Thoughts for Thursday: Too many signs??

Hi there,
Well, we've made it past "hump day" and we're on our way to the weekend! Can I please hear a big sigh of relief...? Not that weekdays are bad, but there's still nothing like that "Friday feeling"... and yep, I still get that feeling, even though I am a stay-at-home mum and not bound by the conventional work week. Saturdays mean I have an extra pair of hands to break up squabbles, feed the kids, play Strawberry Shortcake and the likes... and let me tell you, those hands are as welcome as an oasis in a desert!

Anyhoo, that's by the by... what I wanted to chat about today was the amount of labels and signs appearing in homes... signs informing us what to do, whether it be relax, bathe, or simply breathe... or informative labels telling us where items are stored or which room we are about to enter.

Seriously, with the amount of signs in my house, you'd think someone had gone Health and Safety-mad in there! You could even be confused into thinking my little home was a factory employing a dozen or more people (all needing to be informed where everything was at a drop of a hat), and not a poky little house next to the beach.

I have to say, it had gone unnoticed by my eyes until the hubby pointed it out the other day. Then it was like one of those film moments, where the heroine realises that there are clues to the murder all around her and the camera darts around the room to them while a dramatic tune is played on a violin and piano combo! He was right. I had gone sign / label crazy. Almost everything in my kitchen bore some sort of lettering on it... Was that the design look I was going for or had I gone overboard??? Either way, this look will certainly come in useful when my memory starts to fail me!

Anyways, I was just wondering whether this sign / label craze is just something which exists in my house or whether you've jumped aboard too...

Take a look around your home and see how many signs and labels you have. Are these design choices just another indication that our lives have become so stressful that we need to run our homes with office-like precision and then tell ourselves to relax, breathe and drink tea?? Well, I guess we'll at least know where to find the tea!!

Good catching up today!
Take care.
Lx

Loving life...

Hello there-
So, how do you dip back into this blogging malarkey when you've had so long away from it? The old laptop has sat there on the desk, gathering dust, while I have been off, out-and-about... patiently sitting there, not demanding me to pick her up and tap away... letting me enjoy the sun, the beach, the kids, and mindless telly. But, enough is enough. So, today, I picked her up and started to blog again... but what to say?

Yeah, I've made some amazing food over the past few weeks. I am in love with any dish containing fresh peas. The mere act of shelling peas brings a smile to my face... my mum used to say that having babies was like shelling peas... Erm, no, can't see that at all??? I definitely didn't have a smile on my face during labor... Anyhoo, I'll be sharing my pea salad recipe next week... as it's just too good not to!
I've watched fireworks on the beach, but sans camera... Now, that would have been a post. Watching the Manhattan 4th of July fireworks from our little beach. Doesn't get much better... Except watching them from a huge yacht, I guess... Okay, it could get better, but it still was a pretty nice experience...

Then, we had the old "shaving the dog" debacle... I couldn't put a picture up of her... it wouldn't be fair... let's just say she looks like a South American street dog and not the beautiful black spaniel she was.... Not to worry though, the hubby said it will grow back and squared it away by declaring she was much happier with her cool, streamline appearance... Never the less I don't think we can add "dog groomer" to his bow... Lets just say them guys earn every bit of that $80...

There's been a whole lot going on in this little place... most of all, I've just enjoyed spending long days and late nights with the kiddies and hubby... and that is what life is about. Enjoying every last minute of it. From the early dawn chorus, to the hot mid-day sun on a salty beach, to watching the sun set, slipping slowly into the ocean, leaving behind a sky of pink and orange... to the dark nights, lit only by the blue hue of the moon and the occasional glow of a firefly...  and that, my dears, is where I leave you... sharing a little corner of my life. Our little beach... an amazing sunset and a moonlit beach... Life is good and there to be enjoyed!
Lx

Appreciating the local sites...

The sun was shining this weekend and, after a Saturday of painting, I decided to take advantage of this spring weather and go for a bike ride with the hubby and girls... there's no rush on the cabinet painting and days like today are just too hard to pass up!

The wind was chilly, so we bundled up and decided to bike along Sandy Hook to a place called Fort Hancock. With the Raritan Bay on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, it was quite blustery, but the kite surfers were making the most of it... I wonder if we could just strap a kite to the bikes... I know the hubby complains about the extra weight of the kiddies...

Anyhoo, riding around these beautiful old buildings, my heart was saddened by their state of disrepair. The Fort was originally set up in 1899 and included 18 Georgian Revival-style homes for officers and their families.

These beautiful houses have spectacular waterfront views and the sunsets along this six mile sand bar peninsula are amazing... and yet here they are crumbling... the beautiful grand doorways decaying... such a shame that these buildings can't be put to some good use.

This building, once the officers house,  is open to the public as a museum. 

With views of Manhattan from these golden beaches, the mind boggles as to why they haven't been developed???

One can but hope, though... reading in the local paper the other day, there were talks about potential uses for these grand homes, so as I rode around with the hubby and the girls, we chatted about what we would love to see them transformed into... restaurants, shops, cafes, guest houses... to see these derelict houses, once again bustling with people... but, this time around, filled with the vibrance of life and not the ominous threat of war...

Wishing you all a great start to the week!
Lx

The circus that is life...

First, I want to apologise for not posting mid-week... I had every intention of sharing a little of my world with you, but life happened, bowled me over, and left me with a migraine... You know, one of those heads where even the glare of the television is too much.
Before all this, I had one of those days where you sit back and look at what's going off around you and wonder, 'When did I join the circus?'
As I walked through my front door, I had my youngest screaming 'Coat! Coat! Coat!' at me... you see, she hates clothes, and as soon as we enter the house she starts demanding that I de-robe her... This is all with a sense of urgency, that if I don't do it in seven seconds flat, she'll spontaneously combust...

Add to this chaos, a dog running around, bounding up at said child... charged with sheer happiness... happy that we have finally returned from our 2 hour jaunt... and if I don't acknowledge her and her joy, she'll promptly skulk off to the kitchen and tear apart one of her stuffed animals... leaving the innards of little doggie toys floating around my kitchen like tumbleweed in the desert...

... then there was the 4-year old... asleep in the car... yet to be brought in... the phrase, 'don't wake sleeping bears' was running through my mind... knowing (from experience), that, once awoken, I would be greeted by crying... no, make that shrieking and tantrums... followed by a bathroom break (her) and more tears. The energy level in the house was at 10... and none of it was happy energy (apart from the dog's, although at this point, I think even she had started ripping up her stuffed elephant). After all this had finally calmed down to a dull roar (about 45 minutes later), I locked myself in the kitchen and made myself a cup of tea... I imagined what my house was like 5 minutes before we descended... imagined it still, and quiet, the peaceful haven I try to create... you see, I never see it like this... ever... it's always full of energy, noise... life... that's what a home is... it takes on the energy that fills it and becomes this persona.  One day, it will be quiet... one day, I will hear the tick of the clock in an empty house and remember these 'happy' times... Not on this day, though... this day, the house had a migraine and needed the blinds pulled!

Sorry for the long post today... I just wanted to share a little... Anyhoo, my Friday Flower, was brought by my hubby this week... a pity bouquet... he picked them all out and presented them to me last night. I think they have a country feel to them... they even have a little bit of lucky heather in... I guess he thinks I need it.

Wishing you all a fantastic weekend... Lets make it a relaxing one!
Lx

If you would like to join in with this weeks Friday Flower, simply use the Linky widget below... we all could do with more flowers in our lives! 

Tea cozy love...

I love tea... I think I've mentioned it before. First thing in the morning, I plod down to the kitchen bleary-eyed, and pop the kettle on. It's a red stove-top one... I toyed with getting an electric kettle, but there's something about the urgent whistle of a stove-top that I find quite soothing... like it's shouting, 'Tea! Tea! Quick!' (which is exactly the sentiment I'm feeling when I get that cup of tea).
I start the day by having two cups of tea (to 'wet my whistle,' as my grandad used to say)... I would have more, but by the last sip of my second cup, the girls are awake, and my attention turns to Cheerios, milk, and settling disputes over princess dolls.

Anyhoo, in an ideal world, I would make a pot... When I was little, we had a big brown teapot (a 'Brown Betty'); whoever was first up in the morning would make the pot, and then we would all saunter downstairs at various intervals and take a cup from it. Our big brown Bess was kept warm by a tea cozy... and this is where my problem lay... You see, I'm currently the only tea drinker in the house (this is practically unheard of in Blighty), and so, when I make a pot, it gets cold... and, unlike some, I like my tea piping hot!

Anyways, to circumnavigate this problem, I decided to drag out the sewing machine and set about making a tea cozy. I used this website here to help me... I didn't follow it to the letter (mainly because I have no idea what I am doing), but it gave me the framework... and I would have never worked out how to line the thing without this helpful site. There's a couple of things I'd do differently if I were making it again.. like invest in a compass, so I'd have a more rounded tea cozy, and create a little loop in the top, so I can hang it somewhere... but, as they say, 'practice makes perfect'... so, I think I'll be making another for my English gal pal T... after all, you can't have a teapot without a tea cozy.

Have a happy start to the week all!
Lx

This post is linked to A Beach Cottage- Good Life Wednesday, pop over for inspiration!

Blueberry muffins, hot chocolate and bird watching...

We woke up to even more snow this morning in New Jersey, and, even though it came over the top of my wellies, I was quite blase, declaring that, 'it's not too bad at all'... I guess I have been living here a while now. Nevertheless, the hubby got the day off work, and so, I had someone to share the parenting load with me.  While he cleared the snow outside, the girls and I whipped up a batch of blueberry muffins... a little mid-week treat to enjoy later in the day with a hot chocolate... I try to get the little ones really involved in the whole baking process... it makes it a bit more messy, but they get so much out of it... and, while the hubby was around to tag team with the kids, this endeavor appeared less daunting.

Anyhoo, early this morning, when the house was still, I brushed the sleep from eyes, pulled on my wellies, trekked across the snow in the garden, and cleared the bird bath so that I could add some much needed sustenance for the poor little birds that were sat in the trees with their little chests puffed out. By the time the girls woke up, the garden was alive with the chatter of birds. I managed to shoot these through the kitchen backdoor and I just had to share them with you...

As a child, my Mum would teach me the names of all the birds that frequented our garden... living here in the States, I've had to re-educate myself on the birds native to New Jersey, and it hasn't grown old... I still get just as much enjoyment out of watching these dart around our garden...

... but, best of all,  I think I've managed to pass this love of birds along to my little girls. They independently pushed a chair to the back door, just so they can watch our little visitors (although they still have to learn the art of being still and quiet, so as not to scare them off)... hopefully, this skill will come sooner rather than later...

Hope you are all having a great week.
Lx

Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of light brown sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup of milk

1 stick butter  (1/2 cup), melted

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

oats for topping

Method

Preheat your oven to 400f and line 12 muffin pan cups with greaseproof muffin cases. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl or jug, using a fork, beat the milk, melted butter, egg and vanilla essence until blended. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture; stir just until the flour is moistened (don't worry, the batter will look lumpy).

Spoon the batter mixture into the prepared muffin-pan cups. (I use an ice-cream scoop to ensure nice even sized muffins). Sprinkle the muffins with oats and a little brown sugar.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of the muffin comes out clean. Approximately 20-25 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and cool on a wire rack...

I like to eat these why are still a little warm... Mmmmm...

A winter walk and a recipe for pear & raspberry crumble

Today, I took the dog for a walk. There was a fresh coat of snow from the day before, and so, the dirty grey snow left over from Christmas had been given a new lease of life. It was, once again, pristine and white, as though the land had been draped in a crisp white sheet, hiding the messy bed beneath. 

During the warmer months, this path is alive with wildlife... birds darting in and out of the reeds, young rabbits nibbling lush green grass at the side, and butterflies twirling around the sky, as though they were taking part in an elaborate ballet... but, today, it was still and quiet. The only sound was the crunching of the snow underfoot... each footstep pushing the snow back to reveal the glassy ice beneath. I trudged along the path, pulled my hood tighter against me and buried my head into my scarf so that I could feel my warm breath against my skin.

As the wind blew, the dog braced herself against it, until I turned on my heal and declared, 'Come Bea, let's head home...,' to which she returned an almost grateful tail wag.

As I walked into our little home, the warmth of the house was greeted by the throbbing of my cold cheeks. I looked at the healthy snack of raspberries that I had left on the side, pre-walk, and decided that today was a crumble day... it's too cold for diets...

If you're wanting a little comfort food, give this delicious combination a try... you won't be disappointed.

Take care all and have a great Monday!

Lx

Pear & Raspberry Crumble

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour

1 1/4 stick of butter, cut into cubes

1/2 cup of brown sugar

3 pears peeled and cut into slices

1 cup of raspberries (I used a small carton)

2 heaped tablespoons of vanilla sugar (granulated sugar if you don't have it)

honey for drizzling (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the pear slices and raspberries in an oven-proof dish or pie dish, sprinkle with the vanilla sugar and stir in with a spoon.


Sift the flour into a bowl, add the cubed butter and rub in with your fingers, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir the brown sugar into the flour mixture.


Spread the crumble mixture over the pears and raspberries. Don't pat down the mixture... you want it to stay airy. Drizzle the top with a little honey... this gives a chewy texture to your crumble top... it's not necessary, but I like it.


Place the crumble in the oven for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown on top and the fruit is bubbling at the sides.


Serve with either custard of vanilla ice-cream... both are delicious!


Note: I don't precook the pears, as with apple crumble, as they're usually softer already. If you're not able to get vanilla sugar, you can always try and make it. Sarah's blog here offers a tutorial on how to do this. It really does make a difference.

Smile in 2011

I'm a little bit late off the starting block when it comes to the New Year... but I've made it... I'm finally here in 2011. How's yours going so far? I've been trying to get the this little old place ship-shape and ready for the up and coming year (which mainly just involved packing away the holiday decorations). A job which I never relish, packing away all the magic, carefully, in bubble wrap, knowing that it will be a whole 11 months before I see them again (by which time I've usually forgotten what has been squirreled away).

Anyhoo, I was listening to the radio (yes, Santa did treat me to that cream Roberts radio... I must have been a really good girl...) and there was a segment on New Year's resolutions... who makes them and what they were for 2011. There were the usual... stop smoking... diet... be more organised, etc... and then, one women announced that, in order to keep her New Year's resolution, she was setting her goals a lot lower in 2011... My ears pricked up and I decided I liked the cut of her jib... my kind of gal... Anyways, her resolution was to smile every morning... and my first thought was, 'attainable... really?'
This thought was closely followed by 'You cynic, Laura. Is it really that hard to smile every morning?'
I'd love to say no... I'd love to say that I wake up, think of my life, and smile... just as the bluebirds peal back my bed linen and the dog runs in with my nicely warmed slippers, and places them beside my bed... but life isn't a fairytale... I'm not going to go into my morning routine, as I'm sure, most of you out there have your own morning tales to tell. All I will say is that it's like waking up strapped into a roller coaster and knowing that there's no way off until bedtime.

Where am I going with this?... Ahh, yes... to smile every morning... Yes, this is my New Year's resolution... to do it right before the chaos happens... that split second where my eyelids are still heavy and clinging onto my eyeballs for dear life, I'm going to remind myself that I would not have my life any other way... remind myself that, throughout the day, there will be tears and there will be tantrums, but there will be lots and lots of smiles...

Take care all and keep smiling!
L :-)

New Year, a New Calendar...

Someone once said that the week between Christmas and New Year's is like a week's worth of Sundays, and I have to agree. Each day slips by and, at the end of it, I've done absolutely nothing other than eat and enjoy being around the hubby and my girls. The huge amount of snow we've had here in the Northeast only added to my lethargy... not that I'm complaining. I've managed to flick through my old magazines and get some ideas together for the New Year. I'm almost like a racehorse, chomping at the bit, waiting to spring into 2011 and get all my plans into gear.

Anyhoo, the other day, a magazine landed in my mailbox, all the way from Blighty. My mum sends me the January edition of the 'Sainsbury's Magazine' each year... Sainsbury's is a UK supermarket... so why do I get the magazine when I can only dream of doing my weekly shop there? Well, this is the calendar that becomes our kitchen family calendar. This supermarket freebie has been the diary in my house well before I came to America, and ever since I have been here. I scribble down every event in the little square box, no matter how trivial. And, at the end of the year, I pack away the calendar, with all of the others.... but not before I've flicked through them all. These little 12 page diaries show me when guests have visited, the vacations I've taken, my visits to the UK, events from during my pregnancies, and all manner of both momentous and tedious occasions. I love that they are all in the same format... this supermarket recipe calendar takes me through the year via healthy suppers at the start of the year, to Easter lamb, to sumptuous strawberry dishes and juicy burgers mid-Summer, and onto stodgy warming meals when the nights draw in, and, finally, back to some Christmas offering at the end of the year. I love looking back at all of the years of my life, from when there was just me, to the two of us, and then to the four of us... like a stack of maps, charting the path that my life has taken to get me to the present day...

Who knows what will go down in this year's calendar... what will I be smiling at when I pack away my trusty Sainsbury's calendar at the end of 2011?

Oh, and before I forget... with it being Friday tomorrow, I figured I would share my Christmas roses with you (the hubby gets me two dozen every Christmas)... I know I've done these so many times before, but they're just too beautiful not to show you...

 

Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year. I'll raise a glass to you all at the stroke of twelve!
Lx

Home

I've been thinking a lot about home over the past few weeks... Now, I have two versions of home... there's the home where I currently live... my little run down Cape Cod in New Jersey... and then, there's 'Home', as in 'I'm going home'... and that home is England. I don't know when I'll stop referring to England as home or if I ever will... perhaps England is so ingrained into me, that it is at the very core of my existence... I live and breathe it, and when the plane touches the tarmac at Heathrow, the only thought going through my mind is, ' I'm home'...

During the holidays, I may be, physically, here in the States, but my heart and mind are well and truly 3,000 miles away... reliving past Christmases... my Christmases as a child... I close my eyes and remember the decorations, the smells, the excitement, the food, and even the TV shows (right down to the excitement of getting the Radio Times and flipping through to see what was on the Christmas telly line up)... Lost in a sea of nostalgia, I then set about thinking how I can recreate that here in America for my girls. Now, I have a pretty blank slate to start with, as my husband is Jewish... so, as the girls experience all their firsts at Christmas, so does he... I am the seasoned veteran in this house.

I get to pick and choose what Christmas traditions I want to carry on, and, along the way, even throw in some new ones.... Unfortunately, some of the traditions from England I've had to leave behind, due to my geographical location... bye bye, Queen's Speech and Top of the Pops...

... some of them, I manage to keep going, even though it becomes a little pricier when paying import prices... case in point, Quality Streets... to anyone from the UK, these chocolates are synonymous with Christmas (well, they were in my house). The opening of the Quality Street tin of chocolates on Christmas Eve signalled the start of the festivities... now, they're not particularly tasty, but I'm sure most people don't get them because of their deliciousness, but simply, because that is just the way it is... I still manage to get these in for the season, but, instead of a generic chocolate price tag, they now cost the same as a swanky Belgian number! Is it worth it? Yes... to watch my girls oohh and ahh and pick out their favourite colour... just like I did many moons ago...

Another tradition was reintroduced this Christmas... after discovering a holly bush by chance... and so, the other day, I nipped down to the waterfront (secateurs in hand) and liberated some holly from said bush... it was laden with berries and perfect for trimming up the house... the very act of carrying bushels of holly into the house reminded me of walking across the fields with my father as a child... the hazy sun low in the sky, frosty ground under foot, seeking out the bright red berries amongst the hawthorn hedges... old rickety wooden stiles and cattle gathered around the feeding trough, piled high with food... we would bring our bounty into the house and trim the old mirror over the fire, and it would stay there, 'til the leaves went brittle and the plump berries would wrinkle... so, even though this experience was so very different from my English holly gathering days, the simple sight of holly in my little home will always keep my memory alive...

So, this year, I'll be pulling a Christmas cracker, eating Christmas pudding, while drinking a glass of port... bringing a little bit of 'home' Christmas, into my new home...

It's been good catching up with you all today... I've missed writing this little old blog and sharing my thoughts with you!
Take care.
Lx

Happy Thanksgiving to All

I'll keep this brief, because a lot can be said in a few words... Wishing all a Happy Thanksgiving... 

We have a lot to be thankful for in this world... for me, I am thankful for the love and support of all my family and friends... I'm also thankful for health and happiness... If you have these covered, you pretty much want for nothing! As the hubby would say, 'the rest is gravy!'

Sorry for the lack of pictures today... packing in a hurry caused some things to be left behind, but all the important things made it to the cabin and that's all that matters! I'm off to enjoy the feast!

Not our turkey, but I did manage to find a picture of a chicken on the laptop

Lx

A festive bird

We're quickly approaching the end of November. Any leaves that were left on the trees have been blown off by last week's gales. The trees are bare and all of the rich colours of Fall have all but gone... not quite a winter wonderland yet, but I'm sure we're only weeks away... With this in mind, I decided to update the old cloche... so, the owl, pumpkins, and leaves have been relegated to the attic and I set about creating a new nature scene to commemorate the season...

Had this been the UK, I'd have definitely popped an English robin in there... Oohh, how I miss the English robin... it's beautiful, red fat chest adorning any traditional Christmas card... I have to say, I'm quite disappointed with it's American cousin... definitely not as cheery, little, and fat!

However, there is a festive bird to rival our little robin... the stunning male red cardinal... I have to say, there is nothing more beautiful than this scarlet bird against a snowy backdrop... With this in mind, I decided to create an American winter scene, complete with my own little cardinal. I'm really pleased with how it turned out... What do you think?

If you're requiring some more Christmas inspiration, pop over to the lovely Melissa... she's hosting a little Christmas Inspiration party... After reading her beautiful blog, I'm ready to get creating...

... and I'm also linking with the Christmas blog Tinsel and Company... They host a Deck the Halls Friday, giving us all the chance to share our Christmas creativity!

... and finally head over to Hooked on Houses for an impromptu Christmas Party!

Wishing you all a great start to the week!
Lx

An English corner shop in NYC

Today, we took a trip into NYC.. Boy, do I love this city... although when I was doing the 9-5 grind here everyday, I couldn't wait to get on the Path train and head back to NJ.

Nowadays, the visits are few and far between... largely due to the logistical challenges of mooching around with a 4-year old and 2-year old in tow... How native New Yorkers do this is beyond me...

I can tell that my eldest has been removed from this lifestyle when she asked if we could just drive around rather than walk.... memories of apartment life and trawling around parks have all but been forgotten for this little one,  and she is definitely a 'burbs girl!

Anyhoo, any visit to NYC has to involve a trip to Myers of Keswick. A little English corner shop in the center of the Village. This place gives me my fix of all things English (although the price tag lets me know that I'm definitely not in the UK). Not only does it sell all manner of English household-named goodies, but it also offers a great selection of homemade pasties, sausage rolls, and, just for the season... mince pies! Mmmm, if I close my eyes I could be in a quaint corner shop in Keswick..... except when I open the door, the bells jingle and I'm right back on Hudson Street... a few blocks from Perry Street (where the legendary Carrie lived on Sex In the City)...

I so hoped to capture more shots, but the battery ran out on my camera... lesson learned... remember camera and batteries...

I'm learning all this the hard way, though... I even joked that I could have been part of the papparazzi for the day, as we spied Ralph Fiennes sitting outside a coffee shop... Liv Tyler walking down 6th Avenue, and John Mayer looking moody near the Blue Note...

Hope you're all having a great week.
Take care.
Lx