Roman Holiday

1. Food was amazing. I know, not a big surprise. Do you think Tate got tired of spaghetti?? Nope--he requested it again for dinner yesterday.
2. The Roman ruins were really impressive. Yea, I had seen photos, but up close you see how incredibly giant it all is. And the detail in every little piece...crazy to think when and how it was created.
3. Vatican--same comment as #2.
4. Looking for comfy cool boots? This was the place to find them. (Bethany!!)
5. Not all Gelato is created equal. But I'm not complaining about any of it.
6. Tate wants to live in a hotel.

Holiday Break Update

I have barely left the house in the last 3 days...and it is wonderful. Ok, besides the bickering between Tate and Paul, it has been great.

Random Tidbits:
1. I'm in love with this stuff. My face is super clean and, every night when I use it, I feel like I am getting a decadent face massage.
2. I have not scrapbooked at all. Wish I had!!
3. Paul is addicted to facebook poker.
4. Experimented with Mushroom Risotto. It came out AMAZING! I got the fresh mushroom mix from Borough St. Market. I didn't even recognize some of the mushrooms that were in the packet.
5. I am NOT READY for Tate to start school on Thursday. Nope. NOT AT ALL. Every day attendance just seems like a lot for a 3.5 year old. And I will miss the playgroups.
6. On the school thing, I'm bummed that Tate can't go to the Waldorf school. It is such the right fit for us. I just can't do the 40 min bus/walking trip daily for him to be there just 3 hours!!
7. I still need some freaking local friends, besides the shop keepers and the fruit and veg guys.

Mushroom Risotto Recipe
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
6 cups chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 shallot (minced)
1-2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.
Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots and garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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.