It Can't Be Over. It's the 7th Day of Christmas!

Christmas wasn’t what I imagined this year.  In fact there were a few events that if it were possible, I would ask to do over but on the other hand there were a couple of things that worked out perfectly.  One of the perfect things happened to be an unexpected event that made me want to stop the clock and freeze time.

My grandgirls came to stay with us on December 7^th.   We weren’t expecting them until December 21 and I would be lying to you if I didn’t admit that at first I was completely overwhelmed.   When they arrived, Christmas preparations were barely underway and things were busy at work with a lot of year-end activities.  It’s been nearly 8 years since I had to juggle the working mom schedule but it didn’t take long for me to get a schedule figured out.   Lucky for me after a week of rearranging and scheduling, our workplace day care center kicked off a winter camp program so the girls got to come to work with me every day. 

There were some week days that I was completely exhausted after getting them fed, bathed and ready for the next day but on the weekends it was incredible to have plenty of time to bake cookies, go ice skating, go Christmas shopping, volunteer, have tea parties, sing carols, read stories, play games and watch movies. My youngest granddaughter loves Gidget!   Can you imagine?   Every day really was a holiday – just like the words that Karen Carpenter sang.

I just took my son, his wife and the girls to the airport and I’m back home completely overwhelmed with an empty and silent house. While the girls were here everything was always out of place, something was being broken or spilled or someone was needing help with something but the for the past three weeks the house has been full of joy, excitement and enthusiasm.  In the evenings we would sit together in “the talking room” (my living room which has no television) and simply enjoy family times, telling the Christmas story nightly.  The mornings were so special. Nothing can take the place of a waking up to a child’s hand gently reaching for your face in the early hours of the morning just checking to see if you are awake.

Today my heart aches from having to say goodbye to such precious moments and at the moment it is too hard to think about much of anything else.  I am reminded that there is joy in being able to recognize precious moments when they happen and they happened a lot this Christmas.

May 2013 be filled with more wonderful moments with friends and family. Happy New Year.

Silent Night

Going caroling has always been a Christmas tradition for me and tonight I’d like to share a story about a very special song and why it's so meaningful.

Several years ago I joined together with a few singer friends and we set out to go caroling and visiting a list of senior citizens living in our community.  We’d visited five or so houses when we arrived at our last address.  As we knocked on the door of this house an elderly woman opened the front door and invited us in.   We stepped inside a darkened living room and the woman quickly explained that her husband, who was lying on a bed in the middle of the room, was on hospice care.  She went on to say that Silent Night had always been his favorite Christmas song and while he might not open his eyes she was sure that he would be able to hear us if we were to sing it for him.

I was a bit emotional as I started to sing and I could hear my voice cracking but as our small group continued to sing, the song became more ethereal as we sang the words, “sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.”   By the time we finished the song silent tears were streaming down our faces.  The man’s wife began to weep as she thanked us for our visit.    

As we opened the door to leave we realized that it had been snowing and there was already a dusting of snow on the walkway.  The night sky was a beautiful midnight blue which was lighted by the snowfall.  Somehow the snow was muffling outside noises turning a busy weeknight into a silent night.  As I drove home I couldn’t stop thinking the last visit and the dying man.  It was hard to sleep that night. 

Early the next morning as I was getting ready for work the phone rang.  It was one of the carolers from my group calling to tell me that the man we’d visited had died just a few hours after our visit.

Since that night, Silent Night has held a very special place in my heart.   

Still Catching Up

It has taken me a little time to get back to blogging after my Thanksgiving trip to Zimbabwe.   I returned to U.S. and went straight to work on November 29th and I've been in overdrive ever since.  

Thanksgiving weekend is usually when our family does all of our decorating, shopping and other holiday preparations so being away during that time put me a bit off schedule.  

Zimbabwe - A group from the seminar

The trip to Zimbabwe was a very emotional trip.  It was amazing to have the opportunity be a part of an incredible program and to have the chance to introduce the idea of corporate volunteerism in Zimbabwe but during the course of the seminar we heard about so many areas of need.  It wasn't just hearing about issues of poverty, health and human rights, but in some instances, emotionally I struggled with coming face-to-face with AIDS orphans and poverty.  

It took me a couple of weeks to process the things I saw and experienced and to get to a point that I could speak about some of these things without crying.  Since then many of my friends have been helping me think of ways to help and their suggestions and input has been helpful. 

In the coming weeks I hope to post photos and tell more stories but for now it is nice to share some holiday happenings.  

Our grandgirls arrived early!

The girls and I have been busy baking cookies, bell-ringing for Salvation Army, going to Christmas gatherings and making memories.  

During the coming week they are going to a winter camp, going to the Shakespeare Tavern for a performance of A Christmas Carol and working at the local food bank.  It's really been fun to have them with us as we celebrate the season. 

Like the rest of the country, we were so saddened by Friday's tragic events.  I must admit that I was challenged by trying to figure out how to discuss the tragedy with the girls but at the same time my heart was heavy for a community that was suffering with so many losses.  Last night we decided to light candles last night and say prayers for the victims.  

We did a lot more hugging and snuggling this weekend and will continue to join our country in prayer for the families of the victims.

Some photographic indulgence...

Once again I've been off these pages for far too long. It's hard to say where the time goes, but I'm very rarely in front of a computer screen these days - and if I am it's normally emailing pics of my little lady to her grandparents, or onto Facebook. Yes, I have become one of those Mums who is completely obsessed with her child and spends her whole life doting on her or sharing pics of her with the world - and in yet another moment of self indulgence please find a few photos of my 11-week-old poppet below... ;-) xx

It's Time!

I'm nervous, excited and almost ready.

Shots and vaccine card - check

Passport - check 

Anti-malaria pills - check

High-powered bug spray - check

Clothing treated with bug spray as recommended by the travel clinic doctor - check 

PowerPoint presentations complete - check

Talking points ready - check

Thumbdrive loaded - check 

Converter ready - check 

Suitcase pack ,,,,TBD (as in "to be done")

Errands run (like picking up the new pair of glasses that I need for this trip, going to the bank, etc.)  TBD

So this time tomorrow I will be well on my way to Amsterdam, Nairobi, Lusaka, eventually making my way to Harare.  I've got my iPad and I'll be listening to Christmas music whenever possible so that I'm doing my part to kick off the holiday season. 

Deja vu

Apologies once again for not writing more on here lately, but it would appear having a newborn baby takes up quite a lot of time - who knew?! Ha ha.

Life with Lucy is going really well and for the most part I am really, really enjoying it (the one per cent I don't enjoy being afternoons like yesterday when Lucy got ridiculously overtired and it took me three full hours to settle her down and get her to bed!). She's somehow 8 weeks old already now and has begun to smile and interact, and she's starting to fall into more recognisable patterns of behaviour so I feel a bit like I understand her at least some of the time. She is really beautiful and it is amazing to see her develop and change almost on a daily basis - although there was a little tear in my eye when I packed away her newborn and 0-1 month clothes the other day as she is in the 0-3 month clothes now. I guess they always say the time flies but I'm really feeling it just now.

Anyway - life has been quite busy lately and the most exciting news is that we have accepted an offer on the flat. We actually had two offers in the same afternoon and had the tension of a bidding war - which really worked in our favour and we (tentatively) have an excellent price for the flat. The guy seems very keen and serious and has already swapped solicitor details... but after the disappointment of last time we try to keep our feet grounded and just hope for the best.

I am very relieved though that we don't have to keep leaving the flat immaculate for viewings and me trotting out several times a day so the estate agents can show people around without me being there. That has been hard work with little Miss!

Our buyer has indicated he wants to exchange before Christmas and complete in the New Year, in early January... so we have everything crossed that happens and we can find a decent rental, and that we will start 2013 in a little family home in Kent. And before then - a last Christmas (hopefully!) in London to enjoy. I feel excited to take Lucy to the Winter Wonderland and the Christmas family services at Southwark Cathedral - our nearest church - but I'm sure these activities are both more for my benefit than hers!

Vacations Are the Best

It was wonderful to spend time in Mexico!   I’ve wanted to travel in Mexico for years but my husband was not the least bit interested.  

Last spring during an airfare sale, my son and I decided to make plans.  It’s always amused me that whenever I ask my husband about doing something, he can be less than enthusiastic but if I just go ahead and make plans, he is always 100% on board.  I love that about him.  Now I can't wait to go back!

Sunrise

At certain moments it was hard to sit back and enjoy the moment.  Hurricane Sandy was on my mind and because of my role at work there were some relief effort planning that needed to be done. What did we ever do before the internet, Skype, Blackberries and iPhones? 

Breakfast fresh from the tree

 There were a few times I felt guilty about relaxing in such a beautiful place when so many people in the northeast were, and still are struggling.

Snorkeling just a few feet away from my hammock!

This weekend has been a whirlwind as I prepare for my trip to Zimbabwe – lots of shots, meds and bug spray.   

Vacation is over

There may be a gap in my posts but I can promise you I will have plenty to share when I get back.   I’m taking my iPad so maybe I’ll get a post in before the end of the month. 

Happy Thanksgiving to blog friends in the U.S. 

Shelter

You have probably gathered that Family Beans haven't moved house yet. If you've been following the saga, we accepted an offer on our flat back in March, when I was just 12 weeks pregnant. In April we had our offer on a family house in Kent accepted, and the aim was for both the sale and purchase to be completed by the end of June. Sounds pretty straightforward doesn't it? And having bought two properties and sold one before, I had every hope things would progress smoothly.

Well, suffice to say that didn't exactly happen and now here we are in October - about to start all over again. Our buyer pulled out of buying our flat a couple of weeks ago, just days before we were set to exchange and complete contracts. The buyer has been incredibly slow and unreliable, so earlier in the process the Boy and I fully anticipated problems. But when we had got to the point where we had all spent money - our buyer spending over £1k on a very detailed survey of our flat! - we were optimistic the transaction would be closed off successfully.

I was bitterly disappointed that the process collapsed. I've recently had some bad news about my Mum's health and I was very keen to be near her in Kent - I was hoping time with Lucy would be a happy distraction for her at this difficult time. We also did all our antenatal (NCT classes) in Kent and I have become very close to a couple of the girls, and was muchly looking forward to seeing more of them. It is so helpful to know other new Mums when you are just starting out as a parent. We were also both ready to move from our little flat which is bursting at the seams now with baby paraphernalia (as well as everything else we had!) and move to a proper little family house with a garden. The Boy and I had both fantasised about Lucy's first Christmas being in our first family gaff.

Having the carpet pulled from beneath us has been quite a bitter blow and it took us a moment or two to pick ourselves up. The thought of starting again and having to work viewings etc around little Lucy felt somewhat overwhelming and we needed to pause and recollect ourselves. And that we did. We've now had estate agents around, instructed one to sell the property, and we are starting again from this week. Deep breath!

The good news is that the flat has rocketed in value even since March, with the redevelopment of the area. We can now how to sell for at least £20k more than the price we agreed back then - so, I suppose every cloud has a silver lining and all that... and while we would rather not be in this position we will make the best of it. We've lost the house we were going to purchase, and we've decided now to just rent in the area we were moving to at least to begin with. We're both loathe to get stuck in a chain again, and this way as soon as we have a buyer secured we can up sticks and move. Renting means we can spend some time getting to know the area better and making sure we move to the right place. Wish us luck!