It's like Christmas in July!!!

Today we received a wonderful package in the mail!!!  It contained MANY things that we cannot get here in the UK. I know, I know, we have only been here for 3 weeks but there are SEVERAL things that I have found so far that are really different or we just simply cannot get over here. So, with the arrival of this awesome care package that my mom-in-law sent from the states I thought this would be a great time to update the blog and inform you all of the differences we have found thus far.

#1 - No electrical outlets in the bathroom! Yep, that's right ladies...want to blow dry or curl your hair? Better find an outlet close to a mirror somewhere other than your bathroom...why? They think its dangerous to have electricity by water! (When you don't have GFI outlets I think its dangerous too but maybe then you should get better outlets!) So, how am I coping with this situation? I have an extension cord plugged into the wall in my bedroom and I drag it into the bathroom with me every morning so I can do my hair! Yep, problem solved!

#2 - Multiple Keys...Now I am a firm believer in safety but this is a tad overkill...every single door in this house has a different key! Even the double doors to go out to the conservatory, each door has a separate key! I need 2 keys and 2 hands to open the front door, so carrying in groceries or a child at the same time as I open the front door is simply out of the question. This I have not yet figured out, I am still trying to decipher what key is for what door!

#3 - Fan Assisted Oven - I'm still not sure what that means other than the fact that I burn almost EVERYTHING I cook, which for those of you who know me you know that burning food is left for my mama, not me! (sorry mama) Not only am I still having trouble learning how to use the oven all of the temperatures over here are in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit so I have to use a conversion ap that I downloaded on my smart phone every time I cook!! Yep, this one will take a while!

#4 - Washer & Dryer - OK so maybe I am spoiled but back home in Iowa I could do a load of wash in about 30 minutes and have it in the dryer until it was fully dry...Not the case here...the "fast wash" takes about 90 minutes to wash and then the dryer only dries clothes about half way which means I have learned how to use a clothing line and a drying rack! I feel like a pioneer woman or something but at least none of our clothes with be shrunk!

#5 - Parking spaces - Holy cow people these are not even big enough to fit a smart car let alone the Vauxhall Estate I am driving!! (think Mazda 6 wagon)  And to think I was worried about driving! Nope, driving is the easy part! We bought a Tom Tom which is a LIFE SAVER and I am having no problems driving on the left side of the road...its the parking I have and issue with. They do have "Parent and Child" parking spaces which are quite a bit bigger, if you are lucky enough to grab one but these are usually taken by people without children just like the "expectant mother" spots are taken up by non-expecting people in the states!

That is about all of the issues I have found at this point with the exception of everything that came in the care package...Beef Bouillon granules,  Lawry's seasoning salt, COFFEE CREAMER, Kool-Aid, chow mein noodles and stick deodorant!!! Did I mention COFFEE CREAMER?!?!?!  Yes, I am not one happy mama with a nice cup of coffee and French vanilla creamer!

Okay time to stop complaining and update you on the rest of the household. The dogs have adjusted wonderfully, Sampson and Danika love that they have a fenced in yard that they have the entire run of. AL is adjusting great thanks to the little girls across the street! She is even beginning to talk like them and I love it! She asked my mom over Skype the other day, "Where you off to?"  LOVE IT!  AJ is great, I finally have her room started and she loves that Minnie Mouse is on the wall! E is liking his job so far and I am settling in quite nicely myself. I found a nail salon nearby and have treated myself to a much needed pedicure this weekend. We are starting to get in a daily routine which is great and hopefully will continue to stay calm from here.

Until next time,
Abbey

Care package and AL's toes!

You have how many suitcases?!

We finally made it! Well we have been here for almost 2 weeks now actually bit we just finally connected to the Internet so I thought I would update you all on how our trip over the pond went.

We flew from ORD and check-in went quite smooth, or as smooth as you can go when the lady checking you in laughs that she has won the lottery with how many bags we had. 7 bags and 2 car seats is what we ended up checking, oh yeah, and we had a double stroller we gate checked and 4 carry-ons!! Yes, we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies! The plane ride went as well as you would expect with a 1 and a 3 year old. AL was an angel the entire way and AJ, well Mommy didn't get to eat any of her dinner because AJ thought it would be fun to push my dinner tray off the seat back table and into my carry on bag. Yep that's right, I was THAT mom, whit THAT kid!! I couldn't tell if the people around me really felt bad, were just plain annoyed or both! When we arrived in Manchester we had to go through customs and then get our bags. Only 1 problem with that, when we were in Chicago E's parents were there to help us get all of this crazy stuff into the airport...little did we realize how much the 2 of them being there really was a blessing...Scenario: 2 adults and 2 children who just got off of an 8 1/2 hour overnight plane ride with a 6 hour time change. Kids in double wide umbrella stroller, mom pushing said stroller with 4 carry-ons wrapped around her and the stroller. Dad has 2 luggage carts with those afore mentioned 7 suitcases and 2 car seats (pushing 1, pulling the other) through a portion of the airport where there is no reentry (meaning we could not make more that one trip). Ok so do you have this circus pictured in your mind?! Here we go...As we are very carefully and very slowly maneuvering our way through the too small sliding exit doors behind me I hear a very loud thud, thud, boom, and "OH SHIT!!!!" Yep, the cart E is pushing decides to tip over right in between the 2 sliding doors!! Did I mention he was BEHIND me and there was NO RE-ENTRY! Now we can laugh at this whole fiasco but at the time you can just about imagine how much fun we were having! Thank goodness the dogs didn't arrive until that night!

Once we finally made it to the house and got the keys and hit up ASDA (the UK Wal-Mart) we were good to go right?! WRONG! Little did we know when we got in the shower we were going to be turned into ice cubes! I guess the systems over here are a bit different then we are used to in the US...The house runs on a boiler system for hot water and nobody bothered to turn that on but in hind site (yup it truly is 20/20) that was the least of our worries...once we finally figured out the boiler system we had hot water but we no longer had cold water, but only in the showers. So the next day we called the letting agency and the said they would have a plumber over as soon as they could. Well apparently we had opposing views on what "as soon as possible" meant because E and I were showering out of the sink for almost 2 weeks before this issue was finally resolved!

For now the water is fixed so we can finally shower, E and I are getting more and more comfortable driving in the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road. (I will inform you all about that on the next post) AJ's sleeping patterns are FINALLY back to normal and AL is making great friends with the girls across the road, and did I mention I have decided to learn how to play the keyboard while we are over here?! Life is crazy and hectic but we are starting to finally adapt to this crazy, hectic way of life!!

Until next time,
A.

Are you Okay?!

So E and I were sent by his company to find a house to live in for the next 2 years. Sounded like fun! All of our family and friends were telling me how they love watching house hunters on TV and finding a home over seas sounded like such a great adventure to everyone so it couldn't be bad right?! Lets just say its not as wonderful as one might think, but we will get back to home hunting in a bit. 

One of the first things I noticed when we arrived in Manchester Wednesday morning is that, well, its cold! Not just cold, cold and rainy two things that we were not prepared for. The second thing I noticed is that instead of asking, "How are you?" the locals ask, "Are you okay?" or "Are you alright?" and then stare at you as if your arm is falling off! How do you respond to this?! At first I just would nod to them or say "Hi" but it was such an awkward greeting I felt rude with anything that I replied with. (eventually I started eavesdropping on others conversations and found that you reply with, "Yeah, you?" Simple but just one of the many things we are not used to. Another thing that we are not used to is the currency, pounds, pence, quid (not sure I spelled that correctly) and most of its in coins...now one would think that the large coins would be worth the most but that's not the case so getting used to this whole money thing is going to take some getting used to!!

And now back to the home hunting...So when watching people search for housing on television is fun because they have money to spend! Have you ever noticed how their budgets are half a million dollars?! Well lets just say our budget is smaller than that, okay lets be honest, its A LOT smaller that that!!! Oh and did you know that in England they apparently have FANTASTIC trick photography? LOL! I am sure most of it was not intentional and if you are from the UK you would probably already know the size of a normal bedroom but when you are from another country, or the US like we are and the only resource you have for looking up homes for rent (or To Let as they say in England) is the Internet you are shown only things that make the home look lovely. We did end up finding a BEAUTIFUL 4 bedroom 3 bathroom home to spend the next 2 years in but getting there was quite interesting! From homes with bedrooms smaller than my closet, to homes without a dryer, refrigerator or even a dishwasher this experience was quite, well, interesting to say the least. Then we have the decor...Oh I LOVE history, always have and always will...but that doesn't mean I want to live in a home that was built by the Romans and still occupied by a few Roman Soldiers Ghosts! We came across many, many interesting and "scruffy" housing situations but we have settled on one and are just waiting to hear back from the realtor tomorrow to ensure that we do get to call this lovely home in Davenham our home for the next 2 years.

We did do some exploring while we were staying in Chester and if you are ever in England I would highly suggest shopping in Chester City Center, it is a very lovely little town with lots of history and lots to do! But now, I have TONS of laundry I need to get done and a 3 year old who wants ice cream and Brave put in! In the mean time, here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

(tiniest room ever!)

(Fingers crossed this will be our home!)

(Chester Town Center)

Talk to you all soon!
Abbey.

Let the Adventure Begin!

Well it's official, the sign is in the yard and our home is on the market. This makes our move to England MUCH more real! Yep, I said it, We are moving to ENGLAND!!!! It has been just about a month since we have made the decision to move with E's company to a small town called Runcorn, England for a 24 month engagement and life has become very, very hectic since. How does one pack up their entire life and move it 1/2 way across the world for 2 years?! I mean not only do we have 2 kids but we have 2 doggies as well! Although A.J. has no idea what is going on (she is only 11 months old) A.L. (the 3 year old) is making up for both of them! Temper tantrums, not sleeping, not listening and the occasional peeing in the pants are all ways she has started to rebel so to speak. We started liquidating all of the items in our home that we are not planning on taking to the UK with us or keeping in storage for 2 years and each time something sells or gets taken out of the house it seems as if we have to start the whole process of assuring A.L. that this is OK and we have made this decision to better our family. Yet explaining this to a 3 year old is a little challenging, even when she is extremely intelligent! She doesn't understand why we cannot move her entire house to England so that she can keep her green room and at times we are second guessing our decision but in the end this is the choice we have made. So in 2 weeks we head to England to find a home to house our little family for this next chapter in our lives and we start this new adventure at the end of June. Until then I am sure I will be coloring my hair many, many times as the grey hairs are coming and I don't see the stress ending anytime soon. But, like Grandpa C always used to say, "Were not lost, were on an adventure!" and even though I am really feeling lost these days...Let the AdVeNtUrE begin!!!!!