the par.tay

5 Americans + 1 Brit + 5 South Africans + 1 Swede

= House Party!!!

Last weekend we had a lil' house party. This is what the house looked like on Sunday morning.

And here's what we did for most of the day ...

In the afternoon Brian went for a run

I wonder what the neighbors think ...

while I stayed horizontal on the couch

Shockingly I took zero pics during the party. I'm disappointed but we'll just have to do it again because we had a really fun time. The food and drinks were super easy to pull together thanks to one of my favorite magazines. My friend, Sarah, gave me the recipe for her white peach sangria. Here is the recipe - you must try!!

1 bottle of dry white wine

3/4 cup peach flavored vodka*

6 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate*

1 pound white peaches, pitted and sliced

Ginger ale or club soda (not much, just for a little fizz)

Combine wine, vodka and lemonade concentrate. Stir. Add sliced peaches. Chill for at least an hour. Add a little ginger ale or club soda just before serving.

*I couldn't find peach vodka so we used plain and added a little peach nectar. Also frozen canned juice is unheard of in the UK so I used a sparkling Sicilian lemonade because "lemonade" here is basically Sprite*

After we ran out of the above ingredients we moved onto Passionfruit Cocktails. Yummmmmm. There are only 3 ingredients: Vanilla vodka + passionfruit juice + champagne = a lil' slice of heaven.

care to join?

I cannot tell you how happy I am to be at the beach for two weeks!! It was a crazy long and cold winter - and the journey here was a challenge. The airline split up our seats so we had 3 together and then 1 on the other side of the plane. Brian and I swapped seats every 2.5-3 hrs. I did get to watch a couple of movies and take a nap which was nice. So we are here and it's awesome and I am just so happy. Living in a major city has it's perks but it gets under my skin and I really start to feel anxious and irritable after a while. It's good to be back in the good ol' US of A. My heart and soul are just itching to feel inspired by the beauty and peacefulness of this place and the smiles it puts on all of our faces. Beginning April 1st I will be doing this online workshop. I'm looking forward to being motivated and challenging my creativity which has lied dormant for far too long. This summer I am going to be taking the plunge and doing an IRL workshop with one of my fave photogs but until then I am going to try to take my skills to the next level ... whatever that is!

the kitchen table series

bye!!!!

tea time

almost there

Last week was such a treat - beautiful sunny warm days. This week? Not so much.

Last week Kaneu proudly played at his cello concert. This week? He's home sick :(

Two more days and we're on a plane to sunny Florida. For now we are off to the doc!

mothering sunday

mother's day daffodils

Last Sunday was Mother's Day here, or Mothering Sunday as they say. It was a really sweet day. Brian offered to make me breakfast, but I wasn't really hungry, so I thankfully declined. I did, however, enjoy one of these yummy smoothies.

It was delish. When he sat the glass down in front me I thought this is so pretty I want to take a photo. Well when I returned with my camera the munchkins had stolen all but one of my kiwis!!

lone kiwi

We attended church and it was a great service though the best part was when they brought all the kids up front from the kid's room - Ruby was leading the pack! She had the biggest grin on her face and as soon as she got to the front of the room she circled back and came to sit with us. The rest of the kids lined up in front of the congregation and one by one as the microphone was passed to them they said their mom's name. When I heard Kaneu's little voice booming through the microphone I could have cried. He is usually very shy around people he doesn't know well and especially in front a large audience of complete strangers! I was just so proud. Love that boy so much.

kiwi snatchers

We don't really celebrate UK Mother's Day aside from me expecting a gift. Hee!! This year I asked for an awesome new camera bag that I recently read about. I didn't get it but I'm holding out hope for US Mother's Day!! I did treat myself to two new pairs of sandals!! We are heading to Fl for spring break next Friday. Yeehaw!

and more fun

Ruby and I have been spending way too much time in photo booth ...

and now for your listening pleasure...

fun

Thankfully the week has gone better. We are trying to move past the family drama and focus on what's most important to us. Sometimes it's easier said than done and other times it's easy peasy. We have a great weekend planned so we are focusing on having FUN!

Two weeks ago my friend, Abby, came into town for a lil' visit. We had such a fun time. Brian took care of the kids so that we could have some quality girly time doing what we love to do - eating, drinking and shopping! The weekend was a blast but went by too quickly!!

London Fashion Week

Somerset House

champagne/chambord cocktails ... heaven

are you a fan of this look?

Followed by dancing at what might be the cheesiest night club ever. But we had fun!

I love this pic ... you can see our friend, Monique, in the back gettin' her groove on!!

Abby has 21 month old twin girls - Laila and Audrey - and she missed them so much

afternoon tea at the charlotte st hotel


Abby brought Brian a neti pot ... and here she is giving a demonstration

not cute but if I posted the above pic I'd have to post this as well

yesterday, today, tomorrow

our little astronauts

Yesterday I ran for the first time in 17 weeks. It was slow going. I ran 3.5k (2.17 miles) in 28 minutes. As I was running I listened to Miley*Cyrus' "the climb". I know, cheesy, but I'm not afraid to admit that I really like the song and it's message - and let's be honest, the girl can sing! It was followed by Lady*Gaga's "bad*romance. I'm just sayin' ... I like to mix it up! My point is I ran people! Something that I thought might not happen. The foot today is sore but I'll manage. I ran!! And it felt great.

Yesterday I cried. We have some family drama unfolding and though I promise to not bore you all with the details I'll just say that what is going on is disappointing and hurtful. And by the way, these family members are on f*cebook so please NO comments!! Oh, the drama ...

Yesterday I giggled with my mom as the kids sang her happy birthday and as Ruby continued to sing to her throughout our conversation. Grammy Sue, we love you so much!

Today I had a fun day with a good friend and our daughters. I don't know if Hannah had too much fun w/me venting about the above situation. I'm so thankful for the good friends God has blessed us with.

Today we smiled with pride as we watched our little kindergartner sing and dance at his school music concert. The same little kindergartner who is now a level 3 reader!!

Tomorrow is another day and I'm gonna really try to let my anger go. Buh-bye!

project feb, continued

Thank you all SO much for your generous comments. I have to say I had as much fun getting dolled before the event up as I did at the actual event. It's nice to pamper yourself and really go the extra mile. I don't do that enough but geez maybe I should! And I did wear heels ... and believe it or not they are comfortable! These were the first heels I've worn since surgery and having the platform is an absolute must for me going forward.

So ... the morning after we attended the Brit Awards we boarded a plane at 8 am. It was a painfully early morning BUT we had places to go and people to see. We arrived in Geneva by 10:30 am and by noon we were pulling into a little French village called Les Bois, which is located about 10 minutes from Chamonix. When we walked into our rented chalet there were some very special peeps waiting for us ... and this time I do believe the birthday boy was actually surprised!! Jeff & Gina and Greg & Sarah had flown in a few days before and had decorated the place with balloons and signs that read "40 ... and the party continues". I wish I had photos of the "reveal" but I was standing behind Brian. Plus I was so nervous and exhausted!! In the car from the airport Elaine, Ruby and I were in one car and Brian, JD and Kaneu were in another car. Thankfully!! I was on the phone with Greg and he was trying to describe where the house was located and I was so scared Brian would suspect something. Thankfully he did not. He was stunned. Yay!!!

local brew. we used to keep beer labels. now i take pics instead!

Our stay in Les Bois was fantastic. If anyone is planning a trip to Chamonix I would be happy to share with you where we stayed. Lisa, our hostess, was fantastic. She made this a true vacation for us. She cooked,, she watched the kids(who adored her) so that Mama could spend a few hours out with the girls, and she arranged ski rentals, ski school, spa treatments, etc. She was incredible. She and her husband have recently begun an int'l adoption through S. Africa and so it was really interesting to learn about a new program I wasn't familiar with. All in all the trip was so memorable.

vin chaud

And that my friends brings Project Feb to a close. It was months of planning and though it was great fun I have to say that I'm happy it's over. It was exhausting and consumed a lot of my time - all well worth it though. The birthday boy is feeling VERY loved and that is most important and the goal, ya know? But now my focus is my babies and spending time with my old man :) I am so looking forward to spring!!

the chalet came with a dog, ollie. he was the sweetest.





yes, she is asleep ...

And if you made it all the way through then here is a little treat for you!

and then

and then she did wake up