London Gift Options

Dear Family,

We really would have gotten you something from our trip to London, it’s just that there were so many wonderful options to choose from in the gift shop that we became overwhelmed and had to leave immediately.

But we did manage to take some pictures of the sweet, adorable, and loving gifts this town has to offer.

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I was thinking my nephews would just love their very own catapult.

 

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And some dream inducing bedtime reading for my niece…

 

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Yes, thank you London for all of those wonderful gift ideas. We thought about purchasing many but may have in fact been  swayed by the dish towel display at Target.

Until next time,

Jennifer, Kelly, & Alex

Roar

Practically every time I start playing music from the computer, my youngest two request Roar by Katy Perry.

There’s a little too much Katy Perry breast action for my liking but I think their looking at the animals.

I think.

London – Day 2

Alrighty, last we left off in London we were following a group of men in their Speedos.

You know, typical London stuff.

Onto day 2…Buckingham Palace to start.

Front.

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Here’s a picture of the back after we took a tour of the palace. No picture taking during the tour so you will just have to trust me when I say it’s luxurious. The whole time I was there I kept thinking, I wonder if the queen walks through here in her nightgown at night to go get a midnight snack and Is that weird to be in charge of washing the queen’s underwear? Why? I don’t know but that’s what I was thinking.

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Inside the gift shop, which just happened to be about the size of Buckingham Palace.

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As we were exiting the palace, the changing of the guard was beginning.

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We rushed Alex up to the gate so he could get a look.

He found himself a place to climb up on.

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“Mom, mom, mom. Give me the camera.”

I like to title this one – Alex and the Japanese Tourists, July 2013 – and then I gave him the camera where he looked exactly like everyone else around him

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I would show you a picture of that but I can’t since he had the camera and was taking 754 pictures of the guards.

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After eating a lunch at Wagamama, one of my  favorite places to eat in London, we went to the Tower of London, probably my favorite place in all of London.

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He was in heaven the entire trip – young jedi of history that he is.

Sidenote: This kid is amazing. Seriously.

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I, on the other hand, have a rule of no more than 2 museums per day.

I know, party popper.

Thank goodness he had his aunt there.

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This was our tour guide, a retired beefeater.

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The Tower tour is fabulous & full of amazing stories and tales.

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I also like the juxtaposition of architecture you see everywhere in London – very old with very modern.

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My son made sure to take pictures (for his brother) of a special exhibit telling about all the animals that were held in the Tower through time.

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The Tower of London is also where the Crown Jewels are held. We couldn’t get any pictures but trust me, if you need a little brooch for your Christmas outfit, you might want to see what they’ve got there.

Also at the Tower of London is the White House which displays many of the military pieces of the royal family.

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No historical tour can be complete without taking a picture of the toilets they once used.

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And here are the travel guides checking the map to see where we were headed.

IMG_1235 I did not look at a map while we were there and it was great. I just followed them around like a little duckling.

We ended the day walking around a little more and then headed back to the hotel for a well deserved rest.

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Next up ..Day  3

 

Discipline

This morning at swim practice my coach said to my teammates and I,  “I don’t see a lot of discipline in this pool right now. People are having lazy turns, some lazy stroke work, and it’s not that pretty.”

Now let me clear something up for you in case you are wondering.

I did not have an arranged marriage at 8, children by 10, and now have the luxury to train for the Olympics at twenty.

I am 39 years old and I swim so I can fit into my jeans.

I’m pretty sure the average age of the twenty of us at practice is about 50.

Maybe even 55.

And it is 6:30 in the morning.

And we are jumping into cold water.

And it is 26 degrees outside.

I see plenty of freaking discipline.

We are at swim practice and we are old.

That’s discipline, my friend.

*Okay, so the cold weather was a rarity this morning but I’m still using it.

Passenger

Here’s a tune we are turning WAY UP when it comes on in the car.

In fact yesterday I got pulled over right after preschool drop off while I was jamming to this song (this is a complete surprise to my hubby right now, guess I forgot to tell you, love you dear).

“Ah mam, you were going 42 in a 30.”

“Okay.”

Wait while he goes back to his car.

Wait some more.

“Watch your speed mam. Have a good day.”

No ticket. Thank God.

I think the singer has such a unique voice.

Love this song.

The Rabbits – Part 3

You thought it was ugly when our dog killed the baby bunny?

Well a few days later…

She killed the momma bunny.

Or the daddy bunny.

Or the auntie bunny.

Whomever it was, it was huge.

I’m calling it a miracle that our oldest two were not home when this happened. Combine this with the fact that my  husband WAS home and I’m pretty sure that’s a certifiable miracle.

I was sitting at the breakfast table with my youngest when my husband, who had just glanced out the back window, stopped moving, and went back to the window.

He turned to me with wide open eyes and I just knew Sophie had done it again.

I quickly said, “Caroline, do you want to watch some tv?”

Without hesitating she jumped at the opportunity.

Is this lady really asking if I want to watch tv before school and I’m not even dressed, finished eating, or ready for said school that begins in 20 minutes? Hell yes!

Or maybe it was, “Okay mama.”

Once she was completely zoned out, my husband went out, grabbed a shovel, shooed the dog away, and got rid of the bunny.

Baby bunny. Mama bunny. Could have sent me over the edge.

I’m starting to wonder if our neighborhood bunnies have been engaging in some illegal extra curricular activities or whether my dog has been watching the hunting channel.

Seeing as we don’t have cable, I’m thinking there’s a problem with the bunnies.

I think the piece de resistance occurred later that day when I came home and found that the dog had had diarrhea in her crate.

For about ten minutes I pretended it wasn’t there and wished and hoped that my husband would walk through the door.

But alas, our miracle for the day had already occurred so I had to clean it up.

I can’t tell you how much I’m hoping the bunnies band together soon and get some revenge.

Winter Bingo – New on Etsy!

I’ve been working for the last few weeks on a new Winter Bingo game and it’s finally ready!

Winter Bingo is perfect for those school winter parties you are planning!

(There are no religious images used in this game)

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Winter Bingo is perfect as a a cold afternoon activity!

A sample of the call cards…

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Winter Bingo is perfect for all ages during the Christmas break!

Boards come in 5 x 5 boards , 3 x 3 boards, and 1 x 4 boards.

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That’s 54 different boards!

All proceeds from our etsy sales go to help fund our adoption so we thank you so much!

Go on over and check out this Winter Bingo at Big D & Me Etsy.

Buying Paint Today

Sherwin Williams paint goes on sale today (40% off) so when you  read this I am probably  standing in line at Sherwin Williams buying a gallon (or two) of paint.

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My husband is sooooooo excited that about this.

And that’s just because he thinks we’re painting the walls.

Wait till he finds out I have plans to paint the dining room ceiling.

Have a great weekend.

I know we will, my dear. 🙂

Thankful Turkey – A Family Tradition

Each year I make a paper bag turkey and feathers for our family’s annual Thankful Turkey.

He usually gets called Tom the Turkey or Ted the Turkey and we add thankful feathers onto him each day.

Here’s a photo of our 2009 Tom:

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This year I decided to upgrade us to brown wrapping paper.

I know, we are the last of the big spenders.

I found a turkey picture I liked, printed it out, and drew freehand the turkey onto the brown paper.

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My children have informed me that it looks like Ted is holding his private parts.

Children.

You just have to love them.

Or tell them, “Do not say Ted the turkey is holding his private parts ONE MORE TIME!”

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After dinner, everyone takes a feather (scrap paper I have) and writes down one thing they are thankful for that day.

After I had written my feather on the first day I asked my preschooler what she was thankful for.

She said God.

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I decided to take that moment to add a bit to my feather.

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Here are some more things we are thankful for…

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But don’t worry the next holiday is never far from our minds.

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And just to cover our bases…

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🙂