Oh Beauty

Play dough!

2012-02-10T22:35:00.006Z

We made play dough this week!

Ingredients:

3 c. flour

1.5 c salt

6 tsp cream of tartar

3 tbsp. oil

3 c. water
food coloring

Stir play dough continuously over low heat until the mixture becomes thicker and begins to form a ball. Take out of the pan and knead the food coloring in (I divided mine in to several balls so that we could have varied colors).

Store in an airtight container.

Have fun!

Fringe Follies

2012-02-05T16:12:00.001Z

My new hair cut + a bundled up Sammy

Snow day!

2012-02-05T10:29:00.006Z

Brrr

2012-02-02T16:18:00.005Z

We wrapped up warm today to meet up with a friend near Green Park. Warm drinks were had as well as some running around the park.

More importantly, how amazing is the hat he is wearing:)?! It was actually mine as a child and I've always referred to as the peanut hat. I could not believe my mom had saved it. I'll have to get my mom to send me a picture of me wearing the hat as a kiddo.

Today

2012-02-02T10:25:00.007Z

It's a frosty but beautifully sunny day here in London. It makes me want to snuggle up and do something crafty. I think tonight I'll do some sewing as I still have a Christmas gift to finish up... Oops:)! Hot cocoa will definitely be on the agenda.

I am loving this counting song featuring Feist on Sesame Street

A gorgeous house tour

Captain Clean!

2012-01-28T10:48:00.008Z

As you can see he has a toy vacuum, but I guess nothing compares to the real thing!

This could be veeeery useful quite soon:)!

In the Night Kitchen

2012-01-27T10:11:00.010Z

Someone who will remain unnamed is OBSESSED with this book at the moment. We must read it about 10 times a day!

YAY!!!

2012-01-27T10:11:00.008Z

Samuel has learned the word 'YAY!" I don't know where he learned that from... hmmm....

The top things that get a 'YAY!' from Samuel are:

3. Getting to brush his teeth

2. Getting an orange or a banana

1. When daddy gets home

It's the simple things:)

Best gift ever

2012-01-24T17:19:00.008Z

For Christmas, my friend gave me the best gift you can give a pregnant lady. A gift that satisfies your desire to snack constantly! Actually this is an amazing gift for everyone. She gave me a gift certificate towards Graze which means that every week I receive a box with an assortment of yummy snacks. On their website you can rate what foods you like and there is also an option to say if the food item is something you would never want or one you would want soon!

I was very excited when the box arrived! At first I just had a little taste from each box... then I ate more... then I started rationalizing that since it was a gift for me I didn't need to save it for the next day or for Adrian to try when he got home... once I started it was so hard to stop! When Adrian got home there were none of my favorite item left (the olives) but he did get to try everything else. As you can imagine, there definitely wasn't any left the next day. They were just to good to save!

My first box contained:

cherry tomato, basil and puglian pesto focaccia

kalamata & halkidiki olives with chilli & garlic

scrumptious blueberry swirl

lost army

Fro yo time!

2012-01-23T16:09:00.007Z

Sammy and I took a little expedition to South Kensington today. It's funny how being a stay at home mom means I stay so local all the time that going to where I used to go to work 5 days a week feels like a big adventure. We went there to see my former co-workers and had such a lovely time catching up with them. It was also fun to see what changes had been made since I was last there especially the new shops and restaurants.

I knew I wanted to get something sweet before we headed home and was debating between a Hummingbird Bakery cupcake and a cookie from Ben's Cookies. Ben's Cookies won but then when we got to the shop it was closed for refurbishment:(. What to do, what to do? This pregnant ladies wants something sweet!

And then I remembered Snog- a delicious frozen yogurt place located just around the corner from S. Ken tube.

It was a perfect place to take Samuel as we could share the yogurt and toppings plus the decor is really fun for kids. The ceiling of the restaurant has moving clouds, there is a fake grass floor and the chairs are like toad stools! We had a mandarin frozen yogurt (that was a new flavor to me and it was really good!) with mango, mochi, and brownies. Yum!

Saturday story

2012-01-23T08:49:00.009Z

We had big plans for Saturday ... mainly going to Hyde Park so I could take some photos as I may have been having a pity party recently about my lack of time to spend on photography... but after being woken at 6 am by Mr. Samuel we decided on a much lazier day. There were english muffins and scrambled eggs for breakfast, COFFEE, naps and I don't remember much else except that we didn't leave the house til about 2.30 pm when we cycled to our local park.

I am loving our bike rides! I can tell Samuel does too as he gets so excited to get on the bike and put his helmet on but once we are out and about he acts so nonchalant about the whole thing. If I cycle past Adrian and him and wave a big hello, I'm lucky if he even looks my way! It's like he is thinking: I know, mom, I see you, but I am trying to blend in here:).

Bike ride

2012-01-22T14:19:00.005Z

Could they be any cuter?!

Samuel is loving the ducks at the park especially now that he has learned the word duck. Now if we can just work on his pronunciation:)

Yum yum

2012-01-20T16:40:00.004Z

This week's meals (16 - 22 Jan):

Mon: Tortellini and salad

Tues: Vegetable soup and rolls

Wed: Leftover vegetable soup and rolls

Thurs: Sweet potato falafels

Fri: Dinner at a friend's house (so nice to not have to cook!!!)

Sat breakfast: Egg on English muffins

Sat lunch: Leftover falafels

Sat Dinner: Moroccan chick pea and chicken stew (will work on posting the recipe)

Sun lunch: Tortilla pizza

Sunday dinner: Leftover from Sunday night

So determined

2012-01-20T16:36:00.006Z

Nothing will keep him from a clementine...

It's hard to tell him no when he is this cute! I will now be keeping fruit in the kitchen... hopefully out of sight will mean out of climbing range!

Wiggles

2012-01-18T21:45:00.006Z

I am 17 and a half weeks along in this pregnancy and I am now feeling our little peanut moving around. It makes it feel so real when you start to feel the baby moving. I started to feel peanut at about 16 weeks (which as I recall is much earlier than when I fist felt Samuel). They say that you become aware of the baby earlier the second time around as I guess you know what it feels like. I don't know how I would describe what I felt... may be flutters?

This week the baby is making it very apparent that it has a good kick! Even Adrian was able to put his hand on my belly and feel some kicks. It looks like we are going to have another strong child!

Samuel is going to be the best big brother!

mommyhood

2012-01-18T12:50:00.007Z

This little one keeps me on my toes with his acrobatic tendencies! Such a climber! I find our days such a roller coaster of emotions as one minute we can be having so much fun together and then just a few minutes later I will feel exhausted or impatient or frustrated. I think there are tweaks you can make to minimise frustration but I think some parts of parenthood are simply challenging and it is okay to admit that! I read both of these posts earlier in the week and found them super encouraging.

2 great posts about the ups and downs of being a mother to young children:

from Rubyellen at Cakies

from Glennon at Momastary

Frosty morning at the park

2012-01-18T09:08:00.004Z

We put on all our layers including water proof boots and trousers (for Samuel) and headed out to the park early Monday morning. A little frost was not going to put us off being outside! It was a clear, sunny morning and we had the park to ourselves. I almost felt a bit smug at how prepared we were and was thinking how rain or shine - nothing would keep us from enjoying the great outdoors.

Then the first hour passed... and my pride began to dissolve. I began wishing I had put on another pair of socks and Samuel was getting tired of me putting his soggy mittens back on his hands. We braved it a bit longer and than threw in the towel- it's too cold! More layers needed! Oh well, at least by the time we got home (after thawing off in the grocery store) it was time for lunch and then NAP TIME!

What's for dinner?

2012-01-17T09:24:00.010Z

I have been trying to do a bit more meal planning as of late and it has made such a difference in the day to day stress of preparing dinner! I have also bought bigger quantities of things like baking potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, courgettes/zucchini and garlic plus having chopped tomatoes, chick peas, pasta and couscous on hand really helps with quick meals!

Sweet potato falafels

This dish is my favorite one to get at Leon (a tasty, healthy restaurant in Leon) and I have been meaning to try to cook it myself for ages. I used the falafel recipe from this site and the aioli sauce recipe from here. We put the falafel balls in a whole grain pita with cucumbers and a mixture of marinated grated carrots and onions. They were delicious and made enough for a leftover lunch. Samuel loved the sweet potato falafels too so it was a hit all around!

Note- these are great to prepare in the afternoon and then pop in the over just before dinner (they only take 15 minutes to bake!).

Penne Giardiniera

This again is a recipe that I first had at a resturant here in London (Carluccios). It is one of those dishes that I only had once but have remembered loving the combination flavors and textures. I have to say I found the recipe a bit unclear at times, but it all tasted good in the end. My main recommendation is to somehow keep the spinach balls warm as ours got cold as I cooked up the pasta. Recipe here

Last weeks menu (10-15 Jan):

Tues - Dinner at church small group

Wed - Tortellini and salad

Thurs - Penne Giardiniera

Fri - Sweet potato falafel and salad

Sat - Baked potatoes with beans and cheese and salad

Sun - Homemade pizza with mozarella, red peppers, and courgettes

Oh and if anyone has a good recipe for pizza dough, please send it our way!

End of an era

2012-01-13T09:17:00.006Z

There has been a big change in my mommy world... I have stopped breast feeding. I stopped just before Christmas. It is hard to say exactly how I feel about it. It was a sad feeling letting of go of that special closeness and dependency that Samuel and I had shared from his first day. Yet it also felt like the right time.

We had been gradually decreasing how often he breastfed over the last several months. Soon after he turned one we went down to twice a day- when he first woke up and then right before bed. Then a month or two after that I stopped breastfeeding him in the evening and he instead drank cow's milk but we carried on first thing in the morning. It was such a special way to start the day! He had always been unsettled first thing until he breastfed so I had wondered how we would ever stop at the time.

But like most changes with Samuel various factors or situations seem to crop up that make the change less difficult. For instance, mid December there were a couple of mornings where I needed more sleep so Adrian fed Sammy a cup of milk in the morning and then there was a morning where he didn't have milk straight away... and he was fine! Basically it was much easier than I could have anticipated and hasn't been hard at all. I think this is mainly because we have taken our time with it all.

So that's our story of stopping breastfeeding in a nutshell!

Afterthought - this is a very simplified version of my thoughts on this subject. I have found breastfeeding at times amazing, convenient, exhausting, frustrating, restricting, but mostly I have found that it has gotten easier over time and has been very special for Samuel and I. As I don't know who will be reading this post I have edited many of my thoughts and feelings on the subject, but please feel free to e-mail or message me with any questions/thoughts.

Sponge

2012-01-12T20:47:00.006Z

Sammy's vocab seems to have tripled over Christmas! He is now saying: up, keys, banana, apple, shoes, socks, out, me, coat and hello. He also sings' row, row, row' and 'twinkle, twinkle' with actions with the expectation that I will take over and sing the rest of the song. Lets just say I've been singing those 2 songs quite a bit recently! My favorite words he has picked up are definitely please and thank you! Such a a polite little boy! Please is so much better than the squawking that used to happen when he wanted more food.

It is amazing seeing him be so expressive! We just fall more in love with him each day.

Happy birthday, my love!!!

2012-01-07T09:36:00.005Z

Today is Adrian's 29th birthday!!! I love him so much and am so excited to spend a day celebrating him! Here is a peek at our breakfast ... coffee, bacon, and the most delicious baked french toast. Yum!

Peanut

2012-01-05T14:17:00.004Z

Here is our sweet little peanut waving hello {12 weeks}!

Christmas phone photos

2012-01-05T14:05:00.004Z

1) Samuel riding a fire engine, 2) Samuel with his beloved clementines, 3) Sammy & I love, 4) My sis Rachel at a German Christmas market

Lego tree!

2012-01-05T14:01:00.004Z

This year there was a lego Christmas tree at St Pancras station. It was so cool!

Christmas dinner

2012-01-05T13:18:00.009Z

To say I was excited about Christmas this year would be an understatement:) We watched Elf on Thanksgiving and soon after I discovered a tv channel that had suddenly appeared called Christmas 24. Christmas movie marathon month began! Let's just say I watched a few too many super cheesy films during December most of which had a plot line that went something like this: single mom takes her son to see his gradfather who now lives somewhere called Santaville. She isn't really in to Christmas but her son and dad are and then she meets a handsome carpenter who she ends up falling in love with and her Christmas spirit is restored... . Yes, they were pretty bad!

I also got into watching some of the Christmas cooking shows. As we are major Jamie Oliver fans in this house I of course watched his Christmas cooking special. On it he talked about making a Turkey Wellington. It looked so delicious and could be made the day before. So I offered to make it for Christmas dinner. And the offer was accepted:)! I was really happy with how it turned out especially as it was my first time making any type of wellington. It was delicious in my unbiased opinion! Here is it...

Look mom, no hands!

2011-12-26T09:15:00.003Z

Someone started eating with a spoon last week! Such a big boy!

A very happy Christmas to all!

2011-12-25T12:45:00.002Z

Love, Adrian, Ann, Samuel & bump

Some Christmassy links:

My Christmas song on repeat is Holy, Holy, Holy

A favorite song this year is Hallelujah

Such an adorable version of the Christmas story

Merry Christmas! xx

Hoorah!

2011-12-22T15:21:00.003Z

We are having a baby and couldn't be happier!!!

Chrismtas details

2011-12-22T15:09:00.009Z

I thought I would share some Christmas decorations from around our flat...

handmade Christmas decorations from Samuel (proud mommy!)

stockings made by my lovely mom

and an Advent calendar gifted to us this year from a friend.

Do I really have to take them down in January?!

Advent Calendar

2011-12-22T14:12:00.008Z

This year I had fun making my own DIY Advent calendar.

I found a box of cards, stamped on the numbers, wrote a verse on each card that we found here, and then Adrian and I alternated writing something Christmasy and fun for each day. Easy peasy!

It has been so fun to open each day! Some of my favorite advent to do's have been to go ice skating, take a bubble bath, and to drink hot chocolate under the Christmas tree lights. Sigh... I love Christmas!

Ice skating!

2011-12-05T09:55:00.003Z

There are so many fantastic ice skating rinks in London and it has become a tradition for Adrian and I to go skating each year. This year I surprised him by booking tickets to the rink at the Tower of London!

We had such a good time and the atmosphere was fantastic. The only downside was that they let on SO many people during our time slot. It ended up being okay, though and we had just the right amount of room to skate and show off our moves:).

There were so many people who were falling all around us and whenever someone fell the crowd reacted with an oooh or awww. There was one particular guy who had never skated before and was literally trying to run on the ice. It was hard not to laugh as he fell in the most spectacular ways always with a big smile on his face. Adrian tried to teach him to skate but to no avail. I probably sound like an awful person but I laughed so hard at some of his skating moves and falls - it was just so funny to watch!

Decorating the tree

2011-12-05T09:42:00.003Z

We weren't sure whether to go for a big tree this year as we worried Samuel would try to pull it over. In the end we threw caution to the wind and went for it and so far so good! I think the only thing to be concerned about at the moment is what may get lost in the tree because as I am writing this he has deposited the tv remote in the tree. Hopefully none of our phones becomes a tree decoration a la Samuel!

It is so fun that he can start to enjoy this time of year and that we can start to make family traditions together. Already there has been tree decorating, cocoa and popcorn consuming, book reading, cuddling under the lights, and movie watching. One of my favorite new traditons is opening the advent calendar each morning. I made our advent calendar this year and am loving it! I'll post a picture of it soon!

Getting the tree!

2011-12-05T09:29:00.008Z

As we don't have a car, getting the Christmas tree is always an adventure. This year we decided to take the overground train one stop to Homebase and then bring the tree back on the train:)

Off to get the tree

Tree by train!

p.s. Oh and as it is the holidays the red lipstick is back out (and the red nail polish too)!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-05T09:01:00.007Z

We had such a fun, delicious, and cosy thanksgiving as our flat was literally packed to capacity with food and friends! There were 10 adults and 3 kiddos. The menu included roast chicken, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, roast parsnips, red cabbage, mashed potato, sweet potato casserole (with marshmallows!), succotash, cornbread and pumpkin pie. It was soooo good!

And then after lots of eating we reclined on the couch and chairs and watched Elf... that has been a tradition for the past few years and it just finishes off the day perfectly!

Festive headware

2011-11-25T14:19:00.003Z

Couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a headdress!

Taking a moment

2011-11-24T15:08:00.007Z

Pausing to think about some of the things I am thankful

for right at this moment:

skype

chocolate and peanut butter

cuddles

walks in the park

my photography class

days when Adrian gets off work early

real letters that come in the mail

play dates & play groups

a clean bathroom

friends I can laugh, cry and pray with

singing songs with Samuel

coffee from Blue Bottle

bubble baths

hearing Samuel try to say animal names

a part time job

friends watching Samuel for a couple of hours

our turkey meal on Saturday and Sunday:)

feeling the love of my family across the ocean

lazy Saturdays

a bike seat for Samuel

sewing projects

dates on Adrian's vespa

to be continued...

Thankful

2011-11-24T08:32:00.009Z

(This pic is from our work Thanksgiving meal 2 years ago)

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I am dreaming of pumpkin and sweet potato right now.... just a couple more days til our celebration. Since moving overseas Thanksgiving is one of the holidays I miss the most especially this year when my whole family is together at my parent's house. We never forget to celebrate it over here though... just a couple of days later on Saturday so we can enjoy a lazy day of eating together. This year we are having a mixture of American and British friends over for a delicious feast. I can't wait!

Adrian and I have been trying to make a point of talking about what we are thankful for (I find it a lot easier to see the problems:)!) and it's been showing me how much we have to celebrate. I am thankful for so much, but especially for my little family above and my little giggler below!

Coffee break

2011-11-06T17:54:00.004Z

On Saturday we headed to Crouch End to enjoy the 2 for 1 special on Christmas drinks at Starbucks. Adrian and I both had decaf ginger bread lattes (I know, we are wild!) and Samuel enjoyed the cream that came on top. Yum all around!

Ahh Paris

2011-11-04T14:06:00.008Z

We went to Paris for a few days last week and as always the city romanced me with it's gorgeous architecture, beautiful shops, and most of all the scrumptious food! Ahhh Paris!

We traveled with another couple and their daughter (who is Samuel's bff) and we all had such a great time! The kids did so well with traveling and had so much fun together. We enjoyed crepes, parks, a bike ride, croque monsieurs, pastries, bread and cheese, leisurely walks, beautiful views, playgrounds, and the most delectable fries!

I will post more photos soon, but for now here is Samuel meeting the Eiffel Tower (and he just walks past:)).

Work of art

2011-10-19T12:53:00.004+01:00

When I picked Samuel up at creche today I was handed a rolled up piece of paper. When I opened it up I saw that it was a painting that Samuel made last week. It was such a proud moment for me! I just couldn't believe that my little baby had created something. I'm sure he had a little assistance on this and that more of the paint ended up on his clothing and mouth:), but still it's something he made!! This will be hanging in the flat for quite a while!

Night out

2011-10-19T08:39:00.005+01:00

Every once in a while we try to go beyond the normal date night (local restaurant, pub, movie night) and get really dressed up and go somewhere extra special. We did that recently and had such a blast. So grateful for lovely friends who will watch Samuel for us. It makes such a difference to get out of the flat and feel like a couple and not just parents.

Picnicing

2011-10-19T08:29:00.003+01:00

Yay for picnics in parks with friends! We are going to miss them as the weather gets colder. Guess we will have to find places to have indoor picnics!

Candle lit birthday dinner

2011-10-17T14:10:00.011+01:00

Last weekend was my birthday and Adrian threw an amazing dinner party for me and several of my girl friends. He went all out with cocktails, appetizers, a delicious main course of sea bass with a fresh salsa and a chocolate cake with mocha butter cream (which I made thanks to some inspiration from Natalie). It was such a special night!

Weekend in Bath

2011-10-17T13:35:00.006+01:00

This past weekend we went to Bath. It is such a lovely city and we fell a little in love! The architecture, the parks, the cafes... so lovely! The weather was crisp but sunny so everything looked fresh and sparkly. We were in Bath for a friend's wedding which is why my guys are all dressed up in the photos. I think Adrian just looks gorgeous and yes... Samuel is wearing a seersucker suit:).

It's funny how things change once you have kids. In the past on a day like this we would have spent a couple hours in a cafe chatting and reading but now it's a quick visit to the cafe and then a long visit to the park. I am actually loving all the park visits because of the joy it brings Samuel and it gets me out in the fresh air much more.

Oh and we just happened to be walking along the Royal Crescent when all these balloons appeared. There is just something special about seeing a hot air balloon! I would love to go on one one day... hmmm... that may have to go on the life bucket list!

Birthday boots!

2011-10-09T10:01:00.003+01:00

You know it's a good gift when it makes you look forward to rainy days in London...

Thanks for the new boots mom and dad!

Love him!

2011-10-06T20:57:00.000+01:00

13 month old Samuel

Enjoying the sunshine

2011-10-06T20:36:00.007+01:00

We had beautiful, unseasonably warm weather in London over the weekend. We decided that we must take full advantage of it so Sunday we headed in to central London.

We picnicked in Regents Park...

and walked along Regents Canal,

I love seeing the canal boats on the Thames! These were extra special as they seemed to have permanent moorings so across the path from their boats people had set up seating areas, gardens, all sorts of interesting spaces.

And last but certainly not least we saw this adorable family floating down the Thames- dad in a sailor's suit and mom playing a ukulele. Cutest family ever:)!

Tucked away

2011-09-28T19:55:00.004+01:00

This afternoon Samuel and I headed out for a much needed stroll (we were both getting a bit of cabin fever!). The weather was amazing today and will be for the next several days- yippee! We set out without a destination in mind. We browsed the charity shop and the used furniture shop and then headed towards the street where Adrian lived during our first year of marriage. Even though it's only a 10 minute walk away I am scarcely in that neighborhood.

As we walked along I was looking at the various houses that we were passing when to my amazement I noticed a little house at the end of a drive, nestled behind a larger home. I took a double take and then decided to walk down the drive to see it up close. It was the sweetest house and had this great, overgrown front garden with a table and chair in it. It looked like it had just been picked up from the countryside somewhere and just set down in London. It was so private and cute and I loved it! Can we move in?

2011-09-26T14:18:00.003+01:00

We made a little excursion to church Sunday night because Adrian was speaking at the service. He did such a great job - I was a very proud wife!

Of course Samuel got a lot of attention for being up with the adults. There is something just so adorable about seeing a kid in one piece pjs and even more so with wellies on:). I was so glad he was wearing the wellies because he didn't sit still for much of the service - we went in and out a lot!

Somebody is walking!!

2011-09-26T14:02:00.004+01:00

First steps at the National Portrait Gallery... nice choice, Sammy!

Samuel's 1st birthday!

2011-09-21T10:22:00.013+01:00

We celebrated Samuel's birthday with my family while we were all together in the Poconos...

and then back in London for his actual bday...

We love you so much Sammy!!!

Back from holiday

2011-09-07T14:50:00.004+01:00

We just got back from a holiday in the states. We had such a lovely time though it was definitely a whirlwind as we covered over 3000 miles! Samuel was such a trooper and did so well travelling. He was a champ on the airplane as well as in the car, subway, bus, boat, and taxi:)!

I'm looking forward to sharing some photos from our trip as well as from Samuel's first birthday, but for now I thought I would share a snapshot of our life at the moment.

We are fully in the climbing and exploring phase (this is a phase, right...?). The top right pic shows when he figured out how to get on top of our dining table. I turned around to see him playing a bit of music with a spoon and china bowl with such a pleased expression on his face. Round 2 of baby proofing needs to happen pronto!

Samuel is turning one tomorrow!!!

2011-08-28T22:28:00.001+01:00

Respite

2011-07-08T20:14:00.002+01:00

I had a few hours to myself this week as I tried out putting Samuel in a local creche (it came highly recommended by several of my friends - "life changing" one said:)). It was so strange to leave Samuel and I didn't really know what to do with myself! There were so many things I could do : errands, cleaning, etc, but friends kept telling me to use this time to do something relaxing and fun for me. So I took their advice and went to a cafe and read . . . uninterrupted!... such a luxury!

Canal boat holiday

2011-07-05T13:49:00.004+01:00

We spent a long weekend in May on the Oxford Canals. It was so lovely! 3 days of floating through fields...

Allotment time

2011-07-05T13:46:00.002+01:00

Thankfully Sammy likes his greens and so do I!

Refreshment

2011-06-16T17:14:00.003+01:00

Our weather has been constantly changing- rainy then warm and sunny... Thankfully we lucked out on the day we chose to have our adventure this week because it was a hot one! We packed up our bags and headed down to London Fields to meet up with a couple of friends and their little ones at the Lido. It was my first introduction with a Lido and lets just say I was very impressed! It is the only one that is heated in London and is fairly new so it was particularly special.

We set up a picnic and lounged in the sun and traded off watching one another's babies so we could alternate doing laps. I felt like I was on holiday!

I'm already planning when we can go there again!

Rooftop Gardens

2011-06-14T21:28:00.005+01:00

I have decided that Samuel and I are going to have regular adventure days and last week that day was to the South Bank. We had such a great time and some how things slotted together in such a perfect way. I was really hoping for some good coffee + reading time while Samuel napped, but didn't know if it would happen.

Happen it did and in the most perfect way... I found a lift to the rooftop gardens (which was a gift in and of itself as at first it looked like there was only a winding staircase to it) and after exploring the allotments for a bit I noticed 2 things: Samuel was getting sleepy and there was a rooftop cafe! Perfection!

Needless to say, I was a very happy girl. I had a full 45 minutes to drink a latte while reading Shantaram in the sunshine.

Festival of Britain

2011-06-13T15:16:00.009+01:00

Samuel and I took a trip to the South Bank this past week to see the Festival of Britain. There are beach huts, bunting, a fish and chip and ice cream truck, a beach and even an allotment on top of Queen Elizabeth Hall (I'll share the photos I took of that another day as it deserves it's own post:)). I have heard it is quite busy on the weekends, but we went on a weekday and it was perfectly peaceful.

Samuel taking it all in.

Tea Time

2011-05-17T10:37:00.008+01:00

This week I went out for afternoon tea to celebrate my lovely friend Leah's birthday. We went to the Lanesborough hotel because it not only serves a delicious standard tea, but they also offer gluten and dairy free tea which suited the birthday girl perfectly. It was such a relaxing afternoon - beautiful setting, an unending supply of sandwiches and cakes (we actually had 2 rounds of sandwiches and scones:)), and no babies (though we missed them a bit). Can we make this a regular outing please?

best (mother's) day ever!!!

2011-05-15T10:30:00.006+01:00

So this is a bit belated, but it was my first mother's day a little while back and Adrian planned the perfect day for me. The day included . . .

a. coffee

b. the flower market + live music

c. cupcakes

d. lots of flowers including ranunculus (one of my favorites!)

e. lots of Sammy cuddles + a gift from Sammy (the nautical scarf - he gives the best gifts:))

wow.

Learning and stretching

2011-05-08T21:39:00.009+01:00

Tonight I flipped through some photos of the last 8 months. I was especially moved by the ones from the first couple of months. He looks so tiny and fragile and vulnerable. And I look pretty vulnerable too. I feel quite emotional thinking that he will never be that tiny again. Those first few weeks were such special days, but it is easy to forget that I found them quite hard at times as well- the tiredness, roller coaster of emotions, physical weakness, the very steep learning curve of learning to take care of a baby.

I think if I was doing it all over again I would tell myself to take things slow and to take any help offered! I think I was trying to act as if I was superwoman so I tried to bounce back too quickly. I think I was worried that if I didn't I would be very lonely and feel left out. Now looking back I realize that your first few months with a baby are so unique and that it's okay to slow down and step out of normal life because in time you will figure out your new way of doing things. But I guess this is all part of the learning process...

* The photo above was taken when Samuel was 6 weeks old. We went on our first excursion on our own. A birthday date for me to the Primrose Hill Bakery. SUCH a special day!

Happy (American) Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T17:04:00.002+01:00

This is my beautiful mom and me. I love you mom!

What a day!

2011-05-01T22:00:00.004+01:00

It was an early morning with the alarm going off at 5.15 am, but it was SO worth it! It was actually quite quiet on the streets and the bus as we made our way in to central London with our friends. Once we got to Hyde Park, though, there were already a lot of people around with costumes ranging from wedding guest attire, to flag wearing, to men dressed as brides, to those wearing masks of the royal family. Even at 7 am there was already a party atmosphere. We were able to set up our picnic spot close to one of the 3 huge screens. We had various friends and friends of friends join us throughout the morning and the party just grew. The crowds swelled and by the time the wedding started there 300,000 people there!

It was fantastic watching the wedding with such a large, enthusiastic crowd. At the first sighting of the queen the crowd was on it's feet and through the pre-service and service there was much cheering, oohing and ahhing and singing. When William and Kate said I do there were corks popping all around as people toasted to their wedding and after the wedding there was confetti shot in to the sky over us.

My highlight was when Kate and William met at the top of the isle and as the organ played triumphantly the sun finally came out to the cheers of the crowd.

Royal wedding tour

2011-04-28T14:19:00.008+01:00

Yesterday Samuel and I went in to central London to meet up with a friend and it dawned on me that I needed to make the most of being around just 2 days before the Royal wedding. So I decided to walk to Buckingham palace.

On my way I came upon the Goring Hotel in Belgravia where Kate is staying the night before the wedding. There were already a crowd of camera people waiting outside the hotel hoping for any photo opportunity that could be linked to the wedding.

The Goring Hotel

When I got to Buckingham Palace it was not noticeabley busier than normal in front of the Palace but what was crazy was all the media stations that have been set up at the edges of Green Park and St. James Park. The green buildings in the photos below were built for the media to be able to report from with the palace in the background. I was hoping to see the familiar faces of well known American TV reporters, but alas that didn't happen. As you can see below, I did spot one well known face... Dame Edna:)

We are planning to go to Hyde Park with friends to watch the Royal wedding. They are going to have a big screen set up and bands playing so it should be a really fun and festive place to watch the wedding. I would have loved to be along the parade route, but it's just too much with Samuel with us. It's going to be an early start as the park opens at 7 am but it should be worth it! We have our picnic brunch planned including mimosas! I can't wait!

Wedding Fever!!

2011-04-28T13:50:00.003+01:00

Wedding fever has swept Sloane St and Sloane Square shop windows. I am getting so excited for the wedding tomorrow!

Decorate Launch Party

2011-04-28T09:18:00.004+01:00

I had such a lovely time at the Decorate book launch. It was at the beautiful Liberty store which is one of the most inspiring places to go. I love walking in to the store past the gorgeous flower stall in the entrance way and in to the atrium where you can look up and see all the floors.

I was able to attend a small talk and discussion with the author Holly Becker (from decor8) before a table demonstration and book signing of her new book Decorate. Holly was so lovely and greeted each of us at the door at the start of the talk. She gave some background to the development of her design blog and how this book came out of that. I was struck by how warm, friendly and open she was. She was so down to earth and you could really tell that she was loving all that was going on around her.

After the talk there was a demonstration of a table setting in Liberty's Dining Room which Holly, Leslie Shewring and Sania Pell had put together. I wish I had better photos because they put together a really beautiful and fun table. I really like the DIY touches that they did which included using the frame of an old lampshade and wrapping it with fabric (you can see it above in the left bottom picture) and the flower napkin holders they made (bottom right photo).

I especially enjoyed being in a room with so many women designers, stylists, and photographers that I really admire such as Debi Treloar and Emily Chalmers.

Oh and I made it in the video Liberty made from the launch party:).

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T18:58:00.003+01:00

Decorate

2011-04-13T14:46:00.006+01:00

Tonight I am attending a talk at Liberty by Holly Becker the author of the recently published book "Decorate" and one of my favorite blogs Decor8. I am so excited to meet her and hear her speak after reading her writing for the past several years as well as taking a class with her. It should be such a lovely evening as after her talk she is doing an interior design demonstration with Leslie Shewring of A Creative Mint, and Sania Pell the author of The Homemade Home. I can't wait!!!

Time warp

2011-04-13T14:10:00.007+01:00

One afternoon while in the states, my parents and I went to Lake Michigan and on the way we passed "The Port" a drive in restaurant. I got so excited and begged to stop! I didn't know there were any drive in restaurants still in the area. There had been one in our town when I was growing up and they sold home-made root beer and for some reason also sold Christmas trees in December.

At the drive-in you literally drive up and park and all the rest is done for you! The waitress comes out to your car (often on roller skates) and takes your order and then when it's ready brings it out on a tray that I attaches to your car window. Oh how I love America!

What to order, what to order became the dilemma... root beer float?, cream soda?, chili dog?, corn dog?, milkshake? Such decisions! I settled on cream soda and corn dog. Lets just say that healthy eating was not on the top of my list during this trip!

Chicago

2011-03-25T18:15:00.004Z

Samuel and I at the bean in Chicago! He was such a trooper on our trip to the states. He did so well on the flights (such a relief!) and was so much fun to travel with. I love this little guy so much!

Maple sugar time!

2011-03-25T15:43:00.007Z

While we were in the states we spent a morning visiting a farm which showed how maple syrup was made throughout history.

I have to say there were some pretty delicious aromas wafting our way during the tour - just thinking about it makes we want to whip up some pancakes right now!

Time to be a tourist

2011-03-25T15:17:00.005Z

Before Samuel and I left London for our trip to the states Adrian took us in to central London for some good clean touristy fun! We walked around Covent Garden then went to Trafalgar Square and then from there to Buckingham Palace. It was a beautiful day - an 'I love London' sort of day. The perfect send off to make us miss London while we were gone which I think was exactly what Adrian was hoping for as we left him to jet off to the states.

A walk in the park

2011-03-01T15:20:00.003Z

Right before our trip to Scotland our church had a weekend away for the whole church. 180 of us boarded buses, trains, and cars and vacated the concrete jungle for the lush countryside. It was a great time to be refreshed and refocused in the company of friends.

Rock 'n horse

2011-03-01T14:16:00.005Z

Happy 6 month birthday Samuel!

Scotland

2011-02-28T20:56:00.006Z

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

2011-02-18T10:11:00.010Z

first time on a swing

first swim

I love getting to introduce him to the world!

Catching a moment

2011-02-18T09:58:00.006Z

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

2011-02-17T13:41:00.005Z

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!

2011-02-17T10:02:00.004Z

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

2011-02-06T21:19:00.005Z

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

Capture this

2011-02-06T20:55:00.007Z

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!

2011-02-04T13:53:00.003Z

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

2011-02-04T12:39:00.004Z

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

2011-02-03T13:38:00.003Z

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

2011-02-03T13:04:00.003Z

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....

Quiet day

2011-01-31T15:21:00.003Z

Today Sammy and I are having an indoor day as he recovers from a cold. We are still wearing our pjs and have set up camp in the living room and are enjoying lots of snuggle time, smiles, movies, comfort food and naps (well... no naps for me but I am hoping for an early night as sick baby equals sleepy mommy). I love these precious moments with him.

Feeling the LOVE

2011-01-23T18:01:00.003Z

One of my favorite pastimes at the moment is snuggling with Sammy on the sheepskin. I love being so close to him and seeing what he sees. These are the moments that make the harder parts flee from my mind.

Granola time

2011-01-22T15:09:00.009Z

I can check the first item off my get creative list... #16. I saw the Toasted Almond Granola from Joy the Baker over the weekend and decided to get baking. The delicious aroma in the flat was enough to make me want to bake this again. Granola is actually really easy to make. The trickiest part was getting the mixture to crisp up without burning. At the moment my tummy is stuffed with granola and is very happy. The only problem is that I am finding it very hard to save some for Adrian who had a wisdom tooth removed on Friday and can't partake in the granola merriment at the moment.

4 months!

2011-01-22T15:05:00.005Z

Look at my chubby little boy! I love him so much!

It was harder to get him to sit up this month because he just seems to want to curl in to a ball instead.

Planning the exit route from the rut

2011-01-22T11:34:00.010Z

Do you ever feel like you are in a rut? I am definitely in one when it comes to feeling creative so... I have decided to take action by dreaming up some creative goals for this year. They are a very random assortment but are all things I have wanted to try to learn at some point and there is no time like the present, right?

So (drum roll) here they are:

1. Learn to make macaroons
2. Paint a piece of furniture
3. Sew a dress
4. Make a wreath
5. ~~Take a photography course~~
6. Work on perfecting scones
7. Order a fruit/veg box from a farm
8. Buy meat from a butcher
9. Have a stall at a market
10. Make yogurt
11. Make chutney
12. Make a tote bag
13. Knit a scarf
14. Upholster a chair
15. Improve my flexibility
16. ~~Make granola~~
17. Frost a cupcake like a pro
18. Learn to pour patterns with milk in a latte
19. Etch on a storage jar
20. Learn some new up dos for my hair

Smiles all around

2011-01-09T13:29:00.008Z

I would do anything to get him to smile!

This picture is probably more about making me smile though. We bought this basket on our holiday in West Sussex over new year and clearly it's perfect for holding all sorts of things. I put Samuel in the basket and carried him in to the kitchen to show Adrian unable to speak because I was laughing so much. I am so glad we were able to capture this moment!

Twinkling lights

2011-01-09T13:17:00.010Z

Playing catch up.... a look back...

We decided it was time to buy our Christmas tree the first weekend in December. We put Samuel in the baby carrier and headed out to our local high street to find our tree. We found the perfect one for our flat - it was short and chubby and I loved it.

As it gets dark so early here we were able to enjoy the glow of the sparkly lights on the tree around 4 pm each day. This is right around when Samuel naps. We spent a lot of days at dusk snuggling together under the tree on the sheepskin while he napped. I couldn't have been happier. I am missing the tree now.... alas... til next year....

Our little one growing

2011-01-09T12:56:00.013Z

I love him so much!

I need to work on the next month's portrait asap... it's harder than I anticipated getting these monthly pics done but I am going to persevere because they are so worth it. I love seeing his development in these photos as the changes seem so much more apparent.

He's here!

2010-10-15T13:14:00.009+01:00

Welcome to the world little guy...

{Samuel at 3 days old}

Samuel was born on the 29th of August at home. We ADORE him!

June in the Lake District

2010-10-15T12:49:00.005+01:00

I'll be with the flowers

2010-06-01T21:10:00.008+01:00

The other day one of my friends asked each of us what setting best described us and for me she suggested a field of flowers... she couldn't have been more right. Little did she know that the night before I had been in Hampstead Heath doing just that. It reminds me of one of my favorite children's books "Ferdinand the Bull." It's about a bull who would rather sit under a tree and smell the flowers than ever consider going in a bull ring. I think he just might be on to something...

I'm back!

2010-05-29T18:41:00.006+01:00

So sorry about the delay in writing... at first it was because I was traveling and then I let busyness take over, but now I am back and you're stuck with me!

I thought I would start by sharing this photo of the lovely picnic that my husband greeted me with when I arrived back in London. Sigh... could life get any better?!

Why do petals have fall to off trees?!

2010-04-22T15:33:00.005+01:00

I absolutely LOVE this time of year! What is your favorite season?

Fresh Air

2010-04-14T08:23:00.003+01:00

I just returned from my first time in Switzerland and feel so rested. We stayed in a beautiful village outside of Zurich and enjoyed lots of walks and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!