10-10-14

Today is a very special day in our family....

7 years ago, God gave us our daughter, Faith.  She is "birthday twins" with her PawPaw. 

He was there the day Faith was born in England.  Three hours after she was born, PawPaw was at the hospital with a hired cab to take us all home.  And when we got home to our flat,  he snuggled his grandbaby in his arms. He said he couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift.

                  

He continues to be a devoted PawPaw to each of his grandkids each and every day.  

Even though we may not get to see him every day, 

we always hold him and HIS LOVE in our hearts! 

Today, on the 10th of October, 10-10-14, Faith is 1/10th of the age of her PawPaw.   Faith is a 7 year old and her PawPaw is 70!   

It's the year of the "7s" for the Holmes' birthday twins!  :-)

We Love You Paw Paw and Wish You the Happiest 70th birthday! 

Early Presents

Over Labor Day weekend, my dad and step-mom came for a visit.  They came in on Saturday night bearing many gifts for our family.  Marilyn stopped at a local North Carolina orchard before their drive and brought us pounds of tomatoes, corn on the cob, apples, okra, apple cake/ turnovers/ and donuts, as well as fresh flowers! :-)

When Grammie and Grandad arrived they were excited to get a tour of our new home.  I did not think to bring my camera down to the basement but Marilyn took this photo with her iPhone.  The next day, I left my camera in the van for our special brunch too.  Thank goodness for iPhone cameras.

While on the tour, Jillian had a surprise for Grandad.  Last Christmas, my dad painted a beautiful sunset/ ocean scene and gave it to our family as a gift.  It is hanging in Brad's office and Jillian recently copied it with her colored pencils.  She was super excited to give it to Grandad when he came for a visit.  

Sunday, we went to church together.  Then, we went to my favorite restaurant in the D.C. area, Clyde's Tower Oaks Lodge!  When we visited them in N.C. this summer, they treated us to all their favorite restaurants, including the Blue Rooster, which was AMAZING. 

Now that they were visiting us, Brad and I had planned to treat my dad and step-mom.  But they insisted that it was an early birthday present for ME. As a mom who has two birthday daughters less than a week on either side of her, it is not very often that I get to have a special celebration!  I was super blessed to get my very own birthday party.  :-)  

As a part of the celebration, my dad ordered me my first Mimosa too. I loved it! 

A cute photo of Faith with her Daddy while he was distracted by the amazing food. 

My sweet family enjoying brunch together.  As an appetizer, we ordered crab artichoke dip. Then for our main meal, Brad and I ordered shrimp and grits, and eggs benedict crab cakes. The girls enjoyed buttermilk pancakes for their brunch.  

Then, because we were celebrating my birthday, our waiter (who once lived in Texas) brought me birthday cake with a candle! I was so full though, I could barely take one bite, thankfully, I had lots of help eating it. ;-)

Our waiter surprised the girls and gave each of them a scoop of ice-cream. Jillian got the vanilla and Faith chose the chocolate with slivers of dark chocolate in it! It was absolutely divine. 

Anna chose the caramel ice- cream.  My dad has a reputation with the girls of not being a good sharer of ice-cream, but they love to share with him anyway! 

After our filling brunch, the girls thought it would be a good idea if we watched Frozen with Grammie and Grandad during rest time!  They sang along with the songs and told their grandparents what was going to happen before it happened...all the fun things that happen when you are watching three little girls favorite movie! 

Afterwards, Jillian and Grandad got some shooting time outside. 

I wish my dad lived closer, so he could regularly coach Jillian!  As a child, my dad always motivated me to do far beyond anything I thought I could do!  My dad is a firm believer that you can do most anything with a little  LOTS of hard work.  

Jillian accomplished her goal of getting three baskets in a row.  I can't tell you how many times she made two baskets and then missed the third one! 

Meanwhile, Grammie and Anna enjoyed looking at Grammie's iPhone photos.

Then, Faith, Anna, and Grammie read some books together.

Then, Sunday afternoon, Grammie took all the girls on a little shopping spree.  Brad was given a new belt and khaki shorts.  Each of the girls, including the mommy birthday girl, were given new tennis shoes at Kohl's. Then, the little girls each chose two new pieces of clothing at Target. Faith chose as her gift a new gymnastics outfit and separate pants.  

A couple of days later was her first day of gymnastics with her friends. When we arrived on Tuesday, we discovered that one of her best friends was wearing the same outfit as her!  They looked like twins with their matching glasses and outfits....so cute.   

The last day of our time with Grammie and Grandad, on Monday, we played a little Disney Scene It!  Then, we introduced Grammie and Grandad to Cafe Rio for lunch before they made the nine hour drive back to their home in North Carolina.   

It was a sweet, though too short time with Grammie and Grandad. We were blessed that they came for a visit and can't wait for them to come back again.    

Scotland

I remember when I visited Scotland in 2007 and I was shocked to see that there was graffiti on some of the walls of Edinburgh that said, "FREE SCOTLAND"!

Now, seven years later, Scotland is deciding whether or not they would like to be an independent country from Great Britain.

No one knows the outcome of today's referendum, but I do know today is a momentous day in the history of Scotland.

A few photos, as well as my post from 2007 with more photos:
 http://thebradholmesfamily.blogspot.com/2007/04/edinburgh-scotland-with-friends.html

I wrote this post before remembering that I had already written one in 2007. It's funny the things that do (and don't) stick in your mind after seven years.

This is my friend Cheryl, Jillian, and I in Scotland in April of 2007 (from when we lived in Cambridge).  Cheryl was from Northern Ireland and was a teacher in the nearby city of Ely. 

She was engaged to a graduate student at a Cambridge who happened to be a Scottish man named David.   In the spring, Cheryl invited another friend, Jillian, and I to visit David's family in Edinburgh with her.  

It was a seven to eight hour drive from 

Cambridge to Edinburgh. The car we drove was super small, had a manual shift, and there was no air conditioning! To top that, there were lots of roundabouts, it was the perfect conditions for terrible car sickness.  Poor Jillian threw up three times and I (being three months pregnant) threw up one time. 

This photo was taken close to the Heart of Midlothian where I spit in public (I never do that!) for good luck! 

The Edinburgh Castle

My adorable 18 month old Jillian

An aerial view of Edinburgh.

Jillian with the HMY Brittania in the background- I love seeing photos of my baby, who cares about the boat?   

 Vicki, Cheryl and I enjoying the Queen's former yacht! "Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former Royal yacht of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in service from 1954 to 1997. "

The Scottish Parliament Building opened in October 2004.  

It was nearly brand spankin' new when we visited in 2007 and as you can see, 

very modern in its design.

These are David's grandparents, our hosts for the time we spent in Scotland. They were the sweetest elderly couple. They introduced Jillian and I to the most delicious ice-cream called Mackie's of Scotland , along with traditional Scottish food, and in the evening we enjoyed watching some British garden and game-shows together.  :-)

More Williamsburg

When I think of Williamsburg, one of the first images that comes to my mind is drummer boy and drums. So, a big priority for us during our visit to Williamsburg was to see the fifes and drums. They were scheduled to march down Duke of Gloucester Street at 1:00 PM. 

It was great fun to watch the talented young boys play their instruments.  

After the fifes and drums, it was time for lunch.

We decided to eat at Shield Tavern for our colonial lunch experience.  

The girls enjoyed chicken tenders, fries, and fruit salad for their lunch.   I ordered a delicious Shield's Apple Salat (that's the correct spelling in colonial times) with seasonal greens and chopped apples, blue cheese, raisins, and pecans. It was delicious and hit the spot. 

Brad had the gumbo. Brad and I both saw someone eating the gumbo as we walked into the restaurant and it looked amazing. So Brad decided to give it a try and he gave me a bite too!   It was pretty good!  But I should give the disclaimer that we have super high standards for gumbo.   In college, our church had a yearly gumbo contest, along with a square dancing night. Brad and I led a small group and as a group we decided to enter the contest. We won 1st PLACE for our gumbo!  :-) I was so proud of all of us.  

Also, just as we arrived, a lady harpist arrived and gave us a small concert.  I love the harp. It is the national symbol of Ireland (where I went with my mom for my 16th birthday) and we also had a harp play at our wedding. :-)  Don't you love my random commentary?  This is how my brain works. I know that what I am saying has very little to do with Colonial Williamsburg! :-)

Anna thought the colonial alphabet was funny because it was missing some letters. :-)

Mrs. Shields came to greet us and shared a little about her family (she had two daughters)

and the responsibilities that went along with running a tavern.

Then, we made our way to the blacksmith. 

The girls did a little scavenger hunt in Williamsburg and this was their last stop before they won a prize.  The prize was a pin with the lady blacksmith photo on it.  

Over twenty years ago, I visited Williamsburg with my family and our dear friends, the Davis Family.   We spent an entire week in Williamburg and during that time, we also visited Jamestowne and made a day-trip to Washington D.C.    For some reason this house with it's back porch is an image that sticks in my mind from that trip!  So, Brad sweetly took a photo of Anna and I on the steps!  

It began to drizzle in the late afternoon. 

The girls were careful to make sure their dresses didn't get dirty!  

A man on the carriage, as well as the people inside, greeted the girls and complimented them on their beautiful dresses.

Then we went by the house that they call "Felicity's House"!  We read all of Felicity's stories a couple of Christmases ago.  We all enjoyed the stories immensely. I even cried in some of the stories when Felicity's mom was sick at Christmas. 

Then, we went to the Governor's Palace. 

Anna with a colonial crib.  

When we first walked into the palace, I noticed that there were several bird cages in the pantry! I asked our wonderful guide about them and she said that birds were very popular pets in colonial times.  In the dining room, she pointed out that there was a music box next to the bird cage. They did that so the bird could be trained to sing certain tunes.

My friend, Micki, made this beautiful Felicity Governor's ball gown for Faith. I thought it would be very fitting for me to take a photo of Faith in the Governor's Palace Ballroom.  It was the perfect ending to a memorable visit to Colonial Williamsburg. 

Colonial Williamsburg

  We found the perfect time to visit Williamsburg this fall: Homeschool days.

We took the shuttle from the Visitor's Center and made a stop at the second stop. Brad and the girls pulled out the map and made a plan of action for the day.

We first visited the Capitol building. 

Jillian is posing in front of a portrait of King George III of England. 

"For 80 years, Williamsburg was the political center of Virginia, one of England’s largest, wealthiest, and most populous colonies. Here laws and justice were made and administered on behalf of all colonial Virginians. At the Capitol, the General Assembly debated and framed legislation and the courts dispensed justice."

At the court room, Brad was a lawyer in the case. 

The court system was very different than what we know today.  If you were found guilty of a crime, you were hung. There was no room for long-term prisoners in the jail.  One time in your life you could plead mercy for a crime and if it was granted to you, you would have a a letter branded on your hand ("T" for thief).  There would be no mercy shown the next time.   The decision always had to be unanimous and there were never any "hung juries".

My friend Micki made these gorgeous dresses for the girls for our trip to Williamsburg. It made our time even more fun and enjoyable. 

"Colonial people" and visitors alike gushed over the girls beautiful dresses! I felt like we were at Disney World, everyone was so friendly.  Jillian said to me at one point, "I have lost count of how many people have told us how much they love our dresses." 

It was a beautiful, picturesque day in the former capitol of the colony of Virginia! 

After we went to the Capitol, we went to explore the jail.

We learned that Blackbeard's pirates were held in these jail cells. 

We heard Patrick Henry give a speech.

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take;

 but as for me, Give me Liberty, or Give me Death."

After the speech, we went to the colonial bakery and got some of their famous gingerbread cookies.

Then, we visited the Apothecary and learned how medicines/ cures were created in colonial times.

Afterwards, we went to the Milliner's Shop.  

We learned about how colonists created patterns on dresses with stamps of paint and the beetles they used to create red dyes for cloth.

Read an article about red dye in your food here:  http://www.livescience.com/36292-red-food-dye-bugs-cochineal-carmine.html

Then we learned a little about what women wore as an undergarment in colonial times. I found this great description of stays on the Colonial Williamsburg web-site: 

"Through the 18th century stays covered the body with their conical form, lifting and supporting the bosom. In the 19th century corsets created a curvelinear body, minimizing the waist and accentuating the bosom. The stays of the 18th century, therefore, did much more to support the body and remind one of good posture than they did to cinch the waist. Women of the gentry and middling sorts wore stays most of the time. Children of these classes also wore stays to learn proper carriage. While fashionable ladies' stays were wanted for a good shape, working women needed them for good support. All women were admonished by their contemporaries to not tightly lace or "straight" lace their stays out of concern for possible injury. Those who did so out of vanity were mocked by the satirical print to the right, entitled, 'Tight Lacing or Fashion before Ease.' " 

The boning in the stay was typically made by using baleen of a whale.  Instead of teeth, baleen whales use baleen plates as a feeding-filter system.   Whaling has become much less common and commercial whaling has actually been banned by the International Whaling Commision (IWC).   However, the Inuit Indians in Canada are still able to hunt 50 whales a year and that is where Colonial Williamsburg buys its baleen to create stays for their colonial ladies.

Who would have thought all that goes into creating clothes for the colonial people? It was absolutely fascinating, I felt like I could have stayed in that shop all day. 

At the shop next door, Faith discovered some of  Felicity mysteries!  

Then we went to the printer's office.   He was a very engaging interpretor and we learned about the printing process, as well as about the "f" pronounced as an "s" in colonial writing.

"Inking the type in the coffin was done with two wood-handled, wool-stuffed, leather-covered ink balls that spread the mixture evenly on the type."  They were heavy, you could get a work-out by being a printer in colonial times. 

http://www.ehow.com/info_8471293_tools-needed-printer-colonial-times.html

 My grandfather who passed away in December of last year owned his own printing business  in Houston, Texas.  He was a man of integrity in his business, as well as in his personal life. He loved his Lord and his family deeply.  

This December will be Brad's and my 10th wedding anniversary.  My grandfather printed all of our invitations as a wedding present to Brad and me.  I remember sitting on the couch in my grandparents' living room look at the selection.  It was special for me to visit the past at a printing office.  

The girls enjoying a stroll in their dresses down the main street of Colonial Williamsburg.

The girls posing in front of a horse drawn carriage with the magazine in the background.

More to Come....