Kensington, Harrod's and Wicked!

Time to play a bit of catch-up... Not to be confused with ketchup (which btw, is referred to as tomato sauce in England). We've been having such a wonderful time that I've fallen rapidly into a mild coma each night with no energy left to blog a word about it. So here's what happened on Wednesday...

We had a lovely visit to Kensington Palace where the beloved Princess Diana lived. Sadly, they only had one room dedicated to her memory. I wonder if the queen is still mad at her? We did get to see three of her gowns- she was such an elegant lady, I miss her. My favorite part of the castle was the Queen Victoria exhibit. I think I would have loved her too if I had lived in her time.


The gardens were just blooming and so lovely. Lovely is my new favorite English word. Everyone says everything is lovely! Try it now in your best English Accent... Go on... It's mostly like luvly.


Next we were off to Harrod's- the world's first department store. Harrod's had the first elevator and it was so scary for people that they would give them a shot of brandy at the top to calm their nerves. Its a shame they have not continued that practice- it would have been really helpful for some of us- not because of the elevator, but simply because of the sheer number of people...It was insane! But what a magical place- just walking through the food halls was an unforgettable experience. I wanted to eat my way through every room.











We closed out the day with some fine West End Theater. Wicked! It was just as wonderful as I remember but all with a slightly English accent. The boys said they liked it and I thought it a huge success until on the train ride home Carson asked "Why do they have to sing so much in plays?"

Lovely! Cheerio...

Location:Warwick Rd,Stratford-upon-Avon,United Kingdom

Tower Bridge, St.Paul's, Millennium Bridge and a French Cafe!

Today was another spectacular day in London! The day dawned bright and blue with sunshine! We landed at the Marylebone station and started the day off right with English Pasties. These delicious little meat pies are divine and make the perfect hot meal for a chilly London morning. There is every flavor you can imagine! Most of us had chicken and mushroom. Carson had bacon and cheese. Tanner ate both and couldn't decide...





If you ever venture to Marelybone station, you'll have to stop at the Cornish Pasty Co. It's our new favorite dish we've got to try to make at home.

From there, our navigators Heath and Tanner have mastered the London Underground and we were on our way to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge!


Note: it appears that we only took one outfit to London! I promise that is not the case. And I can tell that I will probably want to burn my new pink raincoat upon my return to the USA. At least it's a cheerful color!

Ahem...anyway, see below the Tower Bridge- Awesome!


Tower of London was so interesting. I kept thinking it must have been pretty cold and scary over the years to live in that palace. Especially since King Henry VIII was irritable, but also because it was a little clausto!


The tiny winding staircases were smaller than my feet! The boys loved the armor and the torture chambers of course, and I thought the Crown Jewels were rather impressive. They have a special presentation because this year is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.





We spent all day at the Tower, exploring every nook and cranny. There is so much history for hundreds of years, I could study it for months and not remember a thing! It was a great experience to see it in person- perhaps that will improve my ability to retain it.

Around five, we headed over to St. Paul's Cathedral which was just closing. I wanted to stand on the steps and sing the songs from Mary Poppins and My Fair Lady. A reenactment was frowned upon by my traveling companions, so I refrained. But I do a fab Eliza Doolittle, I'm sure it would have drawn a crowd!


We took a long walk across Millennial Bridge. Most famous in our minds because of Harry Potter. We were able to safely make it across without encountering any dark wizards or death eaters. Whew! That was close...


Then we headed back to St. Paul's in search of dinner and found the most delightful little French cafe, Cafe Rouge. One look at the menu which included Beouf Borgoneaune and I could look no further! Tres Magnifique! oops.. We aren't in France. Well, you'll just have to indulge me, I have a weakness for Beouf and Dauffinos Potatoes. It was delicious!

Until tomorrow....

Location:Blyton Close,Beaconsfield,United Kingdom

London! I've got my Eye on You...

Today we arrived in the grand city of London! The boys took their first train and Underground rides and look wht we beheld as we came up out of the Underground?



There was Big Ben in full glory. We headed out to the Parliament Building and then over to the London Eye for an introduction to this great city from a birds eye view. Even though it was raining like crazy, we could still see all the landmarks across the city. It was fantastic!








Then it was off to Westminster Abbey. It is as beautiful in person as it is on TV. I could pick out all the famous places from the Royal Wedding. They have a great audio tour so we knew what we were looking at and who was buried where. It was really impressive.





After the Abbey, we were at that starving and ornery part of the day, so we headed off down a street to find some eats. We ended up at a quaint little pub for a Plowman's lunch. It was quite good, although I will say that "cold pork pie" is not on my list of favorites- more like on my list of things to never eat ever again. I will stick to fish and chips!

We were surprised to find that we had headed off in a much different direction than we thought, and were actually quite close to Trafalgar Square. We only had an hour before closing,but we headed into the National Gallery to take in the Masters. I thought that The Hooligans would hate it, but they were actually quite enthralled and Carson is quite well versed in VanGogh and Monet and even knew my favorite artist, Seraut! Apparently he pays better attention than any of us thought! It was one of our favorite stops.

From there we moved down to Picadilly Circus. We stopped by the Amex Office and took a picture for a shout out to all my colleagues! YAY Amex!


Then it was off to Selfridges for French Macarons (Heath has an eagle eye for Macarons and I had to chase down the girl carrying a bag of them to find out where she got them.) After checking our map, we realized that Selfridges is quite a ways from Picadilly, so we took our first solo adventure on the Underground. Heath is an excellent navigator thank goodness and we were warm and cozy in no time enjoying our French Macarons in jolly old England.


It was a lovely day. Although it rained and rained and rained some more, that didn't stop us from seeing London and loving it!

Location:Blyton Close,Beaconsfield,United Kingdom

Happy Easter!

Today we had a most enjoyable Easter, complete with the bunny finding us all the way over on the other side of the world! Here Zane is showing us his chocolate bunny and chicks...I think he ate everyone's by the time the day was over!


We went to church (in Levi's because we forgot our Sunday clothes- that felt awkward), but no one cared and we were warmly welcomed. It was fun to meet LDS members from another continent.

After church, Michele made the most delicious meal of ham, potatoes and homemade rolls. Then we headed out for a walk in the countryside. It was beautiful and perfect and I expected Jane Austen to come walking along the path any minute!



Along the trail, we found the lamppost which marks the entrance to Narnia-right here in Beaconsfield! No sign of Mr. Thomnas though... Or the white queen, thank goodness.


The kids found several tree bridges and termed them the "Bridge of Death." Very dramatic.


Tomorrow we are off to London on the 9:40 Train. We can't wait!

Location:Beaconsfield, England

Brittain is GREAT!

We have arrived in the UK at last!  After a long long flight on row 40 in coach, we walked our sorry, hideous heels out of Heathrow and into the beautiful quaint village of Beaconsfield.  Our dear friends, the Gardners are most gracious hosts. We had our first official english meal in the oldest pub in  England, the Royal Standard. 

Does this look like it's right out of Harry Potter? It's over 900 years old!

Real English Fish and Chips!  Huge and DE-LISH!

Ressurection Pie!  Perfect for a Pre-Easter Dinner.

Good Friends, Excellent Food and a Fantastic Adventure... off we go!

New Arrival on the Ranch

This weekend started out so sunny and nice we had to escape to the ranch.  And look at the new arrival we found there!

Homer

Meet Homer.  He is  a sweet little calf born just a week ago.  Poor little Homer, his mama died giving birth to him and so he's been bottle fed. He is so sweet and gentle, and just the right size to play.

He followed the boys right out of the coral...he knew what was coming. 

Lunch Time!

Followed by Recess!

We wanted to bring Homer home. Unfortunately, Mr. Vintage said "No." "Homer is only going to get bigger." and "We're not zoned for that."  Party pooper...

We are so happy that spring has arrived and we have many fun adventures to come this summer. Have you ever seen happier boys? 

Fresh air, sunshine and babies... Life is good.

One Yard Wonder Winner

Announcing the winner of the One Yard Wonder - Cynthia!  
I love the idea of an apron with red and white polka dots and pom poms. I can't wait to get the pom poms in the mail and get to work.  Thanks for the great idea Cynthia!  
Here's a look at the selection of fat quarters that will be on their way to you on Monday.  

I hope you love them. These are some of my favorites and have been used in curtains and pillows for the Boss Lady. I would love to see what you make with them. Enjoy!