Scotland

This past week we went north to beautiful Scotland. We spent the week with our lovely friends who have recently moved out of London to their family's home near Stirling. It was so wonderful to catch up with them in their new environment (which fits them perfectly!) and to finally set foot in Scotland.

We enjoyed walks through forests,

moody, misty weather,

award winning fish and chips,

haggis (we prefered the veggie version),

cuddling Samuel,

and a visit to St Andrews.

Milestones

first time on a swing

first swim

I love getting to introduce him to the world!

Catching a moment

I find it quite hard to find a moment to myself these days which means they are especially precious when I get one.

One of my friends recommended that instead of rushing to get things done as soon as Sammy goes down for his first nap of the day to take some time to be quiet. This week I have been doing just that! I have been making a cup of tea and sitting down to read, reflect and pray and it has lifted my spirits all day. I feel more positive, productive and at peace (and pro-active and peppy and...:)).

The book I have been reading is called Meditations for the New Mother and was a baby shower gift from a friend back home who worked through it during the first year of her son's life. Such a thoughtful gift!

Music to my ears

Laughter. Laughter. Laughter...

The sounds of this little guys adorable laugh are filling our flat. I don't think anything could make me happier than hearing him giggle! I've learned his ticklish spots but I have also figured out which voices or actions put him in stitches, too. I'm loving 5 and a half months!

Side note- Isn't the quilt he is lying on beautiful, too? It was a gift for our wedding from a family friend who works with an amazing NGO in India called Himalayan Tapestries. They employ women who are generally from quite difficult backgrounds. We were able to visit their production site/shop during our visit a year and a half ago and were very impressed by the work they do and the impact they have and are making on hundreds of women's lives.

Good morning!

I absolutely love a good cup of coffee in a cafe. A window seat and lovely wood tables make it even better. As much as I like going out, some days it's just not possible with my little guy so today I decided to bring the cafe to me. I have to say the coffee was pretty good and the atmosphere superb (especially when looking out the window and not at the work to do in my flat!).

Oh and I am working on pouring patterns in my late a la my list without much success, but I think this one is pretty original:).

The Tidal wave

Taste test

Samuel's first tastes of food!!! A whole new adventure begins.

Capture this

I had such a great time on Saturday on my photography course! I learned so much about how to take photos and had such an enjoyable day in the process and much of that was down to my tutor Simon's positive approach. It was also the longest I had been away from Samuel during the day which was really strange. I really missed him! I kept ringing Adrian to see how they were doing and of course they were having a great time.

This is one of my favorite photos from the day. It was taken at Piccadilly Circus and was the first time I had experimented with capturing moving objects. I am looking forward to practicing what I have learned, so watch out as I may be pointing a camera in your direction when you least expect it:)

Oh shoot!

I can check another item off my get creative list... #5, taking a photography class. My husband completely surprised me at Christmas by giving me the gift of a one day photography course. It really touched me that he thought of something that would inspire and develop me creatively and that he took the time to research the perfect class for me. This workshop is offered by Photography Course London. I, and a small group of students who have similar cameras to me, will be guided out and about in London by a tutor to gain confidence in using our cameras. I am very excited (and a little nervous) not least of all because it will be the first time I spend the day a part from Samuel. I feel ready for it, though, and really excited for a day of learning some new skills and being focused on something different for a few hours. I look forward to sharing with you what I learn!

High Tea, please

Today I enjoyed a lovely excursion to High Tea of Highgate. It has a very cosy and warm interior and is decorated with beautiful tea cups and pots, retro inspired home wares, and a counter full of delicious looking cakes. This is the type of place I daydream about opening. Who knows, maybe some day, but for now it's great to be able to drop in to a place like this and enjoy a cup of tea in style.

Just to note, it is open early on Friday mornings and was quite quiet while we were there which made it a fantastic spot for visiting with a baby.

5 months

I absolutely love this picture of Samuel! When did he get old enough to lounge on our sofa? I thought we had a few more years before that would happen:)

In the past month he has rolled over a few more times, become so much more dexterous (able to pick his toys up and put them in his mouth), giggled on his own at our silly faces, had 2 colds, enjoyed laying on his tummy, learned to jump in our arms, and chewed on his big toe. All in a month!

Sweet Tooth

Yesterday I baked "Muffins that taste like donuts"...and they really do! This was a recipe that my mom made when I was growing up and seemed like the perfect thing to bake to bring along to brunch at a friend's home this week.

They are super easy to make and took less than 40 minutes to make including baking time. The only problem with these is that they are so hard to resist. Sitting in the house with one and not eating it is taking all of my willpower. I know that I have already had my share and my husband has only had one, but would he really mind?

I am so tempted to bake another batch....