The Family Steel

Whitworth Hall, part 1

2007-01-01T17:27:00.000Z

Whitworth Hall is a location in Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham which is such a wilderness haven, seemingly untouched by the modern world. The link in the title isn't the official web site, it just has the best photos.
The park is a national park, free to everyone. While there, you can view the lake, which has a statue in the center and lighted tunnel under the bridge. You can feed the geese and the deer, enjoy a hot meal in the restaurant while your children play in the soft play area, then relax in a wonderful Victorian Hotel. We've never been in the hotel, but it is magnificent from the outside. The restaurant seems quite popular too.
The kids had a great time feeding the deer. We promise to go a little earlier next time and get photos with more light (before 4:30pm!). The sun went down so fast and we were kind of cold.

It takes about a bag full of food for the deer to warm up to the people, then they eat out of your hands. The deer seem to like Abigail, she is more their size.

Whitworth Hall, part 2

2007-01-01T17:15:00.000Z

Here Hannah is trying to get the buck to eat out of her hands. If my camera hadn't run out of juice, I would have gotten the next photo of him actually doing just that! Enjoy! Rhea

Merry Christmas 2006!

2006-12-30T11:10:00.000Z

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family. We had a great day, just us, nice and cozy. We do miss our

friends and family and wish you all the best this holiday season.
The Steels

Blustery Day

2006-12-30T10:58:00.000Z

A windy day! The wind was about 35-40 mph.

The kids had just gotten home from school, it is about 4:15pm, very dark!

They had a blast though, and lost a few bags!

Caleb's 6th Birthday!

2006-12-30T10:52:00.000Z

Hello! We are back on after a long break from blogging.
Caleb enjoyed a wonderful 6th birthday. We had a joint party with Joshua (since his is in August and he mates are usually away on holiday). A football party at the local sports center with their favorite coach Craig - it was a blast. Unfortunately I forgot the camera!
It was a great time. A bit of Rustonian trivia, how old was Matthew when we first arrived in Ruston? My how time flies!
Rhea

Congratulations Matthew!

2006-07-13T14:48:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, Jeff and I attended the Year 9 presentations at St. Leonard's secondary school. All of the Year 9 students received a certificate with their 'grades' on them and then there were special awards presented. Matthew has done so well and improved greatly (by several levels) this year. The award pictured at the left was presented to Matthew as well. Mrs. Brown is the Head of Year for Year 9's and she chose a student who showed a positive attitued, was hard working and respecful to students and teachers. An all around exemplary student. Needless to say I am so proud of him I was in tears most of the day every time I thought about it.
What an example of Christ Matthew has been - and we thank God for his Christian spirit and example.

Funny phrases...

2006-06-27T12:40:00.000+01:00

Just had to blog this...
We were sitting down for family worship last evening when Dad got a hold of Abigail's bears so that she would sit with him. After stuffing the bears in his pocket (which Abigail thought was a hoot!) Dad asked Abigail to come sit with the bears to which she replied, "(little laugh)...I won't fit in there!" Priceless. She was all too happy to have her picture taken to commemorate the moment.

GREAT NEWS!!! Hannah's appeal to get into St. Leonard's was yesterday. We were phoned in the evening and told that she was accepted. Praise God and thank you everyone for your prayers. Hannah and Mom will be attending St. Leonard's open house this evening all smiles:)

ENGLISH POPPIES

2006-06-27T12:35:00.000+01:00

It's POPPY time! The poppies are beautiful here. I've made a collage of four types that are just in our garden. The top left are huge (6 inches in diameter or so) orangey red poppies. Top right is a double poppy in a fuscia color. The bottome left is a yellow scottish field poppy. The bottom right is a red field poppy and is seen everywhere like a weed. They grow up in between concrete or on the side of the road. Just beautiful!

Congratulations Hannah and Sarah on your CONFIRMATION!

2006-06-09T11:36:00.000+01:00

Hannah and Sarah were confirmed in the Church of England on the 8th of June 2006. Though they were the youngest in the group, I thing they were the most excited. Pictured here are Bishop Tom Wright, the girl's Godfather Tony Walker and Hannah and Sarah. The weather was beautiful and so was the service.

2006-06-09T11:34:00.000+01:00

Hannah and Sarah with our new priest, Father Barnaby and their Godfather, Tony Walker. Tony's wife Irene could not be there because she was attending a family funeral.

2006-06-09T11:22:00.000+01:00

As you can see, there were mny confirmations on this evening all of various ages. I think Hannah and Sarah were the youngest. (This photo was taken about 8:50pm btw:) Only two were being baptized as well as confimed. The baptism was very nice too. Bishop Tom takes a rosemary branch dipped into the font and sprinkles everyone in the congregation as a reminder of their baptism. This night, Bishop Tom commented that he had never had such a large rosemary branch before and those standing closest to him got quite wet! It was a great time and great cause for celebration. In fact, I did see one family breaking out the champagne from the back of their car on the Palace Green! Couldn't wait to get home I guess.
Jeff and I would like to thank all those who have had an influence in Hannah and Sarah's lives and in their spiritual growth. The girls are who they are because of ALL of you and your wonderful faithfulness. Continue to pray for them as they grow in Christ, especially in a more challenging culture. Blessings!

Hamsterly Forest with friends

2006-05-23T09:34:00.000+01:00

This is photograph of Hannah and her friends at her birthday venture in Hamsterly Forest. About 35 min from our house, is this beautiful forest with the Wear River running through it, bike trails, hiking trails and play ground. We had a good few hours romping around - it was great fun AND a beautiful day!

Hannah is off for the Week!

2006-05-15T15:09:00.000+01:00

Hannah left today for a whole week with her class. First time away from home and she was so excited. Her Year 6 class has gone to Richmond, North Yorkshire to Earls Orchard Outdoor Learning Centre. They don't have an offical website, but this above site gives information about it.
The photo shows her flip flops that she got for the bath house in Richmond. The package was interesting, in that the round piece you see contained the cut out of the flip flops. She tried to walk around with out having them come out (as only Hannah would do). Anyway, pray for a good time for all and SUNNY weather, it is supposed to rain all week:0(!

Remind you of anyone?

2006-05-11T15:14:00.000+01:00

Caleb is such a cutie - looks a bit like Matthew when he was little. Always smiling - what a joy:)

Happy Birthday Matthew and Hannah!

2006-05-11T15:10:00.000+01:00

We had a great birthday celebration last Monday (2nd) for Matthew who is now 14 and Hannah who turned 11. WOW! We can't believe they are getting so big, so fast.

2006-04-24T09:39:00.000+01:00

Happy Eastertide to all! It was a beautiful, sunny Easter day. Though not great for pictures, we had a wonderful day worshipping at St. James the Great, coming home for a nice lunch (still haven't tried the traditional English meal of roast Lamb with rosemary!) and an egg hunt in the back yard. We all had a great day.
Christ is risen, Alleluyia!

You know your kids are bored when...

2006-04-19T13:43:00.000+01:00

...they start making potato chip houses on their sandwiches! Up coming Easter break photos...stay tuned!
sculpture by Matthew Steel

URGENT REQUEST!

2006-03-19T17:16:00.000Z

Hello! This is an urgent request. I found this site for a FREE ipod. It is VERY simple. All I did to initially qualify is click through the 'offers' and selected one I liked. The one I did get is a DVD mailing service that is only £10/per month and I can quit any time. It is great for anyone who is notorious for returning videos late! FreePay is just a way for advertisers to get as many viewers as possible.
Recently though (mid-March), they have made a stipulation, that any person only has 90 days to complete the initial qualification, and have just 5 other friends qualify (sign up for one offer) through that persons link. My time is up at the end of March!
Matthew really would like an ipod for his birthday, and this one retails for over £200 here in the UK. This would be an amazing birthday present for him. I just need FIVE people to take 5-10 minutes and click through the offers, and find just ONE that you like!
To slect an offer through my link, just click here: freeipods.
If you would like to do this yourself, just go to freepay.com, there are other items you can work toward including the ipod.
Thank you so much for reading the post and hope you visit the site! RHEA

Congratulations Sarah!

2006-03-16T16:04:00.000Z

Sarah entered a creative bookmark comptetion in school. All the junior students (years 3-6) had to create a bookmark of their favorite book. Sarah chose Sleep-Overs by Jacqueline Wilson. Out of about 500 students, Sarah's book mark was chosen for 1st place! She won a £5 gift certificate to the local bookstore. Congratulations Sarah!

Blue Reef Aquarium

2006-03-10T11:25:00.000Z

For our short break we decided to visit the Blue Reef Aquarium in Tynemouth, Tyneside, just about 35-40 minutes from our house. Here are pictures of sting rays and a very large lobster. The sting rays were fascinating to watch. So graceful. A few had definite personalities, one poking its nose out of the water and another swimming with its belly on the glass round and round the tank.

2006-03-10T11:23:00.000Z

Here are some really colorful creatures. Something fun the aquarium did for the children was to have all the fish from Nemo. They could search through out the tour for each one. The fish with the light in front of it, remember the scarry one? It was present, but stuffed.

2006-03-10T11:21:00.000Z

There were a few small sharks, this one about 4-5 feet long, the kids really liked them. The big fish tank at the aquarium could be viewed from several different sides, but it also could be walked under. It was a sight to see.

2006-03-10T11:19:00.000Z

Saved the best for last! This is an Alaskan King (or snow - can't remember) Crab. It was huge! I'd say it's legs in this picture were at least 3 feet from one side to the other.

2006-03-10T11:18:00.000Z

Here we are on Tyneside beach, east coast of England, just due east of where we live about 30-40 minute drive. Notice the surfer in the background? Unbelievable!

Tyneside

2006-03-10T11:13:00.000Z

The last thing we did before leaving the aquarium was to walk the beach. It was cold and windy, but very scenic. I was surprised at the sand, it is just like florida sand, but a golden brown color. Neat! The waves were high and there were even two surfers out in the water! I'd say that is a bit crazy for February! The church was right next to the aquarium, very beautiful. It was a fun day:)

Into Drawing

2006-03-10T10:57:00.000Z

Abigail is REALLY into drawing lately. The girls and Joshua do it often, and she has just picked it up. During the last break when all the kids were home, Abigail would have drawing marathons for 45-60 minutes! Notice the pencil in the left hand - still! Doesn't she have the sweetest face?!

Matthew on the Mend

2006-02-20T11:10:00.000Z

Matthew is feeling much better, thank you for all your prayers. He broke his left wrist and twisted it, so he had to be put to sleep while they put it back in place. His check up was last Wednesday (15th) where the doctor said everything is still in place and seems to be healing well. Just two more weeks is all he has to have with the cast! Seems short to me, but the doctor did say that if Matthew's wrist felt too sore they would put a new cast (plaster as they say here) on for a little while longer. We are thankful that all is well and everyone is well again.
We have our half-term break starting today. We plan to go to Diggerland, the Discovery Museum in Newcastle, football training and possibly swimming at a local sports center with the Go Free passes we have been collecting off cereal boxes.
It is nice to have the kids home! Caleb has had a fever, but we're sure it is just a virus and he'll be fine in a few days. All the other children are doing well. Abigail is getting SO big. She has almost perfect diction when she speaks, even the English people we run into are impressed with her speaking. She is like Sarah, wanting to be in school, liking books and numbers. She can't wait to go to school. She has lost the bottle and pacifier but we are still working on the potty training! Abigail has such a great personality.
I am still researching into a job for next year (part-time) and then the following year full-time. It seems the paripatetic teaching will be best. This involves going around to different schools teaching private and group lessons and also small intrumental groups. This will allow me to be off during breaks, home in the summer and most importantly home after school times. There is a real need here for instrumental training in the primary schools. I am praying that there will be an opening with the local music company come next January, that would be ideal. Currently, I have one college student (clarinet) and three primary students (piano, violin and flute) and I am attending the Cobweb Orchestra rehearsals on Thursday evenings. It is fun and keeps me practising.
I will try to keep the blog more updated. I've been working on organization at home and something has to go by the wayside, but I hope to incorporate regular blog time in the mornings twice a week. Love you all and thank you for your prayers for us - we continue to pray for our friends and family as well.

p.s. Jeff has turned in another chapter, the begining chapter of his thesis. He is meeting with his advisor at the moment. I am sure he will give an update on his blog or if not, I will. I do think he is well on track and doing great work.

2006-02-02T09:33:00.000Z

This is a section of the football newsletter that comes out once a month. It shows the Under 8's development team (first on list) is currently in 9th place. That is Joshua's team. Hopefully next year he will move up!
Sarah's team is second to last on the list, named the Under10's Divas. They are currently in 3rd place having made 2nd place once in the season. They are hopeful that they will do well against the top two teams in up coming games. The season will end 1st week of March, then they will have another short season ending in June. These girls work so well together, and have done great.
Sarah plays goalie all the time. She absolutely loves it. Last week her manager arranged for a goalie coach to come and teach Sarah for about 30 minutes during practice. Not only did Sarah learn many helpful things, she felt so special too. Their team plays two matches (games) every weekend and Sarah has had many weekends with no goals scored against her, they call this a 'clean sheet.' Sarah has been nicknamed 'little 'un' by her team mates. Try saying 'little one' with out the 't' sound ( li - le) and one like 'un and you've got the northern accent here. Sarah is the smallest on the team and her uniform swamps her, but she is doing great.
Football is lots of fun for both Sarah and Joshua.

Apologies for the blog break

2006-01-25T11:29:00.000Z

We've been out of commission for a while due to virus upon virus, either one of the kids or me. It seems we contracted 5th's disease, named for the 5th virus found. It is also known as the slap cheek virus because the cheeks are so red they appear to have been slapped. I remember Matthew having this when he was about 6, so he did not get it, but all five children did and I did as well. It is a basically harmless virus for normal children, but it can cause problems for children with red blood cell diseases and also can cause miscarriages in pregnant women during their first trimester. In adults, yea for me, it causes arthritis. Going on two weeks now, it is really awful. Mostly in my hands and up to my elbows. I will be seeing a rhumatologist soon because it isn't getting much better. I do hope it is a result of the virus, though it could be something else. So, we are FINE, just been a little under the weather. Continue to pray for this arthritis thing, it is difficult to deal with when I am so busy doing during the day.

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY ABIGAIL!!!

2006-01-25T11:15:00.000Z

Abigail has been talking about her birthday since Christmas! She is so smart and has a remarkable memory. Here she has gotten a taste of the cake, little did I know that after opening presents she would forget the cake and icecream altogether! She was too excited about her new presents.
Thanks to the Jonkers for the chocolate cake recipe. It tasted great, but came out a little flat. I'll have to work on that.

2006-01-25T11:08:00.000Z

Abigail LOVES Dora and pretty much had a Dora birthday except for the new (used) doll house (opening top left). She got a Dora card game, memory game, book with music and a Learning through Music system with Dora software. She is so grown up in many ways. Pray for the potty training to kick in. If the nursery calls up and says "We have a place for Abigail, can she come?" she needs to be potty trained! She has already given up the bottle and pacie - good girl!
Bottom right: Mom and Abigail, just before bed. Don't you love those Christmas PJ's? All the girls got the same set. She is such a good cuddler - I think (almost) more than Joshua and Caleb! All in all, a great birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABIGAIL!!!

Christmas Break 2005

2006-01-25T11:00:00.000Z

We had a quiet break over Christmas. We did manage to go out to see The Chronicles of Narnia which even Abigail sat through thoroughly enjoying. The kids had colds and such that kept us in, but we did enjoy the time together very much.
Top left: delayed snow picture. The kids made a great snowman in the front. Cars driving by honked to show their approval of the snowman.
Top right: my Caleb - getting so big, but still just 5. The boys' hair got very long during the break. Kind of cute.
Bottom left and right: Matthew, always being creative, made a blanket swing for Abigail. She loved it of course.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

2005-12-28T12:09:00.000Z

A few days late, but it has finally arrived! We've been expecting a severe winter, according to the forcasters, so the hope for snow on Christmas day was fairly good. A few days late is almost as good. The kids are enjoying the snow and are, at the moment, building a snowman out in the front of the house. Top left photo is the front of our house and the bottom left is our front street. The other two photos are from the street behind the house. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, part I

2005-12-28T11:27:00.000Z

Merry Christmas!!! The first two photos are from our Christmas party. The kids decorated and it was nice. We were hoping to have many of the college students, but it was such a busy time, we wound up only having one, Naomi whom we have come to love. We did have our neighbors, the Mintos, and several families and friends over. We played the present exchange game, which was such a fun game at our ladies Christmas party in Ruston, LA. I do miss that!

The next two photos are of a few of the children opening their stockings before church.

Christmas, part II

2005-12-28T11:03:00.000Z

After church, we came home and opened presents. The children were very patient through out the service, and even posed for a picture before they got into their presents. After presents, we fixed a Christmas dinner for the evening, which not much was eaten due to all the candy snacking during the day! Needless to say, we have lots of turkey and ham left over! We pray that all our family and friends have had a wonderful, merry Christmas and will have a happy New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2005-11-28T16:07:00.000Z

We had a great time at our Thanksgiving dinner (Saturday the 19th). Most of Jeff's tutor group were able to make it; our neighbors came and one other family. We had a great time. There was too much food. I must say the college students in Ruston can put away almost twice as much food as these folks. We had 24 people and didn't even finish a turkey for 16-18! It was croweded, but you know we loved it! Bottom right picture is Sarah with a friend of hers and Hannah's named Laura; she if from Germany.
We hope that all our friends and family had a great Thanksgiving as well!

Cold, snowy winter expected this year

2005-11-24T10:48:00.000Z

You may have heard about the cold winter expected in Europe this year. It is said to happen every 40-60 years and has to do with the NAO (Northern Atlantic Oscillation). Our local forecast for the next few days may include some sleet and snow and of course the kids are excited about it. We do check the forecast regularly when there are weather watches, because it seems to change even by the hour. This must be a difficult place for forecasters, but it is never boring! We have really enjoyed the crisp cold air and SUNSHINE lately. It reminds me of winters in upstate New York:)

Health update: Caleb and Abigail are getting over their colds. Still coughing A LOT, especially at night. Matthew had to get a second round of antibiotics for his lung infection, but they seem to be working. The doctor said his lungs were getting better just after two days on the medicine. He is back in school today, after missing 8 days. Please pray for him as he has much to catch up on and is still weak. I think he has lost over 12 lbs! I know he'll get it back quickly. Thank you for all your prayers!

Caleb gets two more awards!

2005-11-17T18:13:00.000Z

Caleb has received two more Head Teacher Awards! He is doing well! The award reads: "For recognising letter sounds and matching pictures to the sound. Well done! Miss Holmes"
I am working with Caleb a bit, helping him to learn the letter names. Apparently the letter names are not taught, just the sounds. He really is learning the sounds well though, I've been impressed. Caleb is also learning some sight words. There is so much singing going on in the classroom, I think it is very condusive to learning.
WAY TO GO CALEB!!!

Not well:(

2005-11-11T11:47:00.000Z

Matthew stayed home today with a fever. Not really surprised because two nights this week he had Rugby games, in the RAIN (one win and one loss)! He's tough, but it finally caught up with him. I haven't blogged much of late, so seeing Abigail and Matthew play Fire Worrior on the PS2 looked like a nice picture to post. Abigail is growing up so much. She is talking so well. Notice how she propped up Pooh Bear to watch the game? What a cutie:)
With a little medicine Matthew is feeling fine, just run down I think. He'll have a much need day of relaxing.

Holloween

2005-11-11T11:42:00.000Z

November 2nd we were invited to St. Chad's (where Abigail took communion) for a Holloween party. Apparently here in the UK, most of the costumes are witches, devils and the like. The two spidermen really stood out, but we had a good time. The party was centered around a 'disco' in which Abigail had a great time dancing, well really just jumping up and down. Caleb and Joshua really got into it too. All in all, we did have a good time.

Trip to the USA!

2005-11-04T11:39:00.000Z

I am home once more! Glad to be home, but torn with family so far apart:( We had a great time. It was so good to see my sister, Mom and Dad. These pictures were taken in Boston where me and my sister both flew in. The weather was a little colder than I expected, but still nice. Thanks to my sister who sent me the photos (I forgot my camera!). I'll have more pictures coming from the Cape Cod area and NYC when my Mom gets around to sending them to me:) (HI MOM!) Jeff and the kids did well with out Mom, but we are all glad to be back together again.

2005-11-04T11:30:00.000Z

These photos are taken in Plymoth. The rock is, yes, Plymoth rock. Would have thought it to be bigger, I know. Story has it that people would chip parts of the rock off for souviners and eventually a Greek type monument was built around the rock (which is covered at high tide) to protect and preserve it. In the second photo, you can see the pillars and cast iron of the monument. Plymoth rock is behind and below my Mom, Dad and me. The third photo is of the
Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower. We toured the boat, it was really neat. Don't know if I would have made that journey. What a time they must have had. Fouth photo is the back view of my parents boat. We are in the dingy heading back to the boat. Had lots of fun on the boat! Felt woozy once, but got over it. Thank God for dramamine!

Boston

2005-11-04T11:25:00.000Z

Here are a few photos from Boston. It was a great day that day. The weather was perfect. Having been in England, it was amazing to see how similar the architecture in Boston is very similar to England's. The cars are even parked on the side of the roads downtown so close together you wonder how they ever did it!

Abigail's First Communion!

2005-10-17T11:14:00.000+01:00

It was a great Lord's day yesterday. We went to a church in Sunderland, St. Chad's, where Jeff is doing a short placement. This photo is of all the communicant children, with their certificates, and Father Jeremy Chadd. It was a great time. We then went to the Robson's house for lunch. They have 4 wonderful children and Peter (the Dad) is also training to be a priest in the church of England. It was a great day!

2005-10-17T11:13:00.000+01:00

Wait Mom - I've got to fix my pretty! Abigail calls her dress her 'pretty.'

2005-10-17T11:12:00.000+01:00

Finally - a good smile!

2005-10-17T11:11:00.000+01:00

The church had pictures of the communicants on a bulletin board and people assingned to them to pray for them during the week. I didn't even realize it, but the church had gotten this picture of Abigail off of our blog. That was so sweet.

Getting together...

2005-10-17T10:52:00.000+01:00

...is so hard to do, but we managed to get a family picture last Sunday. Just so you all know, I do have 2 inch heels on, Matthew is really getting tall. Also, St. Leonard's rugby team beat Duchess High 36-12 last Saturday. Matthew is a forward (tackler) and is doing well. Apparently he is quiet so the big guys think they can take him and he just knocks them down. Can't wait to see one of his games. Also, pray for Joshua today, he has a headache/fever/stomach bug. Pray that is contains itself and doesn't go through the family (for Jeff's sake since I am leaving on Wednesday)!

Caleb's 5th Birthday!!!!!!!!

2005-10-14T12:01:00.000+01:00

We had a great time on Wednesday celebrating Caleb's 5th birthday. He still has that great smile and I hope he always does. We had our friend Cathy Cook with us that evening and had a wonderful time. Caleb got a remote control 'mini' car, sword, Dick and Jane books (from Joshua:), Spidey PJ's, and best of all, a new winter coat - black, red and white. He had a fun evening! Three cheers for Caleb! Hip hip Hurray! Hip Hip Hurray! Hip Hip Hurray! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Football/School update

2005-10-13T18:47:00.000+01:00

This picture was taken two Saturdays ago. The U10 (under 10, actually 8-9 year-olds) girls team, the Deerness Valley Divas (great name, I know). They did great that day, 7-0 and 7-0. Last week they had one W and one L. They are 2nd in the league now. This Saturday they play the Angels who are first in the league. SARAH played goalie for two weeks and had a clean sheet (no goals scored against her). She is going to the doctor tomorrow to have her leg looked at. She has had trouble with shin splints, sore heels and now her leg has been sore since Sunday. Hope we can work it out before Saturday!
I am not sure where JOSHUA's team is ranked, but he is having fun. When he gets in the paper, we'll be sure to post it. His team name is the Deerness Valley Demons. How the club came up with 'Divas' and 'Demons' I don't know!
MATTHEW made the St. Leonard's rugby team and was 3rd best tackler in last nights practise. He has his first game on Saturday against Duchess High at the Alnwick Rugby club (near Alnwick Castle where parts of Harry Potter were filmed. He'll bus it with the team from the school as the game is a little over an hour away. I am looking forward to a closer game so we can watch him play! ALSO, MATTHEW has gotten almost straight A's this term so far. We are so proud of him. The classes operate in sets, like levels. There are five and set 1 is the highest. He was in set 1 in all his classes last year. This year he went down to set 3 in a few classes, but doing so well, he will move up a set each term as long as he is getting A's. We are so proud of him and his teachers are very pleased too. Thank you for all your prayers, the kids are doing so well and you know that makes a mom at ease. All of the other children are in the top sets of their classes too. HANNAH and SARAH were in lower sets in math, but moved up this term.

CALEB recived a Head Teacher award this week. He is a whiz in math just like JOSHUA. JOSHUA is just all around bright!

Job Interview

2005-10-04T09:30:00.000+01:00

Thank you everyone for your prayers last evening. The interview went well. It will only be a few weeks till the candidates know something. The committee will need to get around work permit difficulties if they decide to hire me, but they sound willing to do that if things go that way. As we have expressed before the children here are different than in the states. This kind of job would really help me to get to know the children culturally if that makes sense. I just don't feel like I have a grasp on that yet. If God were to use me in this capacity, it would be a great ministry in the church, a great learning time for my kids and a fun outlet for me. Keep praying that God's will be done. Thank you! Rhea
My finger is healing. It is still stiff, I need to move it a a when I can. The swelling hasn't gone down, but the doctor said it must heal from the inside out, so I am expecting a long recovery. I am able to do a little more with it though, that is good.

Second hospital report

2005-09-30T16:42:00.000+01:00

My finger is healing, but it will take a while. The doctor had to soak the bandage off and eventually just pulled it off. It looks as though the door caught the middle of my nail and the pressure split my skin from under the nail to the outside. The split under the nail is just under the end of the nail, not as far back as I thought. The doctor left the bandage off to give the figer some air and I go back in two weeks. It is still oozing and as you can imagine it is very difficult to not use my right hand at all. I try to hold it up as much as possible and the doctor would like me to wear a sling to help me remember to not use it. I do hope it heals quickly as I am going to see my Mom, Dad and sister on the 19th of October (by myself! Pray for Jeff:). I won't be much help on the boat if it doesn't heal!
Thank you everyone for your prayers. Rhea

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!

2005-09-30T16:35:00.000+01:00

Wednesday evening Matthew started Rugby practise. He'll find out next week if he makes the team:) He does well at the sport and I think is learning to like it. This night though, it rained the entire practice (6:15-8:00pm) and was at times a hard rain. Thankfully it wasn't too cold. I was at football practise with Sarah and Joshua in the rain as well, but we did finish at 6:30pm. The kids got warm showers and hot chocolate when they got home. We'll need to like tea if this keeps up, it is much healthier. Matthew did have fun despite his look. The last thing he wanted to do was pose for a picture:)

Windy Autumn Days

2005-09-28T13:24:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I was cleaning out the van in our driveway (between the two houses). It gets very windy in there at times. I opened the driver side door, the wind caught it and smashed my right middle finger between the door and the brick wall. I couldn't believe it. I didn't think it was too bad as I had it running under cold water, but then I began to feel sick and if I hadn't sat down I would have fallen. I later realized that I was in shock. It is an unbelievable feeling, I felt so out of control. My neighbor got my feet above my head, it took about an hour before I could sit up. Going to the A&E (accident & emergency) wasn't something I really wanted to do, it could take hours! So I called the doctor and she had an appointment within 30 minutes. One look and she said you need to go to the A & E for an x-ray. You may have an open fracture and need antibiotics. Sure enough, I have several fractures in the last bone near my nail. They got me bandaged up and sent me home with antibiotics. I go back tomorrow to see how it is healing. Pray that it heals quickly! I have had to re-typed so many words, not too easy to type with 9 fingers! I do thank God that the pain is really minimal and that the doctors didn't have to remove the nail to suture the split. Oh, so glad! Needless to say, we won't be parking any vehicles in the drive (wind tunnel) any more!

Football Fever

2005-09-28T12:47:00.000+01:00

Sarah and Joshua are well underway in their football season. Even though they are new, they are doing so well. Two Saturdays ago, they lost both games, but last Saturday, Joshua's under 8's won 2-1 and 3-2. Sarah's under 10's won 7-0 and 7-1. Joshua and Sarah both played goalie and did great! Not one goal was scored on Sarah (there was another girl in when the one goal was scored). Also, Matthew decided to start Rugby this week. We are so glad, he has three friends on the team. He misses baseball so much he didn't want to play any sport, but he does just as well, if not better than his teammates. He's a natural. I'll get more pictures when I can, but the laws here are such that I can only take photos if we have permission from all parents on both teams. More photos to come!

UP and RUNNING!

2005-09-18T17:47:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone! My computer is up and running again BUT I have lost all of my e-mail addresses. If you occasionally drop me a line, please do so that I can save your e-mail address once again.
Also, thankfully, when I downloaded my pictures from the disk the 'computer man' made for me, ALL of the pictures were on there! I couldn't believe it! I was able to reorganize the over 1300 pictures into new folders. That was nice. AND I have made a backup. Thank God He is gracious in little things.
School is going well, Caleb is having a blast. We have a touch of a stomach bug, 2 down (Abigail and Caleb) and hopefully no one else will get the 24 hour bug!
Love you all and continue to keep us in your prayers as we do hold you in our as well.

The Funny Things our Kids Do

2005-09-16T14:29:00.000+01:00

This morning we were all getting ready for school when Dad noticed that Hannah might need to put on her deodorant, apparently she forgot. She then came down stairs with a white powdery spray on her navy sweatshirt. Jeff asked if she had spayed the outside of her shirt and she just smiled. Apparently she didn't know that she need to spray the deodorant on her SKIN. We had quite a laugh. Hannah has been instructed to read the directions on the deodorant can when she gets home this afternoon. It just goes to show you that your growing children may not know what to do with the new things they need to use. Not only was the deodorant rendered ineffective, but Hannah's clothes were quite unattractive to say the least:)

2005-09-16T14:21:00.000+01:00

I was at the dinning room table (around the left from the fridge there) and here comes Abigail all powdery white. Mom: "What have you been doing Abigail?" Abigail: "I didn't do anything," was her reply. She loves the flour and the laundry powder. She managed this in about 7 minutes. Oh, what fun and why do they have to be so cute when they misbehave?

2005-09-16T14:06:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone! I am so sorry it has been a while since I have blogged. Actually, my hard drive crashed. Can you believe it?! One month after warranty went out! I have spent a few days getting programs loaded back on. If you haven't done so in a while, BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS! All of my photos in Picassa 2 could not be retrieved. The computer place was able to save the photos in MY PICTURES, but none else. Jeff has some of them, but we did loose a lot:( Now on to the current photo - this is Sarah and Joshua, of course, disappointed because their first season football game was rained out. Tomorrow we have games again and I think it will be nice, though cold. Joshua is starting as goalie and they are both very excited. Getting "in" with their teammates is a little difficult right now, being the new kids on the block in many ways, but both Joshua and Sarah have great attitudes and are handling their circumstances with patience and kindness:)

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

2005-09-05T10:30:00.000+01:00

Can't believe it, but it is here. September 5th, first day of school. Caleb was so excited too. Two Fridays ago we watched Sahara, great family movie. So the kids are all saying "How are ya?" like guy in the movie with a southern accent. Hannah, Sarah and Joshua walked themselves to the Junior building and I stayed with Caleb until the bell rang. We found his peg in the cloak room then proceeded to the classroom. There we found his name tag, hugged a while, then he spotted his friend Sam. That was the end of that. He kissed Abigail and me good bye and was off. Abigail asked to stay too, but she'll have to wait:) Mom was more sad, and walking home with Abigail was quiet. Pray for us all as we begin a new year and may Caleb keep up his courageous spirit! Love you all!

2005-09-05T10:25:00.000+01:00

This was one of our last summer trips. I was hoping that the sun would come out but it didn't. We went to Barnard Castle again so the kids could play in the River Tees. It was fun, but about 60 F, windy and no sun. It was cold!
At the top, Sarah was getting pulled by the current and Matthew had to save her. She really could swim, she just panicked a little. Abigail is trying to keep warm and Caleb is fascinated by all the different rocks.
I was glad to have the kids say, "Let's go home." I was so cold! It was fun though.

Summer Fun

2005-09-05T10:18:00.000+01:00

One of Hannah's summer creations, a rock garden. Photo taken by Hannah as well.

2005-09-05T10:17:00.000+01:00

At first Hannah didn't miss the hot weather and was very excited about having a cooler winter/summer. BUT as the summer approached, she was longing for HOT Louisiana, the beach and the Cedar Creek Pool. :(

2005-09-05T10:13:00.000+01:00

Hannah has taken to the camera just like Abigail takes to being photographed! Enjoy these poses!

2005-09-05T10:12:00.000+01:00

Abigail is a ham. We love her so much!

Hurricane Katrina

2005-08-28T15:15:00.000+01:00

We are praying for our friends, The Lindsays specifically in Biloxi heading to West Monroe, and all those in Louisiana who may be affected by Hurricane Katrina. May God be merciful as this storm hits land.

Happy 7th Birthday Joshua!!!!

2005-08-23T09:40:00.000+01:00

What a fun day. I took Natalie Dolby home early this Friday morning :( but we had a fun day of 'birthday boy' waiting for us all. Joshua is so excited to be 7, though he says he doesn't want to grow up. A new watch was in order as he is learning how to tell time. This one even shines the time on the wall! The rest of the things he received were Yu-Gi-Oh cards and Lego Knights. The boys love playing Yu-Gi-Oh together. Thank you Memaw/Granddad, Nana/Granddad, D-daddy/Gammy and Aunt Maff for a wonderful birthday celebration! Can't forget the cake! Here Betty Crocker is somewhat of a gourmet food. �1.99 (about $3.76) for the mix and �1.99 for the icing. I have gone to the english butter icing, adding cream cheese, that saves a few pence. Someone is making some money on these boxes of cake though! I remember getting them in Ruston, LA for .69 cents sometimes on sale. Maybe I should try importing Betty Crocker! Cakes are a real special treat now and maybe I will learn how to make one from scratch now:)

First Football Tournament

2005-08-23T09:32:00.000+01:00

These are pictures from last Saturday, 20th. Joshua and Sarah had football tournaments. I went with Joshua and Jeff went with Sarah. They both did well. Joshua is on a development team because he is a young player (the rest of the boys and girls are already 8) and also most of the kids have been playing for 4 years already. Sarah faired a little better. Girls football is just getting going and hers is the first girls team to represent the football club we are in. Joshua could not wait to play. He started, front line, then 5 minutes into the game he got a ball in the face and a little nose bleed. Rules are here that with a head injury you can't go back into that game. He was dissapointed, but hung in there watching the rest of the game. They both had a great day. The regular season begins Sept. 10th, they are looking forward to that:)
As you can tell, Abigail Caleb and Matthew were really into the game:)

Barnard Castle

2005-08-22T11:57:00.000+01:00

Inside Barnad Castle. Top left the kids are in a fire place in one of the castle rooms. Top right, this is called an arrow loop window. It is a long narrow slit where archers can fire out to protect the caslte against attack. Bottom left is the 3rd floor of the tower. Bottom right is a picture of the bake house oven. Huge isn't it?! It was a great idea to get the kids in the oven, huh? Hannah was off with Natalie, on some adventure. They had a great time together.

2005-08-22T11:53:00.000+01:00

Barnard Castle! One of the better castle ruins we have visited. There is so much space and the layout is magnificent. I tried to put the top two pictures together like a panoramis view. The tower is to the left and you can actually go up to the top. There were 4 floors in it. Amazing. Also on the left was the main quarters and dining hall. The River Tees is just below the tower. The bottom left picture is in the middle of the castle grounds. If you look closely you can see three banks. This ditch was actually dug for further proctection of the main castle building and tower. This ditch could be filled with water to form a mote and then drained again. The bottom right picture is taken from the tower and shows a beautiful bridge over the River Tees.

River Tees

2005-08-22T11:48:00.000+01:00

This is the River Tees, just below Barnard Castle. We had such a blast there. The kids will never forget it and they can't wait to go back. Natalie and Matthew became so adventerous that they ventured out and crossed the river. It wasn't too bad, though Matthew did fall in once. We talked about how Christopher would have so much fun there with Matthew and how the Jonkers would so much enjoy it too. We do miss our friends!

2005-08-22T11:45:00.000+01:00

This path was across the river on the way to a little stream that ran into the river. It was a safer place to play. The lily pad looking plants were so huge, Natalie Dolby actually got a picture of Caleb with the plant wrapped around his neck like a collar with his head sticking out. My poor camera needed new batteries:(

Lumley Park

2005-08-22T11:41:00.000+01:00

This park is by Lumley Castle. I've added the link to Lumley Castle, they have a marvelous website with a tour on it that is very informative. Natalie was able to go into the castle and poke around, she said it was wonderful. When the caslte is a hotel, it is nice not to pay admission to see it! I am hoping to go there sometime myself and atleast have dinner if not stay the night. It is only 10 minutes away!
The wadding pool is big with two fountains, then there is also a play ground with a huge castle built in the middle for climbing. The kids had a ball. We actually got sun burt that day! The water was VERY cold, but the kids didn't mind. The last picture is unbelievable. Abigail is so verbally articulate and can cut her eyes in ways you would never dream of a 2-year-old doing. In this picture she was trying to get to the water before I was ready. I asked her to wait for mommy and she kept walking. She actually kept her hand on her hips, taking baby steps, all the way to the water, cutting her eyes and looking back at me. I did catch up with her:)

Visiting the Lake District

2005-08-19T10:11:00.000+01:00

Lake Windermere was beautiful at sunset. The boats go around the lake and stop at different towns. The hotel on the hill is magnificent, though our hotel around the corner was very nice too. I found photos that a man just posted from August 15-16. Beautiful pictures, just click on the link above.

13th Anniversary!

2005-08-19T10:09:00.000+01:00

The top two pictures are of our hotel entrance and dining room. We ate breakfast at the table to the right, it was wonderful! We had a few drinks before our wonderful Italian dinner. Lake Windermere is one of many lakes in the Lake District.

2005-08-19T10:03:00.000+01:00

Windermere is known mostly for being the home of William Wordsworth as well as a few other poets.

2005-08-19T10:02:00.000+01:00

Windermere is also know for The World of Beatrix Potter. This was painted high up on a wall in a waterfront restaurant where we played some pool.

2005-08-19T10:01:00.000+01:00

Ambleside was a very cute town. It was raining this morning, but still it was nice to be there. We enjoyed walking up and down the small town and stopping for coffee.

2005-08-19T09:59:00.000+01:00

Known as the Bridge House, this little house is actually built on a bridge over a stream. The history of the place is that it was a storage house (the upper door) for apples during the winter.

2005-08-19T09:58:00.000+01:00

This last picture in Ambleside is of a B&B that is accessed by a bridge over a little stream. Very quaint!

2005-08-19T09:57:00.000+01:00

This shot is from the top of Barnard Castle tower looking over the River Tees.

2005-08-19T09:56:00.000+01:00

A few pictures of the countryside. The bottom two pictures are from Barnard Castle. The outside of the Castle Tower and main rooms (left) and going up the tower (right).

2005-08-19T09:49:00.000+01:00

We saw these deer near Raby Castle. I don't know what kind of dear they are, black on the face and back, but there were so many and just beautiful. They were grazing with the sheep on the castle grounds.

2005-08-19T09:46:00.000+01:00

This last picture is of the huge windmills that dot the countryside. They are massive, but you really can't get a feel for the size until you see it, but you can see the sheep on the hill for reference. The trip has some great scenery and the northwest was very beautiful.

Durham Castle

2005-08-10T16:00:00.000+01:00

Tuesday we went to Durham Castle. It was so beautiful! This is a fountain just below where student dorms. Amazing!

2005-08-10T15:59:00.000+01:00

The castle was amazing. The most wonderful part is that it is still very much in use by students and as a bed and breakfast on University breaks. The top right picture is fully used as dorms (WOW!). The bottom left picture is the gate keep and has the two most posh (expensive) dorm rooms available to students. Different parts of the castle were built at different times during the occupancy of different Bishops of Durham. At one time the Bishop of Durham was also known as a Prince Bishop because he had the power to make coins and call up soldiers. Also notice the different crests on the masonry. Bishops left their crests on everything so as to leave their mark (very egotistic said the tour guide). We were unable to get pictures inside, but one story of note. The great hall was separated from the kitchen by a courtyard (so as to keep the castle safe from possible fire). Normally the food was brought to the Bishop first, then all his guests, then there was prayer and by the time everyone was able to eat the food was cold. Arches were cut in the wall by the kitchen door and the courtyard was closed in. Also, "Bless this food" was carved on top of the arches in Latin so that as the food was passed through, it was already blessed and no one had to eat a cold plate! Notice the lady in the green jacket in the bottom right picture. That is Natalie Dolby! She is here until the 19th to help out with kids and enjoy the sites. Jeff and I will be going to the Lake District this Friday evening and enjoying all sorts of sites Friday and Saturday. Hope to get some good pictures then.

2005-08-10T15:46:00.000+01:00

Abigail stood there for a few minutes (while we were waiting for our tour guide) wanting me to take a picture, so here it is! She is a doll, I just hope she quits pulling her hair out so it will grow!

Broom House Farm

2005-08-09T22:29:00.000+01:00

Our first venture out after being ill this summer break was to Broom House Farm, located just 4 miles from our house. It is a family run farm and its main attraction is a Maize Maze. Located in the maze are 9 boards with 2 quizzes to complete. We did manage to find all 9 boards (with a break for lunch in between). Completed quizzes go into a draw for a BBQ pack of meat (lamb, pork and beef - Angus raised on the farm). Wouldn't that be a nice treat?

2005-08-09T22:25:00.000+01:00

There were just a few animals on the farm, the hogs were fun to watch. The babies liked rubbing their backsides on the pen. Caleb and Abigail thought it was so funny. The lambs were cute as well.

2005-08-09T22:24:00.000+01:00

These are two other animals we saw at the farm. The baby chicks weren't so small, but still cute. The Shetland pony was very cute, but did like to bite!

2005-08-09T21:25:00.000+01:00

The second main attraction was the hay bail maze. Abigail was quite cute in there. The 4th picture is of her on a bouncy ball. The lady on the bench was laughing hysterically at her. I did get a video, but still haven't found an easy medium (like Bloggerbot) to get videos on my blog. Any suggestions out there?

2005-08-09T21:24:00.000+01:00

All in all we had a great time at Broom House Farm. The kids are so great, it really has been nice spending time with them again. That 4th picture there is of a house on Redhills lane behind our house. It is very steep road that goes down behind our house. The archway is over the drive. Looks like the cover to an old wooden bridge. Thought it was interesting.

Thank You for your prayers - Good News

2005-07-29T21:59:00.000+01:00

We got a call today from Hannah's GP saying that her Glandular Fever test was negative but she did have an extremely low white blood cell count in her lymph glands. The doctor wanted her admitted to the hospital with further tests. She was concerned about a form of Lupus (SLE - don't know the full name at the moment!). Her blood test this afternoon was NORMAL - thank you LORD. She still has two throat swab tests and a few blood tests we are waiting on, but they don't suspect anything out of the ordinary. I will have to speak with the GP on Monday and see why she thinks her first blood test was so abnormal and if we should worry about it. We will keep everyone posted as to her progress.
Sarah is still not even half herself yet, but she is improving. Caleb has bounced right back in the last few days. Hopefully when his antibiotic is finished he won't have any recurrences.
Thank you all for your prayers. It is times like this that I feel a little closer to home. Love and miss all our family and friends.

2005-07-29T11:23:00.000+01:00

Here is the close-up of Abigail. No, we didn't cut her hair, she has been twisting it around her fingers and pulling it out! Hope that ends soon. Still cute as ever. Don't you love the Bob the Builder slippers? She took off girly play shoes for those, what's up with that?!

2005-07-29T11:21:00.000+01:00

Welcome to Summer Holiday! Matthew is recovering from his tonsillectomy (day 11 and doing much better:) It took Matthew a full week to feel at about 75%, now he is about 95%. Glad that is over.
Hannah is getting over strep A and Sarah has it a second time.

UPDATE SINCE PICTURE! Hannah is being tested for Glandular Fever (Mono). She is having a hard time, just so tired.
Sarah needed a stronger antibiotic, she just wasn't doing well. On day 2 of the new antibiotic she is doing a bit better but still not herself. Hannah, Sarah and Caleb all have an eye infection.
Joshua and Abigail are doing great. Joshua had one spell of antibiotics and recoverd wonderfully, Abigail hasn't had a thing through out this whole 4 week ordeal. What a trooper!
We are hopefull that things will continue to get better each day.
We have a guest arriving from my parents church, Natalie Dolby, on August 9th. We are looking forward to her stay with us and hope to all be well by then!

2005-07-20T23:31:00.001+01:00

Close up!

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while:( The end of the term was so busy and we had several kids not well (Caleb, Joshua, Sarah and Hannah). Everyone except for Jeff and Abigail are on antibiotics now. Matthew for preventive infection (his tonsillectomy went well!) the rest of us for Strep A and/or tonsillitis. Hopefully by Sunday we will all be feeling better. Enjoy all the pics!

2005-07-20T23:31:00.000+01:00

Summer pictures from St. John's Church. These flowers are so pretty. I really love all the summer colors.

2005-07-20T23:28:00.000+01:00

Caleb is wearing his new uniform for St. Margaret's this fall. He can't wait to go to school with his brother and sisters.

End of School Events

2005-07-20T23:26:00.000+01:00

This is the first in a series of events that ended the school year. Hope you enjoy them.
Caleb's end of the year included a song time for the parents. They were adorable! If anyone can tell me how to post a video, I can post one of Caleb's class singing!

2005-07-20T23:24:00.000+01:00

Hannah and her friends on 'Sports Day.' She has a good group of friends, but she really misses the girls from JKPC!