We've been busy for the past couple of weeks, hence the brief hiatus in the shortest of months. We had a wonderful visit from our friends in upstate New York. They braved white-out conditions to spend President's Day weekend visiting. Little Eliana and Penny had a good time playing together for most of the weekend. Despite the lack of daycare experience, Penny was pretty decent at sharing most of the time. There was an occasional violent lashing out because she was sick of sharing, but I've certainly seen worse at work and personal life. After a full day and a half of visiting, though, Penny was pretty much done and asked Eliana's daddy to "Go home." Thankfully, he took it in stride, responding that they were going home later that day. I didn't want to correct Penny because it means she's not expressing her feelings and I doubt she'd really understand that it's rude to say such a thing. Plus, we had just been discussing as grown-ups that it looked like Penny had reached her fill on houseguests, so I figured all adults concerned would get that she's two and it's actually good for her to articulate her feelings.
After our friends left, Penny was really excited to dive into the freshly fallen snow. She made lots of footprints (we had tracked down some Canadian Geese at the cemetery by following their footprints in January snow, so footprints are fascinating). I enjoyed the perfect quality snow for snow man-making. The front yard is just big enough to create what you see. Most of the front yard was visible grass when I completed rolling the balls. I didn't fill in between the balls properly because Penny was starting to get quite wet with her falling in the snow...so the front yard is just the right size for a life-size snow man as far as I can gauge. I invited Dan to join us, but he declined. He has still not EVER built a snow man. Judging from the quality of the snow, I can understand. The snow had the right feel for snowmen, but it was
terribly dirty. The one plus side I can see is that I gathered all the sand, gravel and salt that had accumulated in the grass from the snowblower into a single area (the snowman melt). Penny has totally ruined her gloves, though, because they get very gray whenever she plays in the snow.
We were also pleasantly surprised by a package from our Canadian friends, now enjoying a brief stint in England. Brent and Celeste aren't stationed in Newcastle again, but even in southern England, they enjoy some of the same tasty treats. Celeste was kind enough to send a round of authentic English crisps, reminiscent of what Dan would bring in his lunch every day. I have told people about the crazy meat flavours and they didn't believe me - so here's a little photographic evidence. Flavours like smokey bacon and Roast Chicken are fairly standard, but often there are special holiday flavours that find their way into vending machines as well. Here we have Turkey & Stuffing - the snowflakes on the packaging and little explanation on the back give it away as a special Christmas-time treat. I remember Lamb and Mint started appearing around the holidays as well. No prawn-flavoured crisps - whew! Those got annoying quickly. So it's sort of a virtual visit from our friends now in England.
After our friends left, Penny was really excited to dive into the freshly fallen snow. She made lots of footprints (we had tracked down some Canadian Geese at the cemetery by following their footprints in January snow, so footprints are fascinating). I enjoyed the perfect quality snow for snow man-making. The front yard is just big enough to create what you see. Most of the front yard was visible grass when I completed rolling the balls. I didn't fill in between the balls properly because Penny was starting to get quite wet with her falling in the snow...so the front yard is just the right size for a life-size snow man as far as I can gauge. I invited Dan to join us, but he declined. He has still not EVER built a snow man. Judging from the quality of the snow, I can understand. The snow had the right feel for snowmen, but it was terribly dirty. The one plus side I can see is that I gathered all the sand, gravel and salt that had accumulated in the grass from the snowblower into a single area (the snowman melt). Penny has totally ruined her gloves, though, because they get very gray whenever she plays in the snow.
We were also pleasantly surprised by a package from our Canadian friends, now enjoying a brief stint in England. Brent and Celeste aren't stationed in Newcastle again, but even in southern England, they enjoy some of the same tasty treats. Celeste was kind enough to send a round of authentic English crisps, reminiscent of what Dan would bring in his lunch every day. I have told people about the crazy meat flavours and they didn't believe me - so here's a little photographic evidence. Flavours like smokey bacon and Roast Chicken are fairly standard, but often there are special holiday flavours that find their way into vending machines as well. Here we have Turkey & Stuffing - the snowflakes on the packaging and little explanation on the back give it away as a special Christmas-time treat. I remember Lamb and Mint started appearing around the holidays as well. No prawn-flavoured crisps - whew! Those got annoying quickly. So it's sort of a virtual visit from our friends now in England.
1 comment:
ooooo I want to try the steak and potato ones and the lamb and mint! they have some weird flavors here too like jamon with cured cheese, bacon and cheese... other meats paired with cheese.
I'm glad you had some friends out over the long weekend! :)
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