Oxford

Quiter, cleaner, quainter than London. Exactly what you would picture in your head, if you were guessing what Oxford looks like.

Our hotel garden in Bicester. See the cottage to the right?? I want to live in it.

Color Swap and More

Cool stuff from a Color Swap I participated in: My partner was Jenny Fowler from Colorado, who I totally feel like I know after trading emails about the swap! My colors were pink and blue....I LOVED everything! I have already scrapbooked with some of the items. I'll post photos of that layout later.

Knit stuff from Lowie. Bought the dress at fashion weekend and really love it. A very cool space Tate and I found at Bicester Village. It is a venue for special events, and I love how they used pink. A Notepad that I got free at fashion weekend that I altered for Tate. He has already filled its pages.

Been Hibernating...

Waiting for March to be over. I hate Spring...

Happier and Sunnier posts to come.

Too Old for Gossip Girl--but i dont care....

From a Gossip Girl Episode:

Penelope: Kelsey, Kelsey, Kelsey how many times must we tell you? As one of the girls of the steps, you represent Constance royalty.
Isabel Coates: So it should come as no surprise that many girls before you have gotten the ax when their choices reflected poorly on us.
Kelsey: I didn't realize. [crying]
Blair Waldorf: That tights are not pants? Honestly?

CRACKS ME UP! "Tights are not Pants" LOLOLOLOL
I laugh because there are many a girl around here who do not know this fact. I mean, really, if I can see through them, if there are seams, THEY ARE NOT LEGGINGS!!!

Snow Holiday in Germany

A Swan coming to say hello.The hotel near the airport.Snow makes everything magical. We have to walk up where??Cool Barn.
Hot mocha, pretzel, and hot dog on the walk down the mountain while it snowed....it was one of the best parts of the trip! Kind of slushy at the base, but still fun to play in.Warming up near the fire.
Busy hour at the pool, but Tate didn't mind.YUM.

Back from Germany

Snow, Mountains, Castles, Hot Drinks, and perfect "lodgy" resort....

Every time I travel, I return feeling inspired to get my house in order and make it more hotel-like. You know, with the perfect placement of art on walls or a potted plant placed decoratively on a ledge.

The sun is shining again (Wheeeeee!) and we should go outside, but I am feeling crafty and inspired. The house is NOT clean, so that is step one. Paul is leaving for a week, so I have this afternoon to myself and a part of me doesn't want to waste it on cleaning. I have a feeling that Tate and I are going to be eating simple meals this next week, with lots of crafting and creative stuff going on. Or at least that is what I hope.

Germany photos to come.

Things I think that are great: Mar '09

1. Kids that take naps. I don't currently have one of those!

2. Much needed weekends out.

3. Being inspired by Williams Sonoma.

4. The new Elizabeth Arden Bronzer that I got free at Fashion Weekend. Amazing!

5. Waitrose Ripe Avocados--they are perfect!

6. Swaps--getting ready to mail out my package for this color swap.

7. Sparkle Mod Podge.

8. Again, THE SUNSHINE.

9. This little boy.

Sunshine!

Yes, there is actually sunshine outside of my window today. In London, this is rare, and I never knew how solar powered I am. It seems as though EVERYONE is in a better mood. The fact that the sun is up before we get up (at 7:15a), makes it that much easier to get out of bed. I didn't even need my normal 1/2 pot of coffee before speaking.

This weekend I went with 7 girls to Fashion Weekend: SO FUN, spent way too much money, stayed out WAY too late, realized I need to lose 10 lbs.

Have a great Monday and I hope the sun is shining for you!

How I looked today on the bus

I attended a face painting class and we practiced on each other. I didn't have time to wash my face before picking Tate up for school, but I didn't mind. I got quite a few stares and some comments on the way, but at least there were smiles from all. Tate was thrilled, so that was worth it!

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. )