All gone

Well, Fridays big move went rather successfully. The movers showed up at 9:40, and by 10 am my entire hallway was filled with boxes. My great plan of taking the girls to mums and toddlers wasn't able to happen. Instead we watched back to back episodes of Little Bear, and I prayed Olivia wouldn't need to use the potty because it was blocked.  By 11:20, the entire job was done and all my cherished things were on a truck headed for the docks! Later that afternoon, Steph came around and we went from room to room, putting stuff together for a car boot sale. It felt good to clean out the flat!

Ready to go

Chris and I spent the eveing getting everything ready for the movers who are coming at 10 am.  We had to pack up the computer, the expresso machine, etc.  No more vailla lattes to get me through the day!  We also got a load of those vacuum bags.  Now, I had ordered some off of amazon for 12.99, for a pack of 10 large ones.  Chris went to Lakeland Plastics in Eldon Square and bought 4 large ones which came up to 20 pounds.  Ok, I kinda got a little upset at him for spending so much for only 4.  But when we used the cheaper ones from amazon, they quality could not even begin to compare to the Lakeland plastic ones!  Lesson learnded, dont buy cheap vacuum pack bags!

I must admit, im a bit nervous for 10 am. I dont know how its going to go.  Moms and Toddlers will be going on downstairs, so atleast I can take the girls there.  We shall see. I will update you all with the outcome!  We are also going to clean out the car on saturday, and put it on Gumtree for sale!  Bye Bye old friend!

the movers are coming!

This morning I rang Kelleys removas again (a loca newcastle branch that is under the donnee bonner umbrella).  Their quote was the best 1385 pounds, and i thought they were a bit more proffessional than Pickfords (well atleast the people who answer the phone there were a bit more on the ball).  I really dont think it matters who you go with, they are all as bad as the other...and you will get good reviews and bad reviews from each company.  Well, when I rang, the rep asked if we were ready to go.  I said, yes, that everything was in one room ready to be packed.  So, he suggested they come at 10 in the morning! Ahhhh!  Tonight is going to be filled with lots of last minute sorting and insuring everything we want to go is packed up!

Going through every emotion

I am literally going through every emotion right  now.  We received our new address for our apartment when we arrive in Franklin…well its actually in Brentwood. We have decided to sell the car by the 14^th of July, which means we need to clean it up this weekend and put it up for sale.  We had another moving company come to give a quote…1385 this time (Kelleys removals in Newcastle).  Pickfords, the first company who quoted in the 2200, has said they will come Friday morning for a re-quote.  Either way, all this stuff will be picked up next week. 

All this is causing me to go on a rollercoaster of emotions.  One minute I am excited, one minute I am sad, one minute I want to keep my dining table because of all the memories made with it, the next I want a new one. I cant make any decisions! I look forward to Friday, as my good friend Steph is going to come over and help me go through everything once again.  Then Sunday we, along with my other good friend Jess (who is going through a big moving process as well to Scotland with her husband and two boys), are all going to a car boot sale in Whitley Bay.  I’m hoping to make a little cash so that I can put it towards all the stuff we need to re-buy. 

Now for the really sad part… we cant take all the girls toys.  I don't know who’s more sad about this, them, or me, who is going to have to explain to my 3 year old where her goofy soft toy is.  It is going to be way too expensive to send everything.  So, I have come up with a plan. If I can make 699$ in the next couple of weeks through selling different things, I’m going to buy the girls the pottery barn kitchen.  It is every little girls dream kitchen (and every mummy’s dream too).  It is super pricey, but what is funny, it is cheaper to buy that brand new kitchen, than to bring all their existing toys!  They already have a super cute kitchen, but again, it is going to cost more than the value of the kitchen to ship! So we shall see. I have our leather sofas to sell, our bed, a wardrobe, a dining table, and various bits and bobs.  My hope is that they both get so excited over the new amazing kitchen that they don't notice the missing stuff!

Like I said this is an emotional time.  I am trying to be very sensitive to Olivias needs. Her tantrums are out of control and we are trying our hardest to help her through this process and not involve her in rather stressful conversations (such as car insurance quotes). I too am sad about leaving behind my security net... my friends, my church, my support network.  I was overwhelmed with a lonely feeling last night just thinking about it.  It took us so long to make good friends...the kind you can call on in the middle of the night if you need someone to watch your kids. I know God will provide new friends, a new support network... but this will all take time.

A life without...

Since living in England, I have done without many things.  For years, I have hand washed all my dishes. It was fine when it was just Chris and I. But when Olivia joined us, and then Fae, life without a dishwasher began becoming rather time consuming. This especially was hard at different events like Thanksgiving with 12 guests.  Not to mention her baby dedication, when I decided to have afternoon tea for 100 using real tea cups and saucers!  But I have learned to do without a dishwasher, and have actually enjoyed the peace that comes with washing dishes after dinner while Chris gives the girls a bath.  I enjoy looking out my kitchen window, at the gargoyles (Yes, I said gargoyles , and the stained glass window of the church.

The other thing I have learned to do without is a dryer.  For years I have line dried all my clothes.  Again, this wasn't an issue when I was single, or when it was just chris and I.  But when you add all the laundry that comes from children, it becomes a major chore.  Since moving to the flat we live in now, getting the clothes on the line (which happens to be on the church roof) has been difficult with the kids. And since it rains alot here, you never can guarantee good weather for drying outside.  But, I have grown used to the nice smell of line dried clothes... and have appreciated the fact that I dont have to worry about them shrinking!

Today we realised that our car insurance runs out on the 14th of July!  Now, we can either renew our existing policy for the year, and pay the cancelation fee when we sell the car.  Or look up a monthly car insurance.  Or... we can live without a car for a month and a half.  This option definently has some perks... no more buying petrol; we can sell our car sooner rather than later; and we can enjoy the extra exercise that comes from walking everywhere.  If we lived anywhere other than in the heart of a city, I wouldn't even consider this as an option. But since we live next to a metro station (yes, we live a few steps away from one), which can take us to various friends houses, the grocery store, the dr, the city centre, the airport, etc; this actually could be a possibility   Chris brought up the question of what if one of the girls needs to go to the hospital... and I guess we could call a taxi, or an ambulance for a real emergency.  It would just limit our range of activities which require driving to rather than the use of public transportation.

We havent made a decision regarding the car situation yet... we are just going to wait and see what quotes we get from temporary insurance companies.  Its all becoming real...the move that is.  It will especially feel real when we say goodbye to our beloved car!  

Overwhelmed.com

Well, we have spent the weekend cleaning out our entire house of everything we want to take and putting it in a nice little...oops, I meant HUGE, pile in the dining room. I am overwhelmed as the boxes keep coming from the loft. I cant believe this is just some of our stuff. Where are we going to put it all when we get there!  I just ordered some vacuum pack storage bags to use on all the old baby clothes (just incase we have a 3rd).  I need to just go through all this stuff another time and eliminate things. I know I will be even more overwhelmed when it all comes and I have to put it away!  I would post pictures but its just too overwhelming at the moment.  I cant wait till this part of the process is done!

prayer chain and Tickets booked

Our tickets are booked! Last night Chris and I searched the internet for the best deal regarding flights to Tennessee.  We booked through our airline of choice, British Airways, even though they were slightly more than Air France.  We are used to British Airways, and are hesitant to change airlines.  The date... August 31st at 6:15 am!  We arrive into Nashville at 6 in the evening. We wanted to take the flights schedule that would only be a 13 hour journey, but it only gave us an hour and ten minutes in Chicago airport to go through customs, recollect our checked luggage, go through security, re check the luggage and get to our plane.   America has a rule that international passengers must recollect there checked luggage and recheck it before boarding your next flight.  Errrrr. Since we are taking 4 huge tubs, 4 carry ons, 2 car seats, 1 stroller, 1 diaper bag, and 2 back packs, we really dont think there will be enough time to race through the airport! So, we will now fly through New York and have a 3 1/2 hour delay, bumping our journey up to 16 1/2 hours.  Our kids are really going to be fun when we arrive in Nashville. Lol. 

I wanted to share with you something we did a long time ago which has helped our family throughout this entire process.  We started a prayer chain which lead up to Sept 30^th (our originally moving date). Every day, I wrote a prayer request and sometimes a verse to go along with that prayer.  Every day we have pulled a chain off and prayed over that specific need for our trip.  The chain has gotten shorter and shorter…and even shorter now that we have bumped the actual moving date earlier.  I want to be a family that prays!

This is what the chain looks like this morning.  Todays prayer request... That Chris would find a job!

Tripit

Ok, who out there doesn't know about Tripit?  I just discovered it when we were planning our vacation to Tennessee in May.  Its a super clever little app, I wish I had discovered it ages ago.  Basically, you go to www.tripit.com and sign up, which is free.  You can also download the app on your iphone which is really helpful. Once you sign up, all you have to do is forward all your confirmation emails to plans@tripit.com and Tripit will automatically build an itinerary for your trip. You can also put maps, directions, dinner reservations...just about anything into your trip it itinerary  The best part is, you can access it either online or from your phone while you are on your trip. I printed my entire itinerary out and put it in a binder so everyday we could read our itinerary  use the maps, etc. I know, a bit OCD, but it is really useful! Im so excited to start my tripit for the move!

Last night all the puzzle pieces for our trip began to come together.  We have found a place to live (Praise God!!!), that will allow us to take out a 6 month contract.  We are still working through all the forms, so I dont want to get too excited and show you pictures of how pretty the apartment complex is. But once everything is finalised I will share with you where we are going to be living for our first 6 months of our adventure!  The move in date for that particular apartment is sept 3rd, which means we will be flying out before then.  My mom, and possibly my sister and niece will be joining us.  My mom kindly booked the cutest little cottage in Franklin from August 31-Sept 7th. So we can enjoy a little rest and relaxation before we move into our new flat! Im sooo excited.  The cottage looks amazing, and its right in the center of Franklin. Chris and I will be celebrating our 6 year wedding anniversary on September 1st.  We originally thought we would fly out on the 2nd, but have decided to change it to August 31st. We could either celebrate 6 years with last minute packing, OR celebrate it by sitting on a porch, sipping sweet tea, and enjoying our adventure together. Hmmmm, what would you do = ).

Ive included a few pictures from our vacation to Tennessee in March. We loved it there and cant wait to return! Enjoy!

Yummmmmy, coconut shrimp and sweet potato fries!

The famous Loveless Cafe... The pecan pie was delish!

How much?

Well, we received the quote from the first movers... 2300£! And that is not including all the 'extra fees'. So Im calling around other companies. They all want exact measurements, which I dont really have at the moment. So, Chris and I have decided that the best course of action will be to clean out the dinning room of everything, sorting through what we want to keep and what we dont. Then we will take our bit 'tubs' down and start filing them... and see where that takes us. I am going to ask my good friend Steph to help me... she wont be emotionally attached to all the stuff I have... Especially all the party supplies.  We are going to really have to limit everything.  If we all bring an extra suit case on our flight, it will be 232£. So that is one option, but it can only weight 51 lbs per item.  So, we might even just bring 8 'tubs' with us, and 4 carry ons. We need to make decisions.  Last night we were both so exhausted, as the kids arent sleeping due to ear infections. We couldn't even think of what to do. So, we just sat down with ben and jerrys with a hot moon pie on top   and watched the Help. We brought a few boxes home to give away as gifts, but the boxes were ruined.  So Chris and I decided to keep them and have been thoroughly enjoying them heated up with ice cream on top!  A true Tennessee treat! Ive included a picture of a moon pie ice cream sundae... ours wasn't as fancy as that but I think I might have to try that! Also, I found a picture of some moon pie turkeys for thanksgiving. I really want to make those! There is also an RC cola and Moonpie festival in Bell Buckle, Tn! Ok, it sounds like so much fun! Google maps says its only an hour away from Franklin.  Our family is going to plan on going to that next summer! Anyone wanna come out to visit us for it lol!

RC and Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle, TN—June 15, 2013

What’s more southern than an RC Cola and a Moon Pie? Nothing, if you ask the residents of this central Tennessee town, who celebrate these treats every summer with deep-south events like a synchronized wading demonstration, a watermelon seed–spitting contest, the Moon Pie toss and a hog-calling contest. There’s also a parade of cola bottles and snack cakes, and the festival’s finale: the cutting of the world’s largest Moon Pie. Visit BellBuckleChamber.com for more information. Photo courtesy of Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce.

Read more: Wacky Summer Festivals - Summer Travel Ideas at WomansDay.com - Woman's Day 

FlapJack

One thing I will really miss about the UK... flapjack. I dont think they sell Golden Syrup in America... I definently am going to have to bring some with me when we go. This morning I started the day off by making a batch of flapjack. I slightly overcooked it because everyone went a bit crazy at the moment I was taking it out of the oven.  But it still is yummy...especially with coffee! I needed it this morning!  Yesterday was a bit overwhelming. Im not sure how it all started... maybe because the kids were super cranky. Liv had her first and last british sports day. It was really cute and well done...however, at the end they had a wee race. The only people who received ribbons were those in 1,2,3 rd place... and since Liv came in last, she didnt get one. I didn't think it would affect her, because immediately afterwards the girls all got ice creams. But, it did. She wouldn't stop talking about it.  I tried to distract her, encourage her in how well she did, etc, but it seriously spoiled her mood for the rest of the afternoon.  Needless to say, I was exhausted and worn out by the time Chris got home. The kids also fell asleep at 3 and slept till 4:30...I didn't have the energy to keep them up.  So, they were both up until 9:45!  Chris and I really didn't get a chance to chat, and I was just in a horrible mood... on the verge of tears.  Moving does that to you I suppose. I just want to get it over and done with, as I hate feeling unsettled.  Im trying to trust God! I handed the pile of junk...the emotions, jobs to be done, everything, to Him last night. It really did help. Im also trying, and I mean trying really hard, to not be that contentious wife... Proverbs 19:13b, And the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping.  There are a few references to this "contentious' wife in Proverbs... I just read this one this morning and was reminded of it. How annoying is that drip, drip, drip of the tap!

Mary Berry Flapjack

PREP 10 MINS

COOK 30 MINS

125g butter plus extra fro greasing

90g golden syrup

90g light muscovado sugar

250g rolled oats

roasting tin or shallow cake tin, about 20 x 30 cm

1 LIghlty butter the roasting tin or cake tin.

2 Combine the butter, syrup, and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until the ingredients have melted and dissolved. Stir in the oats and mix well. (if you use a bit less oats, the flap jack are more sticky, ooey gooey yummy)

3 Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the surface with a palette knife. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C (160C fan, Gas 4) for about 30 minutes.

4 Leave to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes, then mark into 24 fingers. Leave to cool completely, then cut and remove from tin.

Ready, set... ok, sitting down with a coffee

Getting motivated for this move is, well, rather hard. I have so much stuff swirling around my head and so much stuff that I need to get done. Olivia is at school at the moment, Fae is snuggled up in bed... and Ive just spent the last hour and a half praying, reading my bible, catching up on my diary... and now im sitting here with my second vanilla latte, blogging.  I need an action plan. I know i have my weekly list, but I also need a schedule. A routine per sa.  Liv only has two more weeks of school and that means only 4 more mornings child free.  Yesterday was such a busy day visiting friends, doing celebrate recovery stuff, etc, that now im exhausted and unmotivated.  Todays task... make a summer schedule! I want to make sure I enjoy my last weeks in the UK, as well as get through the mass amount of things that need to get done.  Like, I need to sell our tvs now, and sign Liv up for ballet, etc etc. So by tomorrow I will try and figure this all out!  Ready, set, .... GOOOOO

Movers!

The first moving company came today to survey our items. They wont give an estimate until Wednesday  so Im trying to guess how much it will all be.  1,000 pounds? 2,000 pounds?  We really aren't going to be bringing too many things, as alot of the stuff we do have is from charity shops, second hand, etc.  We also just found out that our tvs wont work in the US, so that is another item we can sell on gumtree closer to the time.  Olivia has an ear infection, so alot of the things I thought I would get done this morning while she was at nursery were put off for another time. I started going through a bag of 'junk' today from the loft of our other property and found loads of old diaries, pictures etc.  I started to read some of the diaries and found them rather unhelpful, so they went in the bin.  One piece of advice the movers said that is rather helpful is, 'If you have to spend over 40 seconds trying to decide rather or not to keep an item, then it doesn't really mean that much to you, so dont pack it'. Wow, permission has been given to just get rid of almost all of my things lol. I must admit, I do struggle with hoarding. Everything has potential in my book. But this is an exciting opportunity to start afresh! We shall see how it all goes!

International Moving...Are we crazy!

International moving… well, I think I was a bit naive to think it was a simple thing.  Moving from one city to another is stressful and difficult…but moving from one country to another is, well, beyond belief stressful! But I am thankful that I have God to lean on! Everyday I must lay everything at His feet, trusting that He has a plan and purpose in everything. And so I start this blog. Not only to encourage myself by having something else to vent at besides Chris = ), but also to encourage others in the future who will be going through this process.

We arrived back from Franklin Tennessee refreshed. I can honestly say that was one of the most relaxing holidays ever.  I would even rank it in the same category as our trip to Maui, Greece and to the Laguna beach hotel that was catered to adults only.  Sitting on the porch swing, sipping cups of coffee and sweet tea (my new favourite), and just driving around the new area. Oh and frozen yogurt at sweet ce ces. Yes, that was definitely a high light for our entire family. 

So now we are back in Newcastle getting ready for our trip back to America!  There is so much to do and only weeks to do it in. I think its officially 11 weeks…we are thinking of bumping the moving date forward as everything starts up in the beginning of September and may prove to be an easier transition.

Today is Fathers day… Kinda just arrived before I was ready.  Liv painted Chris a dinosaur picture, which we turned into a card, and she had picked out a glass star a few weeks ago that says “number one dad” on it. We then proceeded to make, what I now term, triple chocolate disaster cookies. I always forget how hard it is to make, bake, or cook anything with two little ones in the smallest kitchen around.  Fae wanted to help, Liv wanted to help, eggs were going everywhere, chocolate powder was smeared everywhere…Phew, it was a mess! But the result was amazing yummy cookies from a recipe I played around with. I will include it at the bottom in-case you want to try them with your little ones as well…or without them and actually relax while you cook = ).

This weekends tasks are:

            -    To get through all the laundry from the vacation and put it all away

            -    Finish all the paper work for the solicitor from our flat (Yes, we sold our

                        rental property last week)
            -       Put luggage away from our trip

            -       Make a list of everything we want to take so we can get a proper estimate from the moving      
                      company

Since the weekend is almost over, I need to get onto all of this stuff today.  Next weeks tasks are waiting for me tomorrow.  I found it really helpful to break down all the tasks into weekly lists. That way it doesn't seem so overwhelming. I need to remember that life is happening now,  as I prepare for the future, and I need to live that way!

                          Triple Chocolate Disaster Cookies

1 cup butter, softened                                    2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup packed dark brown sugar                    ¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup white sugar                                         ¼ teaspoon salt

2 eggs                                                            1 cup crushed up white choc bar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract                             1 cup crushed up milk choc bar

2 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stop yelling at the kids at this point and savour the moment together!  Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt (yes, allow your toddler to measure out the flour…it makes the cookies more interesting that way).  Stir into the butter mixture and mix well.  Mix in crushed up chocolate bars.  Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet either greased, or lined with parchment paper. 

Back for 8 to 10 min until set. These are really yummy hot!