Traditions

I love traditions.  They help bring people together, both family and friends.  This year is my first Thanksgiving being away from extended family.  While there are many things to miss about our large family gatherings, one of the things that I look forward to this time of year is my Grandma Parrott's homemade rolls.  She uses a recipe that was passed down from Great Aunt Mildred.  Of course they have both made the rolls so many times that a recipe is no longer needed.  Good cooks often say that you have to see and feel what you are making to know when it is right. 

Since I'm so far from home, and won't be getting any of Grandma's rolls this year, I decided to try and make them myself.  I do not bake very regularly and have only ever made bread by myself on one other occasion  and it didn't turn out very good.  But nonetheless, I was determined to make the rolls and carry on the tradition with my family, wherever we may be in the world.  So Grandma emailed me the recipe and I gave it my best.

There are a few things that made this even more of an adventure than it would have been had I been in the U.S.  First of all, I had to lug my 20 lb. transformer into the kitchen so I could use my mixer.  I'm not sure if it was something I did wrong or if it was the cool, moist climate but the rolls didn't seem to rise quite right. Also, it seems my smaller UK oven cooks a bit slower.  Despite the differences the rolls came out pretty good. Of course, I did quite a bit of tasting to assess the success of the product. The texture isn't quite what it should be but with practice hopefully they'll improve.

Baking supplies all ready

  When did my baby get so big?!  She looks like a little girl. 

Lyla helped a little bit.  She mostly just wanted to eat the dough.

Yum! Baking in the oven. Notice they are baking at 175 Celsius, which is not quite the same as 350 Fahrenheit but as close as I could get.

ABCs

Lyla is a very smart, active little girl.  Both of these are demonstrated in this video.  I asked her to sing the ABCs and she does an okay job of singing the song, but I think the best part is her rolling around while singing.  She rarely sits still!

Fall Walk

We had a beautiful, sunny morning and when we get nice weather, we get outside!  So, we took a walk to the end of the road.  I always have a hard time deciding which season is my favorite but since it is fall now and the trees are absolutely gorgeous, I'll say it is my favorite.  I think all of the changes in nature are symbolic for what God does in our lives.  Sometimes the colors change and parts of us fall off but God is just preparing us for the 'spring' of life - my other favorite season.  That probably sounds a little cheesy. But, I know that God shows us himself through his creation and I love it!

Isaiah 55:6-12

 ⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call on him while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways
   and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
   and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

 ⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

   neither are your ways my ways,”

            declares the LORD.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
   come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
   without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
   so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

   It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
   and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
¹² You will go out in joy
   and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
   will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
   will clap their hands.

 

Lyla is leaning over the fence watching the sheep and cows.

She loved all of the colorful leaves.  She carried this one big yellow leaf around the during the whole walk.

Lyla found her shadow and attempted to chase and catch it.  It was so cute.  I had to stop her before she fell into the ditch.  It is interesting how unaware children can be.  I guess that is what good parents are for.

 

On the way back to our house, out of no where, Lyla started walking backwards.  She was so tickled with herself and thought it was funny.  I love watching the new and different things she discovers and tries.

Grandma and Lyla

While Jack and I went to Spain and Portugal my Mom watched Lyla.  It sure was nice to be able to go out to dinner without spending the whole time entertaining, feeding, or disciplining a child.  We were able to eat, relax and actually have conversation.  It was also very nice for Lyla to be able to spend time with her Grandma.


Grandma reported that Lyla was indeed quite a handful and had more energy that most people.  Grandma and Lyla spent lots of time, playing, reading book, and doing puzzles together. When Grandma had to leave, Lyla said, "Grandma be back in a little bit."  Later after we got home from taking Grandma to the airport Lyla asked where Grandma's shoes were.  Lyla definitely misses her Grandma.  Luckily we will be going home for a visit soon.

Grandma and Lyla at the fall festival on base.  Lyla was supposed to be dressed like a fairy.  Apparently she refused to wear her costume.   Mom was without any transportation here since the driving is so different and she wasn't really here long enough to get the hang of it.  Thankfully we have great friends and Mark and Erynn picked Lyla and Grandma up for the fall festival and trick or treating.

Spain and Portugal

Jack and I had a great trip to Spain and Portugal.  We flew into Seville, Spain where we met our friends, Jeff and Kristin.  We had some yummy late night tapas then stayed the night in Seville.  The next morning we did some exploring before driving to Portugal. 

Our Hotel in Spain

 

We stopped for essential morning coffee.

 

Seville Cathedral

 The Seville Cathedral in the 3rd largest in the world and the burial site of Christopher Columbus. 

The Royal Alcazar of Seville

 

Random cool stuff in Seville

From Seville we drove to Portugal stopping first in Faro.

This was a neat bridge that we saw on the drive.  I stuck my head out the window to get a few pictures.

 

Faro, Portugal

We are at the top of Largo da Se which gave us great views of the town of Faro.

Arco da Vila

Sao Pedro

Kristin and I enjoy the best chocolate croissants. Yum!

 Almancil, Portugal

Igreja Matriz de Sao Lourenco

Inside of this church was really cool.  The interior of the sanctuary was almost entirely covered with blue and white tiles.  However, we were not aloud to take any pictures inside.  I love the shadow of the cross.

 

Albufeira, Portugal

We stayed in a fabulous hotel on the coast.  We made it just in time to enjoy the sunset over the cliffs.  The next morning Jack and I took a walk down to the water.  I of course did not have my camera but it was beautiful and we enjoyed our walk.

 

Silves, Portugal

The next morning we were the road again and stopped at this cool Moorish castle.

Castelo de Silves

 

random window

Largo da Se

  

After we left Silves we headed towards Cape St. Vincent.  The idea for the rest of the day was to stop in various towns along the coast and enjoy the views.  However, is started raining and turned into a terrible day.  By the time we got to Cape St. Vincent, it was really pouring.  We did still stop and get out and look out over the ocean.  It was really neat to be in such an historical place, what was once thought to be "the end of the world."  So with the rain being a real downer, we stopped, got something to eat and then headed to Lisbon.

Cape St. Vincent

Lisbon, Portugal

 Cafe Versailles

We had breakfast and coffee here every morning that we were in Lisbon.  It was packed with locals every time.  The food and coffee were both great. 

 

 

 Enjoying our yummy coffee.

 Detail on the ceiling

Lisbon Cathedral

 

Antiga Confeitaria de Belem

This cafe is famous for the custard tarts we are eating.  They serve an average of 10,000 a day and have a record of 55,000 in one day.  I did my part and ate two.  We look a little rough because we made it to the cafe after running through the pouring rain for about 3 blocks.  My clothes were pretty well soaked. I had Jack take my sweater into the bathroom to dry it with the hand dryer.

 Jeronimo Monastery 

Only a few of the picture I took were any good and since it was still raining outside I didn't take any of the exterior.  Also, we decided it that we had seen the coolest part and opted not to pay to see the rest.

 The tomb of Vasco da Gama

Belem Tower

 

Throughout the duration of this trip, Jack was eating gelato.  We stopped in this restaurant where Jack ate pizza and gelato.  On one particular day, he had three gelatos.

 The original design of the streets of Lisbon.

Sintra, Portugal

National Palace of Sintra 

The tall dome like structures were the kitchen.

The Castle of the Moors

My pictures don't even begin to do this place justice.  It was so cool.

Pena Palace

The trip overall was awesome.  We loved seeing so many new and different things. It was also great to see Jeff and Kristin, our friends from the U.S. that we hadn't seen since before moving.