Meredith Carson... Across the Pond and Back Again...

Could it be possible that I still have jetlag?  Travelling west always seems easier than travelling east.  Westward travellers gain hours, so this should be a snap, right?  Unfortunately now that we've gone west and stayed, I continue to want to add hours to each day.  I stay up a little later each night and consequently sleep a little later each morning.  This is particularly easy to do since my husband is a night owl who requires very little sleep and always suggests watching Clash of the Titans (or something similar) at 11 pm.  Lili is often up at 6 or 7 am, but will snuggle back down and sleep for a few more hours if I pull her into our warm bed.  This has become a problem.  Or maybe it hasn't.  Maybe this is precisely what summer time is for: lying in bed until 10 am while dreaming about giant lizards with underbites who want to be my friend.  Whatever the case, I still feel like a slob. My chidren have also ov...

Oh Y'all, I think this place was made just for me.  PYO blueberries and obscure used books all in the same spot??  Oh Yeah!  I'll take a giant bucket o' blueberries and that old Graham Kerr cookbook for twenty, please! Lili was an extremely active participant on today's berry picking outing in Freeland.  She grabbed bunches of blueberries (as big as her little fists could accomodate) and shoved them, stems and leaves included, into her hungry mouth.  We were in our element. Emma too And sweet Sophia And just when we thought our adventure was over... Emma stepped in that huge pile of pine sap.  It looked like the bottom of her foot was covered in hot marshmallows.  She was mortified.  I laughed almost until I cried.  Then I took a photo.  Then I helped her clean it up.  I'm a good mom like that. Summer love to you all... Meredith

There is not much to report this weekend except that we are happy, and we do know it. Life has been treating us well.  The girls enjoyed their half-day camps this past week.  They came back with some excellent campfire recipes.  We tried one tonight: orange campfire cakes .  They also both did really well at gymnastics camp and have decided that they would like to pursue classes this fall.  We were especially impressed with Emma's demonstration at the end of the week.  See, those long legs can be trained to do some very elegant things! Summertime means that we girls are on a pretty relaxed schedule.  Sometimes we aren't sure what day it is.  Lots of nights we forget to go to bed before ten.  EVERY morning Lili somehow manages to find a spot in our bed where I coerce and extra hour or two of sleep out of her.  When September rolls around we will dream of fresh number two pencils and apples for the teacher, but for now, we...

Some of my most favorite people helped me celebrate. I had a lovely cake and some flowers as well as lots of carefully chosen greeting cards. (The cake says: Happy Birthday to the Best Mom-- that's me...totally.) I made a wish (on giant dinner candles since remembering to buy birthday candles is something only moms can manage.) I had a little help eating my cake.  Even though Lili is not technically supposed to be eating cake at her age, she aggressively protested this policy and earned herself a few bites.  Who could resist? I was loved and entertained by some of the best in the business. It was a good day, y'all. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

As I type, I am listening to the sounds of three giggling little girls rolling around in the floor of our office.  The littlest Carson is producing some particularly exuberant belly laughs.  Weekends are great. I realized that in my last family update, I excluded the feline member of our family.  Emily, the cat, is in hog heaven up here.  Although she is supposed to be an indoor cat, she is having none of that.  The call of the forest and of all God's critters is too loud for her to ignore.  She seems to love the sunshine and trees as much as I do.  She has also enjoyed murdering several little woodland creatures and offering them up to us on our back deck as tokens of her unfailing affection.  I guess you can take the cat out of McCleansville, but you can't get that rural, country-lovin' moxie out of the cat. Additionally, for your viewing pleasure, here is a new candid photo of Baby Lil enjoying her dinner of black b...

This morning some friends took us to the Downtown Farmers Market which was tons of fun for me.  I do so love the farmers market!  We came home with some Traverse City cherries, plums, Georgia peaches, local lemon-infused honey, locally grown tomatoes... oh, and one apricot that Lili just couldn't resist... "Hello!  You cannot put those delicious things within my reach and expect me to exercise restraint!"  The stall holder graciously said she could take it as a free sample.  Babies are excellent negotiators like that. And finally... I know you are wondering... yesterday's Kung Fu Panda show was fantastic!  George and I were so proud if our two eldest, who seemed very comfortable up there on a real stage.  They both delivered their lines with conviction and got lots of laughs from the audience.  Hooray for Summer Camp!  Next week they are learning gymnastics and campfire cookery skills.  (Well, you didn't think we wer...

Here's the skinny on us this week... The Carsons are getting settled slowly but surely.  We are enjoying the summer sun and readjusting to Stateside living.  I still require at least two hours in the grocery store, but I am beginning to feel slightly less bewildered each time I go inside.  I do find that I miss the fabulous array of cheap, quality dairy products that are available in British supermarkets.  American cheese and yogurts are especially poor in comparison.  I paid about $7 for a small chunk of Irish Kerry Gold cheddar last week, but (yum) it was worth it.  I also miss that giant aisle in Tesco that was full of nothing but tea and coffee, but I will cope.  Don't you worry.  I'm still enjoying my washer and dryer and some dark chocolate Reece's cups...where have THOSE been all my life? Sophie and Emma have been enjoying their Kung Fu Panda camp at the Community Center this week.  Sophie has been befriended by a big gir...

Yesterday morning, after attempting to do a bit of gardening with my little companion, I sent the following email to the mycologist to whom I was referred after speaking to Poison Control: Hello, These are photos of mushrooms found in my yard in mid-Michigan that were possibly ingested by a 9 month old baby. When I realized she had gotten into them, I scooped all of the mushrooms out of her mouth and attempted unsuccessfully to induce vomiting. Her behavior is currently normal, and she is showing no signs of illness or discomfort, but I just wanted to check. I am not sure if any of the mushrooms were actually swallowed, but she certainly had one in her mouth that was well chewed! Thank you for your advice. Sincerely, Meredith Carson, mother of Lilianna A quick fifteen minutes later, I got a call back from Poison Control saying that these had been identified as puffballs which are completely non-toxic.  Thank God!  Then the Poison ...

Over the weekend, we unpacked lots more boxes.  Strangely they seem to be multiplying in the garage, but George assures me we will get through them all one day.  We feel a bit like archaeologists digging through the boxes that contain evidence of who we were in the past... before Wales.  We have found scads of old photographs which have reminded us that we didn't always have these lines around our eyes, and that I used to be completely stretch mark-free once upon a time. Our children are also enjoying discovering these relics of our past.  One of my most dear finds is pictured above.  It's my Ernie.  He was my version of "Lambie," and as you can see from the above photo, he had to endure a pretty serious open-heart procedure which was performed lovingly by my late Grandmother, Adeline.  I loved that boy so much that I nearly chewed his ears off entirely.  (Now George finally understands that that is just the way I show affection.) Among our othe...

After what feels like ages of searching, I am finally in possession of my very own new-ish Mommy-mobile.  We have had a long and exhausting search which has taken over our lives and emotions this week, but now we're halfway there.  One vehicle down; one to go!  We have also made the acquaintances of several car salesmen who wanted to be our new best friends (as long as we were in need of a vehicle).  I know that not all car salesmen are slick and shifty (like the pretty decent one we eventually purchased from in the end), but some of them are.  They like to use your first name too frequently and assure you that they understand your needs.  Most of them had no concept of my needs.  "Big Al," for example told me, "Look Meredith, you got kids.  You got a lotta stuff.  You're gonna be driving them and all thier friends all around town.  Heck, you prob'ly also got a lotta big friends just like me.  I'm a big guy, you know.  S...

Our first "Fourth" back in the States in pictures... Riley and Sophie make the blue Gatorade moustaches work! Food cooked outside just tastes better.  Right, guys? Nice Arm Candy, George. Lili of the Lake Seaweed... or is that Lakeweed... is an excellent source of fiber. Big Project Quality Time With Dad This eventually became something huge.  I'm not exactly sure what it was, but it was big. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!! If I'm too tired to stay up for the fireworks tonight, does that mean I've done something right?

Even though it was a perfectly warm evening, we couldn't resist building a fire in our backyard firepit and making some real American S'mores.  (There wasn't a Cadbury Digestive Biscuit in sight.) How cool is it that I can do this in my backyard??  It's like the best part of camping without having to set up a tent, and then I get to go in and sleep in my own cozy bed.  Riley "Cutie Pants" Fitzgerald was an excellent marshmallow-roasting companion. Lili was so impressed by the whole affair that she sprouted a new tooth! Remember: Only you can prevent a forest fire.  Be sensible with those flaming marshmallows, kids! ** I wonder how often I quote song lyrics on this blog?  Apparently my life is a chocolate-covered musical... not a bad thing at all if you ask me.

Now that I've gotten these pictures off of my camera, I can share... We've said goodbye to Wales.  The above photo was taken at Gelynis Farm, the beautiful B&B in Radyr, where we stayed after our furniture had been packed. We've also said goodbye to love... It was one of those bittersweet, long goodbyes (as you can plainly see). Then we packed everybody up and embarked on a long and exhausting journey. (The above photo was taken less than an hour away from our house in Cardiff.) Finally we arrived and began to get settled in the Great Lakes State... Some good friends here took us out to one of the local lakes and Lili got to sit on a sandy beach for the first time in her little life.  She quickly got bored with the sand and made a b line for the water.  That girl has absolutely no fear at all! "This is like the biggest bathtub ever!" Happy Summertime from all over the place! Love from the Carsons :)