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The Summer To Do List
Wednesday was officially the first day of summer (peers out the window), at least according to my calendar. While I’ve sorted out most of our summer holiday plans, which officially starts July 18, I hadn’t actually compiled the to-do list I’ve been working on with the kidlings. This summer may be the start of our last year here in the UK – the beauty of the open-ended assignment – so I don’t want to take a single minute for granted…. Play at Cusop playing field Play at the “wooden” playing field Have a picnic Go for a hike Fly a kite Go for a boat ride on Brecon canal Have…
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Silent Sunday
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Fill In The Blank Friday
Hello, Friday! It’s time to fill in the blank, of a sort. This week’s prompt is something I’m still searching for…. I am patiently waiting for summer to arrive here in Wales. My sundresses hang expectantly in the closet. I’ve near forgotten the feeling of sun on my arms as I shop for new cardigans to wear over my summer tops. I flip longingly through old beach vacation photos, dreaming of the salty ocean smell and sand between my toes. My Wellies mock my sandals, left absently in the corner of the cloakroom. I should be sitting in the sunshine, a cold drink in my hand, burgers on the grill…
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Outside My Comfort Zone
My comfort zone is rather smallish area which I am forced to step out of more often than I’d like. I am not a risk taker. No siree. I don’t like to ski – I don’t like the feeling of being out of control. The first and last attempt was on a bunny hill in Wisconsin (which the Hubs insists isn’t proper skiing). All I remember is a lot of packed icy snow, and ending up in a heap off-slope, under the ski lift, skis akimbo and stuck in the ground. Descending steep flights of stairs make me really, really nervous. My kids are well aware of this and when…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: The Summer Reading List
I may get around to reading 50 Shades of Grey (when I can borrow it from a friend), but honestly, I have TOO many good books lined up on both my Kindle app for my iPad and on my bookshelf (and coffee table…and nightstand) to spare the time on it. This is my (incomplete) summer reading list, and the 15 reasons why I’m (probably the ONLY person) not currently reading Fifty Shades of Grey: Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway: an absurdist comedy about Joe Spork, a mild-mannered clockmaker (son of an infamous mobster), Edie, a retired octogenarian secret agent, and their race to save the world from a 1950’s doomsday device that…
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Silent Sunday
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DIY means “Dad…..It’s (all) Yours!”
When I was younger and single, my father constantly offered the advice: “Marry a tradesman. They can fix stuff.” Instead, I married a salesman. We tend to fix a lot of things with our chequebook. I did, however, come into my marriage with more tools than my husband. The power tools were all mine, although I don’t have many. The only one we ever tend to use is the power drill, and that is on very rare occasions. Nevertheless, we make sure the battery is charged and that we have the appropriate drill bits so that it’s ready should we ever need it! Click here to view the top drill…
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Saturday is Caption Day!
Happy Saturday! Never mind the rain outside, it’s Caption Day! Since I’ve been holed up in the house all week my camera hasn’t seen much action, so I’m digging DEEP into the photo archives for this week’s captioning subject. (I’ve always wondered what Boo was thinking at this precise moment….) So go ahead, give me a caption. And, before anyone asks, I did NOTHING to his hair to make it look this way. (I think he was channeling Christopher Walken from about 4-5 months of age….) Wanna play along? Post a photo on your blog or Facebook page and link up at Mammasaurus‘s blog!
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Fill In the Blank Friday
Lauren at the Little Things We Do has ratcheted up the challenge factor of her “Fill In The Blanks” meme a notch or two. This week’s theme? Well, let’s just say that I am NOT “the hostess with the mostest”. I suck at playing hostess, to be honest. While my friend Valerie is the Diva of the Dinner Parties – she is everywhere at once, cooking, making sure you have a drink, taking coats, mingling (I can’t do this) – I am inevitably trapped in the kitchen, no matter how well I plan/concoct/prepare dishes in advance while the rest of the party is in the living room, chatting, eating the cheese…
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Lessons I’ve Learned From My Father
My father is a very wise man. I have learned many lessons from him over the years, and I’m sure he has a few more gems left to impart. My dad is a bit of a perfectionist. When I bought a loft bed from a fellow student during my sophomore year at university and needed a ladder to go with it, he made me one. It was stained, varnished, and perfectly angled so to lie flat and sturdy on the floor. The loft frame itself was constructed of raw timbers and bolts; it was akin to putting Mercedes hub caps on a Gremlin. When I admonished him for the overkill,…
