fit to burst" pond.

4. Sitting on the beach & actually able to read a book whilst the clan swim.

5. Jumping off the dock & the contented feeling of being in cool fresh lake water after baking my bones.

6. That "I'm relaxed and I think a glass of wine is needed before I start the dinner & towel drying process" as everything can wait feeling.

7. Oh yes the lake the clear, warm lapping water covering my feet to keep my temperature just right. I think that I forgot to mention that!

8. A yummy BBQ, watermelon, corn and salad...summer is oh so definetely here!

9. Followed by freshly picked blueberries....life is good!

Interesting if these are true!

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb.
Hence we have 'the rule of thumb'

Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.

Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better..

Coca-Cola was originally green.

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on.
Hence the phrase......... 'goodnight, sleep tight.'

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.'It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's'

Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.

Enjoy!

Yoda Lives!

Here is a funny story.

My 6 year old is addicted to Star Wars in a very obsessive way...if he could be an Ewok he would be one.

One rainy day in NH (yes the 5 millionth one) I took the crew to go & paint pottery before they killed each other at home.

To my 6 year olds delight there were 2 naked Yoda's waiting to be painted. He choose one ....anything for an easy life as I am at that stage of the summer vacation!

This kept him busy for a good hour and a half. The other children were also engrossed in their painting...what bliss!

Then of course followed the "we're starving" routine. So my sister n law & I plus the 6 year old nipped to a store to get snacks. That is when things started to go wrong.

I was in line at the store when I received a phone call from my daughter. Unfortunately there had been an accident and my niece had knocked the table & Yoda had fallen & broken into hundreds of pieces! I.E. he was no more!

My first reaction was thank god my child was with us as he is still prone to tantrums and it would have been a 911 call to the police to come & control him!

Apparently as Yoda fell the whole shop gasped & then went silent. Of course it was full as what else do you do with kids on a rainy day on vacation?

However luck was on our side. They grabbed the last naked Yoda & all started to paint him.

I explained to my sister in law that we needed to stall for time by speaking french and spelling words so that my child could not comprehend what was going on. Her face was a picture!

Ten minutes later we got the "all clear" call and returned to get the rest of the clan.

Three days later we picked up their masterpieces to bring home. Number 3 was so proud of his Yoda..bragging about how hard he had worked, is it really good mummy etc, etc?

We have decided not to tell him until he graduates!

Meanwhile Yoda sits on his windowsill so that he can wave to him on our return home every day!

Photo's to follow

A Happy week in Maine.....

Looking for the big crab.....

This is called boat recycling....

The big boot...I swore I would never wear a pair of these when I arrived in USA 14 years ago....2 weeks after my arrival & 3 feet of snow I made my first purchase of Sorrel Boots.

Hmmm flying little devil jumps into my mind...tut tut!