Corners of our Garden

My favorite...my new Camellia plant. I am so happy that they grow here!
And here are our beloved hats that my mom made, and that I left on the 295 bus the first day I got mine. I sprinted to the busstop down the road to see if I could catch the bus...surprisingly, there wasn't traffic that day and I missed it. We were so sad!

Pancake Day!

Instead of Fat Tuesday, they call it Pancake Day here in London. Tate couldn't be MORE thrilled, since pancakes are his favorite food.

While he was at school, I made these... for cupcakes I am making for a friend.And these for another friend:Picking Tate up from Peques: (In red stripey shirt)His snack on the way home: Peanut Butter Star Sandwiches
(I had the mini cutters out for the cupcake decor!)And my new favorite candle. It smells like Spring Break:

My Thursday

Starting my day by:Looking at this:Wearing this: (MOM--this is the kind of sweater I want!!)

Reading this: Listening to this: Missing this: (Andy*my brother* in his girflfriend's cheer TShirt being silly.)

To Do List

1. Load iPod. Any new music suggestions? Checking out the new Fray, Rodrigo y Gabriela and adding HSM to Tate's list. He thinks he is IN the musical and I have to explain why we can't dance on chairs.

2. Breakfast--COFFEE! COFFEE! COFFEE! and some Kashi heart cereal (that Tate already spilled on the floor) in a bowl.

3. Groom--m i n i m u m l y...Friday, rainy, have lots of running around to do.

4. Running Around: Tate's school to pick up his bag we forgot, Crest of London to get Mikey something, Post Office in West Ruislip (that's a 2 hour round trip), possibly swimming tonight.

Have a good weekend!

Rainy Day...again.

So it's raining again....I know, big surprise, it's London.

A list of things to do with a kid (age 3) when it is rainy and cold.

1. Go to Ikea. Cheap Meatballs, Kid area, lots of space to run around, and 35p ice cream. The train ride to get there is half the fun

2. Sock/Balloon/Washcloth in Hamper Basketball

3. Marble Shaving Cream Painting..then cut into hearts.

4. Hide and Seek. Either with yourselves or a favorite toy/doll.

5. Bake.

6. Race Car Day.

7. Sidewalk Chalk on Kitchen Floor. Then mop, because you know it probably needs to be done anyway!

8. Painting in the shower.

9. Go to the Mall. Similar to #1, but not as fun.

10. Clean, and have little one help. For instance, get all your dusting done and give them a cloth. Wash dishes and give them a bowl of water, some plastic cups and a washcloth. Sweep or vacuum and put all the dining room chairs in "choo-choo train formation". This only buys you a few moments, but hey, you get a few things done.

11. Put on boots and coats and go out in it, if even for a minute.

12. Sort different kinds of macaroni, beans, etc into muffin tins. We do this with small 3D scrapbook supplies as well.

Flowers, Snow and Hearts

These are the dresses that I bought at the Market this weekend. I was mentally planning for warmer weather.I was even ready to plant seeds in the garden...but Mother Nature had other plans! This is very rare for London.

Even though I was ready for Spring, I didn't mind. In fact, I LOVED IT!! Everyone seems to love the snow. On our street, we had about 6 snowmen. Here are a few. There were a few other snowmen with carrots and potatoes put in humorous places.

And we made the freezer paper Painted T Shirts from SouleMama's book "Creative Family". They turned out really cute.

If you have a 3 year old, a few suggestions.

1. Cut out the template before you start the project.

2. Have it all ready to go, freezer paper adhered, and then have them sponge paint the design.

3. Let them paint (or draw with fabric marker) around the design before you take freezer paper off. This leaves the design nice, even though their doodles are all around it.

4. Wear painting clothes!!

To Market, To Market

Yesterday we found 2 really good markets that are close to each other.
1. Petticoat Lane Market, which sells inexpensive clothes, shoes, cheap stuff, but good stuff.

2. The Sunday Up Market, near Liverpool Street., which was only a few blocks away from Petticoat. It was indoors (a plus!) and was a mix of eclectic vintage, thrift, and handmade unique items. It also had a really good food area with places to sit. As you can see, we had no problem finding lunch for Tate since there was a Chinese Food stand.

On the way from one market to the other... On the way home, we had to go through King's Cross Station. We wandered around... And we found Platform 9 3/4! (For those of you who don't know, that's how Harry Potter took the Hogwarts Express to his magical school. )