Monday, November 10, 2014

Introducing...

I know, I know.  It's been a while since I have blogged.  Life has been a bit crazy with little time to sit and blog.  We have been on the road sharing at many different churches about our calling to England and it has been good.  The Lord is continuing to be so faithful in meeting our needs and get us to England.
I first would like to introduce you to our little guy.  So without further ado, we would like to introduce you to....

Silas Jeddie Davis
(Silas is a name we have always loved that means "man of the forest" and in the Bible he accompanied Paul on his missionary journey, and 
Jeddie is Michael's dad's middle name)

We had our big ultrasound on Friday and were greatly surprised to hear "It's a boy!"  SK was with us (Evie was at home napping) and was grinning from ear to ear when she found out.  She had been saying for the last few weeks that she wanted the baby to be a boy so she could have someone to wrestle with :)  He was so precious as we watched him on the monitor.  He was curled up in a little ball for a while then got hiccups at one point.  We love him so much already and can't wait to hold him in our arms.

As I sat in the ultrasound room, I couldn't help but think about all of the emotions that must happen in that room.  I have had too many friends (and myself) sit and hear sad news.  My heart hurts for so many women that have lost babies.  Having been through loss ourselves, we don't take this news of our baby doing well for granted.  We are so very thankful to the Lord for health of our baby boy.

For myself, I have been feeling pretty well lately.  I am mostly past all of the gagging and nausea that hit me pretty good at the beginning.  I am back to being able to eat meats (which I wasn't able to do much in the first trimester).  

My cravings:  Southern home cooked veggies (mmm...can't get those enough)--like fried okra, green beans, mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, squash, peas, and the list could continue, but I am getting hungry just naming them :).  I also think I have had a root beer ever day this pregnancy.  My poor husband has been sent to the store multiple times when we have run out!  I haven't been too into sweets this go around, but do love reece cups.  

Other symptoms I have been having are some killer headaches, lately it has been almost daily.  Peppermint oil and water seem to help greatly and a nap if I can.  I also have had round ligament pain this time, which I haven't had before.  The doctor wasn't worried about either of these and just told me to keep doing what I am doing.

Now that we know we are having a baby boy, it is time to start going through our baby stuff!  We aren't that far from thinking about what will be shipped overseas, so I am starting now with baby stuff!  No need for baby girl things to be shipped :)

Hopefully I can blog again before long :)  

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Evie turns 2!

Today, my baby girl turns 2 years old.  To be honest, this is probably my least favorite age, but she is still a cutie and totally worth celebrating and keeping around ;)

So what all is Evie up to these days...

*She can pitch a fit with the best of them.  She will throw herself on the ground and scream.  Bless her.

*She is talking more and more these days.

*She loves shoes.  Loves them.  Wants to wear them all the time.  Today she got some dress up shoes for her b'day and stripped her shoes off and put them on and pranced around the playground in her new dress up shoes.

*She isn't a fan of sitting for long at meal time.  She would rather get to run around and play and occasionally come over for a bite of food.

*Speaking of food...her favorites would include: chicken, any kind of beans or peas, chips, cereal bars, ice cream, fruit, more fruit, and a little more fruit.  :)

*She loves her big sister.  They are really fun these days to watch as they play together.

* She likes to brush her teeth like her big sister and cries when we brush her hair, not because it hurts her, but because she watches her big sister and wants to act like her when she gets her hair brushed.

*She is still a good napper.  She will go down around 1 and sleep about 2 hours most days, sometimes more!

*She doesn't know a stranger most of the time.  She will go up and talk to anyone she happens to run across when we are out and about.

*She likes to rock with momma before bed and is such a sweetie snuggling.

*She loves to play outside, and LOVES to swing.

*Being the 2nd child, she has had more opportunities than her big sister did to try different drinks that mommy has.  The kid will snag any drink unattended and drink it.  She so far has loved sprite, any form of juice, and root beer (which I have on hand more these days as they help with my nausea).

*She will cross her arms at us and yell "No!" when she doesn't want to obey.  And she has made a run from me in Target before, which was really fun.  Stinker.

*She loves stuffed animals.  Esp. doggies it seems these days :)

Alright, that is enough for now.  Just wanting to update on what all Evie is up to these days.  We had a fun morning celebrating her at the park with a little party with family.  We had popcorn with different seasonings and cupcakes.  It was a simple but fun party.  And she had fun, which is the main goal!

Here are some pics from our morning!  She is napping now and we are planning to take her out to a park for dinner and playing more later!










Friday, September 19, 2014

Let's get real again....

So looking back on my blog, I have shared mostly the fun stuff we have been up to since our move from STL.  To be real, life hasn't been completely just full of fun and laughter.  2 nights ago, I had a little break down and a good cry was overdue.

Life since leaving St. Louis.  hmm...

Now let me preface this that we love being in AL for many reasons.  Our families are closer.  We love our home church.  Shoot....we lived this summer (at least while we were in town) with a pool in our backyard.

But, it has been hard if I want to be honest.

We have changed from the last time we lived here.  We aren't on the same track of life we were on 4 or 5 years ago before we moved.  We have gone through 3.5 years of hard, challenging, beautiful and fun, and all sorts of adjectives that could describe our time at Covenant Seminary.  Unless you have been there, you can't truly grasp what life was like for us there.  It's kinda just like if you haven't lost a child before, you can't truly know the pain.  If you haven't had the experience of the birth of a child, you can't truly know the excitement and joy.  It takes being there yourself to truly grasp it.

Life was different in St. Louis than it is here.  And that is just how it is.  We lived in a unique community where everyone around us were pretty much all on the same boat.  We lived life together and struggled together, and cried together, and rejoiced together.  We were around each other every single day pretty much.

So now living back in AL, the best word Michael and I have found to describe how we feel at times, is lonely.  We feel lonely.  There I said it.  This is not a stab at anyone here in AL.  We do have friends and family here.  We are so thankful for that.  Don't take this the wrong way.  But we are on a unique path here that not many can relate to.  Where we have been and where we are going can't truly be understood by many unless they have been there themselves.

Full time support raising can be exciting and fun.  It can also be discouraging and hard.  What I have learned most is that this time is where the Lord is refining me more.  He is showing me that HE is going to be our true comfort and strength.  We have to lean on him to get us through this and HE will be the one to raise up our whole support team in his perfect timing.  Why do I feel like he keeps wanting to teach me patience and how to "wait on the Lord".  Why do I keep failing at that?  Why do I have to be reminding daily that he is close to us and cares and hasn't forgotten us.  He knows our hearts.  He wants to grow us more into his likeness and it isn't a pretty process.

So why do I share all of this on here?  I guess mainly to say we need your prayers.  We aren't anything special.  While we do have a unique calling that is different than many of our friends, we aren't any different.  We struggle with our own sin.  We struggle with our belief.  We need encouragement from the body of Christ when we feel like giving up and crying.  We need each other and that is how Christ intends for his church to act.  We are to love one another and lift each other other when 1 is struggling.

I am struggling.  We are supposed to be leaving for England in 4.5 months and a lot has to happen in that time in order for that to happen.  We need Jesus.   We need to trust him and his timing.  I need to take moments out of our chaos each day and rest in him and fall at his feet.

So last night my husband, pointed me to Christ.  He read  Psalm 77 to me and it encouraged my heart.  I need to look to Christ when I am struggling.  I need to turn to scriptures and be reminded of what is true.  I need to cry out to Christ and cry on his shoulder and cast all of my anxieties on him and leave them at his feet.  Then I need to trust that he is big enough to handle it and that HE WILL handle it.  It might not be handled how I want it to or as quick as I want it to be, but the Lord knows best.  Better than me that's for sure.

So I leave you with this, because I need to keep going back to it myself and maybe it can encourage someone else today....


Psalm 77
cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
“Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

God is faithful.  He has been when I look back and he will be as we look ahead.  He loves me more than I could ever imagine.  I need to remember that daily (even moment by moment each day).

I know I am not the only one who feels like this?  If not right now, I know many have felt like this at some point right?  We all need to cling to Christ.  And keep being reminded every. single. day.  Because, we are broken and forgetful.


Thursday, September 4, 2014

Our month in pictures....

I have been a bad blogger these days...I guess we are a little busy these days and naps win in the afternoon if I don't have school still to do with SK.

So instead of trying to remember what I haven't blogged about in words, let's just look at what pictures I have taken this last month :)

Here is our "First day of school" pic this year :)  SK is enjoying 1st grade and homeschooling has gone well so far.  Our first day we got everything done then got to go swimming!



This kid.  I will do a 2 year old blog on here in a few weeks.  Hard to believe this little one is almost 2!  She has fully embraced her 2's already, can you tell?

We have done lots of this.  There was one week a couple weeks ago we travelled to Bristol, TN, then back to B'ham for a couple days, then down to Florida for a few days, and other small drives to the Birmingham area for different meetings and such.  I think I counted around 24 hours of being in the car that 1 week.  Shew.  And this little one hasn't been too thrilled about her time in the car, but she has done well all things considered.


Here is a pic of the girls with Mimi while we were in FL.  


We had our first Doctor appt and baby looked great.  I was crying and so anxious before we got to the doctor office, and was so thankful to see our little nugget growing well and his or her little heart beating on the ultrasound.


Last Sunday we travelled down to Tuscaloosa, AL where Michael preached and we got to share in Sunday School about our hearts for England.  It was fun to drive around a bit and see our college town.  

So that gives you a little update right?  We are in full swing with homeschooling with SK and so far so good.  It has been so helpful to be able to do her school work while we are traveling and such.  SK is taking piano lessons and we will start ballet in a couple weeks too :)  

We are headed to South Carolina for a couple days next week.  I think we are getting the hang of what this fall is going to look like, with travels, homeschooling, kid's activities, preparing to move overseas, all while growing a baby in my tummy :)  

Sickness has set in a bit for me, but not horrible (about the same as with the other pregnancies).  I feel like I stay nauseous a lot, so I just snack and eat all day it seems.  Michael has been great doing some cooking around here so I don't have to see raw meat and other things that make me want to throw up. bleh.

Alright, off to tend to kiddos.  See you again soon!



Saturday, August 16, 2014

Our week...

So we have had a big week this week.  A week of joy and unexpected surprises.  To tell you about this week though, I think I am going to give a little history before getting to our week.

SO....

Sarah Katelyn Davis was conceived very quickly after Michael and I decided we were ready to start trying to have children.  Literally the month we got off birth control, we got pregnant.  While there was a little scare with her towards the end (IUGR), all went fairly smooth.

10 months later, we thought, "hey, let's try again".  I always thought it would be fun to have our kids close together.  Well, that same month we starting trying, we conceived.  Then...the Lord called our baby home to be with him.  We were devastated.  I honestly have never felt more pain in my life.  It hurt like hell.  I remember laying in the bed with Michael after loosing our baby beating him on the chest sobbing for hours.
(Here's a pic of the weekend we told family we were expecting...SK's shirt said "Big Sister!")


Then, we went through almost 3 years of infertility.  I know I have blogged much about the pain of going through that, but the Lord grew my faith so much during that time.  I learned just how much God is in control and holds us in his hands.  He held me each month that I learned we weren't pregnant.  Then the Lord gave us a dear dear doctor in STL who walked with us and helped figure out what was going on and after 3 months of clomid (in order to help me ovulate, which I wasn't doing on my own), we were able to conceive Evelyn Joy.

After she turned 1 year old, we hoped to try again to have another baby before heading to England.  Once again, it looked as though my body was failing to do what was needed in order to conceive.  In the spring, we actually did 3 rounds of clomid again.  This time, the clomid did not end with a pregnancy.  So after 3 months, we decided to take some time off and wait till we got to England to start trying again.

2 months later, I got food poisoning.  It was right before we headed to England.  If you are friends with me on Facebook, you remember me asking for prayers about that?  It was rough.  Well, in the midst of that and I guess due to that, I was 2 weeks late.  I actually took a pregnancy test in England since I was so late.  It was negative.  So after that month being so late, I thought my body was just thrown off from being so sick.

SO then this month came.  Yet again, I was late, but really didn't think a thing about it since my cycle was so crazy last month.  We had decided we weren't going to try right now, so the thought of pregnancy didn't cross my mind really when my cycle was looking long again.

Tuesday.  I get up with Michael.  He and I get up and he needs to get ready to head to presbytery where he is going to be examined in front of everyone for licensure.  I decide to make some eggs for breakfast before he needs to go.  I crack a couple eggs, all is good.  Then I crack a bad egg.  I start gagging.  Had to leave the kitchen it was so bad.  I go to the bathroom, compose myself and try to return to the kitchen.  Then I get a whiff of the egg smell.  Gagging again.  I go back to the bathroom and leave Michael finishing off the eggs.  I remember that I happen to have a pregnancy test already at home, and decide, I am going to take it.  I figured I would take it and it would be negative and my period would start later that day.

To my surprise, it was POSITIVE!!!!!!  Immediately turned positive.  I was doing double and triple takes, looking back at the box and seeing what 2 lines meant and stood there in shock.  Then I come out to the kitchen where Michael is with my hands over my mouth looking like I have seen a ghost I am sure.  He looks at me and is asking if I am sick and what is wrong.  I respond, no....but I am PREGNANT.  His response is, "WHAT??!!??"  We both were completely shocked.  We go back to the bathroom and sit there shocked.  We are amazed.

The eggs get burned since they were left in the kitchen to fend for themselves while we pull our chins off the floor.

Did I mention that Michael had to leave in 30 minutes to head to Presbytery???  He gets ready quickly and I sit trying to pull myself together before the girls wake.  He leaves for the day (till 4 in the afternoon) and I sit all day at home trying to do homeschool with SK.  I think I texted him like 5-6 times throughout the day.  It was hard to be home (without a car) all day knowing I was pregnant and not being able to even tell SK yet (I was waiting till Michael got home).

He finally got home and we told SK (and Evie, but she doesn't really get it at her age :)).  We skyped my mom to surprise her, then we headed to surprise Michael's family and my brother and his wife at a Mexican restaurant for dinner.  We had told the family that we wanted to go out and celebrate Michael passing his licensure stuff and officially being licensed to preach.  Then we got our friend (who works at the restaurant) to bring out a baby bottle with our drinks :)  It took everyone a few minutes, then there were lots of screams and hugs.  It was fun :)

So, that has been our week.  One of the first questions we get when telling everyone so far, is what does this mean for England?  Well...right now, we don't know.  We are still going, but we are either going a little quicker than planned or waiting till after baby arrives.  We are praying and will talk with a doctor in a couple weeks about it.  First we have to get a due date.  Since my cycle was so crazy the month prior, the due date is hard for me to figure out.  The due date should be somewhere around the middle to end of April.   Our original goal was to be in England by March 1.

Things just got a little more interesting for us :)  We are beyond thankful and ecstatic.  We are a whole mix of emotions really.  I am fearful, given our miscarriage in the past.  So will you pray for us.  We need lots of prayers.  Pray for a healthy baby.  Pray the Lord will give clarity to us as to what this means for our timing in heading to England.  Thanks friends.

And to end here is a picture I am beyond thrilled I got to take this week :)
(Evie is wearing the same shirt that I had made for SK...I never could find myself able to get rid of it all these years.  Now I am glad I held onto it!)

And 1 more just cause these kids are super cute :)








Wednesday, August 6, 2014

On Support raising...

So we are back from England and now really jumping into the "full-time support raising" life.  While there are plenty of people that totally get the whole concept of support raising, there are plenty of friends also that don't completely understand why we have to raise our support.

So why do we support raise?  I grew up in the Southern Baptist church, where those who feel called to international missions were sent and were funded through the denomination.  That's really cool in so many ways.

Here's what is different for us though that I do appreciate.

I appreciate knowing that we have so many individuals and churches who are stepping out in faith with us to see God's kingdom grow.  We are so encouraged to see the Lord raise up people and churches who have a heart for England.  We know that those who are financially supporting us are connected to us and are praying for us.  Having people/churches financially supporting us reminds me that we are all connected to a universal church, no matter where you actually spend your Sunday morning.  We are all called to be about the spreading of the gospel "to all nations", and for some that means going and others it means sending.

Sending can mean different things.  Some don't have the finances to give, but instead can be great encouragers and prayer warriors.  Believe me, we need those greatly.

Support raising is hard at times, if I can be really honest.  Calling your friends and asking them to consider financially supporting you is out of my comfort zone.  When we first started last year, I had a hard time with it.  While it still isn't necessarily easy, I have come to a better understanding on why it is good.  Support raising isn't just going around talking to people asking for money so that we can get to England.  Support raising is ministry in and of itself.  Asking for support, is asking someone else to step out in faith that the Lord will provide enough money each month/year so that they can support ministry.

I feel like our money is one of the hardest things to trust God with.  So many times we can look at our money situation and think, "I don't think we can squeeze any more out".  I myself can struggle with wanting to give away our money to others.  I struggle to think that there just isn't enough.

I think we have to think beyond that though.  We have to truly evaluate where we are putting our trust when it comes to our money.  And really, where our money goes, that is where our hearts are.  When we give to world missions, we are drawn to think of the world and God's kingdom coming all around it.  We pray for it more typically when our finances are going to it.  Am I right??

Going to seminary taught me and Michael a lot about trusting God with our money situation.  We didn't know how on earth we were going to make it month to month, much less 3.5 years there.  Now looking back, I am amazed.  The Lord met our every single need truly.

There is something to be said for stepping out in faith in the unknown, trusting the Lord will provide. What a faith builder and an opportunity for the Lord to work and grow us.  When we are comfortable and have control over things, we don't tend to "need" God as much (so we think many times).

We are all called to be about the Kingdom work.  For each of us, that will look different.  Some of us will be called to go.  Some are called to stay where they are and be about God's kingdom right where they are.  But I believe we should all have a heart for the lost throughout all nations.  God does.

So if you have gotten a phone call/text/email/facebook message...know that we are just doing what the Lord has called us to at this time.  We are inviting others in to be a part of the work going on in a little village across the pond in England.  Our hearts through this time in support raising is that we can encourage others to think about their money and resources.  We want people to wrestle with where they are using them and how God might want them to use them.  Whether they end up supporting us or not, is sort of irrelevant.  While yes, it would be great if everyone we contacted would support us, that is not what the ultimate goal is.  The Lord knows who he has in mind to support us.  If you don't support missions in some capacity, can I challenge you to consider it?  If you don't feel the Lord calling you to support us, that is ok.  But what is the Lord calling you to support with your time and money?

And if you are one of the ones we have contacted, we love you and it's ok if you don't end up supporting us.  We still want to be friends ;)

And to end, will you pray for us as we are on this support raising journey?  I can see how the Lord is using this time to refine and shape us.  He is exposing my sin in this and it isn't easy at times.  But I am so thankful too that He loves me enough to teach me and make me more and more into His image.

And if you want to hear more about what the Lord is doing across the pond and why we are going, please feel free to contact me.  If you feel led to support us, that would be cool.  But my prayer is that the Lord will grow us all through this journey, showing us where he wants to peel back the layers of unbelief and point us more in the direction of being about HIS business while we are here on this earth.



Wednesday, July 16, 2014

And we're back...

Well, we are back in AL and feeling the jet lag.  I wanted to blog more the last week we were in England, but I guess we were too busy having fun.  So what all did we do after my last post...

-We got to spend lots of time with most everyone in the church.  Made me more hungry to get back over there and be able to spend more time building those relationships :)

-We had a family adventure day going to Liverpool.  SK's dreams came true since she got to ride a double decker bus (which she had been requesting since the first time she saw one at the beginning of our trip) and we rode a train in to Liverpool.  SK would say this was her favorite day I think.  We walked all around Liverpool seeing the Metropolitan Cathedral (which was massive!) and the "bombed out church" as we call it.  We had a really great day there!

-We got to check out 2 Primary schools in Culcheth and meet with the head teacher at each.  This was really great in getting SK excited for going to school there.  She loved the schools.

I am sure there is stuff I am missing, but I will blame it on the jet lag.

Overall the trip was amazing.  It was helpful.  And it was eye opening in a lot of ways.  It really gave us a glimpse into what life will be like once we move here.   We learned how to go about everyday life including buying groceries, cooking (meaning getting used to a different kitchen and finding ingredients that might have different names here--like courgette...anyone know what that is???), getting around via the bus and train on our own, figuring out the pound.  We learned so much.

We got to see and talk with many people in the church.  We saw even more the massive need for workers in Culcheth.  Our hearts grew in our longing more and more to be with this church and serve there.  The Lord is at work there for sure and it was amazing to see how he is at work.

Pray for the church there.  Pray that they will be able to find a chef for the cafe soon.  Bruce (one of the elders) is currently playing the role of chef and that is taking him away from being able to do much shepherding and discipling which is where he longs to be.  Trace is away (the other elder) and the church feels the loss of not having the Donahoo's there.

Pray for us as we raise our funds to get there.  Pray that the funds come quickly and we can get there by March.  But also pray that we enjoy this time here in AL (and where all of our travels take us) and our time meeting with people and churches.  It can be tiring (to be honest), but also so encouraging.

After I get over the jet lag, I hope blog more....for now I am off to eat an early breakfast :)  Yesterday I was awake at 2 a.m. and today Michael and I woke at 4.  That means it's getting better right?  We are thankful the girls are doing well so far with the change in time.

Alright, I will leave you with some pics and be back soon for more blogging!









(This last photo is a church-turned-home in Culcheth)

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Dunham Massey adventure

So today we decided to venture out to a place called Dunham Massey.  It was beautiful.  It was an old estate, where the home was turned into a military hospital during the first world war.  There were beautiful gardens, deer everywhere roaming, ducks to feed, and logs and trees to play on.  We had a great time exploring then finished off our time there with some delicious ice-cream :)

I will leave you with pictures today, since I got some fun ones while we were there.  More blogging to come...Michael preaches in the morning at CCC and then we have 1 more week to enjoy here!



















We had a great family day today and looking forward to worship in the morning!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Berry Picking and Chester

Hello again!  What all have we been up to so far this week?

On Monday, Michael "hired" a car for us to have for the week and that has been quite fun (I can say that since I have been the passenger and not the driver).  So Michael has gotten to try his hand at driving on the other side of the road.  He has done quite well I must say.  We have gone to the Trafford Centre (which is a very large mall/shopping center) which is about 20 minutes from Culcheth.

We went on Monday to a farm that is only a few miles from here called Kenyon Hall.  It had all kinds of berries for picking and a cute cafe and shop as well.  We were able to try out some new berries that I have never heard of before including gooseberries, tayberries, and black and red currants.  They also had raspberries and strawberries.  We had a great time picking some berries, though Evie ate more than we picked I think.  We ate in the cafe with Bruce and Bea, then headed home for Evie's nap.

Yesterday we decided to go about 45 minutes away to a place called Chester.  Look it up y'all.  It was amazing.  There are Roman walls there, a Roman amphitheater, a beautiful Cathedral and another very old church as well.  It was buzzing with shops and lots of people about.  We had so much fun there!

I have gotten to help serve in Quench Cafe twice now and really have enjoyed that.  I even took some orders yesterday and didn't mess them up too much I believe :)  Though I might not know what they were ordering, I just wrote down what they said :)  hehe.  At one point, a guy came and sat down and wanted to order, so I asked him what he would like, ready to write down what he said and not look dumbfounded if he asked any questions...he asked, "do you have any sandwiches?"  to which I replied.."yes...I believe so"  and had to flip around through the menu to find them (and it took a few flips...oops).  It was quite funny.  I had to explain that I was new to being in the cafe as well and he just laughed.

We are resting now after going to Leigh this morning, where we got some groceries at Tesco.  I spent some time with a lady that lives next door to where we are staying and the girls played in her back garden while we had tea.  It was lovely and she has an incredible garden.

We are having Bible study at our home tonight, so I think I might go and make an apple crumble....

Here are some pics from the last couple of days to leave you with today.

 SK loves watering the plants!
 Another rose bush in the front...love love love the roses.
 What the skies have looked like for 3 days now!  
 Berry picking at Kenyon Hall, where this little girl helped test the berries :)
 Me and my love.
 Picking currants.
 Aren't these gorgeous!
 Snuggled up to Uncle Bruce after hard work "picking" berries
 In Chester.
 Part of the Roman wall in Chester.

 St. John's...had amazing history to it--read out it more HERE

 Stoping at a Cafe for a rest and treat.
Chester.