as the world turnas

feel the love!

2012-02-11T07:53:00.000Z

i am a sucker for the holidays, namely...i love valentine's day, halloween and christmas, of course.
since living in london (we are coming up on our 3rd year anniversary of living in london), i've taken special care to send out handmade valentine's to family and friends. my "send to" list changes each year. it started small, grew large and here and there a few people have dropped off. it's not because i don't love you, it's just because i've focused them a bit more and i couldn't possibly make one for everyone!! i must start my process right after the christmas decorations are put away this year!! there are so many people i'd like to make these for!!

here's this year's line up:

A look at my Valentine's of years past...
2011 Valentine's here.
2010 Valentine's here and here

and for the kids' school...i baked off lots of cookies, packaged them, hand stamped the envelope that contained a little Dora the Explorer sticker from Raina and a Thomas the Tank Engine sticker from Rocco.

my fridge

2012-02-10T08:47:00.001Z

someone asked me the other day what i keep in my fridge. funny question but i decided to take a photo and label most of the things that i found in my fridge.

here it is...

now, what you don't see are in the crispers below that are full of kale, spinach, corn salad and tomatoes. and in the freezer you can find: chips, pizzas, veggies, fruit, breast milk, pasta sauce and some meat.

eta: my fridge doesn't always look like this!! i had just had a nice shopping visit at whole foods and spent the day before chopping the fruit and veg to have on hand for quick and easy snacks. the fridge lasts like this for only about 3 days, then it's barren once again.

jumperoo

2012-01-30T11:06:00.000Z

2 girls. 2 videos. over 4 years apart. at exactly the same age. = they both love it!

raina - 15 january 2008

remi - 30 january 2010

they are in, they are in!

2012-01-29T09:21:00.000Z

i never thought i'd have this quite of an update for you regarding the whole getting into school process.
last tuesday, we had our last school tour of "CP" school. it's less than a 10 minute walk from our house and enroute, we pass OH school...we were walking in the rain (remi was with us) and i turned to hubby and said "oh god, i so hope we just get into this school (meaning OH) because it's so close!"
we went on with our morning and we liked our tour of CP school.
i sat at my desk and sent out my fortnightly emails to each of the schools, enquiring if any spots have opened. about 30 minutes later, i got a response from OH. it read that a family just dropped off (they are moving to Hong Kong) and they were due to have their children enter Nursery and Reception. i was elated! what fabulous news. news i had been waiting for. the offer letter is in the post to us and we have a week to accept/decline the offer. with this news, one rethinks any "negatives" we may have had on our tour of the school initially. i promptly rang the school and asked to have another look around and to meet with the headmistress.
with fresh eyes (and an offer on the way) we've decided to accept the offer. YAY! so, come september, both raina and rocco will be attending OH School. 2.minute.walk.from.home!! score!!

holy trying to get raina in a school!

2012-01-17T21:03:00.001Z

so, we moved to london when raina was 18 months old. for many private schools in london, that's 18 months too late. i kid you not. it's crazy here. crazy.
after calling a few schools to gather information - i was told by more than a few schools that i needed to have already put her on the list right after birth: meaning, literally, hours after birth. seriously?! yes.
i've met women who have scheduled their c/sections so that their future child can be born a certain time of month that would bode better for getting into a certain school.
when we lived in Holland Park, we had pretty much decided to send her to the local Catholic Primary School (it's free here). and now, we have moved to Chiswick and out of that particular catchement area, i have been madly looking for a new school that will take Raina for reception and Rocco for nursery. i've toured loads of schools, chatted them up and continue to politely stalk them, in an effort to find out where we stand. thing is, not one of the 5 schools is PERFECT...they all have pluses and minuses...my list looked like this (and now i realise that was a waste of time, b/c at this point, we'll send her to whereever she gets in).

NP School: great school, in holland park (near our old house). would be a 25 minute bus ride. no nursery for rocco
OH School: great school. less than 2 minute walk from our new house. £1,500 more per term(x3 terms per year). they do have a nursery for rocco
KG School: lovely, happy school. about 25 minute commute. no nursery for rocco. but they do offer a bus service (pay extra) that would pick up right near our house
CB School: small, nice school. has a nursery for rocco, near our house.
SM: local catholic school. free. nursery for rocco. free. about 25 minute walk.

so, those are our ~~choices~~ schools that i've been stalking. emails, hand written notes, etc.
basically, where we stand with the first 4 schools is: they have all filled their spots for september (meaning places were offered, accepted and paid for by parents), therefore, i am just banking for a kid to move, drop out, change schools and that'd open up a place for Raina, but that's not to say that she'd be the next on the list.

crazy, isn't it?!

stay tuned.

new year's resolutions

2012-01-02T11:11:00.002Z

why, oh, why must i even sit down and write out my resolutions? they've mostly been the same for the past couple of years and sadly, most go unresoluted. wait, is that a word, unresoluted? or should it be unresolved? anyhow...this year is the year!
here are a few of my 2012 resolutions...

-frugality: don't give in to the great bargains that i find online shopping (even if the shoes will no doubt make my outfit)

-diet: hubby and i have started today, day 1 of a 28 day challenge. we are going nutratarian for the next 28 days. i need to jump start my baby weight loss. you may recall we did this 2 years ago. to sum: no meat, dairy, salt, oil, white potato, bread, etc...lots of GREEN veggies.

-along with the frugality: don't buy any clothes for baby remi. the girl has enough!!

-tidy up: teach the children to tidy up their playroom before bed.

-new blog: i know, i know...i can barely keep up with this blog and have abandoned my shopping blog, so why the hell am i starting yet another blog? because i can. the topic of the blog is: a day in the life. each day, i will post a photo (and a story if i have time) of our life that particular day. may or may not include the children. may or may not include a large pile of dirty laundry that i'd rather take a photo of than actually pop it in the washing machine. check it out here...

and i have a few more personal ones, that will stay...personal.

happy new year and may you stick to your resolutions!

guess who's back?

2012-01-01T10:01:00.011Z

back again?
that's right...after a 6 month hiatus, we're back!
i may have just had the busiest 6 months of my life. thankfully, all of it was packed full of blessing after blessing...a new baby girl and a new home, to name a few.
i was debating back posting and reviewing all the big things that happened in the second half of 2011 but i may have to do so in a photo story vs. actual writing. i will certainly write a detail of Remi's birth story but for now, i wish you a happy new year. thanks to you that have stuck around, looking for updates.

here's the trio on christmas morning...

hugs!

family photo shoot

2011-07-02T17:41:00.000+01:00

we've never had a family photo shoot. hubby says they are cheesy and doesn't want to sit in a studio with fake smiles and take a picture. he never did it growing up and i never did either. but, hello!!! we have our own family now and we can do what we want - start the traditions we want.
i had learned that the duo that is Blue Lily were doing their around the world tour and setting up photo shoots. i immediately booked a time with them (mind you, about 6 months in advance) - so this is before i knew i was pregnant. if i had a choice, i would have waited to babe number 3 was born, but i couldn't pass up the opportunity to have our family photo taken by Blue Lily.

we hopped in the taxi to make it to our 5:45pm session appt way out in Hampstead Heath. upon arrival, the rain started pouring, it was chilly and the kids were crabby.

here are the results!

raina's class photo

2011-07-01T10:00:00.000+01:00

last year for the school photo, raina was a bit flustered and thusly refused (and by refused i mean, kicking and screaming) that she did not want to participate. i admit, i was sort of sad about it. although it's not "real" school, it was her first year last year and we didn't get a picture.
this year, what a difference. she was happy to cheese for the camera, even rocco got to join in! i can't wait till he joins her this september at nursery school! (yay for me!)

sorry bad quality, it's a pic of a picture. spot her?

summer visitors: the peck's

2011-06-30T16:17:00.000+01:00

we had a few days to settle back into london and get laundry done and tidy up the house. hubby's cousin, bruce and his new wife, wendy came to london via italy to spend some time seeing the city and hanging with us - as part of their honeymoon.
the first day they arrived, i took them to no less than 5 local pubs in the neighborhood. needless to say, it was an early night to bed for them.
they did lots of sightseeing and hanging out with us. it was so lovely to spend time with them. the children adored them both!

we took them to wimbledon. centre court

cousins

honeymooning newlyweds trying strawberries and cream

sticky. toffee. pudding.

thanks for coming to visit us!

wordless wednesday

2011-06-29T01:14:00.005+01:00

summer stateside visit(s)

2011-06-24T22:21:00.000+01:00

the children and i took our first long haul flight - just the three of us. i was a bit nervous on how the children would act and react on such a long flight with me as their entertainment...
we arrived at the airport with plenty of time to waste...they overtook me and demanded crisps at 8:30AM!

with a sweet face like this how could i resist?

yum!

ready for take off!

cuddled with more snacks!

i am happy to report that they did marvelous on the ride. i was in shock, it's like they knew their mum was all alone (not to mention 20 weeks pregnant) caring for them.

they were thrilled when we finally landed in detroit. they immediately wanted to hit the swimming pool. we had a fun first week in michigan. lots of swimming, ice lollies and play time with their cousins...and quality time with nini and papa!

they had more fun just running around the yard together!

rocco trying to break into the pool

on the "bike" as she called it

rocco's turn

the cousins - nico, andrew and matthew!

water baby

jump!

after the week, we hopped on another plane for an hour flight to visit family and friends in Kentucky! the kids LOVED every bit of being in the "country."

tractor rides from g-daddy!

playing with a turtle

even i had fun in kentucky. i spent the evening in louisville with some great friends from college. we had a nice dinner and checked out a friend's band playing at The Monkey Wrench. fun night!

Amy and I with Dennie, a good college buddy

and owner of The Monkey Wrench

i was so thrilled to also get to meet up with childhood friend - Brandi and old classmates Ann and Shelley along with Mary. so fun! we all have lots of children between us!

back at the house...g-daddy went fishing in the pond. the kids loved it!

always nice to have cuddles from tia

we finally got to meet cousin, cole. a real cutie!

overall, our trip was fantastic! we were bummed to return to the drab weather of london. we can't wait till next year.

here's a great pic of all the grandkids this year!

chelsea flower show

2011-05-30T08:48:00.003+01:00

last year was our first year attending and honestly, at first, i was like..."what the heck, a flower show? how exciting can that be?"
i was ohhhhing and ahhhing the whole time as we walked the show last year. amazing artistry at hand here. it would make anyone enviable and beg and plead for a garden half as lovely as those on display.
here are some pics.

if you've never been...you must go!

2 of a kind...

2011-05-27T07:30:00.000+01:00

as many of you, my friends and family know...we weren't intending to find out the gender of baby number 3.
during my 12 week scan, the doctor performing the scan volunteered "would you like to know my guess at the gender?"

gahhh...i knew i should have said no. he tempted me. so, i broke...

a boy.

we were thrilled. boys are sweet. i still have all of rocco's clothes freshly folded and put away. we shared the happy news with people and they agreed with us, there's no way the doctor would have just volunteered the information had he not been for sure...
right?
right?

fast forward 8 weeks to this past thursday. we waited anxiously as the doctor measured and went through each major organ of the baby, ensuring all was normal. after the green light of a "perfectly healthy" baby....the conversation goes like this....

doc: so, everything looks great. would you like to know the gender?
me: uh, i'd like to know if you were right at our 12 week scan
doc: oh, okay...let's see then...
(searches the baby's bits...)
doc: okay, well, i hope i said GIRL!
me: umm, no...you told us boy
doc: oops, sorry about that.

so, wow! we were shocked. for the past 2 months i've mentally prepared for having a boy - worked out the name, rooming situation, called him "he" whilst rubbing my little belly....

earlier in the week, before our appt, we had asked raina what she would think if we found it the baby was a girl instead of a boy (we had told her it was a boy for the past 2 months, she finally came to terms with "another baby brother"). she said "i'd be happier and happier and happier." (how's that for some foreshadowing!?)

after the scan, we picked her up from school and told her the news. she had a big smile on her face and then asked us why we had told her it was a boy before. oops. i had to blame it on the doctor.

so, now...gears switch to Team Pink!

raina and the camera (phone)

2011-05-26T14:23:00.000+01:00

raina loves to hijack my iphone and take the most unflattering, surprise photos of me.
geez girl, give me a little bit more notice!

tall soya babyccino, please

2011-05-12T07:25:00.000+01:00

i've been trying to spend more one on one girly time with miss raina. since she spends most days in school all day, i miss hanging out with her. her vocabulary is so funny, americanisms mixed in with britishisms. cracks me up.
yesterday, i picked her up from school and went walked to our favourite pizza restaurant. we had so much fun. we did a little shopping then she asked me if we could go to starbucks. what? she's 3?!
so, we did...and it seems the barista upgraded her small (espresso sized) babyccino (which happens to be just steamed milk) to a tall. raina was amazed. "it's bigger, i love it, mama."

in other news, the doc called and said i have e.coli in my system and that she's surprised i haven't been vomiting or the other fun thing...she is posting me meds today...hopefully it gets the little e.coli swimming around. gross. if not...she has to admit me to the hospital for IV meds and to hydrate me. oh fun! let's hope that doesn't happen.

we have school pictures today. rocco gets to go along to get a snap of he and his big sister. hope all goes smoothly.

wordless wednesday

2011-05-11T06:24:00.000+01:00

sew excited!

2011-05-10T08:31:00.000+01:00

after my recent reorg of the craft closet...i am back in the game! i've got my groove back after a rough go in the first trimester. and i recently got a new toy... an overlocker (brit speak for serger). i LOVE it!!
here are my two machines together...side by side!

i've been making baby bibs recently too

sorry for the wonky photos

and doing more with the freezer paper stencils

so happy to have my crafty-ness back!!

spring cleaning the craft closet

2011-05-09T01:53:00.000+01:00

hubby brought to my attention that it seems i write only about happy, shiny things happening in our lives. i told him that's not entirely true...i mean, i divulged and shared a lot of my inner most feelings with my post about pregnancy hormones...
so, i asked him for an example and he quickly replied that i should take a picture of my horribly disorganized craft closet that is in total disarray right now...(see: to take something in or out of the closet, one needs to take extreme care, using one's body to prop open the door and then close it quickly as you can, pushing the items falling out of it back into it...come on...don't say it's only me that does that or even has a closet like that? come on! really? really? no one?
anyway...i did post about my initial organization of the craft closet in THIS (which was over a year ago) post...so you can see how it looked.
this time around...here are some before and then after (3.5 hours after, to be exact)!

BEFORE

AND AFTER...

MUCHO BETTER!

sorry for the crap phone pics.

raina's first trip to the dentist

2011-05-08T07:37:00.001+01:00

i've been talking up her first visit to the dentist for weeks now. she's watched the Peppa Pig Dentist episode at least 20 times...she knows it by heart and asks if Mr. Elephant (the dentist) will be her doctor...she also is excited about the pink drink that Peppa and George swish in their mouths at the end of the visit.
the dentist was in total shock at how calm and actually excited that raina was for her first visit. he told her to sit on my lap for the exam. she promptly told him "no thank you." and she climbed on the chair by herself, sat by herself and open her mouth wide.
perfect teeth. no problems at all! yeah!!

after her good attitude and checkup,

we stopped by gelato mio for some vanilla ice cream.

we bumped into 3 of her friends from school

art

2011-05-07T09:08:00.000+01:00

saturday morning rain showers and early morning wake time from rocco had me searching for something to entertain the restless crew.
what better than finger painting?! surprisingly, it wasn't a complete mess. saturday morning success!
now, it's 9am...what's next?!

holiday 2011: portugal

2011-05-06T09:34:00.000+01:00

we were so looking forward to our holiday in the algarve. and we'd have nani along with us to help with the kiddos. this really was our first family-centered holiday together. we've been to italy plenty but that was to visit people as well as have some fun, this trip was specially designed to lounge at the pool and play and eat! oh, and spend quality time together. all went well and rocco only puked once - mid trip car ride. raina really came out of her shell and introduced herself to other children and asked if they wanted to be friends. very cute. we swam a lot, ate lots of ice cream and then watched it rain the last 3 days we were there. we went a bit stir crazy but it was still nice to get away. we stayed at Martinhal and it was fabulously kid-friendly. no one there had less than 2 kids and half of the mums were pregnant!hubby joked that he wished they had a bar for the dads. overall, holiday was a success!
and now, the visuals...

yum!

lots 'o sun

decorated to celebrate the royal wedding

pool time

swim break: ready to watch the wedding

wedding

feeling for rain

sweet

aww

swinggggggg

mum's hat

yelling at the neighbors

thank good for the ipad

ready to storm

look

a lovely easter

2011-04-25T10:40:00.000+01:00

we had such a nice, low key easter this year. we had our friend, erica spend the day with us as her hubby and 3 year old went out of town back to the states for a quick break away from london.
we walked to mass then had an easter egg hunt in the garden, sat and enjoyed the sunshine, indulged in brunch then hung out. so many blessings to me thankful for. great weather, family, good friends, sweeties, hubbies that cook and clean and so much more!
and some pics...

here is an egg!

rocco could care less about eggs. he wanted to drive!

more, more, more

a fried egg sweetie! yay!

erica, dominic and raina

dominic + raina

strawberries

sassy

she loves green olives!

now, we are packing up for our holiday in portugal! can't wait!

a Good Friday!

2011-04-22T18:16:00.000+01:00

happy Good Friday.
thanks to my mom for bringing over the Paas colouring kit. we had a lovely afternoon dying eggs.

wordless wednesday

2011-04-20T08:14:00.000+01:00

tor-tee-ya

2011-04-19T17:40:00.000+01:00

nani teaching raina how to make homemade tortillas...

new haircuts and snacking on the stoop

snow white

we love having nani here!!

recent family visitors

2011-04-14T08:11:00.001+01:00

many of you know my mom, Carelia. i've written about her many visits. she was born in texas and her parents were both from mexico. she grew up in san antonio mostly then moved to oklahoma then ended up in kentucky - my grandfather, a doctor, moved the family to these new states for his job.
growing up, i'd ask my mom about what it was like for her growing up, who were her friends, who'd she play with, who were her cousins. because, when i think about it...aside from ones siblings (which i never had) your cousins really are your first friends. my mom spoke of growing up with her trio of cousins in san antonio.
she also spoke of her uncle throughout my growing years...when i was playing outside and bees were around, she'd always tell me the story of her uncle. what a big strong man he was, who was outside one day, stung by a bee and dying within minutes. i never asked any further questions about her story...i was sure it was akin to one of her stories telling me my face would stick that way or other scary things that would happen if i wouldn't listen to her.
fast forward 20 years...we reconnected with these cousins of my moms at a wedding in san antonio. it was my first grown-up meeting of the cousins and at a time in my life where i was self-indulged and busy leading my own life in chicago. we did have a lovely time and enjoyed it and we stayed in touch here and there and then life just got in the way. i moved to NYC, got married, had raina, moved to boston, moved to london, had rocco in a span of about 4 years!
a few weeks ago, i received an email from cousin homer letting me know that he and his wife and rosa (his sister) would be on holiday in paris...and how neat it would be to somehow meet up.
they took the eurostar up to london for 2 days and we enjoyed every minute of their visit (except the part where it rained and i forgot the umbrellas - hello?! what kind of london tour guide am i?).
i had arranged my mom's upcoming london visit to coincide with their visit and it worked out perfectly.
we swapped stories, catching everyone up with each other lives. we all got on so well. the kids loved meeting them and raina even said upon their departure that she had a lovely and fun day with them and wants to see them again!
here are a few pictures...

rosa + raina, a perfect pair!

happy homer!

dinner time!

homer + lovely wife nancy!

silly at buckingham

market day on portobello road

ladies + big ben

thank you, thank you, thank you guys for taking the time out of your french holiday to visit with us in london! we are looking forward to seeing you on an upcoming trip to texas! xxoo

post edit:
there are 2 important things i forgot to mention...
-my mom's uncle, who died of the bee sting was the father of Homer, Rosa and Velma
-homer and nancy named their daughter, who is now 16, Carelia.

wordless wednesday

2011-04-13T07:44:00.000+01:00

wanna bet?

2011-04-12T04:28:00.001+01:00

so, at our last scan (ultrasound) at 12 weeks, i had joked with the doctor performing my scan - that i am sure a lot of people ask if they can determine the gender this early. he laughed and said it's better to wait till 16 weeks until you can really distinguish the sexes. then he says "would you like to know my guess?"
i squealed. we weren't going to find out this time around...we were going to keep it a surprise...but ahhh...i didn't think you could know this early...and besides, it's only his guess...i mean, i am only 12 weeks along. i caved.

he said his guess was... BOY!

i had my appt with my OB directly after my scan and told her what the doc had said while he performed my scan and she said...at this point, he's so experienced that he's likely 90% accurate. 90%?!!! i mean, come on...that's crazy!

so, we shall see, i guess...in a few more weeks...in the meantime...i need some boy's names that start with the letter R! or....do you think he could be wrong?!!! hmmmm....

two words: pregnancy hormones!

2011-04-11T09:25:00.000+01:00

where have i been for over a month? honestly...most of the time was spent curled up in my bed sleeping. now, having been pregnant before, i know first hand the pregnancy exhaustion that hits during the first trimester...this third time around...it was like neither of the other times. exhaustion, i mean...it was like i couldn't get enough sleep. i'd sleep 9p-7am, take raina to school at 9a. back home then nap for 3 hours, up for lunch, then nap for 3 hours. and when i say sleep, i am not talking about laying in bed, fighting to go to sleep...i am talking, head hits pillow...then awake 3 hours later with a crusted drool line down my face. nice. on top of that...another fun pregnancy symptom that decided to curse me was morning sickness. once again, didn't have that with either kid before. couple exhaustion and morning sickness with 2 sick kids, a bout of bronchitis and wham...that's why i have been MIA.
during that time, i had to take raina to the A&E (brit term for ER). she had a chest xray and all checked out okay, but it was a bit traumatic for her to endure. although she does now, when asked, say she wants to be a doctor when she grows up so that she can fix people.
so, all that fun stuff added to wild and crazy pregnancy hormones and my friends, there is your recipe for pregnancy induced mild depression of sorts. i thought that i had made a bad decision by getting pregnant again...tipping fate..why did i have to do it? i already have 2 perfect little children, one girl, one boy - they are finally at a good, fun, entertaining age...we work so well as a family of 4 and now...here i go with my selfish intentions, getting pregnant again, always wanting more-more-more and now i have it and i feel like i just can't make it through the next day. i neglected many things - my family, my friends, all the extras like sewing, blogging, showering (ha!). i kept thinking to myself that i wasn't going to snap out of it. that, i was cursed to the bed, to feel like nothing, to have no energy, no "umpfff" to do anything.
i am thankful that we have a wonderful nanny who took great care of the children, thankful for my hubby who made dinner after long days at work. thankful for my friends who checked in on me.

now...i am closing up the first trimester of this pregnancy and i can't even begin to explain what a difference i feel. i feel happy, alive!! i can't wait to grow my belly and embrace life as a mother of 3!

i am not writing this post so that you will feel pity on me - "poor little megan..." not that at all...i wanted to share because the crazy feelings i had, i knew weren't me, i knew they were the crazy hormones trying to bring me down...i was in a dark place, not one that was sad...but just blah. that's not a good description but it's the best word for it. many women endure many different things throughout their pregnancies, i am thankful that my bad time is over.

so, now, my mom is here in london with us and that's been great, although, she's come down with the powerful turnas virus bug that has invaded each of us the past month. the sun has been shining and we've enjoyed trips to the park, the zoo, lots of picnics, playdates and more! we had a really lovely visit with my mom's cousins, who live in san antonio (i'll write a separate post about that!).

i am so happy to have myself back and although, i still think that i could sleep all day...i am going to venture out, buy some new fabric and create a few dresses for some cute little girls who have birthdays coming up!

bad blogger

2011-04-02T13:15:00.000+01:00

sorry folks. will catch you totally up to speed in the next post but for now...i will share with you that i am pregnant and it's been a rough go this time around. i was totally spoiled with no sickness, no nothing really the first two times around...this time...wow! i never did expect it. all is fine, just normal pregnancy stuff but i am TIRED!!!

more to come...
x

wordless wednesday

2011-03-16T09:51:00.000Z

ides of march

2011-03-15T08:02:00.001Z

all i know about the ides of march is that it lands on 15 march. beyond that, no clue!
we are back at it after a super fun filled weekend holiday trip to italy. ski, sun, carnivale with orange throwing, the food, the people...we had such a great time. raina cried because she didn't want to "leave italy to go back to london." with all the sunshine we had in the days we were there, i don't blame her!
here are some (okay, a lot of) pics.

on the gatwick express

raina and lisa

not too happy about all the clothing

trouble walking in ski boots

beautiful

sweet sara!

rocco!

fun with dada and the ski bike

bike!

franco and aureliano

lilliana, tina and ida

dressed up for carnivale

throwing an orange

super fun times with confetti

see the oranges?!

jeff and davide

hand in hand

the girls!

special thanks to steffie, davide, franco and ida for being such wonderful hosts. we always have such a lovely time. while we may live miles and miles away from our family in the states, these guys are our italian family.

um, so it's march!

2011-03-02T21:15:00.000Z

sorry for being AWOL...here's what's been happening...

-hubby was gone to the states for the past 8 days.
-raina had half term last week and we had lots of playdates
-i got sick
-raina got sick and had lots of spots, no fun. all better now
-rocco is getting sick
-visited my friend, julie, who just had baby roman a few weeks ago.
-celebrated my good friend, erica's 30th (OMG, only 30?!) birthday
-i've been hiding under the blankets and napping at least once a day. depressing.
-i need to pack for our ski trip to italy, we leave in 2 days, with the children.

promise to blog after we return from italy. ciao!

testing, testing 1. 2. 3.

2011-02-18T17:35:00.000Z

let's see...i've been down for the past...72 hours. a cold. a mere cold. nothing special about a cold. but, wham! it was unexpected, disliked and had me hiding under my sheets in my bed for the past 2 full days. thank goodness we have such an awesome nanny who took care of the children. and thanks also for having a hubby that took care of himself for dinner the past 3 nights.
okay...so, had the cold, over the cold and hopefully i am done with being ill for this year!

here are some pics of the children on valentine's day - and raina in the cute birdie heart fabric i made a dress out of.

things i love, day 14: sending valentine's!

2011-02-14T01:27:00.001Z

happy valentine's day!!
for the past few years, i ramp up to this day of love by creating sweet little gifts for my friends and family to send them for valentine's day. last year i hand sewed these little hearts and this year...here's what i was working on...

things i love, day 13: lazy sundays

2011-02-13T20:20:00.000Z

i love lazy sundays. sleeping in a little. going to church. eating a late lunch. napping.

playing with the children. sleeping.

posting lame blog posts, like this one.

ahhh...lazy sundays.

things i love, day 12: going to the movies

2011-02-13T13:25:00.000Z

and not just to any movie theatre but to one in london! what a much different experience going to the movies can be here in london than in the states. alcoholic beverages, snack way beyond popcorn and twizzlers!! leather seats, footstools!!! here are 3 theatres i love!

The Electric Cinema Theatre

The concept for the interior is original and fresh with leather seating, footstools and tables for food and drink - generally more space for a more comfortable cinema experience. In addition, two 2-seater sofas are also available at the rear of the theater, perfect for a romantic night out...they also have a bar and food inside of the cinema. Serving cocktails, wine, beer and champagne there are also substantial cinema snacks available (guacamole and chips, hummus and fresh veg, sausage rolls, popcorn, etc).

Great location on Portobello Road. This is another one screen theatre. The seats also have a wine slot to keep your wine safe for you!

The Gate - Notting Hill

who refurbished the auditorium to its full Edwardian splendour and restored the ornate plasterwork on the ceiling. This is right up from where we live and i loved taking rocco there as a baby and having the theatre almost all to myself during their special Big Scream! screenings. They had a full bar in the lobby, too!

The Vue Scene - Westfield

Scene offers 3 spacious auditoriums with super large luxury reclining seats, a private bar, concierge and cloakroom service. Customers can enjoy great service in a relaxed and comfortable environment. Scene is the ultimate choice of cinema for pleasure seekers.

Sit back and relax in super comfort watching your chosen film with your favourite alcoholic drink – available from the Scene Bar. It's hubby's favourite!

things i love, day 11: afternoon tea

2011-02-11T15:30:00.001Z

one thing, besides the rainy weather that i had known about living in london is that everyone drinks tea.

tea, tea, tea. would you like a spot of tea? a cup of tea? would you like to meet for afternoon tea? high tea? are you going to feed the children their tea? can be so confusing, right? before i even knew there was a difference in the meaning of "tea" i had already been to have Afternoon Tea at The Ritz. i had met up with some girlfriends for a Christmas time Afternoon tea and a few birthday party teas.

i thought tea just meant it was a dainty little social event, where one drank tea, ate sweets and little sandwiches. i never drank tea before moving to london, but now have a favourite.

here are the differences...

Afternoon Tea

This is the one that comes to mind when people think of English tea ceremonies. It all began back in the mid 1800s, when the Duchess of Bedford started having a tray of tea with bread and butter served to her in the mid-afternoon. You see, in those days, lunch was served at noon but dinner was not eaten until 8 or even 9 o'clock at night. The Duchess found herself hungry during those long afternoon hours. It became a regular occurance and as she began to invite other high-society ladies to join her, having Afternoon Tea became the 'in-thing' for the upper-class women. Along with tea, there would be small pastries with clotted cream or preserves, delicate sandwiches, and scones.

High Tea
Many people use the term "High Tea" to describe the event I've mentioned above, probably because it sounds more elite. But High Tea is a much different thing. It was served later (around six in the evening) and consisted of a full, dinner meal for the common people. Tea was still served, but there would also be meats, fish or eggs, cheese, bread and butter, and cake. It was more of a man's meal, than a ladies social diversion.

geez...and even more...

If you call it "tea", and eat it at around half past six, you are almost certainly working class or of working class origin. (If you have a tendency to personalise the meal, calling it "my tea", "our/us tea" and "your tea" - as in "I must be going home for my tea", "what's for us tea, love?" or "Come back to mine for your tea" - you are probably northern working class.)
If you call the evening meal "dinner", and eat it at around seven o'clock, you are probably lower-middle or middle-middle class.
If you normally only use the term "dinner" for rather more formal evening meals, and call your informal, family evening meal "supper" (pronounced "suppah"), you are probably upper-middle or upper class. The timing of these meals tends to be more flexible, but a family "supper" is generally eaten at around half past seven, while a "dinner" would usually be later, from half past eight onwards.

some friends and i just took a "How to arrange/serve a proper Afternoon Tea" class. The class is held in a Victorian home in St John's Wood. Giuliana Orme was a gracious host, informational teacher and an absolute delight to spend our afternoon with. I highly recommend taking one of her classes. She even has penned her own book: "Afternoon Tea at Home Made Simple."

Our class description was this:
What Your Afternoon Tea Class Will Include
The afternoon tea class includes a ‘mini’ house tour of this detached Victorian 1860’s house. You will receive step-by-step instructions and recipes for making scones, shortbread and speciality sandwiches.
You will also receive a written reminder page of special ‘tips’ learned throughout the class.
After the baking and preparations we sit down and enjoy a full afternoon tea in the sitting room (or drawing room) – see menu below. This is an ideal opportunity to practice English etiquette and conversation in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

The Afternoon Tea Class Menu

Classic assorted tea and pinwheel sandwiches.
Devonshire Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam and/or/lemon curd.
The Classic Victoria Sandwich Cake (Victoria Sponge Cake). Scottish Shortbread
Speciality biscuits e.g. Florentines.
Sweet tea bread e.g. Fruit tea loaf, Banana bread or Gingerbread.
Choice of several teas.

things i love, day 10: rain gear

2011-02-10T10:04:00.000Z

yes, it rains in london...heck, it rains in most places, doesn't it? upon making the decision to move here, i first thought about the rain. that's synonymous...rain. london. london. rain.
when we moved to london just a little under 2 years ago, on 20 march...we left a cold, snowy boston with no less than 10 inches of snow on the ground and arrived in london, mid 50s and signs of blooming life all over, the grass was green, the parks wonderful! so, that began my love affair with the subtle london weather. i appreciated that only a few days in the summer did it get up in the mid 90s. now...speed up to november...and that's when the weather depression sets in! the darkness falls at 3:30p and the sky before that is grey and chilly.
all of that aside...there is rain. unlike most places, life goes on in the rain. pushing the buggy through the rain, walking the school runs in the rain...all of it still happens.
here are a few of my favourite raingear staples that i love!

I love my raincoat!

Burberry Hooded Topper

A warm, zip-out lining adds season-spanning versatility to a

hooded A-line topper with check-lined cuffs.

(it really looks horrible on this model!)

I love my wellies!

Hunter Original Wellies

I love my brolly!

Cath Kidston Tiny Rose Umbrella

things i love: manicures and pedicures

2011-02-09T10:25:00.000Z

if i am ever feeling stressed, sad, overwhelmed, tired or heck, even when i am happy and joyous, i love going for a mani/pedi. there's something about lounging back and thinking about nothing while your fingers and toes get cleaned and lacquered up!
my affinity for mani/pedis were rooted back when i lived in washington, dc. a co-worker of mine at the time, kristin - had a bi-monthly appt, she'd come back with crazy bright colours! i was always amazed at her nails. then, i moved to chicago, made friends with a new co-worker, amber and then anita...and it was then and there when i really became addicted to getting manicures and pedicures! we'd have a margarita/martini/mojito monday manicures. so fun! princess nails. that place!
then, off to NYC and a freaking nail salon, 2 to every block. the best, best thing about it...$17 for both a mani and a pedi! can you believe it!? i had one every week. i was working, making the big bucks back then, before we were married, before we had children so hush!
now, in london...i pay £36 for a mani/pedi, though there are places that are much more expensive.
we also have "mum's night out" where a group of us get together, take over a nail salon - bring nibbles and prosecco and party it up! so fun!

just had to put this pic in here. how many of you have

had rose petals at your feet during a pedicure?!

not me! weird.

things i love, day 8: freezer paper

2011-02-08T01:08:00.000Z

when my mom comes to visit, i usually load her up with goodies from the states to bring over in her luggage for me. the items that i can't find here in the UK (not at all or not at a reasonable price).
her last trip here, she brought me 150 feet of freezer paper!

why in the world would i need a product that, for the most part, isn't really even used much anymore for it's original purpose?

FREEZER PAPER STENCILING, my friends.

the basic idea is that you have an image to begin with perhaps printed out from your computer on regular paper. Then you lay it on the freezer paper (waxy side down!) and onto a cutting mat and use and X-Acto to cut out your design (cutting it out of both the paper and the freezer paper). Toss the regular paper as it’s job is now done. Then take the freezer paper and iron it onto your t-shirt or fabric and then paint over it with washable fabric paint which is very easy to find in lots of colors. Then you just peel of the freezer paper and you’re done!

here are the steps i did on my first attempt...

the next day, i tried it again, since, wouldn't you know...the pink shirt above was a "test" shirt and it's a size 1-2years...too small for the girlie...
here's the cut out for rocco's. it was a waste, i totally messed up the fabric paint application. poor rocco.

and i decided to use more paint and do the reverse image of what i had done the day before for raina's shirt...

well done! a few mistakes, but it's handmade, people!

though you can't tell in this picture, she did love having her

name in purple on her shirt!

there are loads of video tutorials or what have you out there in the inner-nets...just google it!

things i love, day 7: mail

2011-02-07T22:03:00.000Z

i mean, in the day and age of email and texting...the days of hand written letters is mostly over. sad. i love hand writing letters and sending cards and notes. sending and receiving mail makes me giddy.
raina has made good friends with our post man since we seem to get a fairly large about of parcels (i admit, i am online shopping fiend).
receiving a nice note, a card...it means so much. the sender took the time to think of me, sit and write and then put a stamp on it and mail it! swoon.

we are interested in having pen pals for raina...she loves receiving mail, just like her mama. so, if you are interested in showing us some love then we will most definitely show you some right back...in your mailbox! you can email me your address at meganturnas@me.com

things i love, day 6: books from book club

2011-02-06T06:34:00.000Z

a few months back, i started a monthly book club with my friends. each friend would have a turn choosing the book and hosting the activity we'd have to discuss the book. i loved reading when i was pregnant and enjoy it while i am on the bus, in the tube, before bed...the escapism that it provides is refreshing...stepping into another time period, another country, another person's mind can be fascinating. i've greatly enjoyed the past 4 books i've read, mostly all from my book club. though, one book, which will remain unnamed was a total waste of my time reading...but hey, i can't love every one, right?!

here's the group i'd highly recommend you read.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

It's 1946 and author Juliet Ashton can't think what to write next. Out of the blue, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey - by chance, he's acquired a book that once belonged to her - and, spurred on by their mutual love of reading, they begin a correspondence. When Dawsey reveals that he is a member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, her curiosity is piqued and it's not long before she begins to hear from other members. As letters fly back and forth with stories of life in Guernsey under the German Occupation, Juliet soon realizes that the society is every bit as extraordinary as its name.

--------------

The Help

(Hollywood is currently making this one into a big screen movie)

Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren’t trusted not to steal the silver... There’s Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son’s tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared. Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they’d be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell...

----------------------

One Day

(Hollywood is currently making this one into a big screen movie)

'I can imagine you at forty,' she said, a hint of malice in her voice. 'I can picture it right now.'

He smiled without opening his eyes. 'Go on then.'

15th July 1988. Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways.

So where will they be on this one day next year?

And the year after that? And every year that follows?

Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.

-----------------

Three Cups of Tea

'Here we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything - even die' - Haji Ali, Korphe Village Chief, Karakoram mountains, Pakistan. In 1993, after a terrifying and disastrous attempt to climb K2, a mountaineer called Greg Mortenson drifted, cold and dehydrated, into an impoverished Pakistan village in the Karakoram Mountains. Moved by the inhabitants' kindness, he promised to return and build a school. "Three Cups of Tea" is the story of that promise and its extraordinary outcome. Over the next decade Mortenson built not just one but fifty-five schools - especially for girls - in remote villages across the forbidding and breathtaking landscape of Pakistan and Afghanistan, just as the Taliban rose to power. His story is at once a riveting adventure and a testament to the power of the humanitarian spirit.

------------------

and the book i've just started on a few days ago is...

Water for Elephants

(Hollywood is currently making this one into a big screen movie

The hot vampire, Edward and Reese W are in the cast)

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth a second-rate travelling circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town.

Jacob, a veterinary student who almost earned his degree, is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

what books have you read recently that you love?

things i love, day 5: fave blogs

2011-02-05T21:30:00.000Z

as you may have noticed my right hand side, side bar...i have a listing of the blogs i like to read, it's quite a long list. for those of you with not much time...i'd like to give you my top 5 blogs to i love to read...

in no particular order....

i love dana's inspirational projects over at MADE.

i love the children's room's decorating and ideas at odeedoh

i love how amazing Stephanie is, both before her plane crash and even more

after it. Follow her at NieNie's Dialogues

i love to browse the beautiful food pics and follow the blogger's recipes at Tastespotting

i love liz's collection of beautiful things, collections and fashion over at Say YES to Hoboken

i keep up weekly with my whole list on the right, but these top ones, along with a few others, i tune in daily.

what are you blogs you love?

things i love, day 4: my parents

2011-02-04T09:01:00.000Z

moving right along...i can't mention love and fail to mention my parents in the same sentence.

carelia and larry

"nani and g-daddy"

i owe much of who i am and who i am not to my parents. there's so many stories i could tell, could recall for you, much of those i will keep as my own fond memories. both of our children adore them. it's amazing to see one's own parents become grandparents and the love they share...not to mention all the cookies and candy they give them.

time in KY, bonfire. looking at the stars.

christmas time with g-daddy

sweet

happy grandbabies

hands full!

at harrods, waiting to see father christmas

special thanks to my mother. we've almost lived in london for 2 years now and she's been to visit at least 5 or 6 times now, staying a minimum of 5 weeks at a time. she helped ease the transition for us, helped with raina, helped when i had rocco...she'll be coming back at the end of march and the whole month of april...we'll have easter and enjoy the wedding festivities.

things i love, day 3: sleep

2011-02-03T05:46:00.004Z

sleep: is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or lacking consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles.

i've never in my life (before children) had problems with sleep. fact is i could sleep anywhere, any type of bed/floor, any time...cat naps, long naps, sleeping in...all of it. with no problem.

until...

enter a certain newborn baby. well, actually, it started a few months before she was even born. tossing and turning, getting up to go to the toilet 10 times in the middle of the night...you know, all of those fun end of pregnancy things. that was nothing compared to my sleep habits after having a child.

all parents reading this know what i am talking about. and more so to the mamas, who really endure it.
did you know that research now shows, all parents of newborns go through a phase of sleeplessness with almost 6 months of sleep lost by the time the child reaches two years of age? This 'sleep debt' leads to constant tiredness, fatigue, mood swings and irritability. so, that means...i've lost 12 months worth of sleep!!!

even with raina almost 3 1/2 years and rocco 18 months, sleep is something that isn't constant for me (or hubby) throughout the night. it's either one or the other. i've read books on how to handle it...join them in their beds, bring them into our bed, let them cry it out....it's hard to listen to all the opinions out there...especially, when those people aren't under my roof at 3:30 in the morning with a screaming, crying child.
so, now more than ever....i LOVE SLEEP! now, i just wish i could somehow program myself to go to bed at a reasonable hour in an effort to get a full, great night's worth of sleep...instead, here i am...blogging. the irony.

things i love, day 2: beauty products

2011-02-02T07:57:00.000Z

love my products! here are a few things that i LOVE!

Daily Face Wash: REN's Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Gel
A rose infused facial cleansing gel that will leave your
skin thoroughly cleansed, refreshed and soothed.

Body Wash: (My neighbour) Cowshed's Grumpy Cow Uplifting Bath & Shower Gel
Citrus blend with essential oils of
red mandarin, petitgrain and grapefruit to
invigorate the senses whilst petitgrain purifies the mind

Body Lotion: Bath & Body Works Body Lotion in Plumeria

I used to work for Bath and Body in college and after college.

I will always have a special place in my heart for this smell.
sweet floral fragrance, inspired by the tropics,
alluring plumeria blossoms mingle with just a hint of ripe melon

Body Lotion when I am pregnant: ESPA's Essential Body Moisturiser

I fell in love with this on our baby moon in the Canary Islands when I was

pregnant with Rocco. Smells like rocks, to me, when I am pregnant.

Fragrance (Day): Moulinette Soeurs (purchased at Anthropologie)
Eau de Parfum - Adelie - a fresh, creamy scent with notes of lotus,
plush peony and sandalwood

Fragrance (Night) - Gucci Guilty

Eau de toilette (lovely oriental floral)

Recent Splurge: Alexander McQueen's Classic Skull Scarf
I have the black with pink skulls

Mascara: Georgio Armani's Eyes to Kill
I love this stuff!

Lip Colour: MAC Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo
Sad and pathetic as it is, I whip this on for school pick-ups
to fool the other parents and teacher that I have showered
for the day, when in fact, I have not.

i love all of these colours from Chanel
Thanks to my friend, Donna for turning me on to Chanel
nail laquer!

what are your favourites that you love?

wordless wednesday

2011-02-02T06:20:00.000Z

things i love!

2011-02-01T11:20:00.001Z

happy february! i was happy to say good-bye to january. i feel like january is always a month of intended change, betterment, weight loss, curfews and the such...and it's such a let down when you don't hurry and scurry to get all of your "resolutions" met, like cleaning and reorganizing the closets. i'd like to think that january is simply a recovery and catch up month from the holidays (especially when cross ocean and time zone travel takes place).
so, it's february, the month of love. what do you love?

i'd like to post each day, one thing that i love..

today's thing i love...is obvious...my family.

.the hubby.

who i met almost 10 years ago. who i married almost 5 years ago.

who i met in south philly. who i moved to chicago with.

who i moved to NYC with. who i moved to boston with.

who i moved to london with.

who makes me strive to be a good wife, mother and friend.

who i will love forever.

.the raina.

who was born almost 3 and a half years ago.

who makes me laugh daily with her questions.

who loves pink and purple.

who loves candy and ice cream.

who drinks soya. who loves oatmeal for brekkie.

.the rocco.

who was born almost 2 years ago.

who gives me lots of hugs and kisses.

who loves balls, cars, cooking in the kitchen.

who loves bananas, apples and cucumbers

who drinks rice milk. who loves scrambled eggs for brekkie.

the make lounge!

2011-01-30T06:59:00.001Z

as i've mentioned in a few posts before, i love The Make Lounge, located in Islington. the lounge is comprised of sweet little shop with lots of lovely items to buy - cute fabric, thread, cake baking materials and much more - the items available coincide with the classes they have on offer. it's extremely accessible and tempting to hit the shop after the informational and inspirational classes - i do each time and i leave with loads of things to work on at home. it makes me squeal with delight! wheeee...
my first class with The Make Lounge was with 2 other of my gal pals, Lindsey and Erica. We showed up for the Fashion Biscuit Making class. The "classroom" was bright and very clean, due in part to have just opened up their 2nd studio space. They had provided us with wine and nibbles. We really enjoyed ourselves and were amazed at our biscuits. The teacher was really great as well.
Here are a few pics from the evening...

the biscuiteers

a shot of my biscuits. oh how i love edible glitter!

the next class i chose to take was their Freehand Machine Embroidery & Applique. Such a fun class, once again informative, fun and inspirational!

since i've been on this baking kick recently, i signed up for the Cupcake Decorating -Swirls, sparkles and roses class and a week before the class, a spot opened up and my friend, Wendy joined me. What a fab and fun evening we had. we really loved our teacher for the evening, she makes amazing "non-traditional cakes" as she says. we kept "ohhhing" and "ahhhhing" at all the cool techniques we learned. we even learned how easy, yet tedious it is to make roses out of marizpan.

here's what we did...

check out wendy's serious face and serious form!!

she made those! great work.

being silly.

here are my beauties. the icing was a DELICIOUS ~~sugar rush~~.

i surprised raina's teachers with these little lovelies.

they raved, applauded me and gobbled them up!

next week, i'll be attending their Overlocking Made Easy class.
if you live in london and are looking for a class to take, a craft to learn, something to do...check out The Make Lounge!

hey, sugar!

2011-01-25T07:35:00.001Z

last year, i started experimenting with my quest to find the perfect tasting sugar cookie. a little hard, a little soft and oh so yummy. i was then ultra inspired by Sweetopia. i mean, gahhh...look at her awesome work. i've kept it simple for the past year, simple designs and a simple recipe, adapted by baking extraordinaire, Peggy Porschen.
This one is tried and true. It works...follow the directions and it will give a solid cookie, ready to be topped with a lovely design using royal icing.
Click here for PP Basic Sugar Cookie recipe.
The recipe for royal icing I use, is adapted from AmeriColor's Royal icing recipe i found on their meringue powder recipe.
here are some of the cookies i've made in the past.

a few weeks ago, at my friend, wendy's house, i was giving her a little tutorial on making basic sugar cookies and how to make/use royal icing. i brought over my snazzy new rolling pin (how lame am i to get so excited about a rolling pin?!). take a look at this Joseph Joseph Adjustable Rolling Pin...it takes the guesswork out of determining and rolling out your dough to the right thickness. i love it and so did wendy!

i also tried out another sugar recipe, because...why not? this one was Martha Stewart's sugar cookie recipe - she has many on her website, but i used this one. Yum! it was a great, cake-y cookie, not ideal for piping with royal icing but tasted great. once i baked those off, i simply used different coloured sanding sugar to cover the tops, i even tried some fancy new lavender sugar that i found at whole foods the other day.

i am anxious to try my friend, lindsey's - family's super secret sugar cookie recipe!
here's to hoping i get better. no matter what, the ones i have made in the past have been impressive and look even cuter wrapped in a clear cello bag, tied with ribbon and a cute tag hanging from the ribbon.

fun in the kitchen

2011-01-22T09:26:00.001Z

a small group of my friends and i (typically just two of us, however we've added on a few attendees in the past few weeks) get together and teach each other a new recipe/dish and prepare it together, shoulder to shoulder and voila! we have a yummy dinner to feed each of our families.
our first go round, i hosted with my recipe of Mulligatawny Soup. we really had a lovely time and a yummy dinner to share with our family...second go was Jambalaya. YUM! while the jambalaya was cooking away, we baked off some sugar cookies. double yum! i had made a point to snap a few photos with my camera (reminder to bring real camera next time to capture better shots).

cookies - a practice run before the big v-day!

mama wendy mixes it up with adorable baby liam.

we finally did our christmas gift swap. i had wrapped on the gifts

in a piece of fabric and sewed it closed. so simple, handmade and

cheaper than buying wrapping paper.

i wrapped donna's gift, the bunting, in 2 pieces of old cardboard and sewed on the

fabric then zig zag stitched around all 4 corners. simple!

and just so i remember to make these again...

last week, i made these super cute, easy and delish

chocolate covered pretzel sticks. must make again

but with larger pretzel rods.

and just for good measure...my 18 month old, master rocco!

where's the baby go?!

wordless wednesday

2011-01-19T07:30:00.000Z

today is a 'pretzels for breakfast' type of morning

2011-01-16T10:57:00.000Z

hubby is in NYC for business and we are here in london. the three of us. whooping it up. whoop whoop.

another crafty sneek peek

creative craftiness...

2011-01-14T08:14:00.000Z

i am so happy the holidays are over and i can get back to my sewing machine and start cranking out some fun things. today, i was able to spend a few hours on the machine...sewing a cute little skirt for raina and starting on the valentine's gifts i am sending out this year...last year, i hand sewed these cute little hearts adorned with hand stamped names on them.

this year, sticking with the heart theme (duh!) and sewing and creating cute little things for my friends and their kiddos. i can't share with you just yet, but just wanted to let you know that i am indeed crafting.

speaking of valentine's day crafts...i definitely want to make these scrumptious biscuits again.

i will also be trying out these fancy schmancy Messsage Cookie Cutters that i bought while i was in the states.
---
i did lots of sewing for my christmas gifts, alas, i can't talk fully about that yet since i haven't given them to my gal pals yet. next week though! here's a sneak peek...(hopefully they aren't reading, though, if they are my friends that had me slaving away at my sewing machine, they should be reading my blog, right? right, girls?!).

and a picture from today's sewing session...mama really needs a proper sewing/fabric tape measure...

why? but, why?

2011-01-13T20:13:00.000Z

i knew the day would come...the day my 3 year old continually and without pause asks "why?"
don't get me wrong, it's nice to know that she is inquisitive and looking for answers in the world surrounding her. thing is...this mama may not have all the answers or worse yet...hasn't yet crafted a proper response to certain questions.
we played in the park the other day and we saw this bird...

that moment and the rest of the day, we had a very in depth conversation about this one legged bird.
why is it hopping? she only has one leg
why does it have one leg? she lost the other leg somehow
where did it's other leg go? it's gone, it was sick or she broke it
but why? not sure, honey. isn't it cute how it can hop?
but where did the other leg though? nmaybe it died and went to heaven
does it hurt? i am sure it did hurt, she lost her leg!
did she cry? wouldn't you cry, ouch?!
where's her mummy? she's in the tree, watching her hop
but why? her mum watches over her, like i watch over you
i don't hop. i have two legs. yes, yes you do honey, let's go play...

less than one minute later....

look at the bird, why is it hopping, mama? let's go home now...lunch time!

the first thing she talked about on her first day back to school was this bird that hopped on one leg, she's explained it to her dad, to my parents and anyone who will listen.

wordless wednesday

2011-01-12T04:44:00.000Z

hair-ye, hair-ye...

2011-01-10T00:38:00.000Z

it was time....
after the great fire/candle incident of 2010 for raina and the fact that we haven't yet cut a strand of rocco's hair (he's 17 months old)...it was time to schedule the duo cuts and make it happen!
here were some funny before shots i took of them.

our on flight to the states, we had 3 people ask "how old is she?"

sadly, she was born with my thin, stringy hair.

don't you feel sorry for these scraggly hair children?

how hilarious is this one? the nanny brushed his hair and all the curls out.

this picture cracks me up!!

we made it a family trip to our favourite kids' hair salon. tantrum in chelsea. £30 for a kid's cut! and £40 if it's their first hair cut (but rocco really just got a trim so it was only £20, still expensive, if you ask me)....but all worth it. raina did great, rocco hated every second and the sad hair cut shows...a bit choppy, but what do you expect when he's thrashing and screaming?

and happy new year to you!

2011-01-08T09:07:00.002Z

whew. it's only been a few weeks since my last post but i feel like i've had many visitors to the blog and have had no new info to share. apologies.

i'll pick up where i left off, but will keep it brief. my parents visit finished up nicely, sans the part where they both picked up terrible colds which left them inside the house for most of the journey, though i did get them on a tour of london and of course, a few pubs!

father christmas visited us in london to the delightment (i know, delightment isn't truly a word, but i like it and i am going to use it for the next month, so...there) of the kiddos! we had previously discussed that he'd hit london first on his way to the states and he'd stop and visit us again there, if, if there was good behaviour on the flight from london to michigan!
i have cute pics of the kiddos opening their christmas booty but they are on hubby's camera, which we haven't yet downloaded the pics from. boo. so, for now...i'll leave a place holder.

{insert adorable pictures showing the kids delightment (see!)at all of their gifts}

another nice thing about having my parents booked in on the same return flight with us was they were going to help us handle the wee ones...i envisioned games of hot potato or pass the parcel (i know, i know, you've probably never heard of that game, it's a british thing i just learned and have played no less than 6 times in the month of december) using the children as the main item...as we were boarding the plane, the announcer called my parents names out to see the attendant at the ticket stand, and for those who know my mom's name, you also know of how bad people butcher it...my mom and i looked at each other, we instantly stood up straight and i told her to just ignore it and board the plane. we were certain they were going to be bumped from the flight, since they had asked us earlier when we checked our luggage if we'd like to wait for a later flight. and of course, my mom just had to follow the rules and met with the gate agent...a few seconds passed and i was thinking in my head what we should do...wait for them? with 2 kids? in overloaded heathrow for how long?! well...my mom bounces back over to us only showing us their new boarding passes which read "FIRST CLASS."

what in the hell? that is so not fair. it should be hubby and i in first class...not in the back with the rugrats. aw, well...merry christmas to them. they deserved it. sleeping flat, a nice dinner, no screaming kids, no vomit (oh wait, rocco didn't vomit on the way over there, but he did on the way home. this kid, he's a vomit-er). to our surprise, the kids did great and we landed safely and happily in MI. we sent my parents on the KY and headed out to meet hubby's parents.

geez, this is getting long. sorry. i'll speed things up a bit to save you.

-we arrived christmas eve, to a warm house, as always was very festive! raina and rocco both loved the christmas tree.

had a nice italian dinner whipped up by my italian mother in law, opened more gifts and partied it up

the kids really did enjoy spending time with the family they get to see only a few times a year..

-christmas day we awoke in our first annual christmas pajamas.

made it to mass, then the festive partied continued on christmas evening.

-the next night, the ladies of the family met up to have a special dinner to celebrate the wedding of bruce and wendy (their new year's eve wedding was our main reason for traveling to MI for the holiday season). here i am with my SIL, chick and Emanuela.

-the boys had their own little shindig dinner to celebrate the last days of single-dom.

-the next night, my mother in law hosted "the italians" over for a nice dinner. uncle tony even brought over his famous tiramisu. here he is and here it is...yum!

-at this point, i am really making it up saying it was the next night or what...we were very busy most every night we were there so they all sort of blend in. we did have a nice dinner out with some of hubby's friends from his childhood. very fun-loving, chatty, friendly ladies. one is a only a "little crazy." haha...just kidding, daniela...i had to throw that in there. it was really nice to meet you guys. i know hubby had a good time seeing you both after all these years. don't be a stranger!

-we then had the rehearsal dinner evening out for wendy and bruce. here's the crew.

me and my big poppy (oh, right and hubby too)

thanks to nini and papa for watching the kiddos...we enjoyed a fabulous, uninterrupted night of sleep.

-the next morning, (okay, so really, it was the next morning...the wedding day!)...we took the kiddos to the hotel pool and tried to tire them out so that the evening babysitting pinch hitting duties that we had wouldn't be so brutal...the kids did really well, hanging the room, i ordered room service and Toy Story 3 on the tube...i pulled out the sofa bed and let them eat chocolate candy. nice, eh?

the wedding was beautiful and the couple, very happy!

we partied on throughout the new year!

after the partying was done, we hung out at nini and papa's house, ate yummy food, watched football, played in the basement, played on the new iPads the kids received and enjoyed being together. we had a great visit!

p.s. rocco doesn't like his picture to be taken. ha.

nani and g-daddy

2010-12-17T10:18:00.002Z

the children have loved having my parents in town. rocco still isn't too keen on g-daddy just yet, but in due time, i hope.

we were all packed and ready to hop on an early morning flight to Munich for a nice weekend away, visiting Christmas markets and spending adult time together. Due to a snow storm in the UK, our flight was canceled. I was smashed. But, things have a way of always working out. The odds of us getting back to London from Munich would be very little, since Heathrow has been closed for the past day and a half due to the weather. Thing is, it's not even that bad outside...only a few inches of snow. But, the few inches of snow aren't going anywhere...there are no salt trucks, no one out clearing the roads. Nada. The UK just isn't set up for snow of any kind. Annoying in many ways, as I have a few friends who are either stuck here in London or have family stuck from not entering London for the holidays. boo. Fingers crossed that our family can get out this week.

a dramatic visit to father christmas

2010-12-16T07:07:00.029Z

our first christmas time in london was last year. as most ex-pats, we spent most of december back in the states visiting with family. this year, we decided to stay in london for most of the month...giving us ample time to visit Father Christmas at the famed Harrod's Grotto. i had to book the spot back in September.
i had booked it for 10:30a and upon waking up a bit late, i had to get myself, raina, rocco and my parents all out the door by 10a. we were in such a rush. but made it in great time and hopped in the queue to see Father Christmas. the children were cutely dressed and i had made sure to pack plenty of snacks and drinks for the wait.
the theme of decor was from Peter Pan, and the kids (and my parents) were entertained with a visit from Nana, the dog from the story.

and then....
i noticed my mom took off her jacket and said she was hot...i then noticed the sweat beads forming on her brow...still paying mind to the children...i turned around and heard her say she was going to pass out. What the heck?! and then, she began convulsing (shaking hands and arms) - talk about SCARY!! and then, she passed out. my dad held her up on one side and i tried but then another nice man popped over and helped hold her up. she was non-responsive and out of it. as she sit limp on the floor - in the middle of the queue to see father christmas, i was so scared. the staff at harrods were wonderful and an EMT came immediately and a few minutes later, my mom came to, drank some water and said she was fine - the kids and i proceeded to go in to visit Father Christmas.

i was a bit out of it. worried about my mom...the children did enjoy the visit with Father Christmas...here's the wax like photo that was taken. rather than have the kids cry, i sat for the photo too, had i known earlier, i would have dressed up a bit. oh well. Meeting Father Christmas at Harrods Grotto. checked off the list.

turns out that it was likely due to low blood sugar. why? well, dear mommy didn't eat anything after their long flight from the states at night, nor did she eat anything as we rushed out of the house to visit Father Christmas in the first place. thankfully, all is well.

guess these things happen in threes....cause i am FINISHED with it!!

what a week!!!

2010-12-15T12:54:00.000Z

i've had the most trying week this week. the first days raina out of school for the christmas break...whew.
firstly...i burn candles in the house - for the fragrance, for the ambience. have always done it and hubby as always complained about it. raina has always loved them too. except for the other day...one of the scariest moments of my motherhood life. while i was building blocks with rocco in the family room, i hear horrible screams from raina in the other room...upon running into the kitchen, i see one of the worst sights - raina's hair engulfed in flames, the candle on the kitchen counter top nearby...she was too scared to know to pat the fire out...adrenaline kicked in i jumped over the counter, patted her head out and grabbed her and yelled "nononono!" i was scared. i was crying...she kept saying"i wasn't careful, i wasn't careful." she was definitely scared and luckily, lost only a few handfuls of hair. she did lightly burn the top of her ear. thankfully. it scares me to think of the "what ifs." what if i had been on another floor in the house? what if i didn't run to her immediately? makes me sick to my stomach to think about it. a few days have passed now and she points every unlit candle out to me - saying she doesn't like it. God was with us that day.
The next day, it was Rocco's turn apparently. I mean, can I get a break, I just went through crazy drama of Raina's fire in the ear incident. While running, playing, back and forth in the family room, Rocco bit the dust and his sweet little head hit smack dab on the corner of the fireplace railing...causing immediate crying and immediate blood pouring from his head. Now, I have known that I have a weakness for the sight of blood, but it's been years since I've seen blood in large amounts. Thankfully, my parents had just arrived (they hadn't been here but for an hour, after a horrendous travel schedule of their own)...my mom spent her time trying to calm me down...I was so scared, so upset and light headed from all of the blood. Upon cleaning the wound, it was small, could have taken a stitch or two but I didn't think the trauma of the hospital visit wouldn't be good for any of us. The doctor's surgery saw us immediately and bandaged him up and sent us on our way. He was happy as a peach afterwards.

whew. blessed. blessed that it all could have been worse. must toughen up. i was toast after the 2 days of drama.

london friends

2010-12-10T12:52:00.003Z

i've been so blessed with a great group of friends here in london. many i consider my family...since really, they are my family here in london.
i've enjoyed this past year getting to know new friends, saying good-bye to friends going on their way (back to the states).
i have made great memories and for those london friends reading...you know who you are!

what made me so happy the other day? amidst all the craze of the end of the term busy-ness...i was so proud of 2 of my gal pals, who shared, with me, their craftiness. so sweet.

mum of 2 sweet girls, liz had her oldest daughter, ava paint the home made name tags for her teacher gifts.

and my other friend, dear wendy...went balls out for her girls' school classes...after spending a day together baking gingerbread men...she created these cute packages along with a book about the gingerbread man.

she also gifted the classroom with these cute gifts.

for raina's class, i baked the aforementioned gingerbread men, wrapped them and labeled them. they were a huge hit!

attempt at a christmas card photo

2010-12-08T13:28:00.009Z

i was late to the game of getting a photo taken of the children to serve as the "art" for our christmas card this year.

thusly, they'll be going out so very late. apologies!

birthday parties

2010-12-06T14:49:00.000Z

raina loves going to birthday parties now. she gets so excited to attend - to sing happy birthday and of course, to eat the cake! yesterday we celebrated her friend, abby's 3rd birthday. there was a cute entertainer, music, dancing, pizza and more. not to mention, her other friends were there too.

here she is with her friends, iza and maria.

i also made this quick and easy hat for the birthday girl. raina wasn't too thrilled to model it for me!

it also was fashioned with jingle bells!

here's 'lil rocco this morning on our trip to whole foods. he's sporting his new balaclava. he looks cute.
he didn't like it at first but grew to like it!

it doesn't take much to make me happy.

my recent favorite purchase.

yes, that's right...a flour sifter.

star light, star bright

2010-12-03T22:24:00.000Z

today was raina's christmas play at school. the first one. not too sure who was more nervous...
like most things i do, i was up late last night pulling together her star costume. after ~~my sewing machine needle broke 3 times~~ deciding to keep it simple, i only used one piece of cardboard and covered it with a fab gold lame fabric and called it a night.

she was thrilled with it in the morning!

and she even wore it the whole time

she had a lolly for a job well done

and her new fave, a babyccino

i was a proud mama today!

decorating for christmas

2010-12-02T22:32:00.000Z

so, i almost broke down and bought a fake christmas tree this year. i bought a teeny tiny one last year and put it up - even though we were gone most of december...since we are in town for most of december this year, i wanted to get a real tree. in both NYC and Winchester, i picked out the tree, bought it, delivered it home (when i bought it at the local gristedes in nyc, i carried it home all by myself a few blocks).
we have no car in london and it's doubtful the cabbie would appreciate carrying home for me, a large christmas tree. besides, how would i get the sucker in my house by myself? and into the tree stand? ugh. thank goodness i found this great company called Pines and Needles. i hopped on their website, chose the tree size i wanted, added in a tree stand and the delivery option along with the install option. in retrospect, i should have had them install the lights - believe me, no fun doing it by myself...i am all scratched up because of it. the delivery guys were nice, quick and wanted to ensure my happiness.

the 2 man team sets up

and whoa, a 8 feet tree is HUGE...the width is massive!

in lieu of buying all new ornaments (i have plenty in storage in the states), i

decided to sew ornaments, so simple and quick.

my original idea was to cut out and sew stuffed letters

spelling out Merry Christmas...

instead, i opted for our first initials

the kids loved the tree. first thing raina said was "it's fat, mama!"

mama had to go buy more lights, 400 wasn't enough!

raina loved helping hang the ornaments.

our stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

i even hung mistletoe

and today, it snowed in london.

our walk to school was fun and a bit wet and messy.

cake stall at church

2010-11-30T22:06:00.000Z

i told you i was so happy to have volunteered to help (wo)man the baking stall at the church christmas fair this year. it was nice to feel a part of the community i live in...and meet a few new friends too!
here we are...

siobhan (main baking gal), kate (siobhan's sister),

moi, and amy (their friend who came to help, how nice!)

recognize the bunting in the background? i snagged it from the children's playroom

so that i could spruce up the tired walls in the church community room

check out all the yummy goods. cakes, biscuits, puddings,

chocolate dipped marshmallows, brownies, fairy cakes and more!!

a good weekend

2010-11-29T12:13:00.000Z

time is really flying by. i can't believe it will be december in only a few days. gulp. i still have lots of christmas shopping to get done.
i spent my saturday -selling baked goods at the baking stall at the christmas fair at our church. i had so much fun...meeting new people, familiar faces in the parish. i had baked iced christmas trees and the gingerbread men. lucky for me, within the first few hours, one lady had bought 30 of them from us - for a party she had to attend later in the day.
we spend sunday at my friend, wendy's house...the children and i packed up and invaded her house for the day - the kids played nicely together and i made a complete mess of wendy's large kitchen! she has so much space, it's divine! we refashioned the thanksgiving turkey leftovers for a nice, smokey turkey tortilla soup. then we made some of the aforementioned gingerbread men. we really had a nice time. i am blessed to have such a great friend.
the weather is quite chilly here in london, though, no sight of snow (yet). it's been a chilly 32 degrees. freezing!
this morning i tried to rally the troops for a couple of snapshots together...here's what we came out with...

happy thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T22:56:00.000Z

yes, well...it's true, thanksgiving in london is just another thursday. business as usual. minus, all of the americans who take the day off (though some don't) and feast on their bounty of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry and pumpkin pie. this year, we had turkey (but didn't cook it) and pumpkin pie. we have so much to be thankful for and i'd like to think that i give thanks on a daily basis, but it's a good holiday to bring to mind all the things we have to be thankful for.

i spent my thanksgiving at raina's school - teaching the multi-cultural group about thanksgiving. i had previously ordered a book from amazon that saved me. when i thought back to the history lesson i learned, i couldn't really recall the full story about the pilgrims and natives. whew. thanks amazon!

i decided to create a poster to help with the messages for the kiddos...

after reading the story and talking about what

each child was thankful for, i gave them a

turkey to colour.

i really enjoyed my time at her school and getting to know her fellow students a little better.

the rest of my day was spent in the kitchen...not tending to the turkey but rather...baking cookies for the big bake sale this weekend at the christmas bazaar our church is putting on.

the gingerbread men were given faces (finally!)

and here is the christmas tree farm that i decorated

and just for good measure, a pic of rocco this morning.

crazy enough, the weather forecast is calling for snow! what? i didn't sign up for snow when we moved here...i thought i left all the snow in boston! although, i must admit, it'd be sort of fun!

wherever you are, happy thanksgiving!!

gingerbread biscuits

2010-11-20T10:44:00.000Z

like i had mentioned in an earlier post, i've been volunteering more with my church and we have a Christmas Bazaar happening next weekend. i'll be helping set up the bake sale booth along with baking biscuits at home and selling them to raise money for the church. i can't tell you how excited i am. i can't wait to package the lovely iced biscuits in adorable bags adorned with fab ribbon.
a few months back, i took a biscuit decorating class at this awesome place called The Make Lounge. they taught us various ways of biscuit decorating using royal icing, fondant, edible glitter and more. i've also taken a sewing class there as well. i am always excited to see their new class schedule and find something that i can sign up for. anyhow...during the biscuit class, we used these deliciously smelling, perfectly shaped gingerbread biscuits. they handed out the recipe and this morning, raina and i, still in our pajamas, made the dough in preparation to bake off later today.

here are the ingredients...working with things i've never used before

like treacle and golden syrup.

she has to help me with everything in the kitchen

the dough is in the fridge now for a few hours...can't wait to see how it turns out. in the meantime, here's the recipe, if you are interested in baking off some of your own gingerbread biscuits.

Gingerbread Biscuit Recipe

(Makes about 40 medium-sized biscuits or 20 large biscuits)

Baking Temperature: 200 C, Gas 6.
Baking time: 8-10 minutes, depending on size.

Ingredients:
250g cold salted butter, diced
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
560g plain flour

Hot Mix
5 Tbsp. water
210g brown sugar
2 Tbsp. treacle
3 Tbsp. golden syrup
3 Tbsp. ground ginger
3 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

Instructions:
1. Place all the ingredients for the hot mix in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring.
2. Once boiled, remove the pan from the heat. Carefully add the diced butter, stirring with a wooden spoon.
3. Once well combined, add the bicarbonate of soda and briefly whisk the hot mix.
4. Pour into the bowl of the electric mixer and allow to cool slightly. Once the mixture has cooled, sieve the flour into the mixer bowl. Combine the two on low speed using the paddle attachment until dough forms.

Note: If you do not have a electric mixer add the cooled spice mix to the sieved flour in a large bowl and mix together with your hands - the dough will be sticky and you may need to add a little more flour as you work it into a dough. Don’t worry though, the dough will firm overnight, and be ready to roll out your biscuits.

5. Put the dough in a zip lock bag or wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or, ideally, overnight.
6. Place the chilled dough on a floured surface and knead briefly. If dough is difficult to knead, allow it to come to room temperature before kneading.
7. Roll the gingerbread dough evenly to approximately 5mm thick.
8. Preheat the oven to 200C, Gas 6.
9. Cut various shapes using biscuit cutters. Using a palette knife, carefully place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
10. Chill in the fridge on the tray for about 20 minutes.
11. Bake the biscuits for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the biscuit, or until firm to touch.
12. Lift biscuits off tray and cool on a wire rack. Stored in an airtight container or biscuit jar in a cool dry place for up to 3 months.

i + london

2010-11-19T11:42:00.002Z

the christmas spirit is in full swing here in londontown. i am so thankful to live in such a fab city.

just take a look at all the cool stuff coming up that we can do this time of year!

-Ice Skate, Visit Father Christmas and Shop at Westfield Mall's Pop Up Ice Skating Rink

-Skate with a view close to the London Eye…

-Have a lovely lunch, brunch or tea at Petersham Nurseries in Richmond

-Where will the Secret Cinema be this time?

-Even forests are enchanted at this time of the year…

-Explore the world of magic…

-Fed up with the usual Xmas markets, all the same? Try this one - a Finland special!

-Come and listen to Jude Law and Quentin Blake - yes, for real!

-Have a cool time with Haagen dazs’ winter menu…

-Take the kiddies for a fun night out at the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park

-Are you brave? I mean real brave? The try this scorpion and tarentula cocktail…

-Or settle for a very atmospheric American bar…

-So chic! Hermes pops up in Shoreditch...

-See a movie in high style - on the roofs with homemade hot chocolate, mince pies and access to the heated pool…

sew what?

2010-11-09T23:33:00.000Z

ever since i painted the room yellow....i can't stop thinking of fun things to sew to add even more bursts of colour to the playroom.
i hit up anthropologie today, the one on regent's street. 3 floors of vivid, loud, inviting, fun at every corner.
i was on the search for more fabric napkins so that i could transform them into pillows for the children to use as floor pillows. you guys, it's so easy! i bought 2 of a kind, grabbed an old pillow that was tucked away in the bottom of the closet and in less that 10 minutes, new pillows! these pillows cost me a total of £8 each! let me run you through the simple process.

layout the front and back side of napkins.

since these napkins already had the cute finished ends, i

decided against turning them inside out, etc.

thusly, i put them together and sewed 3 sides together, leaving

the 4th opening for stuffing.

here's the old pillow

let out some aggression and rip right into it!

transfer stuffing from old pillow into new one

sewing the 4th side and shape and voila!

a refashioned pillow!

and now the playroom pillow corner looks a bit more festive.

tonight, i also wanted to use a pair of other napkins from anthro and make quilted cushions for their white chairs. you know, spruce it up a bit.
i found these nifty napkins...along with another one that doesn't seem to be available online...anyhow...here's what i did...

started with this...

1st: measured the chair and cute my napkin accordingly. i had an alternative fabric to also play along with. the napkin wasn't big enough for a solid front and back, so i took some tips that i learned in my quilting class and applied it...making the backs using a fabric piecing method...

here's the back of one soon to be cushion

and the back of the other

now, for the stuffing, i also had a brand new mattress pad cover for a twin bed - i bought the wrong size. so i stuffed it away in my closet, just in case...well, the time was today to break it out and use and abuse it.

cut out square the shape of your pattern

not a necessary photo, but it made me laugh.

double checking to make sure my fabric will cover all of the stuffing

stuffing my cushion

i sewed the 4th side close, along with the addition of some chair ties.

then, i just free handed stitching through all of the layers.

i love it.

and the finished product!

and i did the same with the yellow one.

it's lovely, i have 2 choices...the solid fabric side or...

pieced together side. both cute.

tomorrow, i hope to complete a quilted table topper.

and now we pray

2010-11-07T21:49:00.000Z

i grew up going to church with my dad - a nice little southern baptist church. it wasn't something that was constant every sunday but i do have fond memories - both good and bad. and my bad, i mean...i didn't really want to get out of bed on a sunday morning to get dressed up and go to church.
back about 10 years ago, when living in DC, i felt like i needed some consistency in my life. something that would always be the same, something i could follow and believe and be a part of. i decided to join the catholic church. i had a blast going through RCIA with a group of new "church" friends that i had made. looking back on the experience, i was blessed to have a great one. i was baptised and confirmed by Father Gerry at St. Borromeo Church in Arlington, Virgina.
church, religion and spirituality are all very personal to many people. it just so happened that i met hubby weeks before the 3 hour long easter vigil, where he'd sit next to my mom and my aunt and watch me get dunked, cry and become a member of the catholic church. (i knew then, only after weeks of dating, that he was the one for me!)
i was very active in the church when we lived in chicago. many sundays i would read as a lector. i truly enjoyed it, though, i have to admit, i would study up and practice my pronunciation a few nights before.
i don't even recall going to mass when we lived in NYC and we did go when we lived in Boston. so, now, in london...finding a catholic church isn't an easy task. The Church of England/Anglican church rule here.
it just so happens, about a 5 minute walk from our house, stands a small catholic church that fit us perfectly! St Francis of Assisi. we had our little master rocco baptised there last year!
our attendance has been hit or miss over the past year. i think it's been my fear of having 2 screaming children to tend to. now that raina is getting older, i do want her to learn about God, about Jesus and learn the Catholic teachings. we've committed to go as a family for the children's mass on sundays at 10am. last week was a success with both kids, this week, i opted to leave rocco at home (he was a bit cranky and tired from his cold). raina did really well. she watched what was going on, wasn't too sure about all the kneeling and asked if she could also have a "crisp" when we went up for communion (crisp is brit speak for potato chip).
we are also making a concerted effort to go to mass because she'll start next year at the Catholic School attached to the Church. that is...if she is accepted in. oh the stress.
actually, compared to most london schools, it's not that stressful or difficult to get into the school. most all religious schools here in the UK are state schools, meaning, government funded. isn't that crazy?! a free, Catholic School?!

so, here we are in our pink and shades on our way to church.

i've also decided to let go of a bit of the social volunteering/planning that i do and lend my free time to the church. i feel so good about that decision.

so, i've been on this yellow kick

2010-11-06T19:47:00.001Z

not too sure if it's due to the sun setting earlier and earlier with each passing day or if i've always loved a pop of yellow or what...i've been adding some sparks of yellow in our wardrobes recently. so, i thought to myself, why stop there?
we've lived in our house in holland park for over a year and a half now and being a renter really does put a damper on the creative decorating of one's home. hubby was bored of his office being on the bottom floor, in a tiny dark room...so, he moved in all up to the ground floor in our reception room (which we never use). i was a bit skeptical but i love it. he's so good! can never underestimate him!
so, the office move left us with an empty room - what to do with it??
a. extra storage space
b. potential live in nanny's room
c. my very own craft room
d. playroom

we decided to go with d for a few different reasons - we're both tired of the slew of toys all the time in the family room, not to mention, the crumbs, spilled milk stains on the couch, the crayon drawings on the walls, etc.

i so wish i had a before photo of the dark office, looking back at my pics, here's all i could find...dark, dark. boring, lots of books.

first things first, i needed yellow walls. a few hours later....i had yellow walls. i bought a green shag rug. sewed a festive bunting from my pile 'o fabric scraps...and moved in all of the toys, a small telly. i've ordered a few things from the innerwebs to hang on the walls. i also found some super cute white photo frames and spray painted them red.

i took some photos with the good camera and a few with the not so great, iPhone camera.

new yellow walls, need some lovin'

i love liberty fabric!

my dining room -workspace

tada!! (and a true pic of the bright yellow)

larger view

the room is much too small for a couch of anysize, so i decided

to go with pillows for the children to hang out on.

the square red pillow with the 2 large circles is actually 2 oversized fabric napkins

that i found in the sale bin at anthro.

i sewed the 2 together and stuffed it with an old pillow i had laying around

voila! cute new pillow that didn't cost me £50!

the other pillows are a few i had around.

the round, patchwork pillows i love! they are

by the danish company, rice.

i bought one for raina and one for rocco.

i would really love to buy all of their cushions they have available!

i definitely am adding this to my shopping list.

i like the simple-ness of the white table from John Lewis.

i've added to my list to sew: adorable seat cushions and quilted topper for the table.
and sew cute curtains too.

a view that shows the fun play kitchen. i love that it's not plastic and

makes no electronic noises! thanks, ikea for this kitchen!

as you can see, it's not quite perfect yet, i still need

a storage solution for the larger toys. perhaps a shed in the back garden? haha.

next week's project is to paint a chalkboard on the wall so they can have a space

to be creative!

here's a view of the other wall. yes, i put a telly in the room. don't judge!

i also bought a cheapy bookcase and painted in this fun blue colour.

no doubt that it's a purchase that i will have to replace sooner than

later, as it's not sturdy enough to keep up with the banging of the children.

so, there you have it. i still have lots left to do to decorate their playspace. i was so worried that they wouldn't play in it...i am happy to report - they LOVE it. it's their own space, they can do as they please, while i ~~nap in the family room~~ cook.

happy halloween

2010-10-31T21:29:00.000Z

from my goblins.

a crafty halloween

2010-10-28T22:20:00.001+01:00

i've been on a halloween decorating kick. i so wanted to recreate this in my house but i ran out of time. definitely planning on bringing out the bats next year, i especially love dana's rendition over at MADE.

in my house, i've been sewing the children's costumes - raina had asked to be a kitty cat, like dora. and rocco would be an owl.
i was busy sewing...

rather than use a pattern, i did it on my own. i opted for raina's kitty cat to be more cutesy and less like pj's...so, i used a jumper dress pattern that i'd made for her before, cut out some fuzzy fake fur, hand sewed a oblong circle of pink felt for the tummy and fashioned a tale out of the fake fur. for the ears i covered an old headband in brown felt and then sewed little ears to attach. so very simple!

here she is with her lovely friend, maria.

and on the turtle at a zoo halloween event

i haven't yet tried rocco's on him, tomorrow morning will attempt it - when we go to raina's school's halloween party. here's my work in progress...

raina's head teacher asked if i could make some pumpkin biscuits, lucky for me, i had some free time to make them, and i had angela here (who studied as a pastry chef) to help me...

i think they turned out adorable!

a fishy birthday

2010-10-27T07:40:00.000+01:00

so, by this time tomorrow, i'll officially be in my mid-thirties. how did this happen? where did the time go? i can ask all the questions over and over again...but i can't help but come up with the same thoughts...i am so blessed and wouldn't change any of it (except that one dreadful hair style). happily married, two adorable children, my health, happiness, family, friends...thanks for all the birthday wishes and celebrations.
tonight i spent my pre-birthday celebration with a few of my london friends. we met up for a fish pedicure at Aqua Sheko - London's first fish therapy concept spa. i had a few other friends do it before, so i knew sort of what to expect. but, it's weird, people. these fish quickly start nibbling your dead skin away. it felt like they were almost crawling up my leg.

here are my feet.

it was definitely an interesting experience and a fun one to share with friends. not too sure i'd do it again. you do get a nice massage afterwards but no polish. not a real pedicure in my opinion.
afterwards, we hopped to Soho and had a delicious and spicy hot Thai dinner at Patara. thanks girls for a wonderful birthday evening!

happy birthday to my dad, who celebrates his own birthday the day before mine! xox

my first visit to scotland

2010-10-24T23:37:00.001+01:00

we've been now living in the UK for over a year and a half now and we've traveled to quite a few places in that time. recently, we've been visiting the same places over and over, which has been nice, but it's time we start seeing new places.
we decided to take a weekend away with our friend, angela, who's visiting from the states. hubby has been doing quite a lot of business dealings in scotland, so he wanted to show us the beauty of the land.
we took a quick flight on friday night up to edinburgh and hubby got to drive for only his second time ever on the other side of the road. with angela has his gps gal and me in the back seat, he did a rather good job. i was impressed and jealous. i'd like to take a lesson.
we checked into to our quaint hotel, the scotsman hotel. from there we freshened up and hopped over to The Shore restaurant and enjoyed a delicious meal before night capping at our hotel's restaurant bar. we were in awe of their super cool cocktail offerings.
we hit the pavement early to get our glimpse of Edinburgh Castle and surroundings. we were blessed with a rather lovely brisk sunny day. hubby and ang enjoyed looking at all the cute shops, with starbucks in hand...

we had a yummy fabulous lunch at The Witchery (thanks for the tip, wendy). ang and jeff tried haggis for the first time...i, however, passed.

we did a bit of shopping and then hopped into our moto and drove north to Perthshire. we stopped in an adorable small town, Dunkeld, and admired the quaint town and hubby even found a good lead for a smoked salmon purveyor for the future.

we arrived at the Kinloch House, where we'd stay the night. Located in the heart of glorious Perthshire, famous for its stunningly beautiful countryside with lochs, rivers and trees.

the perfect sunshine made it a treat for us!

we checked in then headed out to survey the grounds, we found a secret garden...

i tried to test out some light for taking photos, ang and hubby were my models

the countryside was awesome!

the kinloch house even has their own hairy coo(s).

after our garden walk and attempt to get a smile out of the hairy coo, we decided to cross the road and hike to the nearest loch. we scared and were frightened by a large group of pheasants and later, partridges....hubby hopped the barbed wire fence to get a closer look at the loch.

after all that, we worked up an appetite for dinner. we honestly weren't that impressed with our dinner but the service was superb. we drank wine in the reception room then decided to go sit in the outdoor chairs and take in the simplistic beauty of the bright, white full moon. the wine guy sent us with tartan blankets. we wrapped ourselves up, with wine in hand and carried on the night, going round and describing the animal or thing we saw when the clouds covered the bright moon. a goat, a witch, a rabbit...i had such an enjoyable time...pure fun. the chills sent us back indoors and we all curled up in our blankets in front of the fireplace. sadly, i had to end the night abruptly as i writhed in pain, results from eating beef for the first time in over a month. not fun and most definitely not worth it. bleh.

i awoke feeling rested and much better. we went for a hike in Blairgowrie along the River Ericht.
afterwards, i took my turn at driving for the first time on the other side of the road. not totally difficult but...interestingly fun.

check me out!

we showered, checked out and drove west to tour and taste at a few scotch distilleries. with time running out, we chose to spend all of our time at scotland's smallest distillery, Edradour. we had a lovely tour given by a jolly old scot, dressed in a kilt and tall socks. we made our purchases and then headed to the airport in glasgow. sadly, we weren't able to spend any time at all in glasgow. which i will have plenty of opportunity to do within the next year, since there will soon be big news that will take us there more often!

we had a truly lovely weekend. hope you did too.

wordless wednesday

2010-10-20T07:14:00.002+01:00

crafty

2010-10-18T18:35:00.002+01:00

i really do enjoy sewing. i've made a few things this halloween...may post later but for now...i'll post these super cute goody bags i made the other day. not too sure what i'll use them for but i couldn't resist making them. i don't think my children have ever eaten candy corn. man, they are missing out!

i love bunting strung along the fireplace.

i also am planning to sewing the children's costumes this year. raina has asked to be a pink kitty cat and rocco will be an owl. i plan on fabric shopping in the next few days. i have some cute ideas and hope i can do them justice.

our weekly meal plan

2010-10-18T17:03:00.000+01:00

hubby and i created a weekly meal plan to follow as we faced the sometimes daunting task of what to prepare for dinner. with our new way of eating and the omission of so many things that we have used for years in our cooking...we thought the past way to handle it was to create a "theme" for each day of the week. i am happy to report that it has worked out well for the most part. the hardest part is the feeling of letdown* when we dine on saturdays, our "free for all" day.
here's what our week looks like (also note that we have a large salad to end each meal. a large green salad topped with nuts or seeds.

Sunday: Soup-er Sunday

Mondays: Mambo Italiano Monday (we've made whole wheat pastas, lasagnas, tuscan bean soup)

Tuesday: Sandwiches, Salads or Leftovers (we usually have tons of soup leftover from the sunday prior)

Wednesday: Wild Caught Wednesday (we choose fresh fish or prawns and create a recipe around it.

Thursday: Asian Invasion (veggie stir-fry or has included a thai dish, etc with brown rice or we've even included some Indian dishes)

Friday: Fiesta Forever! Mexican night (this is the easiest night for me, of course! i make handmade corn tortillas for veggie tacos, homemade guacamole, salsa. i've also made a "chicken tortilla soup, without the chicken. we have black beans and lots and lots of fresh veggies.

Saturday: Dealer's Choice for one meal of the day - Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner*

*I had mentioned that i have experienced such a letdown on Saturdays...i think i build myself during the week to stay strong and on the right path and then Saturday's meal is so built up that it never lives up to my expectation. then, i eat a big meal and feel bad about it the next day. Point is, we are still figuring it all out and try to find a middle ground that works for us, our bodies and our family. It's also important to add that we have experimented on so many new recipes and foods. Not every dish comes out delicious or even edible, just ask hubby about his cauliflower mashed "potatoes." I opted not to eat that evening. Actually, I believe i asked him to just make me a kale smoothie. None the less, we are committed and believe in the program. We aren't hardcore about it, but we do recognize the benefits and we would both admit, we feel great!

Next up, I'll talk about my cravings, what I miss and how well I've followed the program, oh and my weight loss thus far.

but olive oil is heart healthy?!

2010-10-17T09:33:00.000+01:00

hubby's mum was born in italy. she is a divine cook and loves to use olive oil, lots of it. simply, it serves as the finishing touch to a bountiful crisp salad or the beginnings of sauteed onions, garlic, carrots, etc.
part of the "nutritarian" diet is that you should no longer eat olive oil, honestly...really no oil at all.
but, isn't olive oil heart healthy?

well, what makes olive oil able to claim "heart healthy" is because the olive oil industry reduced the only good thing about olive oil is that it contains polyphenols. Polyphenols are antioxidants believed to have various health benefits, from protecting the heart to preventing cancer. But, polyphenols are not exclusively found in olive oil, they are abundant in many fruits and vegetables (including apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapes, pears, broccoli, cabbage, kale, onions, etc), so much so, that olive oil pales in comparison.

Truth is, olive oil has as many poly-unsaturated fats as lard.

Did you know that olive oil has 120 calories per tablespoon and those calories can add up fast. It is better to use olive oil than butter or margarine, but olive oil can easily sabotage your weight loss. Ounce for ounce, it is one of the most fattening, calorie-dense foods on the planet.

Have we completely cut out olive oil from our diets? Well, no. But we are now aware and use a small fraction of what we used before, mostly in our nightly salad with dinner. As far as cooking, I no longer use olive oil for sauteeing vegetables. I use coconut water. That's right, I start out with a super hot skillet and then add all of my diced onions, celery, carrots, garlic or whatever you are working with, and saute using the coconut water as you would olive oil. We've also tried this with a veggie stir-fry in the wok and it worked wonderfully.

what the kale?

2010-10-11T10:28:00.000+01:00

kale is an amazingly nutritious leafy green vegetable with amazing qualities. it's considered a top Superfood!
that's right folks, don't think of kale only as a garnish!

Kale is not particularly a staple in most American households, but, after reading this article, I hope kale becomes a staple in your house. Some may consider kale bitter, and, admittedly, some varieties of kale are on the bitter side. The secret to eating kale, then, is to choose a bunch with smaller leaves, which have a milder flavor. You can try different varieties of kale, such as dinosaur kale, with dark blue-green leaves, which offer a sweeter and more delicate taste than the more common, curly kale. In addition, you can pair kale with other greens, such as collard greens, which have a sweeter flavor to offset the strong flavor of kale. Or, my favorite, sautéing kale with sweet onions and garlic.

Kale is loaded with nutrients and compounds that aid in warding off other diseases and ailments as well. For example, kale is packed with beta-carotene, an important nutrient for good vision. Several studies link an increase in vitamin A and beta-carotene in one’s diet with a decrease in developing cataracts. Kale is also an excellent source of vitamin C, which is good for cold prevention, as well as a reduced risk of colon cancer. Finally, kale is rich in minerals, such as iron, manganese, calcium and potassium.

Read more here, if you are really interested in kale.

Of course, it's easy for adults to suck it up and eat kale for lunch or dinner, but what about the children? We incorporate kale into our morning smoothies.

Start the Day Green Smoothie

1 cup water
½ bunch kale (about 2 to 3 large leaves)
¼ cup pomegranate juice
1 big handful of spinach
1 Tablespoon goji berries
2 large frozen bananas
½ cup frozen blueberries
½ bag each of frozen raspberries and strawberries
tablespoon of ground flax seeds

Blend all ingredients together in a blender.

The great thing about making smoothies is that you can incorporate your favorite fruits. Stick with berries. We also use coconut water to help "sweeten" it up a bit and offset the tartness of the berries. Give it a go! Don't be discouraged if you don't have a great tasting smoothie the first or second time. I've had plenty of smoothies that i had to wash down the drain. Keep practicing.

Here's another kale recipe from a friend that I'd like to try soon, since we just bought a dehydrator.

Kale Chips

2 large bunches of kale

1/2-3/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup tamari or shoyu

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1-2 cloves garlic

juice of one lemon

pinch of sea salt

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

handful of herbs (I prefer parsley)

Wash kale thoroughly and remove the thickest part of the stem. Tear kale into larger than bite size pieces and set aside in a large mixing bowl. Combine all other ingredients in a blender until smooth. Combine mixture with the kale and massage it in with your hands making sure to thoroughly coat all of the kale with the sauce. Dehydrate/bake according to directions above. BONUS: Whatever doesn't fit onto your trays is a super yummy salad!

I recently happened upon this blog called, 365 Days of Kale. i can't wait to try some of the recipes.

what the moo?

2010-10-10T18:49:00.000+01:00

milk helps a skinned knee
you need milk with cereal and oatmeal
milk is a great before bedtime drink
milk is good because they need their calcium, right?

when returning from our immersion, we immediately and without hesitation got rid of cow's milk from our children's diets. raina now has soya milk and rocco has rice milk. we did try almond milk for both, it's nice and naturally sweet but raina grew tired of it and rocco had a bit of a red bum from the high concentration of nuts on his 14 month old body.

I recently read an article from a mum/doctor and here's what she had to say about milk. You can read the whole bit here. Also worth mentioning, humans are the only species that continue to drink cow's milk after weaning from the breast. Why?

Milk is often described as “Nature’s Perfect Food”, but is it really? Doctors highly recommend it. Television tells you it “Does a body good”, and our own mothers made us drink it with every meal. After all milk builds strong bones and teeth, it’s natural, it’s loaded with calcium, and you never outgrow the need for milk. Got Milk? You can even buy The Milk Mustache Book and glass! The ad for the book says, “Go behind the scenes at America’s favorite ad campaign”. Aha! That’s what this whole thing is about - The National Dairy Council’s ad campaign! Madison Avenue has “milked” a good thing into big bucks and our children are paying for it.

We are paying for it in many ways, but the most significant way is with our health. Drinking milk and eating dairy products put us at risk for so many problems, it is almost overwhelming and the list is growing steadily almost by the day. I know what you’re thinking- How could milk be dangerous? Everybody drinks it and I grew up on it and nothing has happened to me. But things are happening to you. Have you looked at the increase in childhood cancer and juvenile diabetes rates? Almost fifty percent of American children have allergies. How many suffer from recurrent ear infections, sinusitis, and are overweight? Why are we the only species on the earth to continue consuming milk past the age of weaning? Clearly it’s not as nature intended.

Here's another good read about how drinking cow's milk is actually harmful to your bones!

So....how do they get their calcium? Vegetables. I know my children won't outright any of he top 5 items on this list, but they do eat spinach and broccoli. Another way to get it into their diet is to incorporate it into the foods you are preparing. Add some spinach leaves to a fruit smoothie you make or bake it into a pasta dish you are making.

Here's another great read about how much calcium is in certain foods like sesame seeds and dried figs.

why, you may ask?

2010-10-09T07:36:00.004+01:00

some people may believe that we switched to this "diet" to lose weight. honestly, is that so bad? of course i would like to lose a stone. after our week immersion learning about Eat for Life, I learned that it's not only about losing weight. it's a lifestyle change and it's one to help you live a longer, more productive, fruitful and happy life. one with less disease.
Here are a few of the highlights of what I learned that made me say, "shit!"

-While the United States spend the most on healthcare (more than any other country) - it's a nation still getting fatter and dying earlier - Number 1 killer: heart disease . Number 2: cancer.
What is this telling us? Whatever we are doing, it's NOT working!

-One by one we are prematurely digging our own graves with the food we eat. So much so, that for the first time in United States history, parents will likely outlive their children.

-According the World Health Organization - You die earlier and spend more time disabled if you're an American rather than a member of most other advanced countries.

-Two-thirds of Americans overweight and of those, half obese

Where does it start? It starts with nutrition. Why is it that we fuel ourselves with cheeseburgers, sodas and donuts? The problem lies in the environment we currently live in. We are not flawed. We are inherently hard wired to enjoy pleasurable experiences like eating. The more calorie-dense a food is, the more pleasure we feel and the more dopamine is released.

Aside from losing weight, the bigger questions are:

Are you living with diabetes?

Do you have high blood pressure?

Do you have high cholesterol?

If you answered yes. You more than likely visited your doctor and they prescribed a drug for you. Did they ever mention changing the way you eat? Exercising more? More than likely, they scribbled the prescription and sent you on your way? The drugs act only to keep your numbers at a "safe" level, meanwhile it doesn't "cure" you of high blood pressure, of diabetes, of the effects of high cholesterol. You still have a chance to have a heart attack from the arteries hardening.

And my hubby's initial response - "it's genetics." his family has a history of high cholesterol. The truth is, yes, genetics do play a part in your health. Some say, "genetics load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger."

Think about it...think about what you eat? While you may think it's healthy...is it?

Next up, I tell you about our weekly menu, what we feed our children and how we are feeling.

i can't eat that??

2010-10-08T10:05:00.000+01:00

so, we arrived in the beautiful Maine coastline setting, the fresh ocean air, the excitement surrounded the building. here we were...on our week long escape...to learn about healthy eating.
i'll keep it rather brief, because i learned so much stuff, i want to spread the gospel, but i'll do it bit by bit, so as not to overwhelm you.
here's what you want to know, anyhow...what we weren't allowed to eat all week long:
-meat
-dairy
-added salt
-added sugar
-white potato
-white flour (white bread)
-oil (olive oil)
-alcohol
-caffeine
ummm, hello...is anybody else with me? what else are we suppose to eat then? thankfully, we had Whole Foods' chefs prepare our 3 meals for us each day. so, that made it easier on us and not have to choose to skip those "forbidden" items mentioned above from any menus we saw.

i must admit, i did know all of this going into this week long excursion. i had read Dr. Fuhrman's book - Eat For Health before agreeing to join hubby on the trip. The book addresses you in the opening - "If you want to live longer, reduce your need for medications, lose weight faster than you ever thought possible, and dramatically improve your health, Eat For Health is the answer.
The more nutrient dense food you consume, the faster your health will improve. Fat will melt away, the need for medication will lessen, and you'll reverse the disease process!"

wow. huge claims. think of people that you know that rely on a prescription medicine to lower their cholesterol? lower their blood pressure? diabetes?

Dr. Fuhrman coined the word, "nutritarian" to represent his recommended diet-style.

Simply put, a nutritarian is a person who strives for more micronutrients per calorie in their diet-style. A nutritarian understands that food has powerful disease-protecting and therapeutic effects and seeks to consume a broad array of micronutrients via their food choices. It is not sufficient to merely avoid fats, consume foods with a low glycemic index, lower the intake of animal products, or eat a diet of mostly raw foods. A truly healthy diet must be micronutrient rich and the micronutrient richness must be adjusted to meet individual needs. The foods with the highest micronutrient per calorie scores are green vegetables, colorful vegetables, and fresh fruits. For optimal health and to combat disease, it is necessary to consume enough of these foods that deliver the highest concentration of nutrients.
A nutritarian is a person whose food choices are influenced by nutritional quality.

GOT THAT? GREEN VEGGIES, PEOPLE!! If you shop at Whole Foods, the best items are scored using an ANDI scoring system. ANDI, short for Aggregate Nutrient Density Index.
Here's the list...eat the highest scored items!

i'll leave you with that info today. stay tuned for more about how our week eating KALE, KALE, KALE was and how our bodies reacted, what else we learned and how we are now keeping up with the lifestyle in our household with our children.

7 hour solo

2010-10-07T03:42:00.000+01:00

excuse my non-posting self. i've been self-absorbed in our life. busy getting things done and having fun.
hubby and i recently returned from a week away in the states - hubby was already in the states for work and i flew a 7 hour flight - with no buggy, no bottles, no sippy cups, no nappies, no snacks, no toys, no dvd player....only myself and my bag. that's it. nothing else. i thought for sure it'd be fabulous. the peace and quiet and hidden secret that no one knew - i was a mum of 2. truthfully, it was fabulous. divine, almost. it definitely made me think -damn, i really do a lot with my children. that's my job. but wow. to have a week off. what would i do with myself?! i left the kids in a peaceful slumber with my mum on watch.
7 hours later, landed in boston. i had a crazy realization that i was landing in the same airport, exactly 18 months earlier i had departed from - to embark on our lives in london. my womb stretched from rocco and all of our live in 8 bags of luggage. and 18 months later, i return to boston...solo.
i had made plans to meet up with our friends, lara, marc and their adorable children - calla and lachlan. we dined at the new "pub" in winchester. i kept saying how quiet everything seemed. slower. when asked if i missed it or longed to move back - my answer was a bit to quick - ummm, no!
hugging the henshaw-archers, bidding them good-byes until i see them again, perhaps in an upcoming visit they have to the UK....i hit the road south to nest for the next 2 nights with our dear friends, luke, tara, izzy, lucia and newbie - baby maria. it was so great to see these faces. embrace them and laugh with them, face to face and in good company.
hubby arrived into boston the following morning and we hung out downtown, seeing all the historic sites that we saw when we lived there for a year. this time, seeing them as tourists with a lazy day ahead of them, no where to be, no time to be there...gave us a different perspective. we realised we needed to do these things more often. reconnection as husband and wife. love and giggle together, hand in hand.
we shopped a bit, had some clam chowder at "America's Oldest Restaurant" - Union Oyster House.
we then walked over to Boston Common, where we picked a spot and had a rest. i felt like a young girl with my boyfriend. the sun shone brightly and we snoozed.

later that night, we met up with luke and tara and dined on the thing we missed most about boston, pizza at Santarpio's. it was fitting that our "last supper" was at this same place we had our other "last supper" with luke and tara before departing for life in london. yummy.yummy.
why was this our last supper? why did we choose to leave our children behind in london for 8 nights with my mum? why were we in boston?

we were spending a week in Ogunquit, Maine to attend a Whole Foods Market Immersion led by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. this all began from a Whole Foods Market company wide healthy eating initiative. there are many tenants of the program - in store education for customers along side team member support. The team member aka employee piece was the offering of the The Total Health Immersion Program offers Team Members intensive health and wellness education programs geared toward sustaining long-term, positive lifestyle changes, including healthy eating, fitness and empowerment. Participating in the immersion program will allow Team Members, who qualify and who are ready to take charge of their own health, to receive more direct support in making positive lifestyle and dietary changes under the guidance of a medical professional, and at no cost to them.

hello? what other company out there does this? helps their own employees get healthy? educate them about their eating habits? offer an expense paid opportunity to immerse themselves in this week-long, educational program?

while our health isn't poor and our blood work didn't qualify us to attend this, WFM urged all leadership positions and their significant others to attend.
the week long program was led by the company, Eat Right America.

wordless wednesday

2010-10-06T09:12:00.002+01:00

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