Time for Scrapbooking

I haven't scrapped in weeks... It is my new favorite layout. Probably because it is one of my favorite pictures.

And a few other photos from this weekend:

Pizza Making Party Breakfast on Sunday. I look scary. We are wearing our Christmas Cracker hats. Our friends, Mike and Courtney, and Tate.

Really? Are there only 6 days left?

Treats for our visitors this weekend, Courtney & Mike Thomas and Bethany & John. His favorite place...mama and daddy's bed on movie night with a big bowl of popcorn. I hate food in the bed, but I make the exception for him.

I feel like I spent many months thinking of all the stuff Tate and I were going to do for the holidays, and before I knew it, we are only 6 days away.

Where's Waldo? Apparently in London...

As we walked down Regent St...And inspired by Paula, here is our Christmas decor:

For our advent Calendar, we have a craft or activity every day after nap. Race car day was Day one. Another day we made a SNOWFLAKE MOBILE--basically paper snowflakes, glue, ribbon, popsicle sticks and glitter.

Need more ideas?? Email me or leave a comment. I'm chockfull. In fact, Tate sometimes just wants to color instead :(

Teatime!

Ever have carrots with lemon and salt on them?? They are really good--I'm not lying!! I had them for the first time in this fancy bar in Turkey and just rediscovered them. The other dish is just walnuts, pecans, and almonds that I microwaved for a few minutes in my stoneware to toast them up. I then added yogurt covered cranberries. The whole thing kind of melts together and I ate it with a spoon.

"A teaspoon of HONEY makes the medicine go down...in the most delightful way!" This is sung in my house daily, with a request for the actual teaspoon of honey.

Because it gets dark VERY early here...

And it is freezing outside, and Paul is coming home late for the 6th work day in a row, and because Mama stayed up too late:

**Please ignore my super dirty floor, and my drying laundry on the table!!

T Day Eve To-Do List

Preparing anything I can ahead of time...

Texas and JT

I actually miss the Texas sun. Yes, that's right, I said I miss Texas. I complained a lot when I lived there, but there is nothing like the gorgeous open sky that you really can't find anywhere else. What made me think of this?
This video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddh0ESIQoqw
I have never seen Justin Timberlake look THIS HOT. I know, I sound like my 14 yr old niece, but, Oh my goodness--GORGEOUSNESS. And well, Rihanna isn't too bad herself. In fact they are both amazing, and they both can really sing.

Paris and Disneyland

The inside of the Notre Dame Cathedral. You can't even imagine how beautiful it is. Antique Market...Paul found a piece that he liked. On to Disney...Tate totally got the whole Disney thing and really had a "skip-the-nap-without-meltdown" good time. His favorite part of the day: The Mickey Winter Show, half in French and half in English.I want to live here:We lucked out and got a "kid suite", which included a little closet room shut off with a curtain (equipped with a kids tv). Tate kept kicking us out of it.

If you go to France...

...bring your kid's passport. They won't let you out of the country if your husband mistakenly grabs your second passport (i have 2) and you don't discover the mistake until you are on the way home.

Yep--stuck in Lillie, France with a confused child, too many bags than I could carry, and no French dictionary. Paul had to take the train to London, and come back the next day to get us.

Pics to come, and no, I'm not really complaining....we had a good trip aside from the customs craziness.

A Walk on a Rainy Day

And I finally finished my file folder scrapbook page:

I haven't posted too many pics of things I have been making, due to the fact that most things are holiday presents! I don't want to spoil the fun...

Have a great weekend.

Been Tagged--Random

I have been tagged by my friend, Deb...
5 Random things--I have done this one before, so I apologize if I repeat myself, but I still love doing "tags".

1. I love Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. I bought lots and lots before moving to the UK and I am almost out!!
2. I have flown planes, sold drugs (pharmaceuticals!) and taught teens before becoming a mom.
3. I admit to loving facebook for reconnecting with friends that I haven't seen in years. I have made new friendships with people that I knew before, but am enjoying them even more now.
4. I am contemplating whether or not to add to the family...
5. I want (kind of a lot) to learn to speak Spanish fluently.

If you read this and want to play, you are tagged.

Things I love OCT 08

1. The smell of homemade refried beans in my kitchen.

2. Roasting Pumpkin Seeds after Carving Pumpkins.

3. Having your kid put himself down for nap.

4. Cozy fall weather and that it gets dark early.

5. Playing online games with your family while you are far away from each other. (Mobster on myspace)

6. Finally feeling like a trip on the Tube (The Underground Subway) isn't a completely exhausting event.

What are you loving right now??

What's in your Purse?

Inspired by Elsie's blog, I emptied my purse and this is what you will find.

1. My bag--got it at Portabella Market for 2 pounds. I plan on embroidering something colorful on it at some point in the future.

2. Umbrella--always needed on even the sunniest day.

3. Chopsticks--Just purchased this weekend in Chinatown. I had 2 mismatched ones before and Tate borrowed them as drumsticks.

4. Pink Phone--coverage sucks, but I can't part with its cuteness.

5. Pink Wallet

6. Indestructable Target Sunglasses

7. Pink iPod

8. Little Notebook-Directions, Inspiration, phone numbers, etc

9. Puffs-for Tate's snotty little nose

10. Water-another essential item...you'd be surprised how thirsty you get walking everywhere.

11. Ziploc Bag with Extra Tate clothes

12. Gum

13. Hand Sanitizer

14. Lipglosses and Aquafor

Greenwich, Crafts and Cookies

This weekend we took a Boat Tour on the Thames from Westminster to Greenwich...as in the Greenwich Meridian. We went to the outdoor market there where I promptly buried my pack lunch in my bag in exchange for an awesome freshly made falafel.

We also found this unique game store of both the vintage and current variety.

Who doesn't love the feel of running your hand through a bunch of marbles??

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My friend, Ladonna, and I went to a Craft Fair in the Somerset House. "Craft Fair" is a misleading title, considering the high end, extremely detailed works of art that we saw. They also had an interactive exhibit in the middle where you wrote your thoughts on gifting on a ribbon and added it to this huge structure.

I had to end the weekend by making these. I was inspired to try a new recipe. I tried the Williams-Sonoma sugar cookie recipe that uses cream cheese. OK tasting, but not as good as my standard recipe. The cookies keep their shape very well, which I guess is the trade off.

I'll post both recipes later, as I am too lazy to walk downstairs right now!