A belated Christmas tree

Merry Christmas to me! I finally found my camera cord and can now recharge it and finally post my Christmas tree picture.


I was and still am quite proud of our little tree. It definitely helped to warm the place up in it's own way, and I'll be sad to put it away. Lucky for me, I come from a family of procrastinators and we always put off taking down the the tree as long as possible. This baby's gonna be around for a bit longer.

In other news, on the day before Christmas I took a walk in the lovely sunshine and got to see this:


Yes, that's the mainland! Those mountains are in the snow covered highlands! Good grief, could Ness get any better? Ok ok...it could have a few trees I guess.

Yeah, it's been awhile...

So long in fact that I've actually been living in the house featured in my previous post for over two weeks! Oh yes, we moved to Ness! Oh heavenly Ness :) I'm obviously in the honeymoon stage, but I think it's safe to say that I live in a beautiful place. I have the sea within a 20 minutes walk, the post office within about 25, lovely neighbors, and a gorgeous, cozy house.

Since I always like to post pictures, here's one of the beach closest to us:



I also took a quick pic of our Christmas tree that I wanted to post, but I can't seem to find my camera cord. In a perfect world, I will be posting it by Christmas Day, but just in case I forget, let me leave all of you still following this unreliable blog some Christmas cheer in another form.

dreaming...

What do you think...isn't it cute! We've been toying with the possibility of moving house in the next couple of months, and drove by this house today. We want to move to a more Gaelic speaking area...which is almost anywhere farther away from "town" than we are. This house is in Ness which is up in the northwest part of the island and about 40 minutes from town. It's pretty far up there, but those of you that know me know that I've done this before. Plus, Ness has it's own general store, a heritage center, and even an Arts and Crafts store! Not that the last thing would sway me in any way:)


Obviously this is all just dreaming, but so what, it's fun!

A real live Ceilidh dance!

So here's my first attempt at posting a video. This is something that pictures just can't even begin to capture...a ceilidh dance! This particular dance took place in an extremely poorly lit hall in Tarbert...the "big" town on the Isle of Harris. On a side note, the Isle of Harris is actually on the same landmass as the Isle of Lewis...it's just the southern, less populated part.

Ok, drum roll please...here's the postie's jig!

A weapon against the cold

Yes, these little guys ought to help a bit. And even if they don't...they're just so cute! I bought these at our local supermarket. The Stornoway Co-op (pronounced Cope) recently added on a clothing store called Peacocks, making it a bit more like the beloved Walmart at home.

Even with my new furry friends, I'm not too excited about our launch into winter. So far, fall here seems to mean more rain and lower temps. BUT, I did have a couple walks in the castle grounds that reminded me what fall was supposed to be like...

A taste of home...

I'm not sure why I get so excited when I make cookies, but here I am, soooo excited about my oatmeal raisin cookies! I've mastered our fan oven, and the result was wonderful wonderful cookies. They taste just right!


I'm also pretty excited about the heather that's seemed to suddenly appear on the moors behind our house. I guess I got a little heather happy and I've been out back to cut heather for the house a few times in the past week. It's just so pretty and it seems to last for a long time inside.

vintage fabric?

I just purchased an old sheet and pillowcase from the local charity shop (for you guys back home, that's a thrift store), and have just discovered through my frivolous internet surfing that I didn't really just buy an old sheet and pillowcase. I bought vintage fabric today! Put the word vintage in front of anything and it just sounds so much better doesn't it. But really, that's pretty cool I think.

This past weekend was flea market weekend in Doniphan County, KS and to counteract my feelings of missing out, I went to the closest thing to a flea market that I could find on Lewis (and on a Monday). The Charity Shop! Fun stuff, I also bought a bowl and got to speak some Gaelic. Nice.

A rainbowy day?

Yes, I realize that rainbowy may not be a correct spelling, but I'm pretty sure that the word doesn't exist anyway...wait, let me check...ha! It is a word and I've spelled it correctly, so there!

Anyway, the day that I actually started this post I saw 5 rainbows! I got pics of a couple of them and thought I'd share them. They aren't the most magnificent ones that I've seen here, but I'm not picky when it comes to rainbows.

Proof:
Anyway, rainbows are all well and good, but I meant to blog about my recent travels. So here goes...

After Amsterdam I went to Germany for some meetings and got to see the Alps! I took way too many pictures to post here, but here are a couple, just to give you a sense of what it was like.

The old meets new!

A little bit of home...

Our hotel!

Anyway, I had a great time and am planning to go back at some point. I had no idea how much I would like Germany and how much it would remind me of the States. If you want to have a taste of Bavaria, go to Vail Colorado. I know that sounds wrong, but really, the feel is pretty much the same.

Planes, trains, and bad internet connections.

...and that pretty much sums it up. For the past three weeks, I've been airport hopping, canal crossing in Amsterdam, and hill walking in Bavaria. I spent 2 weeks in Amsterdam, and came away even more attached to that city than I'd been before. Don't get me wrong, it has it's faults and I was introduced to some of them on this trip that I'd missed the first time around, but all in all, I like the city. We did A LOT of walking this time, and I even took a solo trip one afternoon. The only disappointment was our failure to do any successful shopping. We did a lot of shopping, but came away empty handed :(

But back to my solo trip... I took off to find a art store that I'd found online, and after 40 minutes of walking, turning around, and looking for street signs (what's with the lack of street signs?), I made it to Van der Linde Art Store. Unfortunately my bad shopping luck was unshakable and they didn't have a single waterproof pen...but, the trip was not a complete failure. I found this on the way:


I decided to head in and get a croissant, and since I wouldn't be sticking around the area for long, I let my obviously famous name slide. I asked if they got many customers that were named Jennifer, and when the woman exclaimed "No! Never!" I couldn't help but let her know that she had now. My obnoxious behavior paid off, and I walked away with a Jennifer's sticker! Ha!

Next blog stop: Germany!!!

The first mini-stitch project

After finally finding a bit of cheap fabric to use (a.k.a. an old sheet), I embarked on my first adventure with my £5.00 mini stitch. Just like at home in Kansas, line drying is really big here. Unlike back home in Kansas, we don't even have dryers here (that's beside the point, but I wanted you to know). Up to now, we'd been using a tuperware container as our clothespin holder. This means that every time I need another clothespin, I need to bend down, lose hold of whatever I'm hanging up and hope that it doesn't blow away as I grab the clothespin and make it back up. It's almost as tedious as explaining the inconvenience itself.

So, here is the solution that the mini stitch came up with!


As you can probably tell from that picture, it's been gorgeous lately so I have spent a little time outside. The other day I went to a beach on the other side of town for a bit of a walk and a bit of a sit down. It was just...just...well, see for yourself:



Well, that's it for today. In case anyone's interested, my next project involves these...



And this...


Stay tuned.

Cloth, paper, scissors

Look at what I've been up to!


I recently was inspired by this very crafty post, and started to gather supplies straight away one at a time (I really love getting parcels in the mail). I ordered 3 cahier journals, and accidentally sent them to Kansas...forgot to change my address on a certain account. Luckily, I realized what I had done within 24 hours (which is too late to change a delivery address on this site apparently), so I didn't lose any time ordering another set and having them sent here. Once they arrived, I ordered this stuff called Bondaweb from Ebay. Got that, so I finally got serious about fabric and ordered a bunch of samples from a shop on Etsy. My fabric was delivered by our loyal postman two days ago, and the rest is history. I'm gonna miss waiting on my packages!

A spontaneous purchase

Yesterday I went into town to go to the post office, and came home with a sewing machine. As you may have guessed, I did not obtain this sewing machine at the post office, but at a cute charity shop in town. Because I think it's so cute, I like to go in on a regular basis to check things out. The women that work in the shop are Gaelic speakers, so sometimes I like to buy things just so I can talk to them and practice :)

So, after checking out the entire store again yesterday I was lamenting the idea of leaving the shop without finding anything to buy when I came across this baby:

It was 5 pounds and something inside me said, "BUY IT!" So I did. Now I've just got to get my hands on some fabric...hmmm...

Summertime and the living is easy...

The revelation came as both good and bad news. I was chatting with the Postman (whose name is Ronnie), and he asked me how I was getting on. I told him that I really liked it here and thought that everyone seemed to be very friendly. At that he laughed and said something to the effect of..."That's because it's so nice out! What until winter comes..."

The good news was that the summer season on the Isle of Lewis means that everyone is in a good mood ALL the time! Yes, it's true. Strangers smile at each other as they pass. Drivers watch out for those poor few with the Learner plates on their car so that they can help them out. Shopkeepers are chatty and everyone is always ready to help others in any way they can. All of this means that for the rest of the summer I can look forward to feeling like the sweetheart of this community as people are quick to forgive my cultural ignorance and are ready to smile at my accent.

The bad news is that because I came here at the beginning of April, I thought that this was just the way people were here. I thought that I really was the sweetheart of the community because everywhere I go people are smiling at me and seem to genuinely care about how I am getting on. Oh well, at least I was made privy to this phenomenon before I bumped into it come winter.

In other news, I've been working on my art journal a bit! See for yourself :)

I have joined a ceilidh dancing class...it's a bit like square dancing slowed down...

The second picture was drawn in a cafe in Amsterdam...
the wall was much cooler, but that's part of what it said.

We spent an afternoon at Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris (which is technically attached to Lewis).
It was warm and beautiful!

Finally settled in...

So, I guess it's been almost 2 months since I arrived in Scotland, and I believe now I finally feel settled in. Until now we've been working on getting bank accounts, meeting neighbors, and making this house look a little less...well...I won't get into that. Another item of business that we've been working on and waiting for is our phone and internet service, this being in my mind the highest on the list of "things I need to feel at home." It may sound trivial to some of you, but after more thought, I'm sure most would agree that having internet (aka communication with the outside world) on an island far far away from home is very close to a necessity.

All that to say that this week, we got our internet installed! Yay!!! There was much rejoicing, and then silence as we spent the next hour on our computers... So hopefully, now I will be posting a bit more often.

And since I enjoy posting pictures on this blog, here's the view from my window...


In other news...I have been spending a significant amount of time behind the wheel of our MANUAL Ford Fiesta...and I'm doing alright if I do say so myself. I have yet to kick it into 5th gear, but it may be a long time before that is necessary...these island roads make 50 mph feel reckless!

It's about time!

Yes, I am aware that it's been awhile, but let's not dwell on the past...it's time to embrace the present!

Here's the present:

That's right, I am in a new house! I like to call it the Newmarket House, it has a very nice to ring to it I think. The middle window belongs to my bedroom, and every morning when I wake up, I can look out that window and see the sea! My house is right outside a town called Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. So far I have not experienced much culture shock, but it is still looming in the distance. The only real disappointments have been the absence of Miracle Whip at the local store (which was lately remedied by a sweet Texan family), and of REAL Pepsi. The Pepsi here tastes like Coke...yuck. However, these two problems seem rather insignificant when I walk across my room and see this...


But what am I saying? This is already the past! I'm actually now in Amsterdam and have been for about a week now. I'm here for training, and am loving almost every minute of it. I'm not so excited about my kitchen duty everyday, but hey, it's worth it!

Here's some pics from my current location...






So far I love Amsterdam and I'm so happy to be here! It's definitely a new experience, but I still can't believe that I'm here. Training is pretty intense and very time consuming, but everything I'm learning is so useful. Obviously I've had some time to get around. On Sunday I went with some new and wonderful friends to the Keukenhof Gardens outside the city, and it was the perfect day! I've never seen so many tulips in one place in my life!



Yes, life is sweet at the moment. Especially now, as I take a sip of the Pepsi that I just bought from the grocery store down the way...it actually tastes like REAL Pepsi! Hallelujah!

Watch out! Here I come!

Amazing news! My departure date is a week away, and I was getting pretty excited about it, but not nearly as excited as I am now that I knew my partner L has her visa! Yay!!!! It came incredibly fast, and is a definite answer to prayer!

I guess it's time to start packing now... I've been saying that for awhile, but today (with renewed enthusiam) I made up a real packing list and went shopping for my favorite supplies. My oh my does stuff add up, but I just know that when I'm over there and overwhelmed with culture shock, I'll be happy I've got my trusty favorites. I've still got to get my electronics all outfitted for overseas plug ins, etc. and I have a sneaking suspicion that those things will add up as well. Good thing I had that job for the past month and a half!

Scotland here I come!

Man alive do I have long fingers!

Say what?

My first day at my new job, I had been given instructions to take the company's only elevator to the fourth floor. Lucky for me, I didn't notice this sign right away and didn't finish it until I had made it safely.


Thanks to my trusty coworker for inconspicuously snapping this photo the other day! Hint hint...if you can't read it (if you can you must have a very large computer screen), click the pic and it will be big enough to read.

Me, a girly girl?

So, I've had these flowers for almost a week now, and every time I see them I smile! I've never been one of those girls that wants flowers, but I do believe I've been converted. Just look at these lovely flowers!


It's like my one personal spring in February! This afternoon, I re-trimmed the stems, changed the water AND used the second package of plant food! I've never actually used that stuff before...

Everything's temporary...

After weeks of job hunting, I finally found a job! Well...maybe it's not all that exciting after all. My new job basically consists of updating a spreadsheet everyday. E-V-E-R-Y-D-A-Y. But, it is a job and I'm thankful to be an upstanding citizen again. Despite the maddening monotony of my daily responsibilities, the job has turned out to be bearable largely due to an easy to get along with co-worker. I am an extrovert, and my first day I had been a little worried because my post is in a little office in the middle of a warehouse. There are two other people in my office, one of which is in and out all day. When I realized that I would be so far removed from the usual office environment, I was wondering if I would make it the full 2 weeks.

However, I am happy to report that I have just finished week 3 with my mental faculties intact, and am confident that I will make it through week 4. I will never underestimate the power of a friendship again!

My job has also introduced me to this beauty...the oldest microwave I have ever seen:


Any guesses on it's age?

Wishing...

Well the world is still slowly turning and yet another week has passed since I've been home. The job search is still in full force, but the future looks grim. It isn't exactly the busy season in this part of the country, and the economy could be better. Not to mention my agonizing past history of job hunting...it's not exactly the easiest thing for me to do. But I will continue on, unemployment is worse than job hunting.

I've been trying to keep up my spirits since being back from the farm, and some days are better than others, but lately the uncertainty of my future in Scotland has been distracting me a bit.

A New Year...New Plans

Yes, it's been awhile since I've updated, and yes plans have changed a bit. Even though my last post was pretty vague, it was probably pretty clear that I was waiting to see what plan B would look like. Well, here's plan B... I am back home, and will stay home a bit longer than I had planned. Scotland is now three months away instead of three days which stinks, but I am just thankful that as of now, I can still see it coming.

But three months? What in the world am I supposed to do for three months? Yes, I can hear everyone that has managed not to forget that I do occasionally blog telling me, "get a job!" Ugh, I know. I gave myself the holidays to pretend that I was just visiting and come Monday I will begin the ever thrilling job search.

However, even though my near future is looking pretty bleak to me, it's not all bad. Here's an example...take a look at this adorable little face...