mamma mia!

Loved it! Loved it!

I saw the musical a few years back, and went to the movie last night. FEEL GOOD, MUSICAL FUN!!!

A few things about my first British movie experience:
1. 9.50 for a movie ticket(THAT's $19.00 without popcorn!!!)
2. Movies don't start on time (6:55 for a 6:30 movie). I didn't care--I love previews.
3. When the credits roll, no one moves. They actually sit there and watch them. I was in the middle row and had to pee, so yea, I just had to wait.
4. They had stylish bar with alcohol across from candy and popcorn.

Scrapbooking and baking posts will return soon!

I HAVE INTERNET!

It is exciting, and I feel like a rich woman...Paul got the cord to the computer and now I have unlimited free internet!!

Still no photos yet. Did I mention that the USAF may have lost at least one of our shipments of stuff?

But the tea is soooooo good.

I still might be moving the blog...Google won't let me log in, since my username and email are different. I'll keep you posted.

The best part of my day??? I FOUND A SCRAPBOOK STORE!!!!

BLADE RUBBER STAMPS
www.bladerubber.co.uk
Bloomsbury; London, UK WC1A 2JL

It sounds like it is just for rubber stamps, but definitely it is not. They have a great selection of many, many brands to include (my favorites) 7gypsies and Holy Cow. The woman in the store was extremely helpful and had that "Ooo, I love to create and talk about it" vibe that I love in a scrapbook store.

Blogger Frustration!

OK it seems as though a fluke let me sign in to blogger...

Long story short, I may be going over to typepad....If I do, I will be cupcakesandcoffee or some variation of that so you can find me. I'll TRY to keep you updated.

Ok the long story that you didn't ask for:
**My email that I sign in with is from my charter acct--it doesnt exist anymore because it is tied to my St.Louis house.
**I can't change it because my only other email is hotmail and they won't allow hotmail in the user name.
**Blogger is swtiching to Google sign ins. I CAN'T LOG IN TO LINK IT TO MY GOOGLE ACCOUNT!

No photos and internet is still $4 an hour. I swear I will post more as soon as I can. I have so many tips for anyone who comes to London to live or even just to visit!
(oh and a few entertaining observations, but i wrote them in my planner and I don't have it at the moment.)

Have a good day, even though I have complained enough for all of us!

WE HAVE A HOME!

http://www.foxtons.co.uk/search?bedrooms_from=3&keyword_type=postcode&keyword_value=SW6&price_from=500&price_to=750&property_id=648734&search_form=keyword&search_type=LL&submit_type=search

we move in in about 2 weeks.
SUCH A RELIEF!!!!

Goo Goo Ga Ga

So I told Tate that babies say "Goo Goo Ga Ga" and now occasionally he will be in the buggy and start saying it. We ask him if he is a baby and he replies with "Goo Goo Ga Ga". It is JUST as funny as when my little brother Andy did it when he was 3.

Paul is in Germany for the week while Tate and I are still in London. It wouldn't be too bad, except that Paul filled our schedule with home showings, forgetting that we need time to eat, and that Tate needs a break. IT SUCKED.

Fortunately, I cleared a big portion of the itinerary and I think tomorrow we will either go check out the Waldorf School (haven't found it yet!) or go to the used bookstore where I already scored 3 chick lit books for £4=$8!! They had a great selection of kids books and I don't think they have been read yet--it is more like a book outlet store (excess copies for cheap) than a used book store and we are SOOOO tired of the same bedtime stories over and over.

Pics to come--I promise!! We packed the cord in the 2 week shipment....
love-cat

Observations, day 7

*Whole Foods (or Whole Paycheck as Paul now calls it)in London is actually CHEAPER for some things than the local grocery store!
*Still haven't found a home.
*Decor fits into 2 categories: 1. STUDENT--throw sheets over old couches and throw your stuff in a corner 2. GORGEOUS--family home have done A LOT with a little bit of space. There is little in between.
*Lots of cute, comfy shoes here.
*Diana, Princess of Wales Playground in Hyde Park--AMAZING. We were there for hours today.

In Love with London

Ahhhhh...we are here in London, finally. We have had a different hotel room every night since arrived on Monday, and we are finally in a place we can stay put until we find our new home.

We hit the ground running, seeing 12 places within the first 3 days we were here. We then reevaluated our finances (expensive doesn't even BEGIN to describe) and have expanded our search.

A few observations for now:

1. What looks like a 20 minute drive on a map is really a 20 minute walk.
2. After long walks....Tate has really smelly feet for a 3 yr old!
3. The tea is SO good.
4. The food has been very good. We have had a wonderful selection of chinese, italian, cafe/bistro sandwiches, thai, etc etc.
5. The sun comes at 4AM.
6. Londoners all dress very fashionably. Even the kids!

Paul leaves for Germany on Monday, returning Friday, so Tate and I will explore on our own. I secretly am excited to have my little guy all to myself and get back into our little routine. Sometimes with 2 tired, stressed parents who are desperately in search of a home can be harder than one parent who is just sightseeing until Daddy returns :)

No room at the Inn!

I really want to add pics, because just words on a blog are boring! I, however, have Paul's work computer and unable to add anything off our camera...

So, yes, we are still in the US. Long story short, some butthead on base messed up our visas. The last few days have sucked, with at least one day where we seriously didn't know where we were going to stay at 4pm! All hotels were booked and we only had 5 days allotted to us anyway, even though it was the USAFs mistake. Big thank yous to all of our friends and the numerous offers for housing, even though we were toting along a VERY cranky 2 yr old who was wondering where all his stuff was.

Good News: We are leaving Sunday and we are now in a hotel.

What's been up?

1. Decided on Monday at 4pm to drive to MI to drop off our unsold jeep (8.5 hr drive). Departed at 6pm. Flew back to StL on Thursday.
2. Visas not here yet! Can't leave until 27th instead of 18th as planned.
3. House is mostly empty. Movers to pick up last things (our 2 wk shipment) on Monday.
4. Do I really have to wait 2 months to scrap/create again?
5. Enjoying computer time while Tate watches a show next to me. TV weaning will start after the move! (along with potty training!)

**I took some pics of my layouts from my video that I will post later today.

First blog video

Ok--I wanted to try this.... My hair is really bad and I really don't like taping myself, but I love watching other people's videos, so here ya go.

I could never be an actress...

Last Week in bullet format

*Lunch outside at Shining Rivers (Tate's school) with fresh grown lettuce, berries, cheese, nuts, bananas, mini PBJs, and fish crackers.
*Realtor appts.
*Driving in the car, windows, radio cranked. It feels good to be warm.
*Learning how to share...eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
*Zoo on Thursday? Hopefully.
*In my fav "uniform" of tshirt, shorts/skirt, tevas or flip flops. I actually prefer barefoot, though.
*Taking a Scrap/art break until move it over.
*Hoping all this outdoor play helps shed the extra winter poundage.
*Finally excited now that the stress is subsiding.

Goodbye Party

**Recipes for Cheesecake Pops and Mac and Cheese are linked to title of pics!! luv-cat

Boxed Carrot Cake Mix, Ready-to-Spread Frosting, Sprinkles from Dierbergs.

Cheesecake Pops
Mac and Cheese
Beans, with Bacon and Brown Sugar...dump in to taste.


Pulled Pork: Roast a Pork Shoulder for about 8 hours (salt and pepper)at 350 degrees, cool a bit, then remove excess fat and shred. Add LOTS of BBQ and heat up in a crock pot.

Home Again!

Drinking tea out of this... Have I posted a pic of this teapot before? I can't remember this morning.

And here is my brother and my nephew at the BBQ my parents hosted for us in MI:

Still haven't sold house or car. Going away party is this weekend. Wanting to nestle into "home" for the last few weeks before the big move.

Have a great day!

In Michigan

Sorry for the lack of posts, but we are in MI visiting my family (and dropping off Sabrina, our cat) before we move.
.
food, scrapbooking, ice cream at the park, helping with new flooring, laughing at inappropriate things with my siblings, lots of puppies, and more....
.
Pics to follow sometime between returning home and movers arriving.
Yep--I'm slightly freaking out that time is going by so quickly! I am looking forward to our adventure, but moving...ICKY.

Rainy Day Activities

I watched this movie on Mother's Day. I loved it and cried multiple times...I just love both Keri Russell and Jonathan "My Boyfriend" Rhys Meyers.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, MOM!!

With love, Cat

Stink Mop and Rag Ball

Hi all--
I know I haven't blogged for awhile and I wish I had some creations to post...but I don't. I got out to Archiver's last Sunday but didn't really get a chance to even make an ATC. We kind of were ambushed by a very friendly guy that wanted to teach us how to draw. He was nice, but I wanted to say "I only get this afternoon of free time! LEmme SCRAP!" (I didn't say it, just thought it.)

OK on to Stink Mop...SO Paul and I were watching a show (I won't admit to which one but it is intended for high schoolers/20 yr olds and it is about basketball and drama in a small town..LOL) and the characters were having a water fight. Paul and I start reminiscing about stupid stuff you do as a kid. Paul tells me about STINK MOP, which I guess is made up on Simpsons or Mike Myers or something...I had a hard time googling it. Apparently, you pee on a mop and play tag with the mop until your parents come home. I know, I know...you are all appalled. I died laughing. And then said "Oh yea...we soooo would have played that!"

Ok-- on to Rag Ball. This was an actual game that we played. We would stand at the kitchen and toss a wet washcloth into the dishwater. You got points for making it and more points for the size of the splash.
1. We were supposed to be washing dishes when the game was invented.
2. No...there weren't any parents home.

I can't believe the stuff we would do and the messes we would make. We also had "Chin Power Clean" that would occur about 20 min. before my parents were due back. We turned up the radio REALLY LOUD and frantically tried to clean up whatever mess we made.

I totally understand if you have lost all respect for me....

In Iowa

Yep...I'm in corn country. NO corn to see at the moment, but it does smell like cow poop when the wind blows.
I'll get back to blogging when I return! Have a great week :)

Cool, crisp weather almost like a fall day. We snuggled up with tea, warm pajamas, and evening snack before bed... Tate hosted his first puppy dog tea party with his stuffed dogs at the table. It was perfect.

"Between the dark & daylight

When the night is beginning to lower

Comes a pause in the days occupation

That is known as the Children's Hour"

.

.

OK, so Tate got to bed wayyyyyyyyy later than that due to a trip to WalMart's toy section, but when I saw him find the baby spoons and coo at the stuffed puppies he had collected, I went with it.

My to-do list shot to H*%#

8a--What are we going to do today?

1. Breakfast

2. MTV Yoga Tape

3. Laundry

4. Make Soap

1pm-What was I thinking????

1. Breakfast took about an hour, mainly because Tate wanted to eat on the deck. It was fun, I'll admit.

2. When I put the DVD in, Tate just yelled "Backyardigans! Backyardigans!" and wanted nothing to do with yoga. He later used the yoga mat as his magic carpet...or train carpet, whatever.

3. Got one load in. That's it. It isn't even dry.

4. Soap Making--was fun for the first 5 minutes. It then was a disaster that ended up with my saying LOUDLY, "Lower your voice!" Yep--total parenting hypocrite. We do have few cute soaps that we ended up with though.

**As I was cleaning up the soap mess, I heard typing, but knew that Tate was on the deck right outside the kitchen. THIS is what I found when I went into the family room. Yep--Tate typing on the keyboard and ALL the computer stuff carefully turned toward the window!! (no--he doesn't know how to type for real yet. Hee Hee!)